Intro:

Hey everyone!

Few pieces of info:

1. This is a fanfic taking place through high school with Natsume x Mikan as the main pairing.

2. Sometimes I will be focusing on a certain dynamic or relationship between characters and other times I will just be describing some stuff which I'm sure is less exciting to read so I'm going to try to lay a good background and move on.

3. If you think someone in here is a little OOC (out of character lol), I promise I have a good explanation and everything will be different in future chapters.

4. Also if you're wondering if Mikan and Natsume are actually siblings, I guess you'll just have to follow the story and find out ;)

5. Leave reviews so I can improve, I really listen and thrive on them! Thanks!

p.s. For people who've been reading my other stories, I'm so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth, I will work on updating them and possibly removing the ones I'm no longer interested in.

Chapter 1. Secret Weapon

Mikan Hyuuga.

Is that really her?

Looks kind of plain if you ask me.

No one asked you.

Not like her sis but I dig it.

Omg her brother is so hot!

Why is the whole family so gorgeous? it's unfair!

Whispers echoed through the hallway as a young girl darted through the crowd, trying her best to ignore their comments. It was her first day at her new high school, Gakuen Alice, a special academy for students from the wealthiest, most powerful families in the world. Though the school only consisted of around a thousand students, the institution itself was huge, covering 856 acres of lush greenery, topped with over 100 buildings, some spanning over five stories tall. There were buildings for everything. From dining halls to dorm rooms, biology labs, pools, art displays, and even spas. This was precisely why Mikan was already lost, separated from her sister Aoi, who she was sure had came in to the main hall right beside her but was now nowhere in sight...

"Registration and orientation for new students this way!" A girl with straight brown hair and round silver frames glasses directed the incoming freshman class. Mikan sighed nervously and decided to follow everyone else, crossing her fingers Aoi had already headed in. A blast of air hit her as she was ushered into the auditorium and pushed into a seat. There was already a girl sitting to her right, with a dark black messy lob, her skin beautifully pale as porcelain. She was frantically typing into a sleek, gray laptop, her fingers a blur. Mikan thought about introducing herself, but didn't want to interrupt the girl. Should I or should I not?! She might be in the middle of something really important... but Mikan decided to go for it. After all, wasn't school was about making friends and memories? "Hi! Nice to meet you, I'm Mikan, what's your name?" The girl glanced up for a split second, but her deep violet eyes flickered back down at her screen, not even acknowledging the brunette.

Mikan flushed bright red, she was completely ignored! Not quite sure what to do, she turned to her left, hoping to have better luck. There sat a pretty girl with deep jade green permed hair. A splash of cute freckles decorated her cheeks, but she was patting on a thick powder that began to cover them. What was she doing that for? Mikan wondered. "Hey, don't do that! You looked really good the way you were!", she beamed brightly, "my name's Mikan by the way!" The girl stopped what she was doing and glared back at Mikan with a loud hmp. She proceeded to snapping her powder pan shut, throwing it into her giant pink Prada purse, and strutted away without saying a word.

Mikan groaned internally. What an awful way to start off her day and new school year! I should have just stuck to Aoi-chan like glue, Mikan thought miserably. Is everyone here stoic and unapproachable? I wish onii-chan was here. I'm sure no one would ignore him. Mikan's onii-chan was none other than Natsume Hyuuga, a sophomore, but easily one of the most popular guys on campus. With dark, messy raven black hair and a set of piercing crimson red eyes, his presence made girls swoon and guys mutter curse words in jealousy. It wasn't just his appearance that made the ladies at Gakuen fall for him, it was also his funny, caring personality towards everyone. The female teachers were completely won over by his charm and the male teacher were also extremely impressed with such a well mannered and likable young man. Both an MVP on the sports field and a genius in the classroom, Natsume was the epitome of perfection and Mikan sighed, discouraged when she realized she would never in a million years come close to being as great as he or Aoi was. It seemed like they had gotten all the good genes while Mikan was stuck with the awkward genes.

Natsume and Aoi both had the same sleekly black hair as their parents, which never needed much styling or attention, looking flawless naturally, as well as the Hyuuga trademark crimson red eyes. They were smart in every subject, receiving honor roll and awards every year, and excelled at almost everything they chose to do.

Meanwhile Mikan had unruly dull brown hair, which she spent at least 30 minutes on each morning trying to get them into manageable pigtails, brown eyes which though her family said were beautiful and sparkled, she believed they were equally as dull as her hair and they were just saying that to make her feel better. Mikan wasn't very good at school, nor excelled particularly in any activities. She was the ugly duckling of the Hyuuga family and now everyone at Gakuen would know.

They had heard that the twin Hyuuga sisters were entering just a year below their brother, and expected to get triple the eye candy this year, but sadly the sisters were fraternal and looked absolutely nothing alike. Many might have argued that though Mikan was the odd one out, she was still pretty in her own way. And though Mikan didn't believe it, her eyes did sparkle and her laugh was loud but contagious, which would eventually earn the attention of a good amount of guys in the school. She too, was kind and a goofball, and even though she didn't succeed in most things, everyone could tell she put a lot of effort and her whole heart into doing her best. Mikan Hyuuga was certainly a gem, and it seemed like everyone except her knew it.

"Alright! Time for the opening ceremony to begin, everyone please take your seats," said a tall boy with dark black hair and thin clear glasses standing behind the podium. He exuded a confident vibe and many female students were excitedly talking to their seat mates, wondering who he was. "I'll wait," he said, looking coldly into the crowd. The girls immediately shut up. "Thank you. Now, welcome to Gakuen Alice Academy, class of 2019! My name is Sabaru Imai and I am the student council Vice President. Unfortunately the president Shuichi Sakurano could not be here today due to a travel delay, so it is my pleasure to give you your opening ceremony speech today. Let's begin with some history and background information. Gakuen Alice was founded in..." Mikan zoned out when he began talking about facts. She couldn't help it, her mind was constantly jumping around from one thought to another, and she just couldn't concentrate at the moment.

She couldn't believe she was here. Gakuen Alice Academy. She had waited so long and spent so much energy trying to be admitted. Though this was the case, a month before Mikan handed in her application, she suddenly had a meltdown over whether they would accept her or not, and refused to hand it in with her sister. No matter how hard Aoi begged her, Mikan was too scared to do it. She was scared of disappointing her family, of being rejected and letting them down. Mikan knew she shouldn't develop a habit of comparing herself to others, but it was just so hard when they were your siblings, and you were constantly surrounded by their confidence and success. Anyone would be intimidated.

Mikan had slowly become withdrawn and depressed over her anxiety in those few weeks. She talked less to her sister, and spent more time just laying in her room. It was a day before the deadline, and nothing Karou or Ioran Hyuuga did had convinced Mikan to submit her application either. Both were extremely well known figures in all branches of business and industry. They had high expectations for their children and they would not allow Mikan to be the exception. They knew she had it in her, and believed in her one hundred percent, but it was herself who needed to do a little more believing. When all else failed, and there was not a lot of time left, they knew they had to use the one last trick up their sleeve, and that was their eldest and only son.

6 months before

"Mikan, you busy right now?" Natsume said as he strolled into her room. It was 10 AM and Mikan was still laying on her bed, clutching a worn out brown teddy bear, the teddy bear named Mr. Bear Natsume had given her for her 7th birthday. It was never in that great of shape from the beginning. He had made it with his friend Kaname who was a patient at the local hospital he volunteered at. Even though Mr. Bear had a permanent murderous face, Natsume had worked hard on it for Mikan, and she loved it to death.

"No, I'm just lying and thinking," the brunette responded solemnly.

"About the application?" Natsume, like the Hyuugas, had tried to encourage Mikan. But unlike the rest, he never specifically told her to submit it. He told her to trust her gut, to realize how wonderful and lucky any school would be to have her. He wanted Mikan to make this choice for herself, but seeing his little sister so torn up like this hurt him. There was no denying she wanted to go. The only hesitation was her trust in herself.

"Yeah," Mikan replied. Natsume sat down on the edge of her bed. They sat there in silence for a while, both not sure what to say. It was Mikan who finally spoke up, "Neh Natsume. Should I really apply? I know it's the last day and I worked so hard on this application and Aoi was so excited for us to rule Gakuen together and mom and dad are both so supportive and everyone is counting on me and I have such an amazing life with all of you and I'm lucky to even be given a chance to apply and—"

"Mikan," Natsume gently interrupted, "you're rambling again," he laughed, smiling at his poor little sister. She was usually so loud and boisterous without meaning to be which made it all the more adorable, but lately she was speaking and answering with few words and no emotion at all. He was glad she was showing signs of her normal vivacious nature.

His sister laughed with him. She felt better because for a couple seconds, she had been lively and like herself again. Natsume always knew how to make her feel better, sometimes even without doing anything. He didn't pry, and knew when to give her her space. She appreciated it since Aoi and her spent most of their time together, and her parents were a tad bit noisy. It was hard to have any privacy.

"It's just, I tell myself I can do it. But there's like this invisible force that's holding me back," Mikan whispered, staring up at the ceiling. She sat up and faced her brother, "Can you just pressed the submit button for me? Pleaseeeeee onii-chan!"

Natsume chuckled, "That's not gonna work on me, you need to do it for yourself." As much as he didn't want her to depend on others validation, he couldn't help but add, "I was really looking forward to spending the rest of my high school years with both my sisters."

Mikan smiled sadly. Oh how she wished she could too. She wanted to be with her siblings. She wanted to go to Gakuen since she first heard about it two years ago when Natsume applied. She wanted to watch Natsume play soccer during the school year, room with Aoi again, explore a new place, make new friends, experience something different. She wanted everything Gakuen offered, but why? Why wasn't she letting herself go?!

She was in mid thought when Natsume stood up, "Sorry Mikan, I have soccer practice in 20 minutes. I have to go change. I'll come find you later okay?" He ruffled her hair, and gave her shoulder a reaffirming squeeze.

"Thanks Onii-chan!" Mikan called as he walked out the door. She waited until his footsteps were barely audible before whispering again, "Thank you onii-chan," clutching Mr. Bear even tighter.

Natsume had been shocked (but not nearly as shocked as he wanted Mikan to think) when he returned from practice two hours later to find the whole family celebrating both daughters' application submissions with a giant cake the chefs made. "See? I knew you could do it!" Natsume told his sister, who giggled and gave him a big hug in appreciation. Karou and Ioran both beamed at each other, and subtly nudged their son in thanks as well. They looked at each other knowingly. With matters concerning Mikan, he would always be their secret weapon.

Thanks for reading!