Yo! Sorry, I'm late but you see I got lost on the road of life-

Little bro: lair!

Friend: You've been reading too many Naruto fics… (Shakes head)

All that could be seen was white with a glimmer of dark blue. Fog rolled around the scope and hid the ground like someone had dropped water into a massive tray of dry ice. No matter where you went, the landscape will stubbornly remain the same, delighting in confusing any poor soul that decides to intrude…or was dropped in without any choice in the matter.

Natsume had no idea what just happened and couldn't conceive how he got here and where he was. The last thing he remembered was trapping Mikan in his arms and feeling her slowly break down her defenses while he…familiarized with her neck. He refused to admit that he was seducing her; he was simply familiarizing her, yeah, familiarizing. The pleasure he got out of it (and her too, of course) was just an added bonus. (You're not fooling anyone, Natsume…)

And the next thing he knew, a brilliant white light blinded him and when he opened his eyes, a split second later, he was in this place with Mikan no where in sight. Needless to say, Natsume Hyuuga was not pleased at being interrupted at his sedu- I mean, familiarizing.

"Polka dots, you here?" His ears strained to hear her screaming at him, insisting that her name was what he should call her not her underwear design.

It never came.

"Baka!" Silence was all his sharp ears can hear. There was no way he was going to move till he knew where he was going. Walking blindly in a fog was a dumb thing to do and he prided himself in being smart.

"Little girl!" Nothing was said and nothing moved. This was just like the time when he was trying to confess to her only this time she wasn't in front of him, childishly keeping her eyes closed like he would go away. It felt like years since that memory happened while it was actually only a few months.

"Mikan!" His eye twitched when she didn't reply to that either. It could be she is here and is determined to demine his pride (ri-ight…) or she couldn't hear him –this he doubted since he shouted really loud- or…she really wasn't here. He didn't like any of his conclusions.

"Answer me, damn it!" His fists clenched tightly while his scowl on his handsome face darkened as his mood worsened. His mind told him to do the smart thing, to stay put and wait for her to find him but his heart was telling him to do the dumb thing, to set off into the annoying mist and search for her. After a few moments in mental debate, his feet started to take steps and he set off and disappeared into the fog.

He had decided to follow his heart.

'Mikan…'

'Who's there?'

'It's time to wake up, Mikan…'

'No…I'm scared…'

'Mikan, you have to come back…there are people who really want you back.'

'They won't want me…not when they find out…'

'They know, Mikan. '

'I don't understand, they still want me back even if I'm tainted?'

'The only way you can find out is by waking up. But I can honestly say that they did not want to harm you.'

'I can't…'

'They love you, little one. One more than the others.'

'Natsume…'

'Yes. Now please, wake up and face them.'

Natsume was starting to wish he had the Wind Alice instead of Fire and Water. If he did, he could blow away this stupid fog with no problems. Then again…he snapped his fingers. Nothing. He tried again. Nada. Zilch.

'There's something in this place that prevents Alices. Like a nullifier shield…Mikan!' His nimble mind put together the scant pieces around him. 'This place must be some part of Mikan which means…' His eyes widen in realization. "I'm in her mind?!"

"Not exactly…" He whirled round as he heard a familiar voice directly behind him. A voice that he felt he hadn't heard in years. "Mikan!" He did a quick cursory scan of her, checking if there were any ill effects from what (shudder) Persona did to her. She seemed older and decidedly less cheerful than before however that was understandable considering what had happened to her but that didn't mean he had to like it. She was too pale and her form seemed thinner and her eyes that used to have at least a drop of innocence had turned duller and void of its usual cheer. It was those eyes that caught and held Natsume the most. Those orbs were looking at him with something akin to desperation, resignation and fear swirling in its depths.

She could see from his scowl that he didn't like the changes he could already find just from looking at her appearance and it was painfully clear that he was blaming himself for the changes he could see.

"I'm okay, Natsume." She said quietly, trying to chase away the self condemnation from his eyes. He didn't buy it. "Don't lie to me, polka dots. You know I can tell." 'Still the same old Natsume.' She chuckled inwardly while letting the nickname slide. It's been too long since she heard him call her that.

He stepped closer to her, glad to see some amusement dancing in her eyes but that feeling faded when she paled further and stepped back from his advances.

"Mikan?" She shook her head furiously, her hair whipping around with her head. She was trembling and hiding her face behind her hair. She was scared. Scared of him.

He growled when he spat out a name like it was dog's shit. "Persona." She grimaced when she peeked at him through her bangs. 'This is Natsume. He wouldn't hurt me…so why am I backing away from him?' She stifled a sob as she answered her own question. 'Because I don't want to see him backing away from me with disgust.' Unluckily for her, Natsume's ears were very sensitive and the next thing she knew, he had her wrist in an unyielding grip while his other hand brushed away her hair from her face, revealing the doubts and fears she had.

"I know what Persona did to you." She could have sworn her throat closed up, not letting her take a breath when she heard that. Her bottom lip began to bleed from the pressure her teeth were putting it through. He saw this and unconsciously tightened his grip on her wrist but released it slightly at her wince.

"And I am angry," She looked down at her feet, not wanting to see his face, not wanting him to see what those words did to her. Rejection. He was going to reject her because she was tainted, maybe not physically but she was still tainted and…she wasn't the girl he fell in love with and worst still she couldn't change back.

"But not at you. Never at you." Her head snapped back up, with a drop of hope clear in her eyes. His mouth went dry at her expression. Did she really think he would just leave her for something that was not her fault? Did she not believe that he would love her no matter how many flaws she gained? Evidently she didn't know and it was up to him to show her what he felt.

He leant in closer but slowly as if giving her time to say 'No'. She trembled but didn't move nor look away. When he was only a mere centimeter from her quaking lips, he stopped and studied her. He could tell that she was frightened and confused but determined not to back away from him. His face broke into one of his rare smiles; she still had her fighting spirit even after…that. Hang on, why is she blushing?

She was scared, no use denying it but she was not going to shrink away from him. He was Natsume, her boyfriend (at least she hoped he will still be her boyfriend) and it wasn't like they haven't…been intimate, well, not too intimate but intimate nonetheless. It's what couples do and they loved, no, 'love', there shouldn't be any past tense unless he really was going to-

She mentally kicked herself; it was never a good thing when your mind started rambling…or when the aforementioned rambling bought up flashbacks of…'intimate' acts. What's worse, her face felt suspiciously warm which can only mean one thing…she was blushing like an overgrown tomato. She kicked herself again for a good measure.

Now her expression looked like she berating herself, for what he wasn't sure. She was never any good at hiding her emotions from him completely (at least when she wasn't brainwashed) but deciphering the reasons behind her emotions was always harder because she could have the most ridiculous logic. Remember when he was trying to confess to her and she thought he was going to kill her for calling him a jerk? But he was digressing. It was obvious that she was afraid he wouldn't want her anymore so he'll just have to rectify that opinion. He was just lucky that Hotaru wasn't around to record this…

"I will always love you." She felt like she was in a dream. Did he really say what she thought he said? If it was a dream then she hoped she would never wake up. "Really?" She winced at the desperate hope coloring that single word. He, on the other hand, smiled gently. "I will always love you, Mikan." He repeated before gently claiming her lips, releasing her wrist so she could back away if she wanted to.

She didn't. She stayed in his arms and let his kiss carry her away.

'Natsume, I will always love you too.'

Argh, do you know how hard it was to write that? I'm really bad at this stuff. Anyway about Mikan feeling tainted even though she was mind-raped, well, wouldn't you feel the same way? Boys, try putting yourself in a girl's shoes for once in your life and trust me, it won't make you gay if you do it just for a few minutes…

I mean, if you…umm, let's say you dreamt about being raped or sleeping with someone, you, your friends and your boyfriend hated, wouldn't you feel disgusted with yourself? It's worse for Mikan because she takes things very hard. So. Yeah. That's my reasons if you have any questions feel free to ask in a review and I'll PM you. Okay?