A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you for reading the first chapter of my new story: Five words. This follows canon somewhat in the sense that Mikan did get the Alice stone from Natsume on her 11th birthday. Comments and suggestions are welcome! This is not Beta'd so it's probably got some mistakes in it. Feel free to tell me what they are! Also please go and check out my profile: my update information will be posted there along with a few other things.

Disclaimer: This will be the only chapter with a disclaimer so this will hold true for the entire story: I don't own Gakuen Alice – never have never will.

Summary: "I hate everything about you." Five words. "I... I hate you too, Natsume." And so the first domino in a long line fell… "Good." For better or for worse only time would tell… He never did see the tears streaming down her face as he walked away.

Chapter 1: Everything Changes

It was before school on a clear spring morning, Tuesday to be exact, which found a certain teenager sitting beneath her sakura tree. Just another normal day…

Mikan Sakura fingered the crimson Alice stone in her hand, enjoying to cool feeling of the chain it was attached to across her skin. She had gotten it three years ago from a not-so-mysterious-someone and always had it with her. She was the picture of beauty, sakura petals floating down occasionally with a gust of wind, sitting there all alone with her long, chocolate brown waves falling across her shoulders, creamy skin, rosy cheeks and large warm eyes. To top it all of she was in her middle school uniform, skirt and all. How Mikan missed all of the blushes and stares in her direction from boys and girl alike only Kami would know.

Hazel eyes sparkle happily and the fourteen-year-old nullifier giggled to herself-

-causing one boy to trip and fall flat on his face, books flying everywhere while another walked straight into a near by tree. Mikan didn't see this either.

"What are you laughing about, baka?" a deep voice drawled from above her.

Mikan jerked in surprise, hitting her head against the tree trunk and causing a flurry of pink petals to rain down from the impact. Hands immediately flew to her head where she hit it, wincing and the Alice stone necklace fell into the grass silently.

"Ouch!" Mikan hissed sharply, eyes tearing ever so slightly. "Natsume-!" she shouted angrily glaring up at the fire Alice. He stood but three feet away from her, hands in the front pockets of his pants and his uniform worn sloppy as always; tie loose, dress shirt not completely buttoned up and jacket open, looking perfect as always with smoldering crimson eyes and silky raven hair that reached slightly past his pierced ears in messy perfection. A lazy smirk was on his face.

"Smooth, no-star," he drawled.

Mikan snatched the necklace out of the grass and jerked it back around her neck.

"Three-star!" she snapped, pointing to the golden badges pinned to her uniform.

"Hn."

"Shut up! That was all your fault anyways," Mikan huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and puffing her cheeks. She refused to make eye contact with Natsume. It was childish, but so adorable.

Unseen to the pouting brunet Natsume felt his lips twitching upward into the most minuscule of smiles before he wiped his face clean of emotion and slipped back into his "tease-Mikan-mode".

"Whatever. It's your fault for being so oblivious." Natsume stated dryly, turning to look at the students passing by with bored eyes before glancing at the other teen from the corner of his eye: she was clenching and unclenching her fists repeatedly in an attempt to calm herself- a good attempt, but Natsume knew all the right buttons to push in order to make her angry.

Meanwhile Mikan was encouraging herself mentally.

'C'mon, Mikan! You are a fourteen-year-old and you are completely above him and his antics. Don't give in! Self-control.'

"Well, it's 10 minutes until class starts," Natsume continued in the same bland tone, "let's go – I promise not to tell the rest of the class about how stupid you were this morning…"

'Self-control, self-control, self-control…!'

Natsume smirked then, "… Pink and White Stripes."

Screw self-control.

Her responding shriek of rage could be heard all across the academy.

"Na-tsu-me! You perverted peeping tom! You're a dead man!"

Yup. Just another normal day at Gakuen Alice…

OoOoO

"…The Emperor penguin feeds its young by first ingesting the fish to break it down before vomiting it into the hatchlings mouth. As they grow older…"

Only ten minutes into class and light snores could be heard all around the darkened room as yet another boring animal documentary played on the TV at the front of the room the male voice droning on and on. Hotaru was busy messing with some new invention while her boyfriend Ruka tried his best to keep awake beside her. Countless others followed Ruka's example or just gave in to sleep.

"…Emperors live in a harsh environment and during the winter huddle together to keep warm. They each take turns in the outer part of the circle before slowly moving to the inner most part and…"

Koko fell out of his chair, landing on the carpeted floor with a muted thud, sleeping all the while.

Ah, the joys of Science…

"You suck." Mikan whispered, shooting daggers at her seatmate. Natsume gave her a half-lidded look.

"I know," Natsume replied in a low voice, "You tell me every morning, Polka."

"That's because you make it one of your priorities to find out what kind of underwear I'm wearing everyday!"

"Hn."

"You little-!"

"Polka, just shut up for now, okay? Watch the video. Don't you like animals?"

Mikan tore her hazel eyes away from Natsume's crimson to watch said video. On the screen was a sea leopard with a penguin clenched between its jaws as the narrator talked about the circle of life.

"Yes," Mikan said sarcastically, "I just love watching furry little animals get violently torn apart by larger, carnivorous predators!"

She cocked her head to the side as she spoke, looking at Natsume with disdain.

"Hn."

It had been twenty minutes now since Mikan had declared that she would skin him alive. In about five more minutes – ten tops – she would get tired of fighting with him and make up with him. It always happened that way. She was too nice, Natsume thought, not for the first time, as he propped his feet up on his shared desk.

Mikan growled at his feet, but didn't bother to push them down or snap at him for it, fuming silently about it, instead.

The fire-caster decided to just keep quiet until then and sure enough, five minutes later…

Mikan sighed softly. "Look, Natsume, I know that I'm going to regret this later – I always do –" Natsume snorted and Mikan flicked him absentmindedly on the arm as she continued in a low whisper, "bit let's stop fighting. I don't like being angry at you and-"

She never got to finish because the door to class B suddenly slid open, reveling the dark silhouette of a teacher in the doorway. Those sleeping snapped to attention at the sound and Jinno-sensei stood up from his desk and, much to the happiness of the entire class, paused the documentary while the class president Yuu Tobita aka Inchou flipped the lights on.

Natsume stiffened and a scowl carved itself into his face as his eyes narrowed and turned into steel.

"Persona," he hissed.

Mikan blinked in surprise, looking from Natsume to Persona and back, the latter dressed in his usual all-black attire: what Mikan swore were black skinny jeans with boots that went mid-calf and a formfitting, long sleeved t-shirt. He wore all of his Alice limiters on his fingers, neck and ears, a cruel smile on his lips and a white half-mask that hidden what Mikan knew were cold black eyes. His hair was still the same, inky black with sharp spikes everywhere.

"Natsume Hyuuga," he said softly, his voice like dead leaves. Everyone in class B suppressed the urge to shiver, but could do nothing to stop the goose bumps that rose on their skin.

"What?" Natsume asked snappily.

"I need you to come with me," he informed before turning to Jinno. "That will be alright with you I presume? I hope I'm not taking him away from anything… important." He said.

Mikan didn't think that he was worried at all.

"Of course not, Serio." The spectacle wearing science teacher said tightly.

"Come along then, Natsume-kun," Persona said icily with his trademark creepy grin.

The teen stood up obediently.

"Natsume," Mikan whispered worriedly, grabbing a hold of his hand before he could get too far. She was no longer seated, standing just like her partner, a concerned look on her sweet face. They were now the center of attention in the room, but neither seemed to care as the stared at one another in tense silence.

Finally, "See you later." He said gruffly pulling his hand away from hers.

He didn't look at her the entire time. He didn't want to see the hurt expression he knew was on her face. Natsume didn't need to add guilt to the ever-growing list of emotions coursing through him.

"I'll be fine."

Why did he feel like he was lying?

OoOoO

The next day, when Mikan sat underneath the Sakura tree waiting for Natsume, he never came. She was late and got a scolding from the teacher about tardiness. He didn't show up to class either and Mikan was left to stare at the empty seat beside her with a sense of foreboding.

The final bell rang, the long trill signaling the end of the school day.

Mikan sat at her desk, staring at the wood surface silently, with conflicted hazel eyes.

"Sakura-san," a kind voice said beside her. Mikan looked up to see shining blond hair and clear blue eyes smiling down at her.

"Ah, Ruka-pyon!" Mikan exclaimed with a smile. "Do you need something?"

"The class is empty now, baka," a monotonous voice said from in front of her. Flat amethyst eyes stared Mikan down as she looked around the room to see it vacant. Not including them.

"Oh! Haha sorry Hotaru-chan!" She exclaimed, sheepishly. "I'm just worried about stupid Natsume. He's one of my best friends and Persona isn't the nicest guy in the world, so…"

"You were worried." Ruka finished for her.

Mikan nodded.

Then they sat in silence.

Not one for awkward quietness like what was going on right then, Ruka spoke up, "Hotaru and I were going to go to Central Town today and you look like you need a picker-upper. Want to come with us?" he asked.

The glare Hotaru shot him promised him a fate worse then death. The animal lover blanched.

Oblivious to it all, Mikan sat, contemplating.

'Ruka-pyon is right. I need to perk up and not worry so much! Natsume is… well, Natsume and he'll be fine!' she thought to herself.

"I'd love to!" the brunet answered aloud.

"Great!" Ruka exclaimed, somewhat nervous.

"Yes," hissed Hotaru. "Just great."

Ruka was sooo dead.

OoOoO

Mikan sat on one of the many benches around the large fountain in the middle of Central Town eating an extra large box of Fluff Puffs. The nullifier was most defiantly in a better mood now as she smiled happily, popping another one of the fluffy candies into her mouth.

"Mmm!" she hummed happily.

She was so happy that Ruka-pyon invited her along with him and Hotaru!

She paused for a moment, Fluff Puff halfway to her mouth when a thought occurred to her. Hotaru wasn't mad and Ruka-pyon was she? They may have been planning a date or something and Mikan might be interrupting them… And wasn't it their two year anniversary today?

" . . ."

Mikan looked around.

And come to thing of it, where was the couple? After Mikan had gotten her treat the Ice Queen her dragged her boyfriend away and she hadn't seen them since.

Hotaru couldn't be…?

Nah!

OoOoO

"What were you thinking?" Hotaru asked coldly, baka gun version 4.0 aimed at his head. "The idiot was fine – you didn't need to invite her. In fact you didn't even ask me for approval…"

Ruka looked at her with wide eyes. He loved Hotaru and all, but by Kami she was the scariest woman that he had ever met. He had to question himself once again why he was dating her in the first place.

'Because you fell head over heals in love with her when you were eleven and have been smitten with her since,' a reasonable voice said in the back of his head.

Right.

"W-well, "he stuttered nervously, "I know that it's our anniversary today but she looked sad and she is your best friend and a really good one of mine so-"

click!

"Wrong answer Nogi."

BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!

OoOoO

It was nearing the end of the day when the trio was on their way back from Central Town. Hotaru was fuming, baka gun 4.0 clenched in her hand and Ruka with a few bumps on his head looking slightly miserable. Mikan though, was smiling and humming as the three walked from the bus stop to their dorms.

Right outside the girls' dorms, Mikan turned to her to friends with a large, blinding smile.

"Thanks for inviting me, you two! I… I really needed it. I feel super happy now, and I also feel bad for interrupting you two's date, so I got you both something," Mikan admitted sheepishly, a slight blush on her face. From her uniforms pockets she pulled out two small boxes, both white with neatly tied red ribbons on them. She gave one to Ruka and the other to Hotaru, glowing with happiness.

"Open them when you get home." she instructed before running forward and giving them both hugs.

Mikan gave them one last smile before running into the building, pushing the wooden doors open quickly and disappearing through them.

Hotaru looked down at the box with a contemplative look on her face before looking back at her boyfriend now for two years.

"You are forgiven," she said decidedly with a small smile.

Ruka smiled happily and leaned in to give his girlfriend a chaste kiss before pocketing his own gift.

"But never again!" she added sharply.

Ruka winced.

"Yes, M'am."

OoOoO

Mikan was running to her dorm room - up two flights of stairs and down the hallway of the third floor - happy with the end of the day. Even though she was still worried about Natsume, she felt better and smiled her whole way to her room, shoes making small tapping sounds with each step.

She stopped when she reached the door with the golden numbers 307 nailed too it with three golden stars below. Mikan brought her hand to her neck to find the chain that had her room key on it, the only other necklace she wore than the one with the red Alice stone on it, before unclasping it and sticking the key into the lock, turning it. She paused with her hand on the handle, a small smile on her face as she reminisced on the time before she became a three-star.

As a no-star her room was a dusty mess of spiders and unknown creatures on the floor. She had nothing but a small bed and a dresser with a single dusty light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Mikan worked really hard to rank up.

When she became a one-star, Mikan was ecstatic. The room wasn't exactly like it, but it was about as nice and as furnished as her room back home in Kyoto with a small bathroom that connected to the side.

When she ranked two-star she didn't think it could get much better: a large, fluffy bed, a dresser, desk and chair and a medium sized TV. A medium sized bathroom with both a shower and a tub greeted her eyes when she first came in and there was a little microwave tucked away in the shelves blow the TV stand.

Mikan was completely proved wrong when she ranked up once more.

The brunet turned that handle and walked in.

Snap snap!

The lights clicked on and Mikan took off her shoes and placed them on the shoe rack before walking into her dorm. Her feet made no sound as she walked though her carpeted house, snapping her fingers at all the rooms she passed and lighting them up. Mikan walked into the small kitchen she now had, carpet changing to hardwood, picking up a package of macaroni she planned on making for dinner since she had missed it at the cafeteria. Taking one of the pots from a cabinet she filled it with water at the sink before putting it on the stove, cranking the flame up to its maximum and setting the macaroni box on the counter beside it. Mikan smiled and went to her mini fridge to grab an ice-cold bottle of water and begin drinking it as she walked to her laundry room and put in a load.

Humming happily and water bottle in hand, Mikan continued walking down the hall, passing her large bathroom and going straight to her room.

The sun was long since set and upon opening the door, she snapped her fingers once again.

She noticed two things at once: one, the balcony door was wide open and two, there was a man sitting on her bed.

"Mikan," a cold voice greeted.

Said girl gasped in surprise, dropping her, thankfully closed, water bottle on the floor before reaching down to pick it up again and exclaiming, "Natsume! W-what are you doing here, you big dummy? You scared me! And, and… where were you this morning? I was so worried, I-"

"You sure don't look it." His voice cut in like razors and Mikan looked at him, about to shout. But then she saw his eyes.

So cold…

His crimson eyes were like ice: cold flat, unforgiving and completely void of any and all emotion except one: hate. Completely uncovered and unadulterated loathing, and it was aimed at her.

This time when her bottle of waterslipped through her fingers she didn't bother to pick it up.

"N-natsume?" Mikan squeaked. "What's wrong with you?"

"Hn." He grunted, looking away.

Anger welled up inside of her.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" she asked angrily. "You just go and break into my room and then you act like a jerk? Well, thanks a lot Natsume," she spat angrily.

"…"

Angry tears began collecting in Mikan's eyes as she stared at her partner and the person she considered one of her best friends. Natsume stood up and began walking onto the balcony he had come in from.

"Why are you being so mean?" Mikan asked in a whisper. She was used to him being cold sometimes, but this? He had never been like this to her before.

Unseen to her, Natsume clenched his fists until his knuckles were white, nails digging into his skin and creating thin half-moons across his flesh. Crimson eyes flashed with pain.

"….everything… you." Mikan heard him say, so quietly she only heard the snippets of it.

"W-what?" she asked in confusion.

"I hate everything about you," he said coldly, placing both hands on the edge of the balcony, one foot up as well as he prepared to jump.

Five words.

Mikan felt like she had been slapped in the face.

Angry and hurt she replied in a broken whisper, "I... I hate you too, Natsume."

And so the first domino in a long line fell... The world would never be the same again.

"Good."

For better or for worse, only time would tell…

Natsume jumped down, absorbing the impact of the fall in the balls of his feet and leaving the light of the balcony behind as he left.

He never did see the tears streaming down her face as he walked away.

Up in her room, Mikan broke down in tears. He hated her? Natsume hated her? The brunet wondered what she did to cause such an emotion to be directed at her and she could find no answer for it.

Something was wrong with this. Mikan knew it. Her Natsume would never act like that without a reason…

But whatever the reason was Mikan didn't know. Shakily she walked back to her kitchen and shut the fire off. The water was just barley boiling, and Mikan poured it all down the drain and placed it back on the stove. She wasn't hungry anymore…

She sat down on the kitchen floor and cried.

Okay! That was the end of chapter 1! Well this was the very first story that I have ever written: I hope you liked it!

Please review! Reviews are what an author lives for. :D