Synopsis: He remembered her as the ditzy, polka dotted panty girl from high school who he was madly in love with. Losing contact with her after graduation, he thought he might never see her again. And now, here she was sitting on a chair next to a comatose patient in his charge. Her hand held tight to the patient's which fashioned a wedding band matching her own. AU

Beginning Note: Surprise! A short epilogue I wrote for this story two years ago that is just now resurfacing. I kept going back and forth between scrapping or keeping it. Originally I was planning an alternate ending for this story in addition to this epilogue and had started typing it up but unfortunately became disinterested. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind and stop hiding the alternate ending (which truth be told was the original ending of the plot before I scrapped it). Most of the writing is from 2018 so I've made very minimal additions to this. Hope you all still enjoy it nonetheless!

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Higuchi Tachibana.


Part Six: Epilogue


Jazz music blared through the ceiling speakers of the small café owned by the Shouda Family. The permed hair female watched onward as her two friends sat down on opposite ends of the table, preparing for a heated discussion. Anna and Nonoko were also present, hiding behind the diner counter while listening intently. Sumire herself pretended to be diligently wiping down the already clean countertop, leaning forward with each swipe to hear the conversation better.

"What are they saying?" Anna harshly whispered to her.

Sumire hushed her with a finger raised to her lips and turned her attention back to the estranged friends.

"I can't hear anything," said Nonoko begrudgingly. She was positioned at an awkward angle peeking from the end of the counter all the while trying to maintain her balance in her heeled black boots. "Let's get closer because this isn't working." She motioned Anna to follow her to a booth with high borders located two tables away from where Mikan and Hotaru sat. However, Sumire shot them a glare, preventing them from moving anywhere.

"Leave them alone. They need to work things out," she said.

"That's rich coming from the one leaning forward to hear what they're saying." Anna rolled her eyes and grumpily flopped back down.

They were silenced again.

At the table Mikan twiddled with her fingers, an old nervous habit she seemed to have difficulty getting rid of. Although they were supposed to be chatting and having tea, neither of them could bring it upon themselves to speak up. It may have been the result of not being in contact with one another for a while causing their current reunion to feel stifling and quite awkward.

Hotaru slowly lifted the tea cup and brought it to her lips then set it down after taking a sip. Her eyes glanced at the prying women at the counter who caught her gaze and turned away quickly from the shock.

"Shit she saw us!" She heard Anna's high pitched voice. Her brunette companion snorted, signaling that she too heard their unsuccessfully sneaky friend.

"We might as well get this over with," Hotaru initiated, turning her attention back to Mikan.

Said girl looked up with a hesitant smile. "I don't know where to start," she confessed.

"It is awkward," commented Hotaru and Mikan nodded in agreement.

"I suppose we can go from the beginning … what went wrong and why," suggested Mikan. She stopped twiddling her fingers and crossed her arms in front of her, setting them on the table and leaning forward. "I want to apologize to you," she began but Hotaru's facial expression stopped her from continuing. The female appeared confused and angry.

"Why are you apologizing when I am in the wrong," Hotaru snapped. "I betrayed our friendship by inappropriately communicating and meeting up with Ruka while he was still married to you."

Mikan nodded. "I know." She was very much aware.

"Then you know I felt jealous of your relationship and deep down I wanted him for myself."

Again, Mikan nodded.

"Does that not make you the slightest bit angry, frustrated or want to burn bridges with me?" Hotaru questioned her.

Mikan thought about her answer for a while. Any other person would want to tear the hair off the person who betrayed their trust but their situation proved complicated. Or maybe she felt it a lot more complicated than it may have been.

"Even if I was mad at you, I couldn't stay that way for long. Otherwise I would wallow in despair which isn't good for my sanity," she explained. "I wish I could curse you out or slap you for revenge but I cannot because I know that you loved Ruka long before he and I got married. However, I chose to ignore your feelings and married him because I wanted to forget Natsume, which ended up not working in the long run, making Ruka miserable being with me."

The tears threatening to slide down her cheeks were being forced to stay still. Hotaru looked up and fanned her face with one hand. "Miserable is a strong word." She sniffed.

"I don't know how else to put it," Mikan said.

"He wasn't miserable per say but he did feel sad that you couldn't put the past behind you and accept him. You two were married for three years but there was no new development in your relationship."

"That's why he came to you."

"He could have talked things out with you but he gave up, and I selfishly indulged in the benefits of your spoiled relationship. However, you're wrong about one thing. I didn't have any strong feelings for him before you got married."

"Hotaru, stop saying that. I'm not angry at you because I didn't love him romantically. It was terrible of me to have used him knowing full well I couldn't devote one hundred percent of myself to him."

Hotaru frowned at her. "You're lying. You did start to love him at one point but you don't want to admit it." She could tell her friend was trying to make her feel better and she didn't like it one bit. If Mikan was more honest with herself, her relationship with Ruka might have survived. But typical Mikan, always trying to ignore her feelings and do the opposite of what her heart told her. That part of her annoyed Hotaru a lot. "It doesn't make me feel any better if you belittle your own feelings for him."

Mikan guiltily looked down at her lap in thought. Droplets fell on to her thigh, causing her to raise her hands to her soaked face to wipe away the cascade of tears. The feel of the wetness on her face lit a fire in her that had long been out. "What do you want me to say?" she said after gathering herself and meeting Hotaru's startled gaze. "I'm mad that you sneaked around with my husband when we were having marital issues. I'm angry that you pretended to be my best friend in my face but happily took the role of mistress when I wasn't around. I am absolutely furious that it went on for so long behind my back … that I was upset and punished myself for kissing Natsume while Ruka was still in a coma, more so than when I first realized what was happening in my own home." Her breathing came out shaky as she tried to stop herself from crying. "Dammit you do not, absolutely do not get to make me reveal my thoughts this way."

The corners of Hotaru's lips rose. "There's the Mikan I know."

In response, Mikan chuckled and a smile of her own manifested on her tear stained face. "I deserve an apology," she laughed.

"Yes you do." Hotaru leaned forward to hold onto Mikan's arms. "I am so sorry for what I put you through. I have been a terrible friend to you and I will understand if you do not want to stay friends anymore. Now that I realize how much I value our friendship, it will make me sad if we do end it like this, however."

"I think we need to work on building trust and starting over. I don't want to end our friendship either," Mikan agreed.

"Great." Hotaru reached over the table and gave her a hug. Simultaneously a chorus of 'aww' came from the counter and the two smiled in their direction.

From that day, it was decided that instead of falling back to the best friend status they once had, Mikan and Hotaru would work on their relationship in hopes that one day they could regain the trust in each other they once had.

Ruka's discharge from the hospital meant a lot of changes. He had to look into renting a new place now that he and Mikan were separating. They both agreed to sell their home and split the money for their own investments. After finalizing the divorce, Mikan sat down with Ruka one day and told him he was free to pursue Hotaru if it pleased him. She didn't want to make him feel guilty for being with her, especially since it was unfair when she and Natsume made plans to be together. Although the meeting came with its awkward exchanges, overall they were glad to get their lives moving in a better direction.

After Natsume and Mikan got married, and started renting their apartment in Tokyo, things seemed to be looking up for them.

Until one day where a double line changed everything.

Mikan took out another stick and proceeded to take the test. After waiting two minutes the results still came back the same.

Pregnant.

A life was forming in her tiny womb.

She stood in front of the mirror and lifted her t-shirt to observe her still relatively flat stomach. Her fingers felt the surface gently. "Woah," she whispered. "Nine months from now this will be huge," she said in wonderment. She let go of the t-shirt and walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where she started preparing dinner. Her mind clouded with many thoughts of the future.

Natsume came home just in time with a big grin on his face. Mikan turned her attention away from the food and inched closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was lifted so she could wrap her legs around his waist as he kissed her softly.

"I missed you," he told her, grinning against her lips.

"I missed you too," Mikan responded. She cupped his face and kissed him again. "Why are you in such a good mood?" she asked him after he released her. She set out two bowls and filled them with soup and noodles. Then she added adornments to each bowl.

"Ramen?" Natsume rose a brow as he sat down across from her.

"The best food ever made by the best chef in the world." Mikan smiled, pointing to herself.

"I won't disagree with that." Natsume picked up his chopsticks and began slurping down the noodles.

"Somebody was hungry." Mikan giggled, watching how fast Natsume ate the food.

"You took time to take it out of the package for me and boil the noodles. I have to appreciate the effort," Natsume teased.

Mikan rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Tell me about your day!" she exclaimed, suddenly feeling excited to tell him the news of her pregnancy.

Natsume stopped eating and put his chopsticks down. He reached out to hold Mikan's hands and squeezed them gently. "I was in a meeting with the hospital director earlier and he gave me an option to change our lives. I got invited to a two year position at a medical research facility in England and I want you to come with me," he said.

Mikan's smile faltered, not gone unnoticed by her husband. "That's amazing!" she forced herself to say upon realizing that her change in expression would concern him. "I'm happy for you," she added. Of course, she wanted to be ecstatic for him but there were so many issues going into this. Not only was she expecting, she also had her grandfather to worry about who was slowly deteriorating in mobility and mental functionality. They planned to move him in with them so they could keep a watchful eye on him, however, leaving to go abroad wouldn't be ideal for the old man's health. He had dementia and needed a safe place to keep him from trouble.

Noticing the change in her mood, Natsume rubbed his thumbs against the back of her hand and asked, "What's wrong? You don't seem very happy."

"Of course, I'm happy for you! It's a great opportunity that you can't let go."

"Then tell me why look so disheartened," Natsume inquired.

"It's just … two years away from home. Grandpa only has so long to live, especially since his health is deteriorating. We also agreed to move him in with us," Mikan confessed. "But I don't want to ruin this opportunity for you when you worked so hard for it!" she quickly added, squeezing his hands tight.

"Mikan, it's okay. We'll figure this out … we always do."

But would they? Mikan seemed adamant about not leaving Japan without her grandfather and the old man himself could not travel abroad feeling unwell. This two-year research opportunity might never come by again and it could really help his career. At the same time, he didn't want it if it meant being away from his wife.

Mikan suddenly stood up from her seat and pivoted around the table to sit on Natsume's lap, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. "You should go," she said, cupping his cheeks. "If you don't go I'll be mad that you let this opportunity pass by."

"But-"

"Don't worry about me or grandpa. He and I will move in with Father-in-Law and Aoi. I'm one hundred percent sure they wouldn't mind taking us in."

Natsume raised a questioning brow. He didn't know Mikan was in contact with his father and sister all this time to be comfortable moving in with them.

"When did you contact them?" he asked her.

"Before we decided to get married and truthfully I wanted to plan a reunion for you guys but it seems it can no longer go as planned." She softly smiled down at him, tracing the outline of his face.

"You know I love you, right?"

Mikan nodded. "And I love you too," she replied.

"If I go, I'll be gone for two whole years before coming back to Japan. That means we'll be separated for two years."

"Natsume, I understand," she reassured him and kissed his cheek. Deep down inside, it made her sad to think she wouldn't see him, be able to hold him or kiss him for two whole years. There was the option with her visiting him at least once while he stayed abroad but in her current mindset, she thought about the future that involved her being heavily pregnant and then with a newborn infant who could not leave the country at such a young and vulnerable stage.

"I want to be with you," Natsume said. His hold around her waist tightened and he settled his head on her chest, allowing Mikan's fingers to comb through his dark tresses.

"And I want to be with you too," his wife said to him in a loving manner. "Two years doesn't feel that long when you think of it. Time passes by faster the older we get."

"I suppose it does," Natsume agreed.

"How long do you have until to finalize your decision?" Mikan asked. She intended to make him accept his offer and after it became official, she would then tell him they were expecting. She didn't want the news of her pregnancy to deter him from accepting.

"Just until the end of the month," he replied.

"That gives us enough time to celebrate your success," Mikan chirped. And it gave her enough time to plan for how she would tell him the news that they were expecting without him changing his mind.

"I suppose but first …" Natsume got up while still holding on to her and smirked. "Let's do some celebration of our own."

Knowing just what her husband was thinking, Mikan pouted. "You haven't finished eating yet and you're already thinking about doing perverted things now?"

Natsume kissed the tip of her nose. "The food can wait and I'm thinking of making love to my beautiful wife," he said as started carrying her to their bedroom.

At that she didn't argue and allowed herself to be whisked away.


After informing their friends of the news, the group decided to host a celebration in Natsume's honor, much to Tonouchi and Tsubasa's displeasure since they still did not like him as much. They grumbled throughout the whole planning process up until the actual day of the event, deciding to only partake in the part where they got to pop bottles of champagne and aim them at Natsume.

The party reserved a spot at a restaurant stylized with tatami mat floors and wide kotatsu tables to fit them all. Mikan had Natsume sit at the head of the table as he was the guest of honor, while she sat adjacent to him on his right. It made him feel awkward being the center of attention and to make matters worse, Ruka and Hotaru also made their appearance at the celebration, the former sitting on his left side with Hotaru sitting beside her old best friend. It was a strange sight. Not to mention he currently dealt with the glowering expressions of Mikan's beloved seniors, their menacing eyes sending daggers his way.

His hand rose to the back of his neck and he tilted his head against it, a show of discomfort that Mikan noticed. She entwined her fingers in his free hand and smiled up at him in hopes it would erase his nerves.

"Let's order something, why don't we?" she suggested, opening the menu up and going down the list.

The whole lot ordered their food and immediately dove right in when one of the older women working at the restaurant gave each one their respective dish. Mikan had settled with sharing a bowl of fried rice and side dishes of pot stickers, rolled eggs, and miso soup, with Natsume since he wasn't much of a big eater.

"Hey pal, what do you plan on doing for the two years you'll be away?" chimed Koko as he stuffed his face with cut slices of beef.

"I thought it was already mentioned that he's doing medical research, if you were actually listening," Sumire said, rolling her eyes at him. "And stop making a mess while you eat! You're getting your food bits on my side."

"I understood that but I wanted to make conversation … geez," Koko grumbled. "Someone's in a sour mood," he added.

"Stop bickering," Nonoko interjected, pointing her chopsticks at the two of them who sat next to each other. "We're here for a good cause and we don't need the cat and mouse duo acting up."

"You two act like a married couple and it's quite hilarious," Anna giggled. Her laughter picked up when she saw the reddening of cheeks the two exhibited. It was obvious that they harbored feelings for one another, but neither was able to properly voice it out due to their mental immaturity. Their friends only wished that soon one of them would finally confess so they could stop this incessant behavior.

"Speaking of good causes, I have to ask why you have decided to take up this research opportunity?" Tsubasa directed his attention to the star of the night.

Natsume looked up from his food and said, "If it's successful, this could mean a medical breakthrough in the Neurology research I have been studying."

"That must be wonderful," said Yuu, who had been quiet for some time due to his reserved personality.

"It is!" Mikan smiled while rubbing up and down Natsume's arm.

"What about Mikan? You don't mind leaving her behind?" Tono asked the dreaded question. Of course, he felt the need to stir up some things to gauge Natsume's reaction. It didn't bring him any pleasure to act this way, but it bothered him to the core that his junior was going to be left alone again, especially in her state.

Yes, he was aware of her pregnancy, courtesy of Tsubasa's wife Misaki who shared the information with them during a drunken night of silly games they once played in their early college youth. What he didn't realize was the fact that Natsume still had no idea himself, so his attitude went without proper background knowledge to the whole situation.

"We already privately discussed our plans, but I have yet to make my decision regarding accepting the position or not," Natsume replied without falter, irritating Tono further.

"But you want the position, do you not?" he continued to probe.

Mikan, sensing the animosity, spoke, "I want him to accept because I would hate for him to lose this chance."

"On what grounds? Is the fact that you're going to be a family not important enough for him to decline?" Tono said.

Natsume quickly whipped his head toward Mikan, confusion written all over his face. "What is he talking about?" he asked her.

Suddenly realizing his mistake, Tono's anger resided and he too looked at his junior. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"Can someone please tell us what we don't know because I'm sure I'm not the only confused individual present," Sumire said.

"I …" Mikan stared at her lap, feeling choked up from uttering a word. A familiar feeling coming up her throat forced her to stand up abruptly and rush to find the ladies restroom. The older woman who had served them their dishes noticed her distress and pointed her in the right direction. Hotaru quickly followed and closed the door behind her, walking up to the retching Mikan and patting her back.

Said brunette finally stopped vomiting after a couple minutes and turned on the faucet to rinse her mouth.

"Oh my goodness I'm such a wreck," she said out loud, gripping the edge of the sink. Hotaru reached to turn off the faucet and walked over to the paper towel dispenser, handing Mikan a couple.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked her as she pulled brunette strands away from Mikan's face so she could wipe her mouth properly.

"I was going to tell him after he accepted the position. If I told him earlier, he would have changed his mind and I don't want to hold him back. He's lived an unconventional life for most of his time alive and I wanted him to experience something great." Mikan confessed, sniffling from the urge to cry.

"You dummy." Hotaru frowned.

"That's rather harsh of you to say," Mikan said.

"Him being married to you is his greatest experience, not the research! Stop underestimating your worth because if you truly understood him, you would know that he wouldn't want to make the same mistake leaving you again."

"Don't you think I already know that? He wanted me to come with him but my grandpa is not well enough to travel. And now there's our future child being thrown in the mix…" Mikan trailed off, beginning to sniffle again.

At that, Hotaru raised a hand to pat her on the back. "Well to start, congratulations on the soon to be new addition in your family. I'm happy for you guys to start this new chapter in your lives and no matter how stressful it may seem, you're you and he is his annoying self that seems to gel well with your persistent nature. I have no doubt that you guys will make it through this next hurdle." She smiled and raised her arms to embrace her which Mikan returned

"Thank you Hotaru for that," Mikan replied, eyes still watery.

"And now, before he continues to suffer the fury of our seniors, you might want to communicate how you feel to him. He'll be more than understanding when it comes to you as you are the love of his life," Hotaru added.

Mikan nodded in understanding and they separated when they heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"It's probably him," she chuckled through her tears.

"I'll go so you two can talk it out. But don't worry, I can stand outside to make sure no one else comes in," Hotaru said. She opened the door and looked up at Natsume whose own height towered over hers, before nodding and walking past him. Natsume entered the bathroom and let the door close on its own as he rushed over to Mikan, engulfing her in a tight embrace.

Taken aback by his sudden actions, Mikan shifted herself to look up at him with teary eyes. "You're not upset with me?" she timidly asked him.

Natsume cupped her cheek and bent down to press his lips against her forehead. "No, I'm actually very happy that we're going to be parents. Why the hell would I ever be mad at you for something we created together?"

"But I kept it a secret from you," Mikan continued.

"I'm aware; however, I know how your mind works and you thought not telling me would stop me from declining the offer. In all honesty, I already knew I wouldn't accept it if that meant being apart from you," he said, while bringing her head to his chest and playing with strands of her hair.

"You won't leave me then?"

"Opportunities come and go. But all I know is that I will never leave you…not again."

Mikan pulled slightly away from him and gave him that grin he loved so much. Her heart felt full seeing the warmth in his gaze telling her just how much he meant those words.

"You know something Natsume?" She began.

"Hmm?"

"I believe you're a wonderful person who doesn't get nearly as much credit as you should. You may have a seemingly tough exterior but within" she placed a hand on his chest, "is a big heart for those you care about and I love that about you. I just know that when this baby comes, you'll be such an amazing father."

A warm fuzzy feeling built up in his chest and Mikan could have sworn she saw his eyes glaze over before reverting to its original state.

"You and our child are and will be my world," he said to her. Mikan leaned forward to meet his lips in a chaste kiss.

"Let's go back to our party members," she said after pulling away from him.

The two of them left the bathroom hand in hand, Hotaru looking onward in happiness seeing that they resolved their issue. After a drilling session of how long and why Mikan had not said anything about being pregnant, Tono apologized for his attitude and the rest of them commenced the celebration, this time in honor of the couple having their first child.

And although the future seemed uncertain, surely full of trials and tribulations ahead of them, the two decided that they would remain optimistic in the end because she had him and he had her.


End Note: Well there you have it. A short epilogue like promised. Hope you enjoyed it! I do want to say that I hope you all have been staying safe and protected during this year. Well wishes to everyone and I hope for a brighter future in the years to come. Keep healthy! C:

Author: BlossomingThought, formerly Napperon