~ Prologue ~

Happy New Year, everyone! For those of you who care enough to read, this is my New Year present to you all.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice or the characters. Never have, never will.

Furthermore, I don't own the works listed in this fanfiction: Gone With the Wind, Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto, and Chopin's Tristesse etude.

I just felt the need to use the phrase "Gone with the wind" because it popped into my mind just then, and anchored itself there.

The story is mine.

~...~

Everything was gone. Everything she treasured, everything she loved. It all disappeared.

They were all… Gone… gone with the wind.

.

"Uncle Kazu!" I cried, discarding my music scores to the floor.

"In the study!"

Head cocked to the side, I frowned. Fiddling with my coat, I threw it onto my music pile. "Uh, which study?"

There was a pause, and my uncle replied, "The one next to your bedroom, right wing, under the staircase!"

Jeez. What's the point of having such a big house when you can't find anyone?

I bounded down a hallway and carelessly crashed into a vase. Staring at the chipped porcelain in dismay, I quickly stuffed it into a nearby closet.

"Mikan! Is that you?" A voice from somewhere in this large house called.

Gulping, she scrambled for a reply, "Y-Yes, Uncle! I'm coming! R-Right away, yep!"

Turning down another hallway, I slid to a stop. Popping a cinnamon stick into my mouth, I made a left turn and, well, crashed into Uncle.

Sprawled on the floor, I coughed out the cinnamon, greeting my uncle with a goofy grin plastered to my face. Propped on my elbows, I drawled, "Fancy meetin' you here, Uncle."

Uncle Kazu shook his head and chuckled. Glancing down at my pancake form, he laughed, "Did I hear a crash just now?"

"Crash?" I pouted, trying my best to maintain a hurt, innocent look. "What crash? Did I crash?" Gasping, I cried, "Did somebody crash?"

Uncle just shook his head with a bemused grin. Helping me to my feet, he chuckled again, "Home so late?"

Jumping about, I clapped my hands together. Starry-eyed, I hugged him and cried, "I finally got Rach's third down! I love it so much! Wait till you hear it! Oh my!" Dancing around, I managed to slip on my socks and fall face-first.

He gazed at me with amusement and wonder sparkling in his eyes. "And to think that you, who struggles with tying your shoes… not to mention falling on your face, can get through such music like that," he murmured.

Beaming, I once again began hopping around the hall, animatedly telling him about my day; how I was able to drag myself up and jog to my music studio, how my best friend had practically forced lunch down my throat. Then after our "lunch", I returned to the studio and got some more practicing in; analyzing, listening to different recordings, wracking my brain for music "cheats", and falling asleep around dinnertime. When I finally came to my senses, it was already half past seven. I topped the evening off by drilling through the final movement of Rachmaninov's third piano concerto.

"And here I am, home sweet home, at the amazing hour of nine!" I cheered, "I'm so tired and poo—" Interrupted by the rumbling of my stomach, I shot Uncle a sheepish look.

"And here I am, with a tired and hungry niece," he laughed. Ushering me towards the kitchen, I grasped his hand, grinning from ear to ear.

Awaking from a deep, peaceful slumber in the middle of night, I found myself unable to fall asleep again. Making my way across the room, I threw open the double doors that led to my balcony. Stepping out, I gazed at the dark, starless sky. Breathing a soft sigh, I leaned against the railing, my eyes never leaving the sliver of the moon. As a soft breeze tugged at my auburn hair, I closed my eyes, enjoying the wind's gentle embrace.

As a cloud passed over the lantern that hung in the sky, I turned around, returning inside. Leaving the doors open, I sat down softly on the small grand piano in a corner of my room, running my fingers gently across the keys, shivering.

Abandoning all sense of consciousness, I closed my eyes, maneuvering my hands effortlessly across the piano.

It was just the piano and myself. Nothing more.

Chopin's Tristesse intertwined with my entire being. Repeating the beloved Chopin etude endlessly, I gazed at the moon longingly, tears brimming in my eyes.

"I-I… I love you," I whispered.

A/N: Indeed, this is my first fanfiction, story, narrative, chronicle(s); whatever you intend to call it.

I've had this… idea to write a fanfiction for quite a while already. However, I never intended to write it down. Until now, that is.

In case you readers have not noticed already, Rach's Third Piano Concerto and Chopin's Tristesse are both wonderful pieces. I'd suggest listening to Tristesse while reading. It's quite… touching.

Tristesse is French for "sadness", but this etude is in a Major key—E Major, so there's a light of hope. I might not make sense, but, oh well.

Thank you, everyone for reading,

XxLady