Hyournihime's Challenge: Mikan is a boy-hater. She studies at a magical school called Gakuen Alice, where immediately, she wins favor in the eyes of Tsubasa, Koko, Ruka, and Youichi. (They're all her age.) She has an angry past with both Natsume and Hotaru, and her best friends are Sumire and Luna.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gakuen Alice, period.

-

Chapter One: Welcome to Gakuen Alice

-

Tokyo, Japan. Everything was going at its usual pace; crowds of people clumped up together on the sidewalk, cars honking at one another in the traffic, students walking to their schools. Everything was busy, busy, busy.

Somewhere in the capital of Japan, there was a school called Gakuen Alice—or at least, part of it. The well-known and prestigious school was built somewhere along the less crowded, less noticeable parts of Tokyo, where there was more privacy. Ordinary people could only see the large, daunting, metal gates and the sturdy brick walls that guarded the "shell" of the real Gakuen Alice.

In fact, the Gakuen Alice that normal people saw from outside was nothing, just a lot of unused land. Somewhere inside the vast place were buildings, but they were all nearly empty. The real Gakuen Alice was in another world, where only students of the school and certain people could enter. The students were called Alices, but that was just a name.

Gakuen Alice was a school for magic wielders specifically.

The sun had risen hours ago, and students had flooded into the corridors, to the dining room that could hold hundreds, and then, finally, to their classrooms. It was early in the morning, yet Sakura Mikan, a girl of sixteen had already gotten into yet another fight. With a boy. He had bumped into her by accident and…

"Hyuuga, you cow! Apologize, right now!" she ordered through clenched teeth.

The one called Hyuuga took a brief look at the familiar brunette and grunted. He ignored her and walked to his seat, seeing as it was early in the morning, and he didn't exactly want to start his morning by arguing with the moron.

Angry by the fact that she was ignored by the guy, she threw her book at him with pinpoint accuracy and smirked. Just because he's rich and has a well-known family doesn't mean that he can act all high and mighty… At least, not to me… Damn Hyuuga…

He turned his head sharply, and locked his eyes with hers: his ruby eyes containing a destructive look, like his best element. "Sti foti'a (στη φωτιά)," the young mag wielder whispered, and in an instant, his classmate's hair was fire.

A shriek came from the girl as she frantically tried to remember the spell to put out the fire on her uniform. "αυξάνω σε μέγεθος!" she chanted rapidly, only causing the fire to grow bigger. Holy crap!

"Stupid girl," Natsume smirked mockingly and took his seat, watching the noisy girl try to put out the flames. She never learns, does she? he asked himself, shaking his head at the thought.

Hyuuga Natsume was a male of seventeen years. One of the top students of the Academy, he was well-revered and feared as well. He excelled in all his classes, especially his Magic Classes, but he was best with Fire, as most of his family had been for generations. Also infamous for his cold and dangerous demeanor, any normal person would either: 1) suck up to him/kiss his ass or 2) treat him like a god. But Sakura Mikan was different. She would not do either #1 or #2, but something else: she fought and argued against him. Constantly.

The few students who were already in the classroom sighed; it was so early in the morning yet there was already ruckus from the Sakura girl. They didn't bother to help her. Most of the students that were early to class were males and/or were too scared to see if Natsume would do anything to them if they tried to help Mikan.

She was generally a sweet girl, but when it came to guys, it was an entirely different story. It was like she was a wholly different person…

A blond girl walked inside the classroom beside another girl with sea green hair. She sighed upon seeing her childish friend whose clothes were on fire. Again. "Nero (νερό)," she said, and in an instant, Mikan was drenched in water. Her name was Koizumi Luna, and the other was Shouda Sumire.

Sumire sighed as the other girl had and walked up to Natsume to apologize while Luna restored Mikan's clothes to normal with spells.

"Permy! Don't apologize to that jerk for me!" the girl still drenched in water yelled but was ignored.

"Mikan," Luna sighed and chanted another spell on her pigtailed friend. "Isikhía (ησυχία)." With that, Mikan shut her mouth and stopped with her rants. She was forced to, against her will, by an unseen force because of Luna's spell.

She was dragged—rather, floated—to her seat, in between her Luna and Sumire, her two roommates and best friends.

The blond girl sighed once again and released her spell on Mikan so to enable her to speak again. "Mikan, you idiot. Really, I have never met anyone as stupid as you. You know that I'm on probation! I'm not allowed to use magic unless it's for class… Be grateful that I'm your best friend, you ingrate," Luna snorted.

Mikan frowned and crossed her arms across her chest, focusing her eyes on the ground. "If only you didn't try to use that mind controlling spell then you wouldn't be on probation," the brunette muttered in a low voice, but both Luna and Sumire heard her clearly. If she was her normal self, she wouldn't have said such a thing. But her mood was sour because of Natsume, one of the two people who she hated most.

The girl who sat on the other side of Mikan twitched her eyebrow upon hearing her seatmate's comment. She clenched her fists tightly to prevent herself from slapping the girl. They were best friends, no doubt about that, and she knew that Mikan didn't mean to be so ungrateful, but Sumire couldn't help but be angry and Mikan and how stupid and unreasonable she was at times. "Mikan, you really shouldn't say crap like that. Luna and I don't have any obligation or responsibility to try and help you when you're in trouble. Why do I even have to apologize to Natsume-sama every time you provoke him and try to fight him? Do you realize how stupid I look when I do that? He's the one person who I've liked since I don't even know when. God, Mikan. Grow up." She stopped herself from saying anything else, even though she wanted to say much, much more.

But if she had continued what she was saying, she was certain that she would have hurt Mikan's feelings. It was just that she was already sixteen and she still acted the same as when they first met, in the Middle School Division of Gakuen Alice a couple years back, like a child.

All three of them had been the worst of enemies when they first met.

On the first day of classes when they were in Middle School, they were assigned to be roommates, and fought over who would get the best bed, the best drawer, and whatever else there was to fight about.

Sometimes, their room even seemed like a hurricane or some destructive force had acted on it because of all the novice spells they blurted out at each other when they got into fights with each other. Every once in a while, either Mikan or Sumire would end up crying from being fed up with each other. Luna never cried; she would never allow herself to stoop to such a level. She considered herself to be mature and had high expectations for herself, and crying just wouldn't do. Though at times she did feel like letting out all the tears she had been holding back, she didn't.

It took a while—a very long while—but somehow, they became the best of friends.

To the three of them, Mikan was known to be the sweet, childish optimist and boy-hater; Luna was the smartest who was also bossy and somewhat sadistic one who was excellent with magic; and Sumire was the one who put up a mean front but was actually caring and friendly and was utterly "in love" with Hyuuga Natsume.

Back in class 2-Selini, Mikan had calmed down and wanted to smack herself tirelessly for being so ungrateful and rude. She stole a glance to her right, at Luna, then to her left, at Sumire.

"I'm sorry," she said, loud enough for the two people on either side of her to hear.

"We know," Luna replied. Her voice and facial expression was emotionless, but Mikan knew that she meant it.

"I'm very, very, sorry," the brunette repeated.

"Hey guys, what's up," one of the students asked and smiled. His ebony hair was tousled as it usually was, and his deep indigo eyes dancing of energy. Yes, the person was a male, but he wasn't greeted with Mikan's cold attitude and was greeted with a warm smile instead. The teenage male's name was Andou Tsubasa, one of the few guys who Mikan treated well.

Sumire looked up at the boy who had just walked in along with a dozen of other students. "Not now, Tsubasa."

"Did I do anything wrong?" he asked, confused.

"No. Just leave, for now, please."

"Alright. Bye Mikan; talk to you guys later."

Sumire faced Mikan, ready to have one of those "talks" with her. "Mikan-chan, I want you to listen carefully and take what I'm saying seriously."

The brunette nodded, listening attentively.

"Okay, first things first: you're an idiot. Wait—don't talk. Let me finish first," Sumire said before her friend could say anything. "You need to control your anger when it comes to boys, especially Natsu—"

"Alright, everyone, settle down," the teacher ordered immediately after entering the classroom, disabling Sumire from talking any further. Everyone obeyed at once; their first teacher of the day was Jinno-sensei. Whoever dared to disobey or displease him in any way was punished with his favorite Lightning spells. "We have a new student today. Come in."

A boy with fair skin entered, his hair a mix of dark chestnut and eggplant colors, and his eyes were gray, almost black but not quite, almost like rain…

"Hijiri Youichi. I look forward to having you all as classmates." The new student bowed politely in front of the class, but his countenance was stoic, emotionless.

Most of the students were pleased to have him as a member of the class, especially the girls, since he was quite good-looking… There was one who wasn't too thrilled though. In fact, she was rather irked.

Great. Another boy. Sakura Mikan rolled her eyes, catching Jinno's attention.

"Sakura! How can you show such disrespect to the new student?!" he thundered.

Crap.

"Excuse the girl, Hijiri."

"Don't worry about it," Youichi replied, not bothered by the brunette at all.

Jinno, on the other hand, did mind. "I'll go light on you today. As punishment, you're Hijiri Youichi's new seatmate. You'll also be helping him around the campus, alright?"

What?! "H-Hai…"

"Good. Now get up and go to the seat behind you; that's your new, permanent seat."

"Hai…" Mikan grumbled inwardly and took all her belongings to her new seat. The gray-eyed student grinned at her upon reaching his new seat. "Hope we get along well."

She fought the urge to glare at the male specimen. This is all your fault.

Author's Note: My first challenge. Ughh; I am unsatisfied with this chapter but I had no idea how else to start the story . . . If you want to help edit/change it in any way, please tell me how . . . It wasn't exactly great, but I hope you enjoyed it! . . . (How the hell am I supposed to make Mikan so cold and sweet at the same time? :[ ) Also, I'd like you to know now: this is a NATSUMExMIKAN-FREE fiction! Absolutely no MikanxNatsume, according to the challenger. It's nice to have something new once in a while anyway :)

Review, please.

Flames are highly appreciated.

Ja,

Aimee