Hey Guys! So we wanted to apologize for the really late update. Two of our author's are back in school and the other is just about to start. We're going to be slowing down our updates to help cope with our schoolwork and also your guys'! Probably most of you are heading back to school or are currently in session, so work hard! We will too! We hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 13: Alone

The AAO was right where it always had been; in the middle of the city in what seemed to be a large welding factory. It hadn't changed since Natsume last stood in front of that, and when that was he couldn't remember. All he knew was that this entire thing was more familiar than he'd like to admit. Standing in front of one of the secret entrances with his black cat mask placed promptly on his face.

When he had stopped his missions, they were going to take back the mask, but Natsume just couldn't part ways with it. As much as he hated to admit it, it had become a part of him. Instead, they just removed the restrictive properties and the mask he wore now was like any other mask. No more piercing headaches, it was merely a symbol. An icon maybe.

As familiar as the situation seemed, there was something very not right about the way the AAO hadn't moved. They were not stupid. They were expecting Natsume, he was sure of it. By the look Scarlet had given him when he last saw her, he figured she had realized that Natsume was deeply involved with Mikan. Scarlet probably knew better than to think Natsume wouldn't come save her. If that was the case, then why was it so easy to just traipse up to the door and and walk in.

This was a trap. That he knew.

But Mikan was in trouble, so there wasn't any other choice.

He had to do this. He had to. Mikan was in trouble.

So he thought about his options. He could enter through the front door like he had originally planned. Maybe they didn't expect him to be so rash, and come in through a different way. He could also go in through the top, there seemed to be a door near the roof. He'd have to work his way down the entire building, and he figured Mikan would be in the basement somewhere. The thought of his fiance locked behind the bars of an AAO cell wasn't a thought he wanted to keep thinking about.

In the end, he decided it didn't matter how he got in. All he wanted was Mikan back, and he would stop at nothing to make sure she was safe. So, leaving his logic on the doorstep, he walked through the main entrance.

The inside of the warehouse seemed normal. Natsume's steps echoed off the walls, bouncing around like taunts. His guard was up, honing his senses. As he stepped through the corridors, Natsume's mind began to race. What if Mikan wasn't okay? What if he was really in the wrong place? The entire building seemed awfully quiet, so what if they actually had moved. Natsume's hands began to tremble. He was almost about to turn around and go back, when something metal clattered against the concrete ground. The noise echoed throughout the entire room, ricocheting off of barrels, tools, and emptiness, then was followed by an almost silent curse.

Natsume's hand filled with flames and his eyes narrowed.

"Show time!" Natsume muttered with a smirk on his face.

No one appeared, but he knew they were there. He tossed a fire attack toward boxes in the direction the noise came from, and flames erupted like an explosive. Two men came diving from behind the boxes, letting out yells of agony from burns. When he sensed someone behind him, he turned just in time to stop a metal pipe from hitting his head. He ducked and grabbed onto it, swinging it aside, along with the AAO member attached. He grabbed the man by the collar, pulled him up so the man could see the fiery look in his eyes from behind the mask.

"Where is she?" he growled. Natsume's voice sent chills through the man's bones.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man replied stuttering. His eyes flickered away from the mask.

"TELL ME." Natsume brought a flame right next to the man's frightened face.

"I-in the basement. The only way down is by the stairwell on the second floor." Natsume dropped the man. He landed on the floor with a thud. Natsume gave him one last kick to the stomach and ran forward.

Natsume could not remember if missions were always this easy. He zoomed through the attackers like they were sacks of flour. With every AAO member he knocked to the ground, he wondered more and more if he was just getting stronger, of if it was the adrenaline of the whole situation. He figured it was both, the latter more than the former. God, he hoped Mikan was okay.

He should have known he spoke to soon.

As soon as he stepped through the doors onto the second floor, he was greeted by a gun to the head. But a quick surveillance of the area, it seemed there were thirty; forty at the most.

Natsume froze. His heart stopped, and he knew he had been thinking like an idiot.

Of course it wasn't going to be easy.

A young boy stepped forward from all the gun points. Natsume recognized the black hair and impish nose immediately. Kenji.

"Where is she?" Natsume demanded. Kenji raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"You know the answer to that question already."

"Then give her back." Kenji motioned for the men to lower their weapons, but it didn't lower Natsume's guard.

"You know I'm not going to do that." Natsume's eyes flared.

"Why you-" He stepped forward and grabbed Kenji by the collar. The henchman flinched, but Kenji stopped them by holding up his hand.

"What has got you so wild?" Kenji asked, slightly intrigued. Natsume's grip tightened. His throat became dry, but he still spoke.

"That girl," Natsume started loud enough for only the boy to hear. Kenji could see emotion in Natsume's eyes through the mask. "That girl is everything I live for." Kenji's eyes narrowed. Natsume was taken slightly aback. Was that...jealousy?

"We won't let you see her. It'd be in your best interest to go back while you're unharmed. While Ms. Sakura is unharmed." Natsume punched Kenji in the gut, causing the boy to drop to the ground.

"Hurt her, and I'll kill you." From the ground, Kenji looked at his henchmen.

"Now." Right as Kenji spoke the words, the men raised back up their weapons. Natsume was just as quick as they were. He shoved the men away with his willpower alice, and used his fire to create a wall around him. Everything seemed to be going his way, when Natsume's heart twinged.

"Oh shit, not now," he thought. He felt a cough in his throat, but did his best to push it aside. Kenji noticed this through the fire and smirked.

"It's no use, Natsume Hyuuga," he yelled. "You'll collapse before you can even get to her."
The fire grew larger.

"Shut up!"

Things were about to get bad when a shot was heard, and a sting pierced into Natsume's upper arm.

Flashback

"Natsume, we have school today," A voice came from behind the door. Natsume turned away and shoved his face deeper into the pillow. Him and Ruka went though this every morning.

"We've gone through this," Natsume called out impatiently.

"You're going to have to go back eventu-"
"Ruka," Natsume interrupted. The door opened. A tall thirteen year old blonde stepped in and sat on the edge of Natsume's bed.

"What would she think of you just wallowing here?" Natsume flipped over and sat up. His eyes were drained and tired. "I'm worried about you," Ruka said.

"I'll be fine, I just need a day or two," Ruka sighed.

"You've been saying that for two weeks, Natsume." Natsume slipped out of bed and changed his shirt.

"Fine, I'll just get dressed and act like nothing happened." Natsume responded annoyed.

"Natsume..." Ruka called. Natsume slammed his dirty t-shirt on the floor and turned to Ruka.

"Do you have any idea how lonely I've been?!" Ruka's eyes watered a little. This wasn't the first time this had happened. It had happened once or twice a year since Mikan left, but it was getting worse every time. It was getting harder and harder to see Natsume like this. "Every day, it just gets more and more difficult to walk, to eat, to talk to people." Natsume's eyes filled with despair.

"But you've got to try," Ruka stated. Natsume looked at his best friend and they stared at each other. "You've got to hold it together so that when you two find your way back together, you'll be okay." Natsume's eyes drifted over to the picture of Mikan by his bedside. He couldn't help but wonder what she looked like now. Was she any taller? Were her eyes any bigger or brighter? Did she still smile? God, he wanted to see her smile. The memory of her grin made his heart feel lighter. Ruka noticed Natsume's eyes soften. The sadness faded away, and Natsume seemed to have calmed down.

"Feeling better?" Ruka asked.

"I think I'm ready to go to class now," Natsume decided. Ruka smiled.

"I left you breakfast on your dresser. Take your time. I don't think sensei will be upset if you're a little late." Ruka left Natsume alone to his thoughts.

The truth was, Natsume was far from okay. He had gone from better to worse, to even more worse, back to better, and so forth too many times he lost track. There were a few nights that he didn't like to think about. Nights where everything would hurt, and the only thing he needed to feel better was sleeping painlessly in her own village. He'd clutch onto his sheets and let out soundless screams. The doctors told him that he should try to heal his mental condition in order to make any progress on his physical. That was easier said than done.

Natsume looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. If Mikan could be strong, then so could he.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again, Kuro Neko." The voice came from in front of Natsume. He slipped his eyes open, and found his mask was off, and laying at a table beside him. When his vision cleared, Natsume looked at the man standing in front of him. This man was the new leader of the AAO. His dark messy hair complimented the scars on his face and body. Natsume hadn't seen him before, but was a good enough judge of character to know what type of man this was. The kind that would be polite...

"It is a pleasure to be in your presence."

...But wouldn't mean a damn word of it. The Boss pulled a knife from it's sheath and placed it near Natsume's neck. "I'm sure we'll be great acquaintances." The Boss' voice was sour sweet, like milk just starting to go bad. Natsume stared the man straight in the eyes.

"What exactly are you after?" Natsume asked. He went to shift his weight, but found he was bound at his feet, with his wrists chained to a pole behind him.

"I think you know," Zagi responded. "You know, I'd unchain you, but I know how rebellious you are. So this is what I needed to do in order to have a civilized conversation with you. I think we have some things to discuss." Natsume's eyes narrowed. God, he was tired.

"So get talking," Natsume spit out coldly. Zagi pulled his chair closer to Natsume.

"Do you know why we have in our custody?" Natsume shivered.

"Enlighten me."

"She's going to save the world."

Natsume had known this much. He knew far too well about the AAO's delusions about Mikan still being an alice, and how they wanted to use her Alice to remove Alices from the world. Oh yes, he knew all about it. But then there was this part of Natsume that was selfish. He didn't care if Mikan was the only way to save all humanity, he just wanted her all for himself. He wasn't about to let some organization steal her away and harm her.

"You're crazy," Natsume spat. His eyes narrowed when he watched a sickly sweet smile spread across Zagi's lips. Standing his ground, he braced himself when Zagi's arm lifted from his side, and a fist flew across Natsume's face.

*Flashback*

"...So then Kokoroyomi started reading her mind, and I'll admit I was pretty embarrassed, but it put a smile on my face anyways. I always wondered what had happened to that box of chocolates Sakura gave me. I guess I know now...Please wake up, Natsume. I can't do this without you." Ruka's voice echoed around from somewhere distant. Natsume wondered if they were sitting in a tunnel of some sort. He had been sitting listening to Ruka's stories for a while now, but he didn't know what the Pheromone Alice meant when he told Natsume to wake up.

Wasn't he awake? He was sitting right there listening to Ruka talk, so then why...?

"Just wake up, Natsume."

And then it hit him.

He must've been in a coma. Ruka was so distant because they weren't actually sitting together in a tunnel. Chances are, Natsume was laying in a bed somewhere fast asleep. No matter what he tried, or how hard he concentrated, he couldn't snap out of it.

"Please, Natsume. For Mikan. Wake up for Mikan." That was all he needed to hear.

Natsume rested in Room 421B in the Alice Academy hospital. His normal pills along with some new ones rested at his bedside. The only people in the room were Natsume's blonde haired best friend, and a boy with a strange tattoo underneath his eye claiming to be somewhat of a brother to Natsume. He had the same mission scars as Natsume to prove it.

"Ruka-pyon, why don't you go to dinner. You haven't eaten since breakfast," the tattooed boy stated.

"But what if he wakes up when I'm gone?" Tsubasa was about to answer when a sigh came from Natsume's lips. This had happened on more than one occasion, but it always made the two boys jump in hope. Maybe he'd wake up this time.

Then the grip on Ruka's hand tightened.

"Natsume!?" The injured boy didn't open his eyes.

"Mikan..." he said weakly. Ruka almost didn't hear it. "Where's Mikan?"

Ruka didn't answer. He wasn't sure how to. Narumi had mentioned something to Ruka about easing Natsume into this new life. Something about saving the bad news until the very last minute.

"She's fine, she's okay," Ruka choked out. Natsume's face relaxed, and he slowly lifted his eyelids. "More importantly you're okay, Natsume." Tsubasa watched from the corner, his throat closing.

"We almost didn't think you'd make it, kiddo," Tsubasa mentioned. Red eyes trailed over to the tall teenager standing in the corner and softened.

"What happened?" Natsume asked. Immediately after he said this, Natsume noticed that someone was missing from the room. Someone important. "Where is she?" Ruka noticed the panic in his eyes.

"We told you, she's fine."

"No, but where is she right now." How like Natsume; he always knew when something wasn't right. Sometimes Ruka hated him for it.

"Why don't you just relax for a while, Natsume." Tsubasa stepped forward. His blue eyes told Natsume what he already knew; he wasn't going to want to know, so he shouldn't be asking.

"What is it?"
"Natsume..." Ruka said.

"Tell me."

"She lost her alice trying to save you," Tsubasa stated. Saying the words was like walking across thin ice. Any second now, Natsume would snap. "So they removed her enrollment at the academy." Natsume didn't blink. The second Tsubasa finished his sentence Natsume said, "Take me to her."

"We can't do that." Natsume ignored the pain and sat up.

"Why the hell not?" Ruka expected him to be angry, but instead, he just looked desperate.

"They erased her memories." Tsubasa's fists clenched as he bit out the words. If it was hard for Tsubasa to miss Mikan as much as he did, he could only imagine what things were going to be like for Natsume. As if answering his question, Natsume's eyes widened as the color drained from his face.

"No," was all Natsume could mutter. Ruka bit back the urge to cry.

Tearing the IVs from his arm, Natsume shoved the blankets off him and got up. Ruka watched as Natsume struggled to stay on his feet, waiting to see what he could do next. Then Natsume took off toward the door.

Tsubasa was quick, and grabbed Natsume's arm. Normally he'd be equally matched, but with Natsume this weak, it was easy to keep him down.

"I have to see her!" Natsume yelled. Ruka grabbed onto Natsume's hand and pulled him back.

"Natsume you need to be careful, you're still not fully healed yet."

"I have to see her. There's no way she forgot me. She's waiting for me. I have to. I have to..." Natsume's voice trembled as he yelled out. His chest still hurt, and there was a pain in his back that felt like someone had torn out his insides.

"You can't, Natsume," Tsubasa declared. Natsume pulled on his arms and kicked forward. He screamed against Tsubasa's grip, pulling and shoving and fighting. A few doctors rushed in, but Tsubasa told them they had it under control.

"Listen to me Natsume," Tsubasa yelled through the fight. "You can't see her. Not yet anyways. The reason they did this was to protect her. To keep her safe. If she regains her memories, she won't be safe anymore. We just have to keep it together. For her! Your bond with her can't be broken apart like this! You'll see her again."

Natsume stopped fighting. His body ached and he just wanted to go back to sleep and wake up to Mikan at his side.

It was in that moment, that a heavy layer of despair fell over Natsume.

This was losing Aoi and his father all over again. Why was the academy always taking people he loved from him? With his family though, he knew that they were safe. Natsume's missions ensured it. But he didn't know where Mikan was. Every second he wasn't ensuring her safety, it bothered him. He didn't know when they'd see each other again or if she'd even remember him. It rushed on him at once, and he fell to the ground. He caught himself with a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and cried.

"A girl like Mikan would have a boyfriend in her village, don't you think?" 14-year-old Natsume asked into the cool autumn air.

"What are you talking about this time?" his best friend reply. They sat in their normal tree, at the same normal time, talking about the same normal things. That is, until Natsume brought this up.

"Think about it Ruka. A girl like that. She's got to have a boyfriend now. She's not too smart or anything, but I'm sure she's absolutely beautiful now."

"Oh, that's for sure."

"And she's kind and happy, it's the kind of thing that guys want to be around, you know?" Ruka glanced over.

"Well, yeah actually I do know." Natsume had forgotten about Ruka loving Mikan. That just seemed like so long ago. In reality, it wasn't really. Only a few years at most. Natsume wondered if Ruka still harbored any feelings for her.

"But if guys here can fall completely for her," Natsume continued. "Then why can't they in the real world?" Ruka sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"You know, I think that's where trust comes into the whole relationship thing. Natsume, I know she is still head over heals in love with you. Whether or not she knows it, or remembers you, your love can't be stopped with this. You just have to trust her." The thought of Mikan with another boy was battling Ruka's words in Natsume's mind. On one hand, Natsume really wanted to trust Ruka. The idea of Mikan still loving him, waiting for him. That was the kind of mindset she'd have if she were in his situation. The other half of Natsume thought logically like it normally did. This was a memory erasing Alice they were talking about. Could love really cancel out something that powerful?

"If she does have a boyfriend I'll kill him," Natsume growled.

"Natsume..." Natsume looked over at his best friend and rose an eyebrow.

"I'm kidding." They laughed together, but both of them knew on the inside he wasn't kidding.

"What!?"

"You heard it right the first time, Natsume," Narumi-sensei said. Natsume's hands flew to the arms of his chair. This is the moment he had been waiting for ever since he collapsed on the hospital floor in tears.

"You're not messing with me, are you?" Natsume spit out.

"Why would I joke about this Natsume? Look for yourself." Narumi handed Natsume a sheet of paper sitting on top of an open envelope. Sure enough, when he opened the folded letter his eyes widened. Sure enough it was Mikan's grandfather asking the school in old kanji to take Mikan back. Something about foreigner kidnappers going after an undercover alice girl.

"Grab your jacket, Natsume," Narumi said. "It's fine."

A/N: We hope you guys liked this chapter! It's main focus was to show how Natsume felt without Mikan those few years through flashbacks while he's unconscious. Tell us what you think! The next update should be within a week or two. Feel free to PM us questions if you're really confused on something!

This chapter was written by Neverlookback756 and edited by Sonic-Keyblade007 and edwardelric108.