When tears seem too hard to stop
and you couldn't stop the fist squeezing you heart tightly,
but endure its deadly grasp.
When all you feel is emptiness and the darkness' embrace.
When you feel lost and alone.
You'll learn that you're not.
Just hold my hand hold them tight.
I'll always be by your side.
Disclaimer: The characters in the story are from Gakuen Alice and Card Captor Sakura, both of which I do not own.
Prologue – In Medias Res
(Latin: into the middle of things)
Mikan looked at big sister as she argues with the driver of the car that they nearly hit. She couldn't help but shake her head at the audacity of her big sister. She was trying to beat the red light as they crossed the intersection, since she and Mikan will be late for their schedules.
"For you information, it was a green light and your street showed red." her sister voice is drawing attention to them now
"Ms. Kinomoto, you were speeding and you know that." the guy calmly pointed out
Mikan strained to the side of her window to see who the person is since he knows her sister. She already had her body halfway out the window before she finally had a glimpse of the man's coffee-colored hair.
The guy moved out of her view. That was when she saw who was sitting at the passenger seat of the other car. The raven-haired boy who is looking bored and annoyed at the same time.
"Neechan, we are going to be late." she exclaimed as she moved her body back to the car and tried hard to lean against the seat and hide from the view of the dark-haired boy.
"We are not finished here, Kinomoto." the guy warned as he too got back to his car, "I'll talk to you at the office."
"Hmmm...Neechan's office mate." she thought to herself as she saw her sister grit her teeth at the warning
Mikan watched as her sister frowned then glared at the man driving the dark blue Boxster. They had arrived at the school gate minutes apart, and the moment her sister got out of the car, she approached the guy and glared at him.
She was about to approach her sister when the door at the passenger side opened and the raven-haired boy got out.
"I'll go ahead." he mumbled and raised his hand to the older guy before entering the school gate.
"Is he the guy's son?" Mikan asked herself. "Neechan?" she called out to her sister.
But her sister is still arguing with the guy they had encountered at the intersection. From what she heard earlier, they are colleagues.
She wanted to talk with her sister but looking at the clock at the top of the central building of the university, she will be hearing the chimes of the school bell any minute soon. "Neechan, I'll go ahead." she grabbed her bag from the back seat and ran to the gate.
--
Syaoran couldn't help but grin as the annoyed lady in front of him complained about everything under the sun and blame him for it.
"You know, Kinomoto, your sister is already leaving." he looked behind her to watch his brother talk with one of his classmate who was waiting for him inside the gates. "And I don't have time for this. Goodbye."
Sakura couldn't help but feel more frustrated that her partner ignored her ranting and she missed saying goodbye to her baby sister. When she turned back to the annoying guy he was already waving goodbye to her.
"See you at the office."
She gritted her teeth as she watched his car disappear from sight.
--
Sakura glared at the young man who happens to be grinning at her mischievously. She could feel her irritation come forth and the need to pound him is becoming too big to resist, but she wouldn't give in to the urge, she have more control than that. She wouldn't want to be accused again as childish and immature by her boss.
She really doesn't understand the humor of fate, why it gave her the misfortune on being partnered to the most obnoxious and arrogant guy in the division. And her grandfather even approved with the pairing.
It was just at the last year of her college life that she learned about the different life, her grandfather is living. That her grandparents are members of an elite group called Alice Captors. They are composed of men and women tasked to capture and stop the deadly group of people called Alice-Users. These people are believed to have dangerous abilities that could bring on the next apocalypse.
Sakura had been approached by her grandfather's secretary, Mishuri, while she was just taking a coffee break at one of the university cafe. She didn't have any idea that the training already started there.
She can still remember that beautiful, fey-eyed, dark haired lady who approached her claiming that she is her granddad's secretary.
"Ms. Kinomoto, I was sent here by your grandfather to bring you to the office. He really would like to have a word with you." she presented an ID that looks valid enough. The last time that Sakura talked with her grandfather was when Touya has gone missing. Which was years ago. But one thing she remembers clearly is that her grandfather's insignia on his ring. And the insignia shown to her by the secretary was different, although it was only a slight difference in the number of petals on the blossoms, she still noticed it.
"I'm not trying to be rude." Sakura said as she stood up and bowed to the secretary, "but I still have a class to attend to. My grandfather would value education and responsibility, and he puts it above family matters." she started to walk away but something covered her nose and mouth and she blacked out.
The next thing she knew she was in some kind of desert-field, inside a dilapidated bungalow where she has some cards in her possession. The Clow Cards. She remembered something about it, how to use it and what they are for, but somehow she forgot how she had it and why it is familiar to her. It was like the time when she couldn't remember who is Yukito, Touya's friend.
"Kinomoto keep alert" she opened her eyes to see Syaoran using his sword and mantra cards to stop the burst of fire coming from the person standing at the balcony. He is wearing a mask - a black cat. The infamous Kuro-Neko.
"Water Card." she swipes the card on the new device that the AC has invented to call out the power of the cards. The blast of water instantly evaporated, leaving the surrounding enveloped in fog.
"Li?"
"Here." she felt him grab her hand and they instantly soared to the sky. "Do you see him?"
They both looked down but the fog was very thick, a good camouflage if one wants to disappear or escape.
--
"Good work, Natsume." But the praise just fell on deaf ears. "Were you able to retrieve it?"
Natsume just dropped the vial that contained red fluid on top of the desk and walked away from the dark haired man seated behind the desk.
"As expected from a best student."
--
Mikan was just about to take a bite on the sandwich that her big sister has made for her when she heard a thud on the ground. Curious, she traced the sound to one of the rooms at the ground floor. Slowly she opened the door and peeked inside. What she saw made her drop her favorite sandwich, as she saw the academy's number 1 student bursting in flames.
Remembering what she learned from one of her classes, she immediately grabbed the curtains from the windows and dumped it on the laboratory sink, after quickly soaking the curtains she rushed towards the student and wrapped it around him.
"Please, please...be alright" she pleaded as she tried hard to go back and forth to grab more curtains to soak. She is gasping right now and teary eyed. "Please."
"What the heck are you doing to me!" the guy was struggling under the curtains that enveloped him.
"But...but..."she stuttered, staring in amazement to see the raven-haired boy without any burn on his skin, "yo-you were burning. I mean, you are in flames just a while ago."
Crimson eyes looked at her, surprised and confused. He held his head as if it was suddenly hurting.
"Are you alright?" she instantly kneeled beside him, touching his cheeks. It was as if he was bitten by a snake, he went rigid and he immediately stood up, away from her. But his weakened body betrayed him and he fell the floor.
"Why are you so stubborn?" Mikan murmured as she touched his forehead and realized that he is sweating profusely. Since he was soaked from the wet curtains, without thinking twice, Sakura took off his shirt uniform. She couldn't help the grasp that escaped her lips as she saw the crisscrossed scars on his body. "Why?"
"Leave me alone." he grated through clenched teeth as he shivered in the coldness of the room. He was too weak to stop her, when she took off her uniform jacket and forced him to wear it. Although it was tight, it slowly lent the warm from her body.
He looked at the stubborn auburn haired girl biting her lower lips as she pondered whether to take off his pants of leave them on.
"Leave me alone." he couldn't help the shiver that is laced in his voice.
"No." the familiar stubborn face. God, he missed that.
When she stood up to grab the remaining curtains from the window, he finally had the strength to sit down.
"What are you doing?" he gritted his teeth and glared at her
"I'll wrap you up in this to keep you warm." she replied as she attempted to approach him again
"That's full of cobwebs and dust." he complained, "This will warm me up faster." he tried to flick his fingers and create a flame but it didn't even create a small spark.
Mikan just stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Polka-dots, I need your hand." she frown at him as he grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest, to the place where his heart is suppose to be located. She could feel heat run through her arms from his chest. "You are the only one who can control it." he whispered, as he pulled her closed, almost hugging her yet not "I'm too weak to do it. I'm sorry." he whispered the words on her ears as they were engulfed in flames. Curiously she doesn't feel that she's burning, just warm. Then the darkness.
--
Natsume stared at the girl lying down on the floor. She looks at peace. So innocent. He couldn't resist touching her face and moving the hair away from her forehead.
"I miss you." he whispered "Even when I'm around you."
"Natsume?" he looked up at the tall, golden haired guy standing by the doorway. "You call?"
Behind his friend is a shorter guy whose blond hair is lighter than Ruka's blond, he looks more confident now than when they were younger. He knows he was the one who called Ruka and brought him here. The two guys turned to look at the girl on the floor. He was expecting Ruka's glare but his friend just approached him and helped him up.
"Can you manage?" Ruka asked. Natsume just nodded and stood back to give room to Yomi.
"Kokoro?"
"You know that this is pushing the limit too far." Yomi murmured, "I should have only re-arranged and erased her memory twice. This third time will be dangerous."