Hi there fellow GA fans! This is the edited and final version of a trial story "Finding Hotaru." Most of you must have been aware that GA has ended. For good. Well my friends and we thought that the end was more like a beginning of a new adventure in itself, so we've decided to write a post manga story. A fresh new adventure featuring the same old gang.

This story is written by co-ordinate efforts of: edwardelric108, Sonic-Keyblade007, and NeverLookBack756.

Warning: Contains spoilers from last three chapters of manga. Story starts off immediately from chapter 180.

Spoiler from last three chapters: Mikan is now a beautiful 16 year old,attending high school in her village, with no memories of her adventure in GA. She was attacked by some kidnappers and saved by Natsume, Noda, and Goshima (who is in disguise as her school girl friend). She regains her memory with Natsume's help and the alice stone she gave him all those years ago. A touching reunion of all GA teachers, senior and class B and Mikan. Nobara and Rei have a baby boy. Mikan vows to rescue Hotaru who's still trapped in space time. And the manga ends with this cliff hanger. This story picks up from where the manga left off. Enjoy! ^^

Chapter 1: Renewed feelings

It was a tiring day. Especially for Mikan who was finally getting answers to her much needed question. Her quest for answers ended, as well as her desire to visit the beach with all her friends. It was one of the things she had been wishing for ever since she was twelve. She had penned it down in her diary with neat handwriting, along with her other dreams and wishes as well. Meeting all her old friends, teachers, and senpais gave her inexplicable joy. Not to mention Nobara, Rei, and their little baby boy. That was the icing on the cake for her. Everyone was there except for two. Except for the girl she loved so much and her older brother. She sighed as she laid in her bed.

"Hotaru." A tear slipped her eye as she spoke her name. "You big baka! " She tried to 's what Hotaru would've wanted. It was easier said than done, though.

It was a quarter after one in the morning. She was supposed to be asleep. After dinner, Noda sensei told - well, warned - her and the two boys to hit the sack early. They had a long journey starting early next morning. The others had gone back to the Academy itself that night, leaving Mikan behind with Noda-sensei, Natsume, and Ruka-pyon. She wanted to visit the Academy, but later decided that it would be best to go back to the Academy together with Hotaru. Just like she did the first time. It would be more appropriate. So she made up her mind that finding Hotaru was her top priority. She would do everything else later. She did want to walk through those huge gates of Academy once again, but only while holding Hotaru's hand in hers.

There she lay motionless on her bed, with her back facing upwards. There was just too much to process in her small head. Too much information was hammered into her pea sized brain last evening, and quite frankly, she was having trouble fitting the puzzle pieces in the right order.

Self absorbed in her musings, Mikan she failed to notice her bedroom door slide open. A pair of huge arms grabbed her from behind, locking her between the bed and his warm body. The heat radiating from his body and his alice was warming her up. She knew very well whose arms they were, yet she pushed them away to look at his face.

"Natsume! What are you doing here?" she said while sitting straight up on her bed. She made sure that her voice was soft though. She didn't want to wake her Ji chan .

"I had a feeling you were crying alone so I came over," He murmured, mimicking his old lines. He locked her in his arms again. The boy clearly needed her, and you couldn't blame the poor kid. He was a freaking hormonal teenaged boy. But the perverseness is just an excuse. Who wouldn't want to cuddle with their girlfriend - more like fiance - after a separation of 4 years. Forget cuddling, Natsume's mind was racing into wildness ever since he laid eyes on his 16 year old fiance. Only Natsume alone knows how he spent those 4 long years in Academy without his Mikan. 4 long years of not listening to her cacophony very morning. 4 long years of not flipping her skirt to check her pattern of the day. 4 long years of not sitting under the shade of Sakura tree with her. 4 long years of not going to central town with her to eat fluff puffs. 4 long years of not sitting and dozing beside her during lessons. Only Natsume knows how he survived through it.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I was just thinking about...Hotaru."

And here was the girl he longed for, pinned for in those 4 years, locked in his embrace and yet she was thinking of her best friend and not him. He was getting jealous. Very jealous. Given, her best friend was the reason he was cuddling her that moment. He was still annoyed at the fact that she was giving all her attention to Hotaru not him. Damn Imai.

"You know," he drawled. "You haven't even kissed me once since I've got here. It's been 4 years." He pulled her face closer to his. Mikan reddened in an instant. He pressed his lips onto hers. Ah! That feeling. He missed it for the past 4 years. Infact the memory of that feeling helped him live through those years. Mikan seemed to enjoy it too. She expected it to be rough and wild, but it was warm. Soft even. Yes, it was wanting, but it was still soft. Natsume was a damn good kisser.

"God, I missed this." He smirked while caressing her hair. Mikan was simply too mesmerized to say anything. He captured her lips again. She yelped in surprise, he took advantage and slide his tongue in. Mikan's eyes widened at his move, yet Natsume continued to deepen the kiss. Both were breathing heavily. Satisfied from devouring her mouth, he started trailing open mouthed kisses around her jaw line all the way down her neck. He nibbled onto the sensitive skin on her nape. Without her permission, Mikan's lips let you a moan. He loved it. He wanted to hear it again. So he bit her harder this time, making sure to leave a mark. Mikan groaned. "Na-Natsume...hey...wait... Ah!" He sucked hard onto her collar bone and continued kissing and sucking downwards. He got rid of the obstacle in his path by undoing the first two buttons of her shirt, revealing her valley and her polka dotted bra. He smirked, even her bra was polka dotted. This was the first time he'd seen her bra, she didn't wear one when they were ten. He nuzzled his head in the gap of her chest and kissed every inch of skin he found. This was pleasure. Something he was denied for the past 4 years.

Before going further down her button line, he was shockingly bombarded with a slap to the face. After placing his hand where the sting of rejection scarred his pride, he looked at her face to scan her expression. She was crying. His heart broke.

She did mostly cry when they kissed. But those were tears of joy, tears of happiness of finally meeting. Now though, he could clearly see that she was crying because she was hurt, she was scared. He was foolish. Idiotic. Perverted. He should have known better. They just reunited the day before and he already couldn't control himself. Jealous and desperation fueled him. He wanted to make up for all the lost time in just one night, without even stopping to consider her feelings. How selfish of him! He mentally cursed himself.

He wiped off her tears, hugged her carefully as not to scar her again, and whispered a quiet "I'm sorry." He brought his lips to her cheeks and kissed away the fallen drops. "I'm such an idiot sometimes." He had come to her room to calm her down from her crying and he ended up making her cry even more. He cradled her to soothe her. When she stopped sobbing, he faced her again and buttoned up her shirt for her.

"No Natsume, I'm the one who should be sorry. I love you. More than you know. So much, that I waited for you even though I didn't know who you were. And now that I've regained those memories and I've got you back, I just...can't...I'm sorry Natsume. It's not that I don't trust you. I mean we're almost 17 and in love. It's only natural for us to do things like sex. Even the girls in the regular world were sleeping with their boyfriends, but somehow I just can't. I'm just sc-"

"Scared, right?" Natsume was glad that she didn't hate him for what he did a few minutes ago.

She nodded in agreement. "I know you'll never hurt me. I trust you, but... this is all new to me. It's too sudden a jump in our relationship ." She was right. The last time those two were alone together they were just kissing. Simply kissing. Kissing sounded so pure to him right now.

"Besides whenever I am with you, I just can't help but think of Hotaru, you know. I feel guilty every time I kiss you, touch you. Because the person who made it possible is not here with us, she's out there trapped. And we're here enjoying? It just doesn't feel right."

Mikan was being unreasonable. She expected him to wait until they found Hotaru and only then recommence their relationship. But Natsume understood how she felt, in a way he too felt that way as far as Hotaru was concerned. Even though finding Hotaru would probably take days, months, maybe years; he could wait. He loved Mikan and respected her feelings. Her happiness was his first priority.

"I understand. Besides, we aren't like the couples outside the academy. We'll take things at our own rate." He caressed her hair again. "I'll wait Mikan." He smiled his billion dollar smile. He kissed her forehead. "Let's take things slowly, okay?" She was glad he understood her. That was the best part in their relationship, they both understood each other perfectly and completely. She hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," was all she said.

"I better get going," he said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Stay," she said tugging on his pajamas.

"I might end up doing perverted things you know," he joked. She elbowed him in stomach and pulled him beside her to lie down on the bed. She snuggled close to him, resting her head on his right shoulder. She took a deep breath and took in his scent. Her hand crept up to his chest and pressed against his heart. All the memories came rushing back. Natsume's heart had stopped beating. Natsume was gone, yet here he was. She wasn't sure if it was in her head, but she swore his heartbeat was the same as hers. His left arm found her waist and wrapped around protectively. They lay there motionless enjoying each other's warmth until Mikan broke the silence.

"Did any girls ask you out?" she asked in the darkness. She almost tightened her grip on him in the thought of another girl dating Natsume.

"Most girls didn't bother me because they knew about you." Mikan wasn't relieved yet.

"Most?"

"There was this one girl. She was supposed to come right after the Alice Festival, but when the war happened, they delayed her transfer. I can't remember her name, but I guess one day she decided she was going to ask me out," Natsume explained. Mikan could hear the smirk in his voice. What was he laughing at?

"What did she say," Mikan asked, intrigued by Natsume's story.

"She declared out to everyone that she was convinced that her and I belonged together."

"And what did you say back?" Mikan sat up and waited for an answer. Natsume, still laying on the bed, sat up onto his elbow and rest his head on his palm. He was tired of the story and just wanted to stare at her. He loved the way her hair was slightly messy from laying down. The way her eyes were drenched in a mixture of jealousy and interest.

"Never had the chance to answer. Permy pounced on her."

"She didn't!"

"She did. She was going on about how I was off limits and taken by someone." Mikan couldn't help but laugh. She settled back into Natsume's chest and examined his face. His eyes were soft and a little sleepy.

"Are you tired, Natsume?" she asked.

"No, not yet." Mikan nodded and curled in closer to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Natsume broke it.

"We are working on a cure. Ruka and I. We're close to finding it. It'll take time but I think that would be a miraculous breakthrough in the history of Alice. We'd be able to help lots of children with Life Shortening Alice Shape."

"Really? That's great." She was overjoyed. "I'm serious, Natsume. I'm so proud of you. If you're close to finding the cure, stop using your Alice. Just wait until you find it."

"You know I can't do that. I need it to protect you, Ruka, and the others. I can't just stop using it yet."

"But promise me that you won't waste it and use it unnecessarily. I am sure you can atleast do that."

"Yeah," he assured her, "Now gimme a kiss."

"You're being very greedy tonight, Natsume." she teased. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him softly. Their lips moved in a perfect sync. Gasping for air the two parted. "You should go to sleep, we hardly have 3 hours left before we leave for the journey. Get some rest."

"Good night." She said.

"Hmm," came the infamous answer. She pecked him on his lips and closed her eyes. Despite the fiasco an hour ago, this still was the best night Natsume had in a long time. He kissed her bangs and dozed off beside her.

It was little after five in the morning when Ruka rose up. When he did, he discovered the bed besides his was empty.

"Natsume?" Ruka called out. He knew well where his best friend was. He thought it would be best to bring him back to the room before the old man discovered those two together, probably naked. He didn't admit it to his best friend, but he still loved her. His heart just couldn't forget her laughter. He tried dating a girl in his middle school, but he couldn't even get himself to kiss her and they broke up in a week. Clearly dating another girl wasn't helping him forget her. So he decided it was best to observe from afar, rather than hurt other girls or hurt the two people he loved so much. He always watched from a distance, even last evening when Mikan finally recognized Natsume after he inserted the alice stone in her and those two had a touchy reunion. He looked at them with a bittersweet smile and couldn't help but feel a slight bit of jealousy. He immediately felt guilty about it, too. Can a person feel those three things at the same time? Love, jealousy, guilt. Apparently Ruka did. He wondered if anyone else felt that too sometimes.

He knocked onto her door. "Natsume?" No reply. "Sakura?" Silence met him again. He didn't want to open the door, fearing that he might walk into an embarrassing situation. He wouldn't want to embarrass his friends if they were in a compromising position. So he knocked again, more like banged loud and clear.

"Come in," he heard his best friend call out. Assuming that his friends were soberly dressed by the time he walked in. He found Natsume with a toothbrush in his mouth sitting on the edge of the bed,fully dressed.

"Hey," Natsume said through his toothpaste filled mouth. Ruka opened his mouth, but Natsume help up his hand. "Hold that thought, I'll be right back." Natsume walked into Mikan's bathroom and rinsed his he walked out, Ruka spoke.

"I thought it would be wise to wake you two. We wouldn't want to give Ji-chan a heart-attack," Ruka said.

"Yeah" Natsume agreed. He glanced over at Mikan and gently touched her arm. "Ruka's here, Mikan. Time to get up." Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of Natsume's voice calling her. She sat up and smiled sleepily at the two boys.

"Hi," she said with a sleep raspy voice.

Natsume kissed Mikan gently on the cheek and said "Your Jii-chan will be here shortly to make sure you're up. Why don't you get ready?" She nodded and smiled at boys left Mikan to get ready, and after a few minutes of confusion, Mikan remembered her big day. She'd find Hotaru today.

"Ah! Good morning! How can I help you?" A lady with short purple hair greeted the tall man dressed neatly in a coat with gloves on his hands and red haired tied in a braid.

"I am Shuichi Sakurano. " He bowed and greeted his best friend's mother.

"Oh! My Sakurano-san." It wasn't her fault that she didn't recognize him, the last time she saw his picture was when he was in middle school, with shoulder length hair and he was wearing the school uniform, standing proudly beside her son receiving their special star. Mr. Narumi was generous enough to send her the photo of her son getting the highest honor in his school, because Subaru had stopped writing to her a long time ago. And there he was, standing in front of her all tall, grown, and masculine with braided hair.

She remembered receiving a call from the Academy four years ago, explaining the aftermath of the Alice war and how her kids were trapped in space time. She silently wept the whole time, blamed herself for sending off her kids to that wretched academy. And there wasn't a single night she didn't spent weeping in the last four years. Despite her husband's efforts to calm her down she still never got over it. Mother's heart. She knew something huge was about to happen because Sakurano was standing there on her doorstep.

She had no contact from the Academy after that phone call, rather she avoided it. Except for the anonymous letter she once received. To her surprise at the time, it was an apology letter asking her forgiveness for what happened to her kids. She suspected that it was from the Hyuuga Natsume boy who was responsible for the mess. She never wrote back, because a part of her heart hated him. After all he was the root of it.

Over the years she learned to forgive him. She knew that he'd do the same for her daughter too. She learned that the time her children spent in the Academy, they formed a strong bond with the fellow Alice. And with a bond so strong, they'd do anything for their 'Family'. So she figured over time that if it was her daughter who died in the war, that Hyuuga boy would sacrifice himself to bring her back too. Because they were all a family. She prayed that wherever her children were they'd be safe. And that they had each other, wherever they were.

And now that someone from the Academy was here she knew something was to change. She welcomed him in.

"We're setting off today," he declared. She looked confused, so he further explained, "We are going to find them."

She waited four years to hear this. Tears uncontrollably flowed out. Tears of hope. Tears of joy. Tears of relief.

"Th-thank...you," she managed to articulate between her sobs. Sakurano hugged the lady and calmed her down.

"I am sorry it took so long, but I promise you Imai-san, the next time I set foot in this house I'll bring your son and daughter with me. I promise you." He patted her head. For a moment, she felt as though it was Subaru who was holding her.

"Please forgive us for the trouble we've caused you for the last four years. On behalf of the Academy, I apologize." He bowed again.

"Thank you...I forgive you..." She said wiping off her tears, "At first I hated the Academy. It destroyed my family. Tore me apart from my kids, but over the four years I learned to dig out the good things that has happened due to it. My kids developed a strong bond while staying there. Hotaru and Subaru never had the sibling-like bond before, but from what I've heard, their relationship was strengthened thanks to the Academy. And I am glad that they have friends like you. Thank you, son. God bless you."

Sakurano took his leave and headed out, to be greeted by the first golden rays of the rising sun, marking the start of a whole new adventure.

A/N: This chapter was mainly written by edwardelric108 and edited by Sonic-Keyblade007 and Neverlookback756. Please leave us a review to share your thoughts!