Chapter 11: Together

"You really are an idiot, Hyuuga," Hotaru scolded. A few seconds before, Mikan and Natsume had jumped back into the time dimension to meet their friends. Ruka was more than relieved to see the two safe and sound, but Hotaru could only comment on how ridiculous they were. "You're supposed to have a hold on her." Natsume shrugged his shoulders.

"That's easier said than done," he stated giving Hotaru an annoyed look. "Especially when there's a vortex pulling you into it." She was about to retort when Mikan interrupted.

"Isn't it time we went back now?" Paradox nodded. He placed his hand on an invisible wall, and then pulled it apart like a Christmas present.

"Jump through!" And they did.

The outside world hadn't changed much since they left. Hotaru, on the other hand, did. Hotaru wasn't ready to hop and jump around like her best friend. She and her brother had aged four years in a couple of seconds. It wasn't much difficult for Subaru as he already had acquired adult sized body before he was trapped in time. But for Hotaru, it was tough. Her body had undergone enormous changes; from a girl's body to that of a lady's. And that made it difficult for her. Suddenly in a moment she was taller. Her thighs were larger, body curvier. Her face now had flushes. Her hair grew beyond her shoulders. Her chest had grown bigger, rounder. Pelvis broader and hips wider.

Gravity, weather, pollution, atmospheric pressure all of it suddenly came into action, along with her body metamorphism. And it was hard for her to adjust to the changes so suddenly. Her body ached in every possible place it could. Head bursting, chest aching with newly added burden, legs hurting just by standing for over two minutes. She found it hard to even walk. Even Subaru fumbled in walking, but his healing alice was strong enough to cope with the injuries of time.

"I don't like this," Hotaru stated. Mikan smiled sympathetically at her best friend, holding onto her right hand.

"You'll get used to this eventually, Imai," Ruka said reassuringly, his other hand holding onto Hotaru's left. The two friends could tell that Hotaru was less than thrilled to have to be helped, but she would've fallen over otherwise. When she first tried walking with her older body, Mikan thought she heard something about every bone in her body aching in the midst of a stream of curses. Had Ruka and Mikan let go, Hotaru probably would've fallen over.

"I don't need your help," the new teen seethed.

"Yes you do," Natsume cut in from beside Mikan. "Stop being so stubborn." She threw him a look and sighed.

"Once we get back to the academy, I'm walking on my own."

"Well you better learn fast, because we're almost there," Natsume answered with slight amusement. Hotaru shook off Ruka's hand and tried stepping forward. When her leg almost gave out from beneath her, Ruka went to give back his hand in support, but it was swatted away.

"I can do this," Hotaru seethed. Mikan furrowed her eyebrows and stared at her friend in concern. What should she do? Hotaru needed the help, but didn't want it. And what if she was right? What if Mikan's support was only holding Hotaru back from learning how to walk in her newly grown body? To everyone's surprise, Mikan let go of Hotaru's hand. Natsume looked at Mikan with an ounce of concern and confusion.

"Just concentrate, Hotaru. Pretend your legs aren't hurting. Try walking like you normally would," Mikan instructed. Her sudden maturity made everyone even more surprised. Following her best friend's earnest directions, Hotaru stepped forward. Mikan walked beside her, ready to catch her if she fell, but Hotaru stepped forward. Her face looked of flat out concentration, and every step she took became less and less shaky. Within a few minutes, Hotaru was walking like everyone else.

"There you go!" Mikan cheered. When Hotaru's eye twitched, Mikan could tell that the pain hadn't quite subsided, but at least she was walking. Hotaru was about to make a sarcastic remark about, "of course she could it, she was Hotaru Imai"; but the academy came into view.

Mikan had expected a lot of things. She expected to run through the familiar gates into her friends' arms. She expected a lot of silly bragging about how she indeed brought back Hotaru and everyone saying how amazing it was. She expected things to immediately go back to normal as soon as her feet stepped onto the premises, but she was wrong.

From just one look at the place, Mikan knew things would be different. Or at least it would take time. It was just as big as it always had been, but having not been there in four years made the campus seem bigger than she pictured. It didn't help that she hardly saw the academy from the outside much to begin with. Just looking at the place made her heart stop, and her memories become stronger. Noticing her sudden change in mood, Natsume slipped his hand into hers.

"It hasn't changed much," he muttered for her to hear. He was right and all, but Mikan saw that it wasn't the entirely the same. From the hill where they stood, Mikan could see all throughout the school. One thing that wasn't there when she left, was construction around the main buildings, and some of central town.

"What's going on there?" Mikan asked pointing toward the buildings. Natsume turned his head to look where she was pointing.

"They're still fixing things up after that war," he explained. "They're supposed to be done before the year is over."

"It's taken them four years to fix the aftermath?" she asked in disbelief. Natsume nodded.

"It was a lot worse when I first woke up. It didn't take very long for things to go back to normal though, so don't worry." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She smiled in return.

"You're right!" she said with a confident laugh.

When Mikan, Natsume, Ruka, Hotaru, and Subaru stood in front of the gates, they opened. The five stepped in hand in hand, and the air felt different. Mikan thought it might've been the barrier, but had her doubts. A breeze brushed against her face and she smiled.

"We're home!"

The group was told to keep their return on the down low until Hotaru and Subaru were healed. As soon as they stepped into the gates of the school, they were in the main building where they would answer some questions, and then to the hospital where they would be examined to make sure all the students came out of the time vortex okay. They were told this was the plan, and there would be no breaking the plan.

The inside of the main building hadn't changed much other than a few coats of paint. The group was escorted into a conference room, and as soon as they stepped through the doors, their mouths dropped. Two sets of families sat on couches in silence. One of the families consisted of a little girl no older than thirteen or fourteen, and a man whose hair was tied back in a ponytail. The other family sitting at their right was a man and a woman, one with black hair and the other with violet eyes. As soon as Mikan and her friends stepped into the room, the families stood up. Both groups stared at each other in shock.

Natsume was the first to react. He stepped forward and reached out for the girl. He didn't say anything, but just pulled her into his embrace. The girl hugged him back.

"Onii-chan!" She cried. Natsume pulled back and looked at her. Aoi Hyuuga had definitely gotten bigger since the last time Natsume saw her. Her hair was a few inches longer, her eyes looked frighteningly like her mother's. He kissed her forehead and gave her a smile. "Dad and I were really worried about you," Aoi stated. Natsume's eyes shifted to his father, who walked up to Natsume and pulled him into an embrace.

"They didn't call to say what happened until it was too late," his father said into Natsume's hair. Tears fell down Natsume's father's cheeks. "I don't know what I would've done if you left us," gave Natsume a once over. "You've gotten so tall! When did that happen?" Everyone chuckled. Aoi looked over, saw Mikan, and squealed.

"Mikan-chan!?" They ran into each other and hugged.

Meanwhile, Hotaru was holding onto her parents. Both Hotaru and her parents were on kneeling on the floor. Subaru stood watching his sister and parents awkwardly. His mother extended her arm and he slowly stepped forward and embraced his parents. Mikan looked at her friends and then back at Shiki who had arranged the entire thing. He saw a little bit of her mother in her when she mouthed, thank you.

Hotaru had spent the week in rehab center, getting used to her new post puberty body. Mikan was her guide. Funny thought actually, Mikan teaching someone. Natsume laughed at the idea, but Mikan put her foot down. Although Hotaru, smart as she as, didn't need much of a teaching. Mikan stood at the edge of Hotaru's bed, her hand as on Hotaru's left arm.

"Now bend," she instructed. Hotaru sighed and did as she was told. Pain shot through her arm like a million needles, but the doctors told them this might help Hotaru adjust faster. She bent her arm a total of 30 times in a row, and by the 15th bend, the pain was almost immediately gone. All they had to do was do this every few hours, and within a day or two, Hotaru would be back to normal. "How's that feel?" Mikan asked.

"Better," Hotaru answered. "A lot better, actually." Mikan smiled.

"Do you want to try walking again?" The brunette girl suggested.

"No, I think I just want to rest for a while." The two sat in silence. Both girls took the quietness different ways. Mikan was enjoying Hotaru's company. She laid back across the bed with her arms out. Breathing slowly, she embraced the serenity. Hotaru on the other hand, found the silence slightly uncomfortable. The solution was to break it.

"Mikan, how are you taking all this?" Mikan sat up and gave Hotaru a look she couldn't decipher.

"What do you mean?" Mikan asked bewildered.

"After everything that happened you're acting like it's all gone back to normal." Mikan stood up and walked to the window. Her hands rose the frame, opening the window.

"Hasn't it, though?" Wind came in and blew through her hair. "We can't live in the past anymore, Hotaru." Since when had Mikan gotten so profound? "I mean, there's no reason to. All my parent's wishes are fulfilled. The students in the academy can be happy now, especially the Dangerous Abilities who don't have to do dangerous missions anymore. What happened four years ago was so that we could live happily now. I think we ought to enjoy it." Hotaru smiled.

"That sounds like a good plan." Hotaru replied.

"Speaking of which Hotaru, I'll be back to meet up with you later, there's something I wanted to do before 'the big event'," Mikan said while winking. Hotaru raised an eyebrow, but past experience proved that you shouldn't question Mikan.

The orange red rays of sun descended on the grass below. Mikan placed the two flower bouquets on two gravestones sitting side by side.

'Izumi Yukihara'

'Yuka Yukihara'

The bold print was written in a beautiful font. Mikan smiled at the beauty of the area.

"Hey Mom. Daddy. I have been gone for quite a while, but I promise I will visit you regularly now. Hotaru's getting better. I am glad shes back. Everyone's together now. Don't worry I am very happy. Natsume's here too. Just...you..." She couldn't speak. Tears rolled down her eyes. Everyone was here but her parents. She missed them.

A warm hand comforted her shoulders.

"They are here with us. " She turned to see her sensei standing behind her. He touched his heart and then told "In our hearts. " She smiled and wiped of her tears.

" Thank you Narumi sensei."

"You know they'd be very proud of you right now. You fulfilled their dream of changing the academy." He patted her back. "And you've grown into a beautiful young lady. They would be so proud of you. " She hugged him. He hugged her back tightly. "I am very proud of you Mikan. "

"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without your or all my friends help. "

He smiled at her modesty. " If Sensei were alive I bet he'd give Natsume a hard time." Narumi added a lighter tone. Mikan chuckled at the idea of her daddy and Natsume. "Get your filthy hands off my precious daughter. You're going to ruin her innocence! You hear me? Ruin her innocence!"

Mikan was not all dumb, and in fact, she was rather clever at times. A week later when one showed up to class, she knew they'd be in their high school building preparing a surprise welcome home party. She also knew that Natsume and Ruka knew all about it too. So she played dumb and allowed everyone to believe they had her completely by surprise.

The common room of the high school division was in a building much like their elementary building. When Mikan stepped in front of the door, she looked up.

"It says common room, so I think this is it," she said. Natsume let go of her hand so she could open the door.

"SURPRISE! Welcome home!"

Standing in front of them was every single person from their old class, and most her upperclassmen friends too. They stood in their high school uniforms with smiles on their faces and party hats on their heads. Hotaru and Mikan were greeted by a crowd of people who showered them in hugs. Any other time, Hotaru would've shot everyone away from her with her baka gun, but she decided against it, and embraced the company of her friends (that and because she didn't have the strength to reject them).

Mikan was also enjoying the reunion. Of course she had seen everyone before, but now she had more time. The first to crowd Mikan was Sumire. It hadn't surprised Mikan when Permy came running up to her, and wrapped her arms around her. "You stupid girl, if you ever leave us like that again I swear to-"

"I missed you too, Permy," Mikan said chuckling.

"Who you calling Per-" Sumire was shoved aside by Koko and Fox Eyes. The two boys wrapped their arms around her slim figure and squeezed as hard as they could.

"We won't let you go never ever ever ever ever." They would have continued, but Natsume peeled them off. This started a long list of people coming up to Mikan and Hotaru, hugging them and giving the two off to the next person who wanted to welcome them home. The atmosphere was welcome and happy, and if you asked Mikan, there was no place she'd rather be.

"Come 'ere you!" said a deep voice Mikan hardly recognized. She turned and ran straight into the arms of her Tsubasa-senpai. He planted kisses all over the top of her head and hugged her. Natsume wasn't particularly fond of this, but knew that Tsubasa was engaged, and that he missed his "little sister."

"Guess what?" Tsubasa asked. Mikan looked at him with wide eyes.

"What!?" Misaki came up from behind him and held up her hand, revealing a shiny diamond band on her ring finger. "Oh my god!" Mikan yelled. "You're getting married!" She wrapped her arms around her Misaki-senpai and laughed in pure delight.

"Mikan-chan!" a familiar voice called. Mikan's grin got wider as she turned to greet the voice.

"Nobara-chan!" Nobara stood in front of door next to Rei. Mikan noticed her uncle slipping in from behind them. She didn't know who to hug first. Rei stepped forward and awkwardly offered his hand.

"Welcome back, Mikan," he said politely. Mikan smiled at the hand, but instead of shaking it, she embraced him. Rei was still for a moment, then placed his hands on her back. When they pulled apart, Mikan turned to Nobara. They stood smiling at each other until Nobara held out something in her arms. Mikan's eyes widened at the small figure wrapped in a blanket in her friend's arms. Mikan's hands shook as she reached out for the small child.

She didn't want to admit it, but it was Mikan's first time holding a baby. As soon as she felt the warmth in her arms, her heart swelled up. The baby had Nobara's eyes and Rei's nose. The baby boy reached out a hand toward Mikan, and she allowed him to wrapped his hand around her finger.

"Hi there," she said softly. Her voice was drenched in a sweet warmth. "You're so handsome. You have wonderful parents, I hope you know that." Mikan rocked the baby slowly. The room had gone quiet, everyone watched Mikan hold the baby. Ruka noticed Natsume staring at Mikan with a loving intensity. When Mikan and Natsume's eyes met, Ruka saw an invisible message, like they were talking to each other with just their gaze. He just didn't know what they were saying.

"You will never run out of people that love you," Mikan continued to the baby. "There will always be someone caring for you, making sure you're not alone. I promise you that. We all will protect you..." Mikan handed the baby back to his mother just as someone burst through the door. Subaru stood up and stared at the person in the door.

"Sakurano!" he called out. Subaru and Sakurano were never ones to display any friendly affection toward each other. Best friends since childhood, they were always strictly business. But seeing his best friend alive standing in front of him made Sakurano want to break the unspoken rule just once. The older Imai silently agreed. They walked toward each other and embraced like long lost brothers, patting each other's backs.

"I'm glad you're okay," Sakurano muttered. Subaru looked at his best friend and sighed.

"Me too."

When everyone settled down, cake was cut and passed around. Munching on their cake, everyone listened to the group's adventures.

"And then we accidentally ran into our younger selves!" Mikan exclaimed. "And the younger Natsume was a nasty fox!" Everyone chuckled. "But we made it out okay!"

"Do you remember meeting your older selves though?" Someone asked. Mikan looked at Natsume like the thought had never occurred to her.

"Actually, no," she answered. "Not a single bit."

"Paradox did stick around afterwards remember. He probably just temporarily wiped out our memories." Natsume cut in, wanting to immediately stop any of Mikan's worried thoughts, but he had to admit it freaked him out a little too.

"That makes sense," Mikan said a little uneasy.

"But it all ended up okay," came another person's voice. He was sitting in the corner, and Mikan couldn't quite remember his name. "So that's all that's all that matters."

It wasn't until then that Natsume had really realized the full extent to Mikan's impact on their class. He knew that when he was ten, no one would've been optimistic. Not about Hotaru coming back, or Natsume living, or even the fact that things would be okay in the Academy. And even though living without Mikan for four years was hard, the school being peaceful made it easier. No missions, no bad experiences in the DA class, no weird looks from people walking down the hall because you supposedly burnt down your town and killed your family. Natsume liked living in a place where everyone loved and cared for him. It took weeks after he woke up for people to stop telling him how glad they were he was alive. It was thanks to Mikan that he could live happily at the academy. Now that she was here, things would be even better. For the time being, he forgot about the AAO. He let himself feel safe in the Academy, and decided that things would be okay.

"You okay, Natsume?" The room had broken off into a bunch of different conversations, but Mikan was leaning over looking into Natsume's face. Her face only inches from his, he took advantage and placed a kiss on her lips.

"I'm fine," he muttered sincerely. "Go enjoy yourself." She looked at him.

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you alo-" Natsume cut her off.

"Yes, I'm sure." She squealed, kissed his cheek, and ran off. Natsume couldn't help but smile.

A little while later, Mikan noticed Hotaru sitting on a couch watching everyone. By then, it was less about Mikan and Hotaru being back and more about everyone finally being together again, so no one bothered Hotaru. Even her brother didn't notice her sitting alone, being too occupied by his old friends.

"You feeling okay, Hotaru?" Mikan asked. Hotaru bent her arm and flinched.

"Still a little achy. Decided to sit down," Hotaru said as Mikan sat beside her.

"You know, I always believed there would be a time like this. Even during the war, and the few days you were gone. Even when I was holding Natsume when he wasn't breathing. It was hard, but I believed that everything would be okay. With a little hard work, we managed to accomplish it." Mikan said, Hotaru smiled.

"I'm glad you thought that way, because I didn't." Hotaru sadly said. Mikan looked over and widened her eyes. Realization appeared on her face.

"You didn't know if you were going to save Natsume, did you?" Mikan said. Hotaru leaned her head back.

"No," Hotaru started. "But I wasn't going to give up." Her eyes looked over at Natsume who was sitting talking to Youichi, Ruka, and some of the other guys. Koko stood up, acted out something that seemed to be a Jinno-sensei impression, and the boys bursted out laughing. Her eyes widened when she saw a smile spread across Natsume's lips. "He's smiling," Hotaru muttered. Mikan turned her head in the direction Hotaru was looking.

"Oh, yeah! Isn't it great? I think he's really enjoying himself for once." Mikan happily stated.

"He never smiled before." Hotaru said. Mikan sighed and a loving smile spread across her cheeks.

"I think he's just allowing himself to be happy for once. No missions, no sickness, everyone's all together." Hotaru was surprised at Mikan's sudden intelligence. "I think he's always been like this, he just needed a little push." The smile on his face proved Mikan was right.

The party went on for hours. Mikan, of course, made the rounds and talked to everyone who came. They told her stories of the academy, and asked for stories in return. What was the outside world like? What did they wear? What were the people like? Natsume's interest was peaked when he heard something about the boys in the outside world.

"Did you date any of the guys that asked you out?" Nonoko asked. Mikan's eyes met Natsume's. His gaze was so intense that it made her shudder and look away.

"No," she stated sincerely. "I was waiting for Natsume," A brightness swept over their faces and all the girls squealed.

"You remembered him?" Hotaru asked, surprised by Mikan's reasoning.

"Sorta, I just knew there was someone out there I loved. Figured I'd wait for that person." Natsume's eyes softened. Mikan thought she almost saw relief. He walked over to her and placed a kiss on her lips. Ignoring the squeals from their friends, he said, "I think I'm gonna go to bed, now." Mikan blinked.

"Oh, okay! You must be exhausted, huh?" He nodded. "Goodnight Natsume!"

As she watched him walk out of the room, she felt the urge to follow him. What was this feeling? She had been with Natsume again for a long while, now, but this was the first time she felt this way. She didn't just want to follow him. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to feel his skin against hers. She wanted to be close to him. Her mind wandered off to that first night. The night he unbuttoned her shirt, and she slapped him. The truth was, a part of her wanted him to keep going. But the other part of her -and the more dominant one- told her she wasn't ready. But now...

Then she realized it.

The urge to kiss him, and feel his skin against hers, and be close to him; that was sex.

Mikan's eyes widened.

What the hell was she thinking?! Sex?!

Sure she was seventeen now, and this is what girls her age often thought about, but when did this happen? Then again, she loved Natsume more than life itself. Wouldn't it only be natural if they...But was she really ready for this sort of stuff? Half of her really wanted to, but the other half wasn't so sure.

Mikan looked at the people around her, every single one having a good time. She hoped no one knew the things running through her mind, but it didn't seem like anyone noticed. She did notice Koko looking at her with wide eyes. Her cheeks immediately turned red when she realized that the amused smirk on his face meant that he had been reading her mind. Oh, shut up, she spoke in her mind to him. He chuckled, shrugged, then turned away.

"I don't think Natsume got any cake," Mikan said slowly. Hotaru's eyebrows lifted. "I think I might bring some to him." Mikan said.

Koko cocked his head in amusement. He cheered for Natsume in his mind 'Good luck mate.' As Mikan walked past him towards the door he whispered, "Don't worry I am sure he will be gentle. " She blushed red, frozen, as she stared at him. He winked . She flicked his forehead, but smiled weakly.

What was she doing?! She grabbed a plate of cake, and walked out of the room.

Her body shook with nervousness. The plan was to go in, talk to Natsume about it, and hope that he would know what to do about it. Maybe she'd give him his cake and then they'd laugh about the whole thing. Maybe he'd get mad or offended and stop talking to her. Maybe he'd even break up with her. Her body froze. She was never this bothered by something, why now? She leaned against the wall outside the common room. Her mind raced as she tried to think of what to do. Butterflies filled her stomach like no tomorrow. A few seconds later, something moved outside the window across from her. It made her jump, but she immediately remembered her current problem.

A few minutes later, she composed herself, put on a determined face, and walked toward the boy's dormitory.

A/N: What did you guys think? Things will be starting to pick up within the next few chapters, and the next one will definitely be a good one! Don't miss it! Also, thank you guys SO MUCH for all of your reviews! We really appreciate every comment and critique! We especially love the awesome constructive criticism you leave us because it helps us grow as authors. So thank you so much for your support and keep reading!

This chapter was written by Neverlookback756 and edited by edwardelric108 and Sonic-Keyblade 007.