Forgotten Memories

Chapter One: Rain and Sorrow

The sun was nowhere to be seen on the cold month of March in Alice Academy, a
prestigious school for gifted children, as clouds filled the sky with an ominous
aura. School was drawing to a close for Spring Break, graduation was about to fall
into the senior’s hands, and the celebration was only days away.
Sakura Mikan was now a 12-year old student of Class B. She was cute, energetic, and
very open-minded. She liked making new friends and being with them. She possessed
two rare Alice, the Nullification Alice and the Stealing Alice. She has been under
keen observation by the Academy because of her Alice. Despite that fact, Mikan
still enjoys her life in school together with her friends. She was also promoted to
the Double Star Rank. Her best friend was Imai Hotaru, a cold and rational girl who
seemed to care about money a lot. But Hotaru was a very intelligent girl and she
has the Invention Alice. She was a Triple Star student. She may seem to dislike
Mikan, but in reality, she cared for the adorable twin-tailed girl a lot.
In the room of Class B, everyone was talking about the graduation and the Spring
Break. Most of the students here were going to graduate and move on to Middle
School. The graduating students namely were Sakura Mikan, Imai Hotaru, Hyuuga
Natsume, Nogi Ruka, Tobita Yuu, and Shouda Sumire. These students passed their
final examinations with flying colors. Of course, Hotaru and Natsume got the
highest grades. On the other hand, Mikan managed to pass because of everyone’s
help.
Ogasawara Nonoko, a girl with the Chemical Alice, noticed that Mikan has not yet
arrive and it was almost time for Class. Well, it wasn’t an official class. It was
more of a meeting or gathering wherein the teachers will discussed on what to do
during the graduation ceremony. “Is Mikan-chan going to be late again?” the young
girl asked.
“Knowing Mikan, she’ll probably come in when the teacher is here,” Hotaru replied
in a very cold tone.
“That means she’ll still in the dormitory,” Yuu, formally known as ‘Iinchou’ (Class
Representative), said, as he looked out the window. “The weather is no good today.
I hope Mikan-chan comes soon before it rains.”
“A little rain won’t hurt her,” Hotaru said, as she sat down and fiddled with her
invention. She was currently making a new type of mobile phone in a shape of a
clam.
Just then, Umenomiya Anna, an adorable pink-haired girl with the Cooking Alice,
entered the classroom and approached Nonoko and Hotaru. She greeted them with a
smile. “Good Morning, Nonoko-chan, Hotaru-chan!” She then glanced around the
classroom in search for a certain someone. “Eh? Where’s Mikan-chan?”
“Back in the dormitory, I guess,” Hotaru answered, twitching some wires and screws
on her invention.
“That’s strange.” Anna pulled a concerned face. “I saw Mikan-chan left early this
morning. She seemed to be in a hurry.”
This caught the attention of two hottest boys in class, Natsume and Ruka. Natsume
was a genius boy and a Special-Star student. His Alice was Fire, a quite vicious
one in fact. Natsume was cold, ruthless, and moody. On the other hand, Ruka was the
opposite. The blonde boy was caring and considerate, and has traits which balanced
Natsume’s personality. He has the Animal Pheromone Alice and he was a Triple
student like Hotaru and Iinchou. These two have deep feelings for Mikan. For the
past two years, they have protected Mikan from harm, but they have yet to confess
their love for her. The both of them were the best of friends but also rivals in
love.
“Me too!” Kokoroyomi, an odd boy with the Mind-Reading Alice, spoke out suddenly.
“Actually, she bumped into me while I was walking to school.”
Sumire, the self-proclaimed president of the Natsume-Ruka Fan Club, came up to the
mind-reader with her hands on her hips. “What is this about now?” she asked in her
stern voice.
“Did she say anything?” Anna asked.
Kokoroyomi held his chin and thought about his encounter with Mikan a while ago.
“She didn’t say anything. I tried to read her mind but I wasn’t able to. It seems
like her Nullifying Alice is getting stronger.” He chuckled as he scratched his
head. “But she had this blank expression on her face. It was like she wasn’t
herself.”
Hotaru stopped messing with her invention and looked up at Kokoroyomi. She stood up
and went in front of the mind-reading boy.
He read Hotaru’s mind and nodded his head immediately. “I’ll do it. Where’s this
invention of yours?”
In instant, Hotaru fished out her Anglerfish Projector, an invention which projects
pictures from a person’s mind. She placed it on Kokoroyomi’s head and made him
faced the chalkboard in order to get a clear view of what’s going through his mind.
After that, she switched on the projector and the image was flashed on the board.
Kokoroyomi was walking peacefully towards the school. He looked up at the sky and
noticed that it was going to rain. By the time he looked forward, he got bumped by
none other than Mikan. Kokoroyomi was able to regain his balance, but Mikan fell
butt first on the ground. He quickly extended his hand to help Mikan up. “You
okay?”
Mikan ignored Kokoroyomi’s help and stood up on her own. Her loose long hair flowed
elegantly on her shoulders to her back as her bangs covered her eyes. She passed by
him like he wasn’t even there in the first place.
“Um… Wait a sec!” The mind-reader spun on his heels and grabbed hold of Mikan’s
wrists. “Are you angry? Sorry about that, okay?”
But Mikan gave no reply. She was quiet, awfully quiet, which was really strange.
Mikan wasn’t the quiet type. She was usually cheery and outspoken. What was wrong
with her?
Mikan pulled her hand away from Kokoroyomiand proceeded without saying anything.
The mind-reader took off the projector from his head and sighed deeply. “I don’t
know what was going on with her. If only I could’ve read her mind…” He handed the
projector back to Hotaru and read her mind. “So, you’re worried now, huh?”
Hotaru narrowed her gaze at him, sending chills to his spine. “No one gave you the
permission to read my mind,” she said coldly, pointing her Baka Gun at him.
Kokoroyomi chuckled as he backed away. “Ha-ha… Sorry…” He sweat dropped.
The students in the class all watched the scene with Mikan and they were wondering
why Mikan was like that. In addition, tension was building up with Hotaru, Natsume,
and Ruka.
At this point, their ever-loving –cheery teacher, who was dressed in girly fashion
yet again, merrily skipped into the classroom. He had gorgeous blonde hair and the
face of a super model. Despite that fact, his students thought of him as a very
weird teacher, except for Mikan. “Good morning, class! To start of—” He was going
to say something exciting about the graduation ceremony, but Hotaru cut him off.
“Narumi-sensei, Mikan is missing,” she said.
“Eh? Mikan-chan? What do you mean?” Narumi-sensei asked, a hint of concern showing
in his face.
“She left the dormitory early this morning but she hasn’t arrived for class yet,”
Nonoko added, clasping her hands.
“I bumped into her this morning. She was acting a bit strange, sensei,” Kokoroyomi
said.
“Is that so?” Narumi put on a serious face. “Classes will be postponed for now.
Let’s all go look for Mikan-chan. I’ll also report this to the faculty.” With that,
he rushed out of the classroom.
Everyone was starting to talk about Mikan, wondering what could have happened to
her.
“Natsume, we better go look for her,” Ruka said, his face clouded with uneasiness.
He had a bad feeling that Mikan might be in danger.
Of course, Natsume was feeling the same way as Ruka did. He was worried for Mikan’s
safety and he will not be able to forgive himself if anything happens to Mikan.
After all, Mikan was the light of his dark world. Natsume stood up, with hands in
his pocket, and walked towards Hotaru. “Hey, do you have a clue on her
whereabouts?” he questioned.
“Unfortunately, no…” she said flatly, as she stood. “But we are going to find her.
Of course, you and Ruka-kun are going to help.”
Ruka nodded his head, feeling determined.
“We’re going to help too,” Nonoko and Anna said simultaneously.
“Me too,” Yuu added.
Before they knew it, the whole class pitched in because they wanted to help out.
Mikan was, after all, an important friend and member of their class.
And the search went on. All of the students were trying hard to find the loving
twin-tailed girl. Respectively, some were using their Alice in the search. To no
avail, they were not able to find her. Hotaru, Natsume, and Ruka were getting more
worried than usual. Even though Narumi-sensei sought help from the teachers, they
too have failed to locate her.
“Found her yet?” Narumi asked his fellow teacher, Yamada Serina who possessed the
Alice of Sight.
The blonde woman gazed upon her crystal ball, trying to see where Mikan was. But
all the crystal ball was showing her were gray clouds. She sadly shook her head and
faced Narumi. “With her Nullifying Alice, it’s impossible to find her. Her Alice
has been improving a lot.”
Narumi held his temple and leaned against the wall. He was thinking of all sorts of
things that might have happened to his idol’s daughter. If something happens to
her, Yuka-senpai is not going to forgive me.
The weather wasn’t looking fine. Rain started pouring heavily, disrupting the
search even further. Some students have given up and went back to the classroom.
Some still strived on, not caring about the rain or getting wet, just to look for
Mikan. It was becoming endless and tiring. An hour has passed and there was still
no sign of her.
Hotaru met up with Natsume and Ruka in front of the Middle School building. As she
could clearly see, the two boys were panting and sweating despite the temperature.
She handed them two umbrellas and said, “Keep looking for her.”
“You don’t have to tell us that, idiot.” Natsume shrugged and grabbed the umbrella.
He opened it up and ran off.
“Natsume…” Ruka sighed and turned to Hotaru. “He’s really worried about her.”
“He’s not the only one,” Hotaru said, staring at Ruka keenly.
“I know…” Ruka took the umbrella from Hotaru. “Thanks, Imai…” He then rushed off
into the rain as well.
Hotaru was good at keeping her emotions. She was looking strong on the outside but
she was actually afraid on the inside. She was afraid for her best friend, her most
cherished one. “That idiot… She certainly knows how to make people worried.”
In the Northern Woods, the Alice Security Group was spread out in teams as they
searched every area carefully. The Academy Head had ordered them to find Mikan no
matter what, as he said that the school can’t afford to lose a valuable student
like her. It was so uncommon for a student to possess two Alice and a unique
combination of Alice indeed. The Head felt that Mikan was kidnapped by the Anti-
Alice Organization. If that was the case, he wondered how they got into the
Academy. Furthermore, those people with the Alice of Senses should be able to sense
the presence of an intruder. It was really weird.
Natsume was already in the Northern Words. He clenched the handle of his umbrella
tight as he ran and ran through the muddy path of the woods. Mud was being
splattered everywhere on his uniform, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to find
Mikan. He wanted to be at her side so badly. His heart was telling him that she was
in trouble and she needed his protection. He hoped he could just make it in time
for her.
“NATSUME!!” someone shouted his name from afar, startling him a bit. That voice, he
knew it so well, it belonged to her.
Adrenaline pumping, he ran towards that voice and came across a small area with no
trees. He scanned the grounds for any sign of her but he found nothing but rain and
mud. However, for some reason, he felt like there was someone there. He was about
to leave until a strange light appeared in the middle of the area. The light, it
was blue and cold, he thought. He prepared himself for something to happen but he
didn’t expect a person appearing from the light. Getting a close look the person,
he gasped as he saw that it was Mikan.
Mikan was on her knees, staring aimlessly at the ground. She was soaking wet and
her flowing hair covered a part of her face. She was somewhat lifeless, even though
she was breathing normally.
Natsume couldn’t believe his eyes. It was really her. Controlling the urge to hug
her, he went closer to her and shielded her from the rain with his umbrella. “Where
have you been all this time? Didn’t you know that you made a lot of people worry?”
His voice was cold as ever, but he was seriously happy to see her again. He just
didn’t know what to say at her at the moment.
The young brunette raised her head and looked up at Natsume. Surprisingly, her eyes
were full of tears and sorrow. Her eyes that were once filled with overwhelming
happiness were now clouded with negative feelings.
“Hey, Polka-dots, what’s wrong?” Natsume asked a little softly this time.
“Natsume!” Mikan rose up and pushed herself upon him, causing him to drop his
umbrella. She buried her face in his chest and continued sobbing.
“You’re getting me wet,” he said. Honestly, he could’ve said something comforting
to her. Well, this was Hyuuga Natsume we’re talking about. He acts cool and
unsympathetic in front of others and rarely shows his caring side.
“Natsume,” Mikan spoke softly, as she gazed upon him with her teary eyes. “I’m glad
that you’re here.” She smiled at him quite faintly.
Something wasn’t right anymore, he thought. Mikan’s smile wasn’t the usual one he
sees everyday. “Mind telling me what’s going on with you?”
“I don’t have much time left,” she said, giving Natsume more questions to think of
than before. “Natsume, please grant me one last favor.”
He felt like she was going away, as in very far away. With her display of actions
and words, he didn’t know if he should comply with her or not. But he couldn’t bear
to see her sad face any longer. If it would make her happy, then he would grant her
favor. “What is it?” He asked.
“Can you say my name?” she replied, clutching on his uniform tightly. “Can you say
my name one more time?”
How come it sounded like a death wish for him? That request she made him feel
uncomfortable. But since Mikan asked for it, she was going to get it.
“All right,” he said, wearing a smile on his face, as he held her shoulders. “After
this, we’re going back to the Academy right away, understand?”
Mikan gave him a simple nod as she still held that sad smile. Tears were flowing
out of her eyes endlessly.
“Mikan…” he finally said her name, bringing relief to the young girl’s heart.
“Thank you, Natsume,” she said, leaning her head on his chest.
He couldn’t control his urge any longer. He snaked his arms around her and hugged
her so securely. “Mikan…” he said it again.
She was so happy to hear her name coming from him. She would only hear it on rare
occasions, since Natsume always teased her with nicknames. She was so grateful to
him for granting her last favor. She looked up at him, giving him a wider smile.
“Natsume, thanks again, and…” she hesitated a bit. “Goodbye…” With those last words,
she fell unconscious in his arms.
“Eh? What?” Natsume’s crimson eyes grew wide in shock. He clutched the brunette
tightly, preventing her from falling towards the wet ground. He shook her viciously
to wake her up, but it seemed she was knocked out cold. “Mikan! Hey! Mikan! MIKAN!”
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 2: Lost Identity
It was a world filled nothing but darkness. Mikan stood alone in this world,
feeling the bitter coldness and sadness. There was nothing at all. There was no one
there. She walked a few steps, turned her head from time to time, hoping she would
see someone. She tried to scream, and even to whisper, but her voice did not come
out. She was starting to fear. Her knees trembled and so did her hands. She fell to
her knees and tears streamed down her amber eyes. She was so alone and so sad. She
felt like dying right there. She buried her face in her palms and cried her heart
out.
Just then, she heard a voice calling her name.
“Mikan! Hey! Mikan! MIKAN!”
That voice was so familiar to her. She can’t explain why but she felt so happy to
hear that voice. She stood from her position and looked around for the source of
the voice. She ran through the darkness and came across a path of light. There, she
saw the owner of the voice. She paused for a while, as she kept staring at the
raven-haired figure before her. She seemed to recognize him but she can’t remember
his name. Who was he?
The person turned to her, showing her a genuine smile. “Mikan…” he muttered her
name with importance.
Mikan couldn’t help but cry some more. “You…” She clasped her hands tightly. “Who…
are you?”
With that, the world shattered like broken glasses and disappeared.
“Ah!” squeaked Mikan as she arose from the bed. She breathed heavily thanks to the
dream she had, or more like a nightmare. She held her temple to sort out her
thoughts. She tried remembering the dream again, but it seemed to be a blur to her
now.
“Mikan…”
“Eh?” Mikan turned her head to see students surrounding her bed.
On the right side, there stood Hotaru, Ruka, and Nonoko, while on the left side,
there stood Anna and Kokoroyomi. Yuu and Sumire were both standing at the edge of
the bed. Natsume, by the way, was leaning by the window, as his crimson eyes were
fixed on the brunette. Obviously, everyone there was worried for Mikan.
“Thank goodness, you’re awake now,” Yuu beamed with a tear in his eye.
Anna clasped her hands and smiled. “We were so worried about you, Mikan-chan.”
Hotaru placed a hand on Mikan’s head. “You always cause us a lot of trouble. A lot
of people were worried about you,” she said in her usual tone. But, in her heart,
she was grateful that Mikan was safe.
“So, Sakura-san, are you all right now?” Sumire asked, slightly concerned and
slightly uncaring. She was always like that to Mikan. “It’s a good thing Natsume-
kun found you. You better thank him.”
“That’s right. What were you doing in the Northern Woods?” Nonoko asked, taking a
seat on the bed. “And why were you crying at that time?”
Mikan gave them a confused look, as if she doesn’t understand them.
“Mikan, did something happen in the Northern Woods?” Hotaru questioned with a hint
of concern in her voice this time.
“Umm… Northern Woods?” Mikan spoke, looking curious. “What is that? And oh, who is
this Mikan?”
Everyone gasped in surprise. Even Natsume, who was keeping himself from asking
questions, approached the bed and stared at Mikan.
“Hey, wait a sec, Sakura-san! Don’t joke like that.” Sumire flapped her hand a
little bit as she giggled nervously.
“Sakura? Is that my name?” Mikan said, holding no emotions in her face. Her eyes
were also dim and motionless. She appeared different somehow.
“Mikan, don’t tell me…” Hotaru muttered, her amethyst eyes growing larger.
Natsume gritted his teeth. “Hey, read her mind.” He told Kokoroyomi, and the mind-
reader nodded without complaints.
Kokoroyomi eyed Mikan carefully and concentrated his Alice on her. It was going to
difficult since Mikan had the Nullifying Alice. He forced his way inside Mikan’s
mind and heart, and he was surprised to see emptiness within her. “Mikan … She’s…”
“What is it? Tell us!” Sumire shouted, clutching onto the mind-reader’s uniform.
Mikan didn’t know what was going on between the students and remained silent.
“Everyone, this is what Mikan is thinking right now…” Kokoroyomi swallowed hard as
he kept his eyes focused on the brunette. “Who are these people? What is this
place? How did I get here? I can’t remember anything.”
At this point, Mikan showed a bit of emotion learning that Kokoroyomi was really
reading her mind.
Kokoroyomi was getting more depressed as he continued. “Huh? This guy is reading my
mind. How did he do that?”
“Sakura…” Ruka muttered, feeling a pang in his heart. “She can’t remember. Why? How
did this happen?”
Natsume clenched his fists hard and stared at the floor. He didn’t expect this to
happen. After bringing her to the hospital, he thought she’ll be all right. The
doctors with healing specialty Alice have already told him that there was nothing
wrong with her. But why couldn’t she remember anything? Suddenly, he thought back
about what happened between them in the Northern woods.
“Thank you, Natsume,” she said, leaning her head on his chest.
He couldn’t control his urge any longer. He snaked his arms around her and hugged
her so securely. “Mikan…” he said it again.
She was so happy to hear her name coming from him. She would only hear it on rare
occasions, since Natsume always teased her with nicknames. She was so grateful to
him for granting her last favor. She looked up at him, giving him a wider smile.
“Natsume, thanks again, and…” she hesitated a bit. “Goodbye…” With those last words,
she fell unconscious in his arms.
“Eh? What?” Natsume’s crimson eyes grew wide in shock. He clutched the brunette
tightly, preventing her from falling towards the wet ground. He shook her viciously
to wake her up, but it seemed she was knocked out cold. “Mikan! Hey! Mikan! MIKAN!”
Slowly, he looked up at the brunette as he felt his heart tearing apart. During
that time in the Northern Woods, he didn’t know what she meant about ‘Goodbye.’ He
didn’t know that she will lose her memories after she fainted. He cursed himself
quietly in his mind. He had failed for protect her.
“This can’t be really happening, right?” Sumire said, laughing lightly, as she
pointed her finger at Mikan. “Sakura-san, stop kidding around!”
“Um… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” replied Mikan, looking more confused
than usual.
Sumire shrugged. “This is not good.” She ran towards the door and opened it. “I’m
going to inform Narumi-sensei about this. Hey, come with me!” She addressed the
mind-reader.
Kokoroyomi nodded his head and ran off with Sumire.
“We should inform the class about this as well,” Yuu suggested, turning to Anna and
Nonoko. Afterwards, the three of them ran out in a hurry.
Hotaru sighed deeply as she silently spun on her heels. She walked towards the door
and grabbed hold of the knob. She slightly turned her head back at Mikan, as she
felt a prickling pain in her heart. She wanted to cry, but the mask on her face was
too tight. She didn’t want to reveal her soft side to anyone, not even to Mikan.
“Where are you going, Imai?” Ruka asked, thinking that she shouldn’t leave Mikan’s
side because she was her best friend.
“I’m going to talk to my brother. He was one of the people who checked up on Mikan.
I bet he’ll have some answers.” Hotaru faced the door and sighed once more. “Ruka-
kun, Natsume-kun, the two of you will stay with Mikan. You better not leave her
side or else,” she threatened and then left.
Mikan didn’t know what was going on at all. Her head was filled up with questions,
but she didn’t dare to ask. She observed the two boys who were standing beside her
bed. From the looks of their faces, she could tell how sad they were.
She tugged Ruka’s sleeves and looked at him innocently with her big round eyes. The
animal-lover couldn’t help but blush. Even though Mikan lost her memories, she was
still the same girl who always made Ruka jumpy.
“Umm… Why did everyone leave?” she asked him, releasing his sleeve.
Ruka sighed deeply. “They just went out for a while. They’ll be back, especially
Imai,” he answered, as he placed his little bunny friend on the bed.
“Imai? Who is that?”
“Imai Hotaru was the last person to leave. She’s the one with the short hair.”
“Oh… She seems odd for some reason and cold…”
Ruka and Natsume had to agree with Mikan on that one.
“You know, Imai is your best friend,” added Ruka, trying to put on a smile.
“Really? She is? But why can’t I remember?” Mikan lowered her head as she clutched
the sheets tightly.
The two best friends stared at each other for a while before shifting to Mikan.
They were both thinking about an answer to give to her.
Suddenly, the little rabbit hopped onto her lap and looked up at Mikan with its
adorable eyes and pointy ears. The rabbit could usually make any girl smile, but it
was a different case for Mikan right now. Mikan has neither showed any reaction nor
emotions upon seeing the rabbit. She merely patted its head and tickled its tummy.
“Is this yours?” she asked Ruka without taking her eyes off the animal.
“Yeah… That rabbit is my friend,” he replied.
“It’s really cute,” she said flatly, still not showing any emotions.
Natsume examined Mikan’s face, taking note that she doesn’t smile anymore. It was
such a pain to see her like that. He so wanted to shout out and tell Mikan to go
back to her normal self. As if that was possible…
“By the way, what’s your name?” Mikan asked, looking up at Ruka this time.
Ruka flushed up a bit before muttering his name, “Nogi Ruka…”
“Call him Ruka-pyon,” added Natsume.
As Mikan turned her head at Natsume, she felt her heart skip a beat. But she
decided to ignore this so she could ask Natsume for his name. “And you are?”
“Hyuuga Natsume,” he said, “Natsume is fine…” He just had to say that. It wouldn’t
feel right if Mikan started calling him and Ruka by their last names.
“All right.” She clasped her hands on her lap and closed her eyes. “Natsume, Ruka-
pyon, can you two please say my name? I can’t remember what it is but I know you
do.”
“It’s Sakura,” Ruka started, as Natsume followed up with, “Mikan…”
And something struck her heart again like a prickle in a rose. After hearing
Natsume say her name, she felt her heart throbbing faster than usual. She didn’t
understand her heart at all. Putting that aside, Mikan bowed her head and thanked
the boys. “My name is really nice. I wonder who gave it to me. My father or my
mother perhaps? If only I could remember.”
The two boys were as silent as a mime. Both were confused and depressed on what
happened to Mikan. Not only that, they shared the same feeling of guilt in their
hearts. They blamed themselves for not being able to protect her, for not being
there when she was in trouble. However, it wasn’t their fault. Nobody expected it
to happen. The problem just came like a quiet wind. But, as they say, there’s
always an answer to any problem. If they could somehow find the cause of Mikan’s
memory loss, then they might be able to cure her.
In the hallways of the high school building, Imai Subaru, a teacher in the academy
with the Alice of Healing, walked silently as every student passing by take notice
of him. Who wouldn’t notice him? He was once a brilliant Special Star student with
looks that can kill. He had already graduated from the Academy and became a
teacher. He may have a cold personality, but he was actually a caring person. His
dream was actually to become a doctor in the future.
He was heading towards the teacher’s lounge to meet up with his good friend,
Sakurano Shuichi, the previous student council president who possessed three Alice.
He also became a teacher upon graduating. Upon reaching the door, he encountered an
unsuspecting person.
“What brings you here?” he asked in his usual cold voice.
“I want you to answers some questions,” Hotaru replied in a flat tone.
“This is about Sakura Mikan, am I right?”
“It’s a very serious case. Mikan has lost her memories.”
Subaru’s eyes widened. “What did you say? Her memories?” He cupped his chin with
his hand. “How can that be? There wasn’t anything wrong with her.”
“Physically, yes, but mentally—it’s a different story.”
“Now that you mention it, my co-worker did say something strange when we were
checking on her.”
“And what is that?”
“He said that someone used an Alice on her,” Subaru said, putting a lot of thought
into the situation. He was one of the people who vowed to protect Mikan. In the
past, he was very fond of Mikan’s mother, Azumi Yuka, and he looked up to her.
“This Alice must be a Memory-Erasing Alice.”
“Memory-Erasing Alice?” Hotaru muttered, realizing that her best friend was in
serious trouble than she thought.
Meanwhile, the other students were all gathered in the classroom with some of the
teachers, which included Narumi, Misaki, Jinno, Serina, and Noda. After hearing the
news about Mikan, all of them got upset and worried. Even the demonic proctor,
Jinno-sensei, got worried for the young brunette as well.
“This could be the work of a Memory-Erasing Alice,” Jinno said after the explaining
he gave about such kind of Alice.
“This is really bad. I feel sorry for Mikan-chan,” Narumi-sensei muttered, pulling
a sad face.
“Mikan-chan can’t remember us at all, sensei,” Yuu spoke, clasping his hands
together. “What can we do?”
The other students were beginning to panic. Some started to whisper, some stayed
quiet namely Yuu, Nonoko, and Anna, while others were starting to argue. It was
getting chaotic in the classroom.
Jinno-sensei sent out a few bolts of lightning from his stick into the air to alert
the students to be quiet. He hated noises, especially noises made by students.
“Calm down and be quiet!”
Despite Jinno’s instructions, Sumire stepped out to ask, “Sensei, isn’t there a
student here with a Memory-Erasing Alice?” But she asked Narumi-sensei instead.
Narumi shook his head. “There’s no student with that kind of Alice. The Memory-
Erasing Alice is actually rare. It’s as rare as Mikan-chan’s Nullifying Alice.”
“This was done by an Alice. There should be an Alice that can fix this, right?”
Sumire insisted, looking so concerned. She did consider Mikan as a friend—even
though they were rivals.
“I’m sorry. The only one who can bring back Mikan-chan’s memories is the same
person who erased them,” Narumi sadly said.
Silence enveloped the room as everyone fell into deep sadness. The feeling of not
being able to anything clouded their hearts and minds. Everyone there cared for
Mikan and they want Mikan to be back to normal.
Natsume and Ruka were shocked to hear Hotaru’s explanation about Mikan’s condition.
They were standing beside Mikan’s bed where the brunette had fallen asleep. They
couldn’t even give a response to what she said. This wasn’t just a normal case of
amnesia. This was a case regarding about an Alice. Mikan will not be able to
recover unless the person who erased her memories restores them to her.
“I wonder who would do such a thing,” Ruka mumbled, clenching his fists.
“Mikan has the Nullifying Alice,” Hotaru said, brushing some strokes of hair away
from the sleeping Mikan’s face. “But her Alice didn’t work against this mind-
erasing person.”
“It means that the person has a high-level Alice,” Natsume added, feeling
aggravated but he kept his emotions well-hidden.
“Here’s another question.” Hotaru faced the boys seriously. “Why Mikan?”
“This might be the work of the Anti-Alice Organization.”
“That organization again?” said Ruka, his face showing fear and anxiety, as he
remembered his encounters with them two years ago.
“The AAO is interested in Mikan because of her two special Alice,” Natsume
explained calmly. It was getting hard for him to stay placid and emotionless, but
he had to stay and look strong in front of Ruka and Hotaru. Also, it wasn’t his
style to panic.
“If that’s really the case, then Mikan is in real danger.” Hotaru glanced over her
shoulder to look at brunette who was still sleeping soundly like an angel.
“But if they wanted Sakura, why did they have to erase her memories?” Ruka asked,
his face clouded with sadness and worries.
Natsume shrugged as he leaned on the wall. “It’s probably because it’s much easier
to manipulate her this way.”
“The old Mikan would surely resist the AAO.” Hotaru pulled out a chair and sat down
near the bed. “This must be the only possible option they could think of. How
cowardly…” She clenched her fists as she stared at them.
Before the sun had set, the news about Mikan’s memory lost has spread out in the
entire school, leaving no student or teacher unannounced. Those students who were
very close to Mikan became very depressed and they wanted to help her somehow. But
the teachers advised them not to do anything drastic until further investigation.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 3: A Whole New Scandal
The hours went by quickly. Before they knew it, the sky was already dark. Night
time came without any warning for the two boys who sat beside the brunette all this
time. The two of them did not dare to leave the room—even for dinner. They wanted
to watch over Mikan, to take care of her in any way they can.
The door creaked open as a certain inventor came in with a Robotic Butler trailing
behind her. The robot was carrying three trays of food, which were obviously for
Mikan, Natsume and Ruka. Hotaru walked up to them and looked at Mikan. She touched
Mikan’s head, rubbing it gently, as her face held no emotions. “How are you
feeling?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” replied Mikan. She turned her head to look at the food the robot was
carrying. Her stomach grumbled as she held it. “I’m pretty hungry.”
Hotaru smirked. “All right.” She grabbed a tray of food from the butler and set it
on Mikan’s lap. “Be sure to finish it.”
Mikan nodded quietly and started eating.
“You two…” Hotaru’s voice sounded bitter. She eyed on the two boys as she pointed a
finger to the robot. “Those foods are for you. You’re not planning on fasting, do
you?”
After saying that, the boys’ stomachs grumbled loudly, making the boys blush
furiously. On that mark, Hotaru pulled out her trusty camera and snapped a picture
of them. It was rare to see Natsume and Ruka blush at the same time because of
their stomachs. “This will sell well,” Hotaru said.
“IMAI!” yelled Ruka, lunging forward towards the inventor.
But Hotaru evaded him so easily and ran to the corner. Ruka still pursued her,
trying his best to snatch the camera away from her. He had been a victim of
Hotaru’s blackmails for quite a long time. Because of this, he was forced to be a
servant of Hotaru, much to his dismay. No matter what he did, he can’t seem to
escape Hotaru’s clutches.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
Hotaru was still at it and Ruka was still chasing her around the room. The both of
them were already causing a ruckus there. Mikan had already stopped eating just to
watch the two, as Natsume lowered his head while his hand was on his temple.
“Those two seem to be having fun,” Mikan stated, catching Natsume’s attention. She
looked up at him, impassively, and asked, “Are they always like that?” She pointed
at the two who was already having a tug of war with the camera.
“Ruka-kun, if you don’t let go this instant, you will surely pay,” Hotaru
threatened, narrowing her gaze.
The blonde boy shrugged. “No way!” he uttered. “Give me the camera, Imai!”
“Let go.” Hotaru said.
“No!”
“Let go.”
“NO!!”
Natsume sweat dropped and sighed. “Well, most likely…” he answered the brunette in
an awkward tone.
At long last, Ruka finally snatched the camera away from the wicked inventor. He
placed it behind his back as he smirked triumphantly. “There’s no way you’re going
to blackmail us now, Imai!” After that, his stomach growled loudly, alerting him
once again that he was hungry. He rubbed his tummy and bent a little. “I better eat
now.”
Suddenly, Hotaru took out her Baka Gun and shot at Ruka. He got hit right on the
head, causing him to whip back and throw the camera into the air. As he fell to
floor on his butt, the camera landed straight on Hotaru’s palm. “Thank you for
giving this back, Ruka-kun,” she said.
“Eh? The camera!” Ruka’s face fell as his eyes twitched. How could he let his guard
down for just one second? He should have known Hotaru better.
“Stop wasting time and eat,” Hotaru demanded and glared at Natsume as well.
Natsume knew the consequences on picking a fight against the Inventor, so he
quietly took his tray of food, sat down and ate.
Seeing that the raven-haired boy had no complaints, Ruka decided to let Hotaru off
and to eat as well.
Mikan didn’t know what exactly was going on between Hotaru and Ruka but decided to
stay quiet. She went on with her meal until she finished. “Thank you for the food,”
she said, handing the tray to the robotic butler.
“Are you full now?” Hotaru asked.
“Yes, thank you,” she answered straightly.
Hotaru felt slightly strange as she observed Mikan’s eyes. She had never seen her
best friend with lifeless eyes before. The Mikan she once knew had eyes filled with
cheerfulness. It was very sad for her to think of how Mikan changed because of her
lost of memories.
“Imai, we’re finished as well,” Ruka said, as he and Natsume handed their trays to
the butler. “Thanks for bringing us food.”
Hotaru looked at them for a second before extending her right hand. “That food
comes with a price,” she announced. “Pay me now.”
Natsume stared at her in disbelief as the blonde boy anime fell down. Well, Hotaru
bringing them food was suspicious to begin with. They should have known she would
ask for payment. Money was always the primary definition for Imai Hotaru a.k.a.
‘The Queen of Blackmails’.
“So, you’re not going to pay me?” she said, sounding pissed off. “You have to pay
me in some other way then.”
“What are you saying, Imai?!” Ruka questioned.
“If not in cash, then I guess manual labor would do,” she said coldly. “Like say,
be Mikan’s servants for the night…”
“Like that’s—” Ruka stopped and recalled what Hotaru just said. “Wait a minute… You
want us to watch over Sakura?” He looked back at Mikan, who stared at him, and
quickly turned away to hide his blush.
“Not watch but be servants for the night,” she repeated, crossing her arms.
“In other words, you want us to be with her for security reasons,” Natsume spoke
out, sliding his hands into his pockets.
“What part of being servants don’t you understand?” Hotaru was sounding more eerie
than before, as she narrowed her amethyst eyes at them.
“Um… Hotaru… Please stop threatening them. I don’t think I need servants. Besides,
they seemed tired. They were with me the whole day, I think…” Mikan explained,
innocence flashed on her face. She looked at the two boys and bowed her head.
“Thank you and I’m sorry for troubling you.”
“Sakura, you don’t have to thank us.” Ruka’s lips curved into a smile. “We’re always
happy to help you.”
Natsume nodded without saying anything.
Mikan was pleased to see such good people, even though she can’t remember them.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she can’t seem to smile for them. The
only thing she could feel in her heart was the pain of not remembering who she was.
But her heart kept telling her something about them—Hotaru, Natsume, and Ruka. She
could clearly see how they valued her as a friend. She wanted to remember them.
“Hold it! When I make up my mind, I don’t change it. You two will be her servants
whether you like it or not.” Hotaru said, sending bad vibes towards the two best
friends.
“Shut your trap,” Natsume retorted, turning his back from her. “Even if you didn’t
threaten us, we’re still going to watch her.”
“Natsume…” Ruka sighed, knowing how his best friend felt for the brunette.
“Natsume’s right, Imai.” As he faced Hotaru, sheets and clothes went flying to his
face and some landed on Natsume’s head.
“My butler got those from your rooms,” Hotaru said before they asked. “Those are
your change of clothes and blankets.”
Ruka and Natsume removed the blankets and clothes from them and settled them on the
couch. Although they wanted to be grateful for Hotaru’s help, they didn’t feel like
it since she also brought them their underwear. How embarrassing! Knowing Hotaru,
she must’ve taken pictures of them before taking them out of their rooms. It was
just their luck to have blackmails coming up courtesy of the genius and freaky
inventor.
“Mikan, here’s your clothes and your toothbrush.” Hotaru handed Mikan the said
items before walking up to her butler. She pushed a button on the robot to open its
compartment in its chest. She took out two toothbrushes and gave them to Ruka and
Natsume. “Here you go. I think that’s all you need for tonight.”
Hotaru spun on her heels, walked towards the door with her butler trailing her, and
turned the knob. She took one last look Mikan and said, “You can order these two
idiots around as much as you want. They’re you servants, got that?”
“Umm… I don’t know about servants but okay…” Mikan replied gently.
“We’re not servants,” Ruka said, and received a death glare from Hotaru. He backed
away and smiled awkwardly at her.
“It looks like everything is settled here. I better be on my way.” She took one
step and outside and turned around again. “If you do anything to Mikan, I’ll make
sure you two will pay,” she threatened in her most serious of tones. She shut the
door close and walked off with her butler.
“That Imai…” Ruka hissed, sitting on the couch.
“Hotaru seems cold, but I think she’s very nice.” Mikan hopped out of the bed while
carrying the things Hotaru gave her. “I’m going to go change in the bathroom.” She
walked pass the boys and went inside the said place.
Ruka sighed deeply. “Sakura got that part right. Imai may be like that but she’s
actually a caring person. She may not show it most of the times.” He leaned
forward, placed his elbow on his lap, and rested his chin on his hand.
The raven-haired boy sat by the window and gazed into the black night sky.
“Natsume, do you think Sakura will ever remember?” Ruka asked out of concern.
“I can’t answer that.” Natsume shrugged. “Besides, the only possible way to get her
memories back is to get the guy who erased her memories in the first place.”
Ruka grimaced and sighed. “You’re right.”
The boys ceased their conversation as they saw Mikan stepping out of the bathroom.
She had changed into her sleeping attire, which was a cute pink night gown that was
1-inch above knee level. Her hair flowed gracefully behind her back. The boys
couldn’t help but stare at her, because she looked so adorable in that outfit.
Ruka, especially, was already blushing madly.
“Is there something wrong?” Mikan asked, noticing their expressions.
Natsume just turned his head away while Ruka shook his head vigorously.
“Is that so? Then I’m going to sleep.” Mikan hopped onto the bed and tucked herself
in. “Good night, Natsume, Ruka-pyon…” she said.
“Good night, Sakura,” the blonde boy replied, “sweet dreams…”
The brunette slowly closed her eyes. It didn’t take long until she was fast asleep.
At that time, the boys changed into their night attire and brushed their teeth.
Ruka lied down on the couch near the door and spread the blanket around him. On the
other hand, Natsume was on the couch near the window and he was already covered in
his own blanket. After telling each other good night, the two of them zoomed into
the twilight zone where their minds were finally at peace.
Later that night, due to his keen senses, Natsume was awoken by some faltering
sounds. He sat up on the couch, looked at Mikan, and saw her struggling on the bed.
He approached the bed and saw her squirming around like she was in pain. He knew
very well that she was having a nightmare and it would only be wise to wake her up.
But, before doing so, Natsume unexpectedly heard a slight shriek coming from her
mouth.
“Somebody…somebody please help,” Mikan said, as tears fell from her eyes. “Help me…”
She reached out for something in the air and struggled more.
“Mikan…” he muttered her name softly and took hold of her hand. He squeezed it
gently as he leaned closer to her. “I’m right here. “
“Please don’t leave me…”
“I won’t…” He meant it wholeheartedly. “I promise.” His crimson eyes softened as he
gazed upon her. He didn’t know what was going on in her dream but he knew he had t
be there for her. It was the only thing he could do at the moment.
Somehow, his words reached her and she calmed down. He felt relieved that she no
longer looked in pain. He was going to release her hand, but she held onto it
tightly. He didn’t want to wake her up just to tell her to let go, so he pulled a
chair to the side of the bed and sat down. He rested his head on the bed as his
crimson eyes were fixed on her. Soon, his eyes gave up and he fell asleep.
At the strike of 6 o’clock, the young brunette slowly opened her eyes and saw the
sleeping face of the raven-haired boy. She was quite surprised to find him there
because she thought he slept on the couch. Furthermore, she got more surprised when
she saw him holding her hand securely.
“Natsume…” she muttered his name softly. He seems to be someone very close to me. I
can feel it. If only I can remember him… She looked to her left where she saw the
animal-lover sleeping peacefully on the couch with the little rabbit beside him.
Ruka-pyon told me his that his best friend is Natsume and my best friend is Hotaru.
These people know all about me, but I don’t know them.
She slipped her hand away from Natsume, got off the bed, and left the room without
a sound. She wanted to walk around for a while just to clear her mind. Plus, she
needed some fresh air outside. She had been stuck in the hospital since yesterday.
As she got to the hospital garden, she sat down on one the benches near the rose
patch. She glanced around to see some patients walking around with either their
friends or nurses. To her surprise, the patients present there were not older than
the age of 20. She wondered if they were all students in the academy.
She wanted to enjoy the scenery of the garden but she thought of Natsume and Ruka.
She left the room without asking them and they would surely worry if they didn’t
see her in bed. She rose from the bench and walked off in a quick pace. It didn’t
take her long to get back to the room. When she opened the door, she was suddenly
pulled in by Natsume.
“Where did you go?” he asked.
“I just went out for a walk in the garden,” Mikan answered.
“Please don’t leave without asking us, Sakura,” Ruka told her, feeling relieved
that she was safe. For a minute there, he thought that Mikan had gone missing
again.
“I’m sorry, Ruka-pyon, Natsume…”
“It’s all right. Just don’t go wandering by yourself again, okay?”
Mikan nodded silently, as Ruka presented a smile for her.
“Hey, Ruka, I’m going to get something to eat,” Natsume informed, turning the door
knob. “Be sure to watch her until I get back.” Though he said that, his face seemed
emotionless or rather cold. That was Natsume for you.
But Ruka, being Natsume’s best friend for so long, could see right through him. He
knew Natsume was worried sick for Mikan. “Don’t take long, okay?”
Natsume left without another word and closed the door behind him.
Mikan sat on the bed and swung her feet back and forth. She wondered what the day
has in stored for her. As a girl with no memories, was there even something going
to happen, she highly doubted that. She recalled the faces she saw yesterday, the
faces of the people who were her friends. She recalled the sad look on their faces
as they found out about her amnesia.
“Sakura, are you all right?” Ruka asked, snapping her from her thoughts.
“Ahh…Yeah… I was just thinking about the people around me yesterday.”
“They were our classmates as well as our friends,” told Ruka, taking a seat beside
her.
“Classmates?” She looked at him curiously. “Is there a school here? Am I also a
student?”
“Yes. The school is called Gakuen Alice.” Ruka then stood up. “I better fix things
up here.” He pulled his blanket from the couch and started folding it.
I’m a student here and those people were my classmates… What is my school like I
wonder? She raised her legs and hugged them and she rested her chin on her knees.
Her eyes wandered towards the bedside table where she saw a soap bar, shampoo,
conditioner, and a towel. Hotaru must’ve left these things here last night. How
come I didn’t notice it? She picked up the soap bar and played with it since she
was feeling bored. Just then, the soap bar slipped from her hand and landed a few
inches away from the bed.
Ruka was already done folding the blanket and he walked back to bed. He
accidentally stepped on the soap bar and slipped forward, causing him to crash at
the brunette who failed to tell him about the soap. As if that was surprising
enough, Ruka has yet to realize the situation he just got into. Ruka was now laying
on top of Mikan, with his body against hers, his lips touching her neck, his knee
in between her legs and his left hand holding her wrist down. To make things more
awkward, Mikan’s clothing has revealed more of her thighs.
On the cue, the door creaked open, revealing two raven-haired individuals. Yes, it
was Hotaru and Natsume. As they saw the very surprising scene, they froze on the
spot like a statue. Ruka noticed the presence of someone, so he immediately raised
his head to see who that was. He put on the nervous smile as he saw that it was
Hotaru and Natsume. And oh, he was still on top of Mikan.
Mikan still remained calm and naïve. One thing that didn’t change about her was her
innocence, which was good though.
“N-Natsume…I-Imai… It’s not what you think…” Ruka stuttered, his cheeks burning in
ten shades of red. He was so embarrassed that he couldn’t budge at all.
Natsume narrowed his crimson eyes at him as a vein bulged on the right side of his
head. He was in jealousy mode again and Natsume being jealous wasn’t always a good
thing.
“N-Natsume… You see… This was a…” Before Ruka could explain more, a certain someone
made her move.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
Three flashes and sounds of the shutter went in a row. Without anyone noticing,
Hotaru has dished out her trusty camera and took pictures of Ruka and Mikan. “This
will sell millions,” she said, as dollar signs appeared in her eyes.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 4: Something to Cherish
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
Three flashes and sounds of the shutter went in a row. Without anyone noticing,
Hotaru has dished out her trusty camera and took pictures of Ruka and Mikan. “This
will sell millions,” she said, as dollar signs appeared in her eyes.
“IMAI!!” Ruka burst, finally getting off of Mikan to chase the inventor yet again.
“I won’t let you sell those pictures!” He tried reaching for the camera, but Hotaru
anticipated his move and unleashed a Snake Whip to immobilize his movements.
“Maybe I should sell this at 1, no, 2,000 Rabbits…” Hotaru muttered, dollar signs
floated around her head. She stared at the blonde boy and gave him one of her
malicious grins.
“Imai, don’t you dare!” he shouted, struggling to break free from the whip. It was
strange, though, since the more he struggled, the tighter the whip became. What was
going on? It was time for the great Hotaru-sama to give her Invention Chat!
“Invention Number 0089, the Snake Whip. It’s a high-class whip that is made to
capture prisoners and trouble-makers. It is built to withstand great amount of
strength and pressure. The stronger the strength, the tighter it becomes, so it is
absolutely impossible to break free. It is also highly resistant to fire, cold
temperatures and electricity. The cost of invention is 10,000 Rabbits.”
And that was the conclusion of her brilliant chat to the audience.
Mikan gave out quite a confused look. “Umm… Hotaru, who are you talking to?” she
asked.
“No one,” Hotaru answered with the same stoic expression she has. “Now then, Ruka-
kun…” She turned to the blonde boy and took more pictures of him. She knew everyone
would love to see Ruka getting captured by the whip. Plus, it would be good
advertising for her invention.
“Hey, give me a break!” uttered Ruka.
“No…”
“IMAI!”
“I said no,” she said flatly and continued to take pictures.
Ruka couldn’t do anything because of the whip around him.
As Mikan looked up at Natsume, she noticed something wrong with him. First of all,
he was glaring at her for some reason. Mikan got a little afraid inside, but her
face remained the same. “Umm… Natsume, what’s wrong?” she asked innocently.
Natsume narrowed his crimson eyes. “What did you and Ruka do?” he questioned
seriously. He was freaking jealous, as in extremely. That scene of Ruka on top of
Mikan replayed in his mind several times and he couldn’t seem to erase it.
“Me and Ruka-pyon?” Mikan pointed a finger at herself. Gosh, she was so cute when
she was doing that! “We did nothing.” She pressed a finger against her cheek and
bent her head a little to the left.
“It didn’t look like nothing to me,” he grunted, trying to hold of his rage. He was
always the guy who couldn’t handle his jealousy well. “Ruka was about to—” He
controlled himself from saying anymore. He simply turned his head away.
“Was about to?” Mikan eyed the fire-user curiously. “What?”
“Hn…” he grunted, looking back at her. He put a foot forward and unintentionally
stepped on the bar of soap—the same soap that got Ruka on the bed with Mikan. It
was surprising that the soap was still there. Natsume slipped forward and guess
where he landed?
Hotaru and Ruka heard the loud thud coming from the bed, so they stopped arguing
and turned their heads only to see a very interesting scene. Natsume, the oh-so-
powerful Fire Alice-user, was on top of dear sweet Mikan. But his position wasn’t
as a bad as Ruka’s. Natsume’s hands were keeping him balance as both were beside
Mikan’s head. His knees were in between her slender legs, making it look like he
was ready to do it. Natsume, Hotaru, and Ruka were all very shocked, except for
Mikan who remained calm and dense.
First things first, the amethyst-eyed inventor took a quick picture of Natsume and
Mikan. After that, she tapped on Natsume’s shoulder and said, “As much as I love
blackmailing people, this is unacceptable. Will you kindly get off of Mikan before
I get really serious?” Nothing but coldness was heard in her voice.
“You should’ve done that before taking the picture!” shouted Ruka, a giant sweat
appearing on the side of his face. “And can you please release me.”
Ignoring everything the animal-lover said, Hotaru shot one mean glare at Natsume.
Natsume lowered his head, causing his bangs to cover his blood-red eyes. A tint of
red was shown in his face, but it was oblivious to Hotaru and Ruka. He regained his
composure but he did not dare to have eye contact with the brunette girl. “So
that’s what happened to you and Ruka…” He made it sound like nothing happened just
now.
As he raised his head, he noticed that Mikan disappeared from bed. He also noticed
that Hotaru was also gone, and to think she was just standing by his side a second
ago. He glanced over his shoulder to see Hotaru pushing Mikan to the corner. “What
the hell are you doing?” he questioned.
Hotaru went in front of Mikan and pointed her Baka Gun at the boys. She glared at
them in an evil way, sending chills to their spine. “I won’t let you two harass
Mikan any further,” she said in a dead flat tone, as she tightened her grip around
the gun.
“Harass?” Ruka squealed, standing up with a blush on his face. “Imai, we weren’t
harassing Sakura.”
“Oh? Then mind explaining those very awkward positions a while ago, especially you,
Ruka-kun.” Hotaru aimed her Baka Gun at the blonde. “You were all over her and you
were kissing her neck.”
Ruka blushed more madly this time as he recalled the scene earlier. It was true
that it was so awkward, but it was an accident. “Imai, isn’t this reaction of yours
a little late? I mean—you should’ve done this before taking pictures…” Ruka just
noticed it.
“This is pointless,” Natsume blurted out, slipping his hands into his pockets. “It
was an accident. Get over with it, you freaky inventor. Besides, strawberry panties
girl doesn’t seem to mind.” He said it coolly.
Mikan’s eyes grew wide after hearing the panties-part from Natsume. How did he know
what kind of underwear I was wearing? She thought about that real hard. “Umm…
Natsume, did you just guess?” she asked all of the sudden.
Hotaru and Ruka looked at her curiously. “About what?” they both said.
“He said strawberry panties. That’s the pattern I’m wearing today. How did you know
about that?”
The blonde sweat dropped, surprised to see such a reaction from her. He knew that
the old Mikan would burst into flames by now after hearing Natsume comment about
her underwear.
“Natsume, how did you know?” she asked again.
For the first time ever, Natsume didn’t know what to response. He was surely
expecting some retaliation from the brunette but he got a question instead. He
never thought Mikan changed a lot due to her amnesia.
Well, everyone never expected her personality to change.
Mikan was about to ask again, but Hotaru cut her off. “Mikan, school starts in one
hour. I brought your uniform. You better go change now.” The inventor pointed at
the bathroom as she handed the uniform and two stars to the brunette.
“Umm… Okay…” She took the uniform and scanned it for a moment. It was a black
uniform with white collar, together with a thin red ribbon. The skirt was checkered
red and the shoes were knee-high boots. She glanced at Hotaru’s uniform and glanced
at hers again. “It’s the same…”
“Of course it is, dummy,” Hotaru retorted. “We’re in the same class and grade.” She
grabbed Mikan’s wrist and hauled her towards the bathroom.
“Is that so? Are Natsume and Ruka-pyon the same as well?” she asked with no
emotions coming from her face.
“Yes. Now stop asking questions and get changed.” Hotaru shoved Mikan into the
bathroom and closed the door. Her left eye sparkled for a moment, meaning she was
up to something. She slowly turned to face the two boys and smirked. “You two
better not peep or I’ll kill you,” she said, pointing her Baka Gun.
Natsume and Ruka grew a vein on their heads but remained quiet. They didn’t want
anymore arguments with the blackmailing queen.
“Hn…” Natsume shrugged, walking to the door. “I’m going.”
“Oh yeah, we need to change too,” Ruka said. “Imai, tell Sakura that we’ll meet
later in the classroom.”
Hotaru gave them a nod as an answer.
________________________________________
After Mikan got dressed, the two best friends set off for school. As they walked
towards the Elementary School Division Building, Mikan was amazed to see so many
Sakura Trees blooming and swaying with the gentle breeze. The lovely petals danced
with the dance with her long flowing hair as it passed by her, leaving a sweet
scent up her nose. She felt at peace around the Sakura Trees, even though her face
remained the same. With that, she was reminded of her name, Sakura Mikan.
“Hotaru, you’re my best friend, right?” she asked the inventor who was busy
munching some potato chips. “Um… You’re eating that so early in the morning?”
“Yes,” Hotaru replied right away. “Got a problem with that?”
Mikan shook her head. “No, not at all…”
“So, what were you saying a while ago?” Hotaru gobbled some more chips, as they
continued to walk down the path.
“Sakura—that’s my name, right?” Mikan gazed up at the trees, admiring the pink
flowers.
“That’s you’re surname. It means Cherry Blossoms. It’s a nice name if you ask me.”
“And who gave me the name, Mikan?”
Hotaru stopped walking and found herself in deep thought. Now that she mentions it…
Mikan never told me who gave me her name. As far as I can remember, Mikan has
always been an orphan. The only person who was always around her before we met was
her grandfather. She put another chip into her mouth and turned to Mikan. “I have
no idea.”
“I see…” The brunette sounded disappointed.
They continued to walk until they reached the elementary building where two high
school students and a middle school student stood by the entrance. Hotaru
immediately recognized them. They were their upperclassmen or seniors.
“Those uniforms are a bit different from ours,” Mikan pointed out.
“That’s because they’re in the upper years. In other words, they’re older than us,”
Hotaru plainly said, munching on the last chip of her junk food.
One of the upperclassmen saw Mikan and he immediately ran towards her to give her a
hug. “Mikan, I’ve heard what happened!” he said, his voice trembling. He cuddled
the little girl tightly yet gently, as if he has not seen her in a long time. This
senior had unruly midnight-blue hair covered with a hat and Prussian-blue eyes. He
had a black star mark on his left cheek and he was wearing a high school uniform.
“Um…ahh…” Mikan was speechless at the moment. She was trying to figure out who this
guy was and why was he hugging her like there was no tomorrow.
The others followed after and surrounded Mikan with eyes of concern.
The guy hugging her gently pulled away to face her amber eyes. “Mikan, it’s me
Tsubasa, Andou Tsubasa. Do you remember?”
Mikan slowly shook her head.
Tsubasa’s eyes softened and his expression fell to sadness. He hugged the young
girl again to show how much her cared and loved her.
“I’ve never seen Tsubasa like this before,” a red-haired high school student
whispered to Hotaru. She put her hands on her hips and sighed deeply. Her name was
Harada Misaki and she was currently Tsubasa’s girlfriend. “I can’t believe this.
How did this happen?”
Hotaru stayed silent because she didn’t know what to explain as well.
A middle school student, with hair so soft with curls and a color like the snow,
had tears forming in her once calm eyes. She was deeply stricken about what
happened to her cute little junior and friend. As she sobbed, the temperature
around seemed to decrease.
Misaki felt the sudden chill in the air and knew it was coming from the one person.
“Hey, Ibaragi-san, don’t use your Alice,” she said, cuddling herself.
“I’m sorry I can’t help it,” she said, tears streaming down in heavy droplets.
Ibaragi Nobara, also known as the Ice Princess, was a student from the Dangerous
Ability Club. She and Mikan first met during the Preparation Stage for the
Christmas Party. She was awfully teased by her fellow classmates and no one wanted
to become friends with her, because of her Alice. But Mikan was the first one to
warm up to her and befriended her. Nobara considered Mikan as important person to
her.
The shadow manipulator was still holding onto to Mikan. Never has he felt so
worried and troubled in his whole life. Mikan was like a little sister to him and
now she couldn’t even remember him. “Mikan, you must have gone through a lot. I’m
sorry if I wasn’t able to help,” Tsubasa muttered softly.
“Me too, Mikan-chan,” Nobara added, kneeling down to hug Mikan as well.
Misaki clamped her mouth and looked away, trying to be strong. She couldn’t bear
seeing Tsubasa or Mikan like that.
Hotaru remained emotionless but her insides were getting the best of her. Her eyes
eventually softened, but she was strong enough to hold back the tears. She was,
after all, Imai Hotaru, a girl who doesn’t cry easily.
Mikan was speechless to even react to what was happening. Two upperclassmen were
hugging her and one of them was already crying. Judging from their feelings, Mikan
knew that they were also important people to her. But nothing seemed to come out of
her head about them. She felt so miserable and guilty to make these people so sad.
She wanted to know how she cherished these people. She wanted to remember again.
At that moment, two young boys arrived and witnessed the scene of tears and hugs.
Natsume was particularly annoyed at the fact that the shadow manipulator had his
hands all over the brunette. Not only that, he was also not okay with the ice
princess crying since she was unconsciously using her Alice. That explained the
reason why the ground suddenly turned ice. Ruka, on the other hand, felt like
hugging Mikan as well, but he had better control of himself.
Tsubasa and Nobara finally released Mikan and stared at the little one for a while.
“What is it?” Mikan asked innocently.
“You don’t remember us at all…” Tsubasa sadly said, placing a hand over her left
face. He gritted his teeth and shifted his gaze at a random Sakura tree.
“Mikan-chan, since you don’t remember, I might as well introduce myself again.”
Nobara wiped the icy cold tears off her face and tried to smile. “I’m Ibaragi
Nobara…”
Misaki had to agree with Nobara and spoke up as well. “I’m Harada Misaki.” She then
used her Doppelganger Alice and split into two. She put on her best smile and stood
beside Mikan. “Which one of us is real? Can you tell?” she said.
Mikan’s face lightened up a bit, surprised to see Misaki and Misaki. She looked at
one Misaki, then at the other, and then back at Misaki. She was confused. She
didn’t know which was real. “I’m sorry… I can’t tell.”
“It’s okay! Maybe you’ll get it next time, Mikan-chan!” Misaki said in a lively
mood. She became one again and went beside Tsubasa. She placed a soft hand on his
shoulder, telling him that he should introduce himself to Mikan.
“Oh…right…” Tsubasa replied with no energy. “Mikan-chan…” He looked down at the
brunette who eyed with that cute face and big round eyes.
Misaki immediately tugged his arm, urging him to do it properly. She even gave him
a death glare to prove that she was serious.
“All right,” he said, sighing. He knelt down before the little girl, placed both
hands on her shoulders, and presented his usual smile. “Hey there! The name’s Andou
Tsubasa. Don’t forget, okay? If you have problems, don’t be afraid to approach me.
I’m your senior after all.”
Mikan nodded her head without saying anything. After that, she was swept off from
her feet by Tsubasa who suddenly carried her. “Here we go! You look so adorable!”
He carried her like a child.
“Tsubasa-sempai…” she muttered.
This annoyed the hell out of Natsume. With one flicker of his finger, he burned a
part of Tsubasa’s hair.
“What the—!!” The shadow manipulator panicked, causing him to drop Mikan. “Wah!” He
patted his hair to put out the fire.
Everyone expected Mikan to hit the cold hard ground, but she actually fell into the
strong arms of Natsume who seemed to anticipate her fall before even doing anything
to the senior. Mikan seemed quite surprise since her facial expression changed a
bit and her eyes grew wide. His face was so close to hers that it made her heart
beat faster.
With the help of Misaki, Tsubasa put out the fire and sighed in relief. He glared
back at the fire-user who only shot him back with his deadly crimson eyes.
“Natsume, what did you do that for?!”
“None of your business,” the boy retorted, putting Mikan down. He walked passed
Mikan, approached Tsubasa and stepped on his foot.
“OUCH!!” Tsubasa screamed, now hopping on one foot while he held his sore one.
“That brat!” The shadow manipulator gritted his teeth.
“Calm down, Tsubasa,” Misaki said, patting his shoulders,” you know Natsume-kun.”
“Why did Natsume do that?” Mikan asked the blonde animal lover.
“Eh… Well, I wonder as well,” Ruka chuckled. He knew the real reason behind his
best friend’s actions but he wouldn’t dare say it. If he was as rash as Natsume, he
would’ve done the same thing to Tsubasa.
________________________________________
There was still 15 minutes left on the clock until class will start. The teachers
in the faculty room were getting their things ready. Since final examinations had
already ended, the teachers were relaxed and pleased that they don’t have to do
lessons until next month. Graduation was coming up soon and most of the teachers
were excited about it. Well, not all were excited…
A teacher with wavy-blonde hair and luscious purple eyes stood by the window,
staring at the Sakura Trees outside. He was the happy-go-lucky teacher of Class B,
Narumi-sensei. He has a weird hobby of wearing strange and feminine clothes. He has
the Human Inclination Pheromone Alice and he was the moderator of the Somatic
Class. His mind was baffled with wonders and questions about a certain student he
loved like his own daughter. He was happy to learn that Mikan was okay after she
fainted in the Northern Woods, but his heart sank as he heard about her amnesia. Of
all people, why did it have to be his little daughter? He thought silently as he
continued to gaze at the lovely pink flowers.
“Hey, Naru!” a voice shouted as a book hit Narumi’s head.
Narumi’s eyes were swirling and his vision was revolving.
“NARU!” The person approached the dizzy teacher and hit him with his fist this
time. “Pull yourself together!”
“That hurts…” Narumi rubbed his sore head and looked at the person responsible for
his headache now. “Misaki-sensei, you didn’t have to be that rough.”
“Your fault for daydreaming,” Misaki-sensei grunted, turning his back at the
blonde. Misaki-sensei was a close friend of Narumi and he was the moderator of the
Technical Abilities Class. His Alice was Plant Manipulation. He brushed his fingers
through his hair and stared down at the floor. “Sakura Mikan… Her memories were
erased by an unknown person with the Memory-Erasing Alice. Do you think this person
is working to the AAO? Maybe Reo knows something about this.” He cupped his chin
with his hand and turned his head back at Narumi.
“I’m not sure about that,” Narumi muttered, heaving a sigh. “We don’t even know if
this could either be a prank or a serious threat.” He walked up to his desk and
pulled something from his drawer. It was a pink envelope with a cherry blossom
stamp on it. The letter was addressed to Mikan’s grandfather.
“Is that one of her letters? You didn’t mail that yet?”
“Mikan-chan handed me this before the day she lost her memories. This might hold
some clues.”
“Is it okay to read people’s letters without their permission?”
Narumi fell into a deep silent. He lowered his head and stared at the letter in his
hand. “That—” Suddenly, he lifted his chin and smiled widely, saying, “Is perfectly
fine!!” He was in his usual perky self again. There were even hearts floating
around him.
“Eh?” Misaki slumped down, thinking how weird his colleague was.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 5: Suffering
The hallways seemed long for Mikan as she walked hand-in-hand with her best friend,
Hotaru. Ruka and Natsume were following closely, walking at their own pace. Mikan
couldn’t help but look at every student they passed. From the whispers she’d been
hearing, it seemed like the whole school has heard about her amnesia. Some students
threw concerned eyes at her. The boys, in particular, were practically sulking
about the news and they kept muttering her name, which was weird.
One boy with a cute face and impish eyes approached Mikan. “I’ve heard what
happened. You’re a nullifier, right? Why weren’t you able to protect yourself from
the memory-eraser?” He sounded concerned.
“Huh? Who are you?” Mikan threw a question, putting on her innocent face.
The boy suddenly blushed. “Um… I’m… you don’t remember… That’s right!” He chucked
softly, scratching the back of his head.
“I’m sorry…” Mikan said, bowing her head at him, as her hair flowed down her
shoulders.
The boy felt like touching her hair but he stopped when he sensed some dangerous
aura around him. He peered over his shoulders only to see a group of angry boys
holding torture devices in their hands. Yikes! That was not all he felt. He looked
over at the two guys behind Mikan and gulped at the way they looked at him. He
sweated profusely and backed away a few steps from Mikan. In an instant, he spun on
his heels and made a run for it, shouting, “Imai-san, I’ll still buy Mikan-chan’s
pictures from you!”
Hotaru waved her hand, still retaining her cold expression, and said, “Later, after
class…”
“What pictures? And who was that?” Mikan asked.
“One of my best customers,” Hotaru answered, thinking about money and stuff.
Natsume’s and Ruka’s face fell as a big sweat drop slid down the corner of their
faces.
Mikan’s face was showing some emotion now. She didn’t understand what Hotaru meant
and she was still wondering about the pictures of her. “Umm… Hotaru…” Before she
continued, the boys started to speak.
“We’re all worried about you, Mikan-chan!” one boy asked, taking his control device
mask off to reveal a gentle face.
“Mikan-chan lost her memories. That’s bad.” Another one spoke out.
“Don’t worry, we still love ya,” uttered an obnoxious boy.
Mikan didn’t know what to say after those remarks. She couldn’t even grasp at how
the boys were gawking at her. It was like they wanted to gobble her up or
something.
The moment a boy tried to hold her hand; Natsume stepped in to stop him. He
couldn’t control his jealousy anymore. He glared at the boys with rage in his
crimson eyes, alerting them to scram before he burns them all to ashes. They were
all very aware of what Natsume was capable of doing, especially when he was pissed
off. All of them made a run for with while waving their hands back at Mikan.
“Idiots…” Natsume grumbled, walking away from them. “Let’s go to class before any
of them decides to come back.”
Ruka sighed in relief, feeling thankful for what his best friend did. He too was
also jealous of those boys around Mikan. “Ever since you fixed Sakura up for that
Cinderella play last year, a lot of boys started chasing her,” he said to Hotaru.
“It’s all for the money,” replied Hotaru, her eyes turning into dollar signs.
“You sounded like you just sold off your best friend.”
“Why wouldn’t I? Mikan is making me richer.”
“What do you mean?” Mikan questioned, not understanding as usual.
Hotaru didn’t bother to reply and pulled Mikan along with her.
They all arrived at door of Class-B. Mikan heard the noise coming from inside, the
noise of chattering students and ruckus of balls bouncing around. She clasped her
hands, thinking what kind of class she was going to see.
She saw Natsume and Ruka entering the room first, followed by Hotaru. The inventor
held the door open, inviting the brunette to enter. She felt nervous, but her face
didn’t show it. She hesitated to move from her spot. Hotaru pulled Mikan with full
force and made her face the class. The classroom grew silent as the students stared
at Mikan in surprise.
“Mikan-chan!” Iinchou got up from his seat and went to Mikan. “How are you?” he
asked, caressing Mikan’s hand in his.
“You… I saw you last time in the hospital,” said Mikan.
“That’s right. I’m Tobita Yuu, the class representative.”
At this point, Mikan’s close friends, namely Nonoko, Anna, Kokoroyomi, and
surprisingly, Sumire, surrounded Mikan and started asking questions to her. Mikan
recognized all of them since they were the same ones in the hospital before. She
especially remembered Kokoroyomi because of his Mind-Reading Alice.
All of them introduced themselves to Mikan again, though their hearts felt a slight
pang of pain. But they tried their best to smile for their friend who only looked
at them with emptiness in her amber eyes.
Kokoroyomi sighed at Mikan’s thought. He had been reading her mind since she came
into the classroom. Believe it or not, for the first time ever, he didn’t feel like
sharing what he just read. He usually used his Alice to spill some interesting
secrets and gossips about people.
The kid with the Super Hearing Alice heard Narumi-sensei skipping merrily along the
hallways. He immediately alerted all the students that he was coming. On the cue,
Hotaru and the others took their seats. Mikan didn’t know where she was seated, so
she asked Hotaru about it. The inventor simply told her that her seat was beside
Natsume. Mikan saw Natsume and Ruka at the last row and quickly went there to take
a seat.
Narumi-sensei suddenly barged in and greeted his students with a warm “GOOD
MORNING!!!” He twirled around the classroom and set his notebook on the table.
“Let’s get this day started,” he said before noticing Mikan at the back of the
room. His eyes softened in an instant.
“You’re worried,” Kokoroyomi told him after reading his mind.
“Yes, completely…” Narumi-sensei replied. He approached Mikan and placed a hand on
her head. “Mikan-chan, I’m your homeroom teacher, Narumi.”
“Sensei…” she muttered, looking up at the blonde man.
He bent down and whispered something in her ear that made her gasped. The students
wondered what Narumi just said, but the teacher didn’t say a word. He went up in
front again and started discussing about their graduation.
“Hey, what did he tell you?” Natsume asked, suspicious of Narumi.
“Umm… Otoo-san…” Mikan muttered, turning her head to face his crimson eyes. “He’s my
Otoo-san here in school. He told me to call him that whenever we’re alone.” She
shifted her eyes on the blonde teacher who was already talking about the
graduation.
“Naru? Otoo-san?” Natsume shrugged. “He’s not your real father, but he acts like
one.” He rested his feet on top of the desk. He was just going to get irritated if
he was going to listen to Narumi, so he opened his manga and started reading.
“Narumi-sensei…” Her eyes softened as something sparked within her heart. Her heart
ached with pain and her eyes grew soft and sad. She was starting to hear voices in
her head and it seemed to sound like Narumi. She didn’t know what was going on. Her
aching heart was also giving her hard time breathing. She released an exasperating
breath, catching the attention of Natsume and Ruka. She clenched her chest tightly,
closing her eyes, as she winced in pain. What’s happening? I feel like dying…
Ruka stood up in reaction to Mikan’s and Natsume immediately held her shoulders.
She let out a small shriek, catching everyone’s attention now. She struggled in her
seat, shaking her head vigorously. Tears began to stream down her cheeks since she
couldn’t hold it any longer. She was suffering because of the pain in her heart.
She wanted it to stop.
Hotaru, Narumi and Iinchou quickly went to Mikan’s side. Their faces were showing
fear and concern. What was happening to their dear brunette? What has she done to
deserve this? They felt like breaking seeing Mikan crying out those salty tears.
Hotaru couldn’t take it anymore. Even though she was branded as emotionless, she
still cared for her best friend. She reached for her hands and caressed them
tightly. She looked into Mikan’s amber orbs, with eyes saying that she was there
for her. She pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back for comfort. Her actions
seemed to calm Mikan down, but she was still sobbing. Letting out a sigh, Hotaru
fished out a canister from her pocket and sprayed something on Mikan’s face. “Sleep
tight, Mikan…” she muttered.
The canister contained sleeping gas, which can knock even the wildest person out.
Mikan slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep on Hotaru’s chest.
“Good thinking, Hotaru-chan,” Narumi-sensei said, patting Hotaru’s shoulder.
“Sensei, what just happened?” Iinchou asked, clasping his hands together. “I
thought Mikan only lose her memories, so why was she suffering like that.”
“It was an unbearable sight,” Sumire said, flinging her hair. “It’s my first time
to see an amnesia victim to have heart problems. Besides, I know Sakura-san is a
healthy person despite being a trouble-maker.” Though she sounded harsh and strong,
deep down, she was worried for the brunette. Sumire considered Mikan as a friend-
rival.
Everyone in class began whispering, agreeing to what Sumire said. Narumi nodded and
admitted that Mikan was a strange case. He thought of the possibility that this was
not only the work of a Mind-Erasing Alice. There was something more.
Natsume and Ruka stared at the sleeping brunette on Hotaru’s chest. “Natsume, what
do you think of this?” the blonde animal-lover asked.
“Hn… How should I know?” Natsume clenched his fists inside his pockets. He was
frustrated at the fact that he wasn’t able to do anything during Mikan’s time of
pain. He was right beside her and yet, he just watched her.
Ruka put a gentle hand on his shoulders, flashing him his sapphire blue eyes. He
smiled weakly and turned to look at the brunette again. “It’s not your fault,
Natsume. Don’t think that you’re useless.”
The fire-user drowned himself in silence. He lowered his head and gritted his
teeth. Despite of what his best friend said, he still felt miserable.
________________________________________
Mikan woke up to find herself in the school clinic. She sat up on the bed and saw a
rabbit tucked in beside her. She knew that it belonged to Ruka, so she presumed he
was somewhere around. She got off the bed since she couldn’t see whole clinic with
the curtains around her bed. She pulled the curtains open and saw Natsume, Ruka,
and Hotaru having a conversation with the nurse.
“Hey there…” she nimbly said.
At that, everyone turned to look at her.
“Sakura, you’re awake,” Ruka was the first to speak. “How are you feeling?” he then
asked.
The brunette approached the group. “I’m fine. Now, can anyone explain to me what
happened back at the classroom? I remembered feeling so much pain in here.” She
touched her chest and stared down.
Natsume’s eyebrow twitched as he remembered the scene of Mikan suffering.
“Imai put you to sleep with a gas. After that, we brought you here in the clinic,”
Ruka explained.
“I used my Healing Alice on you to ease the pain from your heart,” the nurse spoke
up. “Your friends were really worried about you. Natsume-kun even took the liberty
of carrying you.”
“Natsume?” She stared at the raven-haired boy for a while.
“What?” he retorted, wondering why she was staring at him so keenly.
To everyone’s surprise, Mikan’s lips curved into a sweet-loving smile—the smile
that everyone knew and loved. Ever since Mikan lost her memories, she had been
unable to smile or even show any emotions. She was like a lifeless doll. But now,
she was smiling with radiance and warmness. She was able to show emotions again.
“Sakura…” Ruka felt so relief to see the smile again. This means that Mikan’s
cheerfulness returned.
“Mikan…” The usual stoic expression on Hotaru’s face turned into a bright one. Her
face showed a bit of a smile after she sighed.
Of course, Natsume felt the same way as Hotaru and Ruka. But he wasn’t the type to
show emotions or smiles that easily. He was able to show a smirk and nothing more.
However, his smirk was more than enough to show that he was happy to see Mikan’s
smile.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 6: Cute Little Thing
For the remainder of the day, Mikan was told by the Narumi-sensei to rest. They
couldn’t let Mikan suffer again. Narumi-sensei also advised her not to wander
around the school alone since could get lost or something. In addition, Hotaru also
warned her that a lot of fan boys were obsessed with her and they would do anything
to get her. Mikan understood all of that and promised that she will take care of
herself. She went back to the clinic bed and rested her head on the soft pillow.
After that, everyone left the clinic and went back to the classroom.
Some time later, the nurse went out for a while, leaving a Mikan all by herself.
She was currently sleeping and dreaming of some sweets.
In her dream, she was situated in a town where there were a lot of people. She
could see some students of her age walking around and some little kids running and
making noises. There were a lot of stores selling some neat stuff. She walked
around the town to look around and she stopped at a particular store where there
was a long line.
“What is that?” she asked.
She approached the store and saw people carrying boxes.
“What’s inside of that?”
“Fluff Puffs…” someone answered for her.
“Eh? What pluffs?” She turned to the person who was right beside her. It was Ruka
together with his bunny friend. “Ruka-pyon, what are you doing here?”
“Do you want some?” he asked, flashing her with a smile and sparkling eyes so blue.
“Is it delicious?”
The blonde nodded. “It’s actually your favorite.”
“My favorite?” She couldn’t remember the time she ate it or how it even tasted,
making her more curious. She looked at the people eating them and felt hungry all
of a sudden. “I want some…”
“Okay, wait here,” Ruka told her and squeezed in through the line. After 3 minutes,
Ruka came back carrying a box of Fluff Puffs. He opened the box, reached in for
one, and presented it to Mikan. “Here you go!”
Mikan stared at the cute little white treat before her. It seemed so delicious. To
her excitement, she simply picked the Fluff Puff with her mouth from Ruka’s hand.
Ruka blushed instantly at that. “S-Sakura, y-you didn’t have to…”
“It’s delicious,” she said after eating the entire piece. “I like it.” She showed
the boy a big wide smile, making him blush more than ever.
“T-That’s good,” he said stiffly.
Mikan picked up another piece from the box and motioned it near Ruka’s mouth. “Say
ahh…” she said sweetly.
“Huh?” Ruka felt some chills going up his spine. He knew that his whole face was
already as red as a tomato. He nervously opened his mouth and said, “Ahh…”
Letting out a soft giggle, she gently shoved the little Fluff Puff into his mouth.
“It’s good, right?” She smiled radiantly this time.
Ruka’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of that smile. “Yeah…”
The dream ended when Mikan jarred her eyes open in reaction to a strange presence
in the clinic. She knew it wasn’t the nurse, because this person was emitting some
bad aura. Suddenly, she heard footsteps and it was nearing her bed. She quickly
closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, hoping the person would leave her alone.
The person pulled the curtains away and approached the side of Mikan’s bed. He
seemed to be a boy about Mikan’s age with tantalizing topaz eyes and unruly hair so
green like emerald. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt with the text ‘DANGER’
printed on it in red, dark blue jeans, and red-black rubber shoes. He gazed upon
the lovely brunette and sat down on the bed. Softly, he brushed his hand through
her beautiful locks and caressed her cheeks. He felt at peace just by doing that.
But for Mikan, she wanted to rise up and get away from the guy. She didn’t know if
she could keep up the sleep act any longer. What the guy was doing to her was
scaring her. From the way she was feeling, she knew the guy was a complete stranger
to her—even she can’t remember anything. She wished he would go away.
Unfortunately, he was still there admiring and touching her. He was enjoying the
fact that nobody was there to stop him. His mind grew wicked, knowing it was his
chance. He slipped his hand under the blanket and touched her chest. “Flat chest,
huh? You still have a long way to go. I’m sure you’ll be more stunning when you
age.” He was totally molesting her at that point.
Mikan still refused to move, though she wanted to cry. Is this what Hotaru meant?
Some obsessed fan boy? I can’t believe he would do something like this. As she felt
his hand going lower, she flinched and opened her eyes. “Who are you?!” she
screamed, moving away from the person. “HELP! PERVERT!!!”
“I knew you were awake all this time,” the guy smirked.
“HELP! SOMEBODY!” She got off the bed, backing away until her back met the wall.
“Don’t be afraid, Sakura Mikan-sama,” he said. “I won’t hurt you. I just want you
to feel my love.” He placed his palms on the wall beside her head and stared at her
amber orbs.
Mikan was trembling with fear as tears came out of her eyes.
“How about a kiss, Mikan-sama?” he whispered into her ear.
“No, don’t…” she begged, closing her eyes.
The person closed in on her, letting her feel his warm breathe. When his lips were
just inches away from hers, she suddenly remembered a scene where she shared her
first kiss with someone. The boy’s face in her memory was a blur, but she did feel
the sensation of kissing him.
BAKA!
The molester got suddenly hit by the infamous Baka Gun of Imai Hotaru! The impact
on his head was so great that it made him dizzy. Mikan opened her eyes in shock and
found the guy pacing around while holding his head. Her tears kept flowing out and
she seemed to be unable to move. At that point, somebody grabbed her wrist and
pulled her away.
“Quit standing like an idiot.”
She turned to her rescuer who was actually Hyuuga Natsume. She clung onto Natsume’s
arm and let out a small smile of relief. “Thank you…”
Natsume’s cheeks turned slightly pink as he turned away.
Hotaru took a brief glance at Mikan to see if she was all right. She would love to
take a picture of Mikan clinging to Natsume but she had some other business to
attend to. She turned back the guy who seemed to regain his composure. “You have
some nerve,” said Hotaru, raising her Baka Gun.
The guy was going to respond until he saw his lovely brunette together with
Natsume. He gritted his teeth and threw a deathly glare at the raven-haired boy.
“Get away from Mikan-sama!” He formed a yellow sphere in his palms, which was
highly dangerous.
“I don’t know who you are, but you’re extremely annoying,” Natsume muttered in his
deadly tone, as he summoned his fire on his palm. “Explain yourself, what are you
intentions with her?”
“Why should I tell you, bastard?” He pointed a finger at Natsume. “You’re my rival
to her love. I’m not going to lose to you.” He was seriously testing Natsume’s
patience, which was growing thinner by the minute. If he won’t stop his yapping,
Natsume will burn the clinic into ashes.
“Since you’re not wearing a uniform, I’m guessing that you’re an outsider,” Hotaru
said, viewing the guy from top to bottom. “How do you know Mikan?”
“Like I’ll ever tell you, you inventor freak!”
Hotaru twitched her eyebrow at what he said. Now he was testing Hotaru’s patience.
Her eyes grew dark and scary. “You’re going to get it,” she threatened, unleashing
her Baka Cannon.
“Try me!”
Natsume and Hotaru could no longer hold their anger any further. All of them,
except for Mikan, were about to unleash their Alice on one another, which will
result in utter chaos and destruction of the Clinic.
Mikan didn’t want that to happen. She tightened her grip on Natsume’s arm, closed
her eyes, and shouted, “STOP IT!!!” With that desire, her body glowed in furious
blue color and unleashed her Nullification Alice.
“Mikan-sama…” The guy muttered, amazed at such power. He then noticed that his
energy sphere have disappeared from his palm. “Oh no…” He sweated.
Natsume’s fire has also vanished. He stared at Mikan for a while, noticing how
frightened she was. He patted her on the head, telling her that it was fine now.
“You did well, Mikan,” Hotaru said. “Now then.” She shifted back to the molester,
planning to shoot him until he was dead with her inventions.
“Hmph! This isn’t over.” He opened the window and made a jump for it. As he landed
gracefully on the ground, he disappeared into the trees.
Natsume wanted to go after him. He wanted to teach that guy a lesson for what he
did to Mikan. His overprotective side was acting up again, as well as his jealousy.
He was about to jump off the window when Mikan hugged him from behind, pulling him
to a halt.
“Natsume, no don’t!” Mikan uttered, her feebly knees shaking. “P-please d-don’t…
leave me…” She was stuttering.
He took a brief glance of her face and sighed. “Tch… Whatever…” He slid his hands
into his pockets and stood in silence, as the brunette hugged him.
“That guy—I wonder who he is…” Hotaru muttered, walking to the window. She gazed
outside at the trees, as if there was something interesting there. After that, she
turned to the fire-user seriously. “Do you think he has something to do with
Mikan’s lost memories?”
“No idea,” he replied shortly, getting a bit uncomfortable since Mikan still had
her arms around his waist. He didn’t want her to let go but he figured that she
might need some rest. “Hey, polka-dots let go already. I won’t go anywhere.”
Mikan raised her head. “You won’t? You promise?” Her eyes were nearing to tears.
There was a brief silence in the room before Natsume gave his answer. “Yeah, I
won’t…” He shrugged. “So stop hugging me and get back to bed.” It was so like
Natsume to talk coldly—even though he was worried for her.
“All right…” she said softly, releasing his waist.
Hotaru marched up to Mikan and patted her head. “Did that guy mention anything
weird to you?” she asked.
The brunette looked up at Hotaru and shook her head. “But he did try to kiss me and
he also touched my chest…”
“That perverted idiot,” Hotaru grumbled. Her face may seem stoic, but she was
actually scheming something about blackmailing and humiliating the guy for all
eternity.
Natsume clenched his fists tight inside his pockets, angered at what he just heard.
Sure, he was also guilty on harassing Mikan, he thought, but he couldn’t let some
other guy touch her. The more he thought about that topaz-eyed bastard, the more
agitated he became. The temperature in the room was heating up thanks to his Fire
Alice.
________________________________________
As he said, Natsume never left Mikan’s side. Class was already over and they were
already heading towards the elementary school dormitory. He never failed to sneak
glances at the brunette whenever her eyes trailed off to some other place. He
admired at the way she reacted to her surroundings, as if they were all so new to
her. She was like a mere child seeing the world for the first time, he thought
silently.
“Natsume, where’s Hotaru?” the brunette asked, tugging Natsume’s uniform.
“In her lab,” he replied without looking at her.
“Lab? What does she do there?”
“She’s an inventor. She invents.” Gosh, he hated talking or answering in a casual
manner. Whenever Mikan asked him questions, he would either tell her to shut it or
just walk away. But this time was different since Mikan had no memories. It was
best to answer all her questions.
“Invents? Hmmm…” She focused her eyes on the path. “That’s why she has a lot of
inventions.”
“Her Alice is Invention,” he muttered.
“Alice? Oh yeah, I’ve been hearing that one a lot. The name of this school is also
Alice.”
When they have arrived at the dorm, Natsume brought Mikan to her Double Star room.
The young girl was very pleased to see her room. She went inside and hopped onto
the bed. “This room is pretty nice.” She sat up and looked at Natsume. “Where’s
your room?”
“A bit farther away.” He leaned his back against the doorway.
“Oh… Can I go visit your room?” She presented a smile on her face.
“No,” he simply answered.
She grimaced. “Eh? Why?”
“Because I said so,” he replied, turning his back at her. “Now change your clothes.
Dinner is at six. Don’t be late.” After saying that, he stepped out and closed the
door behind him.
“Ah-Natsume!” she yelled, but it was too late. The door was already closed and
Natsume didn’t hear her shout. She pouted and lied back on the bed. She stared at
the ceiling for a while and sighed. “Natsume has a big attitude problem. He’s so
unpredictable. He can be nice and mean sometimes.”
She got up from the bed and walked towards the closet. She opened the door and saw
all her dresses in there. “Wow! Cute! I never knew I wore these kinds of clothes.”
She picked out a pink off-shouldered long-sleeved blouse and a white pleated mini-
skirt. She dressed in the said clothes and looked at herself in the mirror. She
twirled around, whipping her elegant brown hair back, and faced the mirror again.
“I’m all set.” She let out a big smile.
After putting on her shoes, she went outside the hallways. “Hmm… I wonder where I
should go…” She glanced from left to right several times. She had no clue where the
dining room was. “This is trouble.” She started walking to her left and turned at
one corner. She kept walking and walking until she reached a dead end. She tilted
her head and sighed in frustration. The dormitory was like a maze to her.
“Sakura?”
“Eh?” She quickly turned around to see who called her. To her surprise, it was the
animal-lover, Nogi Ruka. “Ruka-pyon…” She was about to say how lost she was when
she noticed a little 5-year old standing beside Ruka. She eyed the little grey-
haired boy in awe, thinking how cute he was.
“Sakura, what are you doing here?” Ruka asked.
“I’m kinda…” She poked her cheek with her finger as she nervously laughed. “Lost…”
Ruka was a little glad to see Mikan bearing emotions again unlike before. Still, he
also felt concerned. He had just heard from Hotaru about what happened to Mikan in
the clinic. “Sakura, it’s a good thing Natsume and Imai came in the nick of time to
save you from that guy.”
“Oh that? Yeah, I’m pretty thankful.” She then eyed the little boy again. “Um…
Ruka-pyon, who is this?” She knelt down to the boy’s level and smiled.
“Since you don’t remember, he’s Hijiri Youichi,” Ruka introduced, gently pushing
the little boy forward to Mikan.
“I know we met before,” she said,” but I’m sorry if I can’t remember you. By the
way, it’s nice to meet a cute boy like you.” She patted his head softly.
“Nee-chan…” Youichi muttered.
“Sakura, you always call him You-chan,” Ruka informed, and Mikan nodded.
“You-chan, you’re so kawaii!” she beamed with a smile.
The young boy showed no emotions. He had the same stoic expression as Natsume and
Hotaru.
“Hmmm… You’re like a mini-Natsume,” she said.
“Nee-chan…” Youichi said once more. He brushed his little fingers through her brown
locks and touched her face. He leaned forward and pecked Mikan’s cheek.
Ruka simply smiled at this. He knew how much Youichi cared for Mikan. He had a hard
time explaining the whole-amnesia thing to Youichi. Thank goodness, Youichi was a
smart boy and he immediately understood the situation. At the time he told him, he
sensed great sadness in the boy, though he didn’t show it. Youichi was a lot like
Natsume.
“You-chan…” Mikan held her cheek where Youichi kissed. “This is…” She sensed a
familiar scene before. In her heart, she knew it wasn’t the first time Youichi
kissed her.
The little boy pulled out a wrapper from his pocket and handed it to Mikan. “Take
it,” he plainly said.
She took it out of his hands and opened it. Inside was a piece of Fluff Puff candy
like the one she dreamt of earlier. “Candy?” she muttered.
“It’s your favorite, Nee-chan.”
Mikan took a bite of the candy and felt the sweet sensation of it. “It’s
delicious,” she said cheerfully. She ate up all the candy and hugged Youichi.
“Thanks so much! It was so good!”
“Nee-chan, I hope you’ll remember soon,” he said in a low voice, as he activated
his ability—the ability of turning 10-years older. Since he was already 5-years
old, he can now become a 15-year old boy and a handsome one to be exact. He carried
Mikan bridal style, much to Mikan’s surprise, and gazed at her with his deep green
eyes.
Ruka didn’t expect this to happen. He knew Youichi was still young at heart, but
seeing his 15-year old form holding Mikan was making him a little jealous.
“So this is your Alice? It’s amazing!” She wrapped her arms around Youichi’s neck.
“Ah…” Ruka was getting uncomfortable with the scene. “Not really… His real Alice
allows him to summon spirits.
Youichi continued playing with Mikan and gave her a piggy-back ride. Despite his
playfulness, his facial expression remained the same.
“You know what, Ruka-pyon,” Mikan spoke, while she hugged Youichi by the neck. She
looked at the blonde boy, presenting him a warm smile. “I had a dream about you and
about Fluff Puffs.”
“Eh? Me?” Ruka replied, his cheeks turning red.
At this time, Youchi turned back to a cute little boy and held onto Mikan’s hand.
He pulled her hand softly, making the brunette look at his jade-green eyes. True,
Youichi was emotionless, but he still possessed the pure innocence in his eyes.
Mikan simply smiled at the young boy and patted his head. “Ruka-pyon, in my dream,
you bought me a box of Fluff Puffs to show me what it was. You told me that it was
my favorite candy. Is it true?” She shifted her amber orbs on Ruka’s sapphire ones.
“Yes, it’s true,” Ruka answered, smiling back at his first love. “You love Fluff
Puffs very much.” He then took hold of her free hand and he squeezed it gently. He
had the urge to hold her all of the sudden, as if his shyness never existed.
The brunette looked at the entwined hands before she looked at his sapphire orbs.
It amazed her how deep and sincere his blue eyes were. Her bond with him, she
wondered, was probably strong. She sensed a great feeling within him, something she
couldn’t explain or understand. Whatever it was, her heart felt differently.
“Ruka-pyon,” she managed to utter. She tightened her grip on Ruka’s hand and smiled
widely. “Thank you!”
A blush was seen on his face, but he didn’t mind this. Sure, he was beginning to
feel nervous but he was smiling back at the brunette, as if he was cozy. He started
walking ahead, pulling her gently behind him. Of course, he saw Youchi following
her, with his hand entwined with her other hand. He lightly laughed in mind as he
noticed all three of them looked like a family.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 07: A Piece of the Puzzle
The spring morning was bright and fresh as it carried the sweet scent of flowers
everywhere. The sun had already risen, emitting its glorious rays over the Academy.
A gentle wind blew through the trees, making the leaves dance and sway. With the
Cherry Blossom trees blooming, the petals were instantly carried away by the wind,
creating a lovely environment.
Walking along the path to the elementary school building was the young brunette,
Sakura Mikan. She had miraculously woken up at the strike of 5 AM. She was very
curious about the school, so she decided to talk an early walk. She didn’t bother
with breakfast since she wasn’t hungry. All she wanted was a refreshing walk.
She smiled at the sight of the Cherry Blossom petals falling from the trees. She
could feel it in her heart that it was one of her favorite flowers. “Sakura…Hmm…
That’s my name… It means Cherry Blossoms.” She giggled and skipped merrily. She
twirled around in delight, her brown flowing hair swayed elegantly. It was still
early morning and there was no one to disturb her until…
“Beautiful…” a voice spoke.
Mikan immediately stopped at the sound of the voice. “Who said that?” She turned
around only to gaze upon topaz colored eyes. She shrieked in horror and backed a
few steps. “You’re that guy from yesterday.” Her hands and knees began shaking in
fear.
Yes, it was the same guy who molested her. He showed her a malicious grin, sending
chills down to Mikan’s spine. He took a step forward and spread out his arms.
“Mikan-sama, you’re so beautiful. The more I look at you, the more my heart beats
for you.”
“W-who are y-you and w-what do you want from m-me?” she asked nervously, taking
another step backward. If there was the slightest chance, she would make a run for
it.
“Oh, I haven’t told you my name yet.” He walked towards Mikan while his arms were
still spread. “My name is Tsurugi Raito. You may call me Raito, Mikan-sama.” He was
now inches away from Mikan. He attempted to hug her, but Mikan managed to duck in
time.
“Somebody, help!” she screamed, running away from him.
It was futile. He caught her by the wrist and pulled her to him. He locked her in
his arms, holding her tightly, as she struggled with him. “Mikan-sama, I want you
and you alone,” he said in a sly voice.
Mikan tried pushing him away, but his grip on her was too tight. “HELP!” Tears
broke away from her eyes as her knees were weakening. She pictured one person in
her mind and she knew she should yell his name. “NATSUME!”
On the cue, fire flickered out of nowhere and started burning some strands of
Raito’s hair. He pushed himself away from Mikan in reaction to the flame.
Mikan dropped to her knees, trembling vigorously until a soft hand touched her
shoulder. She looked up at the person’s crimson eyes and started crying. “Natsume,
you came…” She let out a weak smile.
Natsume held no emotions or whatsoever in his face. He still remained calm and
collected. But it was a different story inside his heart. His emotions were heating
up that he wanted to burn everything around. He glared at the perverted guy and
unleashed a fire in his palm.
With his own Alice, Raito put out the fire and sighed in relief. “Do you have to
ruin my moment with her, Hyuuga?!” he bellowed in rage.
“I’ll burn you,” Natsume threatened, making his fire brighter and wilder.
“I’d like to see you try,” Raito said, as his fists glowed bright yellow. He looked
at Mikan and smirked. “Don’t worry, Mikan-sama, this won’t take long.” After that,
he shifted his eyes back at Natsume.
“Eh? Natsume…” she said, getting more worried and scared.
“I won’t let you touch her.” Natsume threw two fireballs towards Raito and started
running away from Mikan. He didn’t want her to be in the range of Raito’s fire.
Raito easily dodged the two flames and threw two energy spheres towards Natsume. Of
course, Natsume jumped aside to evade them, even though he doesn’t know what they
are. He has yet to figure out what Raito’s Alice was. But the moment the spheres
touched the ground, explosions were made.
“Bombs?” muttered Natsume, looking at the smoke caused by the explosions.
“That’s my Alice.” Raito grinned widely as he put on fist on his hip. “My Alice can
create bombs. I get to control the power of bombs, you know. Heck, I can even make
a bomb strong enough to destroy the whole school.” He laughed wickedly, feeling
proud to say such things about his Alice.
Natsume shrugged. “Tch… So what? I’m not impressed here,” he stated, cold as ever.
In reality, he was a bit surprised to hear such an Alice, but he can’t show his
enemy that he was intimidated. He created two fire balls again and threw them
without a fuss.
This time, Raito wasn’t planning to move from his spot. He simply created two bombs
and threw them at the fireballs as a counter. The collisions of the flames and the
bombs caused even greater explosions.
Mikan lowered her head and covered her ears, as tears fell to the ground. She was
so frightened that she couldn’t even move.
________________________________________
Meanwhile, back at the dorm, every student jarred their eyes open at the loud sound
of the explosions. Some started to panic, others stayed calm in their own beds,
while some tried to figure out what happened.
In the Triple Star room of the inventor, Hotaru walked up to her window and saw
smoke coming from the Cherry Blossom path. She was suddenly struck with a feeling
she couldn’t understand. It was like she could feel someone’s fear at the very
moment. It was weird for her to feel that way.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Someone was knocking on her door. She opened it only to reveal a panting Ruka by
her doorway. “Ruka-kun, what’s the matter?” she asked, her expression unchanged.
“Imai, Natsume and Sakura aren’t in their rooms anymore,” Ruka answered, a bit
panicking.
“What?”
“After hearing that explosion, I went to Natsume’s room to inquire about it. But
when I got there, he was gone,” he explained, regaining his composure back. “So, I
went to Sakura’s, but she was gone too.”
“Do you think those explosions got something to do with them?” Hotaru was still
calm like always.
Ruka shook his head, unsure what to say to her.
“We better go check,” she said.
________________________________________
“Hn. Troublesome bastard,” Natsume grumbled silently. He briefly glanced back at
Mikan and noticed her current the smoke cleared up, he pounced on Raito and pinned
him to the ground.
“Get off of me, Hyuuga!” Raito demanded.
Gritting his teeth, Natsume punched Raito’s face twice. After that, he stood up and
kicked him at the side, giving Raito so much pain to last. “Who are you and why are
you after her?” he questioned in a cold tone. He knelt down and pulled Raito by the
collar. “Answer me, bastard!”
Raito was wincing in pain. His cheeks were all sore and his right side felt like it
was broken. He looked up at Natsume and narrowed his gaze.
Natsume was getting impatient with him. He gave him another blow on the face,
whipping Raito backwards. When he dropped to ground, Natsume unleashed his fire and
surrounded him. “I’ll really burn you if you don’t answer.”
“N-Natsume…?” Mikan saw the rage fuming in Natsume’s eyes. His anger was scaring
her and his power rendered her stiffed.
“You’re gonna pay for this,” said Raito, lifting his hand up. He formed another
bomb and a rather big one to be precise. “If you’ll burn me, this bomb will
eliminate us both. This is no joke, Hyuuga.”
Seriously, Natsume wanted to strangle him to death, but given the circumstances, he
had to give in. He was also thinking of Mikan and he couldn’t afford getting her
involve in the explosion. He put out his flame and went straight to Mikan.
Raito slowly stood up and plastered a smile on his face. “I would stay away from
Mikan-sama if I were you, Hyuuga.” His eyes were showing nothing but cruelty, as he
made his bomb larger.
“Unfortunately, you’re not me, so there,” Natsume said plainly, giving Raito more
reasons to hate him.
“You’re such a pain.”
“Like you’re not?”
All right, Raito was seriously annoyed. He was trying his best to stay calm, but
his temper was rising. Furthermore, he was annoyed at the fact that Natsume’s face
was still cold and emotionless after all the words he had thrown at him. Before he
could make his move, he noticed something wrong with Mikan. Being in love with her,
he became concerned.
Natsume noticed the change of expression his Raito’s face and wondered why he
wasn’t attacking. He peered over his shoulders and saw Mikan in a distressed state.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He knelt down beside her.
“AHHH!!” she screamed in pain. Both her hands were on her head and her body was
shaking tremendously. She was currently suffering from a headache, one which
involved her memories.
Raito gasped at the sight of her suffering. “She’s regaining her memories in such a
way…?” He lowered down his Alice and clenched his fists. “Stop it! Mikan-sama, you
musn’t remember or else you’ll…” He stopped, as Natsume shot him a glare.
“What do you mean by that?” he questioned after pulling Mikan to a hug to calm her
down.
“I have no choice…” he muttered, feeling guilt in his heart, as he saw Mikan
suffered more and more by the minute. It was an awful sight for him. He pulled
something from his pocket and held it securely in his palm. “Hyuuga, use this on
her!” He threw the item towards Natsume.
Natsume caught the item and looked at it. “This is an Alice Stone…” The item was an
a little blue Alice stone. “What should I do with this?”
“Give that to Mikan-sama and you’ll know,” Raito said before making his leave.
“Hey, wait!” shouted Natsume. He wanted to ask some more questions, but Raito
already disappeared from sight. “Tch. I don’t even know what kind of Alice is in
here.” He held the Alice stone before his eyes, carefully examining it. He wasn’t
so sure whether or not to trust the stone that an enemy gave.
“Natsume, it hurts so much…” Mikan clutched onto his uniform as she let out more
tears. She was still in pain. Her mind was starting to remember some things, but
they were all blurry and confusing to her. Nothing seemed right in her head at the
moment.
It was too much to bear, he thought. He placed the Alice stone on Mikan’s forehead,
hoping it would do something. After a while, the stone started to glow on its own,
unleashing a bright blue light. What’s happening?
The light slowly enveloped Mikan. Slowly, she felt less and less pain. The light
acted up as a cure for her and it was healing her. After the whole process, the
Alice stone seemed to have vanished and Mikan was back to normal. She opened her
eyes and looked at Natsume. “W-what just happened?” she asked.
“You were in pain a minute ago,” he said.
“Oh, I remember. My head felt like it wanted to explode.” After saying that, she
realized that she was in Natsume’s arms. “Natsume!” Her face flushed up like a
tomato, as she pushed herself away from him.
Natsume let out a grunt. “I see that you’re okay now.” He narrowed his eyes and
stood up.
“Um…yeah…” She also stood up but kept her head low. “Um… Natsume, what was that
stone? What did it do to me?” she asked innocently.
“No clue,” he answered. “All I know is that it calmed you down somehow.”
“That was strange,” she said, raising her head. “By the way, thanks for saving me
from that guy!” She was back to her cheerful self again with a beautiful smile on
her face.
And you think Natsume would be happy to see her smile? Well, that’s wrong. Instead
of smiling back, he smacked her right on the head with his fist but not so hard.
“Ouch! That hurts!” she wailed, giving Natsume a stare. “What was that for?!”
“For being a stubborn idiot!” he shouted back at her.
Mikan was taken back at his answer. “What?”
“Didn’t your so-called best friend tell you not to wander around alone?!” He
lowered his head, letting his bangs cover his crimson eyes. “You never do listen to
people. That’s why you’re a complete idiot.”
“Well, sorry for being an idiot!” she yelled, puffing her cheeks. She looked
extremely cute with that expression, but she wasn’t exactly trying to look cute.
She was angry at Natsume for hitting her and screaming at her.
“You better be,” he growled, turning his back at her.
At this time, Hotaru and Ruka arrived at the scene riding a duck scooter, one of
Hotaru’s inventions.
“Natsume, Sakura!” Ruka uttered, getting off the scooter. “Are you guys all right?”
He ran towards them and noticed an irritated expression of Mikan’s face.
“Yeah, just fine,” Natsume replied plainly.
Hotaru got off the scooter and went to Mikan. “Hey, did something happen? We heard
explosions a while ago.”
“Hotaru, the guy from yesterday came back!” Mikan said, flinging her arms around
the inventor.
Normally, Hotaru would be bashing Mikan now with her Baka Gun or some of her
inventions. But since Mikan had amnesia, she decided to let her hug her. “What did
he do to you?” she asked.
“He said he wanted me. He even hugged me. I don’t understand him,” Mikan answered,
burying her face on Hotaru’s shoulder.
“What were those explosions, Natsume?” Ruka asked his best friend.
“His Alice gives him the ability to make bombs,” Natsume answered. His back was
still facing them.
“That’s one dangerous Alice,” added Hotaru, patting Mikan’s back. “Let me guess,
you fought with him.”
“Yeah, I beat the crap out of him,” he replied, anger hinted in his voice. Just by
picturing the guy’s face was making him furious. He couldn’t believe such a guy was
molesting Mikan. He will never forgive him.
“I’m glad you and Sakura are all right,” Ruka said, sighing in relief. He glanced
at Mikan briefly, thinking that he failed to protect her again. He shrugged at the
thought and put it aside. He shouldn’t be thinking ill of himself right now.
“Natsume, where did that guy go?”
“He ran away after giving me an Alice Stone.”
“An Alice Stone? What was that for?”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot…” Mikan raised her head and released Hotaru from her
arms. She faced the two boys with a concerned look. “I felt so much pain in my head
a while ago. It was like I was remembering and forgetting at the same time. Then
Natsume used the Alice Stone and it kinda healed me.” She explained her experience.
“What kind of Alice do you think that stone had?” questioned Ruka.
Mikan shook her head. “I’m not sure. But thanks to that, I was saved.” Her lips
curved into a frail smile.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Ruka was asking her like he was her father or
something. He couldn’t help worrying about the brunette girl.
Giggling, Mikan hugged the blonde boy and rested her chin on his shoulders. “Ruka-
pyon, don’t worry, okay? I’m all right now.” She didn’t know why she hugged him but
she felt it was necessary.
Ruka blushed so madly that his whole face looked like a tomato. He always blushed
whenever Mikan does something sweet to him, but not as much as this. His heart
pumped twice as fast and his body seemed to turn into a statue. Yet, he was happy
to have Mikan with him.
Natsume caught a glimpse of Mikan and Ruka and simply turned away. He felt jealous.
He wanted to separate the two of them but he couldn’t. He couldn’t do that to his
best friend, even though he was his rival.
________________________________________
Class 2-B was being noisy again. They were always like that. Some students were
flying here and there, some were just lazily sitting around in their seats doing
nothing, and others were talking about the explosions heard earlier in the morning.
Iinchou was concerned about the explosions and hoped it was just some kid who set-
off firecrackers in the wrong place. He didn’t want to think that the explosions
were caused by a battle of Alices. “Do you think it was a prank?” he asked Anna and
Nonoko.
The blue-haired girl shook her head. “I think those explosions were caused by
chemicals badly mixed together.” Nonoko fiddled with her fingers on the table.
“I don’t know,” Anna said, clasping her hands. “Bombs perhaps?”
“We can’t be sure of that,” Iinchou replied, hoping it wasn’t bombs.
All of the sudden, the class became quiet, as if an angel had just passed by.
Iinchou wandered his eyes around to see why the students became still. He then
shifted his eyes towards the door and saw 4 students. He gave them a smile and went
to them.
“Good morning, everyone!” he greeted cheerfully. He didn’t want to show a gloom
face in front of Mikan. He wanted Mikan to see that he can still smile for her.
“How are you feeling, Mikan-chan?”
“I’m feeling fine, Iinchou!” she beamed.
“That’s good.”
“Natsume-kun, Ruka-kun, good morning!” A green haired Shoda Sumire greeted as she
approached the boys. “I heard that you’ve been taking good care of Sakura. You two
must be really tired.” She put on a concerned fan-girl face.
“Tch… Whatever…” Natsume didn’t bother to say more. He walked pass Sumire and went
to his seat.
“Oh, that cold attitude of yours is so dreamy, Natsume-kun,” she squealed, getting
weird looks from everyone in the room. That was Sumire for you. The official and
biggest fan-girl you have seen.
Somehow, Sumire’s actions affected Mikan. She held her temple, feeling a little
dizzy. She unintentionally bumped Hotaru and held onto to her for balance.
“Mikan…” Hotaru said, holding onto her, as she wondered what was wrong.
“Sakura, are you all right?” Ruka asked, taking Mikan’s side.
“You better sit down, Sakura-san,” Sumire suggested, getting a bit worried.
“Hmm… Okay…” Mikan regained her composure and smiled her usual smile at Sumire.
“Thank you, Permy.”
A vein popped out of Sumire’s head. “Who are you calling Permy?!” she yelled out
with a fist in the air.
“Permy?” Iinchou repeated, his eyes going in a state of shock. “Mikan-chan, we
never told you that you call Shoda-san Permy.” His sentence was enough to surprise
the class.
Nonoko stood up and nodded her head in agreement. “That’s right!”
“Eh? What are you guys saying?” Mikan asked, looking so confused.
“Sakura-san, why did you just say Permy?” Sumire went in front of Mikan and placed
her hands on her shoulders. “I’ve never told you that.”
“I don’t understand you, Permy. Iinchou, Nonoko-chan, Anna-chan, and everyone are
shocked. Why?” She just spoke like she had known them for a long time. “I always
call you Permy because of your hair or maybe I should call you Cat-Dog girl.” She
giggled as she remembered the Cat-Dog Alice of Sumire.
“What the?! You know my Alice? I’ve never told you that!” Sumire was getting scared
now. “Okay, when did you find out about my Alice?” she asked.
“Why are you asking me that? I first found out about it when we went out to the
city to rescue… um… Who were we trying to rescue at that time, Permy?” She was
speaking like the old Mikan again.
“We were trying to save Natsume-kun at that time!” Sumire shouted. “But that’s not
the case here. Sakura-san, you can remember me now?” Her dark green eyes softened
as she smiled.
Kokoroyomi gasped in excitement. “She remembers!” he uttered, walking up to Mikan.
“I read her mind. She remembers us.”
“Why wouldn’t I? I remember everyone here clearly,” Mikan said with a smile. But
her smile suddenly faded when she looked at Hotaru, Ruka, and Natsume. “Well,
almost everyone.”
Hotaru felt a pang in her heart, but she was happy that her best friend regained
some memories. However, she wondered how it happened. Clearly, she had received
word that she could only regain her through the Memory-Erasing Alice.
Many students gathered around Mikan and cheered for her. They were all happy to
have some part of Mikan back. But not all the students were happy. Hotaru, Ruka,
and Natsume felt left out since they were the only ones Mikan couldn’t remember.
“How is this possible? Do you know?” Hotaru asked Natsume in a cold voice.
“It definitely has something to do with that Alice Stone,” Natsume replied in equal
tone of voice.
“Does this mean that the Alice Stone you gave her was actually a piece of her
memory?” Ruka said, gluing his eyes on the brunette girl.
“I have to report this to Narumi-sensei,” Hotaru said, getting her duck scooter
out. “I’m going. You two stay here and watch over her.” She gave out one serious
face at the two and lifted off.
“Natsume…” Ruka turned to his best friend, hoping to find some answers to his
worried thoughts.
The raven-haired boy stayed silent. He too had questions building up in his mind.
He recalled what happened earlier with that Bomb-Alice guy. He knew he would know
the answers if he can catch that guy. He swore that the next time they meet; he
will not let him escape.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 08: Stone of Memories
“Mikan-chan remembers her classmates? That’s great!” Narumi-sensei said, a smile
formed in his face. He was dead worried about Mikan’s amnesia and he was doing his
best to find a solution to her problem. Mikan was very precious to him and he
wanted her to get better as soon as possible. He was grateful at Hotaru for telling
him such great news.
Hotaru wasn’t the least bit happy. Her eyes looked dull and lonely. “She is able to
remember the others, but why is it…?” she said, sighing, “She can’t remember me,
Ruka-kun, or Natsume-kun?” She had her head low.
Narumi could tell what Hotaru was feeling. He knew the girl may seem cold and
uncaring to others, but when it comes to Mikan, Hotaru was different. “You told me
that the Alice Stone brought some of Mikan-chan’s memories back, right?”
She plainly nodded.
“That particular Alice Stone only holds the memories of her classmates. Her
memories of you, Ruka-kun, and Natsume-kun must be in separate Alice Stones.”
Truth to be known, Hotaru had also thought of what Narumi just said. “Sensei, Mikan
got the Alice stone from the guy who molested her in the clinic,” she told him.
“Ahh… The nurse told me about it too. We tried to search for him but we couldn’t
find him. He doesn’t seem to be a student here either.” He cupped his own chin as
he thought about it.
“What do you think are his intentions with Mikan?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible that he’s working for the AAO.” Narumi checked his
watch, knowing it was time for another class meeting. “Let’s head towards the
classroom now. Let’s discuss this further there.”
Hotaru gave a slight nod and walked ahead, and the blonde teacher followed.
________________________________________
Hidden deep within the Northern woods were a group of people in casual attire. The
group was composed of two elementary kids, one middle school girl, and one high
school guy. Each of them, respectively, had different kinds of Alice control
devices on their bodies. The atmosphere around them was very serious and fierce.
This group was obviously a notorious one.
The high school student, the leader of the pack, suddenly punched one of the
elementary students right on the face. As the young kid fell to the ground, he
stepped on his chest and grinned evilly. “You’re pathetic, Tsurugi!” he uttered.
Yes, it was Tsurugi Raito who was on the ground right now. He was just a minion
following orders of his superior. “I’m sorry. Please, give me another chance,
Takumi-san,” he pleaded, as he winced in pain.
“Another chance? I don’t think so!” Takumi answered harshly. His full name was
Fujioka Takumi. He was 18-years old and he was a loyal servant of the Anti-Alice
Organization. He was well-respected by his fellow members, because of his cunning
skills. He had lilac eyes and dark brown hair tied in a low ponytail. His messy
long bangs really defined his handsome features. He wore black trench coat, tight
black pants, and black leather shoes. “Tsurugi, I entrusted you with one of the
Alice Stones and then you just gave it away! Who told you to do that?”
Raito refused to answer him. He didn’t want to state his feelings for Mikan.
Unfortunately, he had bad luck on his side.
“Takumi-san, Raito-kun is in love with Sakura Mikan-san,” the middle school girl
spoke out. She had her arms crossed behind her and eyes locked on Raito. She was
clad in a yellow tank top covered with a carnation pink jacket, a white micro-mini
skirt, and a pair of white go-go boots. “Don’t try to deny it, Raito-kun. I know
love when I see it.” She smirked.
“Shut up!” uttered Raito, gritting his teeth tight.
Takumi put pressure on Raito’s chest, almost crushing his ribs. “You’re in love?
You’ve gotta be kidding me!” He removed his foot off of his chest and kicked him on
the stomach. “You’re so pathetic. No one told you to fall in love with that girl!”
Raito rolled over and coughed out blood. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. She is…”
He slowly stood up and faced Takumi. “She is too beautiful. Her face, her looks,
and her innocence—they all amazed me.” He was speaking sincerely, as his heart
pounded for Mikan.
“Raito-kun…” the middle school girl muttered, noticing the look on his face.
“You’re serious about her.”
“That’s why I want to take her out of this academy as soon as possible. I want her
to join with us.”
“You’re unbelievable, you know that,” Takumi blurted without a care. “But you still
have the objective in mind, which is good.”
“Takumi-san, I gave the Alice Stone to Mikan-sama, because she was starting to
remember.”
“What?!”
“If she regains her memories without the Alice Stones, she will surely…”
“I didn’t expect that to happen.”
“I know stealing her memories were necessary,” Raito said, clenching his fists,”
but why put a curse on her as well, Haruka-san?” He glared fiercely at the middle
school girl.
“Don’t look at me! I was ordered to do that!” she retorted, rolling her jet-black
eyes away. She stroked her wavy auburn hair that reached up to her hips and
grumbled some insults about Raito. Her full name was Akisato Haruka, age 13-years
old. She possessed the Alice of Curses, a very dangerous power that can give any
kind of curses to living things.
A vein popped on Raito’s head, since he heard every single insult from the girl. He
wanted to argue or throw a bomb at her, but he decided to leave her alone. He
didn’t have the energy to fight anyway. He already got beaten up by Natsume and got
tortured by Takumi.
On the other hand, the 4th member stood silently behind the three. She had
shoulder-length light blonde hair with her bangs parted on the left part. She was
wearing a plain pink t-shirt overlapped with a sky blue and white jacket. Her lower
half was clad in a vintage blue boot-legged pants and blue sneakers. Her emerald-
blue eyes were so captivating yet emotionless. She had an attractive face, but
there was something odd about her. The aura she possessed was very different from
the others.
________________________________________
The door of the classroom flew wide open, revealing a familiar blonde teacher with
amethyst eyes. He twirled around until he reached his table. He faced his students
with a smile as he set his notebook on the table. “Good morning, my lovely
students!” he beamed.
The students gave him a brief glance and went back to look at Mikan. They were
really happy that the young brunette was able to remember them. Nonoko and Anna
were hugging Mikan like there was no tomorrow. Iinchou held and shook Mikan’s hand,
while Kokoroyomi spoke out Mikan’s happy thoughts about her classmates. They were
all celebrating, except for a certain three.
Narumi noticed Hotaru coming in and joining Natsume and Ruka at the back of the
room. They surely feel left out, huh? He sighed. He walked towards the students and
looked at Mikan. “Mikan-chan…”
The brunette looked up as her name was called. “Yes, sensei?”
The blonde pointed a finger at himself and said, “Do you, by any chance, remember
me?” He hoped she would say yes.
“Sensei…” She pulled a sad face and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I only remember my
classmates.”
Narumi felt a pang of pain in his heart. “Oh, I see… Well, there’s no need to
rush.” He put on a smile, a fake one to be exact and it was enough to fool Mikan.
He didn’t want Mikan to see he was sad. In fact, he knew he should be happy for her
since she recovered some of her memories. “Mikan-chan…” He approached the cute
brunette and carried her. He positioned her in his arms like a stuffed toy and
hugged her.
Of course, Mikan, as well as the others, was surprised at this. “Sensei…”
“I’ll do whatever I can to bring your memories back,” Narumi whispered.
Natsume had the urge to kick Narumi in the shin. He can’t stand seeing Mikan
getting comfy with other guys, especially with Narumi-sensei and Tsubasa. He gets
jealous so easily and he’ll do whatever means to get the guy away from Mikan.
Before he could do anything, Ruka held his shoulder, making him look at this best
friend. “Ruka?” he muttered, seeing Ruka’s concerned blue eyes. He saw him move his
head from left to right and immediately got the message. “Tch! Whatever…”
________________________________________
It was lunchtime. Narumi invited some teachers and students at the teacher’s lounge
to talk about Mikan’s case. The teachers mainly there were Jinno-sensei, Misaki-
sensei and Serina-sensei. The students that came along with Narumi were none other
than Mikan, Hotaru, Natsume, and Ruka. Tsubasa, Misaki and Nobara were present too.
The teachers sat on one big couch across the students, while Narumi stood in front
of them.
“You’re saying that Sakura has recovered her memories?” Jinno spoke in his ever
strict tone. He took a brief glance at the brunette before turning back to Narumi.
“How did this happen?”
“The same guy that attacked Mikan-chan in the clinic came for her again this
morning,” Narumi explained, cupping his chin with his hand. He looked over to the
brunette with a slight concern in his face. “Mikan-chan, can you tell me more about
this guy if you don’t mind?”
Mikan nodded. “He told me that his name was Tsurugi Raito. I don’t know why but he
seems to like touching me. He even hugged me this morning.” Her cheeks turned
slightly red, annoying the hell out of Natsume.
“Don’t tell me he likes you?” Narumi said, giggling. He can sense something
romantic behind this.
“Eh? What do you mean?” Mikan asked innocently.
“There must be a reason why this Raito likes touching—” Narumi stopped talking when
he saw the furious eyes of Natsume. He sweat dropped and faked a cough. “Ahem… Well
then, Mikan-chan, did he say something unusual to you?”
“He said he wanted me and me alone…” She shivered at the thought of Raito’s words.
She knew he was serious when he said that.
“Ahh! Then it must be love!” Narumi beamed, causing everyone to give him death
glares. “Ahah… Umm… Just kidding.” The blonde teacher smiled nervously, hoping they
wouldn’t kill him. He was just actually trying to lighten the damped mood.
“Love? What is that, Hotaru?” Mikan asked her best friend.
“You’ll find out soon,” Hotaru replied plainly.
Putting the topic of love aside, Tsubasa asked Narumi for more information about
the Alice stone Mikan received from Raito. He wanted to know why the stone has part
of Mikan’s memories in it. “I’ve never heard such an Alice Stone before.”
Narumi thought about it for a while. It was also his first time to encounter an
Alice stone with someone’s memories in it. The way it was played was familiar to
him. Suddenly, it hit him. “It’s not the work of a Memory-Erasing Alice,” he said
clearly. “It’s a Memory-Stealing Alice.”
Everyone in the room gasped at Narumi-sensei’s deduction.
“Now I see…” Jinno adjusted his glasses. “The Memory-Stealing Alice has the same
process as the Alice of Stealing.” He looked intensely at the brunette, knowing
that she possessed such an Alice.
“Stealing?” Mikan muttered, obviously confused by their words. When she regained
her memories of her classmates, she also regained some memories of the Academy,
including the part wherein Iinchou explained to her about Alice and the Star Rank.
But she couldn’t quite understand what they meant about the Alice of Stealing.
“Sakura, let me ask you this,” Jinno said, his expression remained strict. “What is
your Alice?”
“Umm… Let’s see… It’s Nullification,” she replied. “I can nullify other’s Alice.
It’s basically a defense-type of Alice.”
“Mikan-chan, do you know about your second Alice?” Narumi-sensei asked.
“I have a second Alice? I don’t remember,” Mikan said.
“Yes and it’s the Alice of Stealing.” Narumi knew that Alice so well. The Alice of
Stealing also belonged to his first love, Azumi Yuka, also known as Mikan’s mother.
He had come to understand Yuka’s hardships before because of her Alice. He was
there when she cried. He offered her his shoulder and comforted her. He knew Yuka
was strong but she was still a fragile girl. Like Yuka, Mikan was also like that.
“It’s an Alice that can steal other Alice and turn it into an Alice Stone.”
“The same goes for the Memory-Stealing Alice,” Misaki-sensei added. “It steals
people’s memories and changes them into Alice Stones.”
It was becoming very clear now. The only way for Mikan to get her memories back was
to attain all the necessary Alice stones. The question here was how will they get
all of them?
“Natsume-kun, you fought with Raito, right?” Narumi asked the silent raven-haired
boy. “What is his Alice?”
Frankly, Natsume really didn’t want to answer the blonde teacher since he still
considered him as an annoying pedophile. However, Mikan’s memories were at stake
and he’ll do anything for her. “He has the ability to create bombs and control
their power.”
“Is he a member of the AAO?”
“Don’t know and quit asking me,” Natsume grunted. He stood up from his seat and
walked out of the room. He was in no mood to discuss about Tsurugi Raito. The mere
mention of his name made his blood boil.
“Natsume…” Mikan muttered, feeling a little worried for him. She stood up and went
after Natsume.
“Ah! Sakura!” Ruka was about to go after her when Hotaru pulled his sleeve. He
looked at the inventor with a questionable look on his face. “Imai?”
“Leave them,” Hotaru said flatly as she released his sleeve. “We have more
important things to discuss here.”
Ruka wasn’t so sure about it but he gave in. He sat down again and heaved a sigh.
He couldn’t help worrying about Mikan whenever she was alone with Natsume.
________________________________________
“Natsume!” cried Mikan, running as fast as she could. When she finally caught up
with him, she panted a bit before staring at his crimson eyes. “Natsume, why did
you leave? Are you mad?”
He averted his eyes away from her amber orbs and looked down. “It’s none of your
business.”
“Are you always this cold?”
Her question somehow struck him, but he stood still and said nothing. He didn’t
know what to say to her at the moment.
“Tell me, what’re wrong?”
“Just leave me alone,” he grunted, turning his back at her.
“Are you angry because they were talking about Tsurugi Raito?”
He didn’t reply her.
Mikan wasn’t going to give in. “Come on, Natsume, say something!”
He reached his limit. “Isn’t it obvious?!” he shouted. “If I’ll ever see him again,
I’m going to burn him to crisp!” He clenched his fists hard.
She could see the rage in his crimson eyes, the rage she was familiar with.
“Natsume…” She attempted to touch his shoulder, but he simply walked off. “Natsume,
wait!” She wanted to follow.
“I need to be alone. Don’t follow me,” he said coldly.
“Natsume…” was the only thing she could say. It was kinda difficult to understand
Natsume and his attitude. She wished she could remember him so she could understand
him. “I know he told me not to follow, but I don’t want to leave him alone.” With
her chin up, she ran after the raven-haired boy.
Hearing running footsteps, Natsume assumed that it was one of his fan girls again
trying to hug him. As he turned around, he was surprised to see it was Mikan. “I
told you not to—” He wasn’t able to finish, because Mikan tripped on her own and
plunged towards him.
Now both of them were on the floor with Mikan on top and Natsume at the bottom.
“Natsume, I…” She was going to say sorry, but something crossed her mind to make
her stop. She gazed upon him, her orbs growing wide. Her position with him seemed
familiar.
He stayed quiet as he observed her reaction. The position they were in reminded him
of the time they were at the Haunted House of the Latent Ability Class. He shared a
not-so-lovable moment with her, but he actually enjoyed his time with her. He never
knew Mikan was easily frightened by ghost illusions and creepy stuffs until that
day. As much as he loved staring into her amber orbs, he felt that things were
getting more awkward between them by the minute. To snap her out of it, Natsume
purposely touched her butt, while his face remained emotionless.
Mikan blushed furiously at what he did. “NATSUME!” she yelled out, as she pushed
herself away from him. She leaned on the wall and pointed a finger at him. “Y-you…
You pervert!!” It looked like some of the old Mikan was back.
Natsume casually got up and brushed off some dust from his pants. He pretended
nothing just happened and walked away.
“HEY! Come back here!” uttered Mikan, flinging her fists up and down. She was
terribly mad at him. “I can’t believe you! You’re a molester just like that Raito
guy!”
With that, Natsume stopped on his tracks. “Hmph. Don’t ever compare me to that
bastard.” He gritted his teeth in anger. He admitted that he liked touching Mikan,
but his intentions with her were totally different than Raito.
Before Mikan could spew more words at him, a sound of a bouncing stone caught her
attention. She looked to her right and saw a small round stone rolling towards her.
“What’s this?” she asked, picking up the brown stone. “Natsume, look!”
He shrugged. “What is it?” He turned his head around and saw the stone Mikan was
holding. “Where did you get that?”
“It just rolled over to me,” Mikan simply replied. “Natsume, is this an Alice
Stone?”
Natsume approached her and swiped the stone from her hands. Yes, it was a rude
action, but this was always Natsume’s way of getting things. He examined the stone
closely. Sure enough, it was an Alice stone. A student at his level could really
differentiate an Alice Stone from a regular stone. He looked around the hallways to
see if anybody dropped it by accident.
“Natsume, you didn’t answer me yet. Is it an Alice Stone?” Mikan asked again, but
she got ignored by him.
It was strange. Nobody was around but them. If that was the case, where did the
Alice Stone come from? A slight breeze suddenly blew passed them, making Natsume
look at the window behind Mikan. The window was open. It was supposed to be close
all the time and yet it was open. It could only mean that someone opened it and
dropped the Alice Stone.
“Natsume, don’t ignore me!” Mikan was fed up with his silence.
In an instance, he shoved the Alice Stone towards her temple, confident that it was
her memories. The Alice stone began glowing and it enveloped Mikan in a brown
light. Mikan was so surprised at this, as some of her memories were coming back to
her.
At the same time, Narumi, Hotaru, Ruka, Tsubasa, Misaki, and Nobara arrived at the
scene. They were also in complete shocked at what was happening to Mikan.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 09: The Dark Witch
Natsume shoved the brown Alice Stone towards Mikan’s temple, confident that it was
her memories. The Alice Stone began glowing and enveloped Mikan in a brown light.
Mikan was so surprised at this, as some of her memories were coming back to her.
At the same time, Narumi, Hotaru, Ruka, Tsubasa, Misaki, and Nobara arrived at the
scene. They were also in complete shocked at what was happening to Mikan.
“Hey, Natsume, what’s going on here?!” Tsubasa uttered, getting all worried for his
sweet little junior.
Natsume didn’t reply. He was too busy observing Mikan who was still shrouded by the
brown light caused by the Alice Stone.
The light was getting brighter and brighter every second until it blinded everyone.
Everyone shielded their eyes with their arms, except for Hotaru since she used her
special sunglasses to block off the light. In the midst of the light, Mikan stood
there, dumbfounded and stiff, as her mind recalled something important to her. As
the light dispersed, she dropped to her knees and breathed hard.
“Mikan…” Hotaru muttered, taking her sunglasses off. She motioned herself over to
her best friend, checking if she was all right.
The brunette remained silent as she lowered her head. Her soft hair flowed down
from her shoulders to her cheeks, covering most of her face. She stared blankly at
the floor, making the people around her more worried.
“Mikan-chan, are you all right?” Nobara asked, clasping her hands together.
“Hey, say something,” Misaki added.
Ruka knelt down to Mikan’s level. “Sakura, you okay?” he asked, placing a hand on
her shoulder.
She didn’t budge or made a little sound. Her eyes were still glued on the floor as
her breathing became softer.
“Something’s wrong,” Tsubasa said, as he turned his head at the raven-haired boy.
“Natsume, mind explaining what just happened?”
“Some of her memories have returned,” Natsume answered briefly, as he slipped his
hands into his pockets.
“What?!” The three seniors yelled out.
“The light a while ago was caused by an Alice Stone, correct?” Hotaru said. She has
keen observation skills as usual.
“Tch…” He averted his eyes away, looking pissed off.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Hotaru said knowingly. She went in front of Mikan and
patted her head gently. “How long are you planning to sit here like a deranged
idiot?” Her voice was cold as usual.
Slowly, Mikan raised her head and met Hotaru’s emotionless eyes. But nothing seemed
to come in mind as she saw those chilly eyes. Her mind was on something else,
something she just remembered. “Jii-chan…” she muttered in a low tone.
“What did she say?” Misaki asked, leaning closer.
“Jii-chan, I miss him. I want to see Jii-chan!” Mikan suddenly shouted and stood
up. Tears were streaming down her amber eyes. “I want to see Jii-chan! I left home
without saying anything to him!”
The mere mention of Jii-chan reminded Ruka of the time he tried to help Mikan
escaped from the Academy. Mikan had missed her grandfather so much and she became
hysterical when she learned that Narumi-sensei wasn’t delivering her letters. She
was worried-sick for her grandfather. Ruka, of course, felt sorry for Mikan, which
made him decide to help her. At that time, he was starting to have feelings for
her.
“Sakura,” Ruka started, “you can’t see your grandfather. The Academy will not allow
it.”
“But Ruka-pyon,” Mikan sobbed, facing him with her teary eyes. “I want to see him.
Please, Jii-chan needs me!”
“Sakura…” Ruka found it hard to explain things to her.
“Snap out of it, dummy,” Hotaru said, bashing the poor brunette’s head with her
Baka Cannon.
Mikan grew a large bump on her head. This time, she cried waterfall tears. “Hotaru,
you’re so mean! Are you always this mean to me?!” she pouted.
Hotaru got pissed with her question and her crying, though her face remained stoic.
She hit her again with her invention and turned away.
“Wah…” Mikan was all swirly eyes now as she lay half-unconsciously on the floor.
Natsume couldn’t care less about the little loud-mouthed girl and stayed in place.
On the other hand, the seniors surrounded Mikan to see if she was all right, and
Ruka knelt down beside her, trying to help her. The blonde knew how painful
Hotaru’s invention can be.
“I have to tell this to Narumi-sensei,” Hotaru announced, taking one quick glance
at Mikan before walking away. She walked in her own smooth pace. When she turned at
a corner, she stopped and looked down at her feet. Her eyes remained emotionless,
but her heart seemed to be in pain. Truth to be known, Hotaru wanted Mikan to
remember her. That was the reason why she felt pissed when Mikan started calling
for her grandfather. Hotaru doesn’t mean to be selfish or anything. She was a bit
glad that Mikan remembered her grandfather but only a bit.
She straightened her head and continued her journey towards the teacher’s lounge.
________________________________________
At class, many students were chattering about the graduation day. There were only a
few more days left and a lot of them were so excited. Narumi’s graduating students
were no exception. They were going to move up to Middle School where new trials
were waiting for them. But the best part of it was because there would be no Jinno-
sensei! They were happy to say goodbye to the very strict Jinno-sensei.
“Who’s Jinno-sensei?” Mikan asked her raven-haired seatmate who had his face
covered with his manga. “Natsume, tell me.” She removed the manga off his face and
then she was greeted by a pair of glaring red eyes.
“You’re so annoying, you know that,” Natsume grunted, snatching the manga away from
her.
“I’m just asking a question, Natsume,” Mikan retorted, puffing her cheeks. “Can’t
you at least answer me?”
Ruka could see that they were going to argue again, so he decided to answer Mikan
instead. “He’s the head teacher of the Elementary School Division and he teaches
Math. He’s very strict and he doesn’t tolerate unruly behavior.” He explained
clearly as he patted his cute rabbit friend.
“Is that so?”
“You got into a lot of trouble with him before,” Ruka said with a giggle.
But Mikan sighed deeply. “I wish I could remember…”
“Don’t worry, Sakura,” Ruka said, presenting a gentle smile on his face. “I’m sure
you’ll remember everything. In the meantime, don’t force yourself, okay?”
Mikan smiled back at him and nodded her head. “Okay! Thanks, Ruka-pyon!”
Seeing her cheerful smile made Ruka blush a little. In any case, he was glad that
the love of his life, Mikan, was able to show her emotions again. Her smile—he
vowed to protect it no matter what. He knew her smile meant a lot to everyone.
Natsume shrugged and stood up. “I’m leaving,” he said, shutting his manga close.
“Where are you going, Natsume?” Ruka asked.
“The usual place,” Natsume answered, averting his eyes away from his best friend.
Ruka stood and made way for him. “I guess I’ll see you later,” he said.
The fire-user gave no reply as he walked pass Ruka. He left the room silently and
shut the door behind him. He didn’t want to admit it but he was actually jealous
seeing Ruka and Mikan talking so comfortably. He went outside and took notice of
the gray clouds looming above him. It was going to rain soon. He disliked the rain
for so many reasons and one of the reasons was because it reminded him of the scene
back in the Northern Woods where he found Mikan in a distressed state. The tears he
saw on her face back then struck his heart with pain. If only he was there to
protect her, then Mikan would have been all right. He felt like a failure.
He gazed up at the sky, wishing it wouldn’t rain. He started walking again. He
didn’t care if the rain would catch him. His mind was too busy thinking about
Mikan. Mikan, the girl who had a great impact in his life, was the light of his
world.
As he approached the dormitory, he spotted a girl with long wavy auburn hair and
jet black eyes. By her outfit, Natsume knew she wasn’t a student of the Academy. He
narrowed his gaze at her, feeling suspicious of her presence there.
The girl tucked some of her hair behind her ear as she presented a casual smile at
the young fire-user. “You’re the famous Black Cat, right?” she asked in a sweet
voice.
Calling him by his Alias made him more suspicious. “Who are you?” he questioned.
“Me?” She pointed at herself with her right index finger, revealing a control
device in a shape of a silver ring. “Are you interested in me?”
Natsume raised an eyebrow, thinking absurdly of the girl. “Not in a million years,”
he answered coldly.
Somehow, she felt the urge to shoot him right on the spot. It was a good thing she
had this so-called patience. “Well, I’m not interested in brats who are younger
than me,” she cooed, flipping her hair.
“Tell me who you are if you don’t want me to burn you,” he threatened, his crimson
eyes growing more vicious.
“What a rude guy!” The girl uttered, crossing her arms. “Your attitude reeks like
hell. There’s no way I’ll ever tell you my name!”
“Then go to hell!” Natsume formed a fireball and threw it at the girl.
She had anticipated this and easily dodged the flame by jumping sideways. She
regained her composure and winked a playful eye at Natsume. “You should try
attacking a little faster, Black Cat,” she said slyly.
All right, she was officially annoying Natsume with her flirty actions. He swore he
was going to burn her to death. He tried attacking with his flames again, but she
dodged them so easily. Since fire balls weren’t working, he decided to try a
different form of attack. He fired two fire balls at her and when she jumped
backwards, he immediately summoned a fire wall behind her.
“What the hell?!” She was able to stop her movements before she hit the flames.
“That was too close for comfort.” As she turned her head, she saw two more fire
balls coming right at her. Panicking, she rolled to her left and stood up right
away.
“I’m not going to ask again,” Natsume said seriously. “Who are you?”
“Fine then,” the girl wailed, brushing her fingers through her auburn locks. “I
can’t tell you my real name, but the organization calls me Dark Witch.”
“Dark Witch? An Alias?”
“Yup, just likes yours, little brat.”
“The organization… Is it the AAO?”
“You got that right!” she uttered merrily. She checked her cherry blossom-shaped
watch and gasped at the time. “Oh no, I’m going to be late! I’ve gotta go!” She
spun on her heels and started running.
“Hey, I’m not finish with you yet!” Natsume boomed, forming a fire ball in his
palm.
“Sorry, but my leader will get mad at me if I’m late!” She waved her hand at
Natsume, as she continued running. “Let’s finish our fight some other time!”
“Hey!” He attempted to follow her when a strong gust of wind blew towards him,
sending him flying over the tree trunk. He hit his back pretty hard on the trunk.
“Damn… What just happened?” he grumbled under his breath, rubbing his sore back. He
got back to his feet, but the girl with auburn hair was already gone. It was
unfortunate for him that he wasn’t able to get any major details about her. Not
only that, he wondered about the strong wind that blew him a while ago. One thing
he was sure of, the auburn-haired girl was connected to Mikan’s memory
disappearance and to the AAO.
________________________________________
Classes were already over. Majority of the students immediately retired to their
dorms seeing that it was going to rain heavily soon. The gray clouds over their
heads were no joke, and they have no intention of getting wet. Though some may like
playing under the rain, the others just didn’t watch to catch a cold.
Patiently, Hotaru escorted her brunette best friend to her Double Star room,
despite the never-ending questions Mikan asked. She did answer some of them and
there were some questions that she found hard to answer. Even so, it was good that
the old Mikan was returning again. She may be cold and rational, as others say, but
she still loved Mikan very much.
As Mikan went into the room, she spun around to face her poker-faced friend and
smiled. “Hotaru, thank you!” she said, bowing her head slightly.
“I’m not doing this for free,” said Hotaru, her voice as cold as ever. “Once you’ll
regain your memories, I’ll make sure you’ll pay me with a heavy amount of cash.”
Hotaru was Hotaru after all, no matter what you do.
“I don’t get what you’re saying…” Mikan scratched the back of head. “It sounds like
I owe you a lot.”
“Just rest up for a bit,” Hotaru said, spinning on her heels. “Don’t forget about
dinner. I’ll send someone to pick you up later.” And she knew the perfect guy to do
it. Of course, some blackmailing would be in order too.
“Okay!” Mikan beamed.
When Hotaru walked off, Mikan closed the door and hopped onto her soft bed. She
laid her head on one of her pillows and stared at the ceiling. Jii-chan, I’m sorry
for running away from you. I’m sorry for making you worry. Her memories of her
grandfather were crystal clear to her now. Her hometown, where she and grandfather
had lived together for ten years, including her old friends back at her old school,
was all there in her head. She was happy to remember them all. I wonder how they’re
doing right now…
She sat up on her bed and hugged one of her pillows like a teddy bear. She glanced
around the room, nostalgic to all the things present. Her amber eyes caught sight
of the papers, envelopes, and a couple of stationeries on her study table. Those
things were still there, she thought. She buried her face into her pillow, heaving
a deep sigh. She never got the chance to arrange those stuffs and she knew why.
After writing another letter to her grandfather, she immediately gave the letter to
her homeroom teacher, Narumi-sensei.
“Narumi-sensei…” She lifted her head after mumbling the blonde teacher’s name. She
got off the bed and walked towards the desk to look at the mess she made. “I still
can’t remember him.”
Her memories of her homeroom teacher were still at lost. Heck, she doesn’t even
remember any of the teachers in school. It wasn’t her concern at the moment. She
remembered giving a letter to Narumi-sensei before the day she lost of her
memories. “I wonder if he sent it already…”
She arranged the stuff on her desk and placed them back in their proper places.
Afterwards, she approached the window and stared at the beautiful Sakura trees as
they danced with the cool wind. She settled her arms on the window pane, bringing
her mind once again to think about what was happening around her.
“Alice Stones…” she mumbled the first thing that pop into her mind. “The Blue Alice
Stone was the memories of my classmates and the Brown Alice Stone was the memories
of my Jii-chan and my hometown.” It was still a wonder how the latter Alice Stone
winded up at her feet. It seemed that somebody purposely dropped it for her. The
question was who?
Well, Raito did give her the first piece of her memories, so it wasn’t surprising
if he would give the next piece. Her heart started thumping quickly, as she thought
of the green-haired boy with topaz eyes. He remembered him telling that he wanted
her, but she actually didn’t know what he meant by that. Love? She was oblivious to
the feeling of love and she didn’t know why.
“Tsurugi Raito,” she muttered his name unconsciously. She wondered if all her
memories were with him. She wondered if he’ll ever give it all back to her. He was
a pervert when she first met him. He was a guy who was not afraid to show his
feelings. When he hugged her, she felt how warm and tender he was. But his mere
presence frightened her so much.
________________________________________
The rain finally came and it poured hard. It was a good thing that it was only
rain. No strong winds were blowing, only heavy downpour of water falling and making
everything wet. The Sakura trees that once give off the sweet essence and appealing
color were now soaked in water. The rain made the surroundings so melancholic.
Inside a certain lab, the famous and genius inventor was working on another
invention. It was an invention to further increase her profit. Others have told her
to make an invention that would help Mikan with her memories, but she simply told
them no and walked away. She was still cold and emotionless, and to others, she may
seem nothing but a money-hungry girl. There was no doubt that Hotaru valued money
and she loved making inventions to gain merits. Sure, she was keeping herself busy
with her invention that would surely make her rich, but that was because she wanted
to occupy her mind with something else than Mikan. All in a while, she was
pretending not to care in front of anyone. She pretended to be fine after learning
on what happened to her best friend. It was all pretend.
She busied herself with work, so she wouldn’t think of Mikan all the time, but it
was hard not to. Mikan was her best friend after all. She cared for the brunette
very much. For once, she wished she could be like Mikan who can be honest with her
feelings. She was the exact opposite of Mikan and she knew that fact too well. She
always has this mask on her face to hide away all her negative emotions, and
because of the mask, her heart suffered a great deal.
Tinkering with her invention, Hotaru tried to come up ways to make it better and to
make sure it wouldn’t be defective. She didn’t want her invention to backfire on
her when she goes out to hunt for money. Her face remained stoic, as she tried to
keep her mind from thinking about Mikan. She was going to tighten some screws on
her invention when she suddenly dropped the screwdriver on the floor.
Thud!
The tool rolled under the table, away from her reach. Strangely, she didn’t bother
to get it. Instead, she just sat there with her raven bangs covering her amethyst
orbs. Her right hand that was holding the invention started to shake. It couldn’t
be seen on her face, but Hotaru was actually suffering badly inside.
All she wanted was to keep being busy. She never wanted to be distracted. She
wanted to make more money and blackmail anyone she desired. But all her wants were
futile and it was because of her best friend. Her mind can’t seem to forget
Mikan—even for just one minute. And why? The reason was because she was too damned
worried for her.
Her poker face was still hard, no matter how her hand shook or how chaotic her
insides were. As stated before, she wasn’t good at showing any emotions. She had
her stupid mask on too tight.
“You must be Mikan-san’s best friend!” a girly voice boomed from behind the
inventor.
The voice surely surprised Hotaru, but she was still able to remain calm. Peering
over her shoulders, she saw a girl with auburn hair and jet-black eyes. “Who are
you and what are you doing here?” she questioned in a serious and deadly tone.
“Geez, you sound like that Hyuuga Natsume brat,” the girl squirmed, crossing her
hands.
“That’s not the answer I’m looking for,” Hotaru said, rising up from her chair. She
faced the girl, revealing her amethyst eyes more, and pointed the Baka Gun at her.
“Isn’t that the Baka Gun?” she asked. “I’ve heard about that before. It’s a gun that
automatically fires when pointed at an idiot. Too bad, though, I’m no idiot. That
gun will definitely not work on me.” She was so confident about this.
The girl seemed to know a lot, making Hotaru more suspicious. “Just who the hell
are you?” She narrowed her gaze.
“Dark Witch of the Anti-Alice Organzation…
“What?” Hotaru was shocked to learn that the girl was an AAO member.
“I can’t give you my real name, okay?” the girl said. Akisato Haruka! That’s my
beautiful name! Sorry, I can’t reveal it to you.
“An Alias? Figures…” She still remained calm in front of the AAO member.
Haruka raised an eyebrow. “You really sound like Hyuuga! I can’t stand it!” She
stomped her foot on the ground. “I so can’t believe that you’re the best friend of
Sakura Mikan-san!”
“How do you know Mikan?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“You know, Dark Witch fits you perfectly.” Hotaru looked calm on the outside, but
she was actually pissed off. “Because you look like an old hag.”
That did it. If there was one thing Haruka hated, it was being called OLD! She was
just thirteen for crying out loud and she had a beauty to match any princesses out
there. She was so furious at Hotaru for insulting her. She wasn’t going to let her
get away with that. “Who are you calling an old hag?! I’m so going to—”
The so-called Dark Witch suddenly got hit on the head by the famous Baka Gun. “It
seems you’re an idiot after all,” Hotaru remarked.
“Oww! That hurt!” scowled Haruka. She regained her composure and prepared for
battle. “You are so dead, Imai Hotaru.”
The Baka Gun fired again, but Haruka managed to evade it this time. Hotaru
attempted to shoot her again and again. The lab wasn’t that big, but Haruka was
still able to move around to avoid everything shot at her. The witch is too fast.
“You’re not so great after all, Imai,” Haruka said, smirking. “I’m so disappointed.”
Hotaru put away her Baka Gun and pulled out her Baka Bazooka. “Maybe this will
knock you out,” she said, looking calm.
“Not if I can help it,” Haruka said, as she ran towards the inventor. When the Baka
Bazooka fired, Haruka simply dodged the bullet by jumping so high. She flipped
through the air so easily and landed on Hotaru’s shoulder on her hands. “This is
for calling me a hag, Imai!” She bent her body forward, grasping Hotaru by the
collar. As she landed her feet on the floor, she threw Hotaru towards the table
where her other pile of inventions got scattered.
Despite the pain on her back, Hotaru tried to stand up, but Haruka stopped her by
pinning her head down on the table. She struggled against Haruka’s strength, but
Haruka was far stronger than her.
“This is too easy,” Haruka mocked, laughing like an evil witch. “I didn’t even need
to use my Alice on you. I never knew you were this pathetic, Imai.”
Even though she was in a real pinch, Hotaru neither showed any fear or worries. Her
eyes still remained calm and cold. While Haruka laughed at her, she was thinking of
a way to fight back. She had no inventions on her, which was bad, and all her
useful inventions were on the other side of the room. She didn’t want to lose hope.
“What should I do to you?” Haruka pulled Hotaru up by her hair and pinned her face
on the table again, making sure it would hurt. “Should I use my Alice or not? Hmmm…
”
Hotaru wasn’t going to take this torture any longer. Her free hand scanned for
anything on the table, hoping it would help her out of the situation. Her hand
found something and it was long and hard. She didn’t know what it was, but it would
surely help her.
“I know!” Haruka giggled. She finally thought of a way to finish Hotaru off and it
would be slow and painful. But before she could carry out her torture plan, she saw
a long thin pole heading towards her. With the right timing, Haruka grabbed hold of
the pole before it hit her head. “Nice try, weirdo…” She pulled the pole from
Hotaru and threw it away.
However, Hotaru wasn’t disappointed by it. She actually had a smirk plastered right
on her face.
“What are you smiling about?” Haruka said, obviously irritated.
“You’re in for it now,” Hotaru said, knowing what the pole was.
“Huh? What the hell are you talking about?”
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
“What is that sound?” Haruka glanced around the room in search for the source of
the sound. Her eyes led her to the floor where she saw the long thin pole she threw
a while ago. For some reason, the pole had decreased its length. It was now at the
size of her foot and two red lights were flashing at both tips. “What is wrong with
that thing?!” As she looked back at Hotaru for answers, she was surprised to see
her wearing sunglasses already.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The sound was getting faster and faster.
Before Haruka got the chance to speak, a bright light was emitted from the pole.
She unwillingly released the inventor and shielded her eyes from the light with her
own pair of arms.
Hotaru finally had the chance. She sneaked away from the Dark Witch and grabbed her
Baka Bazooka. “Payback time,” she muttered, aiming the weapon at the enemy girl.
The bazooka fired its shot and hit Haruka on the stomach. “I got you.”
By this time, the blinding light vanished and the pole went back to its original
length.
Haruka dropped on her knees as she held her stomach in pain. “Darn you, Imai!” she
uttered, throwing one vicious look at Hotaru.
Hotaru wasn’t the least bit scared of Haruka. Dark Witch or whatever, she was still
a flirty and idiotic girl to Hotaru.
“This isn’t over yet!” Haruka said. She jumped out the window, completely
shattering the glass, and landed on one of the wet-branches of a Sakura tree. It
was still raining hard outside, but Haruka didn’t care about it. She glanced back
at Hotaru one more time and cringed at the sight of her dim poker face. I’ll kill
you the next time we meet. With that thought, she vanished into the woods.
Hotaru heaved sigh of relief. She had never faced such a strong and ruthless enemy
before. The Dark Witch was really serious in killing her off, but that didn’t scare
Hotaru. It just made her curious since the witch was somehow connected to Mikan’s
memory loss and a member of the Anti-Alice Organization. She was also curious about
the witch’s Alice. Considering how strong she was, Hotaru felt that her Alice was
far stronger and deadlier.
I need to tell the teachers and the others about this. I have to warn Mikan as
well.
Without a second thought, Hotaru put on her rain coat, rode her duck scooter, and
dashed off in the rain. Her destination was the Elementary School Dorm. Her purpose
was to warn everyone about the Dark Witch.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 10: Emerald Blue Wind
She wished the rain would stop, so the children could go out and play. She had been
staring aimlessly at the rain, sighing and thinking about her lost memories. One of
her classmates had told her that she lost her memories during a rainy day such as
the one she was witnessing at the moment. She asked them a lot of questions about
her identity, and most of them were answered by her good friends, Anna, Yuu,
Nonoko, and Kokoroyomi. She was able to find out more about Natsume, Ruka, and of
course, Hotaru. Among all her classmates, those three were a blur to her. She
wondered why they weren’t included in the Blue Alice Stone. Natsume, Ruka, and
Hotaru were her classmates too. She was extremely bothered by this.
“Hotaru is my best friend,” she muttered, heaving a sigh once again. She placed her
hand against the glass of the window and felt her hands turning cold due to the
weather outside. “But I can’t remember her.” She lowered her head, grimacing at
what she just said.
There were also the two boys, Natsume and Ruka. She can’t remember them no matter
what. She could see how they cared for her but she was oblivious to the boys’
feeling of love for her. She prayed hard, hoping she would find the Alice Stones
containing her memories of them.
Checking at the time, she saw it was nearing 6 PM. “It’s almost time for dinner,”
she said, taking her hand off the glass. She picked out a yellow turtle-neck blouse
and white mini-skirt. She put on the clothes and looked at her reflection in the
mirror. She let out a small smile seeing that she looked fine. “I wonder what’s for
dinner today.”
As she reached for the door knob, she felt a slight breeze crawling on her skin.
She instantly turned around to see the window wide open. “I don’t remember opening
the window…” she said, feeling a bit nervous. She motioned herself over to the
window and closed it right away. “So weird.”
“Sakura Mikan-san,” a voice spoke all of the sudden.
Mikan got so startled by the voice that she let out a loud “EEEKKKK!” She spun on
her heels to look at the person who spoke. She gasped at the sight of a girl
wearing casual clothes. “W-Who…Who are you?” she managed to asked in a stuttering
voice.
The girl raised her head, revealing her sparkling emerald-blue eyes. Her blonde
hair reaching up to her shoulders was silky and smooth. “I’m sorry for scaring you,
Mikan-san,” she said in a monotonous voice.
“Umm… It’s all right,” Mikan replied. “But who are you and why are you here in my
room? Wait, how did you get in here in the first place?” She spoke normally this
time.
Obviously shocked to be bombarded with three questions right away, the blonde’s
eyes widened a bit. She let out a small giggle and smiled. She looked so pretty
with a smile. “You were wondering how the window got opened a while ago, right?”
“You’re the one who opened it?” Mikan said, shifting her eyes on the window. “And
you came in here through the window?!” Her voice rose.
“Yes.”
“How is that possible?!” Mikan turned to the girl once more. “I mean, my room is on
the second floor.”
“Oh that…” The blonde scratched the back of her head and chuckled. “It’s all
because of my Alice.”
“Your Alice?”
The blonde nodded. “I have the Alice of Wind. I can manipulate the elemental wind
according to my will. I also use the wind to fly.” She explained her Alice in clear
words.
“Oh, I get it!” Mikan approached the blonde until she was only a few inches away
from her. “So, what’s your name?”
“Chiaki,” the wind manipulator said, “Kazeno Chiaki.”
“It’s a nice name!” Mikan beamed with a smile.
“Your name is nice too, Mikan-san,” Chiaki replied with a smile as well.
Mikan was surprised as Chiaki called her by her name. She thought if she knew
Chiaki before she lost her memories. “Umm… Kazeno-san, are you my friend here in
the Academy? Are you also a student?”
“I’m not your friend and I’m definitely not a student here.” Chiaki’s voice sounded
serious this time.
“Then why are you here?” Mikan had a bad feeling about the blonde. If Chiaki was
not her friend or classmate, then who was Chiaki to her? She was afraid to think of
her as an enemy, since Chiaki seemed to be a nice girl, at least she felt like she
was nice.
“Mikan-san, I’m a member of the Anti-Alice Organization,” Chiaki said, narrowing
her eyes.
“Anti-Alice?!” the brunette gasped, as she backed away. She knew what the Anti-
Alice Organization was. She knew it because she remembered encountering some of its
members before. There was this time where she and Shouda Sumire chased after Mouri
Reo, a popular singer who was once a Special Star student of the Academy. She also
remembered the time she encountered a strange woman who stole Tobita Yuu’s Alice
before. With all that in her mind, she knew how dangerous the Anti-Alice
Organization was.
Chiaki crossed her arms behind her and leaned back against the window. She felt the
droplets of rain on her back and the cool breeze passing by. Her emerald-blue eyes
never left Mikan. “Mikan-san, my senior is responsible for your memory loss,” she
said with no emotions at all. “If you want your memories back, all you have to do
is to find him.”
Mikan’s amber orbs widened. “What? Why are you telling me this?”
“It’s because…” The young wind manipulator lowered her head, allowing her blonde
hair to cover a part of her face. She let out a quiet sigh as she clenched her
hands behind her back. “You’re her daughter…” she said softly but enough for Mikan
to hear.
“Huh? Daugther?” Mikan had absolutely no idea what Chiaki was talking about.
“Kazeno-san…” She was about to ask her more, but Chiaki suddenly gazed at her with
sadness in her emerald-blue eyes. Mikan was surprised at this.
“Mikan-san, I’m not your friend,” Chiaki said, her voice almost stuttering. “But I
don’t want to be your enemy either.”
Something was wrong, Mikan felt it in Chiaki. But she can’t trust her just yet.
After all, Chiaki was an AAO member. “A-are you t-trying… to…deceive me?” she asked
nervously.
Chiaki only shook her head and spun on her heels. “Mikan-san, the organization
wants you.” She gritted her teeth. “They want you because of your two Alice.”
“Kazeno-san…”
The rain was pulling to a halt, but the sky was already dark. It was already night
time. Chiaki realized she needed to leave before anyone finds out about her. “I’m
sorry. I can’t do anything to stop the organization.” She climbed up the window and
knelt on it. “Please be careful, Mikan-san.” With those final words, she jumped off
the window.
“Kazeno-san!” uttered Mikan, almost forgetting about the blonde’s Wind Alice. She
ran to the window to see if Chiaki was all right, but as she looked down, nobody
was there. “She’s gone…”
The clouds were clearing up, revealing a bright moon. The ray of moonlight shone
upon her face, as she wondered about the blonde who revealed herself neither as a
friend nor an enemy.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The loud knock came banging on her door, surprising the poor brunette. She quickly
opened the door, revealing her raven-haired best friend, Hotaru. Before she could
speak, she noticed the wet raincoat Hotaru was wearing. “You better dry yourself
up, Hotaru, or you might catch a cold,” Mikan said, worrying for the inventor.
As usual, Hotaru did not show any emotions in her face. “Mikan, there’s something
you should know,” she said flatly, as she grabbed the brunette’s hand. “Come with
me right now.” She pulled Mikan out of the room, closed the door, and dragged her
across the hallways.
“Hotaru, where are you taking me?” she asked, as she tried to keep up with Hotaru’s
pace. The inventor could sure walk fast.
“Shut up,” Hotaru retorted. “You’ll know once we get there.”
Mikan knew there was something bothering Hotaru, but the raven-haired girl refused
to tell her. Whatever it was, she was dying to know. Maybe it has something to do
with her memories or maybe Hotaru had found another Alice Stone of hers, she
thought wildly.
________________________________________
In a 5-star hotel located near the Academy, three Anti-Alice Organization members
were currently discussing their devious plan. The leader of the pack, Fujioka
Takumi, who was also the oldest among them, was relaying the plan one by one. Since
he was well-respected in the AAO, he was always confident with his plans, saying
that they’re full-proof. The other members can’t disagree with him, because
Takumi’s mind was very cunning. When he finished his talk, he asked the other
members if they had any questions.
The girl with jet-black eyes raised her hand. “Takumi-san, do you really think
Mikan-san will join us?” she asked.
Takumi nodded knowingly. “Of course, Haruka, although I do have to remove some of
her memories again since a certain someone gave one of her Alice Stones back.” He
shot Raito a dead glare.
“How many times do I have to tell you?!” Raito yelled, rising from his seat. “It
was necessary!”
“You could’ve knocked her out, you know…” Haruka said sarcastically as she started
filing her nails.
“I don’t want to hurt Mikan-san, understand?!” His voice was so loud that it
annoyed the hell out of the Dark Witch.
“RAITO-KUN!” Haruka narrowed eyes at him. “You don’t have to shout! Geez, I’m not
deaf!” She rolled her eyes away and folded her arms in front of her chest.
Raito clenched his fists hard and sat back down on the couch. “Haruka-san, can’t
you just remove the curse on Mikan-sama?” he grumbled and stared hard on the floor.
“I hate to see her suffer whenever she tries to remember.”
“I understand how you feel, Raito-kun,” Haruka replied in a soft voice this time.
“But I can’t remove the curse unless our superiors order me to.” She went back to
filing her nails, acting like she doesn’t care, but she actually does.
“Haruka’s right, Tsurugi,” Takumi said, leaning against the wall. “Why do you care
so much for Sakura Mikan anyway?”
“Takumi-san, I already told you,” Haruka butted in before Raito could speak. “He’s
in love with her.”
“Yeah, I know, but why?” Takumi motioned himself in front of Raito and stared down
at his depressed face. “Why her?”
The boy with the topaz eyes stayed silent. It wasn’t like he couldn’t answer; he
just couldn’t explain his true feelings for Mikan. He felt his heart pumping so
rapidly. He wanted Mikan so badly. He had a great desire for her. He couldn’t
believe that a girl he just met a few days ago would have so much impact on him.
The feeling of love was so ethereal and wonderful.
Takumi was still waiting for his answer, and Haruka suddenly thought of something
interesting to agitate Raito.
“You better give her up, Raito-kun,” Haruka started, crossing her legs.
“What did you say?” Raito looked up at the auburn-haired girl.
Haruka shrugged, as she put the nail file away. “You don’t have a chance with
Mikan-san.” She put on a malicious grin on her pretty face. “Besides, Mikan-san has
Hyuuga Natsume.”
Temperature rising, Raito bolted up from his seat and went over to Haruka. “Don’t
ever mention his name to me!” he threatened with angered eyes, but the girl seemed
unaffected with this.
“Why? Jealous?” Haruka poked his abdomen playfully. “I fought with Hyuuga not so
long ago and I can say that he’s in love with Mikan-san. Not only that, according
to our sources, Natsume is Mikan-san’s partner in the academy and they’re very
close. I think they’re more than friends.” She kept on blabbing on how lucky
Natsume was to have Mikan around, causing Raito to get more jealous every second.
She didn’t care if Raito was angry. She always liked teasing him to the extreme.
Raito couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed Haruka by the collar and pulled her up.
He shot her with deadly eyes. “SHUT UP, BITCH!” he uttered, shaking her a bit.
“I’ll make sure Mikan-sama will be mine! I won’t let Hyuuga or any guys have her!”
Haruka was having hard time breathing but she was still grinning, as if she wasn’t
scared of Raito at all. “I kinda doubt that, Raito-kun,” she said slyly. “But I
would like to see you try.”
“You are such a witch!” Raito yelled out, roughly pushing her back to her seat.
“I’m going out!” He left the room with a loud bang from the door.
“I am a witch and I accept that fact,” Haruka muttered under her breath. She then
let out a chuckle. “He’s so hot-tempered.”
“You’ve really provoked him, Haruka,” Takumi said, taking a seat beside the girl.
“You should be careful. He can hurt you.” Though he said those words, his face
looked cold.
“I know, I know…” Haruka wasn’t afraid of Raito. She had known Raito for a long
time now and she had always teased him. She knew how to deal with Raito’s anger
with a snap. “Takumi-san, Raito-kun will never hurt me. I’m sure.”
“If you say so…” Takumi leaned his back on the couch and closed his eyes a bit. He
was a little tired from all the work he has been doing for the organization. “Oh,
by the way, where’s Kazeno?” he asked.
“She’s probably wandering off in the city again,” Haruka answered, as she took a
magazine and opened it. “You know how she likes being alone and stuff.”
“She’s one strange girl.” Takumi didn’t know much about Kazeno Chiaki, except for
the fact she was an AAO member since the age of 5. Everything about her seemed to
be a mystery. The first time he saw her, he thought she was weak and helpless. He
was surely wrong. When he saw her used her Alice during a training simulation, he
was completely flabbergasted. She possesses an Alice more powerful than any of us
here. I’m sure glad she’s on our side.
________________________________________
A group of people were gathered in the room of a Special Star student who happened
to have a Fire Alice. Yes, it was Hyuuga Natsume’s room. He didn’t like the idea of
using his room to hold a meeting, but since it was about Mikan, he just gave in
with a grunt. He was currently laying on his king sized bed reading one of his
shounen mangas. The other people in his room were Ruka, Narumi-sensei, and Tsubasa.
All of them were quiet, too quiet for their own good. Natsume knew that they were
deep in thought.
The door opened up and in went two elementary girls who were none other than Mikan
and Hotaru.
“You’re finally here.” Narumi-sensei was the first one to speak after the dreaded
silence.
“What are we doing here anyway, Hotaru?” Mikan asked, hoping to get an answer this
time.
“We have something important to discuss,” the blackmailer replied in a cold tone.
She took of her rain coat and hanged it on the rack.
“What’s this all about?” Ruka said, rising from the chair. “I was eating my dinner
when you suddenly showed up and pulled me away, Imai.” He was obviously pissed but
only a little.
Hotaru glared at Ruka, startling him a bit, before she started explaining. “I was
attacked by a girl who calls herself the Dark Witch.”
Natsume’s crimson eyes grew wide as he heard that name. Nonchalantly, he put his
manga down and sat up on the bed. “Hey, does she have black eyes?” he questioned
with a bored face.
“Yes, why? Did she attack you too? She did mention your name before.”
“I fought with her.”
“You fought with who?” Ruka said, growing worried. “Natsume, did you get hurt?”
“Ruka, I’m fine.”
“Well, I’m not,” Hotaru said, her face darkening with frustration. “That idiot gave
me a hard time.”
“What did she do to you?” Mikan asked, throwing a concerned face at her best
friend. Like Ruka, she wanted to know if Hotaru got hurt or anything.
Hotaru was pleased to see how concerned Mikan was, but her face remained stoic as
ever. “She did manage to pull a fast one on me.” She unleashed her Baka Bazooka and
the thin metal pole for everyone to see. “But I used these inventions against her.”
“Wow!” Mikan’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the inventions. “Hotaru, you’re great!”
she beamed, as she threw herself at the inventor.
“Do you want me to use the Baka Bazooka on you?” Hotaru threatened with a
distrustful twinkle in her eyes.
Instantly, Mikan pulled away and chuckled. “Uh—I’ll pass…”
“Hotaru-chan is still scary as usual,” Narumi-sensei whispered to himself.
Going back to business, Hotaru turned to the Special Star student. “When you fought
with her, did she use her Alice on you?” she questioned.
“I kept attacking her, but all she does is evading,” Natsume grumbled, as he
thought of the auburn-haired girl who totally pissed him off.
“So, you have no idea what her Alice is…” The inventor crossed her arms and heaved
a sigh. “Unfortunately, she didn’t show her Alice to me either. For a girl, she
surely can fight without the help of her Alice.”
“This Dark Witch sounds really skilled,” Tsubasa said.
All of the sudden, Hotaru and Natsume gave the shadow manipulator a deadly glare,
sending chills down his spine. Both of them were obviously furious about the Dark
Witch since they have encountered her. Tsubasa couldn’t help but give a small laugh
to ease his nervousness.
“Oh, before I forget,” Hotaru said, averting her eyes away from Tsubasa. “The Dark
Witch is a member of the Anti-Alice Organization.”
“WHAT?!” Everyone in the room shouted, except for Hotaru and of course, Natsume,
since Dark Witch already told him.
“So, they are behind this after all.” Whenever the AAO was involved, Narumi always
thought of his junior, Reo, and his senior, Azumi Yuka. Believe it or not, those
two were special to him, but they left the Academy and joined the AAO. Of course,
he was shocked about this, but he eventually accepted the fact.
Tsubasa fiddled with his hat a bit as he felt uneasy. “Do you think the Dark Witch
is the one with the Memory-erasing Alice? Based on Hotaru’s and Natsume’s
experience, this girl did not use any Alice to fight. It could only mean that her
Alice is not an offensive-type.”
“If that’s true, then that girl must probably have the rest of Mikan’s Alice
Stones,” Narumi said.
“Do you think she has companions with her?”
“Knowing the AAO, she probably has some backup with her. Tsurugi Raito, perhaps?”
“There’s another member besides them…” Mikan spoke up.
“How do you know?” Ruka asked her.
“A member of the organization actually visited me in my room a while ago,” she
started explaining only to get shocked face from everyone.
“One of them actually went to your room?!” Ruka approached the brunette, carrying
his bunny rabbit with him. “Why didn’t you tell us right away?”
“I’m sorry…” Mikan sighed, lowering her head, as she thought about the blonde girl
with emerald-blue eyes. “It’s just that…”
“What?”
She had a heavy feeling in her heart—one she couldn’t explain. She tried convincing
herself not to trust the words of an AAO member, but Chiaki’s solemn face seemed to
haunt her mind. She was totally confused. Despite this, she explained everything to
everyone in the room. She told them how Chiaki entered her room and introduced
herself. She described how Chiaki looked and what kind of Alice she had. She also
didn’t leave the part about Chiaki’s words to her. After everything was said, she
sighed deeply and waited for someone to talk.
Unexpectedly, the raven-haired boy was the first one to speak. “Don’t trust her.”
He shrugged. “She’s up to no good.”
“But Natsume…” Mikan’s eyes grew soft. “She doesn’t seem to be a bad person.”
“Tch. You’re too soft,” he replied.
On the other hand, Narumi was in his own world thinking about what Mikan said
earlier. You’re her daughter… Those words kept repeating in his mind like some
broken recorder. He knew very well what those words meant, what Chiaki was trying
to say. So Kazeno actually knows Yuka-senpai…
________________________________________
Saturday morning came. No dark clouds were in sight, only the warm sun and the
fresh scent of flowers around. It was a very good morning, at least for some
students.
Staring at the beautiful cherry blossoms trees, Mikan thought about a lot of
things, especially about Kazeno Chiaki. Her friends, particularly Natsume, have
warned her not to trust the blonde Alice girl. However, Mikan remembered how sad
her emerald-blue eyes looked.
She left her window and walked to the door. She turned the knob, while staring
down, and opened the door. She didn’t realize there was someone by her doorstop.
“Sakura…” a familiar voice snapped her back to reality.
“Eh? Oh, Ruka-pyon!” Her lips curved into a smile. “Good morning!”
“Sakura, are you all right?” The animal-lover, with his rabbit friend in his arms,
gazed deeply on the brunette’s face, showing nothing but concern and love for her.
“You seem a little daze. Did you get enough sleep?”
Mikan pretended to be cheerful when she answered, “Of course, I’m all right! I
slept like a baby last night.” She was beaming with a smile on her face, hoping
Ruka would buy it.
But Ruka could see right through her. After knowing Mikan for two years, he can
tell whenever she tells the truth or not. “Please don’t push yourself too hard,
Sakura,” he said in a sweet voice.
“Ruka-pyon…”
“You can’t get through this problem alone,” Ruka continued, as his face flushed
red. “I-I’m here for you…” His voice lowered down, because he felt a little
embarrassed. Not only that, his heart was quickening in pace.
She was really happy to have such a good friend like Ruka. Compared to Natsume,
Ruka was more kind, considerate, and friendly. She would always feel comfortable
around Ruka. Even so, this doesn’t mean that she liked Ruka better than Natsume.
“Ruka-pyon…”
“What is it?” Ruka regained some of his composure, but his face was still red. It
became redder when Mikan entwined her fingers with his free hand.
“Thanks…” she replied, showing her ever famous smile that can melt anyone’s cold
heart.
Somehow, Ruka felt like a statue which was stuck in one place. Honestly, he was
thrilled to see Mikan holding his hand, but his nervousness was getting to him. “Y-
you’re we-welcome, Sakura…” he managed to say, as he felt the beating of his heart.
It was going crazy.
Natsume was walking across the halls with only one thing in his mind—Mikan. He
tried denying to himself that he didn’t want to see the bumbling yet adorable girl
so early in the morning, but his body was betraying his own mind. His feet had led
him all the way and he didn’t even bother to turn around. As he approached his
destination, he saw his best friend Ruka holding the hand of his beloved brunette.
He became jealous, but he didn’t make a fuss, since it was Ruka. If it was another
guy holding Mikan’s hand, then he would surely burn him.
“Ruka-pyon, let’s go to Central Town!” Mikan said cheerfully. “Remember the dream I
told you? You and I were in Central Town and you bought me a box of Fluff Puffs!”
The raven-haired boy cringed at what she said. His jealousy was dangerously rising,
but he still kept his cool.
“All right, I’ll take you there,” replied Ruka who was still blushing. Then he
noticed his best friend standing a few distance away from them. “Natsume?”
Mikan smiled as she saw Natsume too. “Good morning, Natsume!”
Natsume, with his usual stoic face, gazed upon the two with crimson eyes. The
feeling of jealousy lay well-hidden behind his mask. “What’s so good in the morning
anyway?” he said, irritated.
With a pout, Mikan released Ruka’s hand and took few steps forward. She stomped on
her foot and clenched her fists. “I was just greeting you, Natsume!”
“Whatever…” He rolled his eyes away, acting like he doesn’t care. He knew it would
annoy her.
“Your attitude really stinks. I can’t believe I actually know you.” Mikan blurted
out with frustration.
“I don’t care,” Natsume said with a bored face. He spun on his heels and started
walking away.
“Natsume, where are you going?” Ruka asked.
“Back to my room,” he answered nonchalantly. Since Mikan wanted to spend a time
with Ruka in Central Town, he decided to leave the two alone—even if it hurt him.
His best friend’s happiness was also important to him and he didn’t want to be
selfish.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 11: Crystallized Shadow
Saturday morning was bright and cheery. Birds were flying and chirping around,
lightening up the atmosphere. The trees were full of light and colors, as flowers
spread its heavenly scent around. The students, young and old, were already up
doing their usual business whenever it was Saturday. Some couples were already
going out. It was yet another beautiful day in spring.
“Ruka-pyon, what is Central Town like?” Mikan asked cheerfully, while she held
hands with a blonde boy. She was wearing a white shirt with pink sleeves, over-
coated with a light pink jacket, and a white mini-skirt with pink linings around
the bottom and a lacey belt. She also wore white sneakers with a star symbol on
each one.
Blushing madly, Ruka tried to avoid her eyes as much as possible. He was already
feeling nervous due to the fact that they were holding hands. “Umm… Central Town
has everything you want to buy. It has a lot of shops and restaurants,” he
explained, looking down at the ground. The guy was wearing a green shirt with blue
sleeves, blue jeans, and dark blue rubber shoes.
“Is that so?” Mikan replied, still holding her beautiful smile. She released his
hand and ran in front of him. As the slightly turned her head to look at him, her
hair swayed elegantly with her movement making her look like an angel to Ruka’s
eyes. She was simply breathtaking.
This time, his whole head was red and he felt quite embarrassed.She’s so c-cute… he
thought silently. If only he could say it properly to her, he would feel relief.
“Ruka pyon, let’s eat Fluff Puffs when we get there!” she said, snapping Ruka back
to reality. She took hold of his hands and squeezed them gently.
A drop of sweat trickled down his face the moment he felt her soft hands. He looked
at her, completely stunned at her eyes, as she watched him with pure innocence.
Ruka’s heart pumped harder, making it harder for him to breathe or even move. He
was happy yet he didn’t show it. His face was completely covered in red.
“You don’t look so good, Ruka-pyon,” Mikan said with concern. She placed a hand
against his temple to check his temperature. She was relieved to know that he had
no fever, but she wondered why Ruka’s face was all red. There has to be something
wrong, she thought.
Ruka instantly shook his head, wiping the blush off his face. “I’m all right,
Sakura!” he chuckled, thinking It’s a good thing she doesn’t know. He grabbed one
of her hands and walked ahead. “Come on, let’s go. The bus will leave without us.”
“Okay!” she beamed, following Ruka closely, as her fingers intertwined with his.
It only took them minutes to reach the bus stop. Upon their arrival, they were so
shocked to see the bus shattered in pieces by the street. There were a lot of
injured people, raging from children to adult. The bus driver was the most injured
one of all and he lay unconscious on the concrete road. The spectators all stared
in horror and wondered what happened to the bus.
“This is terrible,” Mikan said, clamping her mouth with her hand.
Ruka had to agree as he watched the injured victims trying to crawl up.
Some of the spectators went to help the victims. After a few minutes, a bunch of
medics arrived riding in ambulances. Most of them possessed the Healing Alice and
they started to heal those people with serious injuries. Three medics have placed
the bus driver on a stretcher and then he was brought to the ambulance.
Mikan wanted to help the injured as well, but the police was restricting her from
doing so. She wrapped her arms around Ruka’s arm and leaned her temple against his
shoulder. Softly, she muttered a prayer under a breath, wishing for those people to
get well.
“Sakura…” The animal-lover boy stared at the young brunette by his side. His cheeks
were stained in red and his heart was driving him crazy. He was about to speak, to
tell Mikan to cancel their trip to Central Town, but a voice from behind called
their attentions.
“This is such an unfortunate accident, don’t you agree?” a voice belonging to a
female spoke eerily. Mikan raised her head, as Ruka turned around to look at the
owner of the voice.
Both of them saw a girl with wavy auburn hair and jet-black eyes. She had a smirk
plastered on her face, as her eyes held nothing but vice. She had one hand on her
hips and the other one was holding a midnight-blue colored stone. She swung the
stone in front of her, obviously trying to show if off to the two. “Are you two
dating? I thought Mikan-san was Hyuuga’s girlfriend. It looks like I was wrong.”
Those words shocked the two of them. They definitely haven’t seen her before, and
yet, she knew about Mikan and Natsume. Ruka had a big hunch that she was more than
just a pretty face. He held Mikan’s hand, pulling her behind him, as he glared at
the girl intensely. “Tell me something, are you the Dark Witch?” he questioned.
“The Dark Witch?” Mikan gasped, clutching onto Ruka’s shirt from behind. Based on
what Hotaru said, the Dark Witch was skilled in fighting and, more or less, in
using her Alice, though she doesn’t know of her Alice yet.
“Yup!!” the auburn-haired girl said, bowing her head slightly. “I’m sure Hyuuga and
Imai have told you about me already.” She waved the stone in front of her eyes.
Ruka’s eyes widened. “That stone!” He stared at the midnight-blue stone carefully,
so he wouldn’t make a mistake about it. “That’s an Alice Stone!” He pointed out.
“Could it be my memories?” Mikan asked, peering over Ruka’s shoulder to look at the
stone.
Haruka let out a laugh. “Correct! This is Mikan-san’s Alice Stone. If you want to
get it, then try to catch me!” She winked an eye at Ruka and dashed off towards the
direction of the Elementary School Building. For a girl, she could sure ran so fast
and disappear from sight in a split second.
“Let’s go, Sakura!” Ruka said, as he started hauling Mikan away with him. He ran
with all his might, careful not to trip or let Mikan trip over something. He had
still time to care for her—even though he was determined to get back her memories.
Like Hotaru and Natsume, Ruka wanted Mikan to remember him. He just hoped that the
midnight-blue Alice Stone has her memories of him inside.
________________________________________
Walking along the cherry blossoms path towards the Elementary School, Ibaragi
Nobara, the Ice Princess of the Dangerous Ability Class, had her head low and her
hands clasped against her chest. She was clad in a plain blue sweater and dark
green pleated mini-skirt. She wore a pair of light-green sneakers with white loose
socks. Anxiety was written all over her pale and delicate face. Her mind was
occupied by the one and only brunette who was the first person to ever warm up to
her in the Academy. She was supposed to be happy since she was going to graduate
from Middle School already. But she can’t bring herself to put a smile on her face
while Mikan was going through a lot. She brushed some hair away from her face and
heaved a sigh. She has arrived at the entrance of the Elementary School.
“Mikan-chan, will you ever remember me?” she asked in a low tone, so nobody else
could hear.
She wanted to see Mikan. She had already been to the Elementary School dorm, but
Mikan wasn’t there. So, she decided to check the Elementary School Building.
Hopefully, she would find Mikan there. She was about to go inside when she heard
somebody running. She turned around only to see an auburn-haired girl running while
holding a midnight-blue Alice stone in her hand.
Haruka, also known as the Dark Witch, spotted Nobara and stopped running. “If I’m
not mistaken, you’re that girl with the Ice Alice,” said Haruka.
Nobara gasped at what she said. “How did you know that?”
“I have my sources,” Haruka replied knowingly, as she placed a hand on her waist.
“Anyway, you’re classified as a Dangerous Ability Type, right? So, you’re in the
same class as that Hyuuga guy.”
“You also know Natsume-kun?”
“Kuro Neko…” Haruka narrowed her gaze at Nobara. “I know him and I despise him.”
“Eh?” Nobara was getting a bad feeling from the black-eyed girl. “Who are you
anyway?”
Before Haruka spoke, two high school students arrived and saw Nobara. One student,
who was a boy, was wearing a grey hat, a plain blue shirt, loose jeans, and dark-
blue rubber shoes. The other one was a girl clad in red turtle-neck blouse with
long sleeves, a black pleated mini-skirt, and brown knee-high boots. The two of
them approached her casually, greeting her with a warm good morning and smiles. But
Nobara replied them with silence. She just looked at them with a scared look in her
eyes.
“What’s the matter?” Harada Misaka asked, placing a hand on Nobara’s shoulder. The
moment she touched her, Misaki quickly withdrew her hand and rubbed in gently. “So
cold! Why are you using your Alice?”
The other high school student was Andou Tsubasa, also known as the Shadow
Manipulator. He turned his head to look at Haruka who seemed to be smirking at him.
Her smirk gave him the Goosebumps, but he tried his best not to look nervous in
front of the girl. “Who is this? A friend of yours?” he asked Nobara.
The Ice Princess simply shook her head. “I haven’t seen her before in my entire
life,” she answered. “But she seems to know my identity as a Dangerous Ability
student. She also knows Natsume-kun.”
That’s when it hit him. Tsubasa shot Haruka a glare with his midnight-blue orbs and
clenched his fists. He remembered Hotaru’s descriptions about the Dark Witch of the
Anti-Alice Organization. There was no doubt about it, what he was glaring at was
obviously her. “The Dark Witch, I didn’t expect you to be so young.”
“Andou Tsubasa-sempai I presume?” Haruka said, as she slid the stone inside her
pocket. “You’re Mikan-san’s very first senior, so that means you’re very important
to her.”
“What is it to you?!” Tsubasa retorted.
“She’s the Dark Witch who attacked Hotaru-chan and Natsume-kun?” Misaki muttered,
her eyes growing.
“Oh, I’m getting pretty popular around here!” Haruka uttered, flailing her arms up
high. She then clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily. “This is so cool!”
“You, give us back Mikan’s memories!” Tsubasa demanded.
“No can do, sempai.” Haruka crossed her arms behind her. “I can’t disobey the
organization, you know.”
Tsubasa had no choice but to use force on her. He quickly eyed on her shadow and
attempted to step on it. Unfortunately for him, Haruka anticipated his move and she
managed to jump away in a second. “Damn it!” he growled, clenching his fists harder
this time.
Chuckling, Haruka flipped her wavy hair and looked back at the Shadow Prince. She
then pointed a finger at her own cheek. “Tsubasa-sempai, that mark on your cheek is
a curse mark, right?”
Tsubasa replied her with an even deadly glare.
“A person with a Curse Alice gave that Mark of Obedience to you, right?” she
continued.
“That’s right,” Misaki was the one who replied. “What’s the deal with these
questions?”
“I’m just curious that’s all,” Haruka replied with a malicious grin. “Because that
person’s Curse Alice is quite similar yet different from the Curse Alice I know.”
For some reason, Misaki thought, Haruka was beginning to make sense. She took a few
steps forward and stared hard at the auburn-haired girl. She saw the grin on her
face, and it was annoying the hell out of her. Still, Misaki remained calm and
composed. “Do you, by any chance, possess the Curse Alice?” she questioned.
Nobara and Tsubasa were quite surprised with Misaki’s actions.
Haruka lowered her head until her bangs covered her eyes from sight. She began
laughing softly, but as every second passed, her laughter became louder and louder.
She laid her hand on her temple, trying to control her laugh so she could speak.
She gazed upon the older students. “Bingo!” she said cheerfully.
At this point, Misaki used her Doppelganger Alice and multiplied herself into five.
Two clones charged towards Haruka with perfect movement since Misaki was also
skilled in fighting. The clones jumped into the air and performed a high-jump kick
attack.
With a smirk, she simply back flipped twice and stood confidently. “You’re way too
slow…” she mocked.
Misaki clenched her fists tight. The other 3 went in for the attack as well but all
of them failed to even land one punch on Haruka. Misaki didn’t want to admit it,
but Haruka was way good. However, she was not going to give up. Mikan’s Alice Stone
was on the line, and she had to get it no matter what. Misaki attacked Haruka
again, but the Dark Witch easily dodged her punches and kicks.
“Time for us to help out,” said Tsubasa, taking a few steps forward.
Nobara nodded her head. “I’ll do my best…” She activated her Alice, causing the
atmosphere to get chilly.
“Take this!” Misaki attacked again with a side kick this time, but Haruka evaded
and jumped side wards.
“Geez, you’re so weak!” the Dark Witch said, pointing a finger at the Doppelganger.
“It seems like I don’t need to waste my Alice on you.” She laughed hard and held
her stomach. She was underestimating Misaki so much.
But Misaki wasn’t upset or irritated with Haruka’s behavior. In fact, she was
smiling for some reason. “Laugh all you want…” Misaki called her clones back and
became one again. She formed a defensive stance and concentrated her eyes on
Haruka.
“Are you going to attack me again? Come on then!”
“You move way too much,” Misaki blurted out. “It’s time for you to stay put.”
“What rubbish are you—” Haruka suddenly felt the cold wind blowing on her skin.
Adrenaline pumping, she turned her head to look at the one and only Nobara using
her Alice. Well, she wasn’t worried at all. She knew Nobara would make a move
sooner or later. “Your Ice Alice doesn’t scare me at all.”
The ground below Nobara had turned into ice and the temperature around her was
seriously decreasing. With a slight movement of her hand, a crystal ice bridge
emerged from the ground and it was heading straight for Haruka.
As usual, Haruka jumped sideways with the right timing. But when she landed
gracefully on the ground, two clones appeared behind her. She quickly ducked to
avoid being grabbed and made a swift sweep under their feet. When she stood up, she
moved away from them. “This is getting boring.”
Nobara concentrated harder and made a medium-sized iceberg appear behind Haruka.
“What the hell?!” uttered Haruka, completely taken by surprise. She tried to run
away, but the ground beneath her feet became slippery so she slipped and fell butt
first. “Owww…”
“I did it!” Nobara cheered with a smile.
“I’m not done yet!” Haruka was going to stand up again, but she was stopped by an
unknown force. Then she noticed her shadow going all the way to where Tsubasa was
standing. Her eyes grew in horror. She was caught by Tsubasa!
“Looks like you’re not that clever after all,” Tsubasa said, obviously trying to
mock her.
“You sure can fight,” Misaki said, wiping some sweat from her temple. “But you’re
way too arrogant.” She glanced down at the dark witch and made a peace sign, making
Haruka more pissed.
“Tell me about it,” Tsubasa agreed.
“Shut up!” Haruka boomed, clenching her fists hard. “Let me go!”
Tsubasa raised an eyebrow. “There’s no way I’m letting you go after what you did to
Mikan.” He slid his hands into his pockets and went a little closer to her. “If you
don’t mind, give us back all of Mikan’s memories.”
“I only obey my superiors,” Haruka said seriously, giving them a death glare. Not
only was she angry, but she felt so humiliated to be captured by Tsubasa.
“Mikan-chan needs her memories back,” Nobara, this time, spoke up. She approached
Haruka and knelt down to her level. “So please give them back…” Her face was so
soft and solemn.
“No…” Haruka said plainly, her bangs covering her jet-black eyes. Her fist trembled
greatly, as if she wanted to kill the three of them right away. She had to think of
a way to escape or else she’ll be punished by the organization. She has a
reputation to keep and she wasn’t going to let three students from the Academy ruin
it. She raised her head, revealing her lifeless eyes. Her lips slowly curved into a
smile. “You guys are gonna pay…”
Tsubasa felt something strange about her. Her eyes meant something and her aura
felt so familiar. Ironically, she possessed the same dark and eerie aura as the
person who gave him the Mark of Obedience. Thinking about that person sent shivers
to his body.
Haruka opened her hands and planted them on her shadow. Her hands glowed in a dark
light. She activated her Alice and released a curse from her hands to her shadow.
Since Tsubasa was stepping on the shadow, the curse immediately invaded his body,
making him release his hold on her.
“AHHH!” Tsubasa screamed, dropping to his knees.
“Hey, Tsubasa, what’s wrong?!” Misaki quickly knelt down and held his shoulders.
“Kage-san…” Nobara muttered with concern.
Tsubasa was squirming a lot. Not only was he in pain, he was also having a hard
time breathing. He wrapped his arms around himself and shut his eyes close. He was
trembling tremendously, as the pain he felt was growing. He felt like dying.
“Get a hold of yourself!” yelled Misaki, who was extremely worried for the Shadow
Manipulator. She then shot the Dark Witch a glare and said, “You! What did you
do?!”
Haruka stood up with poise and stared at them with disgust. “Isn’t it obvious? I
placed a curse on your beloved Shadow Prince,” she spoke in a cold voice. Clearly,
she was angry and pissed off because of what Tsubasa did. It only meant she was a
sore loser.
“Remove the curse!” Misaki shouted, bring Tsubasa closer to her. “Do it now!”
“Sorry… You’re so not the boss of me, Doppelganger.”
“Please remove the curse,” Nobara said, standing up. The air was becoming chilly
again in response to her Alice. She extended one arm forward and concentrated hard.
In a flash, three ice daggers came out of her hand and charged towards Haruka.
Unfortunately, Haruka ducked in the nick of time. “Stupid girl…” she muttered,
smirking. She ran up to Nobara and touched her temple with her left hand. “Brace
yourself, coz it’s gonna hurt a lot.” She unleashed her Alice and placed a curse
upon the Ice Princess. After that, Haruka punched Nobara on the stomach, knocking
her out completely.
“No…” Misaki muttered, hugging Tsubasa tighter. She couldn’t believe how strong
Haruka was. Her past experience with the Anti-Alice group couldn’t even come close
to what she was seeing right now. The usual brutes of the AAO were as easy as pie,
but Haruka was different and she was far too dangerous.
“Now what should I do with you, Doppelganger?” Haruka had her cold jet-black eyes
on Misaki. She pulled out the midnight-blue Alice stone from her pocket and showed
it off. “Because of this stone, your two friends are now under my curse.”
Tsubasa continued to groan in pain, while his body trembled with cold sweat. His
eyes were still close, but he knew Misaki was there for him. He felt her warmth and
her pumping heart, since his head was against her chest.
“Hmmm… You guys are so boring. I better be on my way now.” Haruka walked passed
Misaki, as she played with the Alice Stone.
“Come back here, HAG!” Misaki managed to say, even though she was scared.
Haruka’s eyebrow twitched a bit. “You still have the courage to insult me…” she
said without turning around. Her tone of voice was deadly. “You have a lot of
nerve, Doppelganger. “ She activated her Alice yet again and she was planning to
put a curse on Misaki for calling her a hag.
But before she made her move, a pigeon swiftly flew pass her, taking the midnight-
blue Alice Stone with it. Haruka shrieked in horror. How could a top-class agent
from the Anti-Alice Organization let a mere bird take something important from her?
She grunted loudly as she looked for the bird. She spotted the bird making its way
towards a young blonde boy.
As the pigeon landed on the boy’s arm, he muttered, “Thanks for the help.” He took
the Alice Stone from it and let it fly away.
“Give that back, Nogi Ruka!!” Haruka demanded, stomping her foot.
“I believe this belongs to Sakura,” Ruka said, referring to the young brunette
right beside him.
“Ruka-pyon, Mikan-chan!” Misaki yelled, feeling so happy to see them.
“What happened, sempai?” Mikan asked, noticing Nobara on the ground and Tsubasa in
Misaki’s arms.
“Be careful with the Dark Witch! She has the Curse Alice!” Misaki warned her two
juniors. She hoped they won’t suffer the same fate as Tsubasa and Nobara if they’ll
ever fight with her.
Despite what Misaki said, Ruka was still willing to fight against Haruka. If he can
defeat Haruka, then there will be a big chance for Mikan to recover all her
memories. Though he was usually kind and warm, his eyes were showing fierceness and
strength. He was ready to fight. He wasn’t going to turn back. He whistled loudly,
ordering a pack of ravens to join him.
“Birds? What are they gonna do? Peck me to death?” Haruka let out one of her
maniacal laughs again. As usual, she was underestimating her opponent. “Nogi, you
Animal Pheromone Alice is pathetic.”
“I used to think that before,” Ruka replied seriously, as he patted a raven on his
shoulder. “But a friend told me not to be ashamed of my Alice because it can
protect people.” He was referring to Natsume.
Mikan was rather amazed by his speech. “Ruka-pyon, good luck and be careful, okay?”
she said.
Ruka nodded his head in reply. As he looked back at Haruka, he whistled and said,
“Attack her!”
All the birds responded to Ruka’s command and attacked Haruka. Since there were so
many of them, she couldn’t focus her Alice. Some ravens were pulling her hair, the
others were pecking her temple and back, and the others were flying over her head.
She was in distraught, and she couldn’t think straight anymore. “Damn it!” She
knelt down and managed to grab one of the birds. “You disgusting things!” In anger,
she released a powerful Alice and cast curses on all the birds.
“No way…” Ruka said in disbelief.
“The ravens…” Mikan clamped her mouth to avoid shrieking.
One by one the ravens dropped dead to the ground, and the raven in Haruka’s hand
had turned into ashes. Haruka was successful in killing the annoying birds, but
there was something wrong with her. As she stood up, she was breathing heavily and
her eyes were so dull. Not only that, her left hand had black markings on it.
“What happened to her?” Mikan asked, turning to Ruka for some answers. Sadly, Ruka
shook his head for he didn’t know either.
Haruka held her left hand and gritted her teeth. “All of you should go to hell,”
she groaned in resentment. Afterwards, she ran away as fast as she could, totally
forgetting about the Alice Stone. She didn’t care anymore. She felt so humiliated.
She had never lost her cool before in a battle, so it was her first time to use her
Alice in such a way. “I’m going to kill you, Nogi Ruka.” She swore she would get
revenge.
Since the threat was out of sight, Mikan sighed in relief and gave Ruka one of her
precious smiles. She somehow found out how her smiles affect the people around her.
She knew Ruka was upset because of what happened to the ravens, so she smiled at
him and hoped his sadness will go away.
And her smile worked. Ruka returned her smile and said, “I know that my friends did
not die in vain.” He showed her the midnight-blue Alice stone. “Sakura, your
memories…” He handed the stone to her.
“Ruka-pyon, thanks so much!” she said, tears forming in her amber eyes. With joy,
she flung herself onto Ruka and hugged him like there’s no tomorrow.
“Sa-sakura…” Ruka was blushing madly.
Mikan released him and gazed down on the Alice stone on her palm. She wondered what
memories were in stored for her this time. But before activating the stone, she
walked over to her seniors, along with Ruka, and knelt down to place Nobara’s head
on her lap. “Nobara-chan…” She glanced over at the Shadow Manipulator in Misaki’s
arms. “Tsubasa-sempai, Misaki-sempai…”
“AHHH!” Tsubasa screamed and moved his head rapidly. He couldn’t take it anymore.
The pain was so excruciating that it was driving him crazy. He wanted it to stop.
He kept squirming and he even pushed Misaki aside. He held onto his head and bent
down until his temple almost reached the ground. “Just let me die right now!”
Misaki’s eyes were nearing to tears, for it was unbearable to see Tsubasa like
this. She, as well, was also experience pain. She wished she could do something to
relieve Tsubasa from his misery, but the only thing she could do was to be there
for him. So, she pulled her boyfriend to a hug again and held him securely. “Don’t
say such things… I’m still here…” she whispered sweetly in his ear.
“M-Misaki…” Because of Misaki’s warmth, he managed to calm down. But the pain was
still there.
The Doppelganger girl gazed her eyes on the little brunette girl. “You know,
Tsubasa, Ibaragi-san, and I fought so hard against that Dark Witch. We were trying
to get the Alice Stone from her.” She pointed at the Alice Stone in Mikan’s hands.
“I’m glad that our efforts were not in vain,” she spoke solemnly.
A pang of guilt pieced through Mikan’s heart. Her seniors were all hurt because
they were fighting to get the Alice Stone for her. She broke into tears and bowed
her head. “Sempai, I’m so sorry. Because of me, you… you…”
Misaki slowly shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Mikan-chan. We all did our best
because we care about you. We want you to remember again.”
“Sempai…”
“What are you waiting for? Use the stone now,” Misaki spoke in her usual up-beat
tone, assuring Mikan that she was fine.
Mikan nodded her head. “All right… Here goes…” She clasped the stone with her hands
and closed her eyes. After a short while, the stone began emitting a midnight-blue
aura. The light enveloped Mikan, as it gave off a warm and calm feeling. Mikan was
remembering again. Her head was filling up with memories of a lot of people. She
saw herself smiling and partying with a group of people who were older than her.
“This is…” As she opened her eyes, she gave Misaki a weak smile.
“What did you remember this time?” asked Misaki.
Tsubasa slightly opened his eyes upon hearing that. He wanted to see his beloved
junior’s smile, since she remembered something again. He pulled himself away from
Misaki, despite the pain he felt, and approached Mikan. “So, what’s in your mind?”
He managed to give her a smile.
“Sempai…” Mikan, who was still crying, cried some more.
“What’s the matter?” Tsubasa patted her head like he always does whenever she
cried.
Suddenly, Mikan lunged forward, pushing Tsubasa to the ground, and sobbed on his
chest. “I remember now, sempai! I remember you!” she said. “I remember Misaki-
sempai, Nobara-chan, and our classmates from the Special Ability Class. I also
remember all my seniors!”
Misaki gasped at what she heard. “That’s great!”
It was a good moment to celebrate, but Tsubasa still has a big problem. Due to the
Curse Alice, his body was feeling strings of pain. Even so, he managed to stay calm
and collected. He hugged his favorite junior. “Mikan, I’m so happy for you.”
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 12: The Curse
Tsubasa and Nobara were rushed into the hospital with the help of Mikan, Ruka, and
Misaki. The two victims of the Curse Alice were now being diagnosed inside the
emergency room. Tsubasa’s pain has grown far worse than before and he kept on
shouting out Misaki’s name. On the other hand, Nobara lay unconsciously on the bed
and her whole body was as cold as ice. The doctors were shocked to see them in such
a condition, admitting that it was their first time to encounter a powerful curse.
Waiting patiently outside the Emergency room, Mikan paced back and forth as she
nibbled on her thumbnail. She couldn’t stay put knowing her two seniors were
cursed. She wanted to do something for them, since they were the ones who fought
hard for her Alice Stone.
“Sakura, you should sit down,” said a concerned Ruka. He offered the seat right
beside him.
Sighing, Mikan nodded without complaints and sat down beside Ruka. “Do you think
they’ll be all right?” she asked sadly.
Misaki was clenching her fists tightly as her eyes stared down on the floor.
“Tsubasa…” she muttered her boyfriend’s name. She was so worried for him. It was
the first time she ever felt this way. She was afraid to lose Tsubasa.
“I don’t know,” Ruka replied, feeling the tension of the two girls beside him. He
was seated in the middle of the two. “But we shouldn’t lose hope.” He tried
encouraged them.
Just then, one of the doctors came out of the Emergency Room. Mikan’s eyes
brightened up at the sight of him. “Are they all right?!” she asked him quickly.
The doctor set his eyes on the young brunette for a while. “We’ve managed to calm
Andou down and put him to sleep. It seems like he only suffers from the curse when
he’s awake.”
“Really?” Misaki bolted up from her chair. “So, Tsubasa’s okay?” Her eyes had a
hint of joy in them.
“Yes, he’s okay for now,” the doctor said, adjusting his glasses.
Misaki sighed in relief as a tear fell from her eye. She was so worried for her
boyfriend all this time and she was about to go crazy.
“How about Nobara-chan?” Mikan asked, thinking about the Ice Princess.
“Ibaragi-san is a different case,” the doctor said nonchalantly, slipping one hand
into the pocket of his lab gown. “The curse invaded her brain and because of it,
she’s incapable of waking up.”
“What?!” Mikan’s gasped in surprise and horror. Her friend was incapable of waking
up? No way! If that was the case, she will never see the Ice Princess’s smile and
her deep eyes again. “Nobara-chan… No…” After finally getting her memories of her
seniors back, this had to happen to Nobara and Tsubasa.
________________________________________
The tension in the school the day after Tsubasa’s and Nobara’s curse incident with
the Dark Witch of the Anti-Alice Organization hung over Mikan like cement. She did
not speak at the breakfast table. Even though Misaki and Ruka told her it wasn’t
her fault, she still felt guilty. Tsubasa and Nobara were suffering from a curse
that cannot be lifted. Natsume got into a fight with the Dark Witch. Hotaru also
got hurt, but she was lucky enough to protect herself with her inventions. In
addition, Misaki and Ruka also fought hard to retrieve her Alice Stone. All of her
precious friends were doing everything just to get her to remember again. It pained
her to see them trying so hard while she couldn’t do anything.
“Mikan, you haven’t touched your food,” Hotaru said, as though expecting a reaction
from Mikan, but she got none. Mikan turned her head and looked at Hotaru in
silence. “This isn’t like you…” Her emotionless voice drifted off as she saw the
pain in her amber eyes. It was obvious that Mikan felt guilt and sadness in her
heart.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have the appetite.”
“Stop thinking too much,” Hotaru said, her face showing the same stoic expression.
“It won’t do you any good.”
“But… It’s my fault why they’re cursed.”
“What nonsense are you saying, dummy?” Hotaru said with a slightly different tone.
“Tell me, were you the one who cursed them?”
Mikan vigorously shook her head.
“No, right? You’re not the one with the Curse Alice here.”
“But they got hurt because of me,” Mikan said weakly, feeling rotten.
“Do I have to hit you so you’ll understand?” Hotaru revealed her Baka Gun to the
brunette. She looked very seriously. She hated to see Mikan blaming herself for
everything. It wasn’t right. She knew Mikan was the true victim out of all of the
happenings.
Mikan’s face darkened, ignoring what Hotaru said, as she lowered her head. Tears
started falling out of her amber eyes due to the guilt in her heart. No matter what
Hotaru said, she still felt the same away. She thought she was a burden to
everyone. She hated herself for being so useless to everyone. Her fists on her lap
trembled, as tears continued to flow out.
Seeing her best friend in such a state, Hotaru had no courage to hit her anymore.
Instead, she gently placed a hand on the brunette’s shoulder to comfort her. “Stop
crying. Your face looks ugly when you cry.” Her voice seemed plain, but she was
deeply worried for Mikan. “The Mikan was a lot cuter with a smile.”
The other classmates of Mikan saw her tears. They all knew that Mikan recovered
some of her memories again but two senior students got hurt in the process. Anna
and Nonoko immediately approached Mikan and sat by her side. With their presence,
the three geeky sisters of the Technical Class were complete. Anna brushed Mikan’s
loose brown locks with her fingers, while Nonoko placed a hand over Mikan’s hand.
“Mikan-chan, cheer up!” Nonoko said.
“Please stop crying,” Anna added.
“It’s not your fault, Mikan-chan!” Yuu uttered, approaching the table where Mikan
and the girls were. The class representative adjusted his glasses and focused his
eyes on the cute brunette who was pouring her eyes out. “I’m sure they’ll be cured
soon. The doctors will find a way.”
Sumire, who was quietly eating her breakfast, couldn’t stand it anymore. She
refused to see her so-called rival-friend so upset about herself. She banged her
fists on the table, shaking a few glasses and plates, and abruptly stood up from
her chair. She turned around and stared at Mikan. “Sakura-san, you’re making
everyone worried!” she shouted, not caring if she got the attention of her
classmates or some random students around.
The brunette gave neither an answer nor a comment. She stayed silent and continued
to sob in her seat, as if she didn’t notice the three girls around her.
“Quit moping around, Sakura-san!” the cat-dog girl rumbled, spinning on her heels.
“Why don’t you just wake up and see what’s around you? You’re not the only one
having trouble. Get your head straight. The world doesn’t only revolve around you.
Do you think we’re happy to see you like this? Since you’ve already remembered most
of us, you should know how everyone feels. Don’t tell me you forgot about that?”
She bit her lip to prevent herself from crying. She didn’t want to show her tears
to anyone at the moment. She wanted to stay strong, since Mikan was already crying.
Yuu agreed to what Sumire said, but her words were pretty harsh. However, talking
to Mikan might snap her out of it, he thought silently. It was worth a try and he
had to do something to cheer up the young girl. “Mikan-chan, let’s go to Central
Town after class. We can buy your favorite Fluff Puffs there!” Yuu had always known
Mikan’s addiction to the sweet treat.
But the mere mention of Central Town made her remember the terrible scene at the
bus stop. The bus was scattered into pieces and a lot of people were injured. She
never knew what caused the accident but she had a feeling that it was Haruka’s
doing. Who else could it be? Haruka was a member of the Anti-Alice and she was
present at the scene. Mikan’s heart sunk more. Everything was all her fault. She
had to get away. She stood up suddenly, making the chair fall to the floor, and ran
out of the dining hall as fast as she could.
“Mikan-chan!” Anna, Nonoko, and Yuu shouted in unison. But their voices weren’t
able to reach Mikan’s ears. They were about to go after her when Sumire and Hotaru
blocked their way. “Hotaru-chan, we shouldn’t leave Mikan-chan like that,” said
Yuu.
Hotaru understood how the blonde boy felt because she felt the same way. She, as
well, wanted to comfort Mikan, but her best friend was too stubborn to believe that
it wasn’t her fault. “She needs some time to think. It’s best to leave her alone
for a while,” Hotaru said.
“I want the cheerful Mikan-chan back,” Anna said, sighing heavily. She held hands
with Nonoko and stared down at her own two feet on the floor.
“Yeah, me too…” Nonoko squeezed the pink girl’s hand and sighed.
“Like I said,” Sumire muttered, punching the wall beside her. “That idiot’s making
us all worried! Damn it! Why can’t she just forget about her troubles and smile
like she always does?!”
“She said sorry…”
“Huh?” Sumire turned around only to see the usual face of the mind reader,
Kokoroyomi. “What did you say?” she asked.
“I’ve been reading Mikan-chan’s mind while you were all comforting her,” the young
boy said, scratching the back of his head. “She was thinking about a lot of things
like: It’s my fault why everyone is suffering.”
“But it’s not her fault!” Sumire retorted, folding her hands in front. “Can’t she
get that through her head?”
Kokoroyomi chuckled at the cat-dog girl’s reaction before he continued. “She
considers herself as a burden. She was also thinking about Imai, Natsume, and
Ruka.”
“What are we going to do about Mikan-chan, Hotaru-chan?” Nonoko asked, feeling
panicked.
“Nothing,” the raven-haired girl replied with no emotions, surprising the others.
She was unhappy, not only because Mikan was crying, but also because she was one of
the reason for her misery. Silently, she stood up without having any eye contact
with anybody. After that, she left the room.
________________________________________
Mikan kept running and running as tears flowed out of her eyes. She didn’t know
where her feet will take her. She didn’t know how long she would need to run. She
didn’t care about anything anymore. She felt so lonely, so guilty, and so hurt. Her
heart felt like it was stung by thousands of needles. She could hardly see where
she was going. Her tears blurred her vision, but this didn’t stop her. She
continued on until she bumped into someone. The impact caused her to lose balance,
but as she was about to fall, the person grabbed her arm and yanked her back to her
feet.
“Hey, watch where you’re going, polka-dots,” an unruly voice reprimanded, making
her look at him.
“N-Na…Natsume?” She noticed someone behind him and it turned out to be his best
friend, Ruka. “Ruka-pyon?”
“Sakura, what’s the matter?” the animal-lover asked in concern. His beautiful blue
eyes softened as he came across Mikan’s amber ones. He saw the tears in her eyes.
“And why are you crying?”
“Crying?!” The brunette quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve. “I wasn’t crying.
I got something in my eyes.” Yeah, she knew it was a lame excuse, but it was the
only thing she could think of.
“Liar,” Natsume snorted. The tears he saw in her eyes were clear. He could also
sense something wrong with the girl and he had to find out. “Answer Ruka’s
questions.”
“I’m fine.” She averted her eyes away from the two boys. She didn’t want to tell
them about her to problems.
Natsume was getting pissed. “You were never good at lying,” he said coldly.
“Shut up!” Mikan uttered as tears came out of eyes once more. “Leave me alone!” She
was going to run again, but a pair of arms grabbed her by the waist. She was
shocked at this. She peered over her shoulders and met a pair of crimson eyes.
Ruka was also shocked at Natsume’s sudden action. His best friend actually hugged
Mikan from behind her. He knew Natsume had no other choice to stop her, but he
couldn’t help feel jealous. He knew about Natsume’s feelings for the brunette very
well.
“Natsume, let me go!” The girl demanded, struggling in his grasp. She was nothing
but a burden, she thought again. She didn’t deserve to be with him. She didn’t
deserve to be protected by such wonderful people. If there was a need to suffer,
then she should be the only to feel it.
“No…” the fire-user said plainly, as he tightened his grip around her. “Not until
you tell us what’s wrong.” He brought her nearer to his chest.
Her eyes grew wide with surprise. Natsume was hugging her; his arms were secured
tightly around her waist. She paused right on the spot and stared down on the
floor, as tears streamed down her gentle face. Mikan felt so safe in his arms but
she didn’t know why. Whenever she was with Natsume, her heart would beat so fast.
It was like her heart truly knew who Natsume was. Silently, she wished to remember
Natsume again.
“Ready to talk now?” Natsume spoke, seeing that the brunette has calmed down. Truth
to be known, he didn’t want to let go of Mikan. He felt rather comfortable holding
her so close.
Mikan gave a slight nod, and Natsume released her. She turned around and looked at
the two boys sadly. Her usual smile was not present and her eyes were covered in
tears. It was painful for them to see their lovely angel so depressed, and Mikan
could sense that.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how much trouble I’ve caused you,” she said. “Everyone
is getting hurt because of me. I’m such a burden to everyone.” There she goes
again, blaming herself. She was too selfless and concerned for others.
Natsume had expected this, however, and he knew just what to say to her. “Idiot,
you’re always a trouble-maker,” he said, and Mikan’s face drowned in more tears.
“But it doesn’t mean that you’re a burden.”
“Sakura, we are fighting against the Anti-Alice Organization because we want to
help you.” Ruka walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re
important to everyone here, especially to your friends,” he said, thinking you’re
important to me, Sakura.
“They all care for you,” Natsume muttered. “And what you’re doing is making
everybody worried.” His voice was a little harsh when he said that.
“Natsume… Ruka-pyon…” There was a new light in her dazzling amber eyes as she
looked at the two boys. She could see how sincere and how true their words were.
She felt so miserable for making Ruka, Natsume, and everyone worried. Clasping her
hands together, she bowed her head and said, “I’m sorry!”
“Sakura...” The young blonde motioned over to her side and placed a hand on her
shoulder. “You don’t have to apologize,” he said softly.
The brunette raised her head and stared into his blue eyes. “But the way I acted to
you was—”
Natsume shrugged. “Forget about it,” he said in his usual voice. His stoic
expression loomed over his face as his gaze pierced through her eyes. “Hurry up and
go back to your cheerful and clumsy self.”
Her lips curved back into an attractive smile. She looked up at Ruka happily now
and then she turned to Natsume. Her face had lightened up and the tears have
disappeared from her eyes. It was like magic. “Thank you, you two,” she said in a
lively tone.
“That’s the Sakura I know,” Ruka said knowingly, feeling relieved to see Mikan’s
wonderful smile again. She was always beautiful with a smile.
“Tch. Just don’t go thinking about your problems too much,” Natsume told her as he
felt the same way as Ruka did.
Mikan nodded her head. “Let’s walk to school together!” she uttered, taking one
hand each from the two boys. Her action caused both to blush a little, but they
quickly hid their expressions under their bangs. The girl being so dense yet sweet
didn’t notice it and started to walk ahead, pulling them along with her.
The two best friends secretly smiled. Being close with the brunette angel was all
they ever needed to satisfy their day. And seeing Mikan’s smile was always calming
and soothing for their troubled souls. They had made a promise to one another and
that was to protect Mikan in their own way, to protect her smile, and to love her.
________________________________________
The Curse Alice was one dangerous Alice. It was feared by even some of the top
leaders of the Anti-Alice Organization. This certain Alice belonged to a pretty 13-
year old girl, known as Akisato Haruka a.k.a. Dark Witch. She has trained with the
best and emerged as one of the elites in the Organization. She was well-admired not
only because of her beauty, but also for her fighting skills. She rarely makes any
mistakes during a mission.
“AHHH!!” Haruka screamed in pain. She was lying on the bed with a hand clutched on
her chest. Drops of sweats were visible on her face and her eyes were shut tight.
There was always a first for everything. Much to her disappointment, Haruka failed
her mission. She let some Alice Academy students take away the Alice Stone. She was
defeated by those students. She never felt so humiliated all her life. She wanted
to kill them. For a girl, she had a lot of pride. However, how could she kill them
if she couldn’t even walk properly? Her own Alice was the cause of her suffering.
Her Alice had backfired on her. When she unleashed her Alice on Ruka’s ravens, she
lost control for a moment. Because of this, her Alice cursed her as well.
She hugged the pillow tight. The pain she felt was unbearable, but she knew it
would go away. Of course, since it was her Alice, she knew how to deal with it. She
was the only person who can remove her curses. Unfortunately, it can’t be removed
quickly. It takes a lot of time.
The leader, Fujioka Takumi, entered her room with a tray of food in his hands. He
motioned himself over to the side of her bed. “You haven’t eaten since yesterday,”
he said, putting the tray down on the bedside table. “And you haven’t slept a
wink.” He stared down at her with cold lilac eyes. He was never the one to show
pity or concern to his subordinates.
Haruka tried to open her eyes but ended up shutting them tight again. “Takumi-san,
I’m really sorry for what happened. I didn’t expect… AHH!” She curled up into a
ball and breathed heavily.
“I guess this is the punishment for your failure.”
She knew how insensitive and emotionless her leader can be and she didn’t mind
this. Almost everyone in the Anti-Alice Organization had a bad personality, and she
was one of them. “I swear I’m going to get them next time,” she said.
“Whatever…” Takumi turned around and walked to the door. “By the way, you used your
Alice on two students, right?”
“W-what… What about it?” Haruka had a hard time talking.
“Those students, Andou Tsubasa and Ibaragi Nobara, were close friends of Sakura
Mikan.”
“Annoying sen…seniors…” she grunted.
“Your job wasn’t a total failure,” he said. He smirked quite evilly and left the
room.
She was flabbergasted at what he said. Takumi-san never tolerates failures. So why
did he? Her thoughts were suddenly disturbed by the pain again. “Damn it!” It was
her own curse that she was suffering. How ironic was that? But then again, she
finally knew how her victims felt for the first time. She lifted her left hand saw
the black markings. It was as if her hand was rotting away. “I just have to be
patient. This curse will soon disappear.”
________________________________________
Mikan came to see Tsubasa and Nobara at the hospital that afternoon on her lunch
hour. She was in good spirits, a little stronger than she’d been. She was
accompanied by Hotaru and Yuu. She had already apologized to the two Triple Star
students for her actions this morning. She had also told them how she was comforted
by Natsume and Ruka.
“Natsume-kun actually did that?” Yuu said with a surprised look on his face.
“Yes!” the young brunette replied, holding her usual cheerful smile. “I never
expected Natsume to do that, since he’s a big meanie.”
Hotaru had an evil glint in her eye. Hyuuga Natsume hugging Mikan would sell
millions, she thought, as her eyes became rabbit signs. She was still a money-
hungry blackmailer. Just now, Hotaru was thinking of a way to make the Black Cat
hug Mikan again.
As the threesome entered the hospital room, they found a blonde girl standing by
the window with her emerald-blue eyes focused on them. Mikan immediately recognized
the girl as she let out a slight shriek. It was the same girl who visited her room
before. “Kazeno Chiaki-san?” the brunette muttered. “What are you doing here?”
At that point, Hotaru pulled out her Baka Canon and pointed it towards the strange
girl. “An Anti-Alice member,” she said coldly. “She must be planning something with
those two.” She was referring to Tsubasa and Nobara.
“We better call someone for help,” Yuu stated, reaching for the door knob.
“I won’t let you,” Chiaki said and activated her Alice. Without even moving an
inch, she commanded the wind to attack Yuu’s hand.
Yuu dropped to his knees and held his hand. A deep cut was made on his hand and it
was starting to bleed.
“Iinchou!” Mikan knelt down to his level. “Oh no…” She tried to touch his wound,
but the blonde boy merely shook his hand away.
“I can manage this, Mikan-chan,” Yuu calmly said, forcing a smile on his face. He
can’t go weak at a time like this.
“Are you sure?” Mikan’s eyes were filled with concern.
Yuu assured her that he was still fine. Besides, he was more worried about Mikan’s
safety. He thought that the blonde girl of the AAO was planning to take Mikan away.
He had to be strong. As a class representative and a good friend of Mikan, he must
protect her at all cost. It was not only an obligation for him, it was also a
responsibility. Carefully, he stood up while holding his wound. His own blood was
dripping to the floor, but he didn’t mind this.
“You’re gonna pay for that,” Hotaru muttered in a cold voice. She used her Baka
Canon and fired some shots at the blonde.
With a snap of her finger, Chiaki summoned a wind barrier to protect her from
Hotaru’s attack. From what it seemed, obviously, Chiaki could control her Alice
very well. There was no need for her to exert so much effort to summon the wind.
The organization had trained the wind manipulator well. “Pathetic…” she muttered.
“Iinchou…” Mikan stayed closed to Yuu in case he would fall or something. She took
good look at this cut again. Angered, she balled her hands into a fist and turned
her head at Chiaki. “How dare you hurt my friend!” she shouted with rage.
The blonde girl merely lowered her head. She didn’t want to look at Mikan. She was
too ashamed to face her. “I’m sorry, Mikan-san…” she said sincerely. “I had to stop
him.”
“But did you have to use your Alice to hurt him?!”
Chiaki didn’t want to answer that. She actually regretted hurting the boy. She was
a member of the AAO, but she was a lot different than the other agents. She didn’t
possess any killing aura in her. Her eyes weren’t so dark and indifferent. “Mikan-
san, I came her to warn you,” she said, lowering her wind barrier.
“And why?” Hotaru butted in, narrowing her amethyst eyes at the blonde. She still
had her invention pointing at the enemy. “Why should we believe you? You’re one of
them.”
“Yes, I am a part of the Organization,” Chiaki answered, her eyes drowned in
sadness. “But I’m not your enemy.” She raised her head again, revealing her
emerald-blue eyes. Her fists were clenched tightly as some hair covered her right
face.
“What exactly do you mean, Kazeno-san?!” Mikan blurted out, taking a few steps
forward. She wasn’t afraid of the wind manipulator. “You told me that you’re
neither a friend nor an enemy. I don’t get it.”
“Mikan-san…”
The brunette’s eyes softened, as the words “It’s because you’re her daughter…”
flashed through her mind. Until now, she wasn’t able to figure out what she meant.
Was she the daughter of someone from the Anti-Alice? She certainly hoped it wasn’t
true. “Please tell me everything you know, Kazeno-san,” she said in a voice almost
pleading. She wanted to know if her thoughts were correct.
“I can’t tell you everything for now… Sorry…” The blonde spun on her heels and
faced the open window. “Mikan-san, please tell your friends to be careful.”
“Huh?”
“Tsurugi Raito and the Dark Witch are planning their revenge.” Chiaki climbed up
the window and leaned her back on the pane. She glanced back at the brunette with a
concerned look in her emerald-blue eyes. “Please watch over your friends,
especially the Black Cat…” Her voice trailed off. She had to stop there. She had
given too much information already. She turned around and jumped off the window.
“Kazeno-san!” Mikan yelled, rushing towards the window. She stuck her head out to
see where Chiaki was going, but the blonde seemed to have vanished like the wind
again. Disappointed and confused, Mikan wrapped her arms around herself and stared
hard on the floor. She thought about Chiaki’s last words before she left. It was
about Natsume. She was starting to fear for his safety. She didn’t want anything to
happen to Natsume.
Yuu wrapped his wound with a clean handkerchief to stop the bleeding temporarily.
“This should do it.”
“You better have that checked,” Hotaru said with a stoic expression, and the class
representative just nodded. She walked across the room to see if there were any
traps set by the blonde AAO member. Hotaru was still suspicious of her. She
searched high and low around the room, including under the beds, but she didn’t
find any traps. “So, she just came here to warn Mikan…”
“She was pretty strange,” Yuu said, cupping his chin with his hand. He took a quick
glance at Tsubasa and Nobara. “It seems that they are unharmed as well.” He then
shifted his eyes on the trembling Mikan who was obviously thinking about Chiaki. He
became worried for her.
________________________________________
“What’s wrong, Natsume?” Ruka asked that afternoon. He and Natsume were walking
through the hallway, which was filled with girls from their fan club. The annoying
fan club was gawking at them, as if they wanted to gobble them alive. Ruka had
ignored them, though, because nothing good ever comes out when you have contact
with one of them. But he did notice something wrong with his raven-haired friend.
Natsume was staring hard on the floor, his hands inside his pockets. He shook his
head a bit. “Nothing’s wrong with me,” he said, but his answer didn’t convince
Ruka.
“Are you thinking about Sakura?”
“And why would I be thinking about her?” Natsume retorted, a little surprised and
annoyed.
Ruka patted his little rabbit friend. “I can read you like an open book, Natsume. I
am your best friend after all,” he said knowingly.
“Tch. Whatever…” Natsume grunted. He had to admit, Ruka was right. He was thinking
about Mikan a lot. He was thinking about his actions this morning, the time he
hugged her from behind. It felt so good to be able to touch her like that. He
wanted her to stay in his arms forever. Unlike his fire, Mikan’s warmth was far
better and a lot more comfortable.
Things got a silent between them. Nobody spoke a word, not even after they left the
Elementary School Building. They walked through the Sakura Trees, as the wind blew
passed them, carrying with it the beautiful petals of the cherry blossoms. The pink
flowers reminded them a lot of Mikan, the girl who truly captured their hearts.
Both of them were aware of each other’s feelings for her.
“Hyuuga Natsume! Nogi Ruka!” an unruly voice cried out.
The two best friends immediately turned around and saw Tsurugi Raito, the owner of
the Bomb Alice. Natsume narrowed his crimson eyes, angered by the boy’s presence.
He summoned a flame in his right hand. He was willing to burn the boy into a crisp
if he’ll ever attack them.
Raito shot them a deadly glare, his topaz eyes showed nothing but fury. “It’s time
for you two to die!” he uttered, clenching his fists tight. He activated his Alice
and summoned several energy spheres around him. He grabbed one sphere with his hand
and smirked. “I’ll make Mikan-sama mine and mine alone.” He threw the sphere at the
two boys.
Using his own Alice, Natsume threw a fire ball to counter the sphere, which was
actually a mini-bomb. The bomb exploded upon impact with the fire. After that, he
glanced back at Ruka and said, “Quick, run and get some help. I’ll stay here and
fight him.”
Ruka felt a little reluctant to leave his friend behind. He wanted to help Natsume
fight Raito. But he knew his Alice won’t be much help against a Bomb Alice. His
animal friends would only end up getting hurt like the time with the Dark Witch.
“Just be careful, Natsume!” he said and turned around. He held his rabbit securely
and dashed off in a split second.
“Take this!” Raito threw more bombs at Natsume, but the fire caster evaded them
with ease. He was getting more pissed by the minute. He formed a bomb in the size
of a basketball this time. He eyed Natsume with extreme hate as he balanced the new
bomb on the tip of his finger. “Let’s see if you can handle this.”
Natsume was more than prepared to handle any attack from Raito. He was a Dangerous
Ability Student after all. He was trained to fight hard in battle. He was expecting
another bomb attack from Raito, but nothing came at him. Instead, he saw Raito
dropping his bomb right in front of him. Has he gone mad? Natsume thought, thinking
how stupid and crazy Raito was. That kind of bomb could kill him.
When the bomb hit the ground, it immediately exploded. The smoke caused by the
explosion enveloped Raito, making him invisible to Natsume’s eyes. The Black Cat
sharpened his senses even more. He couldn’t afford to let Raito take advantage of
the situation. He must fight and win, because Mikan was at stake.
The smoke had cleared up after a while. Adrenaline pumping, Natsume started
searching for his opponent. “Tch. Where did that bastard run off?” he muttered.
“Who are you calling a bastard, you moron?!” Raito appeared from behind Natsume and
kicked him hard on the back. He grinned maliciously as he thought of torturing
Natsume. He pulled him by the collar and knee-kicked his stomach, making him
coughed blood out. Raito wasn’t satisfied with that yet. He pinned Natsume against
a tree and proceeded to punch his stomach and his handsome face.
Angered, Natsume summoned a fire wall before him, which made Raito backed away. He
knelt down, panting hard, as blood trickled down from his cheek and from his mouth.
He wiped away the red liquid with his sleeve, stood up, and regained his composure.
He glared at the topaz-eyed maniac with blood-shot eyes. He was so going to
pulverize Raito for what he did.
“You’re really a tough opponent, Hyuuga,” Raito said, forming an energy sphere in
his palm. “But you’re arrogant and rude. You’re attitude stinks like hell. I don’t
know how a guy like you was able to get so close to Mikan-sama.” He felt immense
hatred and jealousy.
“Hn. Don’t talk like you know me, jerk” Natsume retorted. “Whatever relationship I
have with Mikan right now is none of your business.”
Raito growled and stomped his foot on the ground. None of my business my ass, he
thought wildly. He had every right to know about Mikan’s relationship with others.
After all, he was planning to make Mikan his girlfriend when she’ll finally join
the AAO. “To hell with you, Hyuuga!” he shouted. With haste, he threw several bombs
at Natsume.
Being agile as usual, Natsume jumped backwards, then to the right, and jumped to
the left. He moved like the speeding wind as he dodged every bomb thrown. When
Raito was done with his assault, Natsume figured it was his turn to attack. He
trapped Raito inside a ring of fire and threw at fireball at him.
Raito blocked the fireball with his left arm, which got burned in the process. He
yelped in agony as he held his burned arm. He looked around him where all he could
see were flames. There was no way to escape. “Darn it…”
“If you’ll use your Alice, then your dead meat,” Natsume threatened. He had a
fireball in his palm, which was ready to be used against the trapped AAO member
inside the ring of fire. “I have some questions and I want you answer them.”
“What?!” Raito raised an eyebrow. “And why would I do that, idiot?”
“You don’t seem to realize the predicament you’re in,” Natsume said in a cold and
uncaring tone. His patience was slowly drifting away because of Raito’s
stubbornness. He could burn Raito up in a second if it weren’t for his need for
answers. “Who is responsible for Mikan’s memory loss?”
Raito bit his lip, refusing to answer the Black Cat. He would suffer great
consequences if he would reveal anything from the organization. But he would be
roasted by Natsume if he didn’t talk. He was really in a pinch. Scratching his
head, he said, “It’s my leader. He’s the one with the Memory-Stealing Alice. He’s
called the Mind Reaper by the organization.”
“Does he have all of Mikan’s memory stones?”
“Duh, isn’t it obvious?” Raito scowled. “Each member of the team was given only one
memory stone in case of an emergency.”
“Team?”
“Our team is composed of 4 members, including the leader and myself.”
“I’m guessing that the other members of your so-called team are the Dark Witch and
the Kaze-girl,” Natsume said mockingly.
“You’re really getting on my nerves, Hyuuga,” Raito grumbled, swearing that he’ll
get back at Natsume.
“Like I care.” Natsume increased the temperature of his fire. “Tell me, what did
you mean by she mustn’t remember?” He remembered his last encounter with Raito.
When Mikan was regaining her memories in a painful way, Raito told her to stop and
then he gave her an Alice Stone, which relieved Mikan of her pain. Natsume was
awfully curious about what Raito said at that time.
Raito let out a sigh. He knew the answer to Natsume’s question well. But should he
tell his rival about Mikan’s condition? It would be like betraying the organization
itself. He didn’t want that, though, he doesn’t have any choice. “Mikan-sama was
cursed by the Dark Witch as well,” Raito said sadly, concerned etched on his face.
Shocked, Natsume gritted his teeth. “She was cursed by that bitch?” he grumbled, as
the image of the auburn-haired Akisato Haruka appeared in his head.
“You don’t have the right to insult her like that!” Raito yelled, creating a bomb
with his right hand—the one that wasn’t injured or burned. Believe it or not, Raito
cared about Haruka, even though they always argue over the senseless things. He and
Haruka had been in the Organization as comrades and partners for so long. Only he
had the right to insult Haruka.
“You seriously have a death wish, huh?” Natsume said, sensing the rage in Raito. He
could see that Raito had special feelings for the witch. But he couldn’t care less
about his feelings. He was more interested about the curse. “How can the curse be
lifted?”
“Nobody can remove the curse made by the Dark Witch. Only she can undo her curses.”
Raito lowered his head and sighed deeply. He was extremely tired, not to mention
that he was having a hard time breathing with the flames surrounding him. In
addition to that, he was sweating non-stop. “That’s why she mustn’t remember. She
can’t have her memories back.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“The curse on Mikan-sama is not that simple. If she gets all her memories back, she
will…” Raito had no courage to continue his sentence. The next word he was about to
say was far too dreadful. Frankly, he didn’t even want to think of that word.
“She will… What?”
“Are you sure you want to know?” another voice spoke out of the blue.
Raito jarred his eyes wide open upon recognizing the voice. His lips curved into a
small smile. He was going to be saved, finally, he thought.
On the other hand, Natsume wondered where the voice came from. But he didn’t get to
look around much since a strong gust of wind passed by him like a speeding bullet.
Afterwards, the fire surrounding Raito got replaced by a tornado which was not
larger than the trees present around them. Of course, Natsume was very shocked at
this. His Alice got diminished into nothing by the wind.
“If Mikan-san tries to remember without the aid of her memory stones, her heart
will suffer a great pain,” the same voice spoke, and it sounded quite near.
Natsume turned around and saw a blonde girl who had her arms crossed in front of
her chest. He grimaced instantly and glared at her. She was the one Mikan mentioned
about—the one with the Wind Alice, Kazeno Chiaki.
“That is just one of the effects of the curse,” Chiaki continued, still looking
composed. She doesn’t seem to be afraid facing the Black Cat and her tornado was
still going strong around Raito. “The other effect will kick in once she’ll
remember everything.”
“What will happen to her?” Natsume questioned, taking up a defensive stance. He had
sensed something powerful about Chiaki, but it doesn’t mean that he was afraid of
her. He was willing to fight her if she’ll ever attack him.
Chiaki, however, had no intention of fighting the raven-haired boy. She was just
there to save her comrade from Natsume’s wrath. “She will die,” she said it as
plain as possible. But mentioning the word ‘die’ was pretty hard for her. She
didn’t even want to think of Mikan dying.
Natsume stared at her, wide-eyed. Mikan will die? He thought like a ghost. He shook
his head and narrowed his gaze. “Don’t mess with me,” he muttered in a deadly tone.
“I’m not messing with you, Honou,” Chiaki calmly answered as she rolled her eyes
away from Natsume. Using the wind, she leaped into the air and performed a front-
layout stunt. When she landed behind Natsume, she quickly pushed him away with her
Wind Alice.
The fire manipulator was going to hit the tree dead on and there was no way to
stop. But before his body crashed into the tree, a big fuzzy bear appeared out of
nowhere and caught Natsume. The bear was brown and it looked fierce and gentle at
the same time. Natsume looked up the bear, looking a bit shocked, before he
realized why a bear had saved him. “Ruka…”
“Natsume!” Ruka came out of the bushes, marched over, and grabbed Natsume from the
bear. “You okay?” the blonde asked his best friend.
“Yeah, thanks to you…”
“Sorry if I took so long.”
“It’s okay.”
“Natsume-kun, Ruka-kun!” Narumi-sensei came out, rushing towards his two students.
He stopped to catch his breath, since he had just run from the Faculty Office to
the Sakura Trees. He can’t believe that he couldn’t keep up with Ruka. Was it
because he was old or was it because Ruka was too fast? He would prefer the latter
for an answer any time. “What happened here?” he asked.
Before he could get some answers, another wind blew so hard, whipping the three
boys’ hair around. The wind, carrying dusts with it, rendered the three blind for a
while. After a few seconds, the wind toned down and became a gentle breeze once
again.
“That wind…” Narumi opened his eyes and searched around for the two Anti-Alice
members. To his dismay, the two have already escaped while the wind was blowing
hard a while ago.
“They’re gone,” Ruka stated the obvious.
Natsume leaned his back against a tree, panting real hard, and slid down to sit on
the grass. He held his temple and let out a frustrated growl. She will die… Those
words hit him hard like a rock. Mikan will die if she’ll remember everything,
Natsume thought, as he clenched his fists tight. He couldn’t let that happen. He
will surely be drowned in darkness again if Mikan will ever die.
“Thanks for you help, bear,” Ruka said, patting the animal’s head. “You may go
now.” He smiled, and the bear gave him one big bear hug which almost crushed his
ribs. Ruka’s eyes had looked like it was going to pop out of place any minute, but
the bear released him before anything happened. He waved his hand as the fuzzy
animal took his leave.
“Umm… Ruka-kun, how did you find that bear anyway?” Narumi asked, curious all of
the sudden. He was fairly shocked when Ruka bumped into him back at the building
together with the bear. He was going to ask about the bear at that time, but Ruka
immediately told him that Natsume needed some help. Being a good teacher, he nodded
and asked Ruka to take him to Natsume. And now, there he was, standing right before
the two best friends.
“I’ll answer that later,” Ruka replied in a weird tone. How he ended up with the
bear was rather embarrassing and he had no intention of telling it to anyone. “So,
Natsume, what happened after I left?”
Natsume shrugged. “That bastard, Tsurugi, gave me a hard time.” He bended his knee
and placed his arm on it. “But I managed to corner him with my Alice.”
“Were you able to get some information from him?” Narumi questioned.
“Yeah…”
“How about that girl with the Wind Alice? Did you fight her?”
“No…” Natsume stood up and brushed some dirt from his pants. “I’m tired. Let’s talk
about this later.” He slid his hands into his pocket and walked pass the two
blondes. It was a tough day for him.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 13: Heart so True
Natsume stretched out across the top of a slight hill in a grassy field. He stared
into the sky watching the stars twinkle as he listened to the delicate whisper of
the wind between the grass blades.
“Everyone is pretty depressed right now,” Ruka said, patting his little rabbit
friend.
“Why?” The raven-haired boy narrowed his gaze and looked from the stars to the
grass. “Why do bad things keep happening to her? She doesn’t deserve to suffer,” he
grumbled. He felt like a total failure. For the past two years, he had protected
Mikan from Persona, from the Anti-Alice Organization, and from guys who had ill
intentions on her. But he failed to protect her from getting her memories wiped
out. He won’t be able to forgive himself if Mikan dies because of the curse.
However, it also hurt him when Mikan can’t even remember him. It was like he was
dead in Mikan’s world.
“Natsume…” Ruka was speechless. He didn’t know what to say to his best friend. He
too was upset about the curse on Mikan. He sat down on the grass, feeling tired and
worried, and let out a deep sigh. He settled his rabbit on his lap and patted its
head. “What can we do? I don’t want Sakura to…”
“Don’t say it, Ruka…” Natsume said, looking up at the stars again. “The only way to
save her is to capture the Dark Witch and force her to remove the curse.”
“But it’s going to be hard considering how strong she is.” Ruka’s face darkened.
“The other members are pretty tough to beat too.” He was referring to Chiaki,
Raito, and the leader. He had heard about them from Natsume when he was explaining
how the battle between him and Raito went to some teachers and students in the
Faculty Room.
“It’s getting late, Ruka. You better go back,” Natsume said without looking at his
blue-eyed friend. He was still a bit caught up with his thoughts on a certain cute
brunette.
Ruka knew that Natsume wanted to be alone. He stood up, brushing off some grass
bits from his pants, and picked up his rabbit. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Natsume,”
the blonde said. He turned around, slid down the hill, and walked back to the
dorms.
Natsume lied down on the grass and placed his hands behind his head. He didn’t know
why, but staring into the stars made him relaxed. It was a peaceful night in the
Academy. He savored the moment to forget about his battle earlier and to
concentrate more on the cheerful little girl that his heart had yearned for. If
only he could turn back time then he would be able to save Mikan from those Anti-
Alice members. But fate can be so cruel for a sweet girl like her. The raven-haired
boy closed his eyes as he felt the cold breeze.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps. He opened his eyes, sat up, and saw Mikan running up
the hill. Her usual smile and the twinkle in her eyes were a little different. When
she finally reached the top, she stopped to catch her breath. “Na…Natsume… I was…
looking…everywhere for you,” she managed to say.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he gave her a glare and turned away.
“Ruka-pyon told me you were here,” Mikan said, taking a seat beside Natsume.
“You shouldn’t be out here anymore,” Natsume retorted. “It’s already late.” He was
right. It was already 10 o’clock in the evening. What if the AAO decided to attack
them right now?
“I know…” Mikan hugged her legs so close to her chest and stared at the starry sky.
“But I just wanted to see if you’re all right. Ruka-pyon and Hotaru told me that
you had a fight with Tsurugi Raito.”
“As you can see, I’m fine.” Natsume shrugged.
“And I’m glad!” she replied, giving him one big smile. “Natsume, you know what, I
really want to remember you.” Her face softened with warmth and care, as she looked
at him with gentle amber eyes.
Natsume’s heart skipped a beat. He was really thrilled to hear that. But knowing
about the curse on Mikan made his heart sunk.
“Whenever I’m with you, I feel so safe. My heart would beat so fast when I think
about you.” She held her chest and closed her eyes. Her cheeks turned slightly
pink, but she wasn’t aware of this. “Natsume, I know you’re a very important person
to me. My heart tells me so…”
He was touched, as in very touched by her words. She wanted to remember him again,
but Natsume wasn’t so sure if he wanted that. The curse was still a problem and it
would bring nothing but suffering to Mikan. He hadn’t told her about the curse on
her. He didn’t want to add more burdens on Mikan.
“Well, I better go now,” Mikan said, yawning a bit. She was getting sleepy. She
stood up and brushed some dust off her skirt. She threw one more glance at Natsume
and waved a hand at him. “Good night, Natsume.” She spun on her heels and started
walking away.
“Wait…” Natsume stood, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her back to him. He failed to
realize his purpose for doing that. He just felt like he was going to lose her. He
hid his crimson eyes under his raven locks and his cheeks were tinted slightly red.
“Natsume?” Mikan looked at him with a questionable face.
“I’m not worth remembering,” he muttered and bit his lip afterwards. His clenched
fist trembled, as he thought about the curse again. “I’m nobody to you.” He didn’t
mean to say that. He actually wanted to say the opposite.
“What are you saying?” Mikan’s eyes grew worried. “You’re nobody? But why does my
heart—” She stopped when Natsume suddenly tightened his grip on her wrist, which
made her flinched in pain. “Na…Natsume… It hurts.”
Natsume gritted his teeth and released her. He spun on his heels, showing his back
to the brunette. “Don’t waste your time trying to remember me,” Natsume said with a
hint of hesitation. He was hurt deep inside, yet he didn’t show it. He was good at
hiding his emotions.
“But I want to remember you!” Mikan uttered.
“Idiot…” He didn’t want her to die because of the curse. He would only blame
himself if that ever happens. In addition, he needed Mikan to live, because she was
the light of his life. If she would ever disappear, then he would revert back to
his old and emotionless self. He didn’t want that to happen. He turned around and
saw tears in her amber eyes. He cursed himself for making her cry.
Mikan buried her face in her hands. “Natsume… I just want….” She continued sobbing,
feeling so weak. Her knees felt like it was going to give up any second. She was
about to run, but Natsume stopped her from doing so. And how? Natsume actually
hugged her. “Na…Na….Natsume…?” She flushed red in an instant.
“Don’t leave me, Mikan,” he whispered into her ear. He pulled her even closer, not
wanting to let go of her.
She was speechless. Not only did he hug her, but she also called her by name. She
wasn’t bothered by the hug at all, but she was more concerned about what he said.
Don’t leave me, Mikan, she thought silently. She wondered what he meant by that.
I’m not going anywhere… Why is Natsume like this?
________________________________________
Narumi came to see Mikan in her room the next morning. He was rather depressed, and
a little weak. After learning about the curse on his favorite student, his heart
almost broke into a million pieces. He failed to keep his promise to protect Mikan.
What will he do if he meets Azumi Yuka again? He wouldn’t have the heart to face
her after what Mikan had gone through. For the past days, he had been searching for
clues about Mikan’s memories and sadly, he hasn’t made much progress. His students
were doing a better job than him and he admitted it.
“Sensei, what did you want to talk about?” Mikan asked. She could see in Narumi-
sensei’s amethyst eyes that he was deep in thought.
The blonde teacher looked at her from head to toe. His cute little student was
still in her yellow pajamas with teddy-bear prints on it. Yes, the pajamas were
childish but it suited her personality well. What he loved about Mikan the most was
her cheerful and energetic character. He also loved her denseness, which always
makes her so adorable. “Mikan-chan, do you still remember the letter you gave me
before you lost your memories?”
The brunette nodded her head in a cute way.
Narumi wanted to hug her on the spot but he restrained himself from doing so.
“Well, before sending it, I read it.”
“You what?!” Mikan yelled. “But Sensei… That’s invading privacy…”
Narumi-sensei sweat dropped. “I know and I’m sorry, Mikan-chan. But your letter
actually had a valuable clue.”
“Clue? Wait a minute, what did I write about again?” Mikan stared blankly into
space as a big question mark appeared above her head.
“I already sent that letter to your grandfather,” Narumi said. “But I can still
remember what you wrote.”
“Let’s see… My letter was about the up-coming graduation, somebody’s birthday, and
Valentines Day.” Mikan spoke while holding a finger up. She actually remembered
what her letter was about despite the memory loss. Wait, somebody’s birthday? I
can’t remember whose birthday it was. Hmm… Mikan crossed her arms and started
thinking.
“Umm… Mikan-chan, what are you doing?”
Mikan snapped back to reality. “Oh, sorry about that…” She chuckled. “You were
saying?”
“On the last part of your letter, you wrote something odd there,” Narumi said, his
face turning grim.
“And what is that?”
“Jii-chan, I met this really cool sempai. He wasn’t a student here in the Academy.
He said he was just visiting someone. I met him on top of the Elementary School
Dorm, can you believe that? I was up there, writing this letter to you,” Narumi
stated, remembering every word on the last part of the letter.
“Ahh… That’s right!” Mikan then continued for Narumi. “This letter got almost got
blown away by the wind, but I was lucky enough to grab it in time. Unfortunately, I
slipped and I almost fell down from the roof. It was a good thing that sempai was
there to help me.”
“This sempai—what was he like, Mikan-chan?”
“He was very cool and good-looking!” She made a thumbs-up to prove her point.
“I wasn’t asking about that,” Narumi replied, sweat dropping anime style.
“But he was sure nice. He patted my head like a cat and he even complimented me. He
said that he adores girls with twin tails.”
Narumi suddenly got the impression of the guy being an otaku or a pedophile.
Throwing that thought aside, he asked, “Was there anything suspicious about him?”
“Hmm…” Mikan thought about it for a while. “Ahh! He said something strange to me.”
“Well, aside from his admiration for twin tailed girls, what else did he say?”
“You’re a very special girl. Your Nullification Alice and Stealing-Alice are very
rare. You better be careful, little girl. A lot of people want you and your two
Alice.” She told the teacher what that strange man said to her.
Narumi’s eyes widened. Your Nullification Alice and Stealing-Alice are very rare…
Those words rang in his head like a pair of church bells. It was all so clear,
Narumi thought. The ‘sempai’ Mikan was referring to was obviously a member of the
Anti-Alice Organization. “What did he look like, Mikan-chan?”
The brunette thought for a second before answering. “He had long brown hair tied in
a ponytail. His eyes were violet like yours, sensei, but his eye color was a bit
lighter.”
“Thank you for your time, Mikan-chan,” Narumi said, patting the little girl’s head.
He then knelt down and stared into her amber eyes. “You’re going to graduate from
Elementary School tomorrow. I’m so happy for you, Mikan-chan.”
“Sensei, are you really my Otoo-san?” Mikan asked sweetly, giving him one of her
naïve looks. She still remembered what Narumi told her back at the classroom
before.
Narumi sighed and nodded his head. “Of course, I am your father here in school.” He
brushed his fingers through her loose brown locks, enjoying every touch. “I’m not
exactly you’re real father, but I do qualify. Right?”
The Alice student nodded. “You qualify!” She lunged forward and hugged him tight.
“Sensei is nice and friendly. You have all the traits of a father!”
“Mikan-chan…” He snaked his arms around her and hugged her as well. He felt at
peace being with his daughter like that. Nothing but happiness was seen in his eyes
and in his heart.
________________________________________
When Raito kicked the door of the Hotel Room, Haruka, known as the Dark Witch, sat
up on the bed and gave him one of her scary glares. Raito didn’t give a damn about
her as he marched towards the sofa to sit. She got irritated. Not only did her
partner wake her up from her beauty sleep, he also ignored her on purpose. Now,
that was totally rude!
Haruka hopped off the bed and stomped her way towards Raito. She stood in front of
him and crossed her arms. “What on earth is your problem, Raito-kun?!” she uttered
in a high-pitch voice.
“Shut up!” the guy retorted. “You’re making my ears bleed.” He clenched his fists
hard and stared down on the floor.
She wondered what was bugging him. Did he lose a fight or something? Well, her
question could only be answered by Raito himself, but judging from his expression,
it seemed that he didn’t even want to talk to her. Of course, Haruka knew exactly
what to do to get him to talk. “Raito-kun, do you honestly think Mikan-san will
fall for a sorry guy like you?” she said in a cold voice.
Raito raised an eyebrow, but he still refused to look at her. “Of course, she will.
Mikan-sama will be mine.”
“Hmmm… Tsk… Tsk…” Haruka shook her head, pretending to be disappointed. “Raito-kun,
I don’t think you have a chance. You see, there are already two boys fighting for
her love.” She motioned herself behind Raito and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t touch me!” Raito abruptly stood from his seat, shaking away Haruka’s hand.
He turned around and looked at her jet-black eyes with anger. “Those boys are
nothing! I can take care of them.”
“Oh, really?”
“I almost had them if it wasn’t for Kazeno…” He bit his lip after saying that.
Frankly, he was grateful for Chiaki’s assistance, but he felt like a loser for
letting a girl save him. It was humiliating, since his pride took the toll.
“It seems like you can’t handle your job all alone, Raito-kun.”
“You’re really a nuisance,” Raito grumbled.
“Oh, am I now? Well, I don’t care,” Haruka said coolly. Raito shrugged and sat down
on the couch again. He took a quick glance at his partner, which reminded him of
something. “Hey, are you okay now?” He sounded a little bit caring.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Haruka answered properly this time. She knew he was talking about
the curse that backfired on her. Since she was the owner of the Curse Alice, she
knew exactly how to handle it. It was a painful experience for her, but she managed
to completely remove the curse on herself.
“Don’t do anything reckless again,” Raito said in an almost solemn voice. Haruka
was still his partner and life-long companion in the organization. Even if he won’t
admit it, he cared for the Dark Witch more than anyone else. She was someone
important to him. He loved her as a sister and a friend.
Haruka’s lips curved into a smile. She was happy that the boy still cared for her
despite the rude comments she gave to him. Well, that was her character. What can
you do? She let out a sigh and flipped her auburn hair. “Who do you think you’re
talking to?” she said, beaming with confidence as usual. “I can take care of
myself. You’re the one who is actually reckless, Raito-kun.”
“Whatever…” Raito rolled his eyes away and stood. He walked towards the door and
reached for the knob. “I’m going out. Don’t you dare follow me, understand?” His
voice was firm and strong, as if he was suppressing something. He turned the knob,
opened the door, and left in a hurry.
“And why would I waste my time following you?” Haruka muttered under her breath,
thinking how foolish Raito was. Putting Raito aside, Haruka started scheming of
something diabolical—her revenge against Nogi Ruka and Imai Hotaru. She had sworn
to make them pay for what they did to her.
________________________________________
Misaki had been sulking silently ever since the curse incident with Tsubasa. She
had been less perky in class. Whenever she was at the classroom, she would linger
in one corner and keep quiet. Her classmates would usually see her sighing and
staring out the window. She refused to hang out with anyone. She was
distraught—both in mind and heart.
She could hear her fellow classmates talking about the big day tomorrow, which was
Graduation Day. The seniors of the High School Division will finally be free from
the Academy’s clutches and they would see their loved ones again. Misaki wanted to
be happy for them, but she had no urge to smile. Her eyes were filled with sadness.
It was approximately 7:15 AM. Only a few more minutes left till the unofficial
class will start. Misaki stood from her seat and took her leave. She wasn’t
planning on skipping class. She just wanted to walk around the hallways for a bit.
“Tsubasa…” she said, as his happy-go-lucky image appeared in her mind.
“Misaki-sempai!” a cheerful and familiar voice disturbed her thoughts about him.
When the red-haired girl turned around, she saw her favorite little junior, Mikan.
“Good morning, Misaki-sempai!”
“Chibi...?” Misaki raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing here in the High School
Department?”
Mikan pulled out a white handkerchief with floral designs on it. At the bottom part
of the item, you could see Misaki’s name embroidered there. “I came here to give
this to you!” she replied, flashing one of her famous smiles.
“For me?” MIsaki took the handkerchief and examined it for a bit. “What for?” she
asked.
“It’s for helping me recover my memories.” Her amber orbs sparkled with radiance,
as she held Misaki’s hand. “You fought so hard to get my Alice Stone back and I
want to thank you for that.”
“Mikan-chan…”
“It’s a simple token of my appreciation!” the lively brunette told her before
releasing her hand. She spun on her heels and walked a few steps. “Um… Sempai…”
Mikan paused from walking. “What is it?”
“Don’t be sad,” Mikan said in a soothing voice as she turned her head slightly to
meet the gaze of the older student. Her face and her smile looked so angelic.
“Tsubasa-sempai won’t like it if you’re this sad. Please smile for him.” With that,
Mikan ran away as fast as she could, remembering that someone was waiting for her
outside the building.
Misaki’s eyes widened the minute Mikan finished her words. She focused her eyes on
the brunette who was running away with her flowing hair swaying with her movements.
She smiled at last, finally! The sad expression she carried a while ago completely
disappeared and it was all thanks to her adorable junior. Chibi, you really have
the talent for making other people happy…. Thank you… She leaned against the wall
and looked at the handkerchief Mikan gave to her. Her smile grew wider as she
clutched onto it tightly. “Tsubasa, I will smile for you…”
Mikan ran out of the building and met up with Ruka. The blonde boy was blackmailed
by the greedy inventor just to escort Mikan to school. Well, even without the
blackmail, he would still be willing to escort his first love. When Mikan
approached him, he tried his best to smile without blushing. Sometimes, he wished
he could be like Natsume who could hide his feelings well.
“Sorry if I took so long, Ruka-pyon,” Mikan said, bowing her head a little forward.
“It’s all right,” Ruka replied politely. “Why don’t we head for school now?”
“Okay!”
As the two walked along the cherry blossom path, many students couldn’t help but
stare at them. Most girls from the Natsume-Ruka fan club turned green with envy,
seeing that their beloved Ruka was escorting the famous nullifier, Sakura Mikan.
Not only that, the boys who were admirers of Mikan grumbled so many curses about
Ruka. But the two of them didn’t seem to mind the chatter and the curses as they
continued their walk towards the Elementary School building.
Upon reaching the said place, Mikan and Ruka saw a booth selling a lot of pictures
and there were a lot of students crowding over it. For some reason, the blonde had
a bad feeling about the booth. He swallowed hard as he moved closer to the booth,
while Mikan followed closely behind.
“I’ll buy two of these!” a girl shrieked, holding her money up high.
Another girl butted in and slammed the money on the booth desk. She seemed pretty
enthusiastic as she yelled out, “I’ll buy a dozen of these pictures!”
“Hey, give way!” a guy shouted, struggling to keep up with the crowd. “I wanna buy
her pictures!”
“Me too!” Two guys shouted.
“Her pictures are so cute!!” another guy squealed.
Mikan sweat dropped at the scene. To her, the crowd seemed to be a bunch of
deranged fans. Although she had no idea who was selling the pictures, she had a
funny feeling that she may know the person. She was going to ask Ruka about it
until…
“IMAI!!” screamed a disturbed Ruka.
“Eh?!” Mikan was shocked to find Ruka standing right beside the booth already.
Wasn’t he just by my side a while ago? She thought silently as a big drop of sweat
trickled down her head.
Ruka had his fists clenched tightly. His face couldn’t be painted anymore, since it
was full of fury. His crystal blue eyes were focused on one thing and that was a
certain money-hungry inventor, Imai Hotaru. “You’re selling my pictures again!”
“For your information, I’m also selling Mikan’s pictures,” Hotaru said without even
looking at him. She was too busy accepting the money from her customers.
“Why do you keep doing this?” Ruka toned down, knowing that picking a fight with
the amethyst-eyed girl would only lead to more trouble.
“You and Mikan are making me rich, don’t you know that?” she said it so plainly,
irritating the blonde boy even more.
“Ruka-kun, please don’t stop Imai from selling these pictures!” a girl, who
obviously belonged to the Natsume-Ruka fan club, screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her voice was too high and annoying for a girl who seemed tamed. “You’re pictures
are wonderful!”
“Mikan-chan’s pictures are pure gold too!” a boy beamed, as he handed his money to
Hotaru. When he got the pictures, he looked at them and giggled like a true fan.
“Oh man! Mikan-chan is so adorable!” He kissed the pictures like crazy.
Ruka let out an exasperated sigh. He would give anything to shoot Hotaru at that
moment. Even though he had known her for two years, he still couldn’t understand
her ways. He had always wondered how a covetous and immoral inventor like Hotaru
became friends with a sweet and loving angel like Mikan. The world was so screwed,
he thought, but then again, he was friends with someone like Natsume who was the
total opposite of him. Okay, the world was still screwed from his point.
________________________________________
Tokyo was busy as usual. People, young and old, walked through the streets, while
different kinds of vehicles roamed the roads. On top of a building, which was
situated across the prestigious Alice Academy, there stood a young girl with
shining blonde hair that reached up to her shoulders. Her emerald-blue eyes were
staring down at the people, as if they were an interesting view. The wind blowing
against her skin was cold, but she didn’t mind this one bit. Her mind was clouded
with problems that she had to solve.
Being in the Anti-Alice Organization was hard and working as a double agent was
even harder. Kazeno Chiaki had been a member of the Anti-Alice since she was a wee
child. However, she had never liked nor agreed to the goals of the AAO. Her
superiors thought of her as one of their best weapons, but she thought of them as
malicious people. She had always hated her superiors and her previous trainers in
AAO.
“This mission…” she said in a low voice. “I don’t want to do this…” She gazed upon
the Academy from a distance and sighed. She was worried about Mikan, knowing that
the AAO wanted her so badly. She had to protect Mikan. Failure was not an option
for her, because she made a promise with someone from the Organization to keep
Mikan safe. Once again she sighed and sat down at the edge of the roof. For the
past days, she had been secretly helping Mikan. She was thankful enough that her
companions weren’t on to her. She would be dead if they would ever find out.
All of the sudden, her mobile phone vibrated in her pocket. Chiaki pulled it out
and answered it. “Kazeno, speaking…” she said.
“It’s Fujioka Takumi,” the caller replied in a bitter tone.
“Oh… Leader, what is it?”
“The organization gave us the signal. We are to proceed as planned tomorrow.”
Chiaki’s eyes grew wide at what he said. She clutched her phone tightly, trying her
best to stay calm.
“You better get ready,” Takumi told her before hanging up.
The blonde girl stared blankly in dismay. She dropped her hand to her side while
holding the phone. Mikan-san… No… I didn’t expect them to move so soon. She held
her temple and shut her eyes closed. She needed to think of something fast, if not
then Mikan would surely be an AAO member soon.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 14: Falling for the Enemy
“So where are the people for this stupid band?” Sumire, the cat-dog girl, demanded
on a beautiful spring morning. “And where’s that annoying mind reader?” She was at
the backstage, preparing with her band members for the graduation entrance
ceremony. She was in charge of leading the band, unfortunately.
“Shouda-san, it’s still so early. Maybe they’re still in their dorms,” Yuu replied,
careful not to enrage the green-haired girl.
Sumire gazed around the backstage. She recognized most of the students, although
there were some middle school students whose names she didn’t know. A few students
were examining the stage lights, curtains, and other props. There were tall stools
scattered around, some microphone stands, several decorations, and a tall steel
ladder.
“It’s still 7:30 AM. We still have a lot of time to prepare since the graduation
will start at 9 AM.” The Class representative flipped over some papers that he was
holding.
“But it’s common sense to prepare before the exact time, Iinchou!” Sumire uttered,
giving out a frustrated growl. “Plus, I told the band members to come here at 7 AM.
I bet that mind reader announced the wrong time. Wait till I get my hands on him!”
She grabbed a random ball from the floor and squeezed the life out of it. She was
extremely pissed.
“Morning!!”
Sumire and Yuu both jumped.
“MORNING!!”
Through the open doorway came Kokoroyomi. He had a drum hanging in front of him and
a pair of drumsticks in his right hand. He walked over to Sumire and Yuu and
greeted them with a smile.
A vein popped on Sumire’s head. “You don’t have to shout, idiot!” she exclaimed,
raising her clenched fists up high.
Kokoroyomi chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. “Hehe… I was just
greeting everybody.”
“Whatever…” The cat-dog girl rolled her eyes away and folded her arms. She
shrugged. “So, why only now?”
“Eh?”
“WHY ARE YOU LATE?!” Sumire shouted at the top of her lungs this time. Luckily, the
boys managed to cover their ears on time. Sumire’s voice was enough to destroy
their sense of hearing.
“I forgot to set my alarm clock,” Kokoroyomi replied.
In an instant, Sumire whacked the poor mind reader on the head. “Stupid! You’re so
irresponsible! I don’t know how I put up with you after for so many years!”
Abruptly, she spun on her heels and marched over to the pile of instruments lying
on the other side of the room.
“Curly, curly Permy hit me again,” Kokoroyomi said cheerfully, as if the bump on
his head didn’t matter. He was kinda used to Permy hitting him over and over again.
“It’s unbelievable that Shouda-san is your partner,” Yuu said calmly.
“She may be mean, noisy, flirty, selfish, vain, arrogant, detestable….”
Yuu sweat dropped. “Kokoroyomi-kun, you can stop with the descriptions now…”
“But she’s really nice,” the mind reader said and smiled genuinely, making Yuu fell
down.
“Good Morning!!” a cheerful voice greeted.
The two boys turned and saw the face of the brunette angel approaching them. Yuu
presented a smile and said, “Good Morning to you too, Mikan-chan!” He then stole a
glance at Natsume and Ruka who were behind Mikan. They’re really doing a good job
escorting Mikan-chan everyday… He thought quietly, but the mind reader heard it
all.
“I’m so excited for graduation!” Mikan beamed, flailing her hands up and down.
“We’re going to be middle school students after this!” She twirled around with
perfect balance and looked at Yuu and Kokoroyomi again.
“Except for me,” Kokoroyomi said. “I’m a year behind you guys.”
Sumire dropped the violin stick she was holding the moment she saw her two idols,
Natsume and Ruka. As president of the Natsume-Ruka fan club, it was an absolute
honor to see them early in the morning. Her eyes sparkled like stars as she sighed
dreamily. “Natsume-kun, Ruka-kun, good morning!!” Sumire dashed towards them,
pushing Kokoroyomi out of the way. “You’re just in time for the preparation.”
Yuu and Kokoroyomi exchanged a smile. Yuu thought it was unfair for Sumire to treat
Kokoroyomi badly. Natsume and Ruka came in late as well, but Sumire didn’t even
scold them for that. But then again, Kokoroyomi doesn’t seem to mind Sumire’s
flirty ways. The mind reader understood how her mind goes anyway.
Mikan rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Permy, you’re getting more annoying than
before.”
“Who are you calling, PERMY?!” Sumire retorted, glaring at the young brunette.
Mikan cleared her throat. She pointed a finger at the green-haired girl and smiled
maliciously. “Umm… You… Who else is Permy here?”
“Why you little?! AHHH!!” Sumire was going to murder Mikan. But before she could
pounce or attack, Kokoroyomi grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back. “Let
me go!!” she demanded, as her cat ears popped out of her head.
“Calm down, curly, curly Permy,” Kokoroyomi said. He knew that calling her that
would enrage her even more, but he just felt like doing it. And because of that,
Sumire hit him on the head again, earning him a larger bump than before. The boy
knelt down and held his sore head.
Sumire stomped her foot and glared down at the mind reader. “Never call me that
again!” she shouted. She then turned to Mikan and pointed a finger. “You!!”
Mikan smiled innocently at her, knowing it would pissed her off. “What is it?”
“AHH! Nevermine! I don’t want to waste my time around simpletons like you and this
guy!” Sumire said angrily. She marched over to the instruments again to continue
her inspection. She had completely forgotten that Natsume and Ruka were there.
Amazing what anger and annoyance can do to you.
Mikan and Kokoroyomi snickered like little sly devils. They were successful in
annoying Sumire once again. They didn’t care if Sumire got angry at them. They just
enjoy teasing her to the extent that she would burst like a volcano. It had become
a hobby for them for the past two years.
Yuu, Natsume, and Ruka stared at them in disbelief, thinking how those two get
along so well.
________________________________________
“Is everyone ready?” Takumi asked as Raito and Haruka stomped through the room. He
was wearing a tight-fitting black overcoat with gold trimmings. His black pants had
silver linings and he wore a gothic-style belt around his waist. His dark skull
mask, which covered his eyes, was completely dark with the exception of silver eye-
pieces. His pair of black shoes was polished and clean. His control device was a
silver earpiece on his right ear.
“Duh... You think?!” Raito snapped. His outfit consisted of a black waist-length
jacket, grey shirt, and plain black pants. The sleeves of the jacket were folded up
to his elbows, revealing his control device located on his right wrist. It was a
silver-wristband with gold carvings on it. His converse rubber shoes were colored
silver and black.
“And what’s with this attitude, Tsurugi?”
Raito walked over to the door. He was still stinging from his confrontation with
Natsume, and he was definitely in the mood for fighting. “I want to get this over
with, Takumi-san,” he replied in a softer tone this time.
“You can’t fail this time, Tsurugi,” Takumi said seriously. “You know what the
Organization will do if you happen to fail.” He lobbed two silver Alice Stones at
Raito and Haruka.
Raito and Haruka caught the Alice Stones in their right hand.
Haruka dangled the Alice Stone over her head. The girl was clothed in a sleeveless
black vest with red linings over her dark red corset. She also wore a black mini-
skirt with a slit on the right side. For footwear, Haruka wore a pair of black
knee-high boots similar to the boots of the standard Alice Academy uniform. “What
kind of Alice Stone is this, Takumi-san?” she asked. She knew it wasn’t one of
Mikan’s memory stones.
“The Alice Stone you’re holding has a Teleportation Alice,” Takumi answered. “While
Tsurugi’s stone has the Warp Hole Alice.”
“These stones are going to be useful for our escape,” Haruka said, slipping the
Alice Stone into her pocket. “I’m getting excited.”
“You just can’t wait to get your hands on that thick-headed inventor.”
“And that animal-pheromone boy, Nogi Ruka!” Haruka yelled out in disgust. She had
sworn to make those two pay for humiliating her.
“Two other members from the AAO will aid us today in our mission.” Takumi marched
his way to the coffee table and grabbed a pair of fingerless black gloves. He put
them on as he turned to Haruka. “One of them has the Barrier Alice.”
“We know that already, Takumi-san.” Haruka approached the full-length mirror near
her and stared into it, fixing her hair. “With the help of the Barrier Alice, we’ll
be able to get into that auditorium easily.” She turned around and planted her hand
on her waist.
Just then, Chiaki came in through the window using her Wind Alice as usual. The
blonde girl was clad in a hip-length short-sleeved black jacket with red linings.
She wore tight black jeans with a small chain hanging loosely on the right side and
a black belt with silver accessories on it. She wore a pair of black Nike shoes, a
unique choice for running and sports. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was tied in a
messy bun as some strands hanged beside her face. At this point, all of her control
devices can be seen and surprisingly, she has two devices like Natsume’s but with a
slight difference. The device on her left ear was a gold dangling earring with an
emerald-blue orb. On her right ear, she has a golden earpiece with phoenix carvings
on it. Her other control devices—a dangling bracelet with sapphire gems and a
silver wristband with blue celestial markings—can be found on her wrists.
Takumi walked slowly to Chiaki. “Status Report,” he demanded.
“The Academy is busy preparing for the Graduation Ceremony that is going to be held
today at 9:00 AM.” Chiaki swallowed hard, feeling anxious, as she tried her best to
look composed in front of her fellow members. She knew that Takumi and the others
were determined to take Mikan away from the Academy. She wasn’t so sure if her plan
in mind would work, but she had to take a risk. Mikan’s life was at stake. Plus,
she has a promise to keep. “The Academy is not aware of our upcoming attack.”
Takumi smirked. He slipped his hand into one of his pockets and pulled out an Alice
Stone. “This stone has the Invisibility Alice. I know you’re Alice is already
strong enough, but this stone could be of some use to you in case of an emergency.”
Out of all the members of his team, Takumi trusted Chiaki the most.
Chiaki took the stone and grasped it tight in her hand. “Thank you,” she said. Her
biggest priority was keeping Mikan safe. Nothing else mattered now. It was going to
be a big gamble.
________________________________________
A few minutes before the Graduation Ceremony started, Mikan and her fellow
classmates took their assigned instruments and positioned them accordingly. Sumire
looked at each one of her classmates, smirking evilly, as she could see that
everyone was all set. It took her ages to get them to master their instruments and
parts. It was a pain for her, but she still managed to knock some musical talent in
them. The cat-dog girl inhaled deeply and exhaled. Truth to be known, she was
feeling kind of nervous. To ease her troubled mind, she glanced over at two cute
boys that she adored so much.
Natsume-kun… Ruka-kun… With them around, this band will be a success… she thought,
her cheeks growing red, as she giggled inwardly. Her partner, Kokoroyomi, read her
mind again and snickered loudly for her to hear. She immediately glared at him and
asked, “What now?!”
“You have to be kidding me,” Kokoroyomi said, still snickering. “Ruka is fine with
his instrument, but Natsume? Get real… Out of all us here, he was the worst.” He
kept his voice down a little so that the fire-caster wouldn’t hear.
But Sumire heard him loud and clear. “Don’t you dare say such things about him!!”
the green-haired girl shouted, catching the attention of the whole class. She
blushed in embarrassment as she met their gazes. “Umm… Don’t mind me, okay?” When
her classmates went back to their chatting, Sumire grabbed Kokoroyomi by the
collar.
“Uh-oh…” the mind-reader gulped.
Sumire’s hair started moving like Medusa’s hair. She looked so scary and her eyes
seemed like it was going to pop out any second.
“Permy, stop harassing him!” Mikan exclaimed with a laugh. “The program is about to
start.”
“Stop calling me PERMY!”
“Permy, permy, permy, permy…” all of the students of Class B, even the stoic
Hotaru, teased her, making the cat-dog girl blushed like hell with embarrassment.
The graduation hymn started playing, marking the start of the ceremony. All of the
non-graduating students settled down in their seats before the stage in the wide
auditorium of the school. The three Division Principals went up the stage, followed
by the members of the Student Council, which included the president, vice-
president, and the representatives of each Separate Classes. Then the graduating
students for the year marched in, greeting everyone with a friendly smile. They
were all happy to graduate and move on to the next level. As soon as they took
their seats, the student-council president, Goshima Hijiri, went to the podium and
gave out his heart-warming speech to the whole audience.
The front row seats before the stage were occupied by the faculty members. Narumi-
sensei was present and seated right next to him was his best friend, Misaki-sensei.
On his other side, Yamada Serina was there with her crystal ball, while Jinno-
sensei and Noda-sensei were seated right behind them. Imai Subaru and Sakurano
Shuuichi, the youngest teachers of the bunch, were also there seated next to Noda.
When Goshima was done, the emcee for the graduation emerged from the curtains and
greeted that audience happily. “Thank you very much, president, for that speech.
Now let us clap our hands for the students of Elementary Class B as they’ll
enlighten us with their music!!” He motioned himself to the side as the curtains
slowly opened to reveal the said students. “Here they are!!”
Sumire tapped her violin three times with the violin stick to signal the band to
get ready. She noticed that some were feeling nervous while the others seemed
confident. She faced the audience with a proud smug on her face and readied
herself. As she tapped the violin one more time, the students started to play the
music. It was the band version of the song, Pikapika no Taiyou.
Mikan was playing a pink recorder. During her practice sessions, she proved to be
the best music player in class. She played it like a pro with her eyes closed as
she concentrated on the flow of music. It was a good thing her talent for music
didn’t disappear along with her memories.
As mentioned before, Kokoroyomi’s instrument was the drum. He played the drum with
perfect timing. Like Mikan, he did well during practice, despite Sumire’s constant
sermons on him. His best friend, Kitsuneme, the boy with the Flying Alice, was
playing a big bass drum. Hotaru’s instrument was the cymbals, since the instrument
wasn’t that hard to play. Hotaru was being lazy and she didn’t want to put up with
the wearing practice all the time. Ruka was doing a good job in playing the
xylophone. He had quite the talent for music. On the other hand, Natsume was not
doing so well playing the saxophone. It was a good thing the other instruments were
loud enough to cover up for his mistakes. Anna’s instrument, by the way, was a
clarinet, while Nonoko’s was a flute. The class representative, Yuu, was holding up
his trumpet high.
When the band music ended, the audience cheered and applauded on their performance.
Everyone, especially Sumire, was happy about it. Well, almost everybody was happy,
except for Natsume who was extremely pissed off with his instrument. Ruka noticed
his hidden rage, but he didn’t make a fuss about it. The students bowed their
heads, left the stage, and took their seats within the audience. There was row
reserved particularly for them.
“Such a fine display of talent, I must say,” the emcee said, taking his place on
stage again. He was going to announce the next event, but he got interrupted by
unexpected guests.
Takumi landed before the emcee and swiftly kicked him on the stomach. “Say
goodnight…” he said. He gave the poor guy a kick on the face and sent him flying
over to the principals. “You guys are too naïve. I can’t believe you didn’t sense
our arrival.”
Everyone gasped in surprise. Some of the students began shaking in fear and panic.
The teachers got alarmed by this and they prepared themselves. The three principals
stood up, preparing to use their own Alice against Takumi.
But before they could do it, Takumi revealed a silver Alice Stone in his hand.
Smirking, he activated the Alice Stone and unleashed its Time-Manipulating Alice to
freeze everyone in the auditorium. “This is too easy,” he muttered. “Haruka,
Tsurugi, Kazeno, move out!”
On the cue, the three other members appeared out of nowhere through the use of the
Teleportation Alice Stone that Haruka was holding. The jet black-eyed girl struck
her hair and smirked in delight. Seeing all the students and teachers frozen in
time was such a remarkable sight for her. But something, or rather, someone caught
her attention. “Mikan-san?” Haruka was surprised to see the brunette shaking in her
seat. “She’s not affected by the time-freeze. Her Nullification Alice is really
amazing.”
“Mikan-sama!” Raito uttered blissfully. He ran up to Mikan and grabbed her by the
wrist. “You’re coming with us now, Mikan-sama!”
“Let me go!” Mikan pushed Raito away from her and glared at him with enraged amber
eyes. “Stay away!” She took two steps backward as she gritted her teeth. She knew
she was in a real pinch. How could she get out of this one? She glanced around only
to find everybody frozen in time.
“There’s no use resisting, Sakura Mikan,” Takumi said, crossing his arms. “You have
to come with us.” Although he was using an Alice Stone that would consume a lot of
his energy, Takumi was still calm and composed. He has more than enough experience
and training to control such a powerful Alice.
Chiaki bit her lip as she clenched her fists. She knew she had to execute her plan.
She was a little afraid of what might happen. Activating her Wind Alice, she leaped
into the air and landed behind Mikan. She grabbed the young brunette by the
shoulders and pushed her towards Natsume and Ruka.
“Ahhh!” Mikan managed to knock Natsume and Ruka from their seats.
“Mikan-sama!” Raito was very shocked at what Chiaki did. He narrowed his gaze at
the blonde girl. “How dare you hurt her!” he exclaimed in anger.
Chiaki ignored Raito and proceeded to step on Mikan. “Don’t be stubborn, girl,” she
threatened in a deep voice. She was going to hate herself after this. “Resisting
the Anti-Alice Organization won’t do you any good.” She revealed her coldest eyes.
“Oh my…” Haruka clamped her mouth, pretending to be surprised. “That girl is
scary.”
“K-Kazeno-san…” The brunette looked up at the person she once thought as a kind and
caring girl. She wanted to believe that Chiaki was different from the other three.
She was so wrong. The Chiaki she was seeing was cold and ruthless.
“Hey, stop it!” When Raito grasped Chiaki’s shoulder, the girl gave him a glare. He
immediately removed his hand and swallowed hard. Never in his entire life had he
seen such deadly eyes. Chiaki’s eyes were far worse than Natsume’s, Raito thought.
Please protect my daughter… Those words came from a woman—someone who treated
Chiaki as her very own child. Chiaki met this person in the organization and has
grown to like her. She considered her as a mother, as a sister, and a loving
friend. Chiaki made a solemn promise with her and that was to protect her real
daughter, Sakura Mikan. I trust you, Chiaki… The blonde girl flinched at those
words. Her fists trembled as guilt pierced her heart like a sharp spear.
Onee-sama, forgive me for hurting her, but this is the only way… With a slight
hesitation, Chiaki kicked Mikan over to the two boys. She knelt down and pulled
Mikan up by the collar. She examined her face closely. Somehow, she wanted to smile
at Mikan’s cute face. She had to admit that Mikan looked a lot like her mother. But
Chiaki had to keep a strong and stern face in order to keep up her façade. It
wasn’t easy to pretend.
“I think Mikan-sama had enough, Kazeno!” Raito blurted out. He didn’t like seeing
Mikan getting beaten up by the wind manipulator. It was too much for him. He loved
Mikan with all his heart and he wanted to protect her.
Mikan was terrified, but she still has the guts to put on a serious face. There was
no time to be helpless. She had to do something for the sake of everyone. She
grabbed hold of Chiaki’s hands and tried to break free from her grasps. “Let me
go!”
“You’re so stubborn,” Chiaki growled, pretending to be irritated. She dropped Mikan
on top of Natsume and turned around. She folded her arms in front of her chest and
sighed in frustration. “Takumi-san, I think it’s time to steal her memories again.
She’s far too stubborn to come with us willingly.”
Takumi nodded in agreement. As usual, the wind manipulator never ceased to amaze
him. “All right...”
“Well, if it’s for the best…” Raito’s voice trailed off as he lowered his head. He
felt really bad for the young girl. But his heart felt a little happy since Mikan
will be able to make new memories with him in the Anti-Alice Organization.
Mikan’s eyes grew wide in terror. Steal my memories again? No… I don’t want that!
She shut her eyes tight and grabbed onto Natsume’s shirt since she her head was
laying on top of his chest. I don’t want to forget everyone again. Tears started to
stream down her beautiful amber eyes.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 15: Clash within Time’s Control
Mikan was crying. She was going to lose her memories. Her precious memories of her
friends, her loved ones would disappear into oblivion again. She recalled all her
happy moments in the Academy. She could see herself smiling so much. She wanted to
smile before she will forget everything, but she couldn’t. She would be drowned in
world of darkness and sadness, a world where there was no one. With the enemies
around her, what could she do? It was the inevitable. It won’t be long until she
will finally become one of them—the Anti-Alice.
“Stop crying, polka-dots,” a stern and emotionless voice muttered.
The brunette girl gasped in surprise. She raised her head and met Natsume’s crimson
eyes. He was not frozen in time anymore. Mikan couldn’t help crying more.
“Natsume!!!” She held onto to him so securely. She was scared of leaving Natsume
and the Academy. She didn’t want to part with her loved ones.
Astonished, Haruka and Raito threw a glance at their cold-hearted leader. One
question popped into their minds at the moment they saw Natsume talking. Of course,
being a genius, Takumi knew what was on their minds. “It seems like Sakura-san
unconsciously nullified the time-freeze around the Black Cat,” he said, his eyes
behind his mask were glaring furiously.
Chiaki smiled secretly. Her plan was going smoothly. She knew the full capabilities
of the Nullification Alice, so she thought of using it to unfreeze someone who
would be strong enough to stand up against her fellow members. Nevertheless, her
eyes remained cold as ever despite the slight joy she felt in her heart.
“Hyuuga, get away from Mikan-sama this instant!” Raito exclaimed, his topaz eyes
burning with jealousy. He summoned two energy spheres in his palms.
With the help of Mikan, Natsume stood up and looked at Raito. His glare was
murderous, but Raito didn’t budge one bit. He rolled his eyes over at the leader
who was still holding the Alice Stone in his hand. He examined it for a bit and
noticed that its power was still going strong. He could freeze in time again if he
makes a wrong move. In order to prevent that, he needed Mikan’s Nullification
Alice. He held onto her hand and squeezed it gently.
“Natsume…?” Mikan muttered, looking up at him. Her eyes were so soft and teary.
“Don’t leave my side, understand?”
Raito tapped his foot on the floor impatiently. “Are you deaf or just plain stupid,
Hyuuga? I told you to get away from Mikan-sama!” he uttered in rage, making his
spheres glow more brightly. “She doesn’t belong to you!”
“She doesn’t belong to you either,” Natsume retorted, getting more agitated than
before. Basing on the situation, he knew he was at a complete disadvantage. He had
to come up with a strategy to get him and Mikan out of there.
The Dark Witch tossed her auburn hair back, feeling confident. “Hyuuga, you can’t
win against all four of us,” she said, grinning. She guessed that Natsume was
willing to fight them despite the odds against him. She has nothing against Natsume
actually, so she has no intentions of fighting him. She would rather leave him to
Raito. What she wanted to do was to kill an inventor and an animal-lover. She was
going to make sure that those two will suffer so much pain with her Curse Alice.
Indeed, she was a scary girl—a true witch.
A bad feeling in his gut, Natsume tried to maintain an aura of calm. His cold hard
gaze flew to his blonde best friend on the floor at the same time he summoned a
fireball before him. He wasn’t afraid to fight them. But luck wasn’t really on his
side. As soon as he tried to create a fire wall around him and Mikan, his heart
shocked him with pain. He dropped to his knees and clutched his chest tight. What a
bad timing! How could he protect Mikan if he was in pain? He cursed his Alice for
being a Limitless Shape.
“Natsume, are you all right?” Mikan asked, looking concerned. Since she has no
memories of Natsume, she has no knowledge about his Alice Shape or his illness.
Raito and Haruka laughed hard, terribly mocking the young fire-user. They were
aware of Natsume’s Alice Shape from the very beginning, but they didn’t expect his
Alice to give up on him at the wrong time. They thought of him as a pathetic and
worthless guy, and wondered why some superiors from the AAO were interested in him.
Seeing him in such a weak state only made their minds crueler than ever. As members
of the AAO, they were trained to fight, to take control, and to kill whoever gets
in the way. Natsume, of course, was a nuisance to them, and they have the urge to
kill him slowly but painfully. But they had to be extra careful not to harm the
precious brunette. She was the main reason for their mission, and they needed to
protect her and kidnap her at the same time.
The fire-user grumbled some colorful words under his breath, panting heavily, as
beads of sweat flowed down his cheek. He coughed several times, spitting out blood
from his mouth. He was suffering all because of his Alice. His Fire Alice was very
powerful, but he didn’t ask for this Alice. It was an unwanted Alice. Being an
Alice, as other Alice students have said, make you special than ordinary human
beings. They said that having an Alice was a treasure. Natsume shrugged, thinking
how stupid and vain those students were. Even though Natsume has a bad reputation
and an arrogant personality, he never regarded himself as someone special. Being an
Alice doesn’t make you special, he told himself, only different. He had learned
this from his beloved Mikan. Sometimes he envied the ordinary people living
ordinary average lives. He wished to live a life without his Alice acting as the
reaper of death. He could only dream of that, for in reality he was a victim of his
Alice.
“Stop laughing like a bunch of idiots, you two,” Takumi said sternly, clenching the
Alice stone tight. Honestly, he wanted to beat the crap out of his two
subordinates. Not only were they annoying, they weren’t even serious about their
work. It was his job as leader to lead them on the right track again and to punish
them if necessary. Takumi had planned on killing some teachers and the three
principals of Alice Academy, along with kidnapping Sakura Mikan.
Haruka’s vein popped up by the insult. She would normally scream and fight back
with her own insulting words. But picking a fight with the great Fujioka Takumi of
the Anti-Alice Organization can only mean one thing—you’re ready to die. She did
research about her leader before accepting the mission. She was quite shocked to
find so many interesting things about him. Takumi wasn’t only strong; he was also
as handsome as any movie stars out there. Don’t get her wrong, though. She has no
romantic feelings for the older guy. It was simply admiration. “I’m sorry about
that…”
What perfect timing… Chiaki mumbled in her mind, feeling disappointed. Her first
phase of her plan was to get Mikan to nullify the time-freeze around Natsume. With
Natsume around, Chiaki was sure that he’ll defend the brunette at all cost.
Unfortunately, the first phase went down the drain because Natsume had to suffer
the consequences of his Alice. It was a good thing Chiaki came prepared with phase
2. She snapped her fingers as she activated her Wind Alice. She can control her
high-level Alice with ease. She produced a powerful gust of wind and blew it
towards Natsume and Mikan. She was going to punish herself so much later for
hurting Mikan.
The gust of wind was strong enough to send them flying to the center of the
auditorium. Before their bodies made contact with the floor, the raven-haired boy
saved the brunette angel by cushioning her fall. Natsume hit his back hard as Mikan
landed on top of him. Immediately, Natsume hugged her with all his might.
“Kazeno, what the hell are you doing?!” Raito shouted, feeling furious. He could
not believe that the blonde girl placed Mikan in danger again. The mission
obviously stated to bring back a live Mikan, he told himself, and not a dead one.
Ignoring Raito’s question, Chiaki used her Wind Alice to fly up in the air. She
hovered over to the couple lying on the floor. Help’s on the way. Just hang in
there. She was secretly wishing for their safety, but her exterior was cold and
stoic. Her plans were going well, but she knew that her plans weren’t exactly
flawless. She did expect some mistakes, so she was still confident with the second
phase of her plan.
“Natsume, are you all right?” Mikan asked as she helped Natsume stand up. Worried
was written all over her angelic face as she stared at him with her gentle eyes.
She could see the pain in his crimson eyes, and she felt it too.
“Tch… These guys are really pests,” Natsume said, breathing hard. The pain was
unbearable and it was tearing his insides apart. Despite his condition, he still
managed to maintain composure.
Chiaki landed in front of them, with an expression so cold, hauled Mikan away from
Natsume, and pushed her to the floor. Before Natsume could react, she hurled a wind
blade at his right shoulder. As a result, a deep cut was made on his shoulder, and
she felt terrible for hurting him. Her display of ruthlessness impressed Takumi
more than ever. She marched up to Mikan, knelt down, and pulled her head up by her
hair.
“Let her go!” Natsume uttered, wincing in pain, as he held his bleeding shoulder.
He felt really pathetic at the moment. He made a promise to Ruka and to himself
that he’ll protect Mikan. But what was he doing? He was lying on the floor,
bleeding, as Mikan was getting tortured by the wind manipulator. He was powerless
to stand up. He couldn’t even summon one small flame. The pain in his shoulder
combined with the pain inside his heart was all too much for him to bear.
Raito glared at Natsume. “Don’t bother trying, Hyuuga!” He conjured one small bomb
in his palm and tossed it over to Natsume.
Natsume may be in pain, but his senses were still sharp. He rolled away from the
bomb just in time before it hit the ground. Unfortunately, the small bomb’s
explosion had a great impact, sending him flying over a group of students. His
little flight made him knock over several students and chairs.
“Natsume!” the young girl managed to shout out, even though Chiaki was pulling her
hair. Instead of worrying about herself, she was worrying for the flame-caster.
Impossible as it may sound, she prayed for a miracle to happen—something that will
save Natsume and her from the Anti-Alice members.
“It’s time for us to leave,” Takumi announced, as he noticed the fading color of
the Alice stone. The minute the color of the stone becomes completely transparent,
the power of the Alice will be used up and the stone will shatter to pieces. Takumi
didn’t want to stay any longer and he didn’t want an angry mob of students rushing
at them if they get unfrozen.
“Takumi-san, how about her memories?” asked Chiaki, releasing Mikan’s hair from her
tight grip. A while ago, she suggested stealing Mikan’s memories again. She only
did that just to stall for time. She was waiting for something, or rather, someone
to pop out of nowhere and help Mikan.
“That can wait. Once we’ve taken her to HQ, I can remove her memories properly
there.”
“If you say so…” Chiaki chewed on her lip. Things weren’t looking good. Where are
they? She asked silently.
“WHAT?!” Haruka yelled in disbelief. “We can’t leave yet!” Revenge was still hot in
her mind, as she shot glares at the inventor and the blonde animal-lover. She can’t
wait to curse them with her Alice.
“Remember, we came here for Sakura Mikan,” Takumi said in a deep and dangerous
voice as he glared at the Dark Witch. “Your revenge will have to wait.”
“Still,” Haruka argued, “those two made a fool out of me. I want them to pay. I
want to kill them, Takumi-san!”
Takumi considered her reason. He knew the feeling and the desire for revenge. He
had experienced it first-hand. It was horrible, yet he felt satisfied after getting
his sweet revenge on a murderer who killed his precious ones in the past. He looked
anxiously at the Alice stone in his palm. The stone was losing its color fast.
Though he wanted to see Haruka used her Alice on the two people in her mind, he
couldn’t risk wasting anymore time. Haruka’s revenge will have to wait. “Tsurugi,
the warp hole if you don’t mind,” he said coldly.
“Sure thing!” exclaimed Raito. Frankly, he was excited to get Mikan out of the
Academy. Once Mikan was out, he could have her all to himself. He pulled out the
silver Alice stone from his pocket. “Here it is!”
“Sheesh!” Haruka stomped her foot on the floor. “I can’t have any fun!” She was
complaining like a spoiled brat. If she can’t see Ruka’s and Hotaru’s suffering,
she won’t be satisfied. Even so, she decided to cast curses on them anyway. She
marched up to Hotaru, who was still frozen in time, touched her temple with her
finger, and activated her Alice. She smirked evilly as her Alice invaded Hotaru’s
body. When she was done with Hotaru, she moved onto Ruka. She was about to touch
him until…
The door of the auditorium flew wide open, revealing two high school students.
Natsume slowly stood up, still panting, and saw the newcomers at the doorway. He
was surprised to see Harada Misaki and Andou Tsubasa there. Behind them, two
unconscious Anti-Alice members were lying on the ground. It seemed like Tsubasa and
Misaki beat them to a pulp.
“Kage…” Natsume murmured, pressing a hand on his wounded shoulder. He wondered why
Tsubasa was calm since he was cursed. He specifically heard from Ruka that Tsubasa
suffers from the curse when he’s awake.
“Hey, you bastards!” Misaki shouted, pointing a finger at the AAO members. “Let go
of Chibi this instant.” She activated her Alice and multiplied to five girls.
“Misaki-sempai! Tsubasa-sempai!” the brunette cried out, with tears in her amber
eyes. She tried to run over to them, but Chiaki grabbed hold of her wrist and
pulled her back. “Let me go!” She withdrew her hand away and glared at the blonde
girl with rage.
Chiaki wasn’t a wee bit scared of her glare. She used her Wind Alice again and
pushed Mikan towards Natsume. Mikan will really hate her now, she thought sadly.
Well, all her harsh acting was needed to protect the brunette, so she didn’t care
if she’ll hate her. As long as Mikan would be saved, Chiaki will be happy. Now that
Tsubasa and Misaki were there, phase 2 was finally beginning.
“How is that possible?!” Haruka shrieked, staring at Tsubasa, as if she has seen a
ghost. “What happened to the curse I gave you? You shouldn’t be able to move with
that curse!”
The Dark Witch wasn’t the only one surprised at the appearance of the shadow
manipulator, Raito and Takumi were in awed as well.
“It’s for me to know, and you to find out,” Tsubasa said confidently, turning to
his red-haired girlfriend, or should he say, girlfriends. “Misaki, you ready?”
“You bet I am,” replied Misaki as her clones nodded their heads. In an instant, the
group of Misaki charged the AAO members with splendid moves and techniques. Misaki
was a brilliant fighter, and she was determined to make the AAO pay for putting a
curse on her boyfriend. The original Misaki, to be specific, went to Haruka and
attacked with all her might.
“Tell me what happened to the curse?!” Haruka demanded as she dodged Misaki’s
punches. No one can ever remove her curse except her.
“And why would I tell you, you hag?!” Misaki faked a punch and swiftly kicked
Haruka at her right side.
After regaining balance, Haruka jumped backwards, landed on a student’s shoulders,
and jumped up high. “Who are you calling hag, you bitch?!” Haruka tackled Misaki to
the ground and rolled away from her quickly.
Tsubasa stepped on Raito’s shadow and made him trip. “You’re pretty clumsy for a
guy,” he mocked as he slid his hands in his pockets. He turned to look at his
favorite junior and smiled at the sight of Natsume holding her securely. He wanted
to hold Mikan as well, but he has a fight to take care of. Sighing, he said,
“Natsume, get Mikan out of here. Take her to safety.” Once he saw Raito standing up
again, he ran up to him and punched his stomach. “Misaki and I will handle things
here.”
“Sempai, we can’t leave you,” Mikan said, trembling in fear. She didn’t want her
seniors getting hurt again because of her.
“Chibi, if they’ll take you away,” Misaki said as she split into two and tossed
Haruka away, “then it will be all over for us.” Her recent clone charged towards
Haruka as the original one glanced at Mikan and winked an eye.
Mikan, though she felt hesitant, understood her seniors’ effort and care. “Please
be careful, Tsubasa-sempai, Misaki-sempai!” She helped Natsume up and looked at him
with determined eyes.
Adrenaline pumping, Natsume held her wrist and dragged her out of the auditorium in
a flash. He ignored his pain; he ignored his weariness just to protect the girl he
loved. He was going to take her to safety, away from those AAO scum, and he knew
the perfect place.
Chiaki kicked a Misaki clone away and back flipped backwards. With a fling of her
hand, several wind blades came rushing towards two more clones, destroying them
completely. She glanced around only to find out that Mikan and Natsume were no
longer in the auditorium. A small smile crept on her face, happy that her plan went
well. However, she can’t let her guard down just yet. The fight was still on and
she needed to keep up her act. She flew up into the air and attacked three clones.
After that, she landed beside Takumi and kicked a clone away from him.
“This is unbelievable!” Takumi roared as she punched a clone. How did it happen?
Why was Tsubasa moving like he isn’t curse at all? He gritted his teeth in rage. He
couldn’t believe that a victim of Haruka’s curse was fighting one of his
subordinates confidently. “Those pathetic guards can’t do their jobs properly!”
Before they even infiltrated the auditorium, Takumi specifically told the two
guards, who were low-ranked members of the AAO, not to let anyone enter. He guessed
those guards were absolutely weak and couldn’t even stand a chance against two
Alice Academy students.
“I’ve had enough!” the Dark Witch exclaimed, blocking a punch from Misaki. “You’re
so dead!” She performed a cart-wheel kick, sending Misaki into the air. And when
Misaki was falling, Haruka went beneath her and punched her stomach. Haruka smirked
evilly, satisfied for what she did, and threw Misaki to the floor.
The shadow prince had complete control of Raito’s movements. He landed several
punches on the poor guy’s face and made him trip again. He could just laugh at
Raito, but he knew he had to be serious. He was, after all, facing the Anti-Alice.
One wrong move could be deadly for him.
Takumi noticed that the power of the Alice stone was growing weak. He didn’t want
to leave without Mikan and returned to the organization as a failure, but they had
no choice. There will be more chaos once everyone will be unfrozen. “Tsurugi,
Haruka, Kazeno!” he called out to his subordinates, clenching his fists hard.
“Retreat!”
“Eh? Retreat?!” Haruka said, raising an eyebrow. “Why? Mikan-san is not—”
“Retreat!” he cut her off. He shot her a deadly glare. “Use the your stone and get
us out of her this instant!”
Haruka swallowed hard. Her leader scared the pants off of her. “Umm…sure…” She
pulled out the silver Alice stone from her pocket and raised it high. “Here I go…”
Tsubasa kicked Raito away and turned to the Dark Witch. “I won’t let you!” He
climbed up on a student’s lap, jumped up, and landed on Haruka’s shadow with poise.
“Gotcha!” He saluted her with a smile.
“I don’t know how you survived my curse,” Haruka said in a serious tone, “but I’ll
make sure that this curse will be more powerful than the last one.” She
concentrated hard, as an ominous black aura surrounded her body. She extended her
arm, pointing it at Tsubasa, and smiled maliciously. She was going to use her Curse
Alice again.
“I won’t do that if I were you,” Tsubasa said, smirking, as he adjusted his hat.
“And why not?”
Tsubasa chucked lightly as he pointed his finger at something behind her. And when
Haruka turned her head around, she gasped at the sight of Misaki holding a steel
folding chair in her hand. Tsubasa sensed the intense heat in Misaki’s enraged
eyes, and he knew she was going to explode any moment.
“Go to hell, bitch!” Misaki swung the chair like a baseball bat and hit Haruka’s
head. The auburn-haired girl crumpled to the ground, knocked out, with her head
bleeding. Misaki really overdid it but not to the point of killing the witch. She
took the Alice stone out of Haruka’s hand and showed it to the other AAO members.
“Now you can’t leave,” said Misaki.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Time-Freeze will soon wear off,” Tsubasa muttered,
slipping his hands into his pockets again. He motioned himself over to his
girlfriend’s side and placed an arm over her shoulders. “So why don’t you surrender
peacefully while you still can?”
Takumi shrugged. His plan was a complete disaster. As an elite member of the Anti-
Alice Organization, he felt so embarrassed. Not only did he fail to apprehend
Sakura Mikan, he also let one of his subordinates get defeated. Nevertheless, he
won’t let himself be captured or be defeated by some high school students. He still
had one more ace up his sleeve. He glanced down at Raito who was struggling to
stand up. “Tsurugi, use the Alice stone now.”
“O-okay…” Raito was on his knees as he concentrated his energy on the Alice stone.
When the stone glowed brightly, it hovered into the air and transformed into a warp
hole.
“A Warp Hole?!” Tsubasa gasped.
“Good. Now let’s go.” Takumi grabbed Raito by the collar, knowing that the guy was
still weak, and dragged him towards the portal.
“Wait!” Raito yelled, as he saw Haruka lying unconsciously near Tsubasa and Misaki.
“Haruka!” Since he was beaten to a pulp by Tsubasa a while ago, he failed to see
what happened to his partner. He reached out for her and continuously called her
name, wishing that she would open her eyes. But no matter how loud he shouted, she
still lay motionless.
Takumi was getting annoyed by Raito’s noise. “Leave her. She’s worthless.” He
sounded so cruel. He didn’t care for his subordinates, especially those he
considered weak. Given that Haruka was defeated by Misaki, Takumi didn’t want such
a girl in his team anymore. This was his character. He didn’t get to be elite for
being nice and friendly.
“No! We can’t leave her! Haruka!”
That was the last straw. Takumi dropped the Time-Manipulation Alice Stone, kicked
Raito at his side twice and stepped on his head. “Then I’ll leave you here as well,
you pathetic loser!” he yelled, as Raito panted hard due to extreme pain and
exhaustion. He spun on his heels and entered the portal without a fuss.
“Ah! He went in!” Misaki pointed out.
The blonde girl threw her glance at Raito and then at Haruka. She felt bad for them
and she wanted to help them. But it was neither the time nor place to be kind and
supportive. She still needed Takumi’s trust for her unfinished work. She sighed
before looking at the two seniors. She muttered a soft, “Thank you…” and jumped
into the warp hole. After that, the warp hole disappeared.
“Eh?” The two were dumbfounded. Was it just their imaginations? The blonde girl
just thanked them. What the heck was that? More importantly, what were they going
to do with the two AAO members? While they were busy thinking of the events that
just happened, the Alice Stone controlling the time broke into pieces. Massive
silver light engulfed the whole auditorium in a second and released the time-
control over the students and the teachers. Tsubasa and Misaki lightened up as they
saw everyone starting to move and talk. They knew they have a lot of explaining to
do.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 16: Images of the Past
Natsume brought Mikan to his favorite spot—the place where he and Mikan spent times
together the most—which was the Sakura tree. He knew it was the perfect place to
hide from the Anti-Alice group. He climbed up the tree and hoisted Mikan carefully
to one of the tree’s strong branches. He leaned his back against the bark, panting
and sweating, as he closed his eyes to rest. He was exhausted from all that running
and from the pain of his wounded shoulder.
Mikan glanced at him, looking worried, before she glanced around her surroundings.
Somehow she had nostalgic feeling about the place. Her heart told her that the
Sakura tree was very important. She asked Natsume about the tree, but he was too
tired to answer her. Mikan became more worried. Since she can’t remember a thing
about him, it was her first time to see Natsume in such a weak state. She had
always thought of him as somebody with a strong mind and body. She touched
Natsume’s hand, lifted it up, and placed it against her cheek. She closed her eyes,
feeling his warm hand. His hand was so warm just like his fire. Her lips curved
into a small smile as her cheeks turned slightly pink.
“What are you doing?” Natsume asked, blushing a bit. He was quite surprised at the
brunette’s actions.
“Please let me stay like this for a while,” she muttered softly as she opened her
eyes to gaze upon his deep crimson eyes. She felt her heartbeat changing. She had
been wondering about him, ever since she woke up in the hospital and saw him. She
knew he was someone important to her. But the question was ‘who was he in her
life?’ She didn’t know about that. She had asked her friends about him, and they
said that he was her partner and a perverted friend. She believed them, of course,
but she felt like Natsume was more than a friend to her. She can’t find the words
to describe her feelings whenever she was with him.
He watched her, admiring her angelic features, as she caressed his hand against her
cheek. She amazed him like always. The excruciating pain inside and on his shoulder
was slowly diminishing. He felt more relaxed, calm, and at the peace. The brunette
girl was really an angel to him, who can always shower him with light and warmth.
As he gazed into her amber orbs, he swore that his heart almost jumped out. He was
so in love with her. He wanted to tell her about his feelings at that moment, but
given the circumstances, it was neither the time nor place to think about his
feelings. Mikan still doesn’t remember him, and although Natsume wanted her to
remember him, he can’t allow her to remember or else she would die.
There they were, sitting on one of the branches and staring into each other’s eyes.
One had the look of concern and guilt, while the other had the look of curiosity.
Both of them were silent as questions ran through their heads. But silence has its
limits and time was ticking.
The brunette broke the silence by asking, “Natsume, what am I to you?” She looked a
little serious as she said that. Her heart was still racing and her cheeks burned
in red.
Natsume pulled his hand away from her and turned his head to the ground. Her
question surprised him. He didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t good at expressing
his feelings. He wouldn’t call it shyness but awkwardness. He would like to say
wonderful things about Mikan.
“I know you’re a very important person to me,” she said in a voice so mild, “and I
want to know if I’m important to you too.” She clasped her hands on her lap and
lowered her head.
Suddenly, the raven-haired boy pulled the brunette angel by the collar and crashed
his lips on hers. He kissed her with so much passion and love from his heart. He
had longed to kiss her sweet lips again. He didn’t care if he was aggressive and
rude. He just wanted to let Mikan know that she was important to him by his
actions. He knew that actions speak louder than words.
Mikan was flabbergasted by his kiss. She felt the temperature rising as her
heartbeat sped up. It took her a while to register what was really going on before
she closed her eyes in pleasure. She returned his kiss, allowing his tongue to
enter her and giving her so much bliss. It was so wonderful. In her mind, she felt
that it wasn’t her first kiss. A scene flashed through her mind. She saw herself
sitting on the branch of a huge Christmas tree at the center of the Alice Grand
Ballroom. It was Christmas time and the school was celebrating it. She was sitting
beside a boy with dark-colored hair. His face was a blur to her, but she could see
herself talking, or more like, arguing with the boy. Afterwards, the boy pulled her
into a kiss. Mikan’s eyes grew wide at the memory. The way the boy kissed her was
just like what Natsume was doing right now.
Her eyes filled with tears as she closed them again. She was sure that the boy who
kissed her in the past was none other than Natsume, though his face was blurry. She
was so happy that it was him. She realized that she was an important person to him.
Her question was answered.
He broke the kiss and looked at her beautiful eyes sparkling with innocence. He
brushed his fingers through her soft brown locks. He had always admired her hair
and loved playing with it. He presented her a smirk for a smile.
“Natsume…” Unexpectedly, Mikan felt pain in her heart. She let out a small cry as
she clasped her chest tight. The familiar pain she felt back in the classroom was
back again and this time it was more excruciating.
“Hey, what’s wrong?!” Natsume asked, looking worried, as he grasped her petite
shoulders.
She looked at Natsume, her eyes weary, as she smiled weakly. “N-Natsume….M-my first
k-kiss…was you…right?” she managed to say before she bent down and screamed in
pain.
Natsume was shocked to hear those words. Yes, he was Mikan’s first kiss and he was
proud of it. But how did she know? Natsume was sure that Mikan has no memories of
him. Then again, he remembered that Mikan can regain her memories without the Alice
stones; however it would be painful for her. He pulled her into a hug and rubbed
her back for comfort.
“You kissed me under that tree…” she muttered under her breath, panting really
hard.
“Shut up,” Natsume growled. “Stop talking. You’re in pain right now.” He ran his
fingertips through her soft brown hair, as Mikan snuggled herself closer. He had no
idea what to do with Mikan’s curse. All he could do was to stay with her and hold
her close. If he were to lose her, then Natsume would kill himself. Mikan was
everything to him since the day he fell madly in love with her. He heard her cough
a couple of times, filling more anxiety in the air. Natsume couldn’t stand it. His
lovely girl was in more pain than ever. And when he looked at her, he saw blood
trickling from her mouth. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the red fluid, which
had the same color as his eyes.
“N-Nat…sume…” Mikan closed her eyes as she felt the stinging pain again. She shook
her head rapidly as screamed twice. Another part of her memories were returning to
her, and it was her memory of her Christmas dance with the same dark-colored boy.
His face was still blurry, but Mikan knew who it was.
“You were laughing so stupidly when dancing with Ruka, smile a little you unskilled
ugly girl,” a jealous Natsume said as he danced with Mikan, with one hand entwined
with hers and the other hand on her waist. He was certainly pissed off, because
Mikan doesn’t seem to be enjoying her dance with him.
Mikan snapped back to her senses and glared at Natsume. “What the hell?!” she
retorted, pouting. “Iyami-Kitsune!”
The two of them began dancing and arguing like a normal couple would.
“Fox!”
“Ugly!”
“Slanted Eyes!”
“Flapped Eyes!”
“Stupid!”
“Super Stupid!” Mikan then thought about how nervous she was a while ago. She
realized that arguing with Natsume released her from the tension. Mikan started to
smile her trademark smile and Natsume was happy to see it. Just when things were
getting better for the two of them, a dancing pair suddenly bumped them, making
them fall to the floor. As a result, Mikan unintentionally kissed the raven-haired
boy.
Mikan held her head, as salty tears filled her eyes. She wanted to smile and laugh
at the memory she acquired, but to no avail, the pain was just too unbearable. “N-
Natsume…” she said his name in a soft voice. She turned to look at him, worried and
grief all over her angelic face, as she sniffed and sobbed. “You know what? You
danced like a robot back then. You were the bad dancer, not me…” She didn’t know
why she saying that, but she just felt like it.
“What the hell are you talking about?” He raised a brow, thinking absurdly of her
words. But his face was still clouded with concerned, knowing that Mikan was still
in pain.
“Natsume, I feel like dying,” Mikan said, lowering her head to avoid his eyes. She
coughed out several times and saw the blood in her hands. Tears kept falling, as
the feeling of happiness and sadness mixed inside of her. She was happy to be able
to remember, but she was also sad because of what was happening to her.
He didn’t like her words one bit. Dying? Natsume shook his head at the thought.
There was no way he would let Mikan die. She doesn’t deserve to die! He wailed in
his mind. He hugged her tighter to keep her warm and secured. And after a few
minutes, he realized that Mikan was no longer moving. He looked at her, who was
already unconscious in his arms. He bit his lip, knowing that her pain brought her
to an unconscious state. He kissed her temple and hugged her once again.
________________________________________
The Anti-Alice members sure left quite a mess back at the auditorium. Chairs were
scattered everywhere, several students were lying unconsciously on the floor, and
it was all because of the battle that happened not too long ago. Almost all the
students were panicking, especially the young children from the elementary
division. The teachers and the student council members were doing their very best
to calm the situation, while the three principals were discussing about the AAO
among themselves. The principals were disappointed in themselves.
The graduation was a total chaos. It was supposed to be a happy day for seniors
from each division. Thanks to the AAO, they would have to move the graduation day.
Students really felt bitter about it. The students of Class 2B, in particular, were
crowding over one person. They have this strange and concerned expression in their
faces.
“What’s going on here?” Imai Subaru marched his way through the crowd to see what
the students were fussing about. As he reached the center, he almost lost composure
at what he saw. His younger sister, Imai Hotaru, was lying on the floor, sweating
profusely, with black marks around her body. Her current condition reminded him of
his and Mikan’s condition when they got hit by Persona’s Mark of Death Alice.
“Hotaru-chan!” Nonoko uttered, holding the young inventor in her arms. She was the
first one to notice Hotaru’s black marks. She kept saying Hotaru’s name as tears
formed in her dark-blue eyes. She was dead worried about her friend. “Hotaru-chan,
open you eyes!” She was practically begging. The girl’s tears started streaming
down her own cute face.
Anna started crying as well. She too was a friend of Hotaru. She didn’t like what
she was seeing. The marks on Hotaru’s body were giving her the creeps. She hoped it
would go away, but it seemed to be spreading all throughout Hotaru’s body. “What’s
happening to her? “she asked in a frail voice.
Subaru went to his sister’s side and took her from Nonoko’s arms. “I’m taking her
to the hospital,” he said in an emotionless voice. But deep in his heart, he was
sad to see his sister in such a state. He rushed out of the auditorium, with great
determination in his cold amethyst eyes. He was going to save his little sister no
matter what.
“Ruka-kun, are you all right?” Tobita Yuu helped the animal-lover get back to his
feet again, since Ruka was on the floor for some reason. He checked if there were
any bruises or wounds on his fellow blonde friend and he was glad to found nothing.
He let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks goodness, you’re not hurt.”
“I guess…” Ruka glanced around the place in search of two people. “Tobita, where
are Natsume and Sakura?” He grew worried as he realized that they were nowhere to
be found. He hoped that Yuu will fill in some answers for him.
Yuu sadly shook his head. “I don’ know…” he said in a low tone. Like Ruka and the
other students, he was also a victim of the time-freeze, therefore, he has no
recollection of what happened before the leader of the AAO group used the Time
Manipulation Alice on everyone in the auditorium. He could ask somebody about it,
but he noticed that the adults and the council were fairly busy.
Misaki, with the help of her clones, tied an unconscious Haruka and a squirming
Raito with special Alice chains designed to render Alices useless. Raito kept
throwing glares and insults at Misaki. The guy sure wanted to die early, because
Misaki wasn’t the type to tolerate insults. Being a hot-tempered girl, she whacked
the poor guy’s head and shook him hard.
“Hey, Misaki, stop that!” Tsubasa scolded, putting a hand on her shoulder. As much
as he wanted to see Raito suffer, he didn’t want his girlfriend to kill him. Raito
wasn’t worth her time, he thought. He dragged Misaki away, who was struggling to
break free from his grasp. Tsubasa just sighed at Misaki’s temper. “Quit it…”
WHAM!
The feisty girl hit Tsubasa’s head, pummeling him to the floor. It was a shocking
yet entertaining sight to see. Tsubasa, the popular shadow manipulator of the
Academy, was nowhere near Misaki’s brutal strength. “Don’t you dare stop me!” she
snapped at him, crossing her arms. “I wanted to teach that guy a lesson.”
Tsubasa rubbed his poor head as he stood up. “Man, did you have to hit me? Sheesh…”
he complained. “Anyway, why don’t we let the teachers take care of them?”
Misaki shrugged. “Oh… All right…” Too bad, though, she was planning on torturing
Haruka more for the punches she received from her.
Two teachers from the Latent Ability Class apprehended the two AAO members and
teleported them to another place—somewhere solitary and safe. The AAO members would
most likely be questioned or be punished later for their actions and crime against
the Academy and its precious student, Sakura Mikan.
Narumi-sensei approached Tsubasa and Misaki, worried etched on his fine-looking
face. His blonde hair was a mess and his breathing seemed shallow. “Please tell me…
” he started, “tell me what happened. Where’s Mikan-chan?” The image of his cute
little daughter flashed through his mind like a slideshow. The minute he realized
that Mikan was nowhere to be found, he began to panic. He wanted to see her lovely
smile, her soft hair, and her dazzling amber eyes. He was acting like a real father
yearning for his child.
Tsubasa briefly glanced at his girlfriend before he looked back at Narumi. It was
going to be tough to explain the series of events that happened a while ago.
________________________________________
Natsume, with the unconscious Mikan in his arms, raced along the path towards the
hospital, trying his very best to run as fast as he could despite the pain of his
wounded shoulder. He was quite glad that Mikan was as light as a feather. He
wondered how Mikan could stay so fit and slim, even though she was fond of eating
sweets. From time to time, he would look at the brunette. She was such a delicate
creature, a lovely girl, and Natsume liked everything about her.
When the hospital was in sight, Natsume picked up more speed. He needed to get
Mikan in there. The curse was really cutting down her life. It was far worse than
his Limitless Shape Alice.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew passed his direction. Natsume sensed the presence of
a person nearby and he knew that the wind wasn’t natural. Adrenaline pumping, he
glanced around in search of the person, hoping he or she was not an Anti-Alice
member. It would be big trouble for him to fight against one of its members, since
he had Mikan to worry about.
“Honou…”
Natsume swiftly turned around and came face to face with the wind manipulator,
Kazeno Chiaki. He shot her with a deadly look and summoned a fire wall before him.
“I won’t let you take her,” he grumbled, holding Mikan protectively.
“Honou, I’m not here to take Mikan-san,” Chiaki said calmly as she took a few steps
forward. She pulled out three different colored Alice stones from her pocket and
showed it Natsume. The stones were magenta, purple, and milky white. “These are
Mikan-san’s memory stones.” She carefully placed it on the ground.
“What are you doing?” Natsume questioned, a little surprised. He never thought an
Anti-Alice member would actually give those stones away without a fight.
“Please give those stones to Mikan-san,” she said in the same calm voice. There was
sadness in her emerald-blue eyes. It was a good thing that she had her back facing
Natsume or else she would’ve blown her cover.
“She doesn’t need them!” Natsume blurted out. His crimson eyes were furious.
“Don’t be stupid.” Chiaki clenched her fists. “Mikan-san needs those stones. Do you
want her to suffer more?” She actually witnessed the whole scene back at the Sakura
tree. She was touched by Natsume’s care and love for Mikan. But she felt so hurt
after seeing Mikan coughed out blood.
“But if she regains all her memories, she will die!”
Chiaki was aware of the two curses that Haruka placed on Mikan. The first one will
make her suffer whenever she remembers without the Alice stones and the second one
will kill her if she regains the last piece of her memories. Truly it was tragic
and cruel. “Rest assured, Honou, she won’t remember everything after you give her
those stones.”
“Kaze, I don’t trust you,” Natsume growled, narrowing his gaze.
“I don’t want your trust in the first place.” Her cold voice returned. She peered
over her shoulders, revealing two icy orbs at the flame-caster, who just stood
there defensively. She swung her arm, creating a small tornado around Natsume and
Mikan. With one snap of her fingers, small wind needles were made. “Now don’t be
stubborn. If you don’t give those stones to Mikan-san right now, she’s going to die
for sure.” She snapped her fingers again, commanding the needles to attack Natsume.
It was like hell. The needles pricked his body continuously, causing him to fall on
his knees. It was amazing that he still had the strength left to still hold Mikan.
Again, he was thankful that she was so light. His fire wall disappeared and he
wasn’t about to make a new one. He knew that he was in a complete disadvantage.
Chiaki had them inside her tornado.
“Honou, listen to me carefully,” Chiaki spoke as she dispersed the tornado around
them. She could see how exhausted and hurt Natsume was, and she felt so guilty.
“Tsurugi Raito and the Dark Witch were defeated by Kage and the Doppelganger. I’m
sure that they’re being apprehended at this moment. What you should do is to get
Mikan-san to the Dark Witch—”
“And have that bitch remove the curse of Mikan,” Natsume continued, panting hard.
Chiaki nodded. “Now take those Alice stones and go,” she said solemnly. She took
one more look at Mikan. Her face was stoic, but on the inside, she was dead worried
about the brunette. There was one more thing she needed to tell Natsume, but she
couldn’t afford to stay in the Academy any longer. In addition, she didn’t want her
leader, Takumi, to question her delay. She activated her Alice, leaped up into the
air, and flew out of sight.
With the wind manipulator gone, Natsume finally let his guard down and sat down on
the ground. He settled the brunette beside him, careful not to drop her head. Then
he grabbed the Alice stones and placed it on top of her chest. Natsume’s eyes grew
wide when the stones started glowing. In an instant, the light blinded everything
around him and the three stones simultaneously went inside Mikan’s body.
________________________________________
“There’s no need to worry,” Tsubasa said to Narumi-sensei, who was concerned about
his daughter. He had just finished explaining all the events that happened earlier,
including his victory over Raito. “Mikan is in Natsume’s hand. He’ll protect her.”
Although Narumi believed in Natsume’s capabilities, he couldn’t help but feel
worried. After all, he was Mikan’s teacher, her friend, and most importantly, he
was Mikan’s father. He felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch and turn
to the owner of the hand. He looked into the eyes of his best friend, Misaki-
sensei, and offered a weak smile.
“Naru, this is not like you,” Misaki-sensei said, his poker-face seemed definite.
“Like Andou said, Hyuuga’s with her. She’ll be safe.” He hated seeing his jolly
blonde co-worker and friend so gloomy. Seeing a sad Narumi was a lot weirder than
the normal Narumi who likes to dress up in weird outfits and steals bean whips from
the greenhouse.
“Hmm… You’re right…” Narumi’s face brightened up like the sunshine.
“Now then…” Misaki-sensei cleared his throat and stared at Tsubasa suspiciously.
The two blonde students, Nogi Ruka, Tobita Yuu, and the teachers, Sakurano, Noda,
Jinno, and Serina, who had listened to Tsubasa’s explanation minutes ago, joined
Misaki-sensei in the staring contest.
“What?” was the only thing Tsubasa could say after getting all those stares. They
were kinda freaking him out a little.
“Aren’t you supposed to be cursed?” Jinno-sensei said, flipping his wand.
“I still am,” replied Tsubasa.
“Then how—”
“It’s because of this,” Tsubasa cut him off. He raised right arm, pulled his sleeve
down, and revealed a silver bangle with black and white gems on it.
“A control device?”
“It’s sort of a control device. This thing actually restrains the curse inside of
me.” Tsubasa pointed at the white gems of the device. “All of gems here used to be
white. The gems indicate how much time is left until the device’s effect will wear
off.” Tsubasa could just imagine going back to the hospital after the last white
gem turns black. He shivered at the thought of the pain.
“The white gems turn black every hour. If all the white gems turn black, then the
device would no longer be of use,” Misaki continued explaining for Tsubasa.
“Where did you get that device?” Jinno, being the teacher who wants to know
everything about a certain matter, asked the cursed shadow prince in his usual
stern voice.
Tsubasa hesitated to talk for a moment. He knew that the answer would be very
surprising for the teachers and for the two blonde students. He gulped as he
lowered his head. “Believe it or not…” he started, scratching the back of his head.
“This device is from an Anti-Alice member.”
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 17: The Withered Flower
“Where did you get that device?” Jinno, being the teacher who wants to know
everything about a certain matter, asked the cursed shadow prince in his usual
stern voice.
Tsubasa hesitated to talk for a moment. He knew that the answer would be very
surprising for the teachers and for the two blonde students. He gulped as he
lowered his head. “Believe it or not…” he started, scratching the back of his head.
“This device is from an Anti-Alice member.”
“WHAT?!” Everyone around Tsubasa gasped as their eyes grew as wide as saucers. They
could not believe that an Anti-Alice member, an enemy of Alice Academy, would
actually help a student by giving him a control device for the curse. Because of
the control device, Tsubasa was able to move freely without pain. He, together with
Misaki, saved the whole school and Mikan from the AAO.
“Why? How? What’s the reason?” Narumi-sensei asked desperately. He then eyed the
doppelganger girl. “Umm… Harada-san, why weren’t you here during the Graduation
Ceremony?”
Misaki crossed her arms and groaned in frustration. “It was a good thing I decided
to pay Tsubasa here a visit early in the morning.” She tapped her fingers on her
arm, looking serious. “When I arrived at Tsubasa and Ibaragi-san’s room, I saw a
girl clad in a black cloak.”
“And that girl is an AAO member,” Tsubasa added, taking a good look at the bangle
on his wrist.
“Why would a scum from the Anti-Alice Organization help an Alice student such as
you?” Jinno-sensei said, tapping his wand.
Tsubasa and Misaki stared at one another and sighed. Truth to be known, they also
have no idea why an AAO member helped them. But they do know that the girl under
the cloak has her good reasons for helping. They thought of the possibilities of
her being connected to Mikan’s mother, Azumi Yuka, but that was just a hunch.
“Here’s what happened back the hospital,” Misaki said, taking a deep breath.
It was approximately 6 o’clock in the morning. I went to the hospital to check up
on Tsubasa’s condition. When I got to his room, I saw a strange girl clad in a
black coat. I was alarmed by her presence. She was actually standing beside
Tsubasa’s bed.
“Who are you and what the hell are you doing here?” I questioned her seriously,
getting ready to attack. I was going to use my Alice if the girl ever attempted to
hurt Tsubasa or Ibaragi-san.
“I’m an elite member of the Anti-Alice Organization,” the cloaked girl replied
calmly. Her face was completely covered, so I can’t tell who she really was. “My
teammates are going to attack the auditorium during the Graduation Ceremony.”
“What did you say?! Are you being serious?” I gasped and clenched my fists tight.
That girl had a lot of nerve telling me that. “Then I better go warn the teachers
and—”
“My teammates are going to attack Sakura Mikan-san,” the girl broke in. The way she
uttered Mikan’s name was soft and unlikely. It was like she cared for Mikan.
“Telling the teachers won’t do. That’s why I’m here to seek your help,
Doppelganger.”
I didn’t know what she meant by that, but I was willing to listen to her.
“I’ve witnessed your battle against the Dark Witch. To be honest, I’m quite amazed
by your display of skills.” The girl turned her head at Tsubasa who was still
sleeping soundly on the bed. “You and also Kage are strong. You two might be the
only ones I can count on.” She was being serious about asking for our help.
But I can’t trust her so easily. She was, after all, a member of the Anti-Alice
Organization. She might be up to something no good. “And why the hell should I
believe you?” I narrowed my gaze at her.
She still stood there, calm and composed, as if she wasn’t even scared of me. She
pulled out something from her cloak. “Here!” She lobbed the object right at me, and
I caught it instantly. “Put it on Kage…”
“What is this device for?” I asked, examining the bangle in my hand. It was kinda
weird, with all those white gems on it.
“After that, she explained to me about the control device and her teammate’s
plans,” Misaki ended her flashback. She remembered everything clearly in her head.
Though she found it hard to believe, she actually trusted the cloaked girl and did
what she told her to do. Misaki just sensed something different about that
girl—something warm and caring.
Tsubasa chuckled lightly to ease the tension around him. “Kinda makes you wonder
who that girl is, huh?” He patted Misaki’s shoulder and presented her with one of
his goofy smiles. “Whoever she is, I have to thank her.”
Misaki wanted to thank the mysterious AAO member too, if that was possible.
Suddenly, the image of Chiaki thanking them appeared in her head. She shot Tsubasa
a surprised look. “Hey, remember the girl who thanked us a while ago? You know, the
blonde girl who entered the warp hole?” She shook him rapidly, making him so dizzy.
“Yah, w-what about her?” he said, massaging his temples, as he felt like barfing.
“I think she was the one who helped us.”
“You mean, the Wind Alice, Kazeno Chiaki,” Narumi butted in, since he had heard
Chiaki from Mikan and the others.
The teachers, the two blonde students, and the two high school seniors turned to
look at Narumi-sensei, waiting for him to talk more. Narumi-sensei had thought
about Chiaki a lot since the day Mikan told him about her. According to Mikan,
Chiaki was not like the other AAO members. She refused to hurt and abduct Mikan for
a reason that clearly involved Azumi Yuka. Narumi can’t say for sure about that
matter, but he was pretty glad to say that Chiaki was not the real enemy.
“It’s because you’re her daughter…” Those words played back in Narumi-sensei’s head.
“Only two AAO members are left on the loose and one of them is Kazeno-san. The one
with the mask, probably their leader, is still a threat.” Based of Mikan’s
description of the senior she met on the rooftop, he had long dark-brown hair and
lilac eyes. Since Narumi saw the color of the masked guy’s hair, he can conclude
that it was the same senior that Mikan was talking about.
________________________________________
For the rest of the day, the students talked nothing but the attack of the Anti-
Alice Organization. Even before lunch period ended, the news had spread all over
the Academy. The security force of the Academy was searching high and low for the
two remaining AAO members, while some teachers were questioning the four AAO
members that were caught. The four had been treated by Healing Alices, but they
were tied up with special Alice chains. They were in a pickle. There were no
chances of escaping. But if they manage to escape from the Academy, severe
punishments would be waiting for them back the Organization.
“Tell us where the other two are,” Jinno said sternly, glancing toward Haruka. He
was ready to zap her any moment. He hated the Anti-Alice Organization more than
imprudent students in the Academy. If it was possible, he could torture the AAO
members until they’re dead. The administration forbids him doing any lethal
punishments, but he could still hurt them.
Haruka bit her lip. She paid no heed to Jinno’s statement and threatening glare.
Her mind was busy thinking about her leader, Fujioka Takumi. She knew that Takumi
was cold-hearted, but she was dumbfounded to find out that he actually abandoned
her and Raito. She didn’t know whether to feel furious or disappointed.
“Answer me, scum!” Jinno pointed his wand at Haruka and zapped her with his
Lightning Alice.
Raito’s eyes grew wide in surprise. “Haruka!” he called out.
“You people are really disgusting,” Jinno blurted without a care. His cruelty
towards the AAO members was almost the same as their leader. Jinno, with his cold
glare, inquired Haruka again about Takumi and Chiaki.
Haruka trembled in pain. Getting zap by lightning was just like burning in hell.
She looked up at Jinno, her jet-black eyes burning in fury. “I’ll get you for this,
you bastard.”
Jinno-sensei’s temper flared up. “Cocky aren’t we?” He pointed his wand at her and
charged his lightning. He would show no mercy for anyone from the organization.
“No, don’t!” Raito exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously. He can’t just sit there
and do nothing, while his friend and partner was getting zap by the heartless
teacher. Haruka was an important person to him and it pained him to see her suffer.
He knew Haruka would be stubborn enough not to answer any questions, so he decided
to speak up for her. “I’ll talk! Just stop hurting her!”
“Then tell me where they are right now,” Jinno said.
“I don’t know if they retreated back to that place,” Raito answered, his lips and
fists trembling in fear. “But you guys can go check.”
“Where?” Jinno was getting impatient.
Raito told Jinno the details of the location, which was the hotel near the Academy.
By doing that, he felt like traitor. But he didn’t care about the Organization
anymore or his leader. His leader abandoned him and Haruka.
As soon as Jinno had listened to Raito’s explanation, Yamada Serina, Noda-sensei,
and Kokoroyomi walked into the room. Serina had witnessed Jinno-sensei torturing
the Dark Witch with her crystal ball. She felt sorry for the girl, so she came with
Noda-sensei and Kokoroyomi to put a stop to Jinno’s methods of interrogation.
“We’ll take over from here, Jinno-sensei,” Serina said.
Jinno shrugged. “Fine…” he grumbled, folding his arms. He wanted to torture the AAO
members a bit more, but he knew that Serina-sensei would not allow him to pursue
any further. He exited the room instantly, shutting the door hard behind him.
“Now then,” Serina started as she shoved the young mind-reader to Haruka’s side.
With a significant glance toward Kokoroyomi, she said, “You’re Akisato Haruka-san,
right?”
Haruka refused to talk, because she was too depressed and crushed. Humiliation and
betrayal clouded her mind and heart. Even so, Kokoroyomi, being an adept with his
Alice, could still read her like an open book. Haruka didn’t care if he was reading
her mind.
“Yes, I am,” Kokoroyomi answered for Haruka. “What do you want? If you’re going to
ask me about the other two, then you can’t get anything from me.”
“I want to ask you for a favor,” Serina said in a voice so solemn. She lifted
Haruka’s chin, forcing Haruka to look at her. “Please remove the curse on Sakura
Mikan, Andou Tsubasa, Ibaragi Nobara and Imai Hotaru.”
Haruka narrowed her gaze. “No way!” she exclaimed, shaking her head. “I won’t undo
the curse on the freaky inventor, the shadow freak, and that ice princess!” She
still hated Hotaru, Tsubasa, and Nobara to the core. But if it was Mikan, then
she’ll be happy to remove the curse on her. After all, Mikan was a sweet girl, and
she admitted that
“Haruka-san…” Raito muttered, stunned by the anger she was showing.
Kokoroyomi sighed deeply. “She’s willing to remove the curse on Mikan-chan…” he
told the teacher. “And she wants that geeky, arrogant, and idiotic inven—I
mean—Imai-san to rot.” He chuckled awkwardly. His mouth slipped there for a while.
He didn’t mean to repeat the insulting descriptions that Haruka thought of. But he
had to say that the geeky and arrogant part were true about Hotaru.
This girl was complicated, Serina thought silently. It would be futile to use force
on Haruka. Serina had to think of something to convince the Dark Witch. She glanced
toward Noda-sensei for an answer, but the time-travelling teacher shook his head in
disappointment.
________________________________________
Out of the darkness a face appeared, a woman’s face she had seen before, a face
that made Mikan shiver without knowing exactly why. Slowly the woman’s lips curved
into a gentle smile, a smile that was as warm as her smile. Mikan examined the
woman from head to toe. She was surprised by her look. The woman was like her adult
version. Then suddenly the woman was gone, replaced by a dark and lifeless shadow.
“Who are you?!” Mikan tried to shout at the shadow.
There was no reply. There was just silence. Mikan felt so afraid, so alone, and so
lonely. She didn’t like those pessimistic feelings. She wanted to smile, but she
couldn’t. She didn’t know why she was down. She dropped to her knees as tears
formed in her once bright and cheerful eyes. She hugged herself, trembling with
agony in her heart.
“I don’t like it here,” Mikan whispered. “Please…anybody…help me…” If this was a
dream—and she hoped it was!—it was excruciating. She wanted to wake up. The
darkness was slowly consuming her.
“Sakura! Sakura!”
That voice was familiar to her. Whose voice was it?
“Mikan-chan!”
Another voice spoke to her. She knew that voice.
Before her eyes, the darkness still loomed over her, but she could hear those
voices clearly. Suddenly there was a light from a distance. She stood up, wiping
her salty tears from her amber eyes, and stared curiously at the light. It was very
warm.
“Mikan-chan!”
“Sakura, wake up!”
“Please, Mikan-chan!”
“Those voices…”she muttered, clasping her hands together. Her lips curved in a
simple smile. “They are…” She closed her eyes as she started walking towards the
light. At this moment, memories of three individuals flooded her.
“Sensei, can I call you Jii-chan?”
“Jii-chan That’s going too far. I’m still in my twenties. How about Otoo-san?”
“Eh? Otoo-san? Okay!”
Mikan could see herself smiling. She was happy to have someone to care and love her
like a true father.
“Sakura, please keep this from everyone.” A certain blonde boy told her, blushing
like crazy. He had just kissed the cute brunette on the cheek during Christmas Eve.
That scene was crystal clear in her head. She could see herself blushing like the
boy too. She knew she was shocked at that time. She wondered why the boy kissed
her.
“Stop crying,” an emotionless girl said. “The Mikan I know is a lot cuter with a
smile.”
With those words, Mikan’s smile grew wider. Yes, Mikan always looked good with a
smile. She opened her eyes and looked up at the light. She saw the faces of three
people she knew so well. She raised her arm, reaching out for them. “Ruka-pyon!
Narumi-sensei! Hotaru!” she said.
Mikan opened her eyes slowly. There she was, inside a hospital room. There was
Natsume, asleep in the next bed, and there were two blonde guys standing beside her
head. She blinked twice before she realized who they were.
“Sakura,” Ruka sighed in relief, “you’re finally awake.” He presented her with a
good smile.
“R-Ruka…pyon…” Tears formed in her eyes once again. Mikan had never been so happy
to see Ruka again. She quickly sat up and hugged her blonde friend. “Ruka-pyon!
Ruka-pyon!”
“S-Sa…Sakura…?” Ruka’s face turned beat red in instant. He felt his heart skipped a
beat. He was happy at the fact that Mikan was awake and well, but he was a lot
happier at the fact that she was hugging him like there’s no tomorrow. He hugged
her back after composing himself and rubbed her back for comfort.
“Mikan-chan, I’m glad you’re all right,” Narumi-sensei said, sitting on the bed.
The brunette turned to her teacher, with tears streaming down her angelic face.
“Otoo-san!” She lunged at the teacher and hugged him with all her might.
Narumi gasped. “Mikan-chan… You just called me…” He softly pushed the young girl
back to face her. “Do you remember me now?” he asked.
Mikan nodded. “Yes!” she answered, wiping her tears away. “I remember you, Ruka-
pyon and Hotaru too!” She hugged her father once more, letting him know that she
was deeply glad for the memories she regained.
“That’s great…” Ruka muttered under his breath, smiling whole-heartedly. The girl
of his dreams finally remembered him. But he still felt a little sad, because his
best friend’s piece was still missing. Natsume did tell him about the Alice stones
that were given to him by Kazeno Chiaki. Ruka was pretty sure that the milky white
Alice stone had his memories in it, because his Alice stone color was also milky
white. And if he remembered correctly, Narumi-sensei’s stone was the magenta one
and Hotaru’s stone was the purple one.
“By the way, where’s Hotaru?” Mikan asked. She certainly wanted to see her best
friend, since she could remember her completely.
Narumi-sensei didn’t know what to tell his favorite student. He was sure that Mikan
would be devastated if he tells her about Hotaru’s condition. Knowing Mikan, she
would probably blame herself for everything. But he couldn’t lie to the girl, could
he? After all, she deserved nothing but the truth. “Mikan-chan, Hotaru was cursed
by the Dark Witch,” Narumi said sadly.
“WHAT?!” Mikan gasped, clamping her mouth. She stared at her teacher, wide-eyed as
ever, and shook her head in dismay. Her best friend got cursed? Why do bad things
keep happening whenever she regains her memories? Mikan felt her heart split.
“Hotaru… No… No way… That can’t be!!” She trembled and cried, as she buried her face
in her palms.
“Don’t worry…” Narumi-sensei said as he embraced his young student. “Everything
will be all right, Mikan-chan. Thanks to your seniors, the Dark Witch was caught.
We can get her to remove the curse on Hotaru-chan.” He stroked her lovely hair and
inhaled its sweet scent. Being able to hold Mikan like that was just so soothing
and comfortable.
“Really?” Mikan sobbed, burying herself further in Narumi’s chest.
“Yes…” Narumi assured as he threw his gaze at Ruka. “Isn’t that right, Ruka-kun?” He
let out a smile.
The animal-lover nodded his head. He motioned over to Mikan’s side and placed a
hand on her shoulder. “He’s right, Sakura…” he said in a calm voice. “So, please
stop crying… Imai will not like it if you’re crying.”
With their words, Mikan’s heart felt light again. She glanced at the two blonde
individuals as her lips curved into a wee smile. She was so happy to have such
wonderful people around her. “Thank you, Otoo-san, Ruka-pyon…” As the last drop of
tear streamed down her cheek, Mikan started to feel dizzy. She held her temple,
trying to keep herself from falling. For some reason, her body was getting weak and
her visions was blurring. “Ahh… What’s happening?” After she said that, she fainted
in Narumi’s arms.
“Mikan-chan!” Narumi uttered as Ruka said “Sakura!” at the same time. Both of them
were surprised by her sudden fainting. What was wrong with her? They questioned
themselves as they eyed the brunette with concern.
“What happened to her?” Ruka asked, taking the brunette into his own arms. He
examined Mikan’s adorable face for a second before he brushed some strands of hair
away from her face.
Narumi bit his lip. His worst fear has come at last. The curse of Mikan was taking
a huge effect on her. It won’t be long until Mikan will be totally consumed by the
curse. He knew he needed to act fast. He must bring Mikan to the Dark Witch right
away or else it will be the end of her.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 18: Nearing an End
“She just fainted due to extreme emotional exhaustion,” the doctor said
professionally at the blonde homeroom teacher of class 2B. “The curse within her
seemed to have stopped for now. I’m not sure when it will start depleting her life
again.”
The teacher sighed in relief and then smiled at the doctor. “I’m glad to hear
that.” He looked at Mikan, concern etched on his face. He walked toward the bed
where she was sleeping. He touched Mikan’s cheek, admiring how adorable she was,
and gently pinched it. He let out a soft chuckle before he sat down beside her. He
carefully raised her head and placed it on his lap. “Mikan-chan, everything’s going
to be fine…” He brushed his fingers through her silky hair.
“She’s not going to die, right?” Ruka asked, with his eyes hidden under his bangs.
He had heard every bit of explanation from the doctor who checked up on Mikan, and
he could say that it didn’t satisfy him. The curse was only dormant right now. But
at a certain time, it will wake up again and cause pain.
Narumi hesitated before answering. He knew that Ruka loved Mikan more than a
friend, and he had been teasing Ruka together with the ‘Watching Over Ruka Group’
for the past two years. He was kinda into the matchmaking game. He gave the young
animal-lover a significant look. “No… She’s going to live.” He turned back to the
brunette and continued caressing her.
Ruka couldn’t help but smile. He felt really stupid for asking such a question to
the teacher. He didn’t know what came over him. But one thing was certain—he also
believed that Mikan will pull through this. He sometimes wished she would remember
everything immediately. He wanted to see the bubbly Mikan carrying the good
memories with her all through life.
The day went by quickly, and Ruka never had a chance to be with his other
classmates or his animal friends in the barn. So when it was dinner time, he
hurried to the cafeteria. Halfway down the hall, he realized that he’d left Natsume
and Mikan alone. Narumi wasn’t there anymore, since he had to go help Serina-sensei
with the AAO members. Turning, he ran back toward the room. He could see the two
patients still sleeping soundly like a bunch of babies. He could tell they were
having a good dream.
“Sakura… Natsume…” he muttered the names of the two most important people in his
life. Mikan, the cutest and friendliest girl he had ever met, was his first love,
and the arrogant Natsume was his best friend, although he was Ruka’s rival for
Mikan’s love. Out of all the girls in the Academy, they fell in love with the
cheerful and clumsy one. But they didn’t care if she was clumsy or slow. Mikan was
still a person with a big heart, who always thinks of the welfare of others. The
girl managed to change so many people. Ruka liked everything about Mikan,
especially her talent of making other people happy. She was like angel. “Sakura, be
safe always…”
He motioned over to her bed, without taking his blue eyes off of her. Admiring her
pretty features, he caressed her silky hair with his fingers and smiled
unconsciously. He wouldn’t have the courage to do that if she was awake. He was
just too shy. Since Mikan was asleep, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to
voice out his feelings for her. “Sakura, I want to tell you that I…” he said in a
low voice, his cheeks turning red. He cursed himself for feeling nervous. The girl
was asleep and surely she wouldn’t hear anything he’ll say. So what was he afraid
of? “Sakura, I really love you…” He finally said it.
“Wimp.”
Ruka’s eyes lit up when he heard that voice. He threw his gaze at the other side
and saw his raven-haired friend sitting up on the bed. “Natsume?”
“Why don’t you try confessing to her when she’s awake?” Natsume advised, though his
heart sank. He wished he could confess to Mikan as well, but he was being a jerk
and a pervert around her all the time. His ungentlemanly manner would always get
him into an argument with her.
“You were listening all this time?” Ruka asked.
“Yeah… And I say you’re a wimp.” Natsume didn’t care if he was talking coldly. He
knew it do Ruka some good if he pushed him. “Forget about your stupid shyness and
tell her how you feel.” Natsume was starting to have a fuzzy feeling inside and he
didn’t like it. He disliked talking about love and confessing or any of those
emotional stuffs.
Ruka felt embarrassed. Natsume was right, he thought. His shyness always got the
best of him whenever Mikan was around. “It’s not easy,” he said. Then he suddenly
remembered Natsume’s condition. “By the way, how are feeling?”
“I’m all right,” Natsume answered shortly.
“That’s good.”
“How about her?” Natsume turned his attention to Mikan as he hopped off the bed.
Ruka told Natsume everything about what happened to Mikan when he was asleep, and
inquired him about the Anti-Alice Organization member who gave the Alice stones to
Mikan. Somehow, Ruka felt it wasn’t just right for an AAO member to help students
from the academy. And he was also frustrated at the fact that Mikan and the others
were still cursed because of the Dark Witch.
________________________________________
It was a silent night for Alice Academy. There was an investigation going on, for
the rest of the night, and five teachers acted as guards. The night was good, the
stars were bright, but nobody in the academy dared to venture out into the night to
enjoy the scene. Two Anti-Alice members were still on the loose.
Raito and Haruka had been locked up in an Alice-proof bedroom. For the very least,
the academy was kind enough to give them a decent place to rest. But, decent or
not, they were still prisoners. How insulting and pathetic. Both of them were
highly trained by the AAO, yet they’ve been defeated and captured. Well, they have
their not-so-wonderful leader to thank for abandoning them. For several hours,
they’ve been silent. None of them spoke a single word to each other. It was getting
really awkward between them.
“I’m bored,” Raito blurted out, pressing his face against the pillow. He couldn’t
take it anymore. He was bored and his partner wasn’t even talking to him. And to
think he used to call Haruka a blabbermouth! He turned to Haruka who was standing
by the window and snorted. “Haruka-san, can you stop the silent treatment already?
You’re not being yourself!”
Haruka said nothing, but the frown on her face deepened.
He brushed his hand through his emerald-green hair and sighed in frustration. “Will
you quit sulking?” Raito was thinking of throwing a bomb at Haruka to snap her out
of her miserable thoughts, but he couldn’t since he can’t use his Alice inside the
room. “How long are you planning to keep your big mouth shut?”
“Get some sleep,” Haruka finally spoke. She turned her head at him, with her eyes
hidden under her auburn bangs.
“You’re the one who needs sleep,” Raito replied, his topaz eyes softening. He
wanted to kill Jinno-sensei for hurting Haruka with his lightning. “You had a tough
day.”
“I’m all right,” Haruka said defensively, “and I need to come up with a plan to get
us out of here.”
“You’re planning on escaping? What for?” Raito marched up to her and grabbed her
shoulders. “Even if we get out of here, where would we go?” He knew they couldn’t
go back to the organization unless they’ve completed the mission. But they failed
in apprehending Sakura Mikan and surely there would be a punishment waiting for
them.
“Then what are we going to do?” Haruka’s voice was cracking. “We can’t stay here,
Raito-kun. We just can’t!” She pushed him away and spun on her heels. Tears started
to fall from her jet-black eyes.
“Haruka-san…”
“We owe the organization so much,” Haruka said, clenching her fists. “They took me
in when I was abandoned by my own family. They helped you after your parents died
in an accident. Don’t tell me you forgot about that?”
How could he forget? It was a tragedy, a part of his past. His parents died when he
was still so young. He became alone and weak. But then, somebody from the AAO
discovered his Alice and took care of him. “I know… I know… But Haruka-san…”
“We’ll escape, okay?” Haruka said firmly. “We’ll escape and I’ll remove the curse on
Mikan-san.” She faced him again and smiled.
“The curse… Then Mikan-sama will be saved…” Raito’s lips curved into a small smile.
Haruka nodded her head. “I know how much you love her. That’s why I’m gonna save
her just for you.”
The image of Mikan’s angelic face appeared briefly in Raito’s head. Then he took
hold of Haruka’s hands and smiled even wider. “Thanks, Haruka-san! Even though
you’re such a pain, you’re still all right.”
A vein popped out of Haruka’s head. “A pain?!” She pulled her hands away and glared
at Raito. “You’re the one who is a total pain!”
And they went on arguing like two bratty children. They were back to normal. It was
only after the stroke of 10 that they stopped and went to bed. Tomorrow was going
to be a busy day for the both of them. They hoped that everything would be all
right.
________________________________________
The next day, Ruka and Natsume got up early and did their morning rituals before
they went back to guarding Mikan in the hospital. Natsume was silent, and Ruka
would occasionally talk about the days they spent together with Mikan to brighten
up the damped mood. For the next two hours, they continued watching over her,
without any complaints. And when the clock struck 8 o’clock, a blonde person with
glasses came in, looking nervous.
“Tobita?” Ruka muttered as he saw the class representative standing by the door
way.
“I have some bad news!” Yuu uttered, placing a hand over his chest. He was panting
real hard. He took his time to catch his breath before talking. “It’s about Hotaru-
chan , Andou-sempai, and Ibaragi-san!”
Normally, the two boys wouldn’t care about the freaky inventor, the shadow
manipulator, and the ice princess. Ruka didn’t like being blackmailed all the time,
which made him hate Hotaru a little. As for Tsubasa, the two considered him as a
threat in fighting for Mikan’s love. Natsume wasn’t really close to Nobara either.
But, given the circumstances, the two of them grew concerned. Of course, Natsume
still retained his stoic look.
“What happened?” Ruka asked.
“The curse is getting worse,” Yuu replied, getting teary-eyed. “The three of them
are in a bad shape.”
“Can’t the doctors do anything?”
Yuu sadly shook his head. The doctors were not capable of removing a strong curse
done by an Alice. The only way to save Hotaru, Tsubasa, and Nobara was to get
Haruka to remove the curse. Yuu had been informed by one of the teachers that
somebody was already sent to fetch the Dark Witch from her quarters. All he could
do now was to wait and pray for their safety.
“Iinchou…” a frail voice spoke.
The boys quickly glanced at Mikan who was already awake. It seemed like Mikan had
heard Yuu’s bad news, since she had tears in her eyes. Mikan was very close to the
three people who were cursed and she blamed herself for getting them in such a
mess.
“Iinchou, Hotaru and the others…” Mikan slowly sat up on the bed. “Are…t-they…
dying?” she stuttered, as she clenched the bed sheet.
Yuu didn’t want to reply. He didn’t want to worry Mikan, but what excuse can he
make. He bit his lip and lowered his head to avoid contact with her amber eyes.
“Sorry… Mikan-chan…” he said softly.
Mikan shook her head rapidly. “No, that can’t be!” Tears started streaming down her
smooth cheeks. She abruptly hopped off the bed, marched over to Yuu, and held his
hand. “Iinchou, please take me to them,” she begged as her hand trembled.
“But—”
“Please, Iinchou!” she cut him off.
He had seen Hotaru’s condition. The black marks on her body were spreading like a
disease. It was a disgusting sight. Yuu didn’t want Mikan to see Hotaru that way.
It would be too painful for her.
“Sakura, I don’t think—” Ruka was about to calm Mikan down, but the school alarm
suddenly rang. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Natsume’s eyes widened. He knew what the alarm was for and when it would ring. “The
AAO,” he mumbled. “Ruka, watch over her.” After saying that, he rushed to the
window, opened it, and jumped off. The hospital room was only on the second floor.
Natsume landed on the ground with ease and ran off to the direction of the school’s
main building.
“Where’s Natsume-kun going, Ruka-kun?” Yuu questioned, seemingly shocked Natsume’s
stunt.
Ruka shook his head. “I don’t know,” he answered. But Ruka knew that Natsume went
out to find the cause of the alarm.
“I have to do something too!” Mikan, who was clad in a white hospital gown that
reached up to her knees, burst out of the room and ran through the hallways.
“Sakura!” Ruka called out. He ran out of the room together with Yuu, but he lost
sight of Mikan. Of course, Ruka remembered that Mikan was extremely athletic and
good at running, so it was no surprise if she was that fast in getting away.
“Tobita, take me to where Imai and the others are.”
Yuu nodded. “Follow me, Ruka-kun.” He started running as fast as he could as Ruka
trailed closely behind him.
Mikan pulled in her breath when she reached the hospital room of Tsubasa and the
other two. She felt as if she’d been shocked in the heart. Was it really happening?
The three people in bed were wincing in pain, panting and sweating hard, and
struggled to keep control. She glanced at Misaki who was grasping Tsubasa’s hand.
Mikan swallowed hard. The curse was killing the people she loved. She couldn’t help
blaming herself for their predicament.
“Tsubasa, stay with me!” Misaki exclaimed, squeezing Tsubasa’s hand, as she cried
salty tears. She didn’t care about the stupid alarm. All of the white gems on
Tsubasa’s control device have turned black. There was nothing restraining the curse
inside of him anymore. Misaki thought he would be fine if he went back to sleep,
but she was wrong. The curse was slowly diminishing his life and endlessly giving
him much pain.
Mikan held her breath. She walked towards Nobara’s bed, with her whole body
trembling in fear. The moment she saw the ice princess coughing out blood Mikan
gasped and clamped her mouth. She then glanced at the bed beside Nobara’s. “Hotaru…
” she muttered her best friend’s name as she saw the disgusting black marks. It was
terrible. The black marks were spreading across Hotaru’s face like germs. This
wasn’t right any more. Mikan felt the need to do something about it. “This is my
entire fault…” She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her palms.
“Chibi, don’t say that,” Misaki said in a comforting tone, even though she was
tearing up inside. She released Tsubasa’s hand, motioned over to Mikan, knelt down
to her level, and hugged her. “Nobody’s blaming you, understand?” She ran her
fingers through her silky brown locks.
“Misaki-sempai, I-I… I have to help Hotaru, Nobara-chan, and Tsubasa-sempai,” Mikan
said, looking up at her senior. “I have to do something. I don’t want them to die!”
Misaki nodded. “I know just how you feel.” She briefly glanced at Tsubasa before
presenting a weak smile at Mikan. “But everything will be all right. They’re gonna
bring that Dark Witch here to cure them.”
“I know… Still…” Mikan lowered her head. “I feel…” She closed her eyes and leaned
against Misaki’s chest. She decided to think calmly to further grasp the situation.
The curse, the black marks on Hotaru’s body were extremely familiar to her. When
she received the magenta Alice stone, she also regained her memories of her other
teachers, especially Narumi-sensei. The curse was just like the time she got hit by
Persona’s Mark of Death Alice. She had suffered a great deal of pain because of it,
but she managed to save herself from dying. Mikan jarred her eyes open at the
memory. Why didn’t she think of this before? Her second Alice—the Stealing
Alice—will be able to help Tsubasa and the others.
“Chibi, are you all right now?” Misaki asked in a concerned tone.
“Yeah…” Mikan slowly stood up, without making eye contact with her senior. She
walked over to Hotaru’s bed and placed her hand on the inventor’s temple. “Misaki-
sempai, I’m going to save them.”
Misaki’s eyes grew wide in surprise. “So, you remembered using your second Alice
now?” she questioned.
“That’s right,” Mikan replied. She focused her amber orbs on her friend as she
prepared herself to use her second Alice. “I can draw the Curse Alice out with my
Alice.”
“Wait a minute.” Misaki touched the brunette’s shoulder. “Isn’t that a risky thing
to do?” She knew very well that Mikan had mastered her other Alice well, but
stealing a very powerful curse could also lead to a devastating result on Mikan.
She didn’t know if she should let Mikan do it or not.
“I have to this, sempai.”
Before Misaki could ever reply, she heard Tsubasa calling out her name. She quickly
went to his side and held his hand, telling him that she was there for him.
Tsubasa, somehow, calmed down a bit, but he was sweating profusely. Misaki couldn’t
stand watching her boyfriend like this.
“Misaki-sempai, don’t worry,” Mikan said, smiling genuinely at Misaki, as she
walked towards the other side of Tsubasa’s bed. “I’ll help Tsubasa-sempai…” With
those words, she placed a hand on his temple, closed her eyes and concentrated. Her
determined spirit allowed her Alice to function. Her body started glowing in
furious blue light. The light spread out to Tsubasa’s body, making both of them
glow. When the process was complete, the light diminished and Mikan opened her
eyes. She retrieved her hand from Tsubasa’s temple and balled it into a fist.
“Mikan-chan, is Tsubasa—” Misaki spoke, eyeing the brunette wearily.
“He’s going to be fine, Misaki-sempai!” Mikan said cheerfully.
Misaki felt her lips curving into a smile. She looked back at her boyfriend and
noticed that he wasn’t struggling anymore. He seemed to be calmed and relaxed now.
“Tsubasa…” She brushed some strands of his hair and sighed in relief. “Mikan-chan,
thanks…” she muttered under her breath. She was extremely grateful for what Mikan
did.
“No problem!” Mikan showed her a peace sign. “Now I have to help Nobara-chan and
Hotaru!” When she spun on her heels, she felt a sharp pain in her heart. She
quickly clenched her chest, but she still managed to stand up straight. What was
going on with her? Pushing that thought aside, she approached Nobara’s side.
“Mikan-chan, don’t overdo it, okay?” Misaki advised her, knowing the limitations of
an Alice.
“Don’t worry about me, sempai,” Mikan replied, pretending to act cheery. However,
her insides were heating up. “This will be easy!” She tried to assure herself.
________________________________________
Ruka and Yuu were about to reach the desired hospital room, but they were stopped
by their homeroom teacher. Narumi leaned his side against the wall, panting hard.
From the way he looked, he seemed to have run from the faculty room to the hospital
without stopping for breaks. His eyes were clouded with concern and his soft golden
locks were in a mess. The two students stared in awe at their teacher, waiting for
him to speak up.
“This is bad,” Narumi started, taking a sharp intake of air. “The two members have
escaped, including the Dark Witch.”
“The Dark Witch?!” Yuu exclaimed in utter surprise. “How?” Fear loomed over the
class representative in an instant. No, he wasn’t afraid of the Dark Witch. He was
more afraid of the fact that Hotaru and the two seniors might not be able to
survive without the Dark Witch’s Alice.
“They were clever enough to get pass the Academy’s security,” Narumi answered as he
regained his composure. He stared seriously at his two students and tapped his
finger on his chin. “I came here right away to see if Mikan-chan is all right.”
Ruka shrugged. “Sakura’s all right, but…” He turned his head to the empty hallways
and sighed. “She went to see Imai and the others.”
“I see…” Narumi crossed his arms. “She’s really worried about them. I can’t blame
her for it. You know how Mikan-can is…”
Yuu couldn’t shake his uneasy feeling. “Sensei, what are we going to do about the
curse?” he inquired, clasping his hands together. “Without the Dark Witch, Hotaru-
chan and the others might—”
Ruka quickly cut him off. “No, don’t say that.” He clenched his fists tight. If
Hotaru, Tsubasa, and Nobara would die, then Mikan would never be able to live with
herself. Ruka didn’t want Mikan’s smile to fade away due to sadness. Her smile was
important to him.
“MIKAN-CHAN!!” a voice shouted out, earning the attention of the three blondes.
The three of them stared at one another before they dashed into the hospital room.
For a moment their hearts seemed to stop beating. They heard themselves gasp as the
familiar brunette tumbled onto the hard cold floor. The blood dripping out of her
mouth filled them with a gripping fear.
Ruka rushed towards his love and lifted her head. “Sakura! Sakura!” His face paled
at what he saw. Mikan was no longer crying normal tears, but she was crying out
blood. “Sakura!” he shouted again, oblivious to everyone around him.
Mikan’s face blurred before Narumi’s eyes. “The curse…” he mumbled, stumbling down
on the chair. His daughter was suffering and yet, he couldn’t do anything about it.
Misaki dropped to her knees and threw her gaze at the floor. “I-I should have
stopped her…” she stuttered with her words. Her whole body trembled in fear.
“What’s happening to Mikan-chan?” Yuu asked the Doppelganger, with tears in his
eyes. “Harada-sempai, please tell us…”
“She willingly removed all the curses on them,” Misaki said in a frail voice. She
wasn’t crying or anything, but her heart was sinking fast. She thought she could
rejoice after Tsubasa’s recovery, but she was wrong. One good news led to a bad
one. When will the suffering end? She questioned herself that several times in her
head. “She used her second Alice.”
“The Stealing Alice?” Yuu glanced back at Mikan, feeling a pang of remorse in his
heart. “If that’s the case, then shouldn’t her Alice produce Alice stones of the
curse?”
Misaki sadly shook her head. She didn’t know why there were no Alice stones
produced after Mikan stole the curse from Tsubasa’s, Hotaru’s, and Nobara’s bodies.
It doesn’t make sense.
Mikan lifted her head and faced Ruka’s soft blue eyes. She could clearly see that
he was crying. Gently, she wiped away the tears with her finger and caressed his
cheek. “Ruka-pyon, stop crying,” she whispered. “I thought boys don’t cry.” She
giggled a little.
“Sakura… I…” Ruka searched for the right words to say to her at that moment.
Unfortunately, his mind and heart were clouded by sadness too much. Seeing the
beautiful brunette in such a condition was worst than suffering from poison.
Mikan coughed out blood several times. Her breaths were becoming thinner and
thinner by the minute. She didn’t have much time left, she knew that well. Her
Alice managed to help out her two seniors and her best friend. She wanted to use
her second Alice to remove the curse from her body. However, for some reason, she
had no strength left—no strength to transform the stolen curses into Alice stones.
It seemed like the curse inside of her was taking a big toll on her.
“Are the others all right?” Mikan asked, still crying blood.
Ruka nodded viciously. “Yeah and it’s because of you, Sakura,” he said, his frown
deepening. “You saved them.”
“That’s good.” She wiped the blood with her sleeve and tried to stand up.
“Mikan-chan, you shouldn’t move!” Narumi said out of concern.
“It’s all right, sensei,” she replied, holding a real smile on her face. It was
amazing how she managed to smile, even though she was in pain. She got to her feet
and leaned on Ruka for support. She glanced at Hotaru who was sleeping soundly now
and sighed in relief. “Hotaru…”
“Mikan-san?”
The surprised voice belonged to none other than Kazeno Chiaki. The two girls and
the three blondes turned around to look at the unsuspecting visitor.
“You’re that girl with the Wind Alice,” Misaki remarked, standing up.
“Kazeno Chiaki-san…” Narumi muttered, growing serious. “What are you doing here?”
Chiaki suddenly realized she exposed herself to them without thinking. She was too
caught up with Mikan’s condition. “Mikan-san, you’re dying,” she said. Her face
doesn’t seem to be stoic or cold anymore like last time. She was showing more of
her caring side now.
Narumi took a step forward. “Kazeno-san, where is the Dark Witch?” he asked. “We
need her to cure Mikan-chan!”
Chiaki grimaced, lowering her head so that her eyes wouldn’t make any contact with
theirs. She bit her lip as she shook her head. “I don’t know where she is,” she
answered honestly. “She escaped with Tsurugi Raito, without telling her team.”
“Then she’s out there somewhere.” Misaki looked furious, angry. Her eyes didn’t
have a trace of sadness anymore. “We have to go look for that bitch!” she said, not
minding her language. She activated her Alice and split into two. The original
Misaki dashed out through the door, while the other one jumped off from the window.
Chiaki had to agree with the Doppelganger. The Dark Witch was Mikan’s last hope of
surviving. Adrenaline pumping, she marched towards Mikan and Ruka and grabbed the
brunette by the arm. “You’re coming with me, Mikan-san!” she said.
“Hey, wait a sec!” Ruka immediately grasped Mikan’s wrist and glared at Chiaki.
“What do you think you’re doing?! You can’t just take her!”
Yuu nodded. He then remembered how Chiaki hurt his arm the other time. “Ruka-kun’s
right. We can’t trust you, Kazeno-san!”
“I know it’s too much to ask,” Chiaki said solemnly, with her bangs covering her
ethereal emerald-blue eyes. She let out a sigh as she turned to face them. “But
please trust me. I will never harm Mikan-san.”
Mikan noticed how real and warm Chiaki’s eyes were. “Kazeno-san…” she muttered as
she took her hand. The others of course were shocked by her action, but Mikan
didn’t care. She threw the wind manipulator a smile. “I trust you…”
The smile on the brunette’s face pinched Chiaki’s face into a small smile. She was
grateful to hear that Mikan trusted her. She wished she could be Mikan’s friend.
She figured that she will be able to enjoy the rest of her life with Mikan, but it
might be easier if she wasn’t part of the AAO.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 19: Miracle Angel
Kazeno Chiaki was extremely amazed by Sakura Mikan’s first class smile. The
compelling power and the determined spirit of Mikan were simply unimaginable.
Enthralled like some kind of spell, she got addicted to that smile. She remembered
seeing the same kind of smile, but from the face of another person. Chiaki cared
for that person, loved her like her own mother. She had been alone since she was a
young girl, and that person was the only one who showed her to the correct path.
She owed the person so much, and she planned on repaying her by helping her
daughter, Mikan.
Her cold exterior have disappeared. Instead, a warm-looking blonde girl stood
before the group with a small smile on her pretty face. Her emerald-blue eyes shone
brightly as she gazed upon the innocent amber eyes of Mikan. She was happy at the
fact that Mikan actually trusted her. It felt so good in her heart. “Thank you,
Mikan-san…”
Mikan, still weak from the effects of the curse, continued to smile at the wind
manipulator. She then turned to Ruka and said, “It’s all right, Ruka-pyon.” She
held his hand tenderly. “I’ll be okay with Kazeno-san.” She was sure of it.
However, Ruka and the others weren’t sure of handing Mikan over to Chiaki. They
still have their doubts. Who could blame them, of course? It was just a simple case
of defense mechanism. They cared for the brunette so much that they will do
anything to protect her. They were aware of the curse and the fact that Mikan was
slowly withering away. If she was going to die, then their world would crumble in
just one snap. They can’t let that happen.
Unable to think straight, Ruka averted his eyes away from the brunette and glanced
at the teacher who seemed baffled as well. Should they really let Mikan go with
Chiaki? Again, this question rang in his head several times. He was too
concerned—way concerned—for Mikan, because he loved her.
Mikan started coughing viciously. She covered her mouth with one hand as she bent
forward. She was spitting out blood as well. She winced in pain. “I-I…I don’t…have
much t-time…left…” Her voice trailed off. She coughed again.
“Oh, no, Mikan-chan!” Yuu exclaimed, motioning over to Mikan’s side. He patted her
back to soothe her. “Hang in there…”
“Please, Nogi, let Mikan-san come with me,” Chiaki begged, her voice soft and
frail. She wasn’t used to begging, but it was needed. “We can’t let her die.
Besides, I made a promise to protect Mikan-san at all cost.”
Promise? Did she make a promise with Yuka-senpai?” Narumi thought silently. Kazeno-
san is different from the other members. He took a deep breath. At this point,
there was no other choice but to trust the wind manipulator and hoped for the best.
“Kazeno-san, please take care of Mikan-chan,” Narumi said.
“Narumi-sensei, are you serious?” Yuu asked.
“Yes, I am.”
Ruka also realized that Chiaki was the only one who could help Mikan at the moment.
Swallowing hard, he pulled Mikan to a hug. His reason for doing that was mainly
because he felt like it. Gently, he pushed her away to look straight into her eyes.
He noticed how surprised she looked, despite the blood flowing out of her mouth.
Ruka flinched at the sight. “Take care, Sakura…” he told her.
“Ruka-pyon…” Her lips curved into a smile. She nodded her head cutely and said, “I
will!” She turned to her teacher, ran over to him, and gave him a hug. After that,
she went to hug the class representative. She assured everyone that she’ll come
back safe and sound. As usual, her optimistic character was quite amazing.
________________________________________
The Southern Forest was the only area left untouched by the Alice Academy Security
Force. Joining the search for the two escaped Anti-Alice members were the students
of the Dangerous Ability Class under the direct order of the cold-hearted Persona,
also known as Serio-sensei. The Southern Forest was now filled with search parties
everywhere. Those people with the Alice of Sharp Senses, Sight, and Flying were
using their powers at maximum just to locate the two members who seemed to be
hiding well.
Deep inside the Southern Forest, there was an underground cave hidden behind some
thick bushes and vines with sharp thorns. Hidden inside the cave were the two
sought after members, Tsurugi Raito and Akisato Haruka. The cave was cold, dark,
and eerie. Thankfully, Raito used his Alice to brighten up the place by maintaining
a small energy sphere in his palm. On the other hand, Haruka was trying to come up
with a way to sneak into the hospital without being seen by the Academy.
“This is going to be hard!” Haruka wailed, scratching her head furiously. “I’m
running out of ideas here!” She shrugged and leaned against the cave wall.
“Why don’t we trying using the Alice Stones we stole from the faculty room?” Raito
suggested, squatting down, as he juggled his bomb in his hand.
Haruka noticed what he was doing and she immediately hit him on the head. “Don’t
juggle your bomb, stupid!” she exclaimed, folding her arms. “If you drop it, then
those guys will find us!”
“Hey…” Raito rubbed his sore head. “Do I look like a punching bag to you?” he said
sarcastically.
“Maybe,” was Haruka’s annoyed reply. She tossed her long auburn hair back and
engrossed herself to more thinking. Raito, even though he was reckless with his
actions, actually gave her an idea. The Alice stones would be useful, and they did
steal a bunch. She pulled out the pouch containing the stones from her pocket,
opened it, and took one stone out. “We have to test the stones first, since we
don’t know what kind of Alice they hold.”
Raito nodded in agreement. “Try that one first,” he pointed out.
Haruka focused her energy on the rose purple Alice stone. Her pulse raced as she
waited for the Alice to emerge. The Alice stone flashed twice before a small
illusionary screen appeared in front of her face. Not knowing what to expect, she
held her breath.
The screen was showing her the scene outside the cave. She could see the whole
academy searching for them.
“This is…” She realized what kind of Alice the stone contained. “This is the Alice
of Sight.”
Raito raised a brow. “You mean to tell me you can see what I can’t see right now?”
Haruka nodded for an answer. She used the Alice of Sight to check where Mikan was.
She was quite surprised when she saw that the brunette was with her fellow team
member, Chiaki. “The Kaze girl… What’s she doing with Mikan-san?” she said
absentmindedly, which caught the full attention of Raito. “They seem to be looking
for us.” She eyed the two girls intensely, as Chiaki held onto Mikan while flying
in the sky.
“We have to inform Kazeno about our location,” Raito said, getting excited. He had
the desire to see and hold his dear sweet Mikan again. It had been a while since he
last saw her.
“I know.” Haruka deactivated the Alice of Sight and placed the stone back in the
pouch. She scanned the pouch, as if she knew what she was looking for. “Darn! Which
of these stones has teleportation?!” Haruka was very impatient when it comes to
critical situations.
Out of frustration, she put away the pouch, grabbed Raito’s free hand, and
staggered to the entrance of the cave. She figured that she can’t risk using the
Alice stones without even knowing what they could do. There was still another way,
she said to herself, and it was to go outside and get Chiaki and Mikan themselves.
She went telling her reckless idea to Raito.
“You can’t be serious,” Raito said, his face paled.
Haruka groaned and shot him a glare. “Come on,” she said, “aren’t we supposed to be
good at sneaking around?”
“Yeah, but, Haruka-san—”
“Just shut up and follow me!” Haruka quickly broke in to prevent Raito from
complaining. She knew how irritating it was to hear her partner complain.
Raito sighed deeply. “Okay, okay…” He raised his hand in a form of surrender.
Realizing that getting on Haruka’s bad side would be the end of him, Raito decided
to risk his life with Haruka.
Chiaki wondered if Haruka and Raito were still on the run. If they were captured,
it will be very hard for her to bring Mikan to them. As she caught a glimpse of
auburn hair moving around in the bushes, she knew it was her comrade. She looked
around to see if there were others around. Thankfully, the security group was still
searching far away from them. She decreased the wind pressure around her, so she
could start descending.
“Kazeno-san…” Mikan said who started coughing out blood. She managed to cough out
blood on Chiaki’s black jacket. “S-Sorry…” Her eyes were droopy due to the pain and
weakness.
“Hang in there,” Chiaki said, holding Mikan much tighter than before.
Suddenly the brunette glowed in radiant blue. It was Mikan’s Nullification Alice at
work, and because of that, Chiaki lost control over her Wind Alice.
“No, not now!” Chiaki groaned. But she couldn’t activate her Wind Alice anymore.
Mikan’s Nullification Alice was far stronger and it was going out of control
because of the curse. She hugged Mikan securely as she shifted her position in the
air. Now she was falling with Mikan on top of her. With a twinge of fear, she
wished Mikan to be safe.
The two of them landed roughly on the trees. They fell from a great height and
their impact caused some branches to break off. Unfortunately, Chiaki was taking
full blow of the impact with her back. The two girls hit one last branch and landed
on the soft bushes below.
The blue light around Mikan a while ago had disappeared.
Chiaki, hurt and injured, helped Mikan up and pulled her out of the bushes. She was
happy to see that Mikan was unharmed during the fall.
“Kazeno-san, you shouldn’t have done that,” Mikan said, placing a soft hand on
Chiaki’s arm.
“I’m used to pain, Mikan-san,” Chiaki assured her. “You don’t have to worry about
me.”
“Still I—”
“Get away from her!” an unruly voice broke in.
Mikan and Chiaki quickly turned to the voice and saw Hyuuga Natsume standing a few
distances away from her. He seemed agitated as his blood-shot eyes threw imaginary
daggers at the wind manipulator. He had a fire ball in his palm, which was ready
for an attack.
“Natsume…” Mikan stretched out her arms and blocked Chiaki from Natsume’s view.
“She’s not an enemy, Natsume.”
The flame-caster narrowed his gaze. “She’s with the AAO, so step aside,” he said,
his voice cold as ice. He was angry for what the Anti-Alice Organization did to
Mikan. He wasn’t going to show any mercy on them—even if it means killing them.
Mikan shook her head rapidly. After realizing Chiaki’s true intentions, she knew
that she could trust an AAO member like her. She can’t let Natsume hurt her.
Besides, Chiaki was already hurt due to the fall, and she has her Nullification
Alice to blame for it—not only her Alice, but also the curse as well. And when she
was about to explain things to Natsume, the curse inflicted her heart once again.
She let out a scream and dropped on her knees. She was in serious pain.
“Mikan!” Natsume called out. He rushed to her side, looking concerned. His eyes
shot wide when he felt Mikan’s icy cold skin. It was like she was a living corpse.
He tilted her head to take a good look at her face. But his face paled when she saw
her bloody tears streaming down her smooth cheeks. Natsume couldn’t believe what
was happening to her. Was this a nightmare?
Chiaki winced at the sight of blood. Disregarding her injuries, she activated her
Alice and hovered into the air. She spotted two individuals from afar, which turned
out to be the ones she was looking for. She hurried towards them. “Tsurugi!” she
yelled out. “Akisato!”
On the cue, the two AAO members turned their heads at her, seemingly surprised at
Chiaki’s presence.
“We’ve finally found you!” Raito said, pointing a finger at the blonde. “Hey,
where’s Mikan-sama?”
Chiaki ignored his question, grabbed Raito’s and Haruka’s hands, and dragged them
over to Natsume and Mikan. She released their hands and landed on the ground,
panting. “Akisato, please…” She didn’t like the idea of begging, but she had no
other choice left. “Please undo the curse on Mikan-san…” She looked up at the Dark
Witch, with eyes so full of concern.
“You…” Haruka glanced at Chiaki and then at Mikan.
“Mikan-sama!” Raito walked over to Mikan. But as soon as he tried to touch her,
Natsume slapped his hand away. “What’s your problem, jerk?!” Raito uttered,
throwing one hell of a glare at the raven-haired boy.
Natsume hugged Mikan more. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Don’t touch her!” He
conjured a flame in his palm. “It’s your fault why she’s like this. It’s all your
damned fault!” Though he was blaming the AAO, Natsume couldn’t help blaming himself
as well.
Letting her conscience get the best of her, Haruka knelt before Natsume and bowed
her head like a servant would do in front of her master. “Hyuuga-kun, Mikan-san,
I’m really sorry for all of this,” she said somberly as she clenched her fists. “To
make it up to you, I’ll remove the darn curse on Mikan-san.” She raised her head
and looked straight at Natsume.
Raito and Chiaki were flabbergasted at Haruka’s display. Never in their life have
they seen the Dark Witch, Akisato Haruka, bowed down to anybody. She was always
considered to be a girl with high standards.
Natsume knew Haruka was being serious. However, he still felt cautious about
entrusting Mikan’s life to the Dark Witch. His crimson eyes settled on the angelic
brunette in his arms. He noticed how distressed she looked, as she held her breath
and cried tears of blood. Natsume wanted to end her sufferings. “Remove the curse.”
Natsume’s throat tightened, and he swallowed hard. He glanced at the Dark Witch,
who was trembling. “Do it now.”
Haruka nodded, and then she approached the couple, and placed a hand on Mikan’s
temple. “Mikan-san, are you ready?” she asked.
“Umm…” The nullifier slightly opened her eyes to look at Haruka. “Yes… Please do…”
She coughed out blood once again.
“Here goes…” Haruka activated her Curse Alice and focused her energy on Mikan.
Natsume watched the Dark Witch use her Alice, his hand intertwined with Mikan’s.
The process of removing the curse inside a cursed being was simply the same as
inputting the curse, in reverse. The owner of the Curse Alice had to concentrate
hard and make sure that her own Alice won’t backfire on her. Haruka had trained
hard to master her Alice. She was sure she could remove the curse inside Mikan with
ease.
But Haruka had no idea that Mikan used her Stealing-Alice to suck up the curses
from Hotaru, Nobara, and Tsubasa.
“What the hell is this?!” Haruka uttered. She threw a questioning look at Chiaki.
“Why are the other curses inside her?”
Chiaki remembered Mikan removing the curses of her friends from their bodies with
her Stealing-Alice. “Mikan-san took the risk and saved her friends,” Chiaki
explained briefly as she averted her eyes away. “She used her Stealing-Alice. As a
result, she now possesses all the curses.”
“This is going to be a lot harder,” Haruka said, wiping some sweat off her temple.
She was still using her Alice on Mikan. When she increased the power of her Alice
something sparked within Mikan and blew Haruka away.
“Haruka-san!” Raito called out.
Raising her hand, Chiaki used her Wind Alice to prevent Haruka from touching the
ground. “What happened?” she asked as she carefully helped the Dark Witch back on
her feet.
“I can’t believe this,” Haruka grumbled. She placed a hand on her head, looking
distraught. “With 4 curses inside her body her Alice is going berserk. At this rate
it would be impossible to remove the curses, since she’s canceling out my Alice.”
Natsume’s throat went dry. He could not bring himself to get angrier at the Anti-
Alice members. His cold red eyes shifted to the brunette, who was still struggling
with the pain. The sight of the blood made his stomach churn. As he tucked her hair
behind her ear, he thought of the time Mikan saved him from Persona’s Alice and the
time she saved him from the AAO.
“You’re really an idiot,” Natsume said slowly. “Always thinking about others before
yourself…” He closed his eyes, a rush of images filling the darkness—Mikan’s
wonderful smile, her adorable face, the way she makes other people happy…
Mikan gazed at Natsume. She touched his cheek, caressed it tenderly, and smiled.
“That’s because I love everyone—the school, our classmates, the teachers…” She
paused for a moment as she recalled her blurred memories of Natsume. “And even
though I don’t remember you, I know that I love you too.”
Raito frowned, but he didn’t make a fuss about it. There was no point in getting
jealous while the girl you love was literally dying.
Natsume tried to seem strong and confident. But his emotions were getting the best
of him. Though he managed to maintain a stoic exterior, his heart ached desperately
and his mind only thought of one thing—Sakura Mikan. He leaned over and kissed her
forehead, which felt so cold.
Raito’s hand closed around Haruka’s and gripped strongly. His grip made her wince.
“Haruka-san, isn’t there anything you could do?!” He was panicking, and Haruka knew
it.
Maybe her Alice wasn’t enough to help Mikan, she considered. But as Mikan let out a
scream of pain, she trembled and shut her eyes. Was she going to let Mikan suffer
and die just like that? Didn’t she tell Raito that she would help Mikan? She would
be forever haunted by guilt for what she did to an innocent girl.
Chiaki ran her hand through her blonde hair, wishing all of this was a dream. Her
promise—she won’t be able to fulfill it if Mikan dies. “Onee-sama, Mikan-san,”
echoed in her head.
It was impossible for Mikan to stop her own Alice. The more she struggled, the more
pain she felt. She didn’t want to give up on herself. She didn’t want to leave the
people she loved, especially the boy holding her close. It was a shame that she
still couldn’t remember him clearly. She seemed so important to him.
“This hairstyle won’t be suitable in five years. Put your hair down at that time.
You’ll look better.”
“Natsume…”
“Mikan… Don’t come any closer to the darkness. I don’t want you to see it.”
“Natsume…”
“Shut up. Be still. When tomorrow comes, I’ll give you back to Ruka.”
“Natsume…”
At this point, the bloody tears in her eyes turned crystal clear. Those words just
came out of her head all of the sudden. And the voice in her head—she knew it too
well. She was sure of it. Her memories of Natsume flowed perfectly in her head. She
was surprised at how Natsume’s face cleared up in her mind. Her lips curved into a
smile. She could remember distinctively the first time they met. It was unexpected,
but the jerk was a pervert. Mikan wanted to laugh, but the pain restrained her from
doing so.
“Don’t you dare,” Natsume protested and wiped away the tears in her eyes with his
thumb. “Don’t die on me.”
With all her remaining strength, Mikan sat up and wrapped her arms around Natsume’s
neck. “I don’t think I can, Natsume…” Her voice was fading, but her eyes weren’t.
Her eyes had the usual sparkle in them, which Natsume absolutely admired. “But I’ll
try just for you.”
How could she be optimistic at times like this? Natsume wondered that for himself.
Frankly, everything about her was amazing. From her naïve character to her adorable
face, Natsume could certainly say that she was unique. To have someone like her in
his life meant so much for him.
“Mikan…” He even loved saying her name, which he seldom does. At most times he
would just call her with ridiculous nicknames he can come up with.
She took a deep breath. Her insides were killing her. She forced herself to look
composed in Natsume’s eyes. She didn’t want him to worry any longer. The thought of
her dying was scary for her. “Natsume, please stay with me, okay?” She brightened
up with a smile. She wouldn’t be Mikan without her famous smile.
Of course, Natsume was enlightened to see her smile. The mere sight of it made his
heart pound loud and fast. His cold exterior softened up a bit. He held the back of
her head, pulled her closer, and brushed his lips against hers.
Everyone’s eyes, including Mikan’s, grew wide in surprise. They would never expect
the Black Cat to kiss Mikan just like that in front of the AAO members. Being
girls, Haruka and Chiaki felt so touched by the scene, while Raito, being in love
with Mikan, turned green with envy. But they didn’t make any comments or complains
about it. They just stood there and watched the couple silently.
As for Mikan, she felt like her heart had popped out of place. Natsume had kissed
her and it wasn’t the first time he had done this. Nevertheless, Mikan was happy to
be kissed by him—the guy her heart yearned for. She closed her eyes in pleasure and
deepened the kiss even more. For a moment, the two of them felt nothing but sweet
bliss and happiness.
In reality, happiness was never permanent. As they broke the kiss, Mikan’s heart
raced abnormally. She pushed herself back and fell down on the grassy ground. She
gripped her chest tight and screamed. She looked back at Natsume, forcing a smile
on her face, but she quickly turned back and vomited blood.
Natsume and the AAO members paled at the sight. The curse was getting worse and
worse.
“Mikan-san…” Chiaki pursed her lips.
“Haruka-san, try removing the curse again!” Raito told his partner.
As soon as the Dark Witch attempted to touch Mikan’s temple, Mikan’s body started
glowing in a furious blue color. Haruka didn’t know what was going on, so she
backed off with precaution.
Mikan curled up like a little ball as the light got brighter and stronger. She
panted hard; beads of sweat were clearly visible on her face. She turned over and
looked up at Natsume, who was in a state of shock. She reached out for him, wanting
to hold him, but he just seemed far away from her. Her vision was blurring. Her
world was slowly turning dark.
When she closed her eyes, the light caused by her Alice engulfed everything in
sight, including the people present. In an instant, the whole Southern Forest was
caught by the strong light. After a while, the light vanished and everything became
clear again.
Natsume went to Mikan right away and cuddled her in his arms. She was unconscious,
but she was breathing fine. His mouth turned slightly in a smile, more like a
smirk. He thought he had lost Mikan forever.
“What just happened?” Haruka asked her fellow comrades only to receive confused
faces.
From the look on Natsume’s face, the Anti-Alice members could see that Mikan was
still alive.
“I’m so relieved,” Raito said, purposely falling on his butt just to sit down. He
scratched his head and chuckled to ease his nervousness. Frankly, his heart was
beating fast.
Chiaki motioned a little closer to the couple to check up on Mikan. She knelt down
and smiled at the sight of the brunette’s peaceful face. She then noticed something
in Mikan’s hands. “What are those?” she asked, pointing with her finger.
Natsume took the objects from Mikan’s hand and placed them on the ground. “Alice
Stones?” he muttered out, a bit shocked. His expression went back to being stoic as
he threw a hard gaze at Chiaki.
“Four black Alice Stones,” Chiaki announced. “These are the curses.”
Haruka and Raito approached them for a closer look. With one glance, Haruka knew
that those stones were her curses right away. She was pleased to inform everyone
around her that Mikan was curse free. She grabbed the Alice stones and crashed them
into pieces with her bare hands. “I’m even more impressed with Mikan-san’s Alices.”
“No wonder the organization wants her so badly,” Raito said.
Chiaki remembered that there was still a search party roaming around the academy.
If they would be caught, it will be hell for them. Chiaki couldn’t afford to get
caught. Someone was waiting for her to come back. “Tsurugi, Akisato, let’s get out
of here,” she said, putting on a serious look. She was back being the cold girl
again.
“Do you have something that can teleport us out of here in a snap?” Raito
questioned.
Pulling out a silver Alice stone, Chiaki shrugged and said, “I’ve come prepared.”
She spun on her heels and walked away. “We better hurry.”
“Wait up,” Haruka said, running after Chiaki, who was walking amazingly fast. When
she noticed that Raito wasn’t moving, she paused and told the guy to hurry up.
Before leaving, Raito shot Natsume one mean glare as she planted his fists on his
hips. “Bastard, you better take good care of Mikan-sama!” He was being serious when
he said that. He really loved Mikan. “I’ll make sure you’ll pay if you hurt her!”
After that, he spun around and went after his two comrades.
Natsume groaned. He still felt irritated being with those Anti-Alice members. But
somehow, those three earned his respect. Well, maybe Raito was a bit of a pest to
him. However, Natsume wordlessly admitted that they were not bad like everyone
expected.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 20: The Flames of Shattered Memories
In the shadows of the elementary school dorm’s staircase, Fujioka Takumi pulled out
a pouch containing the remaining memory stones of Sakura Mikan. He opened the pouch
and took out one crimson Alice stone about the size of small boy’s palm. He pursed
his lips at the sight of it. Among Mikan’s memory stones, the red one was the
biggest. From his experience, he could tell a person’s most loved one with the
stones. The bigger the memory stone, the more important that person is to you.
Putting the stones away, Takumi walked towards an open window and jumped down. With
perfect balance, he landed easily on a tree branch. He scanned the premises first
before he climbed down the tree. He still had the objective in mind, and that was
to kidnap Mikan.
For the rest of the morning, he had been spying on unsuspecting guards and students
of the academy. He had learned a lot. He knew his two members, Haruka and Raito,
had escaped from their so-called prison and hid themselves somewhere in the school.
He heard a rustle in the trees that wasn’t squirrel or chipmunk. He reached in for
his gun in his trench coat, getting ready to shoot any suspicious character in his
way. He heard a twig snap, and he whipped his head around and saw a glimpse of
yellow beside a tree. The petite figure and the blonde hair—he can’t be mistaken.
It was Kazeno Chiaki.
Takumi sighed in relief. Composing himself, he leaned his back against the tree
behind him. “Any luck in finding them, Kazeno?” he questioned.
Swallowing her anger at Takumi, she folded her arms and shook her head in dismay.
She had to lie about Haruka and Raito. After all, she went to all the trouble of
getting them out of the academy safe and unharmed. It was a good thing she found
them in the Southern Forest—a place faraway from Takumi’s previous location.
“Where are those two idiots?” Takumi grumbled, cracking his fists. He swore under
his breath that he will murder the two once he gets his hands on them. They’ve
caused too much trouble for him already.
“Forget about them,” Chiaki said. She forced herself to stand firm in front of
Takumi, despite the injuries and the wounds on her back. She managed to hide her
cluttered self from her leader under the dark shade of the tree. “We can still do
the mission without them.”
“You’re right,” Takumi agreed, thrusting his hands into his pockets. He kicked at a
stone, and it skipped towards the bushes. “You know the plan, Kazeno. Let’s go.” He
scurried on forward, confident and willing. This time he had made sure that his
plans would succeed unlike last time.
Of course she had to follow Takumi around. He’d be expecting good results from her.
But she really didn’t have much enthusiasm to follow him. Takumi had no idea that
she was the one who foiled his plans. She couldn’t tell him that. After all, she
was only doing this in order to protect Mikan. It was a relief that the curse on
Mikan has been lifted. However, not all of her memories were returned yet. Chiaki
couldn’t just go back to the organization without making sure that Mikan was
completely fine.
Suddenly someone kicked her side, sending her flying to a tree. Chiaki struggled
back to her feet. She threw her gaze at her leader. She was surprised, of course,
to see her leader glaring fiercely at her with those cold lilac eyes.
Takumi, who was physically stronger than her, was already making his way towards
her. He gripped her neck and pinned her hard against the tree. “I never knew you’re
such a good actress, Kazeno,” he said, grinning evilly.
Chiaki let out a small shriek, kicking and trashing. “L-let me g-go!” she cried.
“My instincts had been right. I never should have trusted you.” Takumi stared at
her face keenly. He was choking her to death with his strong grip. He seemed to be
ready to kill the blonde girl at any time.
She wondered when and how did Takumi find out about her hidden motives. She had
been so secretive about it that not even Raito and Haruka knew. And yet her leader
busted her. Since that was the case, Chiaki no longer had the reason to hold back.
She activated her Alice and pushed Takumi back with her wind. Once the distance was
set, Chiaki jumped up and hurled a gale of blades at the guy.
Takumi back flipped a couple of times just to avoid the blades. He yanked his gun
from his coat and pointed it at Chiaki. “You were the most reliable one among my
members,” Takumi said. “You’re an Elite member of the AAO and yet—”
“I have my reasons for doing this,” Chiaki cut him off, retaining her stoic
expression. “So deal with it!” She instantly summoned a hurricane to trap Takumi
inside.
“Release me!” Takumi demanded.
“From now on, I won’t take orders from you,” Chiaki retorted.
Takumi wasn’t the least bit intimidated by Chiaki’s power. “Release me or else,” he
said in an eerie voice. He pulled out the pouch of stones and showed it to Chiaki.
“I’ll destroy Sakura Mikan’s memories.”
Chiaki’s eyes grew wide in an instant. “You wouldn’t dare!” There was no guarantee
that Mikan will recover all her memories by herself. Mikan could either remember
slowly or she won’t remember at all. “Fujioka Takumi, how low can you get?” She
narrowed her gaze on the leader.
“I was a bit impressed with you acting, Kazeno,” Takumi said, juggling the pouch in
his hand. “I would have never guessed your schemes. But thanks to that shadow
manipulator, I was able to confirm your betrayal.”
“W-What are you talking about?”
“Remember the time when we were about to attack the auditorium?” Takumi cupped his
chin and smirked spitefully at her. “I ordered you to do reconnaissance work.
Before you left the hotel, I saw you carrying curse-prevention control device.”
Chiaki bit her lip. She thought she managed to sneak away quietly, but Takumi saw
her with the device. She should have been more careful.
“And when I saw the shadow manipulator moving freely despite of the curse, my
deduction about you was correct,” Takumi said as he pulled out the red memory stone
from the pouch. “You think you can outsmart me? Well, think again!”
Chiaki didn’t budge. She was too exhausted from the pain and injuries. Her energy
was only enough to keep her Alice running. The situation will definitely turn bad
if she lowered down her Alice around Takumi.
The Mind Reaper laughed maniacally. “Did you know?” He held out the red stone for
Chiaki to see. “This stone is the most important memory of Sakura Mikan,” he
explained.
“Don’t destroy it!” she exclaimed, dropping to her knees.
“Then release me…”
It was a tough decision for her. If she would release Takumi, he will certainly
shoot her to death. If she won’t follow his order, then he will destroy the
precious memory of Mikan. However, when she thought back about the promise she
made, she knew she had to make sacrifices for Mikan. Before setting out on this
mission, she vowed to protect Mikan—even if she dies trying.
“Time’s a wasting,” Takumi said, clenching the red stone tight.
Chiaki shut her eyes tight. Mikan was more important to her than her life. She
looked up at Takumi and said, “All right…” With one snap of her finger the wind
around Takumi disappeared. Chiaki was ready to face the consequences.
Placing pressure on the trigger, Takumi walked towards Chiaki. “You’re such a
fool,” he told her. He pinned Chiaki to the ground with his foot. “This is what you
get for betraying the organization.” Takumi relentlessly started stomping on the
blonde girl.
Chiaki managed to prevent herself from screaming. “Fujioka…” she grumbled, throwing
the Mind Reaper a serious look.
“What’s with that disgusting look?” Takumi said, obviously mocking the blonde. He
hid the stone back in his pocket, grabbed Chiaki by the collar and pulled her up.
“I’m going to give you a slow and painful death, Kazeno.” He pointed the gun
directly at her heart.
“T-To…” Chiaki grabbed his wrist and glared at him with furious emerald-blue eyes.
“To hell with you!” she uttered, activating her Wind Alice. She summoned a razor
wind to cut through Takumi’s shoulder. With a deep wound like that, Takumi had no
strength to hold up Chiaki. When she dropped butt first to the ground, she panted
hard.
“You’re going to pay for this, Kazeno!” Takumi exclaimed as he held his wounded
shoulder. “I’ll kill you right here and right now!” He aimed the gun at her.
Chiaki no longer had the energy to run away and use her Alice. This was the end for
her. She simply closed her eyes as she waited for the bullet to kill her off
completely. As she heard the gunshot, she was sure that she would be dead. But, for
some reason, she was still breathing. She slowly opened her eyes, confused and
wary, and saw a high school student standing in front of Takumi. “What the…” was
the only thing she could mutter.
The student, who had red hair, peered behind her shoulders to look at the blonde.
“It looks like I made it just in time,” she said.
“Doppelganger—Harada Misaki,” Chiaki muttered. She then noticed the gun lying on
the ground. She guessed that Misaki must have kicked it away when Takumi was about
to shoot. She was saved, and it was all thanks to Misaki.
Takumi took a step backward. “Another nuisance…” he said. He performed a defensive
stance and tried to kick Misaki.
However, Misaki quickly dodged Takumi’s attack and back flipped backwards. As she
regained her composure, she charged towards him and punched his face. “That was
just a warm up.” She winked an eye at him, smiling confidently. “I won’t go easy on
you on my next move.” She snapped her fingers, and instantly a group of clones
surrounded Takumi. Without giving Takumi the chance to retaliate with words, Misaki
and her clones assaulted Takumi with hard kicks and punches.
Takumi only managed to dodge and block some kicks and punches, but the rest hit him
like a rock. It was really hard to fight with a wounded shoulder. He coped up
quickly after he dodged an attack from a clone and kicked it away. He stepped on a
clone’s shoulder, jumped up and landed a few inches away from the group. He spun on
his heels and revealed the red stone once again.
“And what’s that gonna do?” Misaki said, cracking her fists. She was ready for more
fighting. She had to admit that beating the guts out of Takumi was fun.
“Doppelganger, stop right there!” Chiaki told Misaki as she stood up. “That stone
holds the most important memory of Mikan-san.” She clutched her chest tightly.
“What?! The chibi’s memories?”
“He has the power to steal and erase a person’s memories,” Chiaki continued with
her explanation. “If he destroys that stone, then that memory will never return to
Mikan-san.”
“No way…”
Takumi smirked contentedly. “Maybe it’ll be better if Sakura Mikan doesn’t remember
the person in this stone,” he said. “The organization only needs her and her Alice.
She’ll be better off without memories at all.” He clenched on the stone tightly
until it started to crack.
Misaki and Chiaki both paled at the same time. “STOP!!” they screamed, but Takumi
paid no heed to them. He continued destroying the stone without mercy. The most
important memory of Mikan shouldn’t be destroyed, the girls wailed in their minds.
They had to do something to stop the Mind Reaper. At this point, Misaki spotted the
gun on the ground. With haste, she picked up the gun and aimed it at Takumi.
“Try and stop me if you can, Doppelganger,” Takumi said, his voice hard. He doesn’t
seem to be afraid of the gun or death at all.
“Drop that stone, bastard!” Misaki’s hands were trembling. It was her first time to
hold a gun and point it to a person. Sure, she was trained in hand-to-hand combat,
but she was never trained to kill other people—even bad guys. She wanted to shoot
Takumi to stop him from his foolish attempt, but her conscience was bothering her
at the wrong time.
“Why won’t you shoot?” Takumi was challenging her.
Misaki shut her eyes tight and put pressure on the trigger. “I guess I have no
choice,” she muttered. She took a deep breath before she made her move. “Hey, Kaze,
think fast!” She swiftly lobbed the gun at Chiaki.
“WHAT?!” Takumi uttered, his eyes widening.
As if she was expecting it, Chiaki caught the gun, pointed it at Takumi and shot
his arm. Handling a gun was nothing new to her. She wasn’t particularly good at it,
but she can still use it properly like a pro. She scored a direct hit. “This is the
end for you, Fujioka,” she said.
Takumi fell on his knees, dropping the stone on the ground, as he groaned in pain.
Like Chiaki said, it was the end of him. He could no longer fight, not with his
condition. He had failed his mission. He had failed his organization. There was
always a first time in everything, he thought. His vision blurred when he looked up
at the blonde girl who was still holding the gun. He frowned before he fell
unconscious to the ground.
“The other stones are in his pockets,” Chiaki said. “We should give it to Mikan-san
right away.”
Misaki picked up the red stone from the ground. “So this is the chibi’s most
important memory, huh?” She motioned over to Takumi and pulled out the pouch
containing the remaining memory stones from his coat. “It’s all here.” She smiled
at the thought of her favorite junior. With the stones, Mikan will surely be back
to her old self again. Misaki couldn’t help feel excited.
“Doppelganger,” Chiaki called as she limped her way towards Misaki. “I want to
thank you for saving me.” Her face was a little flushed when she said that. Another
thing about her was that she wasn’t used to thanking other people who weren’t close
to her.
“No problem,” Misaki replied, giggling.
“I’m glad that it’s all over,” Chiaki said, sighing in relief. She locked the gun
and tucked it into her jacket for safe keeping. She knelt down before Takumi and
checked his pulse. “He’s still alive.” Of course, Chiaki wasn’t a cold-hearted
person. Even though Takumi tortured her, she didn’t want him to die. As she stood
up, she suddenly heard cracking noises again.
Misaki heard it too. “What’s that sound?” she asked.
Chiaki didn’t like the sound of that. She glanced at the red stone in Misaki’s hand
and gasped at what she saw. “The stone…It’s…” She pointed at it with a trembling
finger. The red stone was still cracking. She shot the unconscious Takumi a glare,
and through gritted teeth she said, “He just won’t be give up.”
“It’s not stopping,” Misaki said with a pang of fear. “At this rate, the stone will
be destroyed. Hey, Kaze, we have to hurry and give this to Mikan-chan! Let’s use
your wind to fly over to the hospital!” Misaki couldn’t keep her self-control
intact anymore.
“I wish I can…” Chiaki lowered her head. “But I don’t have much strength left to
use my Alice.” She dropped to her knees, letting out an exasperated breath. She
won’t be able to do anything—even if she’ll force herself to use her Alice.
Misaki could see how weak and unstable Chiaki was. She felt sorry for the girl,
knowing that Chiaki almost gave her life just to save Mikan’s memories. Misaki knew
that it was up to her to deliver the stones. “I’ll go!” she said.
“Doppelganger, do your best,” Chiaki said, smiling gently at the older student.
“I’m sorry if I can’t help you.”
“That’s okay. You’ve done enough and you deserve some rest.” Misaki spun on her
heels and hid the stones in her pockets. “Take care of yourself, okay?” Determined
and ready, she dashed off towards the direction of the hospital.
________________________________________
Mikan was sleeping more peacefully by the time Natsume brought her to the hospital,
and she hadn’t vomited blood again. Her vital signs were normal, and her friends
were satisfied that she wasn’t about to die. They left her alone in the room,
except for Natsume, Ruka and Narumi-sensei, and she was in a deep sleep, filled
with complicated dreams. She couldn’t tell where the dreams were leading her, but
after a while, she was aware that a raven-haired boy was walking along at her side.
He seemed at ease, and after a while, he turned toward her and smirked and said,
“Mikan.”
“You…” Mikan was aware of being able to talk to him in the dream, and she noticed
how happy he calm he looked.
“Do you remember everything now, polka-dots?”
“Polka-dots?” She threw him a confused look. She didn’t know why the boy was
calling her by that name. It somehow irritated her. “I have a name,” she said
emphatically, pouting cutely.
The boy rolled his eyes away. “I’ll call you whatever I want,” he said
nonchalantly. “And ‘polka-dots’ is a good name for a little girl like you.”
Mikan’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance. She glared at the arrogant raven-haired boy
and said, “Shut up, ah—” She paused for a while, and much to her surprise, she
didn’t know what to call him. She felt like she knew him, but she can’t remember
his name. Her eyes softened as she placed her hand on her cheek. She looked at him,
with a curious expression, as she tried to think about his name. “You—who are you?”
The boy was taken back at this. Surprised, he turned to look at the brunette. “You
don’t remember me?” he muttered. He sounded very firm.
“I-I… I think I know you, but I can’t remember,” she said miserably and she started
to cry in her dream. “Why? Why can’t I remember you?” He stood watching her for a
long time, not sure what you say to her, as she cried. He put an arm around her,
and she sobbed even more. “I’m afraid. It makes me too sad. I know it in my heart
that you’re someone special to me and yet…”
“Stop crying,” he said, his expression unchanged. However, his heart was aching.
The girl he treasured can’t remember him. Still, he will be there for her no matter
what. He promised to protect her as always.
“I can’t,” she sobbed. “I can’t stop crying.”
“Yes, you can, polka-dots,” he insisted, and then there was a sound in her dream,
like another voice talking to her. This one seemed to come from far away, and she
recognized it. She opened her eyes to see who it was. It was Nogi Ruka.
“Sakura, are you all right?” the blonde boy asked.
“Ruka-pyon…”
“You look a little better now, Mikan-chan,” Narumi-sensei said, looking pleased.
She sat up on the bed, thinking about the dream she had, feeling a bitter coldness
inside her. “Who was that guy?” she silently whispered.
Narumi-sensei brought her five-pieces of sliced apples, and she ate decently. She
was a bit weak, but she was happy. The pain and the curse inside her were gone. Her
teacher was there, and also her good friend, Ruka. She knew that they were all
worried sick for her.
“Mikan-chan, did you know that Hotaru-chan and the others already woke up?” Narumi-
sensei told her.
And she smiled as soon as he said those words. “Really? That’s good. My Alice
helped them a lot!”
“They’ve gone back to sleep, but the doctors said that they’ll be released
tomorrow,” Narumi said, adding more good news.
“Hotaru, Nobara-chan, Tsubasa-sempai… I’m so happy for them!” Mikan took one piece
of apple and stuffed it into her mouth. After that, she jumped off the bed and
hugged her teacher. Narumi leaned over and kissed her then, and she felt slightly
ticklish about it.
“Sakura,” Ruka said quietly. “Her smile…” He was always enlightened by her smile.
He never got tired of admiring her smile. And seeing Mikan in her usual cheerful
self was more than enough to ease his troubled thoughts.
Meanwhile, Natsume was watching the teacher and the adorable brunette laughing and
tickling one another. Normally, he would try and burn Narumi to keep him away from
Mikan. But he let this moment slide through, because he wanted Mikan to enjoy her
time with her so-called father.
Just then, the door slammed wide-open. Standing at the doorway was the
Doppelganger, Misaki, who was panting hard. “Mikan-chan…” she said, taking a step
forward. She looked tired. She dangled the pouch in front of her, showing it to
everyone. “Here are your Alice stones, chibi…”
“Are those the remaining memories of Mikan-chan?” Narumi looked at the red-head
curiously. He had been wondering where the other stones were.
She nodded then, and seemed to be thinking deep. “Mikan-chan, you have to take the
stones quick,” she explained to her junior. She opened the pouch, spread out her
other palm and dropped the stones there. There were three small stones—one was
silver, the second one was green, and the third one was pink—and there was one big
red stone. But the red one had cracks all over it. “Take this, chibi.” Her eyes
grew more serious. She had run a great distance, without stopping, just to give
Mikan the stones.
“Where did you get those?” Narumi asked.
“I’ll explain the details later!” Misaki uttered. She marched over to Mikan and
placed the stones in the young girl’s palms. “Now absorb it before it’s too late.”
“What do you mean by that, Misaki-sempai?” Mikan asked innocently.
There were those cracking sounds again, and this alarmed everybody, especially
Misaki. The red-head girl was starting to panic a little. “Just do it!” she
exclaimed.
“Um…okay…” Mikan said, placing the Alice stones against her chest. The three small
stones were starting to glow, and after a while, the stones went inside Mikan.
Memories of Hijiri Youichi, her old friends back at her hometown, and her memories
of acquaintances, enemies flowed back into her like a river. She, especially,
smiled at the memories of her cute little friend, You-chan. Because of this, she
was excited to see the little kid again. Mikan’s lips curved into a smile as tears
streamed down her cheeks.
“Mikan-chan, you still have one more stone there,” Misaki pointed out as she
nibbled on her thumb. She was genuinely worried about the cracked red stone. “That
red stone holds your most important memory.”
Mikan gazed upon the red stone, which reminded her of someone. Instinctively, she
turned to the raven-haired boy standing beside Ruka. This stone has the same color
of his eyes. But something stuck her mind with discomfort. She looked at the stone
again, hoping that it contained the memories of that particular guy. As soon as she
placed a kiss on it, the stone cracked even more. “What’s going on?”
“No, the stone!” Misaki uttered.
“It’s going to break,” Narumi-sensei added.
Mikan held it near her heart, saying a silent prayer, wishing it wouldn’t break.
She focused her energy on the stone, but she can’t seem to absorb it. “Please…
Please…” she begged. Once she looked at the stone again, it broke into pieces.
Mikan was horrified by this. “No, this can’t be…”
“It broke!” Misaki said, clenching her fists. “Now her memories will…”
The brunette’s knees trembled and her head started to hurt. She screamed as she
dropped on her knees. “Why is this happening?” she asked, holding her head.
“Sakura!” Ruka went over to her and held her shoulders. “Pull yourself together,”
he told her.
Natsume couldn’t stand watching her. He took her by the hand, pulled her up, and
embraced her tightly. His sudden action surprised the others in the room, not to
mention Ruka who instantly got jealous at the scene of his best friend hugging the
girl he loved. It was only after he gently pushed her away to look at her that she
gave him a puzzled look.
“You…” Mikan said, touching his cheek. She stared into his deep crimson eyes and
found it to be attractive. Her heart pounded fast and her cheeks burned in red. But
one question popped in her head as she continued staring at the raven-haired flame-
caster. “Who are you?”
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 21: Before the fall
Mikan slipped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around her petite body, while she
hummed the tune of her favorite song. It was amazing that she managed to wake up at
5:30 in the morning. She had woken up before her alarm clock. Somehow she felt like
something big was going to happen to her today. After putting on her elementary
school uniform, she sat down in front of the vanity mirror and started combing her
silky, brown hair. Her hair was beautiful in ways that always amazed her friends,
and she was appealing with her hair down, but looked cute in twin-tails. She opened
her accessory box to choose which hair accessory she should wear. She took out
three pairs of ribbons with different colors. Tapping her cheek with her finger,
she stared at the ribbons for a while before she made her decision. She decided to
go for the peach one. And when she was about to tie her hair, three knocks came
from her bedroom door.
“Who could that be?” she asked, standing up from the chair. She walked up to the
door quickly, turned the knob, and opened the door. She came face to face with a
boy with topaz eyes and emerald-green hair. “Who are you?” was the only one
questioned popped into Mikan’s head when she saw him. It was her first time to see
that boy, and he was staring at her as if he wanted to eat her up.
“Wow! You are cute!” the boy admired. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you at
first sight.” He wasn’t kidding when he said that. His cheeks were obviously red
and he had a different twinkle in his eyes.
Mikan was speechless, or more like, surprised by the boy’s sudden compliment. First
of all, he was a total stranger to her, and the secondly, he seemed to have a
reason for visiting her so early in the morning. But Mikan was a sweet girl and she
can never be rude to someone she just met. “May I help you?” she asked.
He wasn’t sure about revealing his identity to her, but Mikan was so cute, so
overwhelming in her innocence, there was no way he could resist a chance to
befriend her. “My name is Tsurugi Raito,” he introduced himself. “It’s an honor to
meet you, Mikan-sama.”
“Y-you know my name?” Mikan looked terrified. Clearly she could see that Raito was
about the same age as her, but she had never seen or met him before in her entire
life in the academy. He was no student, judging from his outfit. “How did you—”
“You’re pretty famous in the academy,” Raito answered, leaning against the doorway,
as he gazed lovingly at the brunette. He looked very handsome. “You’re the
academy’s treasured girl, since you are gifted with two unique Alice.”
This was getting way suspicious, Mikan thought wryly. Only a few people knew about
her second Alice, the Stealing-Alice, and she was sure that the people who knew can
be trusted. Just who was Raito? She was getting some bad vibes.
“And you even have your own fan club,” Raito continued, cupping his chin with his
hand. “Maybe I should join it as well…”
Truth to be known, Mikan was getting afraid of him. For an instant Mikan was
tempted to shut the door to his face. And then she shrugged, raising an elegant
brow, and decided to be frank with him. “What business do you have with me,
Tsurugi-kun?”
“Something very important.” Raito smiled, and put a hand on her shoulder. They
looked into each other’s eyes. For Mikan, it was all a little awkward.
“And what is that?” Mikan asked, tension building up inside. The next thing she
knew, the door flew wide open, a hand gripped her upper arm and she was hauled into
her bedroom. He locked the door behind him before he faced the brunette again.
“What are you doing?!”
“Mikan-sama, I’m from the Anti-Alice Organization,” he said
Her amber eyes widened with shock. “The Anti-Alice?!”
“I was sent here to kidnap you, Sakura Mikan-sama.”
“No! Let go of me!” she demanded, threatening him with a balled fist. Who would
have guessed that a handsome young fellow like Raito was a member of the Anti-Alice
Organization? Raito was on a mission to kidnap her. This was not good. The Anti-
Alice Organization was the mortal enemy of Alice Academy. She had to get help. And
when she was about to scream, Raito clamped her mouth his hand.
“I wouldn’t resist, if I were you,” he warned her, aware that Mikan was capable of
waking up her neighbors. “Besides, the Organization is much more fun than this
academy. You’ll be properly pampered there, Mikan-sama. My superiors had their eyes
on you for quite a long time now. Your Nullification Alice and Stealing-Alice will
be valuable assets to the AAO.”
Hearing all that made her squirmed more. She can’t leave Alice Academy to be with
the Anti-Alice Organization. That will be insane. Plus, she can never leave her
friends, her loved ones, behind. The academy was her home and it was a special
place for her. She then pushed Raito away, but ended up tripping and landing on the
bed. Raito grinned maliciously at her position and decided to take advantage of
her. For a young 12-year old, he sure knew how to think like an adult. He settled
on top of her, pinning her on the bed by her wrist. She let out a loud shriek as
she struggled to get him off of her. It was plainly sexual harassment.
Torn between respecting her and kissing her luscious lips, Raito let out a raw sigh
and pulled himself away from her. Looking gently at the brunette, he winked an eye
and formed a small energy sphere in his right palm. “Do you know what this is?” he
asked.
Mikan stared at him, worried etched on her pretty face, when she sat up on the bed.
She clutched the bed sheets tight and swallowed hard. “No… What is it?”
“It’s a bomb,” Raito told her. “My Alice allows me to create powerful bombs. Heck,
I can destroy the whole school if I want to.” He was pretty arrogant, yet he had
the skills, the looks and the talent. He was trained by the organization after all.
He was someone who shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Mikan’s stomach churned at the mere mention of ‘bomb’. What was he planning to with
it? Was he going to blow up her Double Star room? She couldn’t help but tremble in
fear. She tried her best not to panic in that situation.
“If you don’t do what I say, I’ll destroy this dorm along with its students,” Raito
said, not in a threatening way, but more like an I-am-only-joking-manner. But he
was still serious about it. He had to get Mikan on the AAO’s side no matter, which
were his orders. “Oh, and don’t think about nullifying my Alice, because I’ve
already planted real bombs around the dorm.”
Mikan clenched her jaw. She was actually thinking about using her Nullification
Alice, but it seemed like Raito had things planned everything ahead. At this rate,
her only choice was to give in to the Anti-Alice member. She silently prayed for
someone to barge into her room and save her from Raito. She lowered her gaze to the
floor, thinking of what to do and what to say to Raito. Begging and fighting him
would be futile.
“I hope you make the right choice, Mikan-sama,” Raito said, pulling a remote
control from his pocket. “I can detonate the bombs with one press of a button.”
“Choice,” she murmured, slowly getting off the bed. She stood before Raito, with
her eyes hidden well under her bangs, and her fists were clenched tight. Heart
thumping, she inched closer to him and looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I’ll
go with you. Just don’t hurt the students here.” Even though she was in a pinch,
she still thought of other people’s welfare. She was a selfless girl, and everyone
knew that.
Raito’s lips curved into a wide smirk. His plan had worked perfectly. Frankly, he
had planted no bombs around the dorm. It was all a big lie to trick Mikan into
joining the organization. The remote control wasn’t even real. He hid the remote
back into his pocket, but he then pulled out a small vial containing purple liquid.
“Before we go, drink this,” he told her.
“What is that?” Mikan stared at the vial with disgust.
He took her hand and placed the vial on her palm. “Drink it and you’ll see,” he
said.
Looking doubtfully at the vial, Mikan wondered if the liquid inside was poison or
not. Then again, the organization did need her, so why would they bother killing
her? Still, she was afraid of what it might do. She might lose control or something
might change in her body. Raito was waiting for her to drink it, and she knew she
shouldn’t keep him waiting. Drawing a deep breath, she opened the vial and drank
the liquid until the last drop.
“Good.” Raito enfolded Mikan in his arms a brushed his lips against her cheek.
“Come to the Northern Woods at 6:15. Don’t be late and don’t tell this to anyone,
okay?” he whispered softly into her ear. With that, he separated from her and
exited her room through the window. Mikan didn’t bother to see where he headed off
to. That guy was the least of her problem now.
Mikan went sick inside. It seemed like the purple liquid she drank was taking
effect on her. She was starting to suffer from a severe headache. With her whole
world spinning, she dropped on her knees and held her head. The pain in her head
went on for several minutes. And by the time it stopped, Mikan crumbled to the
floor, breathing heavily.
It was almost time for her to go. She was unconsciously aware of the time, but her
mind seemed so blank. She felt like a zombie for some reason. Not a tee bit of
emotion can be seen in her face and her eyes were empty as a shell. And when Mikan
went out of her room, she staggered down the hallways and down the stairs. She was
going to leave the academy for good. It was the inevitable. In order to protect the
lives of others, she needed to sacrifice herself. Somehow she wished she could at
least say goodbye to her friends, but knowing them, they wouldn’t allow her to go.
As she walked down the path, she bumped into her classmate Kokoroyomi, the happy-
go-lucky mind-reader. Kokoroyomi was able to regain his balance, but Mikan fell
butt first on the ground. He quickly extended his hand to help Mikan up. “You
okay?”
Mikan ignored Kokoroyomi’s help and stood up on her own. Her loose long hair flowed
elegantly on her shoulders to her back as her bangs covered her eyes. She passed by
him like he wasn’t even there in the first place.
“Um… Wait a sec!” The mind-reader spun on his heels and grabbed hold of Mikan’s
wrists. “Are you angry? Sorry about that, okay?”
But Mikan gave no reply. She had no time to deal with him. She had to go. Raito was
waiting for her in the Northern Woods. So, she simply pulled her hand away from
Kokoroyomi and proceeded without saying anything.
The moment she stepped foot in the Northern Woods, another member of the Anti-Alice
Organization appeared before her. Her shoulder-length hair was blonde and her eyes
were emerald-blue. She was a pretty girl with a stoic expression on her face. As
the girl bowed her head in a polite manner, Mikan sort of snapped from her
bemusement and regained awareness. “W-Who are you…?” she managed to ask.
The blonde girl looked up at her, her expression unchanged, as she extended her
right hand. “I’m Kazeno Chiaki, an elite member of the Anti-Alice Organization. I’m
here to take you to my superior, Mikan-san.” She spoke confidently and straight.
“Al-All right…” Mikan meekly replied as she took Chiaki’s hand.
“Hold on tight, Mikan-san,” Chiaki said. She shifted her gaze to the sky and
activated her Alice at the same time. Her Alice was one of the major elements, the
Wind. Concentrating the wind below them, they started floating up in the air. Mikan
was pretty amazed by this, but she kept her mouth shut. Without further ado, Chiaki
boosted her power and flew off to a certain direction together with Mikan.
________________________________________
Gray clouds dominated the sky, ready to pour rain down to the earth. It was a
rather cold spring with a gloomy weather. In the deep part of the Northern woods,
three people were earnestly waiting for the arrival of Sakura Mikan. One of them,
Tsurugi Raito, couldn’t wait to hug Mikan again, since he’s madly in love with her.
His daydreaming about Mikan got interrupted by the insulting words that came from
the mouth of his partner and so-called friend, Akisato Haruka. He threw her a
glare, but Haruka simply laughed at him. No glares or threats could ever scare
someone like her. She was a fashionable girl, with long, wavy, auburn hair, and
jet-black eyes.
“Wipe that stupid look on your face, Raito-kun,” Haruka said in a mocking tone. She
flipped her hair and folded her arms. “We’re on a mission here. You’re supposed to
be serious.”
Raito shrugged. His partner was always mean, or more like, annoying! It was a
wonder how they become friends in the first place. But they did grow up together in
the organization and they were trained to be the very best. Deep inside his heart,
he truly cared for Haruka, but her rotten attitude just sets him ablaze all the
time. “I am serious, Haruka-san,” he said firmly.
“Yeah, right…” Haruka rolled her eyes away from him. And when Raito started calling
her names, Haruka couldn’t help hitting him hard on the head. Raito wasn’t going to
let her get away with that. He retorted her with more insults and ridiculous
nicknames he could think of, and Haruka did the same to him. They went on and on—a
never-ending argument between two people who hate and like each other at the same
time. They acted like a married couple.
The other guy stood under a tree, watching Haruka and Raito bicker. It was hard not
to laugh at their foolishness, but he managed to only laugh softly. Judging from
his tall height and mature features, he was the oldest among them. He had lilac
eyes and dark-brown hair tied in a low ponytail. His long bangs framed his handsome
face well. He was the leader, the one in charge for the mission to kidnap Mikan,
and his name was Fujioka Takumi.
Raito stopped the senseless argument with his partner when he noticed two girls
approaching from the sky. “Look! Mikan-sama is here!” He pointed to two girls where
Mikan was holding onto Chiaki for her dear life. “She’s here! Yes!”
Haruka popped a vein. “You’re acting so childishly, idiot!” She marched up to him
and hit him hard on the head again. Man, she never gets tired of hitting poor
Raito.
Chiaki decreased the wind pressure and slowly descended to the ground. Once their
feet touched the ground, she released Mikan and faced her leader seriously. “Now
that she’s here, we can begin,” she said.
Mikan was looking at each Anti-Alice members, feeling so frightened. These people
are going to take me away from the academy. She clasped her hands together and shut
her eyes tight. She thought about the days she spent going to school with her
friends. The image of her friends’ faces, smiling and greeting her cheerfully,
brought a slight smile to her face. They all loved her. She wished she could see
them for one last time before she’ll leave. Everyone… I’m sorry… she thought as
tears filled her eyes, and she dropped to her knees. It felt like her whole world
had ended.
“Sakura Mikan,” Takumi said, walking up to her. He knelt down to her level and
tilted her chin up with his finger. He gazed into her stunning amber orbs for a
while and smiled sinisterly. “When I’m through with you, I’m sure you won’t regret
leaving this blasted academy.”
“What are you doing to do to me?” Mikan asked, still sobbing.
“Simple,” Takumi replied. “I’ll erase your memories, as in, all of them.” And her
eyes grew wide as he said those words. The AAO was already forcing her to leave the
academy, and now they want to erase her memories too. Insane! Mikan cannot afford
to lose her memories. They were all precious to her.
“Her Nullification Alice would be a problem, Takumi-san,” Raito said, smiling at
the brunette.
“I am aware of that,” Takumi said, standing up. “That’s why we have the Dark
Witch.” He was, of course, referring to Haruka.
“I’m ready when you are.” Haruka motioned over to Mikan’s side and planted her
hands on her hips. “Hey, Raito-kun, hold her up,” she commanded with a smug on her
face.
Well, that annoyed the hell out of Raito, but he didn’t bother to complain. He
enveloped his arms around Mikan and lifted her back on her feet. He really liked
keeping her so close to him. Mikan smelled so good and she was so warm.
Takumi and Haruka activated their Alice in unison as they set their crafty eyes on
the brunette. Haruka then placed her hand on Mikan’s heart, while Takumi placed his
hand on her temple. Haruka’s Alice was Curse, a dangerous ability type. It was her
job to cast a curse on Mikan to lower down her Nullification Alice. Conversely,
Takumi, who possessed the Mind-Stealing Alice, was in charge of stealing the
precious memories of Mikan. With her memories gone, it’ll be easier for them to
convince Mikan to join the Anti-Alice Organization. It took them a lot of time to
complete the whole process. And Mikan kept on struggling even though it was futile.
Raito held onto her like chains. Even Takumi found it hard to bypass Mikan’s strong
Alice.
Rain started to pour down as if the heavens were crying along with Mikan. By the
time the process was done, Haruka and Takumi let out a sigh of relief. Mikan was
sure tough to handle, but thanks to their combined effort they managed to steal all
her memories.
“Damn this rain!” Haruka exclaimed, touching her now drenched auburn hair. “It took
me an hour and a half to fix this hair!”
“Yeah,” Raito added, stifling a laugh. “You look so hideous now, hag.” He just
loved teasing her, and calling her a hag was the one thing she hated the most.
Well, Raito never complimented Haruka on her style and beauty. There were times
that he would actually say something nice to her.
Bits of memories still remained in her head, but slowly they were fading away. When
Raito released her, Mikan shoved him away and wrapped her arms around herself. She
shivered. Her salty tears streamed down her smooth cheeks endlessly. Was this
goodbye for good? The academy, her friends, and her memories will all disappear
before her. It was too much. What did she do to deserve such a fate?
Suddenly the wind became stronger, making it the temperature colder for Mikan and
the Anti-Alice members. “Everyone!” Chiaki called out, hovering above them. All
this time, she had been on the lookout for any suspicious characters. Since the
wind told her that someone was coming, she immediately told her fellow members and
suggested that they should leave at once. She landed beside Takumi and held out a
blue Teleportation Alice stone. This was something she got from her superior to use
during emergencies. “Let’s go before they find this place.”
Takumi grinned. “Relax…” He pulled out a yellow Alice stone containing a Barrier
Alice. The yellow stone was glowing radiantly, which means that the Alice was
presently active. The area around them was cloaked with a strong barrier. With that
barrier, no one can ever find out about their whereabouts. “This mission was easier
than I thought.”
“But it didn’t go smoothly as I expected!” Haruka complained, folding her arms.
“I’m all wet now! Stupid rain!” She can’t wait to return to her room and take a
nice, long, relaxing, hot bath. She also needed to style her hair again.
“Then let’s take our leave,” Takumi announced, thrusting one hand into his pocket.
He turned to Chiaki and gave her a momentous look. “What are you waiting for? Use
that Alice stone and get us out of there.” His voice wasn’t cruel like usual. He
spoke more leniently, because he was in a good mood. His mission was a success and
he didn’t have to break a sweat. Such an accomplishment like that should be well
celebrated.
Chiaki nodded her head before she turned to look at Mikan. She still wore a strong
expression on her face, but her heart was fighting inside her body. She has no
intentions of kidnapping Mikan in the first place, and it was all because of a
promise she made with someone very special to her. Yet Chiaki knew she couldn’t let
her guard down in front of the others. There were risks involved for betraying the
organization. As soon as she held Mikan’s hand, Chiaki held out the Teleportation
Alice stone in her palm for the others to see.
“You’re going to enjoy being with the AAO, Mikan-sama,” Raito said, gazing softly
at the brunette.
“Everyone…” Mikan whispered, crying silently. “Hotaru, Ruka-pyon, Narumi-sensei,
Tsubasa-sempai…” She didn’t want to leave these people. She didn’t want to forget
them. It was so painful for her. She buried her face in her palm. For a brief
moment she pictured Natsume in her mind. She and Natsume had been through a lot.
Their friendship blossomed even though they don’t get along. She wished she could
see Natsume’s face one more time and hear him say her name, which he seldom does.
“You will forget about them any minute now,” Raito said, grinning.
Mikan shook her head. “No! I don’t want to forget them.” But in spite of her
resistance, her memories were continually fading. She thought about Natsume again
and tried to be strong. “No! NATSUME!!”
“Here goes…” Chiaki focused her energy on the stone and activated its Alice. In an
instant, blue light enveloped them and slowly they started disappearing. At this
moment, Mikan’s Alice involuntarily kicked in to high gear. The blonde wind
manipulator somehow sensed the Nullification Alice as she threw her gaze on the
brunette, who was crying out more tears. Mikan-san, you’re going to stay… Chiaki’s
lips curved into a small smile as she closed her eyes to concentrate harder.
Afterwards, the Anti-Alice members disappeared from sight, along with the barrier,
leaving Mikan behind.
“I’m still here…” Mikan mumbled, dropping to her knees. She was soaking wet and her
flowing hair covered a part of her face. She was somewhat lifeless, even though she
was breathing normally.
________________________________________
“And that’s basically what happened…” Raito finished his story about their first
plan in kidnapping Sakura Mikan. He especially emphasized on the parts where he
hugged the brunette. That was Raito for you. He was seriously in love with Mikan
though her heart already belonged to someone else. But that doesn’t mean that Raito
would stop loving her. Sitting beside Haruka, Raito looked up at the group of
people in front of him, with Alice-proof chains around him.
How did they get caught? Well, that was an easy question to answer. By the time
Haruka and Raito got out of the Academy and reached the street to get a taxi,
Persona and two other Dangerous Ability Class students appeared out of nowhere and
knocked them out. Trust Persona to always get the job done. Afterwards, they were
brought back to the academy. No one should ever underestimate the power and skills
of the Dangerous Ability Class and the moderating teacher.
Narumi-sensei and Misaki-sensei were in charge of interrogating the two Anti-Alice
members. It was Narumi who had asked Raito to tell them about how they first got
into the academy and how they managed to steal Mikan’s memories. The two of them
weren’t the only ones listening to Raito a while ago, because some students were
also present, namely Tsubasa, Misaki, Ruka, and Natsume.
Haruka frowned. She felt humiliated just thinking about how they got caught again
by the academy. Chiaki worked hard to get them out of the school. She couldn’t
possibly face the wind manipulator now. How embarrassing! What would she think of
her? Worst of all, she felt extremely irritated seeing Raito talk so casually in
front of some students and teachers. If it weren’t for the chains around her, she
would’ve killed Raito already.
“Since three members were caught, we have nothing to worry about now,” Narumi said
and sighed in relief.
“I heard you and that Kaze-girl beat the leader,” Tsubasa told his girlfriend as he
smiled handsomely. Yup, Tsubasa was curse-free and back in top shape. “I’m
impressed.”
Misaki shrugged and slightly blushed. She wasn’t used to getting compliments from
the shadow prince, since he always teases her. But she was happy that he was all
right. The only thing bothering her now was Mikan’s lost memories of Natsume. Even
though everyone told her that it wasn’t her fault, she still blamed herself for not
giving the stone earlier.
“How about the one with the Wind Alice?” Misaki-sensei inquired his blonde co-
worker.
“Rest assured,” Narumi said, folding his arms, as leaned his back against the
window. He looked up at the sky and smiled. “That girl is on our side.” He had
heard everything about Chiaki from Mikan and Misaki. He knew he could trust her,
because Chiaki, he assumed, was the one sent by Azumi Yuka to protect Mikan.
Although, he could be wrong, but he would prefer to be correct about that matter.
“Hey!” Haruka interrupted his thoughts. “Is Fujioka Takumi still alive?” There was
no hint of concern in her voice. She simply despised her leader unlike before.
“He’s seriously injured, but he’s still breathing,” Narumi answered. He even told
her that Takumi was in a private room next to the ICU, and there was an ICU nurse
and two security guards with him. Narumi wondered how Takumi’s body ended up in
front of the hospital in the first place. It could’ve been Chiaki’s work again, he
thought. In any case, Takumi was brought into the hospital by the staff 30 minutes
after Misaki arrived to give Mikan the stones.
“How about Mikan-sama?” Raito asked anxiously. “How is she?”
Natsume narrowed his eyes at him. He was still wary of Raito because of his
feelings for Mikan. It had burned him when Raito told him how he treated Mikan the
first time he laid eyes on her. It made him want to strangle Raito to death.
Natsume was always the jealous and possessive type. He doesn’t want any other guys
touching and harassing his brunette.
“She’s fine. She’s sleeping right now.” Narumi closed his eyes, thinking of his
adorable daughter, and when he opened them, Raito was grinning.
Without warming, Natsume punched the wall beside him. His eyes were full of sadness
and rage at the same time. Everyone stared at him, knowing the reason behind his
action. Misaki took the liberty of explaining about Mikan’s memories of Natsume.
They all felt bad for the young flame-caster. Natsume couldn’t stand being in the
same room as the Anti-Alice members. Of course, Natsume learned to respect them.
But he couldn’t help blaming them for Mikan’s predicament. For now, he wanted to be
as far away from them. He stomped out of the room, looking completely upset.
“Natsume, wait up!” Ruka raced along the hallways, trying to catch up to his raven-
haired best friend. “Natsume!”
Natsume stopped walking and turned to face Ruka. “It’s hopeless, right?” he
muttered. “She’ll never remember me now.” The one he loved, the girl who was the
light, hung in his mind, and there seemed to be no way of erasing her radiant
smile. Natsume knew he was staring at Ruka, his cold crimson eyes shimmering with
unshed tears.
“Don’t say that,” Ruka said. His heart ached for his best friend.
“Whatever…” Natsume turned and left Ruka standing alone, knowing that to talk about
Mikan more would be painful. He told himself to isolate from others. He needed some
time alone.
________________________________________
Hotaru and Nobara came to visit Mikan that night, and Nobara immediately hugged
Mikan the minute she saw her. The inventor, looking calm and cold as usual, stood
beside the bed as she watched Nobara and Mikan hugging like there’s no tomorrow.
And when Nobara started thanking Mikan for removing the curse on her, Hotaru butted
in and said her thanks as well. It was unexpected, but Mikan was really happy to
hear words of gratitude from her inventor friend.
Nobara smiled as she saw the sparkle in Mikan’s amber eyes. “Mikan-chan is still so
cute,” she said in admiration as she giggled. She jumped off the bed and held
Mikan’s hands. “I’m sorry if I can’t stay long, Mikan-chan. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She spun on her heels, walked to the door, and went out, leaving Mikan and Hotaru
inside to have some bonding time.
“Everything is back to normal,” Mikan said, flopping down on her bed.
“Not everything…” Hotaru muttered softly. She was also informed about the incident
earlier and she wasn’t the least bit happy about it. Mikan may not realize her
feelings for Natsume, but Hotaru knew how important the flame-caster was to her.
Putting that thought aside, Hotaru started thinking about the curse and Mikan’s
Stealing-Alice. She focused her amethyst orbs on the brunette and let out a sigh.
“Mikan, don’t do anything reckless again. You almost died because of those curses.”
Mikan fiddled with her fingers. “I only did that to save you and the others. I
didn’t want you to die.” The way she spoke was very sincere and true.
Once again the inventor sighed. One of the qualities she liked about Mikan was her
selflessness. That was one thing she can never change in Mikan. “What if you died,
dummy? What do you think will happen to the people who care about you?” She was
speaking in monotone, despite the mixture of feelings inside her.
“But I’m still alive, Hotaru,” Mikan said, flashing an angelic smile.
“Dummy…” Hotaru extended her arm and patted Mikan’s head as if she was a little
pup. Her lips curved into a small smile—a smile reserved only for her best friend.
Thirty minutes had flown by, but at the mention of dreams Hotaru realized that
Mikan was getting sleepy. She poured warm milk while Mikan kept talking about her
happy moments. She gave the cup of warm milk to Mikan and said, “Drink this and go
to sleep. It’s getting late.” Hotaru looked like a stern mother. She may be a mere
12-year old, but she was very mature.
“Thanks for visiting again, Hotaru.” Mikan’s eyes grew softer as she said the
words.
Hotaru nodded her head before she turned and walked to the door. “Don’t forget to
take your medicine,” she said, and Mikan was touched by her concern. It was so rare
for the usually quite and stoic inventor to keep reminding Mikan what to do. They
had been best friends, and cared for each other very much. “And try not to cause
any commotion.” With that, she left the room and closed the door behind her.
Mikan sat up to drink the milk. After that, she settled the cup on the bedside
drawer, jumped off the bed, and went to the bathroom. She lingered in the bathroom
long enough to get herself ready for sleep. When she was done, she opened the
bathroom door slowly, and saw Ruka standing by the window, smiling at her. He had
his little rabbit friend in his arms, as she walked in and closed the door softly.
“What are you doing here, Ruka-pyon?” she asked.
“I just wanted to check up on you,” Ruka replied, oblivious to the fact that his
cheeks were red. He took time to look at Mikan from head to toe. She was wearing a
peach silk night gown that reached an inch above her knees. Ruka couldn’t help
turning red more. “It looks like you’re ready for bed. Maybe I should go now…”
“Please stay for a while,” Mikan said. She approached him and held his hand. “Sit
with me, Ruka-pyon.” She dragged Ruka towards her bed and forced him to sit.
“Sakura, I—”
“Tell me about your friend,” Mikan cut him off as she sat down beside him.
“Do you mean Natsume?” he said with a pang of envy.
“Yeah,” she said sadly, looking around the room and then at him. Her eyes carried
so much innocence and curiosity in them. Those amber orbs were beautiful to look
at.
They sat there talking about Natsume, and eventually Mikan got more tired, and the
room was a bit cold that Mikan snuggled closer to Ruka and hugged his arm, as they
went on talking. Ruka felt his heart skipped a beat. She’d noticed Ruka’s red
cheeks, and was beginning to wonder why he kept blushing.
“I’m sorry if I can’t remember him,” Mikan said, turning her head away from him, so
he wouldn’t see her expression. Ruka already knew that Mikan was going to cry.
Crying doesn’t mean that you’re weak. If you can cry in front of a person, it means
that you’re not afraid to show your true feelings. Mikan was an outspoken and
honest girl. Mikan was silent for a moment before she spoke again. “Ruka-pyon, will
Natsume still be my friend even though I can’t remember him?”
Ruka wrapped a length of her silken hair around his little finger. “Yes, I’m sure
of it.” Of course, Ruka knew how important she was to Natsume. But he wondered if
Natsume’s feelings would stay the same.
“Good.” Mikan smiled, satisfied with his answer. She turned her head back at Ruka,
showing him her cheerful and delightful expression.
The blonde boy smiled back at her, but his smile was hinted with bits of sadness.
Of course, he knew it was foolish to get jealous, because Mikan seemed to be
thinking only about Natsume all this time. But he reminded himself that he needed
to understand.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 22: Innocent Wandering
The next two weeks whizzed by, painfully at times, but pleasantly too. The first
week that Mikan was back was incredibly painful for Natsume. He stayed up late
every night, thinking about the young brunette. He had built up the habit of
checking up on her every night and sometimes he would steal one sweet kiss from
her. But he found it difficult to approach her for the past few days. It was hard
to be with someone who doesn’t even remember you. Natsume wanted to be remembered,
though he wouldn’t openly admit it.
Mikan was in high spirits, and her smile brought life to the class again. Her fan
boys were delighted to see her well again and some tried to invite her on a date.
Mikan, thinking it was a simple and friendly date, would have taken the offer, but
Hotaru wouldn’t allow it. On the other hand, Mikan’s closest friends in class gave
her ‘Welcome Back’ cards, some treats and tokens, and chocolates. The Special
Ability Class and her favorite seniors also threw a big party for her, and Mikan
had a lot of fun. Well, almost everyone in the academy was happy for Mikan, except
for a certain black cat.
While Mikan was celebrating, Natsume only watched her from a distance. He was
isolating himself from the rest due to the pain he felt in his heart. Ruka tried to
cheer him up, but Natsume refused to smile or talk to him. There were times that
Mikan noticed him lingering in one corner. Based on what the others told her,
Natsume was her partner and friend. Mikan was a friendly person, and she was
smiling widely at Natsume when she marched over to him. She introduced herself
properly and asked him some questions. She was trying to be close to him, but
Natsume wouldn’t let her. It seemed like Natsume was back to being a close-minded
and cold person like before.
The second week went a little more smoothly. Mikan still talks to Natsume whenever
she gets the chance. And Natsume still visits Mikan’s bedroom every night to check
up on her. One night, Mikan was experiencing a terrible nightmare. She kept
squirming in bed and screaming. She seemed to be in a lot of pain. She suddenly
jarred her eyes open and sat up on her bed. She took a sharp intake of breath to
calm down as she held her temple. The dream was really scary.
“Now I don’t feel like sleeping anymore…” Mikan sighed deeply. She buried her face
in her pillow and sighed once more. She could try counting sheep or maybe drink
warm milk, but she doubt that those things could put her to sleep again. “I’ll
close my eyes and hum a tune. Maybe that’ll make me sleepy.” The moment she closed
her eyes, someone opened her window and stepped foot inside her bedroom. Mikan
immediately sat up to see the intruder. “N-Natsume?” she muttered in surprise.
“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” Natsume asked nonchalantly as he wandered
through the room. He was quite surprised to see Mikan awake so late at night. He
had visited her a lot before, and he’d gotten used to seeing her angelic sleeping
face.
“And aren’t you supposed to be in your own room?” Mikan said with a hint of sarcasm
in her voice. “What are you doing to do here anyway?”
He looked at her with a frown on his face. He was expecting her to call him a
pervert, but he got a question instead. His heart sank more, thinking that it was
hopeless. He had figured that her memories of him were irreplaceable and knew how
difficult it would be to start over again. His feelings for Mikan will never
change, he was sure of it. He will continue to love her till the end—even if Mikan
chooses Ruka.
“Hey, you didn’t answer my question yet,” Mikan said, hugging her knees close to
her chest. “Tell me your reason for being here.”
“Just visiting,” he said, watching her with those tantalizing crimson eyes. His
raven-colored hair was shone beautifully under the radiant moonlight.
“Why? Is it because you’re worried about me?” The brunette jumped off the bed and
approached Natsume. “I’m okay and it’s all thanks to you.” She gave him a gentle
smile as her eyes twinkled. Her friends and teachers filled her in with loads of
information about Natsume, including his daring efforts to protect her. She was
grateful for all the things Natsume did, but she wished she could remember him.
“Whatever,” he replied, looking away.
She went back to her bed and sat on the edge. “Natsume, come over here,” she said,
patting the bed next to her, and he sat down without complaints. She then took out
a pouch from her bedside drawer and placed it on her lap. “The shards of the red
memory stone are all here.”
“Why are you still keeping that?” Natsume clenched his fists. “It’s better if you
throw that away.” He couldn’t even tell himself to be optimistic. He was overly
pessimistic, which he had always been. His personality was the complete opposite of
Mikan and his best friend, Ruka.
“I can never do that,” Mikan replied, shaking her head rapidly. “These shards are
still important—even if they can’t bring back my memories of you.” Throwing away
the shards would be like throwing away her friendship with Natsume. Her mind may
have no recognition of him, but her heart yearned for his presence. She’d rather
follow her heart when it comes to trust and friendship.
Natsume shrugged, half-hurt and half-pleased, for what she said. “Suit yourself,”
he said in his usual cold voice. And as he removed his shoes and slipped quietly
into bed, Mikan stood up with an iron fist and glared at him. “I’m going to sleep
here whether you like it or not.”
“B-But…Hey, y-you’re a guy!” Mikan said, looking right at him, and he had no
emotions when he turned away from her. She tried to pull her bed sheet away from
him, but Natsume held onto to it as if it was his lifeline. Natsume was pretty
stubborn, she thought. After several attempts of getting him out of the bed, Mikan
finally gave up and slipped into bed as well. “You moron! What if somebody catches
you here?!” But Natsume was so exhausted from staying up late every night; he
seemed to hear nothing from her. Of course, Mikan got very agitated. When she was
about to shout at him, Natsume pulled her closer and hugged her.
“Look. I don’t give a damn care if anybody catches me sleeping with you. You don’t
have to say anything, Mikan. Just shut up and let me sleep with you.” Natsume,
looking darn serious, meant every word he said to her.
She looked shocked by what he was saying. She could see the seriousness in his eyes
and the way he said her name made her heart pound fast. Something about their
current position felt awfully strange and familiar. She can’t remember it, but
Natsume remembered it clearly in his head. It was the time when they got stuck
together and they were forced to share the same room. Natsume also happened to hug
her at that time too. Mikan could hear his heartbeat and feel his warmth. She
slowly closed her eyes and snuggled closer to him. Within minutes, the two of them
fell asleep.
________________________________________
The next day was graduation day and the seniors were all excited. There were no
Anti-Alice members to mess up the graduation ceremony now. Takumi was still
confined in the hospital, while Raito and Haruka were locked up in an Alice-proof
room with the latest accommodations. The graduating students of Class 2-B had
smiles on their faces as they marched up the stage to receive their diploma. When
it was Mikan’s turn, the audience cheered wildly for her. She took the diploma and
waved it up high, with a first-class smile. She was pretty flattered with the cheer
and support she got from her many friends, admirers, and fans.
“Sakura Mikan, or should I say, Mikan no Kimi,” the middle school principal
muttered Mikan’s flower name as she approached the young brunette. She was a
beautiful woman with long, wavy, dark hair and fascinating eyes. She was clad in a
gorgeous violet kimono and had a traditional fan in her hand. She was known as
‘Hii-sama’ by most of the girls. She has been interested in Mikan for a very long
time now. And one could say that she’s an oddball. “Let me be the first one to
welcome you to the middle school division.”
Mikan bowed her head politely before she threw the principal a good smile. “Thank
you,” she said.
“You’ve done so much for the academy. You’ve also risked your own life to remove
the curses from your friends. I must say that you are truly unique, Mikan no Kimi.
I’m proud of your accomplishments.” And then Hii-sama turned to face the audience
and pulled out a small rectangular box out of her kimono. “As a reward, I will
grant you this special prize.” She handed the box to Mikan.
“What is it? Should I open it now?” Mikan was curious about was in it. The audience
seemed to be wondering as well.
“Yes, you may,” Hii-sama replied.
Mikan stood there staring at the box, and then opened it slowly. And when she saw
what’s inside, she gasped out loud. It was an amazing reward. Just amazing and
down-right surprising! It was a Special Star badge. It was hard to believe she was
promoted to Special Star Rank. Her heart was full of joy as she raised the star for
the audience to see.
“Congratulations in becoming a Special Star, Mikan no Kimi,” Hii-sama said,
clapping her hands. “You deserve it.”
Practically the whole audience clapped their hands for Mikan. It was truly
something worth cheering. You don’t get to be promoted to Special Star just like in
a snap. It takes time, skills, and a lot of hard work. Well, Mikan was a hard
worker, and her determined spirit always carries her throughout life no matter how
hard it is. In addition to that, after two years being in the academy, Mikan had
learned to control her Nullification and Stealing-Alice properly.
“I’m so happy for Mikan-chan,” Tobita Yuu said, looking at the stoic inventor
sitting right beside him. Hotaru merely nodded her head without saying anything,
but Yuu could see in Hotaru’s amethyst eyes that she was proud of Mikan. Of course,
Yuu was also proud of her.
Shouda Sumire folded her arms and crossed her legs. She couldn’t believe that
Sakura Mikan achieved the Special Star Rank before her. But she took the news way
better than before. When Mikan was awarded the Double Star Rank, she kept on
complaining and nagging Mikan and Kokoroyomi. She couldn’t help feeling jealous,
but she was still happy for Mikan. As the self-proclaimed rival of Mikan, she can’t
let herself fall behind. I have to work hard to reach Sakura-san.
Kokoroyomi snickered at the determined thoughts of his partner. “You have a long
way to go, Permy,” he said, curling her hair with his finger.
“What did you say?!” Sumire smacked his head hard and pulled his ear. “Stop calling
me Permy! Don’t touch my hair and don’t read my mind!”
“Yeah…Yeah…” Kokoroyomi chuckled lightly. He then flashed the green-haired girl a
well-toothed smile, causing her to blush a little. “Oh, curly permy is blushing.
How unusual and weird of you.” He pointed a finger straight at her face. Teasing
her was always his favorite hobby. He never failed to get on her nerves.
“S-Stop messing with me, stupid!” Sumire flushed red more and turned away from him.
It was embarrassing to have a face as bright as a lobster. She was the kind of girl
who would always act strong in front of others. She rarely showed her kind and
caring side.
Ruka patted his little rabbit friend on his lap as he watched Mikan on the stage
waving at the audience. Seeing the bright smile on her face made him smile as well.
“Sakura’s really great.” His eyes grew softer as he said the words.
“I know,” Natsume said quietly, watching the brunette. He looked so sad, despite
his cold demeanor, and Ruka could see it. He wasn’t the type to express his
feelings, let alone to talk about it. He would always keep his feelings and try to
solve his problems by himself. He simply didn’t want others to worry about him.
Ruka sighed, there was nothing he could say more to Natsume. He was worried about
him for the past two weeks. His best friend preferred to be alone all the time and
he refused to interact with Mikan. Ruka wished he would cheer up a bit. But he knew
that the only person capable of bringing a smile to Natsume’s face was none other
than Mikan.
For the next few days, Ruka and Mikan spent a fair amount of time with each other.
He took her to Central Town, hung out with her and her friends, took her to the pet
shop and the barn, and bought her boxes of her favorite Fluff Puffs. Ruka was
becoming a frequent visitor at Mikan’s new Special Star room, aside from Hotaru and
the nightly visitor, Natsume. And so far, all Ruka had done was being shy and
polite around her. His feelings was still oblivious to the naïve Mikan, but it was
clear to almost all his friends that he liked her a lot, and was crazy about her.
The two of them even went out to dinner one night. They went to a little French
Restaurant, and Ruka suggested a delicious French cuisine. He was half-French, so
it was natural for him to be an adept in speaking and reading French. They looked
like a true couple in the eyes of the public. The girls from the Natsume-Ruka fan
club eyed the brunette with envy, while the Mikan fan boys started cursing Ruka.
The twosome was dressed casually yet elegantly. The blonde animal-lover was wearing
a blue polo-shirt and denim pants. On the other hand, Mikan was clad in a lovely,
pink, knee-length tube dress over coated with a white bolero, and she wore a pair
of white strapped-on sandals. Her silky hair was tied in a half ponytail, making
her more beautiful. Ruka kept on staring at her unintentionally.
“Thanks for treating me to dinner, Ruka-pyon,” Mikan said, and then asked him if he
was getting tired. It was getting fairly late and they still had a curfew to keep.
They were already middle school students, but the rules didn’t exactly change for
them.
“You’re welcome,” Ruka replied. It was actually his first time taking Mikan out to
dinner. Normally, he would take her to Central Town to shop at some stores. This
night was different. It was a date—an official date. Too bad Mikan only thought of
it as some sort of bonding time with a friend. Ruka knew how dense the brunette
was, but he liked that part about her very much.
And at a quarter to nine, Ruka escorted Mikan back to her Special Star room. She
leaned her back against the door and smiled sweetly at the blonde. She thanked him
again for dinner and to show how grateful she was, she kissed him on the cheek.
After that, she opened the door and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night!” and
went inside, leaving a dumbfounded Ruka outside.
Ruka touched the part where Mikan kissed him. He felt his lips curved into a smile
as he pictured Mikan’s adorable face in his mind. He was blushing like crazy, but
he didn’t care. Nobody was there to see his red face.
________________________________________
“Time for bed,” Mikan said out loud as she removed her white bolero. For a moment,
Mikan stared at her reflection in her full-length mirror. When she was out dating
with Ruka, a lot of boys complimented her on her outfit. She was flattered, but she
still remained humble. She then took a short shower and went to bed, and fell into
a deep sleep.
It was only after the clock struck twelve that Natsume came into her room. He sat
down next to her and took her hand in his own, and gazed upon her with those
luscious crimson orbs. He knew about Ruka’s and Mikan’s little dinner date, and as
usual, he was jealous of Ruka. He still felt happy for Ruka, since he was his best
friend. But he wished it was him taking Mikan on a date and not Ruka.
He had a nice time with her that night. He was still upset, but even without her
memories of him, he caressed her hair affectionately. It reminded him suddenly of
the time he burned her hair. He just did that because she was annoying the hell out
of him. He almost smirked at the memory, but he managed to retain his emotionless
face.
He went back to his own room, and sat down in his couch and read his manga. He was
in no mood to sleep. He read quietly for a long time, and eventually he came to
bed, but he didn’t close his eyes. It was three in the morning before he finally
fell asleep, and he felt like hell the next morning when he got up at seven. He had
dragged his feet to the bathroom to do his morning routine. Once done, he got
dressed in his middle school uniform and left his room.
“You look like shit, Hyuuga,” Tsurugi Raito said rudely as he spotted the flame-
caster in the hallways. He was on his way to the cafeteria, but he decided to stop
and confront Natsume. “What happened to you? Did you get rejected by Mikan-sama?”
He laughed madly.
Natsume glared at the topaz-eyed brat angrily. It was 7:15 AM and already he was
pestered by some guy. “What the hell are you doing here?” he questioned. “And
what’s with that outfit?”
“Oh, this…?” Raito looked at himself. He was wearing the middle school uniform like
Natsume, and he also had worn his uniform improperly. This could only mean one
thing. “From this day forward, I’m going to be student here,” Raito said proudly.
“This school is really screwed,” Natsume blurted without a care. “How can they let
an AAO bastard like you enroll here?”
“Watch the language, jerk!” Raito retorted. He would love to punch Natsume at that
very moment, but he knew he can’t cause any trouble in school. Since he used to be
from the Anti-Alice Organization, he was strictly under probation. One false move
and he would be severely punished. He had a lot of work to do if he was going to
start a new life.
Natsume shrugged and started walking away. Standing next to Raito sickened him. It
was hard to believe that a previous member of the Anti-Alice Organization was going
to be a regular student of Alice Academy. Knowing his Alice, Natsume was sure that
he will be in the Dangerous Ability Class. He can’t stand the guy and his
arrogance.
“By the way, do you know where Mikan-sama’s room is?” Raito asked, shifting his
head from left to right. “I heard she’s a Special Star now. As expected of Mikan-
sama… She’s really great.”
Natsume was silent for a moment as he glared at Raito. Why the hell would he tell
Raito where Mikan’s room is? Raito would probably stalk her everyday, which would
be a real problem. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on her,” he said in a threatening
tone.
“Come on, moron.” Raito looked dismayed. It has been two weeks since he last saw
Mikan. He had been dying to see her. “Tell me…”
Even if Raito would plead, beg, and kiss his foot, Natsume would never tell.
Besides, Raito was annoying him. “Find her yourself, stupid.” With that, he walked
down the hallways and left Raito to wonder where Mikan was.
To be continued…
________________________________________
Chapter 23: One Mind, One Heart
It was cloudy on that morning. Mikan was seated in front of her vanity mirror
combing her beautiful brown hair. She wondered what kind of hairstyle would be good
for the first day of school. She was pretty excited, because she was a middle
school student and a Special Star. She took a good look around her big and spacious
room. Truly it was a room like in a five-star hotel. She felt so lucky to have that
room all to herself. After combing her hair, she went to her balcony to breath in
the fresh morning air. She just loved mornings.
When it was already 7:15 AM, she grabbed her bag and left her room, totally
forgetting to tie her hair. She ran through the hallways, making her way to the
cafeteria in less than three minutes. Her running ability was still impressive as
ever. Mikan was athletic, and there was no denying it. She even proved herself
worthy in a dodge ball game against Natsume. Mikan can remember the game, but she
was unable to see Natsume during her flashbacks. She knew the fact that the broken
memory stone was beyond repair. However, she wasn’t the type to give up. Even if
she can’t remember Natsume, she will do her very best to make new memories with
him.
“Good morning, Iinchou!” Mikan greeted the class representative as she approached
his table carrying her breakfast tray.
The blonde boy turned to her with a smile. “Mikan-chan, good morning to you too,”
Yuu said, putting his spoon and fork down. He was already done with breakfast,
because he came into the cafeteria a lot earlier than Mikan. He needed to be in
school early to deal with some business as the class representative. Nevertheless,
like Mikan, Yuu was also excited to start his first day as a middle school student.
Mikan took a seat beside him and started eating. She then noticed that Hotaru
wasn’t around for breakfast—which was really weird. Hotaru has her own world when
it comes to food, especially sea foods. Others described Hotaru as a pig because of
her eating habits, while others just noted her as the weird and freaky inventor.
But her sponsors definitely admires her—a fact that Hotaru considers annoying,
since those old guys won’t stop pestering her. Mikan asked Yuu about Hotaru, and
the blonde said that she was in her lab doing her usual business—inventing stuff.
“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go now,” Yuu politely said after wiping his
mouth with a clean napkin.
“See you later, Iinchou,” Mikan said as she took a bite of her sausage. She was
pretty hungry, and her Special Star breakfast was scrumptious. After Yuu left the
dining hall, Mikan continued eating her food silently.
Mikan suddenly heard the fan girls screaming Nogi Ruka’s name across the room. From
her spot, she could see Sumire and the vice-president of the Natsume-Ruka fan club
standing beside Ruka as they try to ward off other girls. They were really living
up to their name as loyal fan club members. It seemed that the other girls wanted
to ask Ruka out on a date. However, Ruka will never go out with a girl unless it’s
Mikan. Mikan was the only girl in Ruka’s heart.
Another fan girl said, “You’re so unfair, president! I want to be with Ruka-kun!”
She threw Sumire a glare, but that wasn’t enough to scare Sumire away.
“Well,” said Sumire, moving slightly in front of Ruka so that the fan girl wouldn’t
try anything funny, “obviously you don’t know your place.” She placed her hard
fists on her hips and glared ten times more dangerously than the fan girl.
Terrified, almost half of the fan girls around Ruka backed away. They all knew what
Sumire was capable of. She wasn’t president for nothing. But Ruka didn’t know
whether to feel grateful or not. And when the girls started arguing with one
another, Ruka was suddenly dragged by someone out of the room. Once they reached
the hallways, he stopped to take a good look at his so-called savior. His eyes
brightened up as he saw that it was Mikan.
“Good morning, Ruka-pyon!” she greeted cheerfully.
“Sakura, good morning…” he softly said, getting all shy again. “T-Thanks for
helping me b-back there.” He lowered his head just to hide his blushing face from
her.
Mikan giggled. “You’re popular as usual,” she said, crossing her arms behind her
back.
“Look who’s talking.” Ruka shrugged before he ran his fingers through his blonde
hair. “Aren’t you having trouble dealing with your fan boys too?” The mere mention
of ‘fan boys’ irritated Ruka. They would always find ways to impress the brunette.
Sometimes he envied them. Why? Well, those fan boys were not afraid to express
their feelings for Mikan. Meanwhile, Ruka could only admire and love Mikan
secretly. He wished he had the confidence to show Mikan his true feelings. But he
figured that there was the right time for that.
“Those boys are really fun,” Mikan said, staring out the window. The smile on her
face slowly disappeared after she heaved a sigh. Clearly something was on her mind.
And when she faced Ruka, her alluring amber eyes softened. “Ruka-pyon, where’s
Natsume?”
Ruka shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. I checked his room, but he wasn’t there
anymore. He probably went off somewhere.”
“I bet he’s in school,” Mikan said as she took Ruka’s hand. “Let’s go check!” Her
lips curved into a smile again.
“Okay…” was all could Ruka reply, because he was once again mesmerized by her
angelic smile.
Together, hand-in-hand, they strolled through the path, glancing at the Cherry
Blossom trees, stopping here and there to talk and play with some birds flying by.
It may be a cloudy day, but the scenery around them was still breath-taking. The
air was breezy and cool, and carried the sweet scent of spring flowers. Mikan
twirled around like a little girl and merrily skipped ahead of Ruka. She was
beaming with joy, as Ruka watched her in amazement.
The path ended and both of them entered the middle school building, where they will
start their studies from now on. “Ruka-pyon, who do you think will our homeroom
teacher be?” she asked the blonde. She wished it would Narumi-sensei again. She
absolutely loved him as a teacher and a father. Another thing about being in middle
school was the fact that Jinno-sensei won’t be teaching them anymore. This was a
big relief for Mikan and some other students who despised him.
“I don’t know. I’m not familiar with the middle school—” Ruka wasn’t able to finish
his sentence, because he was suddenly bumped by a student with the Speed Alice and
sent him flying towards Mikan. Ruka’s weight was heavy for the young girl so she
couldn’t support him. Thus, the two of them fell down the floor, with Ruka on top.
“That hurt…” Mikan groaned. The moment she looked up her amber eyes met Ruka’s blue
ones.
Ruka was blushing madly. He was so stunned that he couldn’t even react or move. He
couldn’t even blink. He kept staring at those amber orbs and he loved every second
of it. His face was very close to Mikan’s, and he had the urge to kiss her right
there. But Ruka had better control of himself and he would never force himself upon
Mikan. Slowly, he stood up and helped Mikan back to her feet. With his eyes hidden
under his bangs, he bowed his head and said, “Sorry about that…”
“It’s not your fault, Ruka-pyon. That person who bumped into you…” Mikan said,
turning her head from left to right. “He didn’t even apologize.” She made a cute
pout.
“Anyway, are you all right?”
Mikan smiled at him and nodded her head. “We better get going now. I wanna see if
Natsume’s in our classroom now.” She played with her hair and sighed. “Ruka-pyon, I
really feel bad about him. It’s my fault why he’s so sad. What can I do to make him
smile? I’ve been thinking a lot about him for the past two weeks.”
With those words, Ruka felt a pang of envy in his heart. Mikan had only been
thinking of Natsume most of the time, even though she can’t remember him. Ruka
wished he was in Natsume’s place right now. His best friend was lucky to be cared
by Mikan so much. He was jealous, but he knew he shouldn’t be upset because of
that. “Always smile for him,” he said softly, gazing lovingly at her. “That’s one
way of making him happy.”
“Really? Then I’ll do my best for Natsume!” Mikan raised her right fist and made a
v-sign with her fingers. She had the talent of making other people happy, and her
smiles were valuable to the people who loved and cared for her.
________________________________________
It was almost time for class, and Hyuuga Natsume was not in the mood to go to
class. He was a rule-breaker to begin with, so he didn’t care if he skips classes.
With his hands in his pockets, he walked down the path as a silent wind blew. It
was such a cool breeze, but it wasn’t enough to calm his fuming soul. He was
irritated to hell at the fact that a certain ex-member of the Anti-Alice
Organization kept following him. Natsume wanted to be alone. Too bad Raito was as
stubborn as a mule. He can’t quite understand why Raito kept tailing him like a
lost pup. Was it because of Mikan? Natsume will never let Raito touch Mikan again.
Natsume shrugged. “Stop following me, bastard,” he grumbled, turning around to face
Raito. “You’re a pest.” He swore that he will burn Raito if he tries anything
funny. What on earth was the higher-ups thinking enrolling someone like Raito? He
betted that Raito’s partner, Akisato Haruka, became a student as well, since she
was also caught, which only spelled more trouble for him. In any case, Raito will
prove to be another rival for him in fighting for Mikan’s love. He already has
trouble dealing with the fan boys tailing her and now he has to deal with one more.
How frustrating!
“Say what you want, moron,” Raito said, looking composed and natural. “I won’t give
up until you tell where Mikan-sama’s room is.” He stroked his emerald-green hair
and slipped his hands into his pockets. Raito was fully aware of Natsume’s feelings
for Mikan. But since Natsume wasn’t her boyfriend yet, Raito thought he had a
chance with her.
The flame-caster glared at Raito. “I’m not telling,” Natsume said in the same cold
voice he always used when talking to Raito. It was evident in his crimson eyes that
he was furious and jealous.
“Tch… What a jerk you are, Hyuuga,” Raito said in a mocking tone. “I promise not to
hurt her. Besides, I love her, you know.”
Natsume didn’t flinch at the insult, but he did when Raito mentioned the word love
to him. Yes, he knew Raito loved Mikan and he was never shy with his feelings.
Natsume always kept his feelings to himself, especially his love for the brunette
girl. That was his character. He wasn’t like Raito or any other fan boy out there.
“Damn it, you moron!” Raito clenched his fists and grabbed Natsume by the collar.
“If you’re not going to tell me, then fine! But let me tell you this—I’m not going
to lose Mikan-sama to a bastard like you.” He was serious when he said that and the
sincerity in his topaz eyes were genuine.
“Let go,” Natsume said in a low but dangerous tone. However, Raito didn’t budge one
bit. Infuriated, Natsume pushed Raito away and punched him on the face. Raito’s
determination to win Mikan’s love was irritating to him. First of all, Raito was
one of the people to blame for Mikan’s memory loss. “Don’t talk big, you maniac.”
Raito held his swollen cheek as he gritted his teeth. “You’re gonna pay for that,
Hyuuga,” he growled as he summoned an energy sphere on his palm. “Here’s a little
something to shut down that big ego of yours.” He threw the sphere at Natsume.
Natsume, being agile and flexible, jumped sideward to avoid the bomb. As soon as
the bomb hit the ground, a small explosion was made. The bomb Raito summoned wasn’t
intended to kill him but only to hurt him. Natsume mentally muttered some curses
about Raito before he backed away and conjured a flame in his palm. He would never
back away from a fight against Raito.
“Why can’t you stay still for once?” Raito questioned, summoning two energy
spheres. “You move like a cat. It’s no wonder your alias is Black Cat.” He dashed
forward and hauled one energy sphere at his rival. Natsume evaded the bomb attack
by jumping back. Raito had predicted his move, so he instantly threw his other bomb
at spot where Natsume was going to land. The bomb and Natsume hit the ground at the
same time, and the impact sent Natsume flying towards nearby bushes. Raito couldn’t
help laughing at the raven-haired boy. He was sure full of himself.
Fire was lit up and burned the bushes around Natsume. He stood up and glared at
Raito, with the intention of killing him. He summoned two fire balls in his palms
and when he toned down the fire around him, he jumped up and hauled the balls at
Raito.
“So slow!” Raito back flipped to avoid the first fire ball, and then jumped
sideways to avoid the other one. He made several marble-sized bombs in his palms
and threw at all over the place. The bombs exploded and created a smokescreen.
Natsume expected this move from Raito, so he already knew what to do. He created a
giant fire wall around him, blocking all smoke from reaching him. After that, Raito
tried to break the wall with his bombs, but his effort was futile. Once the smoke
cleared up, Natsume saw Raito standing a few inches away from him. Raito was ready
to attack Natsume again with a basketball-sized bomb, but Natsume had already
summoned a big enough fire ball to counter him. The two stared at each other as
they waited for the right time to strike. They were really focused and determined
to beat one another. That was how dedicated they were to Mikan.
As the wind blew their already ruffled hair, Raito took a step forward and prepared
himself to throw the bomb. However, an unexpected person came and hit Raito with a
paper fan. Because of that, the guy lost concentration, making the bomb disappear
into thin air. He held his head and turned around to see the person who disturbed
his fight. “Haruka-san, you idiot! Why did you stop me?! I had him right where I
want him!” he shouted at her.
Haruka narrowed her gaze and hit him again. “Shut up!” she retorted and crossed her
arms. She was wearing her middle school uniform and her auburn hair was tied in a
ponytail. “Are you stupid or what? Have you forgotten that we’re under probation?
We can’t cause any trouble here, Raito-kun. Gosh, do I have to remind you that
every second?! You’re such an idiot!”
They were pretty lucky enough to escape a grueling punishment from the Academy,
because the higher-ups decided that it was best to enroll them to school. They were
Alices, people gifted with magnificent powers—even if their powers are a threat and
dangerous—and they have the right to be students in Alice Academy.
Natsume put out the fire and slipped his hands in his pockets. He didn’t like the
idea of ex-members of the AAO being in the same school as Mikan. What if they try
to kidnap her again? What if they were still loyal to the organization? They could
backstab the students anytime. He was little grateful for their help with Mikan and
he even respected them for that, but that was then.
“Okay, I get it,” Raito said with a sigh. He scratched his head in frustration. It
seemed like he can’t settle his score with Natsume. And he was so close in beating
him, Raito thought proudly. He then looked up at Natsume and pulled his right arm
sleeve up. There was a black-wing mark on his upper arm. “Do you know what this is,
Hyuuga?”
Natsume looked at the mark carefully. He could tell from his distance that it
wasn’t an ordinary mark. “The Mark of Obedience,” he replied. He had seen those
marks before. It was on several students in the Dangerous Ability Class. Mikan’s
favorite senior, Andou Tsubasa, also has the Mark of Obedience. That mark was a
punishment mark for trouble-makers.
“Rest assured, Hyuuga,” Raito said calmly. “I can’t betray the Academy as long as
this mark is on my arm. One mishap could be the end for me.” There was seriousness
in his voice and his eyes looked solemn.
“Same goes for me,” Haruka said, pulling her right sleeve up to her elbows. A
golden wristband decorated in rubies was on her wrist. It was punishment device
that can only be removed by the one who placed it. “This device contains a small
needle with poison in it. That dumbass teacher, Jinno, placed this device on me,
which means he can kill me anytime he wants.”
“I’ve never been to school before,” Raito said, turning to his partner. “I’m sure
my school life will be good, since Mikan-sama is here.”
“All you think about is Mikan-san,” Haruka said, poking Raito’s forehead. She can’t
blame Raito for being madly in love with Mikan. “But I’m kinda excited with school.
We’ve been in the organization all our life. I feel a bit sad for betraying the
ones who took care of us.” Being taken care of people who were against Alice
Academy, Haruka sighed at the thought. Betraying the organization was hard for
them. Haruka accepted the fact that the organization taught her everything she knew
and she was grateful for that.
“Yeah… But we can’t do anything about it. We’re already here.”
“I’m pretty sure they want to kill us right now.”
“Who cares? We can defend ourselves.”
“You’re right.”
Natsume stared at the two keenly. He somehow understood their feelings and their
concerns about the organization. He wasn’t the least bit surprised when the Raito
showed his Mark of Obedience or when Haruka told him about the poison needle in her
punishment device. But their enthusiasm of being in school left him dumbfounded. It
was a good thing he was good in keeping a poker face all the time.
________________________________________
“Natsume didn’t come at all,” Mikan said sympathetically, leaning her head on her
desk. She was really beaming earlier this morning, and when she and Ruka stepped
into the classroom, her smile turned upside down when she noticed Natsume’s
absence. Ruka told her that Natsume might come in later, so she brightened up
again. But as the hours passed, Mikan grew more worried for Natsume. He didn’t show
up for class. She wondered what was wrong with him.
Ruka was petting his bunny friend. He turned, his shoulders slumping. “Maybe he
wants to be alone today,” he said. He placed the rabbit on the table and inched a
bit closer to Mikan. “Sakura, why don’t we head back to the dorm?” He figured that
she should get some rest.
Mikan looked up at Ruka and shook her head. “I don’t want to go back yet,” she said
and stood up. “I’ll go find Natsume. He shouldn’t be alone.” Before Ruka could talk
she quickly bolted out of the classroom. “Sakura!” was the only thing she heard
from him as she started to run through the hallways. When she reached outside, she
glanced around. She looked as if she might start panicking. She was really worried
about Natsume and her heart was telling her to find him.
She reached for one random guy and began asking him questions about Natsume. The
guy, who was actually her fan, merely blushed at the sight of her face. “Please
tell me… Have you seen Natsume?” The guy shook his head, ad Mikan sighed deeply.
“Thanks… Sorry for bothering you.”
She ran off to find Natsume. She tried the dorm, the cafeteria, the elementary
school building, and even Natsume’s room, and still she couldn’t find him. But she
wasn’t going to give up. Mikan was a girl with a strong will and ‘giving up’ wasn’t
in her vocabulary. She went outside again to continue her search. As she grew
tired, she stopped at a certain Sakura tree and sat down. The tree felt nostalgic
for some reason. She twirled her hair with her finger as she stared up at the
branches. At that moment, a scene popped into her mind.
“What is this?” she asked herself. She could see herself sitting on the branch
crying on someone’s chest. That someone was a guy and his face was all blurry in
her head. But she had a good feeling that it was… “Natsume…” Once she regained her
senses, she thought about the place where she lost her memories. It was in the
Northern Woods. “Natsume must be there,” she muttered.
She headed off in the direction of the Northern Woods. And when she reached the
place where she lost her memories—the wide-open space somewhere in the Northern
Woods—she walked around, glancing from left to right in search of a raven-haired
boy. Her eyes darted from the ground to the sky. The gray clouds seemed to be ready
to pour water down any second. She held a frown on her face. Natsume wasn’t there
like she had expected.
Rain started to fall and Mikan was getting wet. Despite this, she didn’t care. Her
knees trembled as she lowered her head. She told herself not to cry, but she
couldn’t hold her tears back. She sobbed silently under the rain, as if the heavens
were crying with her. She thought about Natsume, the boy she couldn’t remember. Oh
how she wanted to remember him. Her heart yearned for his presence. She pulled out
the pouch containing the shards of the red memory stone from her pocket and held it
close to her heart. If there was a way to fix the stones, then she would do it no
matter how hard it may be.
“Standing under the rain like this,” an icy-cold voice spoke from behind her. “What
an idiot.”
Mikan’s eyes grew wide with surprise. She quickly spun on her heels to face the
person. “Natsume…” she muttered as her lips curved into a small smile. Finally, she
found Natsume. But her tears still kept coming out. She felt sad but happy at the
same time. Her feelings were rather confusing at the moment. “What are you saying?
You’re under the rain too. That makes you an idiot too.” Indeed Natsume was
standing a few inches before her, without any umbrella or coat. Like her, he was
also drenched.
Those tears bothered him to the core. He hated it whenever Mikan cries in extreme
pain and sadness. A smiling Mikan was always good to him. He would always prefer to
see her angelic smile everyday than a frown on her face. “Stop crying, you stupid
ugly girl.” Those tears pained him, because he knew that he was the cause of her
sadness.
Mikan shrugged and clenched her fists. “And why should I listen to a perverted
moron like you?! You’re such a jerk and that arrogance makes your attitude more
hideous. I can’t believe I’m your—” She stopped her ranting as she realized
something. She clamped her mouth and gave him a confused look. Those insults just
popped into her head and she was yelling at him as if it was normal. It was pretty
weird, considering that she can’t remember him.
Natsume was a little shocked as well, but his face remained stoic. The way she
insulted him was the way Mikan would usually do. For a while, there was silence
between them. They looked at each other, trying to search for answers in each
other’s eyes. “This is boring,” Natsume snapped, letting out a sigh.
She was back to crying again, but her face looked sadder than before. “I’m sorry if
I can’t remember you!” she uttered, shutting her eyes tight, as the tears streamed
down her smooth cheeks. “I’m sorry if it’s bothering you so much. But I want you to
know that you’re still special to me—even though I can’t remember you, even though
you can be such a big jerk… Natsume, I wan to see you smile… I-I…”
Without another word, Natsume pulled her into a hug. He had his arms wrapped around
her and his face buried in the crook on her neck. Mikan gasped at his sudden action
and her skipped a beat as she felt his warmth. He then pulled his face away to look
at her. Trying not to get distracted by her pretty face, he stroked her brown locks
and smirked. “Don’t get so worked up because of me. I’m the one with the problem,
so I’ll deal with it alone.”
Mikan vigorously shook her head. “There’s no need to be alone! I’m here for you,
Natsume! Ruka-pyon and everyone else too…” She had that sincere look in her eyes
that Natsume secretly adored.
“You’re stubborn as usual,” Natsume retorted, cupping her chin with his right hand.
Mikan tightened her grip on the pouch. “I don’t care if I’m stubborn! I just want
you—” Natsume suddenly broke in by crashing his lips against hers. Of course, her
eyes grew as wide as marbles in complete surprise. And as Natsume deepened the kiss
further, Mikan closed her eyes in pleasure and responded to his kiss. She was
amazed at the way they kissed. It seemed so natural for Natsume and for her. Well,
it was because they had kissed a lot of times in the past already, but Mikan can’t
remember.
As they share their sweet kiss under the rain, something magical was happening
inside the pouch Mikan was holding. Unknown to them, the red memory shards were
glowing in a deep shades of red. After a few seconds, the shards disappeared.
________________________________________
Kazeno Chiaki stood in the doorway of her home staring at the sky for a long time,
and then closed it softly. It was hard to believe she was back safe and sound. To
carry out the promise she made was difficult for her. But she had done it. She had
protected Sakura Mikan from the clutches of the organization. She missed Mikan
already, and she wanted to go back to Alice Academy to see her. Her heart was full
of her as she walked back to the living room. And as she looked at the brunette
woman, sitting on the couch, sipping her tea peacefully, she smiled contentedly.
And when she sat down beside the woman, she remembered the smile on Mikan’s face.
She poured tea for herself and sipped it. It was Jasmine Tea, the kind of tea with
a sweet aroma. It was her favorite. “Kazeno-san… I trust you…” The words were so
clear, it was as though Mikan was sitting right beside her. The past weeks had been
a crazy time, but a time she would always cherish. After she defeated Takumi and
recovered the remaining Alice stones, she helped her fallen leader and brought him
to the hospital. She wasn’t a cold-hearted person and she took pity on Takumi. And
then, with skill and stealth, she broke out of the school, even though she was in
pain. Her determination to see the woman again was strong in her.
“You know, I can’t thank you enough, Chiaki,” the woman said as she lay the teacup
down on the coffee table. Her hair was short and brown, and she was extremely
pretty. “Mikan was in good hands…” This woman was none other than Azumi Yuka, the
mother of Mikan and the one who possessed the Alice of Stealing other Alices. She
didn’t mean to send Chiaki on the mission, but she couldn’t afford to expose
herself in the Academy. Chiaki was the most suitable girl for the job, and she had
been trained properly by the organization.
“There’s no need to thank me, Yuka-onee-sama,” Chiaki replied after sipping her
tea. She then placed the teacup down and turned to Yuka. “You took care of me after
all these years and what I did was not enough to repay you for your kindness.”
True, Yuka had become her mother in the organization and she treated her as such.
Yuka shook her head slowly, and glanced at the open window. She walked across the
room to the window and stared at the setting sun beyond the horizon. “It’s more
than enough, Chiaki.” She shifted her eyes back at Chiaki. “It’s more than enough…”
she repeated, her voice soft and sincere. Now, remembering Mikan, Yuka looked from
the window to the Sakura trees.
“Onee-sama…” Chiaki pulled something from her sky-blue jacket and held it behind
her back as she approached Yuka. When the woman turned around, Chiaki handed a
picture to her. “This is for you. It’s going to make you happy, I’m sure of it.”
Yuka stood there for a long time, looking at the picture in her hand. It was a
picture of her darling daughter. Mikan was dressed in a cute baby-blue dress with
frills and ribbons, and her silky brown hair was tied in half-ponytail with a white
ribbon. She was smiling wonderfully in the picture. “Where and how?” she asked,
with tears in her eyes.
“Mikan-san is pretty popular in school, especially with the boys. Her best friend,
Imai Hotaru, sells copies of her pictures just for profit. I managed to take one
while I was investigating her lab.” Chiaki lightly laughed and put a hand on her
shoulder, and after a while Yuka looked up at her with gratefulness.
“Thank you…”
“No, thank you…”
Yuka blinked for only an instant to clear the tears from her eyes. She patted the
blonde’s head and told her how proud she was of her. She had treated Chiaki like
her own daughter and loved her for who she is. Sometimes she felt uneasy and
troubled whenever she thought about Mikan. But Chiaki was there to fill her
insecurities. Yuka wanted to be with Mikan and to take care of her like what she
did with Chiaki. But she wasn’t ready yet to face her daughter. No, there was the
right time for that. One thing for sure, she was certain that they’ll be reunited
as a family again.
________________________________________
On the next day, the weather in Alice Academy was brilliantly sunny. There was no
haze, no smog. There was the smallest breeze, and a bright blue sky, and at six
o’clock, it was still beautiful and the sun was shining. It was a good day for the
second day of school.
Natsume was standing in his bedroom then. He was looking at the Cherry Blossoms
through the balcony doors, thinking of how those flowers reminded him so much of
Mikan. The Cherry Blossoms represented Mikan as a whole. Those flowers were
beautiful and innocent like Mikan. Truth to be known, he’d never met a girl as
lovely and cheerful as Mikan. She was absolutely the light of his dark world. There
was no way he would ever conquer the darkness without her.
He left the room after putting on his coat and locked the door behind him. He was
ready to attend classes for Mikan’s sake. He didn’t want her worrying about him all
the time. After their fairly sweet moment in the Northern Woods, Mikan felt weak
all of the sudden. Probably because of exhaustion, he thought. Mikan did spend two
hours looking for him around the school. He was able to bring her to her Special
Star room. When Mikan was done changing her clothes, she immediately fell asleep on
her bed. Natsume tucked her in and stole one kiss on her lips before he left her to
dream. Yesterday was indeed a memorable day for him.
“Good morning, Natsume.” Ruka, Natsume’s best friend, was standing right next to
the door, with the rabbit in his arms. He personally waited for Natsume to find out
if he was coming to class or not. Ruka was worried about him when he didn’t show up
yesterday. “Where were you yesterday? Did you know that Sakura was worried about
you?”
Yes, he knew that. But he can’t tell his best friend about the moment he shared
with the brunette in the Northern Woods. He was aware of Ruka’s feelings for Mikan
and he certainly didn’t want to hurt Ruka. “Nowhere…” Natsume simply answered.
Just then Mikan came out of room and locked the door. She greeted the boys, or more
likely, her admirers right away with a refreshing smile. “Good morning, Ruka-pyon!
Good morning, Natsume!” Much to Natsume’s surprise, Mikan’s hair was back in
pigtails. He had missed that hairstyle a lot, since it suited her naïve
personality. “Let’s go to school together, okay?”
“Sure.” Ruka grinned. “Sakura, about yesterday… Umm… Did you…” He glanced back at
his best friend and looked back at the brunette. “Oh… never mind.” He wondered if
Mikan found Natsume yesterday, but he decided not to ask about it. Besides, he
could see that both Mikan and Natsume were in a good mood. That was enough to
assure him that everything was fine.
“Natsume, Ruka-pyon, Hotaru and I are going to Central Town later,” Mikan said
cheerfully. “Wanna come with us?”
The mere mentioned of Hotaru’s name made him shiver. Hotaru was the master of
blackmails and Ruka was her favorite victim aside from Mikan. He was sure that she
was going to take pictures of him again if he falters in Central Town. He should
keep his guard up at all times, he convinced himself. “All right… It’s been a while
since I’ve gone to Central Town.”
“That’s great!” Mikan jumped up and gave Ruka a hug, making the blonde boy blush
like crazy. She released him and gave him a smile before she turned to Natsume.
“How about you, Natsume?”
Out of jealousy, Natsume grumpily answered, “Tch… Why should I? There’s nothing
good in Central Town anyway.”
“Natsume, please.” Mikan gave him the puppy-dog look. Her face was too cute to
resist—even for Natsume, who was known to be cold and unresponsive. Mikan’s charms
worked well with guys. She doesn’t need pheromones to have guys falling for her.
“No…” Natsume was being stubborn. Honestly, he wanted to go, but his damn mouth
kept saying the opposite. He was a good liar, but he was never good with his
innermost feelings. He was such a kill joy and he had no idea that the whole
Central Town trip was planned out by Mikan to spend quality time with him. The
determination in her eyes told him that she was going to pester him until he would
say yes. That will be annoying under any circumstances. So, he grabbed one of her
pigtails and looked intensely into her amber orbs.
Mikan raised a brow. “N-Natsume…?” He didn’t respond. He just looked at her quietly
and he seemed to be thinking deeply. Mikan’s emotions stirred up as she admired his
crimson orbs. Those red eyes held so much meaning in them, and Mikan was trying to
figure them out. She let out a sigh as she touched the hand holding her pigtail.
“This hairstyle will not be suitable in 5 years.”
Natsume’s eyes widened a bit at what she said. Those words were awfully familiar to
him.
“It’s only been two years. I still have 3 more years to go. For now, I’ll stick to
tying my hair like this.” She caressed his hand in hers before letting it go. She
spun on her heels and took a step forward. “You’ve also said that pigtails suit
me,” she said, peering over her shoulders, as she smiled.
Ruka didn’t understand what Mikan meant. But he does understand that it has
something to do with Natsume.
On the other hand, Natsume felt his lips curving into a smile. It was very rare for
him to smile, and he would only show his smiles to his best friend, Ruka, to
Youichi, and of course to Mikan. Leave you hair like that… It suits you… He heard
himself talking in his head. Those were the words he told Mikan before.
“I’m starving… Let’s go and have some breakfast!” Mikan said, raising her fist
high, as she started marching. She was humming happily. Whatever memories she had
once had—of love, friendship, or troubles—had been placed in her heart and her
mind. There could surely be more surprises in life waiting for her. Spinning on her
heels, she smiled once again to the boys, saying, “What are you two waiting for?
Hurry up, Natsume, Ruka-pyon!”
“What a noisy girl.” Natsume’s expression was back to being a stoic one. He walked
over to Mikan’s side and looked at her with a bored face. “Hey, polka-dots, mind
keeping your voice low. You’re annoying.” He was back to name-calling her again.
“Don’t call me polka-dots, you retard!” Mikan retorted, glaring holes at him. “I’m
not even wearing polka-dots today!”
Ruka followed closely behind them, and he couldn’t help giggling when Mikan said
that she wasn’t wearing polka-dots today. But what made him really happy was Mikan
and Natsume’s relationship. The way they were arguing was just like old times. Ruka
didn’t dare to interfere with their argument, seeing how much they enjoy insulting
one another.
THE END
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