Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

Setting: Post Alice War. By Alice War, I mean the struggle between Mikan and company against the ESP. Set approx. 2 years after the incident.

A/N: This story has a bit of OOC alert.

CHAPTER 1: TROUBLES, LIES…AND A KISS

Mikan let out a deep sigh as soon as she walked out of the Hanahime Den. She shuffled slowly out of the area, occasionally groaning with frustration while pondering on a mixture of matters too difficult for her simplistic mind. She stared at the basket of strawberries she was holding and sighed in relief when she saw that the fruits haven't dried up. Her thoughts reverting back to Hii-sama's advice, she scoffed.

"Trust her to put weird and puzzling things into my head…though every bit she said rings of the truth. She's too frank…scarily frank," Mikan grumbled to herself as she continued to figure out the words of the Middle School Principal in a short chat they had a while ago.

Flashback

An hour ago, Mikan was cheerfully skipping through the grounds of Alice Academy after her classes, heading for the infirmary to visit Natsume who was confined three days ago. She was carrying a tiny basket full of strawberries that he asked her to bring, and two volumes of some shounen manga that Mikan thought he would like. She was incredibly excited to see his face—what his reaction would be like, when she gives him these stuff that he wanted. She was already halfway through the middle school building and the hospital when Yamanouchi Shizune of the Hanahime suddenly appeared from the bushes on the sidewalk and blocked her way.

"Shizune-senpai!" Mikan exclaimed, utterly surprised to see the woman after such a long time. It had been already 2 years ever since Mikan and the others graduated and entered the middle school division, while Shizune, Subaru, Akira and the others from the high school division before had already graduated and left the Academy. Shizune was one of those rumored to have stayed in the Academy to work for the Middle School Principal.

Shizune, still one who would always wear a serious face, just nodded to acknowledge Mikan.

"Hii-sama wants to see you," Shizune muttered, using a tone that rang clear of commandment.

Mikan was perplexed at the sudden announcement. "Eh? Why? Did I do something?"

"I have no idea. Anyway, come with me. Hii-sama is waiting for you."

With that, Shizune turned her back on Mikan and started walking ahead. Though confused and suddenly nervous as to why the principal wanted to see her, she just shrugged and started to follow her senpai.

***

"Why, hello Mikan." Hii-sama exclaimed as soon as Mikan stepped in front of her in the tatami room where the principal always stayed. The long curly locks of the woman considered the goddess of the Academy danced as she fanned herself and continued. "It has been such a long time. How are you doing?"

"U-uhm, well… F-fine, I guess," stuttered Mikan, following her words with a nervous laugh. She never really was used to the eerie atmosphere the woman in front her had, adding the knowledge of the woman having uncanny fantasies towards females…but she tried her best to act casual.

Hii-sama situated her fan in front of her lips and peculiarly scrutinized Mikan with her emerald eyes. Mikan felt like the woman was searching something deep down in her soul with those dark green eyes, which made her completely uncomfortable, but at the same time, the power that the principal's eyes held caused Mikan to completely freeze in place.

After ten grueling minutes of silence, Hii-sama spoke. Her voice was deep and slow—as if she was emphasizing every word that came out of her lips.

"You're deeply troubled about something. Or should I say…worried. And afraid of."

Mikan was stunned silent. She didn't understand what the principal was referring to.

"W-what do you—"

Hii-sama cut her off, and stated the following as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Guren no Kimi."

Mikan's eyes widened. Those words. A title of three words, meaning Crimson Lotus. A nickname from the Hanahime that only belonged to one person. Natsume.

She could feel heat creep into her face and tinge it with pink. She panicked—she wanted to say something, deny that she didn't worry about Natsume at all, that Hii-sama was just mistaken—but Mikan couldn't find the words to say. Because Hii-sama hit her bull's eye, and there was no room for denial.

Hii-sama started to chuckle at the panic and worry that registered on Mikan's face. 'She's a complete mixture of Azumi Yuka and that Yukihira brat,' she thought as she snickered in amusement.

Mikan seemed to have finally found her tongue working. "I…I'm not…with Natsume…uhm…I'm not worried about him at all!"

The principal started to fan herself again. "Oh, spare me with those. Besides, if I were you, I'd better start thinking how to help that brat…before things get too late," she spoke, adding extra emphasis onto the last phrase.

Mikan couldn't help but get nervous at this. "W-what…what do you mean?"

Hii-sama's demeanor quickly changed, showing extreme seriousness in her beautiful and elegant face.

"I know that even someone as stupid as you knows that the boy's condition isn't getting any better…or, better be said, it's getting worse every day. His Alice, being the Limitless type, has been eating the life away from him due to overuse for the past years, ever since he started doing missions for the Academy. And for the past few months, he's been in and out of the infirmary despite my actions to completely halt his assignments into missions."

Mikan felt herself staggering. She knew. She knew that. But—

Hii-sama continued in a low voice. "If this continues, he will eventually die. And not sooner, I believe."

Having heard this, especially the words 'not sooner', Mikan was not able to hold her tears back anymore. That was…so unfair. Natsume dying…not sooner…

Mikan mumbled between sobs. "W-why… why are you telling me this? I know, I already know of that possibility, but…"

Hii-sama stayed silent, while tears continued to flow from Mikan's eyes.

"Tell me… what can I do for him? Tell me!" Mikan demanded, her voice losing the confusion before, and was replaced entirely with determination.

The principal smirked. "You sure do love this boy, don't you."

Mikan, caught off-guard by the comment, felt embarrassed. She wasn't aware that even someone like the middle school principal would be aware of things like this. But she chose not to say anything regarding Natsume and her relationship, instead, she just opted to meet the eyes of the principal.

"I will do whatever I can to help him."

Hii-sama's tone became challenging, her elegant eyebrows raised. "Oh? Even if it means that whatever feelings and memories you share with him are at risk?"

Mikan's determination faltered a bit. "W-what do you—"

"I can only tell you that this method of 'saving' him, I know, will only cause pain and suffering to both of you… especially you, Mikan. Things between you two will drastically change after, and there would be no point of return. Though the things that are at risk are not specifically determined, I could assure you that his life would never be one of those at risk—but that is, if you decide to do it as soon as possible."

Mikan was sweating bullets. She didn't like how the 'method' sounded, despite the way the principal spoke of it was too vague. "I…I don't understand. Can you tell me clearly what this method—"

"Your Stealing Alice is the key."

Mikan's brows creased in confusion and frustration. Her Stealing Alice? Hii-sama's words were starting to get extremely puzzling and difficult to understand.

"In any case, I can't tell you how the whole method goes as of the moment, since I will be needing to speak to the other divisions' principals and some of the faculty regarding this matter. Because if ever you choose to execute this method, it wouldn't only affect you and Guren no Kimi, but it will be a first case for the Academy as well."

Mikan felt like she was toyed with. "H-hey, but why did you tell me these things now?"

"Because… I want you to prepare yourself for whatever's coming regarding this. I want you to decide if you will do this or not."

"How am I supposed to decide something important like this when I don't even know what that 'method' you're talking about is!?" Mikan protested, her voice a tone higher with frustration.

Out of the expected things, Hii-sama stood up from where she was. The silky tresses of the flower-printed red kimono she was wearing flowed naturally as she stood up. She closed her fan and looked at Mikan like a mother lecturing a stubborn child would. Mikan suddenly felt a pang of fear that maybe the way she spoke was too harsh and she offended Hii-sama, and now she's on for some punishment. She shivered at the thought.

However, what Hii-sama stated after, sent Mikan's head into a whirl of anxiety, fear, and confusion. The way the principal said it was the same when someone speaks of the hard truth.

"It's easy. You will decide between his life and your feelings for each other. That simple."

Mikan was astounded upon hearing the woman's words. The latter spoke of it like stating some simple fact about the weather and what-not, but to Mikan, the words 'easy' and 'simple' were naturally out of the question. This was crazy. What the principal wanted her to decide on was extraordinarily stupid. It sounded like she was just being toyed with.

"Go now and think about it. I have matters to attend to," Hii-sama ordered, turning her back on the speechless Mikan.

Before the woman clad in red silk kimono vanished from Mikan's sight, she heard her voice once more.

"And let me tell you one more thing, Mikan. Other than this method, I believe there is no other way to save him. So think about it…and think about it hard."

And with that, the principal continued walking away, leaving Mikan staring at nowhere.

***

"Oi, Polka," Natsume's baritone voice filled the silent hospital ward.

Mikan's head swiftly spunned to the bed where Natsume was, her wandering thoughts about her conversation with the middle school principal completely disrupted. She was standing by the window while the nurse injected him with something, when Hii-sama's words echoed in her head again. Mikan felt annoyed at herself. She promised herself before coming to the infirmary that she wouldn't show anything else aside from her bubbly self to Natsume, yet…

She forced out a laugh, despite how fake it sounded, and quickly shuffled to the chair beside Natsume's bed.

"I'm sorry," she laughed again, "I was… just hungry! Yeah, just hungry, I was thinking about food that I didn't notice the nurse was done with you."

Natsume looked at her suspiciously. "Is that so?" He returned his manga on the side table. "What kind of food where you thinking about?"

Mikan hurriedly tried to think of something delicious, but ended up getting confused which yummy food to mention. She started to mumble incoherently, voicing out the 'war' going on inside her head. "Uhm… well… steak! No, not that, uhm… sukiyaki! Eh? Gyuudon is better—"

The raven-haired boy cut her self-argument off. "Baka."

Pissed off at being interrupted while thinking about food and being called an idiot, Mikan opened her mouth to start bombarding Natsume with childish profanities when the latter suddenly grabbed her nearest hand. It caused Mikan to shut up, blush ten shades of red and avert her eyes from her boyfriend's face.

"Tell me, what's wrong?" Natsume inquired, keeping his hand on Mikan's, looking at her earnestly.

Ever since Mikan entered the room an hour ago, he sensed there was something wrong with her, though he couldn't point out which exactly. Mikan remained talkative and cheerful so Natsume didn't pay attention to what he sensed before, but since the nurse entered and while Mikan stood looking out from the window, he saw clearly that there was something troubling his girlfriend.

Mikan let out a fake laugh again, softly yanking her hand away from Natsume's hold. "What? What's wrong? Haha, I don't have any problems at all, Natsume! I'm fine, really!"

Natsume kept eyeing her, trying hard to figure out what could be his dear brunette's problem. It seems to him that she's having troubles to keep her act altogether—fake laughs, incoherent excuses and all—but what concerned Natsume was that she only acted like this if there was something serious that she tried to hide from him. Of course, after 4 years of knowing her, and a year and a half of being together, he was aware of trivial things like this about her.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that!" Mikan hollered at him, waving her hands in front of his face.

Natsume scoffed and evaded Mikan's waving hands in front of him that was making him dizzy.

"Then don't start lying when you know you're bad at lying, idiot."

Mikan's brows raised in protest and put both her hands in her waist. "Who's lying and who's an idiot, huh? I'm not lying!"

The fire-caster sighed softly. "You are lying, I know it, you're already busted, so just spit it out."

Making an altogether irritated, annoyed and guilty face, the brunette shut her mouth and faced the side table. She slowly started arranging Natsume's things on the table, throwing the dried fruits, and refilled Natsume's pitcher with water. While she was at it, Natsume just silently followed her movements with his crimson orbs.

After gathering Natsume's used clothes and putting them into a paper bag, Mikan walked towards the couch and picked her school bag up. The crimson-eyed lad furrowed his eyebrows at this. He was about to ask Mikan what she was doing when the girl herself trudged close to him.

"Nothing's wrong, really. Don't worry about me, this is just some… you know, girl stuff. So yeah, don't worry. Sorry, but I'll be going home early today. Tomorrow's Saturday so I'll be with you the whole day," Mikan smiled…a sad smile, "—and I'm bringing you more strawberries. Oh, clothes too."

Natsume knew the 'girl thing' was just another excuse. He was utterly puzzled at her girlfriend's actions, though he knew he couldn't press answers from her while she's like this. He decided to let it be… for now.

"Okay. Be sure to rest up since you look tired," Natsume uttered then smiled his 'timid' smile for Mikan, "—see you tomorrow."

Mikan smiled brightly at him, and then turned away. She picked the paper bag and started to leave when she stopped on her tracks. She faced Natsume again and their eyes met. Crimson orbs were asking hazel ones why she stopped.

"I…I just forgot something," Mikan grumbled, embarrassed.

And to Natsume's surprise, the brunette strutted near him to plant a soft kiss on his lips. He could swear his heart stopped for an instant there.

Mikan hurriedly walked away shouting 'See ya tomorrow!', opened the door to leave, and carelessly slammed it shut. Until the door made its way home, Natsume was left speechless, staring where Mikan had left.

Seeing no more of Mikan, he smirked in amusement.

"The idiot is getting bolder, eh."

He pursed his lips, shrugged, and returned to reading the manga that Mikan brought.