Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I'm sure you don't, too. Well, maybe someday ;)
"Promises are like babies: easy to make, hard to deliver."
Author Unknown
ONE—
The brunette was flabbergasted; disbelief was evident on her face.
"I'm leaving?"
'You're kidding. You've got to be…' Mikan smiled, pretending not to have heard and understood. She looked at Natsume expectantly, waiting for him to add a statement that will testify the fallacy of the announcement. She waited, but not a word was said. Her smile faded and anxiety took over…
"D-don't say that. Y-you're not leaving, right?" asked Mikan.
"…I am," said Natsume as he slowly turned away from Mikan, until his back was already on her.
He blamed his decision to tell her for his current dilemma. He gaped at a group of youngsters playing dodge ball. The ball they were using was an Alice ball, a special sphere that reacts to the Alice you own. Miraculously, he found the game really amusing. Especially right now.
Mikan observed the boy in front of her. 'Tall with raven hair, has an earring in one ear, red eyes, that bored look, insensitive, the only one who calls me "Polka dots", the only one I argue with, the only one I love…' She recalled and rediscovered Natsume: from his face to his features, from what they used to do before to what he is to her.
The dodge ball game ended. Now Natsume has no reason to stare at the empty fields or anywhere but Mikan. He faced the girl. 'Long brown hair, a little shorter than me, beautiful, always smiling, caring, kind, my "Polka dots", my love…' Natsume memorized the features of the girl for when his nine-month absence is over, he'll gaze at her again and see if she has changed or not.
So, for a moment they stood like that in silence - looking at each other, taking in the last gaze they will have before Natsume leaves. Finally, one broke the silence.
"…How long will you be gone?" asked Mikan.
"9 months. But promise you'll wait for me," replied the raven-haired boy.
"…I-I will."
The next day…
Mikan entered her classroom with a bright smile in her face.
"Good morning!" she greeted brightly. Her classmates greeted back with either a smile or a nod. She searched for her best friend.
Hotaru was sitting in the far end corner of the classroom, reading the blueprint of her new invention. The brunette approached her.
"Good morning, Hotaru!" she greeted once more.
Without looking up, Hotaru answered, "I heard you once, Mikan."
It made the other girl frown and pout. "You could reply a little bit nicer, you know…"
"Hey, do you know where Natsume is?" asked Ruka all of a sudden, looking towards Natsume's desk. "I haven't seen him since yesterday. Have you?"
Hotaru shrugged, her purple eyes still glued to her latest invention's blueprint.
This saddened Mikan. "I…" she started, but she stopped when their teacher entered the classroom. All the other students quieted down at his presence.
"Okay class, check the attendance and we'll start our lessons." The towering, dark-haired, stern teacher said.
"Yes, sir!" answered the class.
Mikan looked at the empty seat, wishing it was still occupied. But it wasn't; it won't be in use for a long time.
The first day without Natsume.
In the corner of a dark room, a silhouette stood, as if looking at something or someone. It calmly stared, not moving from its place, with an undeterminable expression. Finally, in the midst of silence, someone spoke up.
"I did what you wanted me to do. What now?" asked a male voice.
The silhouette moved towards the speaker. "I guarantee you this will be easy," it replied.
"Get straight to the point! WHAT NOW, PERSONA?" demanded the first speaker.
"Simple, you just have to do this one last mission of yours," answered Persona.
"And what's the mission?" questioned Natsume.
Persona tossed a picture and Natsume caught it. The latter saw that the photograph shows a girl who looked around his age. "Go to America and find the lady in the picture."
Natsume was taken aback. "That's all? I'll be gone in 9 months for that?"
"Yes, that's all," Persona confirmed, still only his shadow seen, "For now."