MikaNatsu

MikaNatsu is the het ship between Mikan Sakura and Natsume Hyūga from the Gakuen Alice fandom.

Canon
Mikan and Natsume met when they were 10-years-old, when Mikan had ran away from her village to find her best friend, Hotaru, who had enrolled into Alice Academy. Mikan heard rumors that Alice Academy, a prestigious school for children with extraordinary gifts called Alice, gave money to parents in exchange for the child and the students were being mistreated, and Mikan decided to go to the school to check on Hotaru out of concern. When she arrived, a teacher named Narumi was about to let her through the gates when the wall exploded and Natsume, wearing a black cat mask, appeared to escape. Narumi whipped Natsume to subdue him and Mikan went to check on him. He was about to attack her until he was stopped and knocked unconscious by Narumi. Shortly after, Mikan met another teacher named Misaki who told her that Natsume was simply punished for trying to escape and he is a very dangerous person, and that Mikan must get away in case Natsume wakes up. Seeing he is still sleeping, Mikan got distracted and didn’t notice Natsume waking up until he grabbed her and pinned her to the couch, demanding that she tell him who she is or he will burn her hair, Mikan refused to tell him and he began bulling her. Narumi and Misaki came in just as Natsume and his best friend, Ruka, fled but jot before Natsume showed Mikan her underwear (skirt in the anime) that he took off to taunt her, which deeply embarrassed her.

Upon getting to her home room class, Mikan was horrified to find she was seated next to Natsume, who was indifferent to her dismay. She proceeded to call him a pervert, which earned her the wrath of the students who follow Natsume. As Mikan had yet to know what her Alice was, Natsume offered her a deal: go to the Northern Woods and if she came back unscathed, he would see to it that she would be accepted by the class and school, which she accepted. Ruka wonderEd why Natsume did such a thing, as he was never interested in anyone, and questioned Natsume is something special about Mikan caught his attention, which Natsume denied. As Mikan, Hotaru, and their class president Yu ventured through the woods, Mikan asked questions about Natsume. Yu suggested for Mikan to stay away from Natsume because he is considered to be a dangerous person and Hotaru said she heard a rumor that Natsume was a murderer. Rather than being scared, this made Mikan more curious. Natsume eventually went into the woods after learning Mikan and her friends tricked Ruka into helping them and threatened Mikan. He then turned on her friends when she still insisted she didn’t know what her Alice was. Mikan tried attacking Natsume to stop him and he attempted to use his Alice on her but, to both of their surprise, his flames were nullified and she was unharmed. This meant Mikan had the Nullification Alice and would be officially enrolled. Natsume warned Mikan that she would regret coming to the school.

In class, Natsume came in with injuries, which concerned Mikan. But her concern turned into dismay when Narumi decided to partner Mikan and Natsume up, although Natsume didnt care. As she tried to find her Special Ability Class, Mikan learned Natsume was in the Dangerous Ability Class and she ran into him as he was trying to hide from his DA teacher, Persona. Natsume threatened you kill her if she made a sound as Persona searched for him. A group of middle schoolers find the two and assume they are a couple, much to Mikan’s dismay, and begin bullying them. As Natsume leaves, they threaten to bully Mikan but Natsume abandons her. Once Mikan understood how distant her classmates were together, she convinced them to play dodgeball with her, although Natsume agreed out of anger for Mikan getting Ruka to be on her team and he tried distracting her in the game. In the final match, Mikan and Natsume faced off and Mikan’s team lost, but Mikan was happy everyone had a good time. Although surprised at first, Natsume angrily asked why she smiled despite losing and walked away. He later boldly told her that her letters to her grandfather were never mailed because of the school’s strict rule on no contact with outsiders. However, he later agreed to accompany her to Central Town when she was forbidden from going unless her partner went with her. As thanks for this, she gave him delicious candy.

In preparation for the Alice Festival, Mikan accidentally angered Natsume when she failed to realize DA students like him are not allowed to attend the festival and he says the event is just to show off Alices raher than having fun. Mikan asked Natsume to help her with getting her Alice under control although his training method was harsh. Mikan and Natsume later had their first civil conversation when Mikan had an argument with her SA class and told Natsume what happened. Natsume replied it was good to hear she could have a fight with someone but suggested she work things out with the SA class. Mikan thanked him and left before Natsume collapsed. Mikan began to worry about Natsume as she thought about how dangerous some Alices can be. Mikan learned Natsume was hospitalized due to his Alice and she snuck into the hospital to check on him (in the anime, she was able to visit him once he woke up in the hospital, and asked him to accompany her to the festival, which he initially refused but then silently agreed) but instead witnessed him being kidnapped by Reo. She and Sumire chase after Reo and his men to rescue Natsume but Natsume contemplated a plan to gelp the girls escape while he distracted Reo.However, Mikan realized Natsume planned to kill himself to take out Reo, and ran back to stop him, berating him for thinking about killing himself. Mikan attempted to help Natsume escape but, as he was still too weak to walk, he asked Mikan to flee but she refused and said that while she may not understand his personal problems, she knew there are people who are waiting for both of them to return to the school. Mikan attempted to protect Natsume but she ended up getting hurt and Natsume, in a rage, set the warehouse on fire. However both are rescued and hospitalized. When Mikan woke up, she went to check on Natsume but found him sleeping and decided to leave him be.

During the festival, Natsume went to the SA class RPG and Mikan was happy he came but she got upset when he pulled out her genie top to see her chest. As she clung to Tsubasa, Natsume got jealous and agreed to participate in the RPG game. He made it all the way to the final test, which was to get Mikan off her spot without touching her. He faked being ill to force her to get close to him and unintentionally made her his slave as a reward. She was forced to carry his things and he punished her each time she complained. When visiting a pastry shop worked by Anna, Mikan was infuriated by Natsume's rudeness for ruining Anna's cake and throwing a pot of tea at her when she tried to eat Anna's cake, but Ruka said that he had a reason to do so and she regretted yelling at him. They later visit Yu’s haunted house, and Mikan and Natsume are separated from Ruka. Mikan asked to sit close to Natsume and hold his hand, as she was scared of the dark. he refused to hold her hand but let her sit close to him. She then apologized for yelling at him and she realized she no ok her hated him. She tried cracking jokes with him to get him to smile but he brushed her off and called her "Polka Dot". This has Mikan call him "Nasty Fox" and in retaliation Natsume flips her skirt and calls her "Strawberry Fields". They fight and when they are rescued, Mikan and Natsume are found in a compromising position (Mikan being on top of Natsume). Mikan tries to explain the situation, but Natsume says that just because no one was around doesn't mean nothing happened, which infuriates Mikan but she thought that she heard Natsume faintly laugh. Afterwards, an incident causes Natsume to dress as a cat for the festival play and everyone but Mikan is too scared to say how cute he looks. Natsume forces Mikan to play the prince in retaliation for her calling him cute. When Mikan has to kiss Ruka (who is playing the princess), Natsume gets jealous and throws an eraser (apple in the anime) at Mikan to stop the kiss. During the Alice Festival Dance, Mikan learns some of the girls have crushes or boyfriends and she has never liked a boy because she is still too young. She sees Natsume and Ruka surrounded by older girls, who assume Mikan is Natsume’s girlfriend but she denies this. Mikan asks Natsume if he wants to dance with her but he refuses and gets Ruka to dance with her. Afterwards, Mikan finds Natsume sitting alone and again asks him to dance with her but he again refuses. He goes on to say she should stay away from him because he is surrounded by darkness and she shouldn’t see that darkness. He then yells at her when she still doesn’t leave and when she criticizes him for never saying her name, he finally does. Mikan is shocked and walks away, blushing and her heart racing. Ruka overhears this and tells Natsume that was the first time he called a girl by her name and tries to get Natsume to dance with Mikan as her Last Dance partner but he refuses. Natsume later watched with jealousy as Mikan dances with Hotaru as her Last Dance Partner, hinting he wanted to be her Last Dance partner but was too stubborn to ask her. Shortly after, Mikan’s desire to study hard for the semester exams encourages Natsume to study, something he never had to do. Persona notices how soft Natsume has become recently and believes it is because of Mikan but warns him that he will end up losing something important to him. This causes Natsume to ignore Mikan again.

When Z invades the school and begins stealing Alices, Mikan tries to ask Natsume what is going on. Remembering Persona’s words, Natsume ignores her and she asks him what he hates about her. He replies he hates everything about her, which hurts her feelings. However Ruka notices Natsume is lying about hating her. When Mikan decides to Z’s hideout to retrieve Yu’s Alice and find a cure for a critically ill Hotaru, Natsume agrees to help her, although he is dismayed that Tsubasa and Tono will be accompanying with them as he is jealous of their friendship with Mikan. The two later talk by a lake and discuss the tradition of switching Alice stones. Not knowing the meaning of it, Mikan says she will give hers to Natsume but he rejects her offer and they splash water on each other. Natsume then asks her to wear her hair down because it looks prettier that way. During the confrontation with Z, Mikan, who was separated from the group, reunited with them and Natsume critizes her for being reckless but since he had no choice he will protect her. Mikan replies she doesn’t need protection and asks him to let her be his strength. Natsume is almost willing to give his Alice to Yuka until he hears Mikan shouting his name and he starts to resist. After returning to the school, Mikan and her friends arrange a late birthday party for Natsume and she gives him a camera as a present and the class takes a picture together, which reminds him that he can’t always protect everyone. During the Christmas party, Mikan and Natsume are asked to dance together by Ruka, which they do. The dance is awkward between the two, but the atmosphere becomes somewhat romantic between them. Natsume, wanting to see Mikan smile, comments how Mikan seemed happy while dancing with Ruka at the Alice Festival and asks her to smile a little, calling her an ugly girl and she retaliates by calling him an awful fox. The two insult each other, making the mood around them brighter, until a couple dancing bumps into them and they accidentally fall onto each other and "kiss"; it was a tooth kiss, according to Mikan, since only her tooth hit his mouth. Natsume calls her a bad dancer and kisser before walking away. She later leaves the dance floor and comes up that same tree Natsume's sitting and, although disappointed to find only Natsume, she cries and talks to Natsume about what happened to her in the dance floor. Natsume calls her stupid for believing the tale of bad luck, which helps Mikan forget her problems. The conversation then shifts to the kissing incident when Natsume asks if she kissed Ruka, which she refuses to speak about and asks if he had ever kissed anyone (she had heard that he had). Natsume says she is unsuitable for Ruka, which infuriates her and she says that she wouldn't want to be the person who kissed him and that their kiss wasn't a kiss. Then, Natsume kisses her fully on the lips and she nervously returns his kiss. When Mikan pushes him away, she is breathless and he leaves after saying the kiss now counted, leaving Mikan baffled. It is then shown that Natsume and Ruka have begun a friendly rivalry over winning Mikan’s attention, as they both hold her hand during a blackout and laugh as they realize what they did.

Natsume attends Mikan’s birthday party but keeps to himself and hesitates to give his present to her. In an incident that caused them to get stuck together, Mikan is forced to sleep in Natsume’s bed with him but only after they separate but he forces her to pretend they are still stuck. Mikan was initially scared at sharing a bed with a boy but found herself comfortable. Natsume began having a nightmare and Mikan woke him up, and he pulled her into a hug and asked her to be quiet. Mikan was surprised but they ended up falling asleep in an embrace. In the morning, Mikan was embarrassed to find herself kissing his forehead and insisted Natsume held her first but he denied it. Afterwards, Natsume sat with Mikan during the HanaHime festivities and gave her a mandarin to eat and when she asked if she smelled bad from the medicine the other girls sprayed on her, he said her scent was more tolerable than the perfume auras. He then went to find his sister Aoi and ended up being confronted by Persona. From Ruka, Mikan learned how Natsume was falsely blamed for setting his former village on fire that was caused by Aoi and instigated by Persona. Mikan is enraged and vows to never forgive Persona for what he has done to Natsume. In the battle with Persona, Mikan is infected by Persona’s Alice and Natsume is enraged when Persona blames Mikan for getting infected. Mikan tried to get Natsume and the others to flee but they refuse. After Persona is defeated, Natsume decides to take Aoi and leave the school, which worries Mikan if he will really leave. Mikan’s health then takes a turn for the worst and Natsume becomes very worried for her. When Mikan recovers due to her Stealing Alice, Natsume decides to remain in the school because, as he tells Aoi, his friends need him. But Ruka knows it’s because of Mikan, and Natsume confirms this, as well as that she can make him smile and he will protect her no matter what. On Valentines Day, Mikan makes chocolate for all her friends and asks Ruka to accept the first one. However, Ruka accidentally drops it and Natsume, overhearing this, ate the chocolate. Their class is later taught how to make Alice stones and Mikan decides to give hers to Natsume because she believes he needs it the most. She gives him her stone and says that although it is small, she hopes it will come in use for his Alice. The next morning, she wakes up to find a bag with a large red Alice stone in it by her window. She is mesmerized by the stone and suspects that its from Natsume, but she decides not to question him.

When they enter the fifth grade, Mikan finds Natsume at the entrance ceremony and is amazed how tall he has gotten. She later chases after him and accidentally runs into him, and he turns around with a smile and asks why she has such an expression after they haven’t seen each other for a while. Mikan blushes as he smiles at her. A new student, Luna, is introduced to the class and begins flirting with Natsume and insisting on sitting next to him, much to Mikan and Natsume’s dismay. However, Natsume senses something is odd about Luna and allows her to hold his hand and be close to him, which makes Mikan behave jealously. Mikan tried to get Natsume to join her team for the Sports festival but he goes with Luna. During the event, Mikan often sees the two together and feels jealous but it turns out that Luna is targeting Mikan and Natsume is forced to play along with Luna’s facade in order to protect Mikan. When Luna spreads rumors about Mikan, Natsume questions her about them but Mikan lies and tells him that his worry for her is a burden. In disguise, Natsume is forced into a search game and is tasked with finding the person he loves, and he brings Mikan to the finish line. Mikan suspects the person was Natsume but Luna says he was with her the whole time, and Mikan gets angry as she hears rumors that the two are dating. Pressured by Luna, Natsume says some cruel things about Mikan and, overhearing them, Mikan runs away crying. Natsume, disguised again, chases after her and hugs her. When she turns around, he is gone but she is positive it is Natsume and forgives him, as she realizes he didn’t mean to say what he said. After the festival ends, everyone starts to doubt Natsume but Mikan insists she trusts Natsume and will wait for him. By now, Mikan suspects Natsume has developed romantic feelings for her, which Natsume strongly hints when he holds her hand as she unintentionally shares her thoughts with him and he promises to never leave her as she asks him if he would ever leave her behind.

When Tsubasa goes missing, Mikan is saddened and Natsume sneaks into her room, as he sensed she was crying and came to comfort her. They hug and he vows to find Tsubasa for her. He later protects Milan from Luna and Kuonji when they try to force her into the DA class to seize her Stealing Alice. Natsume admits he loves Mikan and will always protect her before they escape from Kuonji. Natsume hears Narumi offer Mikan to escape with him and he admits he never wants to let go of her hand, and he wants to run away with her, which she reciprocates. The high school principal (Mikan’s uncle) asks her to run away with her mother (Yuka) but Mikan refuses and Natsume suggests Mikan know about the past so she can make a decision. Nodacchi takes the children through time traveling where it is revealed Mikan and Natsume are more deeply connected than thought - their mothers (Yuka and Kaoru) were best friends in the school and supported each other after a pregnant Yuka escaped from the school but after Mikan was born and Kaoru grew more ill during her pregnancy with Natsume, Yuka fled with Mikan to protect Kaoru’s family. But to maintain their bond, their mothers named Mikan and Natsume after fruits. Nodacchi comments it is a miracle Yuka and Kaoru’s children met in the Academy, which makes Mikan and Natsume realize they were meant to be together. Mikan realizes Natsume inherited his illness from his mother and she apologizes for never noticing his illness sooner. In response, Natsume embraces her and assured her that he will never die and leave her behind. Natsume comforts Mikan as she watches her father’s death and is initially saddened when she decides to leave with her mother, and she is sad too. Mikan also realizes the red Alice stone she found was indeed Natsume’s. Natsume supports Mikan’s decision to go with her mother and plans to protect her. With the Telepathy Alice, Mikan feels Natsume’s feelings, which are so intense that she is overwhelmed and she realizes that she truly loves Natsume. The two then embraced and reinforced their desire to be together until she leaves.

When Mikan is forced to be imprisoned by Kuonji, Natsume reinforces his promise to protect her and free her. Three months pass, during which Mikan is banned from seeing her friends and leaving her room. Natsume tried to find her to no avail. As the class picks out Christmas presents for Mikan, Natsume was going to send her an Alice stone but Hotaru says that won’t do and suggests he send her a Rapunzel book because the story of the prince and princess seems to fit him and Mikan. During the Christmas party, Natsume desires to kiss Mikan and goes to find her again. Mikan senses Natsume calling her and goes outside, where they finally see each other due to Shiki opening the barrier a little. Natsume climbs up to her balcony. Mikan cries in joy and kisses his hand as he puts it against her mouth when he sees a guard and she says she missed him. According to Natsume, she has been calling to him somehow. Mikan is embrassed and accuses Natsume of making it up, but says it could be true. Although she can't leave, Mikan says that being with Natsume is a blessing and makes her happy. To make up for not getting Natsume a present (altough she didn't expect to receive any) Mikan offers Natsume anything. His request is for her to kiss him, which flusters her, saying she couldn't do it because she was embarrassed. When he tells her he will leave, Mikan kisses him. When Natsume asks for another kiss, she says she can't because it will make her heart explode. Then, Natsume asks Mikan to tell him that she loves him, much to her growing embarrassment. She then confesses to Natsume that she loves him after he promises to tell her after she does for him and she proceeds to call him names that she then brushes off as unnecessary. Natsume tells Mikan that he loves her more than anyone now and forever, and the two kiss once more. Soon after the kiss, when Natsume asks her to  wait for him, she promises to wait for him no matter how long it takes and asks him to not be reckless. Then, Mikan gives Natsume a larger alice stone and says that they now can be happy together forever. Natsume says that it's a proposal, making Mikan blush. Natsume tells her that she is his forever, and softly kisses her alice stone making her blush even more and said even if she doesn't love him anymore he would never give back the alice stone she gave him. Both Natsume and Mikan swear they'll be together forever, with the moon as their witness for their vow, and they seal the vow with a kiss. Soon after that, Shiki closed the barrier and Natsume falls off, calling Mikan's name before he falls on the snowy ground. Ruka finds Natsume and, as Natsume starts coughing up blood, he admits his greatest fear is not being able to see Mikan if he dies. Natsume then asks Ruka to take care of Mikan should anything happen to him. Natsume later tells Narumi that living without Mikan is the same as being dead and he wants nothing more than for him and Mikan to have a future different than the one of their parents. His kisses with and proposal to Mikan becomes common knowledge when Koko reveals it and that Mikan is Natsume’s ‘fiancée‘, much to Natsume’s dismay.

During the final confrontation with Kuonji, Natsume chooses to stay for the battle rather than fleeing and promises to Hotaru that he will survive for Mikan’s sake, and Hotaru asks him to take care of Mikan. However, Natsume is mortally injured and sets the building on fire in an attempt to kill Kuonji. Mikan finds out about Natsume’s condition and quickly teleports to his location. However, Natsume realizes he is dying and says his only regret is not being able to see Mikan’t smile again, as he credits her smile for being the light that healed him. Mikan finds Natsume unconscious and not breathing but, as his flames are still burning, he is still alive. Mikan begs for Natsume to wake up and come back to her, and reminds him of their promise. She subconsciously uses her Alice to nullify his flames and she passes out on top of him. Sakurano and Tono’s attempts to save Natsume fail and the high school principal suggests Mikan insert Natsume’s Alice stone into his body to save him. But in the process, Mikan realizes that she had lost her Alice when she stopped Natsume's flames, which leaves her devastated. HSP tells her to absorb her Alice stone to give her the ability to insert the stone into Natsume, but if she does so, she will no longer have an Alice and be unable to remain in the academy. Unwilling to lose Natsume forever, Mikan sacrifices the last of her Alice to save his life. Before she does so, she kisses the unconcious Natsume and professes her love to him. Her sacrifice, however, was in vain and Natsume is confirmed dead. As Mikan would lose the will to live if Natsume is dead, Hotaru pleads with Nodacchi to go back in time and save him. Although changing the future is forbidden, Nodacchi agrees but says Mikan will still have to accept that Natsume is dead

Although Mikan is allowed to return to her friends and smiles in front of them, she is actually heartbroken over Natsume likely being dead and cries when she is alone. As Everyone begins bidding her farewell before she leaves the school, they credit Mikan for helping Natsume show his kindness. As she leaves through the gate, Mikan’s memories, including those of Natsume, are erased and she is returned to her village. A week later, Nodacchi and an alive Natsume return to the present time, and Natsume is hospitalized. When he learns of Mikan’s departure, he is devastated and vows to find her. To keep this vow, he excels throughout middle school, takes special missions to skip high school, and graduates early at age 16, allowing him access to the outside world. When they reunite, four years had passed. Mikan has a feeling there was someone she loved but she can’t remember who. When Natsume saves her from kidnappers, Mikan senses she knows him and feels drawn to him. However, he angers her when he touches her chest and she tries to run away. Natsume pulls her into a hug and shouts how hard it was for him to live without her and her not remembering him, and even if she doesn’t remember him, she belongs to him. Mikan reciprocates his hug and finds her Alice stone in his pocket, which he gives to her and she subconsciously absorbs it. Regaining some of her memories, Mikan cries and smiles as realizes she is looking at Natsume and the two happily embrace. When Mikan learns of Hotaru’a sacrifice to save Natsume, Mikan decides to try to find her, which Natsume supports.

Upon returning the school, Mikan and Natsume officially begin dating and wear matching engagement rings. They have a more loving relationship, although Natsume still teases her and makes it a priority to ‘monopolize’ her so that she will fully belong to him. After Mikan graduated from the school, she and Natsume fulfill their promise and happily got married.

Fanon
MikaNatsu is a popular ship due to development of their relationship.

Fandom
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Trivia

 * Mikan’s name means ‘mandarin orange’, whereas Natsume’s name means ‘jujube’ in Japanese.
 * Natsume’s mother gave her son a fruit name in order to make her connection to Mikan’s mother stronger, as Mikan’s name has a fruit meaning. His mother hoped the connection would continue through their children, which it did and grew into true love.
 * Mikan is six months older than Natsume; her real birthday is May 17 (her ‘birthday’ January 1 is actually the day her grandfather adopted her) and Natsume was born the following November 27.
 * In chapter 38, Natsume asked Mikan to wear her hair down in five years because it looked prettier that way. Mikan unknowingly keeps this promise after her memory erasure and kept her hair down after regaining her memories.
 * Mikan is the only girl Natsume calls by her name, which shows he feels close to her.
 * Mikan is Natsume's first love; this is proven because when Narumi used his Alice on him in chapter 1, Natsume fainted. Only people who have never been in love faint in result to Narumi's Alice.
 * In a special side note, Mikan is regarded by others as an expert in love as she found love, experienced kissing, and got engaged by age 12.
 * In her journal, although the passage is partially obscured, it is shown Mikan wants to get married and have lots of children. As she wrote about her dream to go on a date with Natsume on the next page, it is strongly hinted she wrote this after she and Natsume confessed their feelings to each other and therefore her dream is to marry Natsume and have a family with him.
 * In the spin off,  Kageki no Kuni no Alice, Hikari spies on Mikan and Natsume to gather advice on kissing, as the two are considered a couple who are most likely to kiss when no one is around. She is mesmerized when Natsume licks candy off Mikan’s face, although this embarrasses Mikan and angers Natsume when Hikari is caught.