JC: This is the last chapter! I repeat! The final and last chapter! Are you guys ready? I can’t believe I finished this story. I’m so relieved. Will Mikan remember Natsume? That’s what you’ve been asking for quite a while now. You’ll get your answer in this chapter. Better read up and take your time. Let’s get this show on the road. But before that, I would like to thank the following for their full support and in making this story a success.

Reviewers, thank you for everything!!

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Disclaimer: I don’t own Gakuen Alice. This series officially belongs to Higuchi Tachibana-sama. Please don’t sue me, because I’m not planning on ripping off Gakuen Alice for its superb plot and character development.

Forgotten Memories

Chapter 23: One Mind, One Heart

It was cloudy on that morning. Mikan was seated in front of her vanity mirror combing her beautiful brown hair. She wondered what kind of hairstyle would be good for the first day of school. She was pretty excited, because she was a middle school student and a Special Star. She took a good look around her big and spacious room. Truly it was a room like in a five-star hotel. She felt so lucky to have that room all to herself. After combing her hair, she went to her balcony to breath in the fresh morning air. She just loved mornings.

When it was already 7:15 AM, she grabbed her bag and left her room, totally forgetting to tie her hair. She ran through the hallways, making her way to the cafeteria in less than three minutes. Her running ability was still impressive as ever. Mikan was athletic, and there was no denying it. She even proved herself worthy in a dodge ball game against Natsume. Mikan can remember the game, but she was unable to see Natsume during her flashbacks. She knew the fact that the broken memory stone was beyond repair. However, she wasn’t the type to give up. Even if she can’t remember Natsume, she will do her very best to make new memories with him.

“Good morning, Iinchou!” Mikan greeted the class representative as she approached his table carrying her breakfast tray.

The blonde boy turned to her with a smile. “Mikan-chan, good morning to you too,” Yuu said, putting his spoon and fork down. He was already done with breakfast, because he came into the cafeteria a lot earlier than Mikan. He needed to be in school early to deal with some business as the class representative. Nevertheless, like Mikan, Yuu was also excited to start his first day as a middle school student.

Mikan took a seat beside him and started eating. She then noticed that Hotaru wasn’t around for breakfast—which was really weird. Hotaru has her own world when it comes to food, especially sea foods. Others described Hotaru as a pig because of her eating habits, while others just noted her as the weird and freaky inventor. But her sponsors definitely admires her—a fact that Hotaru considers annoying, since those old guys won’t stop pestering her. Mikan asked Yuu about Hotaru, and the blonde said that she was in her lab doing her usual business—inventing stuff.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go now,” Yuu politely said after wiping his mouth with a clean napkin.

“See you later, Iinchou,” Mikan said as she took a bite of her sausage. She was pretty hungry, and her Special Star breakfast was scrumptious. After Yuu left the dining hall, Mikan continued eating her food silently.

Mikan suddenly heard the fan girls screaming Nogi Ruka’s name across the room. From her spot, she could see Sumire and the vice-president of the Natsume-Ruka fan club standing beside Ruka as they try to ward off other girls. They were really living up to their name as loyal fan club members. It seemed that the other girls wanted to ask Ruka out on a date. However, Ruka will never go out with a girl unless it’s Mikan. Mikan was the only girl in Ruka’s heart.

Another fan girl said, “You’re so unfair, president! I want to be with Ruka-kun!” She threw Sumire a glare, but that wasn’t enough to scare Sumire away.

“Well,” said Sumire, moving slightly in front of Ruka so that the fan girl wouldn’t try anything funny, “obviously you don’t know your place.” She placed her hard fists on her hips and glared ten times more dangerously than the fan girl.

Terrified, almost half of the fan girls around Ruka backed away. They all knew what Sumire was capable of. She wasn’t president for nothing. But Ruka didn’t know whether to feel grateful or not. And when the girls started arguing with one another, Ruka was suddenly dragged by someone out of the room. Once they reached the hallways, he stopped to take a good look at his so-called savior. His eyes brightened up as he saw that it was Mikan.

“Good morning, Ruka-pyon!” she greeted cheerfully.

“Sakura, good morning…” he softly said, getting all shy again. “T-Thanks for helping me b-back there.” He lowered his head just to hide his blushing face from her.

Mikan giggled. “You’re popular as usual,” she said, crossing her arms behind her back.

“Look who’s talking.” Ruka shrugged before he ran his fingers through his blonde hair. “Aren’t you having trouble dealing with your fan boys too?” The mere mention of ‘fan boys’ irritated Ruka. They would always find ways to impress the brunette. Sometimes he envied them. Why? Well, those fan boys were not afraid to express their feelings for Mikan. Meanwhile, Ruka could only admire and love Mikan secretly. He wished he had the confidence to show Mikan his true feelings. But he figured that there was the right time for that.

“Those boys are really fun,” Mikan said, staring out the window. The smile on her face slowly disappeared after she heaved a sigh. Clearly something was on her mind. And when she faced Ruka, her alluring amber eyes softened. “Ruka-pyon, where’s Natsume?”

Ruka shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. I checked his room, but he wasn’t there anymore. He probably went off somewhere.”

“I bet he’s in school,” Mikan said as she took Ruka’s hand. “Let’s go check!” Her lips curved into a smile again.

“Okay…” was all could Ruka reply, because he was once again mesmerized by her angelic smile.

Together, hand-in-hand, they strolled through the path, glancing at the Cherry Blossom trees, stopping here and there to talk and play with some birds flying by. It may be a cloudy day, but the scenery around them was still breath-taking. The air was breezy and cool, and carried the sweet scent of spring flowers. Mikan twirled around like a little girl and merrily skipped ahead of Ruka. She was beaming with joy, as Ruka watched her in amazement.

The path ended and both of them entered the middle school building, where they will start their studies from now on. “Ruka-pyon, who do you think will our homeroom teacher be?” she asked the blonde. She wished it would Narumi-sensei again. She absolutely loved him as a teacher and a father. Another thing about being in middle school was the fact that Jinno-sensei won’t be teaching them anymore. This was a big relief for Mikan and some other students who despised him.

“I don’t know. I’m not familiar with the middle school—” Ruka wasn’t able to finish his sentence, because he was suddenly bumped by a student with the Speed Alice and sent him flying towards Mikan. Ruka’s weight was heavy for the young girl so she couldn’t support him. Thus, the two of them fell down the floor, with Ruka on top.

“That hurt…” Mikan groaned. The moment she looked up her amber eyes met Ruka’s blue ones.

Ruka was blushing madly. He was so stunned that he couldn’t even react or move. He couldn’t even blink. He kept staring at those amber orbs and he loved every second of it. His face was very close to Mikan’s, and he had the urge to kiss her right there. But Ruka had better control of himself and he would never force himself upon Mikan. Slowly, he stood up and helped Mikan back to her feet. With his eyes hidden under his bangs, he bowed his head and said, “Sorry about that…”

“It’s not your fault, Ruka-pyon. That person who bumped into you…” Mikan said, turning her head from left to right. “He didn’t even apologize.” She made a cute pout.

“Anyway, are you all right?”

Mikan smiled at him and nodded her head. “We better get going now. I wanna see if Natsume’s in our classroom now.” She played with her hair and sighed. “Ruka-pyon, I really feel bad about him. It’s my fault why he’s so sad. What can I do to make him smile? I’ve been thinking a lot about him for the past two weeks.”

With those words, Ruka felt a pang of envy in his heart. Mikan had only been thinking of Natsume most of the time, even though she can’t remember him. Ruka wished he was in Natsume’s place right now. His best friend was lucky to be cared by Mikan so much. He was jealous, but he knew he shouldn’t be upset because of that. “Always smile for him,” he said softly, gazing lovingly at her. “That’s one way of making him happy.”

“Really? Then I’ll do my best for Natsume!” Mikan raised her right fist and made a v-sign with her fingers. She had the talent of making other people happy, and her smiles were valuable to the people who loved and cared for her.

It was almost time for class, and Hyuuga Natsume was not in the mood to go to class. He was a rule-breaker to begin with, so he didn’t care if he skips classes. With his hands in his pockets, he walked down the path as a silent wind blew. It was such a cool breeze, but it wasn’t enough to calm his fuming soul. He was irritated to hell at the fact that a certain ex-member of the Anti-Alice Organization kept following him. Natsume wanted to be alone. Too bad Raito was as stubborn as a mule. He can’t quite understand why Raito kept tailing him like a lost pup. Was it because of Mikan? Natsume will never let Raito touch Mikan again.

Natsume shrugged. “Stop following me, bastard,” he grumbled, turning around to face Raito. “You’re a pest.” He swore that he will burn Raito if he tries anything funny. What on earth was the higher-ups thinking enrolling someone like Raito? He betted that Raito’s partner, Akisato Haruka, became a student as well, since she was also caught, which only spelled more trouble for him. In any case, Raito will prove to be another rival for him in fighting for Mikan’s love. He already has trouble dealing with the fan boys tailing her and now he has to deal with one more. How frustrating!

“Say what you want, moron,” Raito said, looking composed and natural. “I won’t give up until you tell where Mikan-sama’s room is.” He stroked his emerald-green hair and slipped his hands into his pockets. Raito was fully aware of Natsume’s feelings for Mikan. But since Natsume wasn’t her boyfriend yet, Raito thought he had a chance with her.

The flame-caster glared at Raito. “I’m not telling,” Natsume said in the same cold voice he always used when talking to Raito. It was evident in his crimson eyes that he was furious and jealous.

“Tch… What a jerk you are, Hyuuga,” Raito said in a mocking tone. “I promise not to hurt her. Besides, I love her, you know.”

Natsume didn’t flinch at the insult, but he did when Raito mentioned the word love to him. Yes, he knew Raito loved Mikan and he was never shy with his feelings. Natsume always kept his feelings to himself, especially his love for the brunette girl. That was his character. He wasn’t like Raito or any other fan boy out there.

“Damn it, you moron!” Raito clenched his fists and grabbed Natsume by the collar. “If you’re not going to tell me, then fine! But let me tell you this—I’m not going to lose Mikan-sama to a bastard like you.” He was serious when he said that and the sincerity in his topaz eyes were genuine.

“Let go,” Natsume said in a low but dangerous tone. However, Raito didn’t budge one bit. Infuriated, Natsume pushed Raito away and punched him on the face. Raito’s determination to win Mikan’s love was irritating to him. First of all, Raito was one of the people to blame for Mikan’s memory loss. “Don’t talk big, you maniac.”

Raito held his swollen cheek as he gritted his teeth. “You’re gonna pay for that, Hyuuga,” he growled as he summoned an energy sphere on his palm. “Here’s a little something to shut down that big ego of yours.” He threw the sphere at Natsume.

Natsume, being agile and flexible, jumped sideward to avoid the bomb. As soon as the bomb hit the ground, a small explosion was made. The bomb Raito summoned wasn’t intended to kill him but only to hurt him. Natsume mentally muttered some curses about Raito before he backed away and conjured a flame in his palm. He would never back away from a fight against Raito.

“Why can’t you stay still for once?” Raito questioned, summoning two energy spheres. “You move like a cat. It’s no wonder your alias is Black Cat.” He dashed forward and hauled one energy sphere at his rival. Natsume evaded the bomb attack by jumping back. Raito had predicted his move, so he instantly threw his other bomb at spot where Natsume was going to land. The bomb and Natsume hit the ground at the same time, and the impact sent Natsume flying towards nearby bushes. Raito couldn’t help laughing at the raven-haired boy. He was sure full of himself.

Fire was lit up and burned the bushes around Natsume. He stood up and glared at Raito, with the intention of killing him. He summoned two fire balls in his palms and when he toned down the fire around him, he jumped up and hauled the balls at Raito.

“So slow!” Raito back flipped to avoid the first fire ball, and then jumped sideways to avoid the other one. He made several marble-sized bombs in his palms and threw at all over the place. The bombs exploded and created a smokescreen.

Natsume expected this move from Raito, so he already knew what to do. He created a giant fire wall around him, blocking all smoke from reaching him. After that, Raito tried to break the wall with his bombs, but his effort was futile. Once the smoke cleared up, Natsume saw Raito standing a few inches away from him. Raito was ready to attack Natsume again with a basketball-sized bomb, but Natsume had already summoned a big enough fire ball to counter him. The two stared at each other as they waited for the right time to strike. They were really focused and determined to beat one another. That was how dedicated they were to Mikan.

As the wind blew their already ruffled hair, Raito took a step forward and prepared himself to throw the bomb. However, an unexpected person came and hit Raito with a paper fan. Because of that, the guy lost concentration, making the bomb disappear into thin air. He held his head and turned around to see the person who disturbed his fight. “Haruka-san, you idiot! Why did you stop me?! I had him right where I want him!” he shouted at her.

Haruka narrowed her gaze and hit him again. “Shut up!” she retorted and crossed her arms. She was wearing her middle school uniform and her auburn hair was tied in a ponytail. “Are you stupid or what? Have you forgotten that we’re under probation? We can’t cause any trouble here, Raito-kun. Gosh, do I have to remind you that every second?! You’re such an idiot!”

They were pretty lucky enough to escape a grueling punishment from the Academy, because the higher-ups decided that it was best to enroll them to school. They were Alices, people gifted with magnificent powers—even if their powers are a threat and dangerous—and they have the right to be students in Alice Academy.

Natsume put out the fire and slipped his hands in his pockets. He didn’t like the idea of ex-members of the AAO being in the same school as Mikan. What if they try to kidnap her again? What if they were still loyal to the organization? They could backstab the students anytime. He was little grateful for their help with Mikan and he even respected them for that, but that was then.

“Okay, I get it,” Raito said with a sigh. He scratched his head in frustration. It seemed like he can’t settle his score with Natsume. And he was so close in beating him, Raito thought proudly. He then looked up at Natsume and pulled his right arm sleeve up. There was a black-wing mark on his upper arm. “Do you know what this is, Hyuuga?”

Natsume looked at the mark carefully. He could tell from his distance that it wasn’t an ordinary mark. “The Mark of Obedience,” he replied. He had seen those marks before. It was on several students in the Dangerous Ability Class. Mikan’s favorite senior, Andou Tsubasa, also has the Mark of Obedience. That mark was a punishment mark for trouble-makers.

“Rest assured, Hyuuga,” Raito said calmly. “I can’t betray the Academy as long as this mark is on my arm. One mishap could be the end for me.” There was seriousness in his voice and his eyes looked solemn.

“Same goes for me,” Haruka said, pulling her right sleeve up to her elbows. A golden wristband decorated in rubies was on her wrist. It was punishment device that can only be removed by the one who placed it. “This device contains a small needle with poison in it. That dumbass teacher, Jinno, placed this device on me, which means he can kill me anytime he wants.”

“I’ve never been to school before,” Raito said, turning to his partner. “I’m sure my school life will be good, since Mikan-sama is here.”

“All you think about is Mikan-san,” Haruka said, poking Raito’s forehead. She can’t blame Raito for being madly in love with Mikan. “But I’m kinda excited with school. We’ve been in the organization all our life. I feel a bit sad for betraying the ones who took care of us.” Being taken care of people who were against Alice Academy, Haruka sighed at the thought. Betraying the organization was hard for them. Haruka accepted the fact that the organization taught her everything she knew and she was grateful for that.

“Yeah… But we can’t do anything about it. We’re already here.”

“I’m pretty sure they want to kill us right now.”

“Who cares? We can defend ourselves.”

“You’re right.”

Natsume stared at the two keenly. He somehow understood their feelings and their concerns about the organization. He wasn’t the least bit surprised when the Raito showed his Mark of Obedience or when Haruka told him about the poison needle in her punishment device. But their enthusiasm of being in school left him dumbfounded. It was a good thing he was good in keeping a poker face all the time.

“Natsume didn’t come at all,” Mikan said sympathetically, leaning her head on her desk. She was really beaming earlier this morning, and when she and Ruka stepped into the classroom, her smile turned upside down when she noticed Natsume’s absence. Ruka told her that Natsume might come in later, so she brightened up again. But as the hours passed, Mikan grew more worried for Natsume. He didn’t show up for class. She wondered what was wrong with him.

Ruka was petting his bunny friend. He turned, his shoulders slumping. “Maybe he wants to be alone today,” he said. He placed the rabbit on the table and inched a bit closer to Mikan. “Sakura, why don’t we head back to the dorm?” He figured that she should get some rest.

Mikan looked up at Ruka and shook her head. “I don’t want to go back yet,” she said and stood up. “I’ll go find Natsume. He shouldn’t be alone.” Before Ruka could talk she quickly bolted out of the classroom. “Sakura!” was the only thing she heard from him as she started to run through the hallways. When she reached outside, she glanced around. She looked as if she might start panicking. She was really worried about Natsume and her heart was telling her to find him.

She reached for one random guy and began asking him questions about Natsume. The guy, who was actually her fan, merely blushed at the sight of her face. “Please tell me… Have you seen Natsume?” The guy shook his head, ad Mikan sighed deeply. “Thanks… Sorry for bothering you.”

She ran off to find Natsume. She tried the dorm, the cafeteria, the elementary school building, and even Natsume’s room, and still she couldn’t find him. But she wasn’t going to give up. Mikan was a girl with a strong will and ‘giving up’ wasn’t in her vocabulary. She went outside again to continue her search. As she grew tired, she stopped at a certain Sakura tree and sat down. The tree felt nostalgic for some reason. She twirled her hair with her finger as she stared up at the branches. At that moment, a scene popped into her mind.

“What is this?” she asked herself. She could see herself sitting on the branch crying on someone’s chest. That someone was a guy and his face was all blurry in her head. But she had a good feeling that it was… “Natsume…” Once she regained her senses, she thought about the place where she lost her memories. It was in the Northern Woods. “Natsume must be there,” she muttered.

She headed off in the direction of the Northern Woods. And when she reached the place where she lost her memories—the wide-open space somewhere in the Northern Woods—she walked around, glancing from left to right in search of a raven-haired boy. Her eyes darted from the ground to the sky. The gray clouds seemed to be ready to pour water down any second. She held a frown on her face. Natsume wasn’t there like she had expected.

Rain started to fall and Mikan was getting wet. Despite this, she didn’t care. Her knees trembled as she lowered her head. She told herself not to cry, but she couldn’t hold her tears back. She sobbed silently under the rain, as if the heavens were crying with her. She thought about Natsume, the boy she couldn’t remember. Oh how she wanted to remember him. Her heart yearned for his presence. She pulled out the pouch containing the shards of the red memory stone from her pocket and held it close to her heart. If there was a way to fix the stones, then she would do it no matter how hard it may be.

“Standing under the rain like this,” an icy-cold voice spoke from behind her. “What an idiot.”

Mikan’s eyes grew wide with surprise. She quickly spun on her heels to face the person. “Natsume…” she muttered as her lips curved into a small smile. Finally, she found Natsume. But her tears still kept coming out. She felt sad but happy at the same time. Her feelings were rather confusing at the moment. “What are you saying? You’re under the rain too. That makes you an idiot too.” Indeed Natsume was standing a few inches before her, without any umbrella or coat. Like her, he was also drenched.

Those tears bothered him to the core. He hated it whenever Mikan cries in extreme pain and sadness. A smiling Mikan was always good to him. He would always prefer to see her angelic smile everyday than a frown on her face. “Stop crying, you stupid ugly girl.” Those tears pained him, because he knew that he was the cause of her sadness.

Mikan shrugged and clenched her fists. “And why should I listen to a perverted moron like you?! You’re such a jerk and that arrogance makes your attitude more hideous. I can’t believe I’m your—” She stopped her ranting as she realized something. She clamped her mouth and gave him a confused look. Those insults just popped into her head and she was yelling at him as if it was normal. It was pretty weird, considering that she can’t remember him.

Natsume was a little shocked as well, but his face remained stoic. The way she insulted him was the way Mikan would usually do. For a while, there was silence between them. They looked at each other, trying to search for answers in each other’s eyes. “This is boring,” Natsume snapped, letting out a sigh.

She was back to crying again, but her face looked sadder than before. “I’m sorry if I can’t remember you!” she uttered, shutting her eyes tight, as the tears streamed down her smooth cheeks. “I’m sorry if it’s bothering you so much. But I want you to know that you’re still special to me—even though I can’t remember you, even though you can be such a big jerk… Natsume, I wan to see you smile… I-I…”

Without another word, Natsume pulled her into a hug. He had his arms wrapped around her and his face buried in the crook on her neck. Mikan gasped at his sudden action and her skipped a beat as she felt his warmth. He then pulled his face away to look at her. Trying not to get distracted by her pretty face, he stroked her brown locks and smirked. “Don’t get so worked up because of me. I’m the one with the problem, so I’ll deal with it alone.”

Mikan vigorously shook her head. “There’s no need to be alone! I’m here for you, Natsume! Ruka-pyon and everyone else too…” She had that sincere look in her eyes that Natsume secretly adored.

“You’re stubborn as usual,” Natsume retorted, cupping her chin with his right hand.

Mikan tightened her grip on the pouch. “I don’t care if I’m stubborn! I just want you—” Natsume suddenly broke in by crashing his lips against hers. Of course, her eyes grew as wide as marbles in complete surprise. And as Natsume deepened the kiss further, Mikan closed her eyes in pleasure and responded to his kiss. She was amazed at the way they kissed. It seemed so natural for Natsume and for her. Well, it was because they had kissed a lot of times in the past already, but Mikan can’t remember.

As they share their sweet kiss under the rain, something magical was happening inside the pouch Mikan was holding. Unknown to them, the red memory shards were glowing in a deep shades of red. After a few seconds, the shards disappeared.

Kazeno Chiaki stood in the doorway of her home staring at the sky for a long time, and then closed it softly. It was hard to believe she was back safe and sound. To carry out the promise she made was difficult for her. But she had done it. She had protected Sakura Mikan from the clutches of the organization. She missed Mikan already, and she wanted to go back to Alice Academy to see her. Her heart was full of her as she walked back to the living room. And as she looked at the brunette woman, sitting on the couch, sipping her tea peacefully, she smiled contentedly. And when she sat down beside the woman, she remembered the smile on Mikan’s face.

She poured tea for herself and sipped it. It was Jasmine Tea, the kind of tea with a sweet aroma. It was her favorite. “Kazeno-san… I trust you…” The words were so clear, it was as though Mikan was sitting right beside her. The past weeks had been a crazy time, but a time she would always cherish. After she defeated Takumi and recovered the remaining Alice stones, she helped her fallen leader and brought him to the hospital. She wasn’t a cold-hearted person and she took pity on Takumi. And then, with skill and stealth, she broke out of the school, even though she was in pain. Her determination to see the woman again was strong in her.

“You know, I can’t thank you enough, Chiaki,” the woman said as she lay the teacup down on the coffee table. Her hair was short and brown, and she was extremely pretty. “Mikan was in good hands…” This woman was none other than Azumi Yuka, the mother of Mikan and the one who possessed the Alice of Stealing other Alices. She didn’t mean to send Chiaki on the mission, but she couldn’t afford to expose herself in the Academy. Chiaki was the most suitable girl for the job, and she had been trained properly by the organization.

“There’s no need to thank me, Yuka-onee-sama,” Chiaki replied after sipping her tea. She then placed the teacup down and turned to Yuka. “You took care of me after all these years and what I did was not enough to repay you for your kindness.” True, Yuka had become her mother in the organization and she treated her as such.

Yuka shook her head slowly, and glanced at the open window. She walked across the room to the window and stared at the setting sun beyond the horizon. “It’s more than enough, Chiaki.” She shifted her eyes back at Chiaki. “It’s more than enough…” she repeated, her voice soft and sincere. Now, remembering Mikan, Yuka looked from the window to the Sakura trees.

“Onee-sama…” Chiaki pulled something from her sky-blue jacket and held it behind her back as she approached Yuka. When the woman turned around, Chiaki handed a picture to her. “This is for you. It’s going to make you happy, I’m sure of it.”

Yuka stood there for a long time, looking at the picture in her hand. It was a picture of her darling daughter. Mikan was dressed in a cute baby-blue dress with frills and ribbons, and her silky brown hair was tied in half-ponytail with a white ribbon. She was smiling wonderfully in the picture. “Where and how?” she asked, with tears in her eyes.

“Mikan-san is pretty popular in school, especially with the boys. Her best friend, Imai Hotaru, sells copies of her pictures just for profit. I managed to take one while I was investigating her lab.” Chiaki lightly laughed and put a hand on her shoulder, and after a while Yuka looked up at her with gratefulness.

“Thank you…”

“No, thank you…”

Yuka blinked for only an instant to clear the tears from her eyes. She patted the blonde’s head and told her how proud she was of her. She had treated Chiaki like her own daughter and loved her for who she is. Sometimes she felt uneasy and troubled whenever she thought about Mikan. But Chiaki was there to fill her insecurities. Yuka wanted to be with Mikan and to take care of her like what she did with Chiaki. But she wasn’t ready yet to face her daughter. No, there was the right time for that. One thing for sure, she was certain that they’ll be reunited as a family again.

On the next day, the weather in Alice Academy was brilliantly sunny. There was no haze, no smog. There was the smallest breeze, and a bright blue sky, and at six o’clock, it was still beautiful and the sun was shining. It was a good day for the second day of school.

Natsume was standing in his bedroom then. He was looking at the Cherry Blossoms through the balcony doors, thinking of how those flowers reminded him so much of Mikan. The Cherry Blossoms represented Mikan as a whole. Those flowers were beautiful and innocent like Mikan. Truth to be known, he’d never met a girl as lovely and cheerful as Mikan. She was absolutely the light of his dark world. There was no way he would ever conquer the darkness without her.

He left the room after putting on his coat and locked the door behind him. He was ready to attend classes for Mikan’s sake. He didn’t want her worrying about him all the time. After their fairly sweet moment in the Northern Woods, Mikan felt weak all of the sudden. Probably because of exhaustion, he thought. Mikan did spend two hours looking for him around the school. He was able to bring her to her Special Star room. When Mikan was done changing her clothes, she immediately fell asleep on her bed. Natsume tucked her in and stole one kiss on her lips before he left her to dream. Yesterday was indeed a memorable day for him.

“Good morning, Natsume.” Ruka, Natsume’s best friend, was standing right next to the door, with the rabbit in his arms. He personally waited for Natsume to find out if he was coming to class or not. Ruka was worried about him when he didn’t show up yesterday. “Where were you yesterday? Did you know that Sakura was worried about you?”

Yes, he knew that. But he can’t tell his best friend about the moment he shared with the brunette in the Northern Woods. He was aware of Ruka’s feelings for Mikan and he certainly didn’t want to hurt Ruka. “Nowhere…” Natsume simply answered.

Just then Mikan came out of room and locked the door. She greeted the boys, or more likely, her admirers right away with a refreshing smile. “Good morning, Ruka-pyon! Good morning, Natsume!” Much to Natsume’s surprise, Mikan’s hair was back in pigtails. He had missed that hairstyle a lot, since it suited her naïve personality. “Let’s go to school together, okay?”

“Sure.” Ruka grinned. “Sakura, about yesterday… Umm… Did you…” He glanced back at his best friend and looked back at the brunette. “Oh… never mind.” He wondered if Mikan found Natsume yesterday, but he decided not to ask about it. Besides, he could see that both Mikan and Natsume were in a good mood. That was enough to assure him that everything was fine.

“Natsume, Ruka-pyon, Hotaru and I are going to Central Town later,” Mikan said cheerfully. “Wanna come with us?”

The mere mentioned of Hotaru’s name made him shiver. Hotaru was the master of blackmails and Ruka was her favorite victim aside from Mikan. He was sure that she was going to take pictures of him again if he falters in Central Town. He should keep his guard up at all times, he convinced himself. “All right… It’s been a while since I’ve gone to Central Town.”

“That’s great!” Mikan jumped up and gave Ruka a hug, making the blonde boy blush like crazy. She released him and gave him a smile before she turned to Natsume. “How about you, Natsume?”

Out of jealousy, Natsume grumpily answered, “Tch… Why should I? There’s nothing good in Central Town anyway.”

“Natsume, please.” Mikan gave him the puppy-dog look. Her face was too cute to resist—even for Natsume, who was known to be cold and unresponsive. Mikan’s charms worked well with guys. She doesn’t need pheromones to have guys falling for her.

“No…” Natsume was being stubborn. Honestly, he wanted to go, but his damn mouth kept saying the opposite. He was a good liar, but he was never good with his innermost feelings. He was such a kill joy and he had no idea that the whole Central Town trip was planned out by Mikan to spend quality time with him. The determination in her eyes told him that she was going to pester him until he would say yes. That will be annoying under any circumstances. So, he grabbed one of her pigtails and looked intensely into her amber orbs.

Mikan raised a brow. “N-Natsume…?” He didn’t respond. He just looked at her quietly and he seemed to be thinking deeply. Mikan’s emotions stirred up as she admired his crimson orbs. Those red eyes held so much meaning in them, and Mikan was trying to figure them out. She let out a sigh as she touched the hand holding her pigtail. “This hairstyle will not be suitable in 5 years.”

Natsume’s eyes widened a bit at what she said. Those words were awfully familiar to him.

“It’s only been two years. I still have 3 more years to go. For now, I’ll stick to tying my hair like this.” She caressed his hand in hers before letting it go. She spun on her heels and took a step forward. “You’ve also said that pigtails suit me,” she said, peering over her shoulders, as she smiled.

Ruka didn’t understand what Mikan meant. But he does understand that it has something to do with Natsume.

On the other hand, Natsume felt his lips curving into a smile. It was very rare for him to smile, and he would only show his smiles to his best friend, Ruka, to Youichi, and of course to Mikan. Leave you hair like that… It suits you… He heard himself talking in his head. Those were the words he told Mikan before.

“I’m starving… Let’s go and have some breakfast!” Mikan said, raising her fist high, as she started marching. She was humming happily. Whatever memories she had once had—of love, friendship, or troubles—had been placed in her heart and her mind. There could surely be more surprises in life waiting for her. Spinning on her heels, she smiled once again to the boys, saying, “What are you two waiting for? Hurry up, Natsume, Ruka-pyon!”

“What a noisy girl.” Natsume’s expression was back to being a stoic one. He walked over to Mikan’s side and looked at her with a bored face. “Hey, polka-dots, mind keeping your voice low. You’re annoying.” He was back to name-calling her again.

“Don’t call me polka-dots, you retard!” Mikan retorted, glaring holes at him. “I’m not even wearing polka-dots today!”

Ruka followed closely behind them, and he couldn’t help giggling when Mikan said that she wasn’t wearing polka-dots today. But what made him really happy was Mikan and Natsume’s relationship. The way they were arguing was just like old times. Ruka didn’t dare to interfere with their argument, seeing how much they enjoy insulting one another.

THE END

JC: Gakuen Alice: Forgotten Memories has finally ended. Phew! This was a rather long chapter. I had to put everything here and it was tiring. I’m sorry if this came in a little late. School has been tough on me. Chiaki made her appearance here along with Azumi Yuka! I just had to add her in. I’m ready for my next story now. Hehe! Please tell me what you think and review!! No flaming, please!

Preview of Next Story

Obsession: Sakura Mikan, innocent yet energetic, is Natsume’s lovely girlfriend. His love for her is genuine and true. As his passion for her deepens, so does his obsession. With men head over heels for her, Natsume is unable to live a good life, and, as he continues to protect her, he finds himself losing control.