Author's Note: Ugh, I didn't reach my goal of finishing this before 2016. Regardless, I hope you all have a great year ahead!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice.

Head Over Heels

Chapter 32: Together

The goddamned bastard had taken him to a hotel in another state. It was going to take Natsume at least 6 hours to get from where he was right now- Washington DC- to New York.

As soon as he escaped, Natsume got the concierge to call him a car. However, once he was in the car, he still couldn't relax completely. He couldn't help but keep looking through the back window, paranoid that Reo had sent men after him like something they did in a Jackie Chan movie. Needless to say, his cronies must have already informed Reo by now. Whatever, Natsume thought. I'm getting to that damned hotel no matter what.

Natsume thought he would be way too charged with adrenaline to fall asleep. However, his eyelids started growing heavier and heavier. Before long, he had completely knocked out, his head slumped against the cool tinted glass window.

"Mr Hyuuga?" A faint voice pricked at the edge of his consciousness. "Mr Hyuuga?"

"Hnnghhh?" Natsume groaned, wincing. He snapped his neck to the left and right, trying to get rid of the ache developed from falling asleep in an awkward position. He flinched against the dim light filtering in through the windows. "What time is it?"

At the politely blank look on the driver's face, Natsume shook his head. He had spoken in Japanese out of habit, but he was in the US. Trying to rescue Mikan from the clutches of Mouri.

"What time is it? Where are we?" He asked again in English.

"It's 8.36am, sir," the driver responded. "We met with some traffic, causing the slight delay. We're outside the Plaza, in New York City."

"Thank God," Natsume breathed a sigh of relief. He almost wanted to hug the driver and jump up and down in excitement. He didn't, obviously. He wasn't that far gone.

He handed the driver a bundle of green notes, along with a hefty tip, before scrambling out of the car. At the sight of the grand hotel building glinting underneath the sunlight, Natsume felt a ghost of a smile spread over his lips. He was almost there. Almost.

He burst through the entrance, and stopped when he saw the crowds milling around. Guests were already milling around the lobby, even though the wedding was supposed to start at 10. One look and Natsume could tell the guests were people of high places. Huge diamonds shone from their ears, necks and wrists.

I need to find Mikan, he thought. Then another thought: no, I don't know where her room is. Mouri would definitely have changed it. What I need to do is to make a scene. Embarrass that bastard. Show everyone that Mikan isn't meant to marry him. That she's mine.

And that was exactly what Natsume did- stay low. He surreptitiously returned to his room, trying not to be spotted. With the throngs of wedding guests in the lobby, it wasn't difficult. He used the remaining one hour to freshen up. After all, if you're trying to crash someone's wedding, you have to make sure you look good.

All the time, he kept one eye on the door in case Mouri and his gang busted down the door. To be safe, he even jammed a chair under the door handle. However, no one showed up, which made Natsume wonder if Lady Luck was really shining on him today.

As he finished cleaning the shaving cream off his face, he stared straight into the mirror.

"You're gonna do this," he told himself, narrowing his eyes. "No matter what."

It was 10.18 am when Natsume pulled on his black leather jacket and boots. He had timed it such that when he arrived at the ballroom, the bride would be ready to walk down the aisle. He left the hotel room without so much as a backward glance. He was as ready as he would ever be.

When he arrived outside the ballroom, the place looked so packed with people in glittery dresses and tailored suits that Natsume thought he might even be able to blend himself in within the guests and sneak in.

However, one look at the beefy guards checking the guests' invitations with the attention and caution of an exam invigilator, Natsume quickly dismissed this idea. Yet to his pleasant surprise, a mob of reporters with flashing cameras were already there. He didn't know for sure if they were there because Mouri had arranged for his wedding of the century to be publicized, or because Natsume had announced that he was crashing that wedding. Regardless, it was all good. They were all out for a good juicy story, and if Natsume crashed the wedding, that was what they were going to get. No doubt they would all help him.

Mikan wrung her hands together as she waited for the cue for her to walk out and down the aisle. Her dad wasn't here to walk her down the aisle, so some random guy Reo had arranged to do so would replace him. Not that she wanted her dad here anyway. This was just a fake wedding; she didn't want him to get all misty-eyed and elated over it.

Her fingers tightened around the bouquet of flowers she was holding- some luxurious bunch of tulips and roses and other fancy flowers in shades of pastel pink. The scent of the flowers was too overpowering, pricking at her nose. Everything about this felt wrong. The beautiful wedding dress felt too silky, too slippery against her glowing skin (Mrs Mouri had insisted she get a full body massage and spa). The frothy veil felt heavy on her head. Her stomach was tightening into knots, and she felt like throwing up. She didn't know what was worse- the guilt that she was deceiving everyone out there or her nervousness. Fake or not, she was going to be in a wedding, and she was the star. Mikan wasn't used to being the star. She was used to being a perfectly normal, nothing-special girl who blended in with everyone else.

"It will be worth it," she whispered to herself. She herself had seen what Reo had yesterday night. The hard disk had everything that would clear her name. The evidence that the column Mikan had submitted had everything to do with Miley Cyrus and nothing to do with Natsume. She could clear her name soon.

"Miss Sakura?" A deep, raspy voice said. Mikan looked up to see a man with salt-and-pepper hair looking down at her with a kind smile on his wrinkly face. "I am one of Reo's uncles, and I have the honor of walking you down the aisle today."

"Oh, nice to meet you," Mikan tried for a smile so that she would actually look like a happy, blushing bride instead of one who was about to throw up and get cold feet and escape.

"We should get going." The man offered his arm to Mikan, who awkwardly looped hers around it. They started for the door that would bring them to the ballroom, to the start of the aisle, or as Mikan liked to think, the start of the road to her being proven innocent.

As soon as the heavy door swung open, the famous opening notes of "Here Comes the Bride" floated through the air. Mikan took a deep breath, and took her first step on the red carpet, which was framed by numerous flower-laden arches.

Step.

Smile.

Step.

Clap.

Cheers.

Wolf whistles.

Step.

Mikan kept her eyes trained on a floral decoration hanging on the wall behind Reo. She didn't want to see him until she absolutely had to. The thought of having to kiss him in front of everyone else was enough to make her shudder. However, Mikan had to hand it to him and his parents. The ballroom looked absolutely phenomenal. The dim glow of the lights lent a warm ambiance to the venue, the giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling glowed softly. Huge lavish vases of beautiful blooms were everywhere, with white roses, peonies, lilies and many others Mikan couldn't name nestled within a bed of green. The entire place was filled with round silk-covered tables, with countless guests sitting at the chairs around them. There wasn't a single guest here that Mikan knew, and she couldn't help but feel out of her depth.

As she continued down the aisle, she felt as though she was another person, like her soul had entered the body of some other girl getting married in a lavish ceremony, with guests clapping for her and looking at her. She didn't feel like herself. Her feet were moving gracefully without her conscious thought. It was just a routine, an act she had to put on. Step. Step. Step. Smile. Step. Step.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Smile.

Step.

Step.

Bang?

Mikan's feet automatically stopped moving, and her head automatically turned around at the collective gasp the guests let out.

The sight that met her lace-veiled eyes made her cry out, loud enough to be heard over the noise everyone else was making. A whole bunch of reporters and paparazzi was practically fighting with the security guards. They were trying to get into the ballroom, pushing and scuffling and shoving like a pack of wolves. But that wasn't what made Mikan gasp out loud.

It was Natsume.

Mikan closed her eyes. It was probably just a hallucination. Somehow the stress of this whole act and the drama with Natsume had made her delirious. Yet when she opened her eyes, he was still there. A figure dressed in black, dark hair messy, cerise eyes blazing.

Mikan stood motionless, too astounded to do anything. Her mind felt like it had gone completely blank, and her heart thumped against the cages of her ribs, so loud she was sure everyone could hear it.

Even though the security guards were trying to hold him back, the sheer determination and brute force of the paparazzi who were clearly on Natsume's side ended up victorious. He managed to squeeze through the throngs of people, and his eyes snagged onto Mikan's as soon as he was a safe enough distance not to be mauled by the guards (and a few over-enthusiastic reporters).

Cliche as it sounded, at that moment, Mikan felt as though only the two of them were there. Everyone else seemed to disappear. There were no distressed guests, no horrified fake-future-in-laws, no perturbed priest, no outraged groom. It was just Mikan and Natsume.

"What—" Mikan flipped the veil out of her face.

"You're coming with me."

Both of them spoke at the same time. Mikan's arm had long fallen from the grasp of Reo's uncle, and her feet shuffled towards Natsume, as though he was a magnet and she was a piece of iron.

"Natsume, seriously, what are you—"

"Shhhh." Before Mikan could react, Natsume had pulled her forward, slamming her against his chest. His arms slid around her, holding her so close she could smell the mint on his breath, so close she could almost feel his heartbeat through the layers of clothes between them.

"I missed you." His voice was low, almost shaky with emotion. "So fucking much. I never want you to leave my side again."

"Natsume... you can't do this." But Mikan didn't know who she was kidding anymore with the weak protest that escaped her lips. "I... We... I'm getting married."

At the word 'married', Mikan snapped back into reality. She felt disoriented as she took in her surroundings over Natsume's shoulder. The guests' faces were all slack with horror, their eyes widened, their brows raised. Disapproval was etched across their faces. However, some had their phones out and were filming them gleefully. The reporters were the ones having a field day— everyone jostling for a better view, their DSLR cameras raised and snapping away with loud clicks and bright flashes that made Mikan's palms bead with sweat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Reo snarled, thundering his way down the aisle towards Natsume. He grabbed the model by his collar with both hands, tugging him away from Mikan. He shook him so hard a lesser man may have trembled with fear, but not Natsume. He simply stared down at Reo with contempt and scorn, his lips curled in annoyance. "I thought you were out of the way!"

"Your little sidekicks didn't tell you?" Natsume laughed disbelievingly, pushing Reo off him almost effortlessly. He straightened the collar of his white shirt. "Too bad. I'm here to stop Mikan from making the worst mistake of her life by getting married to the biggest asshole in the universe."

"You think you're so different from me, huh?" Reo retorted. "You're the same, Natsume Hyuuga. You lie and cheat and play with women's hearts, so don't you even dare—"

"I admit, I made mistakes," Natsume interjected. "And I'm not proud of them. But I've changed. Because of Mikan. And I want to make things right. I want to apologize."

"Yeah, right—"

Natsume turned towards the cameras, and gestured with both hands. "I, Natsume Hyuuga, am sorry for everything I did in the past. I sincerely apologize to all the women I've played with, for never treating you with the respect you deserve. It will never happen again, because..." He turned towards Mikan, his eyes sincere. "You've changed me, Mikan. You made me understand what love is, and I know what you're going to say." A wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I'm not saying this because I want to get in your pants, or because I think you're one of my side hoes."

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you the other day when you said you loved me," he said quietly. This was meant for Mikan, and Mikan only, not said just for the sake of impressing the reporters. "I just... panicked, I guess. I was still a coward, afraid of trusting people. But I'm sure now, that I love you."

Tears pricked at Mikan's eyes, and her heart swelled with emotion. "How do you know? How are you sure this is just a spur -of-the-moment thing? And how do you know for sure you can trust me? I told you..."

Natsume interrupted her by bending his head downwards and pressing his lips against her forehead in a featherlight kiss. "The stupid quiz I took cleared things up for me, but it was there all along. My feelings for you. How do I know, you ask? I try imagining you with another man and all I want to do is rip off his balls. I imagine you walking down the aisle and I picture myself as the groom. I try to imagine my future, and I can't picture it with anyone but you and your smart mouth and stupid heels."

"Hold on there—" Reo barked, trying to wrench Mikan away from Natsume. "You can't just do this." His eyes were filled with panic. "You still suspect her for writing that story."

"No, I don't care about that anymore. I trust you, Mikan. I was stupid to have ever doubted you." Natsume ran a hand over his chin. "Tell me who set you up, I'll clear your name. Definitely."

Mikan's eyes scanned his face for any signs that he was lying or only saying that to placate her, but his eyes were nothing but sincere and warm and loving. And of all the things Mikan loved about him, his eyes were definitely high up there on the list. No matter how hard he tried to mask his emotions, how hard he tried to appear tough and cool like he was expected to, his clear ruby eyes revealed everything and spoke the truth.

"Oh, Natsume."

Sensing how Mikan was about to accept Natsume's apology, Reo couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Mikan's shoulders and hissed, "What about the hard disk? I have it right here, and I promised to give it to you right after the ceremony. But now what? My parents are going to murder me. You've embarrassed them and me in front of everyone." His fingers tightened, and Mikan winced at the pain that shot through her muscles.

"Bastard, don't you fucking touch her!" Natsume growled, the vein in his forehead popping. He lunged forward and landed a solid punch right across his face. Some of the guests screamed at the sight of blood trickling down Reo's nose.

Hissing in pain, Reo tried to return the punch, but Natsume was too quick for him. He managed to tackle Reo to the floor, pinning him down. Reo's guards tried to reach him, but the paparazzi were still blocking their path.

"The disk! The hard disk!" Mikan screeched as she finally recovered from her shock. "Find it, Natsume!"

"Mikan, what on Earth is going on?" She whipped her head around to see Reo's mother staring at her with a disapproving look etched into the lines of her face, which was ashen with worry. Her husband, meanwhile, was trying to get Natsume off his son.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Mouri," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."

"Did you... did you cheat on Reo?" Mrs Mouri sputtered, clapping a hand over her mouth. "With... with that man?" She glanced at Natsume, who was trying to search Reo's pockets.

"No!" Mikan yelped. "I swear I didn't. I'm sorry, Mrs Mouri, but this whole wedding was a lie." She didn't want to say this in front of everybody and embarrass the Mouris further, so she kept her voice low. The guests were already staring enough, as though they were watching a movie play out right in front of them.

"I never wanted to marry Reo, but he made me a deal I had to accept in order to prove my innocence. He wanted me to marry him, but not because he loves me." She gave Mrs Mouri a small, sad smile. "You should ask him why. I won't rat him out further... but we haven't been together for some time now. You should ask him about that too."

"Is this it?" Natsume yelled, holding up a flat piece of rectangular metal.

"Yes!" Mikan felt relief and exhilaration bubble up inside her, like a bottle of champagne.

"We're done here, Mikan." Natsume stood up, brushed off his jacket and came over to her. "What's this, anyway?"

"Evidence that I didn't write that article," Mikan said in a rush. "I promised to marry him so I could get this and show it to you..."

"Heck, I don't need a stupid metal thing to tell me I need to trust you." Natsume scowled. He started to throw it to the floor but Mikan touched his arm.

"No, Natsume," she soothed. "I'm glad you trust me, but I need this to show my boss."

He nodded and tucked the hard disk safely into his pocket. "I understand. Let's go."

Hardly even believing what she was doing, Mikan ripped the headpiece off her head and let it fall to the ground. As the white veil fell into a heap on the red carpet, Mikan felt as though she had just let go of a gigantic burden that had been suffocating her for the past few days. When she turned to the sea of guests, she could feel a confidence that hadn't been there before.

"I'm extremely sorry for wasting your time, everyone." Mikan took a deep bow. "This was all just an act. Perhaps you should ask Reo what exactly happened." She shot the man in question a pointed look. He scowled at her, holding a napkin to his nose. "But I don't love him. And neither does he love me. The man I love is right here, Natsume Hyuuga. So... um... yeah. I'm sorry." Natsume's hand threaded through hers, and immediately she felt a lot better, as if what she was doing wasn't going to break the hearts of Reo's relatives- especially his parents- as if it wasn't going to make headlines and put her in the center of unwanted attention.

With a final last bow, Mikan and Natsume started for the doors. Hand in hand, they ran towards the exit, Mikan trying not to trip by gathering as much of the silky material of the dress she could in her hand. As if by magic, the paparazzi and guards, who looked completely dumbfounded, parted to make way for them. Cameras flashed and as expected, the paparazzi started chasing after them.

"Here." Natsume led her towards the exit of the hotel, towards a car that was already waiting for them. They bundled into the car as fast as was humanly possible, which was difficult with Mikan's long dress.

"Go! Go! Go!" Natsume yelled at the driver, just as the paparazzi ran down the steps in a messy horde to where the car was parked.

"So..."

"Mikan, I..."

Again, they had both spoken at the same time. Mikan laughed, waving a hand at him. "You go first."

"I just want to say again that I love you, and that I'm sorry for hurting you before." He tightened his grip on Mikan's hand, and traced a thumb over the soft skin. "From now on, I swear I'll work hard to make you the happiest woman on Earth. I swear I will never lie to you or doubt you ever again."

"You'd better not make promises you can't keep," Mikan smiled through a haze of tears. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Why was she being so emotional today? "But Natsume, thank you for coming for me. I love you too, and I forgive you."

"So you won't kick my balls?" Natsume asked slyly.

"No, unless you want me to," Mikan replied teasingly.

"There are many things I want you to do to my balls, but kicking isn't one of them." A salacious grin spread across Natsume's face, and Mikan smacked his hand, squealing.

"That is so gross!"

And just like that, the two of them sped across New York City— a girl in a wedding dress, a guy in a black leather jacket— away from the chaos at the hotel, away from everything else. Nothing else mattered, because they were together. Finally.

Phew, that was almost 4000 words! EPILOGUE (LAST CHAPTER) COMING NEXT, SO STAY TUNED!