Somewhere I'll Find You Chapter 15: New Beginnings, a gakuen alice fanfic

To these following reviewers/people/friends:

sakuraheartz, AnnaPetLover13, Amethyst, amydk101, kuia, Wings of Fidelity, ghurl00, FuchsiaQwn, marshmallow angel, Jasmini, agay, cutiebear14, Masshou no Tenshi, niceladysakura, archandis, InLuvWidVan, kara nightingale, sacarface, sootyxsnowpetal, sunako-chan, halftherainbow7, mikagikameko, crimsoneyes44, kawaiikat95, Rain Dances, luna cherFer, dominiqueanne, Little-Miss-Giggle, babee-angel, HelenaLaVince, crybaby94, CrystalHeart27, mountainelements, GummiLover, archandis, mysticblu, SpringFairy14,blase Contradiction, JC-zala, matsukanishi09ayu-natsumediamondstone812, SarcasticHeartlessAngel, j531823, Azurana K., rinnei24, SnowCharms, Bloody angel94, kemcat16, tinkerbellie , cupidsangel, Moose-chan, sweetCITRUS, guest, Yukiko Mican-chan, vJvW, xXxNaNa-cHaNxXx, kradraven, jeje-chan, celz0135, sakura0038, Elemental Mummy, Anastasia, lysabelle, HengHeng, -KuroTenshi11-, DMS , Alisz, Hikari Natsume, CarTonic, mookiee, smalltaz, babytrish-seedlings, enuphix, midnightblue123, tinkerbellie, melissa1995, vantwitch, a-fs-kit-jeni-7-28, miyuki24, cherryblossoms, pyroAssasin14, xAngel of deathx, shimakoyouichi, Standstill, verysilentreader, jun-natsume08, Amethyst09, krizza10, yujunsan, DeWiL, bitteRswEetcHocolatelover, neverbetter21, gakkuri, HengHeng, tsujeai, Kurukus, KIT27lovesBAN, kuroneko1815, cLaRiShA, GreyXCat94, lovey-dovey123, Kazumi17, mIkanNatsUme13, stratifiedII, lizeej, Jasmini, aura51594, mookiee, ecyoj06, BnWhites, sakurano-san, AiEdogawaIsaBellaCullen, morgan w. Anderson, Go-BooKMoNKeY, Olympiangirl, Sweet Pix 95, gigixx, NaughtyAngel12, Yasashi, Idiotic Princess, bea019, ghurl00, Hysterical Cookie, QueenTiria, Courting Torment, sakuraxblossom, WaterMistress375, littleazngirl24, princess kuro koneko, fitha, krizza10, nissikisses, 090mikanXnatsume090, L's apprentice, ayu-natsume -PrincessYuri-, manimefrances , ., danixox , aya , torn heart of moonshadow, charlotte A. fuentes , kyouya-haruhi-forever , Riyu Akari , SapphireRhythm , Memorie, After The Fray, karupin-san , dbzgtfan2004, sarafyna-chan, vJvW , lil nanami , Esa MaRie, animecrazy , rukatoki, natsumeluvr , fullmoontonight , Ali Cx , BiTtEr-SwEeT-cHeRrY , ruin princess, Blue –Niagra, The Inevitable Truth , ktel88, lot, glenda23,SnowMirage, tokyobend17, Cherry's love, natsumeluvr, uwindang, bd, Xian-pyon , oRaNg UtAn SaBaH, YAC, hyperles , ilveryz , babytru3, May, Riyu Akari, SnowCharms, sarafyna-chan, Annie, Marie, littledoggy, anime-fangirl-o.0-vm, xXxaDeLainexXx, lysabelle, torn heart of moonshadow, fullmoontonight Sakiru Yume, Kaya-chan90, DreamingIris , rinnei24, Vanilla Night ,Silveryz, nephie-chan, , Swt little devil, silent readers, anonymous reviewers, those who texted, called me in the middle of the night, IM'd, e-mailed, left me friendster messages, and to everyone who forced people to read my story (lol)

You guys gave me enough encouragement to finish S.I.F.Y.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Gakuen Alice. The song Superhuman does not belong to me.

Frances – may you achieve your dream to be the female version of House and Patch Adams.

Anna – A billion thanks for all the help you gave me. I owe you loads of chocolate bars.

Jen-jen, Andy, Karla, Jim and Stephen – Who are you to tell me how to end the story. lol. And you said I can't make you cry. Haha.

When I made the sequel to Second Chances, I had three objectives:

1. To come up with at least an original story plot.

2. To keep my readers guessing what will happen next.

3. Try to make my readers cry.

I think it's safe for me to say: I've achieved them all.

I now present you the final chapter.

Somewhere I'll Find You

By: crazygirl18

"Life's truest happiness is found in friendships we make along the way."

I slowly opened my eyes and found myself waking up to a cloudy sky and soft winds, gently telling me to get up. Brushing the dirt off my shorts, I looked around to see where I was. My eyes widened as I realized I was standing alone in the middle of a field… but I wasn't afraid, just surprised to be alone.

I decided to walk around and see if I could find a house or anyone nearby. I wasn't bothered by the weather because the sun was hiding behind those thick cotton clouds and the cool wind gave me another boost of confidence to continue walking. Soon enough, I saw a huge tree that had a swing on one of its large branches, on top of a small hill not far from where I was standing. As I came closer to the tree, I noticed a girl who had her back to me, swinging on the swing. I knew it was a girl because she was squealing in delight every time she pushed herself higher.

"Hey!" I called out.

The squealing girl ignored me and continued to swing.

"Hey!" I called out louder. "Do you know—" I wasn't able to finish my sentence because out of the blue, the stupid girl leapt from the swing and clumsily fell to the ground. "Are you alright?" I asked, rushing to help her up. The girl's head was pointed to the ground while her shoulders started to shake. I started to panic because I was never good dealing with crying girls. Trying to come up with a good response, the girl suddenly burst out laughing.

"You should have seen the look on your face, Ryoichi!"

My shock turned into anger and I couldn't help myself. I hit her on the head.

"You stupid idiot!" I shouted at Nina.

"Ouch," Nina said rubbing her head. "That freaking hurts!"

"That's what you get for jumping off the swing and scaring me, stupid girl." I retorted while helping Nina stand up. She stuck her tongue out at me as a reply and went back to the swing. I sat down and enjoyed the shade the huge tree provided us. "So, is this heaven?"

"It depends."

"You mean, this is it?" I asked, looking at her with shock. "Isn't it supposed to be filled with all of my favorite computer games, candies and cakes? Is there a computer over there?"

"Why would you need a computer in heaven?"

"Duh, this is what happens if you don't have a brain like mine," I answered and rolled my eyes at her. "Have you ever heard about internet? Aunt Hotaru said if anyone has internet, you can send mail wherever you are. Everyone in first grade knows that," I said with a huff.

As a reply, Nina threw one of her white shoes at my head. "I'm glad I don't have a stupid brain like yours!"

"What was that for?" I yelled, rubbing my head.

"To see if your brain's smart enough to tell you to move your big head," she retorted as she grabbed her shoe back. "See what you did, you made my white shoe dirty!"

"Stupid, I wasn't the one who threw it in the first place."

"You forced me to!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!" Nina shrieked.

I looked at her with disdain. "I'm not deaf."

Nina blinked at me several times before she began to chuckle. "You're still the same Ryoichi."

"Why would I be different?" I asked dryly.

"I missed you," Nina said with a smile, getting off her swing to hug me.

Shocked that Nina was hugging me, I didn't dare wrap my arms around her because I wasn't sure if someone would come out with a video camera and take a picture of me hugging Nina. 'That'd be embarrassing'. I tried to push her away but she didn't budge. "Nina…" I said in an awkward voice. "—are you done hugging me?" I can't help it! I'm a kid. Crying girls are weird so what was I suspected to do? The only girl I ever hugged was my mom and Aunt Hotaru.

"I'm sorry," Nina said with an apologetic smile when she let go of me after a few minutes. "I just missed my friend."

I don't know why that sentence made my face hot. "Just… just don't do that again," I said gruffly, turning away from her. "Okay?"

"I won't."

"Now… is this really heaven?"

I could not help but feel like Nina was looking at me in a strange way before she stretched her palm and smiled brightly at me. "Come, I'll show you around."

I felt my cheeks begin to feel hot again. Nina looked very pretty in her strawberry dress and her hair tied into a simple pony tail. Somehow, her smile made me feel good. "If this is heaven, I hope to see an ice cream parlor soon," I grumpily said as I took Nina's hand.

"Ice cream won't be a problem," Nina announced, as she led me. "It's choosing what kind of flavor you want."

"Why, how many are there?"

"1001 flavors."

Chapter 15:

New Beginnings

"Life is not fair when you have to say goodbye to someone you love."

Natsume

"Never rely on your Alice."

This was the first thing my father told me when he found out I had the Fire Alice.

"Promise me you'll always protect your sister, even if I'm not by your side anymore."

My father said this to me after my mother's burial.

"Protect those you love."

That was my father's last request before he died.

Three simple requests.

Three simple promises.

None of them fulfilled.

When Aoi was brought into the Academy, my main goal was to become stronger by mastering my Alice. I didn't care who I had to train with. All I cared about was becoming strong enough to rescue my sister and then, we'd flee from the Academy.

According to Persona, the only way I could fulfill my promise to my father was to be cold, unemotional and more importantly, to never succumb to the emotion called love. Because once I did, that emotion would be the reason I'd fail and become weak. Love is man's greatest weakness, he reminded me darkly.

Wanting to become stronger, I believed him immediately. Under Persona's watchful eye and training, I did everything to become a cold-hearted person because I did not want to be distracted from my real goal or let somebody other than my sister become a weakness to me.

The only person I allowed myself to be friends with was Ruka, who I knew way back when I was still 2 years old. Our parents were really good friends and when I agreed to go with the Academy; Ruka had begged his mother to allow him to go to the same school. I once asked why he did it. Follow me, that is.

"…because you need at least one friend in that school."

From then on, we were best of friends and knowing I had one friend in school was enough for me to feel at peace. As I continued to train under Persona and continued to be a cold person, I remained focused.

That was until I met Mikan Sakura, the idiot.

Once Mikan came into my life, she quickly destroyed all of the strong, towering walls I thought were impossible to demolish. I assumed I would be walking alone in my own darkness but somehow, she became my candle. Every time Mikan hugged me, it gave me a piece of tranquility. It felt as though a huge weight was lifted from my back when she hugged me.

When the foreign emotions took hold, I tried my best to do everything to make it go away. I fought it as best I could. But the more I did, the more I wanted her to stay beside me. I wanted her to date someone else, to laugh and hope with someone else but the more I thought about it, I wanted to burn and slowly choke that future "someone else". I refused to believe someone could actually fall in love with the idiot however when I saw a guy simply smile at her in a not-so-brotherly-way or would call her unsuitable names, they would find themselves in the hospital being treated for severe burns which I would forever deny.

As I started to sort out my feelings for her, Persona began to see the new changes in me. He began to taunt me and tell me I would never rescue my sister now that I was falling in love with Mikan. It was then I realized falling in love was indeed going to make me weak. When I realized I could not save my sister because I knew they would hurt Mikan as punishment, I had broken two promises already. I relied on using my Alice to make me stronger and I could not protect my sister. I failed as a son and as a brother. I did my best not to show my frustration and disappointment but the idiot was the only person who could see beyond my façade. One night, I found her in my room waiting for me to return from my mission. She suddenly wrapped her arms around me and asked me what was wrong. It was the first night I asked her if she could just sleep next to me because I did not want to feel alone.

When I finally told her why I was here at the Academy, Mikan just smiled at me and told me everything would be alright. Next thing I knew, I was being called in by the Principal who told me, I was free to leave the Academy with my sister.

Flashback

"What? Just like that," I asked in a sarcastic tone. "You're letting me go?"

"Believe me, I would want you to stay here but I made a deal and I always keep my word," the principal answered, signing our release papers. "You may go wherever you want to go and you may rest assured, no one will go after you and your sister," he said seriously as he handed me the papers.

I reached for them and looked at a set to see if it was really true. Indeed, the papers where real. My sister and I could walk away from the school at that very moment. Trying to keep my shock and pleasure from showing, I gave a simple nod and left. But when I closed the door, I found Persona waiting in the hallway.

"Well, well, well. My favorite student will soon be leaving the Academy grounds," Persona said with a sly smile which gave me a chill as I passed him. "Normally I'd be saddened by the whole affair, but with my new pet, I'm finding it more than okay."

I stopped abruptly. My brain was screaming at me to leave at once but the way Persona said it made me stay put. "What do you mean?" I asked crisply.

"Didn't your girlfriend tell you?" Persona mocked. "Why you and your sister can finally get the chance to leave?"

"She isn't my girlfriend," I hissed back. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, it isn't my place—"

"-Stop the bullshit!" I said grimly. "What did the idiot do?"

"She made a deal with the principal," Persona answered with an evil chuckle. "In exchange for you and your sister's freedom, Ms. Mikan Sakura will be transferred to the Dangerous Ability class to train under me."

End of Flashback

I had rushed into her room and raged at her for being so stupid in making those stupid decisions. I remember shaking her shoulders and asking her over and over why she did it. Why she would sacrifice her innocence for me.

"Because I want too. It's as simple as that, Natsume," she answered with a smile. "I want you to be happy for once."

I had dreamt thousands of dreams about me and Aoi leaving the Academy. I didn't have to worry about Ruka because I knew we would see each other again, but when Mikan made the deal, I could not and would not leave her to face the same darkness, the same nightmares I endured.

Leaving Aoi with our only relatives from my mother's side was the last thing I wanted because I remembered my mom saying something about how her elder brother hated the Hyuugas. I had no choice but to leave her there because after finding out whom my mother's brother was, Uncle Yusuke agreed to take Aoi in.

Before leaving Aoi with them, I wanted to tell my sister why I could not be with her, why I couldn't watch her grow like a brother should and why I returned to the Academy. But Aoi was still young then, so I had hoped once Mikan and I graduated from hell, I would finally tell her the truth.

The principal was happy I stayed and promised he'd keep his word to not use or contact my sister. He also agreed with me accompanying Mikan in her training until the principal decided who Mikan would finally be partnered with. When Mikan found out I had stayed, she angrily asked me why.

"Because I want too," I replied, smirking at her. "I need to protect an idiot who thinks she's superwoman."

Since then, I did my best to protect her when I could on missions. I comforted her as she cried in my arms when she found out who her real parents were. Each time I saw her cry, I wanted to kick whomever had made her feel that way but I guess it would a month for me to sit down. I felt I was always the reason why she'd cry. I sometimes felt scared about loving her because Persona knew she was my weakness which is why I never told her I loved her. I refused to believe Mikan was my weakness. I tried my best to put some distance between us and that was the biggest mistake I ever did.

She was the reason I continued to live on, why I wanted to come back from every mission. She never told me to change. She loved me for what I was and it was okay to be me. Mikan taught me it was good to have friends, to trust and to believe. Mikan was never a weakness… she was my strength.

And it took a premonition for me to realize how much the idiot truly meant to me.

When I regained my memories, I thought, finally, at least one promise I made to my father would be fulfilled. I could protect and have a family with the first and last person I loved. But not all dreams and fantasies have a happy ending. Reality is a harsh world, after all. You could be happy one moment and then it could be sucked away from you with a blink of an eye. The last promise I thought I'd be able to fulfill to my father… was broken when Mikan had to kill Ryoichi.

My son… our son.

I had screamed for Mikan to stop, to not lose hope but her mother, Yuka, appeared in front of me with a stern expression and blocked my path.

"Mikan does not want to do this. You know it's the only way."

"She can't give up! Mikan can't—" I shouted.

"This isn't easy for her Natsume… especially as a mother," Yuka said with a sad look. "Don't let your son die being tortured."

I glanced at my son who was screaming in pain and turned to look at Mikan who had a pained expression on her face. For the first time, in a long time, I didn't know what to do anymore. I was slightly startled when Ruka laid his hand on my shoulder. "Mikan needs you. She would need you to comfort her and tell her you understand why she had to do it."

The ache in my heart increased. Putting my left hand over both of my eyes and wiping away the tears that formed in my eyes, I gulped down some air to stop myself from crying. "Okay," I answered with a nod. "I'll do it."

When I saw Mikan break the barrier, I leapt towards her to break her fall. I thought I was ready for what would happen next but it was nothing to what I assumed it would be. Till the very end, Ryoichi tried his best to smile, to show Mikan, to show me, everything was alright. My blasted tears which I fought hard to control, fell when Ryoichi acknowledge me as his father. It was the best thing I've ever heard.

My heart broke even more when I found out Mikan's lullaby song to Ryoichi was the same song my mother sang to make me fall asleep when I was still little. I had reluctantly taught Mikan the song back in high school and did not expect she'd be singing it to our son. The way I watched both mother and son sing the song made me realize how close they were and how I would never be given another chance to experience the closeness with Ryoichi as a father.

When Ryoichi finally slept and Mikan relinquished an anguish cry, I gained control over my tears and emotions. Standing up, I prepared myself to go back to the battle. Every tear Mikan shed, I was going to make sure those involved would pay dearly.

"Natsume," Mikan called softly. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to waste Ryoichi's sacrifice," I answered. "I'll mourn for our son's death after I fucking kill that spirit!"

Mikan

"Natsume, wait!" I shouted but it was too late, he was already killing those creatures that came out from the portal. Now that Ryoichi was gone, the portal vanished. The creatures were easy to vanquish because the healing powers which did not allow them to die was gone when my son died. Slowly, the amount of creatures began to minimize.

I was still in a daze with what was happening, I did not notice Hotaru had brought me to a safe corner with my son. I vaguely understood what she was telling me. I continued to hug Ryoichi in my arms and refused to let anyone take him from me. While hugging Ryoichi, I searched to find my mother and found her with my father in a safe place. Looking to my left, I saw from a distance how Natsume was killing all the creatures. He was like a brutal killer. There was a different aura in him. I realized he was making his way to where Lady Yukiko and her back up were fighting Shax.

"I'm not going to waste Ryoichi's sacrifice. I'll mourn for our son's death after I fucking kill that spirit!"

Natsume's last statement jolted me awake. Lady Yukiko said the reason why Kiyoshi could not be killed was because she transferred half of her Healing Alice to Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi became immortal because of Lady Yukiko's Alice… and now the one who was giving him immortality was gone, Shax was mortal.

"Youichi…" I said in a horrified whisper. I looked at Natsume and I knew by the way he was killing those who were blocking his way; he would kill Youichi out of anger.

I looked down to my son who was peacefully sleeping. After a few minutes, I came to a decision. I kissed his forehead and gently laid him to the ground. "Mommy will be back. I just need to get your crazy father back," I whispered. I got up and went next to Hotaru who was shouting swear words at Ruka whenever he almost got hit by the enemy. "Hotaru."

Slightly startled, Hotaru rushed towards me. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"I need you to take care of Ryoichi and to quickly open the barrier."

"Why? Where the hell do you think you're going?" Hotaru asked. "This isn't the time for a stroll in the woods, Mikan."

I gave Hotaru a small smile after shaking my head. "I'm going to fetch Ryoichi's father before he does something stupid."

"But—"

"—Hotaru. I can't take it if I lose Natsume…again. Nor will I allow him to kill Youichi," I said softly. "Right now, Natsume is angry which means he isn't thinking straight."

"First the stupid Ruka orders me to stay put and to use my invention controls from a safe place instead of being in the center of the action and now my dim-witted best friend tells me to open the barrier so she could join her rampaging jerk." Hotaru said dryly. "What am I now? A slave?"

Chuckling softly, I gave Hotaru a quick hug. "You're my best friend, the best Aunt and a soon-to-be scary mother."

"I don't know if that was a compliment," Hotaru said. I felt her tense a little before hugging me tight. "Be careful, Mikan."

"Idiots are hard to be disposed of," I said cheerfully.

Hotaru rolled her eyes but gave a small laugh. She took out a gadget from her pocket and pressed one of the million buttons in the remote. "I'll watch over Ryoichi." Hotaru called out when I stepped outside of the barrier.

Turning around, I nodded at Hotaru and made my way towards Natsume. 'We'll mourn for our son at the right place and not in this death zone.'

Lady Yukiko

Getting inside the Academy gates was very hard because of Yuka's father. He had placed strong Alice users as a greeting but with the support group, headed by Mr. Narumi, we were able to get inside. Once inside, another batch of enemies was waiting except a guy named Mr. Jinno, who Mr. Narumi called, was blasting his Alice in every direction. Shouting his nephew would be in big trouble when he got his hands on him.

I guessed Mr. Jinno was Keisuke Asami's uncle, whose brother I killed. When I shouted that we must get to the forest as soon as possible to stop the ritual from happening, Mr. Jinno looked at me for what felt like hours.

"It's good to have you on our side, Lady Yukiko."

That was the first and last thing he said to me before making his way towards the forest. When I stepped inside the familiar forest, my heart began to pound wildly. I thought perhaps Haruka and Yusuke would be able to hear my beating heart. I thought I was ready to see the ritual. How could I forget the day when I watched my friends awaken Shax's soul and become one with Kiyoshi?

But when I got there and saw Ryoichi screaming in pain, I felt sick to my bones. I had forgotten about the piercing screams. If it wasn't for Yusuke who caught me, I would have fainted. I remembered the short time and most sincerest conversation I had in a long time with little Ryoichi, seeing him going through that intense pain was enough for me to come to a decision on sealing Kiyoshi's soul forever.

After meeting Ryoichi's mother, I could not bring myself to tell her there was no other way to save her son but to kill him. It was the only way for Shax to become mortal. I liked little Ryoichi, but there was no other choice. In the end, Ryoichi was still going to die.

I commanded my troops to make sure to protect Ryoichi's mother at all costs while Haruka, Yusuke and I battled the ghost conjurer who was hosting Shax's spirit, Youichi Hijiri. I had cautioned them both, telling them now Shax had taken over Youichi's body and mind, Youichi possessed dark powers too. The fact that all three of us were fighting the young conjurer meant Shax was really strong because if any ordinary Alice user battled with Yusuke, the fight would have been done five seconds ago. Every time Shax would severely hit Haruka or Yusuke, I would quickly touch them and their wounds would heal. Shax did not bother to waste his time on hurting me because he knew it would be impossible to kill me.

Using Keisuke's Lightening Alice and his earth power, he was able to separate the three of us.

"DON'T ESCAPE ME, SHAX!" I shouted, cutting my way through the large boulders he threw at me with my fiery sword. I threw fireballs at him which he easily dodged and then appeared before me.

"You should have listened to Naozumi," Shax taunted. "You had blindly loved Kiyoshi with all your heart which made you overlook all the crimes Kiyoshi did."

"Shut up!" I screamed, throwing another batch of fireballs at Shax.

Shax blocked it easily and attacked me with his lightening sword. When our swords clashed it brought out a crackling sound. "Well, it wasn't entirely his fault," Shax said with a lunatic smile. "Kiyoshi wasn't strong enough to beat me. I admit there were times he did take over and could control his body but all I had to do was whisper in his ears that he'd only become stronger with my powers to make him surrender to me, again. He became greedy, Lady Yukiko. The man you loved became a filthy, greedy bastard! In the end, the almighty Shax, me, proved to be stronger!" he said, laughing madly. He stopped when he saw me smiling. "May I ask… what is the reason for your smile, Lady Yukiko?"

"You're the stupid fool Shax," I said still smiling while clashing swords. "Kiyoshi was much stronger in the end."

"Impossible. What a stupid notion."

"No, what was stupid was me giving Kiyoshi temporary immortality—"

"—which you gave freely," Shax said swiftly.

"I did," I answered. "—freely and wholeheartedly. Kiyoshi knew he couldn't control you that's why he requested his friends to seal you because the only way to kill him was to kill me, the one who gave him immortality and you and I both know Kiyoshi did not want me to die. So it wasn't you who won Shax," I said with a grin. "Kiyoshi won and so will this generation!"

It was then Shax noticed Mikan was trying to break the barrier. "NOOOOO!!!" He screamed and went as fast as he could to stop Mikan but I blocked his pathway. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

"If you are indeed the almighty dark spirit Shax, there is no need for immortality," I said, now rejoined with Yusuke and Haruka. When I saw Mikan from the corner of my eyes, breaking the barrier, my heart seemed to stop because Ryoichi was about to die. With the small distraction, Shax was able to call his remaining minions to attack us. I quickly looked for the black portal and sighed in relief when I found it had disappeared. And then I heard an anguished cry.

I knew then that Ryoichi was dead.

I chose not to look at Ryoichi's mother and to continue my battle with the creatures that were defending Shax. Shax's power was reduced to his own power since the connection to Keisuke also broke. Shax started again to use his earth power to add onto his offense while we tried to attack and defend ourselves.

"Damn! These creatures are really annoying!" I heard Yusuke shout.

"No, really? And I thought you were the only annoying creature in this world. Guess I was wrong," Haruka said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "This is what happens if you don't exercise your Alice, you stupid fool."

I was glad Yusuke and Haruka were working together even if Haruka was shocked that Yusuke was here. Since we came inside the Academy grounds, all they've been doing were bantering around like teenagers, trying non-stop to provoke each other. But despite the banter, those two were a great team. Haruka would rain large icicles at our enemies while Yusuke would freeze them and chop off their heads with his sword. If one of them sensed the other was in danger, they would either be their defense or offense.

"You're a shithead you know that!" Haruka yelled at Yusuke who aimed for the creature who took hold of her from behind. "You could have killed me!"

"But you're not dead which means you owe me your life," Yusuke shot back. "Dimwit."

What a romantic couple.

The portal may be closed but damn, those who were left were hard to defeat. All we needed to do was kill Shax and those annoying creatures would disappear with him. But Shax wasn't making it easy for us. I knew my Alice wasn't enough to defeat Shax because it wasn't meant for offense, it wasn't as strong as Aoi and Natsume's. I opened up my palm and swiftly threw a fireball at Shax's human defense wall.

"You're power isn't strong enough Yukiko," Shax said laughing. "—you are wea-"

Shax wasn't able to finish his taunting statement because the fireball I sent was able to destroy half of his shield, to my own amazement. But when I turned around, I found a very angry Natsume. He was breathing very deeply based on how his shoulders were moving. He must have fused his own fireball with mine which caused half of Shax's human barrier to vanish.

"I'm going to kill you," Natsume said in a low, dangerous tone. His hands shook and out came a long fiery whip. "I'm going to make sure before I die, you're going back to hell!" Suddenly, Natsume charged forward and whipped his opponents or threw gigantic flaming balls. I nodded to Haruka and Yusuke to secure Natsume's way for him to have another clear shot at Shax. Shax raised his arms and made trees come hurtling our way.

"I will not be defeated!" Shax shouted with a laughing. "I am the powerful Shax and—"

"Powerful my fucking ass!" Natsume roared, throwing more flames. Once it broke through the human barrier, Natsume quickly appeared in front of Shax and gave him a powerful punch which sent Shax plummeting to the ground, creating a huge crater on impact.

"MAKE SURE SHAX'S ARMY DOESN'T COME NEAR THEIR MASTER!" I shouted to my men and our allies.

Natsume

Not giving Shax another chance to use his powers, I followed him to the ground and started punching him. Every single punch I gave Shax, I wanted him to feel the pain and the anger I felt for him. After awhile, I fired up the palm of my hand and yelled, "This is for my son!"

"Natsume…"

The sudden change of voice and expression in Shax made me stop my hand a few inches away from his head. It wasn't Shax's voice… it belonged to Youichi. With the small distraction, Shax hit me hard in the stomach and face. The punch to my stomach knocked the air out of me and made me crumble to my knees.

"Emotions will make you weak," Shax said in a goading tone.

"You're wrong," I answered, spitting out some blood. "They make you a stronger person."

"Too bad you won't get the chance to convince me," Shax whispered. He took out his sword and aimed it directly at my neck. "Especially when you're dead."

"YOUICHI! STOP HIM!"

For a split second, I thought I was going to die. I could feel the sharp tip of the sword on my neck. I looked above and saw Mikan. Looking back at Shax, I saw his eyes were closed.

"Onii-chan… kill me… now!"

It was Youichi talking. The anger that flowed inside my body abruptly disappeared and seeing the blood coming out of Youichi's lips and the bruises on his face made me shudder. I had forgotten all about Kiyoshi.

"I can't control… Onii-chan… before it's too late!" Youichi said through gritted teeth. Both of us didn't move; I was still stunned. Youichi lifted his sword upward and looked at me. "If you won't… then… I will."

Mikan

"YOUICHI STOP HIM!" I screamed from atop a small cliff when I saw Youichi in the process of beheading Natsume. I jumped with the full intention to help him when my mother stopped me with an arm.

"Stick to the plan, Mikan," my mother said sternly.

I nodded jerkily. "Natsume!" I shouted as I returned my attention back to him.

"Get out, idiot!" Natsume shout back. "Shax can still kill you!"

Ignoring Natsume's warning, I jumped down and pulled out the gun my father gave to me, pointing it at the back of Youichi's head. "You know I have to kill you, Youichi," I whispered from behind him.

"Idiot! What are you doing?" Natsume shouted with a look of bewilderment written all over his face. "It's Youichi, for goodness sakes!"

"And it's Youichi who possesses the spirit that killed our child, Natsume!" I shouted back.

"Kill me, Mikan-chan," I heard Youichi speak softly. "I want to kill myself but my own hand won't move. I won't be able to look at both of you knowing I killed Ryoichi."

I felt my heart squeeze when he mentioned Ryoichi's name. "This is why you understand why I can pull this trigger, right Youichi?" I asked.

"Mikan-"

"What? Are you going to stop me?" I shrieked at Natsume. "This is the only way to save mankind and to destroy all of those creatures. The more we keep Shax alive, there may be a possibility the people we love and know will die! Are you still going to stop me?!"

"No," Natsume answered and walked slowly toward me. "If you're going to kill Youichi… let me do it. I won't allow you to bare more guilt."

"Natsume…" I said quietly. Just as I was going to give him the gun, Youichi released an agonized scream. "Youichi!" I yelled. Natsume quickly got the gun from me and fired at Youichi but he was able to block it by using his earth power as a shield.

"You should have shot me when you had the chance," Shax said, laughing hysterically. "While I am in this body, you will never have the guts to kill me!" He hit the ground with his hand and out came five rock pillars which became a barricade between Natsume and me.

"Mikan!" Natsume yelled, when he saw Shax approaching me. "Get out!"

I was about to jump to safety when Shax grabbed both of my feet and sent me sprawling to the hard ground. I think I hit the ground really hard and passed out for a second because the next thing I knew, Shax was wrapping his hands against my throat.

"MIKAN!"

So this is how it felt to be choked to death. My eyes watered as I tried to wriggle free from his close-fitting hands. My brain was screaming for air. I could hear Natsume screaming some bizarre words to Shax. I started to close my eyes and began to think if I gave up right now, I would be with my son.

All of a sudden, I felt Shax's death grip loosen which made me snap my eyes open and see Shax shield himself against huge flames.

"I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!" Natsume roared. "YOU'LL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST BEFORE YOU GET THE CHANCE!"

"Natsume," I murmured. I looked at Natsume and saw him glaring furiously at Shax. I noticed both of his knuckles were bleeding. He must have broken through the barrier by punching the rock really hard. Even Shax seemed to be surprised Natsume was able to escape.

"I'm impressed," Shax said with a smile. "I never met someone who was able to destroy my barrier."

"Don't underestimate the Hyuugas," Natsume barked. "This isn't ancient times, stupid."

"Believe me, I've noticed," Shax answered. "Parasites like you are hard to annihilate!"

"MIKAN!" I heard my father shout. "DO IT NOW!"

Before Shax got a chance to retaliate again, I jumped above him and caught the dagger and scroll my father threw my way. I cut the tip of my forefinger with the dagger and let my blood flow inside before chanting.

"Ancient Spirits and guardians of the Night,

Hear these words, hear my cry,"

Shax's eyes grew wide as the ground beneath him lit up. "Why you little—"

"By all the power of land and sea,

By all the might of moon and sun"

Shax was about to move forward to attack me but a circle with a triangle appeared with strange writings on the lines, where he was standing.

"I call the Earth to bind my spell."

It prevented Shax from leaving his spot. "NOOO!!!"

"Count the elements fourfold,

In the fifth the spell shall hold.

Bind this spirit with all thy might!"

With the last word, I stabbed the dagger into the ground. In that instant, huge tree roots suddenly appeared from the ground, grabbed Shax and had him hanging high above us. The roots were tightly wrapped around both of Shax's legs and arms, making it impossible for him to escape or use his power because the spell I used was the first step into sealing a soul.

"YOU CAN'T SEAL ME! YOU WILL KILL YOUR FRIEND IF YOU SEAL ME!" Shax shrieked. He stopped struggling because every time he moved, the roots seemed to tighten around him. He began to laugh. "WILL YOU SEAL ME JUST LIKE KIYOSHI'S STUPID FRIENDS?"

"No," I answered, walking to Natsume. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not the one limping here," he replied with a smirk, frowning when I started to cough. "Are you alright?" Natsume asked, after I was done with my coughing fit.

I shook my head, "What do you think after almost getting choked to death? My throat freaking hurts!" I answered in a croaky voice. "Let's fucking finish—" -coughs- "—this."

Natsume tapped my forehead. "Idiot, when did you start using vulgar language?"

"Jerk, since I met you," I answered before returning to my task. I didn't have to see it because I knew for a split second; I was able to make Natsume smile in this horrible situation.

"Are you going to seal Youichi?"

I could sense there was a hint of hesitation in Natsume's question. "I'm not going to allow that stupid spirit to completely destroy my family," I replied without looking at him. "Ryoichi's death is enough. I won't allow anymore sacrifices." Taking a deep breath, I took out the scroll my father threw to me and began to decipher the gypsy symbols.

I would have gotten to Natsume before he started pounding Youichi but my mother had stopped me when she saw me coming to stop Natsume. She quickly explained to me that my father found a way not to kill Youichi. She said that Takashi had left a very valuable scroll with Naozumi, my great ancient grandfather, to keep before he died.

My father and Mr. Jinno headed back to the school grounds to retrieve the scroll and dagger which I would need. I was only supposed to use the first step into sealing a soul from the scroll Lady Yukiko gave to me, when my father returned. Other than that, I had to make sure Natsume wouldn't kill Youichi and to keep him on the same ground where they were currently fighting.

'I couldn't afford to make a mistake now.' I thought grimly. I couldn't help but smile softly. Gypsy was definitely in my blood. Memorizing words were always difficult for me to remember. I got so many low scores in recitation class because I couldn't memorize the specific poems our assignments we were supposed to do but when it came to these symbols, it only took one read for me to memorize a mouthful of words I needed to speak. How ironic was that?

"Lady Yukiko, don't let them kill me! Don't you want to speak to the man who loved you, who tried to become a stronger man for you?" Shax shouted. "I can let you talk to him."

I turned around and saw Lady Yukiko, looking horrified, slowly approaching the sealing ground. I grabbed Natsume's hand who was about to stop her and shook my head. "She needs to do this," I murmured.

"Yukiko."

Shax's voice suddenly changed into another deep voice. "Help me."

"Kiyoshi," Lady Yukiko said in a hoarse whisper. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, it is me, my lovely Yukiko."

Tears began to drop from Lady Yukiko's eyes as her face burst with joy. "Kiyoshi, I've tried everything to revive you."

"Then tell them not to seal me. I'll be stronger this time. I can control Shax now."

Suddenly, the joy in Lady Yukiko's face vanished and she looked down to the ground. "No… you can't." She wiped away her tears before looking at Shax. "I'm sorry Kiyoshi… I wasn't able to save you but times have changed and it's time for all of us… for me to move on," Lady Yukiko said with a sad smile. "You sound just like him… but you're not Kiyoshi. You only have Kiyoshi's dark heart… but not his kind soul."

"YUKIKO!" Shax screamed. "DON'T BETRAY ME AGAIN!"

"I'll leave it to you, Mikan Sakura," Lady Yukiko said, turning away. Ignoring the screams, she returned to battle the few creatures that were left.

"GO AHEAD AND SEAL ME BUT AT LEAST I'LL BE TAKING YOUR FRIEND'S SOUL WITH ME TO HELL!"

"That's where you're wrong Shax," I said. "Takashi was one step ahead of you."

"What?"

"After reluctantly sealing away their friend, Takashi knew as long as Lady Yukiko lived and wanted vengeance, there was a chance for you to rise again."

"And alas I have!"

"That is precisely why he left a specific scroll for the future generation who would want to try to vanquish you… but not the same way they did it. The great Takashi figured out how to seal you without killing the person who was hosting your soul! They didn't want us to go through the same pain they went through! Especially what Lady Yukiko went through!" I shouted. "My blood flows with Takashi Sakura and Naozumi Asami, which is why I am stronger than you! This is why I will defeat you!"

"No! Don't seal me!" Shax shrieked. "NOOOOOO!!!!! I HAVE YOUR FRIEND'S SOUL!"

"Spirit from the other side

Come to me, I summon thee"

Shax's screams became louder and louder as the roots began to turn into fire. It pained me because each scream sounded like Youichi's. But I had to do it. It was the only way. I wasn't going to lose another family member.

"Cross now the great divide

Appear and split thy spirit and soul who is before me.

Take thy evil soul!"

The clear, starry skies disappeared and were replaced by dark clouds. Thunder and lightening formed. Each lightening crack was like a premonition. All of a sudden, lightening struck directly into Shax's mouth, followed by a dark figure descending from the sky.

I wasn't prepared for this kind of scene; I fell down to my knees and threw up. I felt Natsume put his hand on my back, gently rubbing it. If I was able to resist my son's cry, I was capable of disregarding Youichi's screams of pain. Brushing away the sweat on my forehead, I took Natsume's strong hand and stood up.

I will finish this.

When I looked up, the dark figure came out of Youichi's mouth with a small oval shape circle that had a mixture of red and black.

"Is this all you ask of me?" The dark figure asked with a hiss.

"Yes," I answered.

"Then I shall take thy exchange for awaking me."

"What the fuck—" Natsume said, shaking me. "—are you sacrificing yourself?"

"Ouch!" I shouted, whacking his hands off me. "Of course not, stupid. I'm giving him the dagger."

"What?"

"According to the note my father left with the scroll, I'm supposed to give it." I offered the dagger to the black spirit which quickly disappeared from my hand. Taking a deep breath, I chanted the final words.

"Go now, take thy leave spirit unto the place predestinated and appointed for thee, where the eternal virtue of the highest hath appointed thee, until I shall call thee again. Be thou ready unto me and to my call, as often as I shall call thee, upon the promise and pain of everlasting damnation."

The black spirit howled and went back to the dark clouds. When it finally disappeared, a big gust of wind exploded and Shax's creatures quickly turned into dust. In a few seconds, the whole place was silent.

As Youichi's body slowly descended to the ground, Natsume and I were there to catch him. Youichi's body was filled with bruises and cuts but to my joy, he was breathing.

"Youichi! Youichi!" I shouted, carefully shaking him.

"Youichi, can hear us?" Natsume asked.

"Youichi, wake up," I started to lightly hit his cheeks. "Wake up!"

And then Youichi started to cough. "Not too loud old hag," he moaned. "Why does my body ache so much?"

I started to laugh. Youichi was going to be okay.

After seeing Youichi was fine, I fainted from exhaustion. When I woke up, I found myself at the familiar Sakura tree with Lady Yukiko holding my hand.

"Don't fret, I'm not going to hurt you," Lady Yukiko said smiling when she saw me trying to retrieve my hand back. "It's been a long night, huh?"

I nodded. I saw she was healing every wound I had obtained again since the time she last healed me. "Where are the others?" I asked quietly.

"Natsume and your other friends are helping out those who were wounded in the battle. Your father said we should put you into your old bedroom but Natsume argued for you to stay put at this specific Sakura tree," Lady Yukiko answered while rolling her eyes.

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"An hour or two perhaps," Lady Yukiko replied with a shrug. She let go of my hand when all of the wounds on my body were gone and sighed. "Before this day is over, all those who were wounded will be healed, especially now that your father requested for the great Subaru to come right away. Your father told me to rest since I've also been healing for almost an hour. Keisuke said something about Subaru handling the rest."

"Do you know who Subaru is?"

"Everyone in the Alice world knows who Subaru Imai is. He frightens me, I don't know why. I guess it's because he can transfer the pain of the wounded to another person," she said laughing. "Before you were able to lift the spell Yuka casted, I often wondered if your friend Hotaru was related to him… because they have the same expression… cold and… unfriendly."

"Hotaru tries not to admit it," I said, grinning. "But they both love each other in a very scary way. Does Ruka know Subaru is coming?"

"Are you talking about the guy with the blond hair that can speak to animals and ordered the great Hotaru Imai to stay behind?" Lady Yukiko asked with a smile. "Well, if he's the one you call Ruka, he suddenly turned pale when he heard your father order one of his men to bring Subaru here."

"Poor Ruka," I said chuckling. "Subaru never liked the idea of Hotaru dating Ruka. I wonder if Ruka is scared to face Subaru now because Hotaru is preg—" I trailed off. The temporary relief I felt disappeared as I remembered… what I didn't want to remember. "Where's R...R...Ryoichi?" I asked quietly. Ryoichi's name seemed to affect Lady Yukiko because her smile faded.

"Natsume placed him in your old bedroom for the meantime," Lady Yukiko answered after a few seconds.

"Did…did you heal his wounds, Lady Yukiko?"

"Every one of them."

Tears began to fall from my eyes. I bit one of my fingers to prevent myself from bursting into tears. "Did Hotaru change his clothes?" I asked. "Ryoichi hates sleeping in dirty clothes."

"Ryoichi is sleeping like an angel," Lady Yukiko said softly. She sat down next to me and wrapped her hands around her knees. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" I asked, wiping away my tears.

"Kill Ryoichi."

"What do you mean, Lady Yukiko?"

"I remember it so clearly. It happened a week before Kiyoshi was sealed," Lady Yukiko answered. "He secretly had asked me if I could kill him, to end his misery. Kiyoshi couldn't take it anymore, waking up and horribly learning about people he sentenced to death. He said it was a curse to him to have called Shax out. He couldn't kill himself because of me, because of the Healing Alice I gave to him the night they called Shax. It prevented him from dying."

"Lady Yukiko…"

"I was shocked when I learned Kiyoshi wanted to die. The person who I had built my whole world around and defied my parents for was trying to kill himself," she said with a bitter laugh while wiping away her tears with the back of her right palm. "I told Kiyoshi I wouldn't do it. As long as my Alice was inside Kiyoshi, it would prevent people from killing him and from killing himself. I could not and would not believe Kiyoshi wanted to die and leave me. When they sealed him that night… I had blamed his friends of betraying Kiyoshi's trust. I didn't see the truth of what was really happening to Kiyoshi," Lady Yukiko's shoulder began to shake. "I was blinded with so much love I had for him, I didn't see how much agony Kiyoshi was in. How he was in so much pain. I lived my whole life with so much pain, anger and hatred and now because of it… I've killed and punished people who didn't deserve my wrath. It's because of me… Ryoichi is dead, your son is dead."

Ryoichi's death really affected Lady Yukiko because she was really crying her heart out. The time they took Ryoichi from me, he must have formed a special attachment with her. Because the way she was crying, I could tell it was filled with remorse and regret. I went in front of Lady Yukiko and gave her a tight hug which she returned. After a few minutes, I lifted her chin up so I could look straight into her eyes.

"We can't do anything about it, Lady Yukiko. We can't take back the things we did or words we said before," I said gently. "I may have lost a son tonight but other mothers didn't. Nothing is unfair in this world; it's just how it is. People die and people live. It's as simple as that. All I know is, my seven year old son did something brave tonight, he died to save us."

"Don't you want revenge? You can take it out on me, the person who started everything."

"Revenge?" I said with a small laugh. "I don't do revenge and vengeance stuff. Ryoichi wouldn't want me to do it."

"Ryoichi was raised with a good parent."

I shook my head. "Parents. I wasn't the only one who raised Ryoichi. It's because of Hotaru, Ruka, Youichi, Koko, and Yuu… because of them, Ryoichi died a hero tonight." I saw from a distance Natsume and Ruka on their way towards me.

Lady Yukiko turned around to see who I was looking at. "He doesn't seem pleased to see you talking to me," she said with small laugh. "Is he the same old Natsume you knew from high school?"

"No," I answered. Natsume and Ruka stopped when Haruka and the man who I heard Lady Yukiko call, Yusuke, approached them.

"No?"

I returned my attention to Lady Yukiko. I stood up and helped Lady Yukiko stand. "He isn't the same Natsume from high school and he knows I'm not the same Mikan he remembers in high school too. Both of us grew up and changed," I said quietly with a sad smile and looked at the old school building. "We can't go back to what it was like before. Someday—" I looked at Lady Yukiko and placed my hand over my heart. "—this pain and hole in my heart will heal again. It may take more than years but when that day comes… I'll be able to think about Ryoichi without crying and finally be able to smile from the bottom of my heart."

Epilogue

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

Strong
Since I've been flying and righting the wrongs
Feels almost like I had it all along
I can see tomorrow

Where every problem is gone because
I flew everywhere but love inside of me
It's unbelievable to see how love can set me free

"Mama!" shrieked a four year old girl running excitedly into the house and into the clean kitchen where two women where sitting comfortably, drinking ice tea. "Look at what we caught!"

"Wow!" The mother replied with a big smile as she accepted the bucket the little blond girl gave to her. The mother was wearing a simple white sleeveless dress whose hair reached her neckline. "You caught clams, I'm so proud of you two... going out with your father and uncle for almost two hours and coming home with these clams," she said kissing her daughter's forehead. "Now go and quickly wash your hands in the bathroom, sweetie. Dinner is almost ready."

The little girl nodded and happily trotted to the nearby bathroom. When the girl was out of ear shot, the mother glared at the first male intruder who entered her kitchen.

"Clams?" The mother asked the man who looked happy to be on land. "You take my daughter out to sea for an hour… to come home with clams?"

"What did you expect?" Yuu said with a shrug as he sat down in a vacant seat.

"Fish!"

"Are you alright, Yuu?" I asked, offering him a glass of iced tea. Yuu immediately smiled at the irritated mother. "Hotaru, easy on Yuu-chan. He doesn't look good. At least they caught something."

Hotaru rolled her eyes at me but went to the medicine shelf and handed Yuu a small white tablet. "Here, take this. It will make you feel better," she grumbled.

I covered my mouth to hide my laughter when I saw cute Annika, Hotaru and Ruka's daughter enter the kitchen again. She went directly to Yuu and put her hand on his forehead. "I told you mama's medicine will make you feel better," Annika said and then turned to Hotaru and me. "Uncle Yuu does not like going on boats. He felt dizzy all the time and his face almost turned green. I think he almost spilled something on papa."

"Almost… besides, I'm never going to take Yuu fishing with me again... ever," Ruka announced with a repugnant look at Yuu. He was about to greet Hotaru but decided not to when he saw her looking at him with extreme annoyance. "What did I do?" He asked looking at me.

I shrugged as a reply. I wasn't about to tell him Hotaru was mad at him because he came home with clams and not fish.

"Don't say that papa," Annika said as she rushed to her father and made a motion to be carried. "Uncle Yuu is not used to fishing," she explained when Ruka carried her. "It's his first time. You'll come with us tomorrow right Uncle Yuu?"

I could see Yuu's forehead begin to sweat. I knew Yuu wanted to say no, since he never liked going on boats but with the cute expression on the little girl's face, Yuu had no choice but to oblige. He placed his hands over his mouth and seemed to gulp something down. "Sure, Annika. I'd love to come to—" Yuu said in a weak voice. "—another boat trip."

"See, I told you Uncle Yuu would come," Annika said to her father. "He loves going fishing with us, papa."

With the semi-green look Yuu was showing... it definitely showed how excited he was for their next fishing trip. From all her uncles, Annika was very close with Yuu and Hotaru's brother, Subaru. Annika was the only one who was able to make the strict and aloof Subaru play dolls, bring her to the park and make him laugh.

Children really have some kind of magic power to make the coldest people smile.

Hotaru smiled softly and took Annika in her arms. "Go outside, you'll find you're Uncle Shino and Uncle Subaru outside. Uncle Shino is cooking your favorite barbeque and Uncle Subaru tells me he has a gift for you."

"Really mama?" Annika squealed. She wriggled her way down after kissing Hotaru on the cheeks. "Aunt Mikan, don't forget to give me a piece of your yummy chocolate cake, okay?"

"Of course!" I shouted. Annika was a mini-version of Hotaru except for the hair and eyes. Everyone was surprised Ruka was able to contribute some of his features with their daughter.

"Really, clams?" Hotaru asked in a doubtful tone at Ruka. She gave him a hand towel to use after he washed his hands and crossed her arms. "I'm married to a man who can speak to any variety of animals which includes fish and he comes home with a bucket of clams."

"I couldn't help it, Hotaru," Ruka said in a defensive tone. "The fish were pleading me not to catch them!"

Hotaru gave Ruka disgusted look while I tried to hide my amusement. "I do not know why I am still married to you, Nogi. Thank god Annika inherited my Alice," she grabbed the bucket. "Come on Yuu, you'll feel better after you help me prepare this stuff outside."

"Do you want me to help?" I asked, starting to get out of the chair.

"No," Hotaru answered while giving Yuu and Ruka things she'll need to cook the clams from the refrigerator. "You wait here and finish your drink or you can wait in the living room. Natsume texted me and said he's on the way with the others." She pretended to smack her forehead. "Oh yeah, he also said… no ordered me… to make sure I am not to make you do anything which would require m-o-v-i-n-g muscles," Hotaru said dryly.

"Shout if you need anything!" Ruka called out as Hotaru pushed him out of the kitchen. "I mean it, Mikan. Don't hesitate or Natsume will have my head!"

I put my hand on my big fat belly and laughed. "No problemo."

I watched Yuu, Ruka and Hotaru leave the kitchen and head outside. Smiling, I poured myself another iced tea and headed to the living room to wait for Natsume to return.

It's been more than four years since the day Natsume regained his memories and four years since the day Shax almost destroyed my family. I wish I could say things went back to normal but it didn't. It took just one day, one night to forever change our lives.

More than 500 people died that night, including Lady Yukiko's men, my mother's, my father's, the Academy's, Hajime Azumi's army and himself.

His cause of death was by his daughter's hand, Yuka Azumi.

Mom never told me the reason she killed her father until I decided to accompany her one time to his grave. She explained to me quietly while arranging white roses on his grave, that despite the wrong doings her father made, my mother loved him which was why she needed to kill him to stop making more mistakes.

I could only feel pity for mom and nothing else. I never knew Hajime Azumi and he had never been a grandfather to me.

Later on, Mr. Narumi told me the truth to why she'd killed her father. Her father was about to kill dad. I never told mom I knew the truth. I guess she didn't want me to be angry at her father. I granted my mom's unspoken wish. I forgave Hajime Azumi but it wasn't enough for me to forget what he had done to my family.

Mom left the AAO before she married dad. She couldn't disband the organization because of its members and there was already a successor who replaced her father. But before Yuka Azumi left, she had warned them to be extra careful and to think more than twice before going for the Academy and her.

"I am still the living legend, Yuka Azumi, daughter of Hajime Azumi," Yuka said in a low but dangerous tone. "You've seen me kill in cold blood without any mercy or remorse. I would not hesitate to point out to your enemies, where you all live or I might even show up in your room and destroy you personally. So don't you even think for a second I will not come for you and your family if you decide to come for mine."

After the incident, the Academy changed. My dad abolished the forced intense training of students who belonged to the Dangerous Ability class. The students from the D.A class focused on how to use their Alice in protecting people or enhance it but they were still given a choice to be trained to be an elite agent for the Academy. Dad explained to me and Natsume, he would only accept certain contracts which is really important and is necessary to use an Alice user.

My relationship with my parents changed. Gone was the hate and anger. Each day as I spend a few hours with my parents, all the bad memories and things I assumed about them, vanished. Mom was glad to know I had forgiven her for everything she did. Learning the horrible things my mom had to go through, the nightmares she had because of the people she had to kill, was enough for me to forgive her. She explained if she didn't kill them she'd get killed. If their enemy saw she was weak or saw a hint of mercy, she would become an instant target. But after every mission, she would try everything to wash away the smell of blood from her hands.

"That's why I was angry at your father," Mom explained. "I didn't want you to go through a situation where people will smile at you and shake your hands without knowing your hands are one of the filthiest. The blood will wash away but the smell and the memory will remain forever."

That's when I understood yet again why there where times mom would be reluctant to hold or hug me because of her dirty hands. I may not be able to wash away her sad memories but I came to a decision, I'd fill it with good ones which she'll always have something to smile about. One of those was the day my parents had a beach wedding. My mom glowed like a star.

The only problem I had was my dad.

When Shax had absorbed the Alice from him, it had physically drained him. He would constantly get sick; no matter how often Subaru would heal him. There were days where he was too weak to walk. On those days, we'd hang out in their bedroom. I would visit them everyday and pretend not to notice how fragile he seemed.

I found out Keisuke Asami was a trouble maker but popular with the girls, just like Natsume. It was only because of my mom, my dad's huge ego flattened a bit. He also explained why he was famous with the pre-school students.

"When I found out I had a child and never got the chance to see you grow, I thought of the nursery and kindergarten students as you, Mikan. Through them, I felt as if I raised you," my dad said, smiling as he held my hand to his heart. "That was one of my salvations back then. But now you and your mom are here by my side, I'm soaring with happiness."

I was glad I was able to know how funny my dad was and how he loved to make people laugh. Through my parent's old friends and from Mr. Narumi and Mr. Jinno, I found out how much my mom and dad loved each other. I was able to see it with my own two eyes when I visited my parents one day. I caught an intimate moment my parents shared at the Academy's garden. Mom was laughing at some joke my dad must have told her while he tried to tickle her. I understand why my dad was heartbroken when mom left him and why mom thought it was best to leave him.

Some days they would lecture me about my family history. Mom explained why I could read gypsy symbols. I discovered so much stuff about my parents and found out where my personality came from. It was mostly my mother who spoke and shared with me tons of stories about the past while dad listened and laughed with me while he remembered the past with my mom.

When my dad had a good day, he would endlessly talk about how he tried to get mom's attention or what he did to challenge mom just to show her, he was much superior to her. As an exchange, I told them about my life and the fears I felt when I was staying at the Academy.

There were some moments where my dad would suddenly hug me and cry while repeatedly saying sorry. Those moments scared me because I felt as if he was going away.

"You make me proud, Mikan," my dad said with tears in his eyes. "I'm glad you're my daughter."

Three years later, dad died.

It was hard on my mom. She would always visit his grave first and then her father's every morning and every late afternoon before the sun would set. There was never a day that passed where she didn't visit dad's grave. I told mom she could live with me and Natsume but she declined and told me she'll be living in the Academy.

"Your father loved this school," my mom said to me one day. "I'm going to protect it while he's away."

The school board had a hard time to come to a decision to let my mom become the principal of the school because of her affiliation with the AAO, the Academy's top enemy. But with the help of Shino's grandfather, Mr. Jinno and me, we were able to convince them my mom was the best person to become the next principal.

It took awhile for the students and some other faculty members to get used to my mother's presence in school as the new principal. But sure enough with the charm and patience I never knew my mom had, they were able to accept and trust her. Mom wasn't known anymore as Yuka Azumi, the legendary assassin of the AAO but as the strict yet charming principal of the prestigious Alice Academy. Mr. Narumi happily stayed at the Academy to help my mom get used to the Academy once more. I felt bad for Mr. Narumi because I knew he loved my mom till this very moment but I knew my mom would never look at another man the way she looked at my father.

Yuka Azumi was happy with her new job, new home and family.

I placed the glass on the table, got a photo album nearby and sat down on the most comfortable rocking chair bought from Imai Furniture's and designed by Hotaru herself. I took a glance at my watch and saw it was already six in the evening.

School had just ended and Hotaru decided to invite the usual people, to their summer villa for a one week vacation which was right next to the beach. The house was a mansion, complete with a pool, Jacuzzi, billiards room, humongous kitchen, workout area, and some other rooms I haven't explored yet. There was no air con installed in the house except for electric fans because the spot where Hotaru built the house always had the wind blowing in this direction. I would even ask Natsume to close the windows because it would get chilly at night. The maids would be here in the morning but would leave around five in the afternoon.

I opened the photo album and saw it was filled with pictures of them and their daughter, Annika.

Little Annika had no idea how famous her parents were.

Ruka became a very in demand animal doctor. He was the only one who could solve the sickness and improve the wellness of animals when the other doctors lost hope. His fame brought him to host animal shows and join different ventures with Discovery, National Geographic and Animal Planet channels. The clinic where he worked was a huge one. People from different countries would come and visit just to get his opinion on their pets and their well beings. What everyone liked about Ruka was regardless of his fame and success, he never asked payment in return. He left it to his customers to pay him whatever they wished to pay, be it fruits, cash or food.

At the beginning, Hotaru didn't like the idea of Ruka not getting paid but when she saw how happy and how his young customers brought their pets in, eyes filled with trust, Hotaru changed her mind and reluctantly told me she was proud of Ruka.

Hotaru was still the editor in chief of the popular international magazine The Gadget and owner of Imai Furniture's. She never failed to shock the business community with her new inventions. Whatever Hotaru used, other people wanted it for themselves.

The business world was always fascinated with Hotaru and Ruka. No one believed that gentle Ruka and cold Hotaru could and would last as a couple. Their worlds were worlds apart and they never saw them going out except on important business parties where Hotaru invited Ruka along. So when they found out Hotaru was pregnant, they waited and wondered how Hotaru would be as a mother.

I flipped another page and saw a three year old Annika, happily pulling Subaru's disgruntled cheeks.

When Subaru was finally able to contact Hotaru, it took her awhile before she was able to calm a very angry Subaru, explaining the reason why she didn't tell him or why they couldn't get a hold of each other. Because she herself wondered why she couldn't get a hold of him or if he just didn't want to see her. Once everything was explained and Subaru was reassured Hotaru was alright, he blew up again when she said, "Oh by the way, I'm pregnant."

If there was one thing I didn't expect Hotaru to do when she was pregnant, it was not giving into Subaru's pressure of having to get married. Pronto. Subaru couldn't murder Ruka because he was A. the father and B. it was Hotaru's fault.

Hotaru stubbornly refused to get married before giving birth not because she was afraid to get married with the last man she thought she'd be getting married with but because she didn't want to go through the wedding stress which might harm their baby. I pointed out to her that she could have someone else prepare her wedding; all she had to do was pick the location and her wedding dress.

"I don't know why I'm thinking like this, I'll blame it on the new hormones," Hotaru ironically told me. "There are billions of wedding planners who would be honored to work for me … but still… I want to plan my own wedding."

When Hotaru told me this, it was then I knew, Hotaru may be strange to some people but she was still a normal woman.

As usual, Ruka decided it was best to do what Hotaru wanted since they both wanted Hotaru's pregnancy to be as normal as possible. Ruka didn't bother fighting and would get anything Hotaru craved for. When Hotaru wanted to come visit me and Natsume, Ruka was always glad to get the chance to eat regular food because Hotaru decided to take up cooking lessons and she would use him to test her cooking and baking skills. Luckily now, Hotaru improved and was now capable of cooking rice and barbequed foods.

But when Hotaru went into labor, to everyone's shock, she changed her mind and demanded she had to get married before giving birth. We tried to reasonably tell Hotaru that no priest or minister would be willing to conduct a wedding ceremony at 3:30 in the morning.

"I am not going to go inside that delivery room until I get married! So you better get me a priest or a god damn pastor!" Hotaru barked with a familiar expression from The Exorcist movie. "Now!"

Poor Ruka, I bet he was going to faint from the stress Hotaru was giving him and from a very not-so-cool Subaru, who was ordering commands right and left to the poor hospital personnel. Natsume, on the other hand, found Ruka's distress funny. Natsume slapped him on the back and told him to just follow his soon-to-be-monstrous-wife to the delivery room while he fetched a very willing priest nearby, who would gladly marry them.

Eleven hours after, it was a baby girl for Hotaru and Ruka.

When we were allowed to enter Hotaru's room and see their new baby, my eyes started to water. I would never forget the way my best friend's face lit up as she held her small baby girl in her arms. Hotaru's eyes were filled with happiness and content while Ruka was smiling proudly at his family.

Smiling, I traced the picture where Hotaru was sitting on the swing smiling brightly at the camera with her daughter who was on her lap, at the park she built for her daughter.

No one thought motherhood would be good for Hotaru. She no longer stayed in her laboratory trying to invent another invention which would surpass her previous invention. Her cold demeanor changed when Annika was born, much to Ruka's surprise and pleasure. When Annika wasn't old enough to go to pre-school, she would proudly bring her to work. She even devoted an entire floor for mothers who could not afford to leave their children at home. To everyone's surprise, she even let Annika play with them… and then wash her with a bottle of alcohol to make sure whatever germs her daughter got would be washed away.

I flipped the page and saw a picture of Annika who was holding hands with Koko on her right and Sumire on the left.

Yome Koko never got back to his usual life because of a certain person by the name of Sumire Shoda. He found a very angry looking but stunning Sumire in my living room one day. I invited her to come to the house when I saw Sumire at the Academy and asked her to have some tea with me to make up for lost time. I learned she was a detective who solved crimes in kidnapping. She decided to use her Alice skills to help the non-alice find missing people. Sumire was on the verge of telling me another exciting story about one of the cases she solved when a very tired Koko and Yuu walked inside the living room. Next thing I knew, the demure sweet looking Sumire, jumped off the couch and became a wild cat. She had almost scratched out Koko's eyes out, if Yuu did not intercede.

"How could you leave the Academy and not tell me where you were going?" Sumire shouted.

"Sumire let me explai—"

"-I was sick worried about you, stupid buffoon! I didn't know what happened to you or if you were alright! I couldn't find you!"

"I'm sorry, Sumire."

"Sorry! Sorry? That's all you're going to say to me after almost eight years!?"

"What do you want me to say? What will it take for you to forgive me?"

A few months later, we all found out he was dating Sumire.

I chuckled at the next picture showing Sumire strangling Koko. He must have said something which made Sumire act like that. The reason why Koko wasn't here with us was because of the mission Sumire had. They were on their way to bust one of the headquarters' of a syndicate. When Koko learned about Sumire's job, he made sure he would come. Koko became a very valuable asset to the police community. On certain cases, they would ask Koko to watch a live interrogation and see if the suspect was telling the truth.

Below the picture of Sumire strangling Koko was Yuu and his last successful theatrical show.

When Yuu announced he would be retiring from directing Theatrical and Broadway shows, people mourned for his early retirement. They couldn't believe the famous director Yuu Tobita was retiring to accept a teaching job at the Academy.

People thought Alice Academy was just a regular prestigious school, they forgot it was actually built for Alice people. In the eyes of a non-alice user it was a small school. They had no idea what was really inside.

Before my dad died, he had asked Yuu if he could be one of the teachers that could encourage young Alice users to become better people. Dad was always impressed with Yuu's school record and his ability to be at ease with the younger generation.

I was overwhelmed by the support they showed and how much the Theatrical world would miss Yuu Tobita.

Yuu never regretted his decision to become a teacher and return to the Alice world.

"I once said I wanted to help everyone achieve their goals… but I guess… no… I know, the right place to start is where we grew up and that's at the Academy," Yuu explained to me and Natsume. "The regular world will always have a special place for me but I've got to start somewhere and I choose this school."

Mom appointed Yuu as co-head of the high school department.

I closed the album and placed it back on the table. For a few seconds, I closed my eyes and breathed in and out. The distracting pain I was feeling this morning came back. I guess the baby was preparing to tell me she/he would be coming soon. We weren't sure of the gender because Natsume decided he would rather not find out if the baby was a girl or boy so when it was time for my due date, we'd both be surprised. When the pain faded away, I felt the baby kick. It seemed restless today. I began to hum a very familiar lullaby to my child. "I can't wait for you to come out sweetie," I softly said to my baby. "Everyone's excited to see you." After completing the lullaby, the baby calmed down. I stifled a yawn and rubbed my eyes. I heard a car approach the driveway and knew it was them. I stood up and waited to greet them.

"Hey fatso!"

Youichi was the first person that came inside with some bags. "I'm not fat!" I said laughing, smacking him lightly on his shoulders after giving him a quick kiss on the cheeks. I was glad the incident didn't completely change Youichi. He was still the same overconfident and egotistical Youichi except his over protectiveness of our unique family tripled, especially with Annika. Ruka didn't have to worry about the boys who would swarm his daughter in the future because of Youichi. And I was sure, he'd be overprotective if this baby in my stomach was a girl. "Are you sure you're alright in your dorm alone? Do you need any stuff? Food? Clothes?"

Youichi laughed, "Don't worry mom, after you and Hotaru sent a boxful of different types of food all the way to can goods and instant noodles, I'm sure my food supply will last until the next millennium."

Youichi, the current campus heartthrob at Tokyo University was studying Business Management like a regular person. It was only when Youichi graduated from high school, he requested my mom to forever seal his Alice.

"I don't want that same thing to happen again."

It was a simple and straight to the point statement.

"Anyway, Miss Piggy, I'll leave you alone here. I want a decent meal," Youichi said, scratching his stomach. "I'll head to the kitchen to grab a beer and go outside to eat. Will you be okay without me?"

"Go and do as you please," I said, rolling my eyes at him.

And then the person, who made me smile brightly, came inside with one long pink rose in his hand.

"1001 flavors… and you chose chocolate?"

"Not my fault," I answered as I ate the last scoop of ice cream in the huge bowl the ice cream man gave to me… for free! "I don't trust the other flavors because I never tried them."

"Which is why people invented the word, try."

"Nah, waste of time."

"I don't even know why we're friends Ryoichi," Nina said, giving him a distasteful look.

I was glad Nina brought me to this place. It was like an amusement park which was filled with lots of happy and screaming kids. We rode on different kinds of roller coasters, bumper cars and arcade games which to my horror, Nina won. It was really a fun day. When I finally got tired, Nina showed me the famous ice cream parlor which had 1001 different types of flavors. Not knowing what to pick, I decided to stick with my favorite flavor.

"Because I'm the only friend who has common sense to talk to you," I answered after wiping my mouth with a napkin. "I never thought this heaven would be this way. No wonder no one wants to return."

"This isn't heaven, Ryoichi."

"What?" I exclaimed loudly. "How can this not be heaven? This is everything I thought heaven would be."

"Well it isn't," Nina retorted. "Heaven is way better than this."

"Then what's this supposed to be?" I asked, mimicking Nina's voice. "What's this place called then?"

Nina put her forefinger on top of her mouth, a habit of hers when she was thinking. "It's like you know," Nina said shrugging. "When you go to the dentist and wait for your turn."

"Yeah," I said, painfully remembering the awful feeling of waiting in a room while hearing those drilling sounds. "What does waiting have to do with where I am?"

"This place is like a waiting room."

"Huh?"

"It's not time for you to follow me, Ryoichi," Nina said, smiling.

"I don't understand you, Nina," I told her, crossing my arms. "I think you're talking alien language. Don't worry, heaven is a big place. I won't bother you."

Nina burst out laughing. "Yeah, heaven is a big place for the both of us."

"Then why don't you want me here?" I accused.

"It's not that I don't want you here, Ryoichi. It's because you have to go back."

"Are you coming back with me?"

"No."

"Why?" I exclaimed, pounding my hands on the table. "You're the only friend I have in school! If I can go back, why can't you come with me?"

"Because I can't," Nina answered, smiling. "I'm happy here in heaven, Ryoichi."

"You said we were friends, friends don't leave one another," I muttered, crossing my arms again. "Selfish brat."

Nina giggled. "I'm glad I was sent to meet you."

"So when do I go home?" I asked in a defeated voice.

"Soon," Nina said softly. "Umm, Ryoichi can you do me a favor?"

"You're booting me out of heaven and now you're asking for a favor?"

"I said this isn't heaven," Nina said, clearly irritated at me. "So can you do something for me or what? I need you to tell something to Uncle Nathan."

"You mean, Natsume Hyuuga, my… dad," I said quietly

"Well he's still Uncle Nathan to me!"

"Why can't you tell it to him by yourself?"

"Because I can't, stupid." Nina said with a snort "If I could, I wouldn't be asking you. So, are you going to help me or do I have to pull your big ears?"

"Whatever," I said waving my hand. "When I come back here again, you better make sure that heaven is better than this."

"Blame dad for us being late," Ryoichi said. He gave me a hug and handed me the pink rose. "I picked this for you."

"Thank you sweetie," I said to Ryoichi, kissing his forehead.

Never a day goes by when I pass by Ryoichi's room and my eyes water. We had almost lost our son if it wasn't for Lady Yukiko and Lady Haruka.

Flashback

With a sad smile, I looked at the old school building. "We can't go back to what it was like before. Someday—" I placed my hand over my heart. "—this pain and hole in my heart will heal again. It may take more than years but when that day comes… I'll be able to think about Ryoichi without crying and finally be able to smile from the bottom of my heart."

Lady Yukiko wiped away my tears with her thumb and took my hands and gave it a squeeze. "You don't have to wait for that day to come, Mikan."

"What do you mean?"

"Lady Haruka, the woman you fought in the forest before. I promised to revive her son once Kiyoshi is resurrected as an exchange for working for me."

I snatched back my hands. "You can… revive people?"

"Yes, I can. Over the long years I've spent wandering around, I learned how to use my Alice and revive-"

"But why didn't you revive Kiyoshi?" I asked, interrupting her.

"Because, I would have died," Lady Yukiko answered. "I can only revive one person. The reason why I do not age is because of my Alice but when I revive a person it will consume so much of my Alice, it'll weaken me."

"But… you're supposed to revive Lady Haruka's son."

"She should," another voice answered. I turned around and saw Lady Haruka, Natsume, Ruka and Yusuke behind me. "Lady Yukiko never fails in fulfilling her promises," Lady Haruka said with a smirk but then came to me. "As a mother who also lost her child, I know what you're going through, which is why I told Lady Yukiko to revive your son instead."

"But why?" I asked crying. Natsume came to my side. "I've got to understand why, Natsume," I said, looking at him. Hoping he'll understand why I was questioning them instead of bursting into happiness that my son could breathe once more. "Don't you want your son to live, Lady Haruka? You must have gone through more pain than me just so you could revive your son."

"You're correct," Lady Haruka said with a sad smile. "I've been through so much agony for this day to come, the day when I'll get the chance to hug my son once more."

"Then why, why would you let me take away your happiness?" I asked.

"Because… Nathan died a long time ago," Lady Haruka answered. "Lady Yukiko waited far longer than I did to raise the man she loved and when it came, she easily changed her mind. Just like me, Nathan is dead and that's how it's going to be… but your son… he deserves to live and experience what it feels like to have a father by his side," she said while looking at Natsume.

End of Flashback

I never forgot that day.

The moment I saw Ryoichi breathing once more, I must have cried buckets of tears while Natsume and I hugged him tightly.

A month later, an old looking but smiling Lady Yukiko died after Ryoichi read to her, Beauty and the Beast. Ryoichi never questioned us why Lady Yukiko looked old. We were actually surprised that he wanted to visit her everyday. When she died, it was Ryoichi who threw her last ashes into the sea. I expected for him to cry but he didn't.

"Lady Yukiko's happy now, that's why I'm not going to cry for her. She'll be seeing the one she loves up in heaven," Ryoichi told me after the funeral.

As for the contract between the Shin and Hyuuga family, it was finally over. Natsume's uncle, Yusuke found it strange and weird when Lady Yukiko died. He always thought he would die before Lady Yukiko.

"It's strange, you've hated the person for years and now she's gone," Yusuke said to Natsume. "What do I do now?"

"Mom, are you alright?" my son asked me. "You look like your spacing out again."

"Sorry," I said. "I was just thinking about—" I didn't finish my sentence because a frustrated Aoi came inside dropping her suitcase by the door. Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail while her brown shades were atop her head. Aoi was wearing fitted jeans and a plain white t-shirt instead of her corporate outfit she usually wore.

"Would you believe a person using a bicycle overtook us. It was so embarrassing," Aoi said dryly and gave me a brief hug. "I am never going to ride with him again," she said whispering in my ears. "Come on Ryoichi, let's go and get something to eat outside. Riding with your dad can make anyone hungry. "

"I'm just going to get a sandwich. I'll come back, mom!" Ryoichi called out as he followed his aunt outside.

"Aoi is just exaggerating," a male grumbling voice stated.

Finally, the man who turned my world upside down and right back up, came inside with a grumpy look. I came over to him and kissed him on the lips. Automatically, Natsume put his hand onto my stomach.

It's not a bird, not a plane
It's my heart and it's going, gone away
My only weakness is you
Only reason is you
Every minute with you
I can feel like I can do anything
Going going, I'm gone away in love

"You shouldn't have stood up," Natsume growled as we went to the couch to sit down for awhile. "Actually, you shouldn't be even walking. Didn't Hotaru tell you what I texted her?"

"I'm not invalid," I said, gently pulling his ears. "And standing up is not a tiring thing."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fat and bloated."

"That isn't new news, you've always been fat, idiot."

I hit him on the head, "Jerk."

"Is he here already?"

I knew who Natsume was referring to but pretended to act innocent. "Who?" I asked innocently.

"You know who."

"Who?"

"Mikan," Natsume warned. "You know who I'm talking about."

"Nope, sorry," I said, shrugging. "But if you're talking about Ruka, Youichi, Yuu and—"

"Is Shino here?" Natsume crisply asked.

"Oh, you meant Shino… yup he is."

Natsume cursed. "Damn that Shino. He's butting his way into our family."

All I did was laugh at Natsume's expression.

When Aoi said a bicycle was able to overtake them I knew she wasn't exaggerating because Natsume purposely drove slow, when he knew Aoi decided to come along. We've been staying at the beach house for almost five days already, so he cursed when he received a text message from Aoi, asking if Natsume could pick her up at the airport.

Aoi continued to work for their Uncle Yusuke and Aunt Haruka. But when Natsume found out that his Uncle Yusuke put Aoi in charge with the new partnership between the Shin and Suzuki, which required Aoi and Shino always seeing each other, Natsume became angry… in a brotherly way.

The reason why he felt resentful towards Shino was because to Natsume's horror, Aoi was dating Shino. Just like how Subaru felt before, Natsume also couldn't murder Shino because he saved Aoi.

And right on cue, Shino came to fetch us. "Hey, you lovebirds," Shino said smiling at Natsume. "It's time to eat."

"I don't know why you're here, Suzuki," Natsume hissed. "Are you family?"

"Hotaru invited me," Shino answered, ignoring the black scowl on Natsume's face. "By the way, Mikan, when is your due date?"

"Two weeks from now," I said, taking Natsume's hand as helped me get up.

"Why?" Natsume asked Shino, his eyebrows lifting.

"Because I would definitely not be visiting you guys on Mikan's final week."

"Good. Why don't you stay away from us for a year… or better yet forever?" I heard Natsume mutter under his breath. I hit him with my elbow.

"Why?" I asked. I put my hand on my large stomach and rubbed it. "Are you going somewhere?"

"No," Shino replied, offering Natsume a bottle of beer. "I don't think I've gotten over my trauma when you gave birth to Ryoichi."

"I wish I could have seen how flustered you were Suzuki," Natsume said, taking the bottle. "Seeing Ruka panicking when Hotaru went into labor was really funny."

They began to talk about Ruka and laughed as they remembered his expression. This was one of the few things they talked about without arguing. I sat down again because my stomach started to hurt.

"I'll show both of you how a real man handles their wife when going into labor," Natsume announced proudly. "It's very simple. All you have to do is drive her and bring her to the hospital. Plain and simple, it's that easy."

"Why do I have a disgusting feeling, you're right," Shino said dryly.

I clutched the side of the sofa tightly, breathed several times and waited for the pain to subside.

"Dad, Uncle Shino!" Ryoichi came inside with food in his mouth. "Aunt Hotaru said to come out now. You know how Aunt Hotaru wants to eat together—" Ryoichi stopped talking. "Mom, why is there a puddle of water near you?"

Natsume sprayed the contents from his mouth while Shino choked on his drink.

"Dad, what's wrong with mom?" Ryoichi asked as he hit his dad's back.

"Now?" Natsume asked after he finished coughing.

"I hate you! I hate you, Mikan! You said, two weeks from now," Shino accused. "No! Not again!"

"What's wrong with mommy?" Ryoichi asked again.

"But you can't," Natsume said, disbelief written all over his face. "The doctor said your due date is two weeks from now."

"No, I'm not going to go through this again! You said two weeks!"

"Dad, what's wrong with mommy?"

"SHUT UP!!!" I screamed at the noise the three men created. I looked at Ryoichi who was worried and slightly frightened. "Ryoichi, mommy is going to be alright. Tell Aunt Hotaru that mommy is going to have a baby now," I said through clenched teeth.

Ryoichi nodded and quickly ran out of the room. I glared at Natsume and Shino. "Forgive me for not being on time but this baby wants to come—" I stopped because of the sudden pain surging through me. This baby wants to come out now. I looked at them with a taut glare. "Whether you like it or not Shino, you're going to relive your trauma again. And you—" I snapped at Natsume. "This is the best time to show me how cool and calm you'll be in this situation!"

The whole house was in chaos when they found out I was in labor. Natsume, who bragged about being calm and will hand it like a man, didn't know what to do. He was worse than Shino when he drove me to the hospital. Natsume couldn't put the keys into the ignition because he was panicking from so much screaming and orders from me and Hotaru. Ruka laughed at Natsume all the way to the hospital. When I was given a go signal to enter the delivery room, Natsume looked as if he wanted to leave the room immediately but stayed put when I held onto his hand tightly. As the doctor shouted "push", I knew Natsume wanted to punch the doctor.

"She's pushing! The idiot's pushing! So maybe you should help her!" Natsume shouted furiously at the doctor. "Maybe it's not the idiot's fault the baby isn't coming out. Maybe you're the one who's not doing your job, doc!"

If I wasn't in pain, I would be laughing at Natsume's expression. But as the pain became more painful and my shouts became louder, Natsume appeared to be frustrated with himself because he couldn't do anything to help me.

"It's okay, Natsume," I said breathlessly and did my best to smile. "I can do this."

My smile seemed to assure Natsume. When the first baby came out, Natsume was overjoyed and was shaking when he cut the umbilical cord. But when I suddenly felt another excruciating pain and the doctor announced I wasn't done giving birth, Natsume almost fainted.

Twelve hours later, I gave birth to twins. It was a baby boy and girl for us.

When I was brought into my room to rest, Natsume walked into it like a zombie and just collapsed on the nearby couch. A few hours later, the nurse came in to let me see my two babies. Natsume was proudly showing off our babies and announcing to everything that all of his children were good looking because of him and his genes. I wanted to hit him on the head but Hotaru beat me to the punch when Natsume said our children would be the smartest in the whole world.

When Natsume showed Ryoichi his new baby brother and sister, I could tell Ryoichi was excited to take the role of the big brother. No one would ever think that Ryoichi got separated from his father when he was young because anyone could tell those two had a very tight and special bond.

I thought Ryoichi would be traumatized with what had happened to him but he wasn't. It did take Ryoichi awhile to get used to the fact that Natsume was his father. I explained to him how I thought his dad died but then turned out to be alive and the true identity of Nathan Shin. Natsume never pressured Ryoichi to accept him right away. In fact, he would always take Ryoichi to eat breakfast every morning. It is a tradition they keep until this day. Natsume did everything he thought a father should do and did it until he got Ryoichi's trust.

One day, his school had an affair which required the father of the students.

"Umm…. do you mind coming to my school—" Ryoichi paused for a second, "—dad?"

I was lucky to witness that scene because the way Natsume's face changed after he got over his shock was priceless. When Ryoichi left to finish his assignments, Natsume turned to me and shed the tears he tried to hold back.

"He called me dad," Natsume voice croaked as I hugged him. "How can the word 'dad' be one of the most fantastic words I've ever heard in my life?"

That was the day Ryoichi began to call Natsume, dad.

Later that night, I woke up and saw Natsume sleeping peacefully on the couch. I guess the reason I couldn't sleep was because I'd be going home with the two young ones in the morning. I felt like a child who was excited to go on a field trip.

The room was slightly dark except for one lamp which gave enough light to see my surroundings. It was 1:33 in the morning. Eight more hours and we could all go home.

Ryoichi wanted to stay and sleep here but I told him it would be better to sleep at his Uncle Ruka's house first and to bring me fresh flowers tomorrow morning when they picked me up to go home.

My life with Natsume was far from what I imagined it would be. Far better.

When I began my life again with Natsume, it wasn't easy at the beginning. First of all, many wondered what had happened to us after our house was destroyed by the fire incident and second, if I was going to marry Nathan Shin. I gave an exclusive interview to Koko about the new gossip which was circulating around the world.

"We didn't know the public was concerned about us since the fire incident. I'm sorry for worrying you," I said, bowing to the camera. "But everyone is alright. We just decided to stay in the Chikuzen Province. I guess the kind villagers didn't say anything and wanted us to have a good vacation."

"So the rumors of you being dead, isn't true?"

"Of course not!" I said laughing. "We are all alive. So please do not worry."

"How about the rumor about Mr. Shin and you, Ms. Sakura, are you guys really dating?"

"Yes, I am dating Mr. Nathan Shin," I announced with a small grin.

The world buzzed about the news of me dating Nathan Shin, the son of the wealthy Yusuke Shin who just recently got back with his ex-wife, Haruka Yasuda. But as the world buzzed, I didn't care because I was happy being with my family.

Like I said, our lives didn't return to what it was before.

Even if the spell my mother casted was gone and we were all sure everyone was now calling us by our real name, Nathan Shin was still Nathan Shin to the world. The days Yusuke Shin introduced Natsume to the business community and to Yusuke's business friends, he was introduced as Nathan Shin, his heir and son, not Natsume Hyuuga, his nephew.

Everyone in the regular world knew Natsume as Nathan and the people respected him as Nathan Shin.

The moment Lady Haruka gave up her chance to revive her son, Natsume decided to remain as Nathan Shin. Natsume didn't want the Shin family to get into a big scandal if he was going to regain his true identity again. The business world would cut the Shin family down if they learned his Uncle Yusuke lied to them about Natsume's true identity. Because of Lady Yukiko's sacrifice, Natsume didn't hesitate.

Only the Alice community knew who Nathan Shin truly was. And to go against a Hyuuga and the Shin family would be a major disaster.

As the years passed, the buzz about me died down but it didn't matter to me if he was Nathan Shin to the world or everyone knew I had secretly gotten married to Nathan Shin in a private beach wedding, just like my mom when she married dad. Because at the end of each day or when it was only the two of us, he was Natsume Hyuuga to me and I married a Hyuuga. I couldn't have asked for more. To me, my life was perfect.

There were times when I would accidentally call him Natsume in parties which he would casually brush it off as a private joke between us.

Natsume wanted Ryoichi to experience a normal life but eventually decided to let Ryoichi study at the Academy because he knew my mom was the principal, which meant grandma wouldn't let Ryoichi get hurt. Plus, Yuu and I were teaching there.

Natsume heartily agreed with my decision to become a pre-school teacher at the Academy instead of taking Shino's tempting offer to return for a year or two in the music industry. Natsume supported me and my songs; he just hated my fan boys. He reluctantly admitted one day, that he might end up going to jail because of his jealousy.

Teaching at school was fun. The high school and elementary students were always awed when they saw the rest of the gang or just Natsume, come to visit me at school but when it came to the pre-school students, they didn't give a damn. We weren't strong compared to their famous superheroes.

Till this day, I couldn't believe the man who I hated and cursed at was my very own uncle. The only time I called Mr. Jinno, uncle, was when I was teasing him.

Natsume must have felt me restless because he sat up. "What are you smiling about?" Natsume asked. He stretched his arms and yawned. One of the reasons why Natsume could sleep peacefully now was also because of what Ryoichi said after Lady Yukiko revived him.

"I saw Nina…" Ryoichi quietly told Natsume. "And she told me not to forget to tell you… she forgives you."

Knowing Nina forgave Natsume brought the huge guilt he carried off of him.

"Did I wake you up?" I asked.

"What do you think, idiot?" he said and yawned before pulling a seat by my side and sat down. "The whole couch shakes whenever you toss and turn."

I pinched him on his shoulder. "Jerk," I said, pretending to frown.

Natsume lightly brushed away some of my hair that was in my eyes before he took one of my hands and kissed the top of it. "What happened in the delivery room will always give me nightmares," Natsume said with chuckle.

"What did you expect? A pleasant scene?" I said laughing. "And who was the one that said "I'll show you how a cool man" should do it?"

"I wasn't expecting that kind of scene!"

"But it was worth the pain and seeing your horrified expression," I teased. "At least Ruka didn't faint."

"Shut up," Natsume retorted, blushing a little. "I can't believe Hotaru was able to catch it on camera."

"And you announced you wanted a basketball team," I said dryly. "You couldn't even handle the twins."

"I thought it was funny how Ruka acted when Hotaru gave birth," Natsume said slowly. "But when I was inside… seeing you in so much agony and pain, it was so frustrating I couldn't do anything to help you. I would have gladly walked on coal if it would be able to ease your pain. For a moment, I was afraid I was going to lose you."

"But you didn't."

"Yeah but I was also part of the reason why you were in so much pain," Natsume said with a smirk. He stood up and kissed me tenderly on my lips. "You make me happy, idiot," he said, his voice sort of cracking. "You've given me everything I've wished for."

My eyes began to water with his confession.

When I gave birth to our twins, a long chapter ended for me and a new one just barely began.

I was happy I was able to fulfill Natsume's ultimate, secret wish. To give him back hope, a chance to dream and to have a family. I smiled brightly at him and brushed away the few tears from Natsume's eyes. "So have you," I answered.

Natsume once promised me a long time ago, he'd do everything in his power to find me if we both ever got separated from each other and he always did. But this time, we found each other.

You changed my whole life
Don't know what your doing to me with your love
I'm feeling all super human, you did that to me
A super human heart beats in me
Nothing can stop me here with you
Super human.

The End

AN:

I love Chris Brown's music , just don't ask me about my opinion on Chris Brown and RR's relationship. lol.

There you have it, the last chapter. Truth be told, I was actually planning for an open-ending story. It was suppose to end with Yukiko telling Mikan and Natsume there is a way to revive Ryoichi. Then the scene shifts to Ryoichi and Nina explaining to Ryoichi isn't in Heaven yet. It WAS suppose to end where Ryoichi says goodbye to Nina… something like that. But my good friend Jenny, refused. She strictly told me to stick with Plan B which was what you just read. Hahaha.

Gosh, it took me two years to finish this. Oh well, all stories have to come to an end and mine has reached its finish line. Now all I have to do is finish The Bachelor and I'm done writing for . Yes, Bachelor fans, I'm going to concentrate with the story I've also been bombarded with mails asking when I'll update it.

So what's the verdict?

Like it? Don't like it? Leave me one last review!