Captured.

Natsume scratched his rough stubble, as he watched over thirteen year old Kenji resting peacefully, finally getting some much needed sleep. Natsume was more relieved than anyone else - except maybe Mikan that is - on seeing that Kenji was safe. On the cot beside the kid, was another raven haired boy. His blood red eyes were curtained by the eyelids. Natsume could see his eyeballs rolling slightly, a sign of deep REM sleep. He gave a deep sigh. It was indeed weird watching yourself sleep. But watching your teenage son sleep beside your teenage self was definitely as weird as it gets. The resemblance between the two boys was uncanny. They had the same jet black hair, same short eyebrows, sharp noses, broad foreheads. All were similar except for the eyes, since Kenji had inherited his mother's hazel orbs. Those same hazel eyes were meekly hiding behind the lids, giving any stranger a false pretence that the two boys were identical twins.

"I am so done with Paradoxes!" the older Natsume exclaimed. Ever since that time Hotaru saved him from dying, his life has been nothing but an entangled web of mind boggling paradoxes that were hard for even his genius brain to understand. This of course, even for an Alice owner, was ridiculously weird. He really wished to undo this last paradox; no more time travelling. He had a life time of it.

But the result of all those paradoxes was not always negative. Thanks to those time travels, at last the boys, and all fourth alice types, were free from the 'curse'. Their Alice was no longer feeding on their souls. The curse was broken and he couldn't be more thankful to his loyal best friend; Ruka, the one person in the world he could trust his family with. He owed Ruka a lot. Ruka had given Natsume the girl he was in love with and now a chance to live with her.

He raised his hand to scratch his chin once more. The stubble was getting really itchy. He badly needed a shave...and a bath for that matter. After all, he had travelled around eight years in past. It had been a long and tiring time travel.

"We should go Natsume-kun. Someone's coming." Paradox slapped him on the back as he appeared before him out of nowhere (as always.)

"Would you stop doing that already. It's creepy." He said irritatedly.

"Not as creepy as this situation right here." Paradox said pointing out the fact that there were two Natsumes in the room, not to mention his 13 year old son.

"Don't you get start-" he was cut short as he heard footsteps approaching the room. Paradox grabbed his arm and the two vanished into the time zone.

"What's wrong?" Hotaru asked Ruka, as the two entered the room.

"...Nothing. I was just pretty sure I saw someone here. Two people in this room," he replied. "Maybe my imagination."

He and Hotaru had been visiting Natsume and that little Kenji boy almost every day. Ruka would walk up to her door and knock gently on it just loud enough for her to hear. Hotaru would show up at the door and smile at him, all ready to go. This had been happening for several days now, and somewhere along the line, the two of them started to enjoy it. Ruka looked forward to going to her room and Hotaru, though she'd die before she admitted it out loud, enjoyed seeing the blonde's face outside her door. According to Narumi, the blackmailer and her target were getting 'friendlier' as days passed. Mikan, dense as she is and even having a boyfriend herself, could never figure out what her sensei was referring too.

"My brother says that they'll be discharged by tomorrow," Hotaru broke the awkward silence. There was a pause. So today would be the last time they came here together like this? After today, there wouldn't be a reason for them to spend time together, and the two couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The two met eyes, and Ruka's heart begin to have a slight throbbing ache. That last time he felt something like this was when he was...in love with Mikan...
Hotaru coughed, and they both looked away.

"That's good to know." Ruka smiled. "But what about the kid?"

"The HSP is going to handle him."

"I wish this will end soon," Ruka said looking at Hotaru. "I am tired of all the war and missions."

"It'll soon be over. It all has to end eventually."

She was sleeping soundly on his old bed. He wondered if she was dreaming of them. A smile betrayed his lips as he thought that.

He was glad she was having a good sleep, the last time he was with her she had trouble sleeping. She'd be worried sick all night long about her baby. They were afraid he had inherited his father's fourth alice shape. Scary, unpleasant thoughts would constantly process in her head ever since their baby caught high grade fever just a day after he was born. The doctors had taken their baby to N.I.C.U., assuring them that they'd monitor him there safely. Subaru sensei personally had come to take care of their precious baby. But she knew that this wasn't any ordinary fever. She knew because, she had seen it before. She had witnessed the same thing happen to her husband when they were kids, and she was there with him on nights when he'd shake with unimaginably high body temperatures. That same thing had even claimed her husband's live once. But everything was brought back to normal after he was revived and she regained her memories.

Life was perfect, why did this have to happen!

Why?

She'd cry her eyes out on some nights, as Natsume bravely put up a strong face and comforted her. He himself was broken from within but he didn't want to scare her. The truth was, shortly after the child came down with the fever, Natsume excused himself to the bathroom. He clenched his fists, and let himself cry for thirty seven seconds before he told himself to man up. He toughened up for her. Then, all of a sudden one night, exactly 6 days after he was born, the baby vanished from it's incubator. After discussing with Subaru and the HSP, he decided that it was best that this fact remained a secret from his wife. He didn't want to worry her more. And so he called for Paradox and here he was, back in time to rescue his baby boy and bring him back to his mother.

He sighed as his brain gave him a fast-forward flashback of the past few days in his life. He brushed her hair affectionately. He had missed her. He prayed her older self was okay. He felt guilty over leaving her alone without informing her any details. It had always been an old habit of his. When they were in school together he'd often disappear for missions, some lasting even weeks together, without telling her. But it was for her own good. He didn't want her to have a mini heart attack if she learned of this.

"Mikan" he softly mumbled as he lowered his head and rested it on her forehead. "I'm sorry. I love you" He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving the room. He jumped out of the balcony of his room and ran into the darkness.

Not too far from there, was another three star dormitory. Ruka lay in his bed, musing over his life. Deeply involved in his thoughts he didn't notice the window creek open.

"Ruka-pyon!"

He was surprised to hear the sweet voice. He was pretty sure it was Mikan's. But what was she doing in his room? "Mikan?"

He stood up from his bed and walked over to the dark figure standing by the window. The silhouette no doubt looked like had no idea that he was infact being tricked the same way as his best friend was. As he approached the girl, she changed to someone else. Scarlet!

"Gotcha!" Scarlet rejoiced as she caught Ruka firmly and injected an anaesthetic into his neck.

"Sweet dreams Ruka pyon~"