Author's Note: After a long hiatus, my inspiration finally struck again. Here, I present a not-so-fluffy story, so please be warned. This is a true-story, though I changed some stuff, but yeah. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice in any way. The songs used here and the characters do not belong to me.

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Too Late

-Ria Lee

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"It's okay. I got used to it; I got tired and finally realized how much of a fool I was to fall for someone who's not willing to catch me."

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Natsume Hyuuga was in a heap of mess.

Today he will be attending a business party with his family, and he was sure he'll be introduced to the daughters of his father's business partners. He never really was inclined to such things, especially if they talk about fixed marriages. To hell will he allow himself be arranged to some social climbers like those girls. Plus, he has a damn girlfriend, for Pete's sake. His life is too perfect to waste it to some stuck-up ladies out there.

Now why the hell is he in trouble?

Simple, because he should be meeting his girl when his father suddenly called and summoned him to go to some five-star hotel and even told him not to bring his girlfriend with him. What's worst, he never even told her anything about it. Dang, he'll get an earful tomorrow. He was sure of that.

He was fixing his tie and messed his hair up inside his car when his phone rang. He knew it was her. It had to be.

"You dimwit! Where in the hell's pit are you? I have been here for thirty damnable minutes already and I haven't even seen your shadow!"

"Babe, I'm sorry, it's dad. He—" he was never good with apologies, good thing she stopped him.

"Why didn't you call me earlier if you have some appointment or something? I totally understand if you only called me earlier. Damn, I've wasted thirty minutes waiting…"

"I promise to make it up to you."

"Good, cause I am expecting you to do that."

"I should go, bye. Love you."

"Bye, love you too." And she ended the call.

Now, was that even an earful?

He was shocked alright, but maybe she was just having her daily month weirdness, he thought. He just shrugged and proceeded to the party. He's not feeling anything special tonight, just the typical ones, boredom and frustration.

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"Ioran Hyuuga! What a pleasant surprise!" Izumi Sakura exclaimed in happiness as he finally met his business colleague and high school bestfriend again. It had been a long time since they last met, probably when his daughter Mikan celebrated her debut, which was almost three years ago. Now, she's already 21 and every now and then men would line up outside their mansion. Too bad her heart's focused on one man who never even thought she existed.

Natsume Hyuuga, that's who.

He was her out-of-reach crush, he'd make her heart pound so bad she's be afraid he'll hear it go ba-dump. He would get invited on almost all of the events she'll be in, and they'd often lock gazes, but it seems to her that he never even remembered her face, let alone her name for that matter. Still, she hoped that someday he'll notice her, at least. Good heavens, I must be too desperate to think about that, she would tell herself and shake her head for such stupidity.

"What are you thinking, Mikan?" Yuka, her mother, asked.

"About how boring this party is?" she retorted glumly as she stared ahead, way past nameless faces and grey patterns. She turned her gaze to the door and that was when she saw what her eyes had been looking for—him.

'It's him! He came!' she shouted in her mind.

"Do you really think it's as boring as it is, Mikan? Have you not seen these fine men looking at you with admiration?" her mother urged.

"You call those stares admiration, mom? I say it's a look of a creep," she huffed and turned to the direction of the balcony, away from those people she never even had the chance to greet. She hummed her favorite tune when she noticed there was a silhouette with his back on him. She gulped. She would recognize that back anywhere, that back belongs to the person she's loved unrequitedly for the past year and a half.

"W-What are you doing here?" she stuttered unintentionally and mentally slapped herself. He turned to her, his bored-looking crimson eyes shining through the darkness like a mini-lamppost at some faraway place.

"Was there a rule that said I can't be here?" he smirked and walked towards her. She gulped all the more and thought he was gonna hold her or something, but truth is, he was just about to walk away when she stopped him.

"Wait!"

"What?" his voice was irritated when he answered. Sadness swept through her as she thought sadly, he'll never remember me anyway.

"I'm Mikan," she declared with confidence. His eyebrows shot up.

"So…?"

"I-I just thought you'd want to know," she felt embarrassed, discouraged and hurt. He was too straightforward and honest and she felt like she was stabbed a gazillion times.

"If I did, then I would have asked you, am I right?" she gasped at this. He was way too much. His smugness and blunt nature is pissing her off. She could feel her blood boil and she was afraid she was going to explode soon.

"Well then I'm so sorry for being so pushy. If you'll excuse me," she darted back to the party and muttered a Jerk! to his face as she passed by him.

She felt so down to the damned dumps. That was a worst first meeting, but she'll never give up. She straightened her back to sweep her eyes among the heaps of people gathering around when she heard her name being called.

"Mikan!" her father gestured for her to come over.

"Oh god, what is this again?" she slapped her forehead and went over to her father.

"Darling, this is Natsume Hyuuga, my colleague's son. Say hello, dear!" Izumi smiled at Mikan as she felt like the whole world centered only on the person in front of her. She was in a daze when her father spoke softly.

"We were considering you both to be under a fixed marriage, I hope you don't mind?" he had the shiest smile any father can have. Mikan's eyes went wide in surprise as well as Natsume's.

"WHAT?" was all she could say. She longed for this day, she won't even deny that.

"Father, I object to this fixed marriage you're trying to set me up. I'm sorry but I already have a girlfriend and I don't think a fixed marriage will work out at this generation," he bluntly answered and stalked off.

"I'm very sorry for my son's behavior Izumi. I'll try to—" but Izumi just smiled and shook his head.

"Let him be, Ioran-kun, just let him clear his mind. We don't want them to get married forcibly, do we?" and then they laughed.

Mikan felt like a deep hole suddenly appeared in front of her. She was never fond of surprises, but this one's just unexpected. She felt happy, but her inspiration suddenly got absorbed like water in a sponge. Natsume has a girlfriend? She was hurt, she wanted to cry. But she shook her head; things like these won't make her give up. I'll continue to love you until my heart voluntarily quits, she promised to herself.

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With their parents trying to have them as close as possible, it's now evident that Mikan was struck pretty good. She fell deeply for the man whose heart belonged to someone else. She would drop by their house every other day to check on him, but he'd just shoo her out of the house, saying "My girlfriend's about to drop by, now go out of my house or you'll be dead." But this did not stop her from trying, wishing that someday he'll learn to love her and accept everything about her.

Sadly, that day never came. Everyday she would show how much she loved him, only to get a "Piss off, Sakura. You're just wasting your time," answers. He'd often compare her to his girlfriend and say "Geez. You're nothing compared to Sumire. She can do household chores and all those, and what about you? I don't need a princess for a wife; I need a wife capable of doing household chores and all those shit." She was deeply hurt, and time came where she could never take it anymore.

"Are you sure you'll attend a university abroad, Mikan?" Yuka asked her gently. She smiled, remembering all the pains in the past and how much it changed and shaped her into who she is at present. She nodded and got her baggage as she strode off, hoping to leave Japan and all the painful memories that came with it. Maybe one day, she thought, I'll return and I won't be the same, old smitten Mikan again.

She'll try to forget him. She must.

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Oh, how she missed the sweet aroma of Japan.

It had been four years since she last saw her parents, her friends, him. Those four long years had been a rough ride. She would cry herself to sleep every night, thinking about her family in Japan, her friends and everything she left behind; but those years made her strong. She wasn't the same old Mikan everyone used to know anymore. She still had the humor in her, the sarcasm she always brought about, but her perspective in life and all that has to do with it changed a hell lot.

The past years also taught her to forget someone important to her before. She taught herself to stop loving someone taken by someone else. Every flaw she had that he pointed out was not there anymore; the way she dresses, the way she thinks, even the things she knew. An eensy-weensy bit of feeling is still there alright, but she taught herself to control her emotions and never do it in a rush.

As they always say, there's time for everything.

Mikan saw a placard with her name on it. Mom! She exclaimed in her mind and ran to hug her mother, four years of absence was too much for them. Then she saw her father and her friends, Hotaru, Ruka, Anna, Nonoko, Mucho, Yuu, all there, with the same faces she missed. She hugged them one by one and they talked their way home, asking her about how awesome Great Britain was, or how cool was the school, anything.

It was starting to get dark when Mikan's phone rang. An unknown number flashed and she did not know whether to answer it or to ignore, but her thumb unknowingly pressed the green button. And so she placed it by her ear.

"Hello?" was her sweet voice breaking the silence of her room.

"Mikan." She was shocked as hell. She would recognize that voice anywhere, too bad his memory was still tattooed in her mind, though now too blurry to understand beneath the mess of cluttered ideas.

"How did you know my number?"

"It doesn't matter now. Uh…I…I missed you." He was stuttering, big time.

"And so?" she wanted him to get a taste of what he did to her four years ago.

"I really did," his voice was glum and had a hint of sadness in it. Too bad she won't fall for it anymore.

"How am I supposed to react to that?" her voice was unwavering.

"Look, I'm really sorry," he suddenly said.

"What for?"

"For ignoring your efforts to communicate with me," was what he said.

"It's okay. I got used to it. I got tired and stopped what I was stupidly doing and started forgetting. You should forget about it too, you know,"

"I…I tried…to forget about you, you see," he muttered, and she stayed silent, so he kept going.

"Cause it pains me that we can never be—" and now it's her turn to talk.

"It's okay, really."

"Why is it so okay to you?" his voice was almost angry.

"You know, I got used to days in UK hoping you'd call me all the way from Japan and tell me you also harbor the same feelings, but you never did. So I started facing reality and started to move on," she explained with a calm air. She could hear him huff an air of frustration. And he talked again.

"Am…Am I too late?"

"For what?" she sat on her bed and faced the door.

"To court you, I mean?" he blurted out. Surprisingly, she laughed, her chest rumbling with an unfamiliar feeling, as if she haven't been doing it for a long time now.

"You know, I've always wanted to hear that from you, frankly speaking. Back then, four years ago; but I got used to only wishing for it, then realized that it would never happen," she slumped on her bed and began counting the artificial glowing stars by her ceiling.

"I'm really sorry, but don't worry, this time, I'll make your wish come true," she could feel him laugh on the other line, and vaguely remembered the first time she saw him laugh, and even pointed it out directly, feeling too ignorant to see Natsume Hyuuga actually laughing.

"It's my turn to say sorry, Natsume. Time got into me, and you've broken my heart a million times already. I just can't risk experiencing the same feeling again. Thank you, anyway, for communicating with me after four years of silence," and she ended the call as a tear fell down her face. She quickly wiped it and laughed at herself.

"Sorry Natsume, I'm really sorry," was all she muttered and hugged her pillow to sleep.

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"Maybe it was wrong to say
Nothing as you walked away
Baby I know you´ve been confused
Telling me that it´s too late"

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Author's Note: That was pretty much it. ;) Talk about heartbreaks, I'm totally experiencing one right now, and that story above was my cousin's own taste of heartbreak. I used Elliott Yamin's song You Say for the last part. So, was it good? Please leave some reviews and sprinkle it with love! Oh, and Happy Halloween to all the people in the world!

Ria Lee, over and out! :3