Chapter One

Crisis at Alice Academy

"Where's Natsume and Ruka?" a girl who looked no more than 12 years old screamed at the top of her voice as the building's

of Alice Academy came crashing down by flames.

"LET'S JUST GET IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM, MIKAN!" bellowed her friend, Hotaru who was about the same age as her. "Idiot,

forget about him, I'm sure he's fine!" she added as she dragged Mikan away from the burning building. Reluctantly, Mikan

obeyed Hotaru, but something felt very wrong. As they ran, along with a hundred more children towards the Hospital (which

was the only building not burning down because of its long distance from all the other burning buildings), Mikan turned her

head backwards every ten steps she took.

It was the middle of the night, everyone still wore their pajamas and some were being rushed into the hospital because they were badly injured. Others only had small injuries.

"Everyone! Get in as quick as you can!" shouted a tall man. He's hair blonde and curly and he's eyes dazzlingly bright but

fearful.

"Mr. Narumi!' cried Mikan and the man turned to look at her. "Where are Natsume and Ruka?"

"They're not with you?" Mr. Narumi asked hoarsely getting all the more worried with the piece of news.

"They're not here!" Mikan said, looking horrified. "But you don't suppose they're back there do you?"

"Course not, Mikan, just get in now!" Mr. Narumi said reassuringly, patting Mikan on the right shoulder. "I'm sure they're OK,

so get in..."

"NO! I have a feeling he's back there!" Mikan cried, tugging on Mr. Narumi's shirt. Mr. Narumi stooped down and laid his hands

on Mikan's shoulders.

"Don't worry, he'll be OK...," now don't make such a fuss and please do get in now!" He said the last four words loud and

strict. Mikan, who looked all the more reluctant heaved a sigh that sounded more like cry and went in the hospital entrance

with her friend who for some reason had become very quiet. As they entered the hospital, they found it hard to breath for a

mass amount of children packed the whole place, some of them were as young as eleven years old and others would look

older but it was hard for one to guess they're age. Hotaru and Mikan squeezed their way through the crowd and took a seat

on the benches as they were told to. Mikan had been asking other children and some nurses as they passed by whether they

had seen Natsume and Ruka but the answer was always either, "I haven't" or "no."

Alice Academy was in the brink of destruction but none of the teachers or the principal himself would admit it to the children,

the flames were unstoppable. What's more is the Black Cat of Alice Academy was missing. As the flames ate up the buildings,

a young boy whom looked at the age of twelve lay down on his bed, as if nothing was happening. He looked either too weak

to get up or didn't want to get up at all. As the flames grew larger into a huge beast that swept across the halls and corridors

of that large building, the boy did not twitch nor made a sound.

"I shouldn't live anymore, I want to die, and I've caused enough pain and suffering!" The boy thought. "I DON'T WANT LIFE!"

He embraced the flames as if they were friends and he did not want to move and did not plan to until, a scream broke out

somewhere outside the boy's room.

"NATSUME!" bellowed a voice that the boy recognized and for the first time during that night, Natsume (whom was the boy)

got up and ran towards the door. It was as if the voice was the only thing that would give him strength and make him get up,

it seemed to tear him away from the flames. It was hard to get through all the flames and burning obstacles that kept falling

down from the roof but finally Natsume was able to get to the hall. Everything was burning, the walls were crashing down

and the roof constantly fell with heaps of flames on it. Natsume struggled his way out and called out to the voice that

screamed a moment earlier.

"RUKA!" Natsume screamed a scream you would never believe could come out of a person who looked half dead.

"NATSUME, IS THAT YOU!" cried back Ruka. "WHERE ARE YOU?" he added with a loud bellowing voice. The whole place seemed

swallowed up by fire and smoke that one could hardly see anything through it but the glaring lights the fire produced. It was

extremely hot and Natsume sweated all over.

"RUKA, I'M HERE, FOLLOW MY VOICE!" Natsume shouted at the top of his voice. As the both of them kept shouting things like

"I'm here" for a short moment they finally got hold of where the other was standing and as they got together the next

problem was how to get out. The floor they were standing on had begun to crash down the slowly and the two of them had

to be cautious of where to step. Then, an idea crossed through Natsume's mind.

"Ruka, hold on to my shoulder and brace yourself!" and without a moment to waste, Natsume gathered his strength and

clutched the necklace he had been wearing under his shirt. The necklace looked like it was made of pink pearl that blunted a

little bit on the edges. He held on to it and it glowed a little and as if the necklace acted like a force field against the fire, they

walked through the flames unharmed. As they passed through the burning halls and corridors, they finally made their way out

of the building. As they were free at last from the flames, they both dropped down on their backs on the grass outside and

watched the burning building crashed down. Both panted and if one was to hear them pant, they would know they were

dehydrated.

Finally after a moment's silence, Natsume gulped and said, "Are you nuts!"

"What do you mean, you're the one that's nuts for not getting out of that damn situation. Didn't you know you could

have...Died!" Ruka stammered, the colour from his face draining. "Did you want to die?"

"I...," Natsume had realized the danger he had got his friend into and he looked shocked at himself, 'I'm sorry..."

Ruka heaved a great sigh and said, "It's alright, just don't do that to yourself again and anyway-" he added as if he had just

remembered something. "What protected us from those flames?" Natsume paused for a moment then he took off the

necklace he had clutched during their escape from the burning building. Ruka stared at it with a great wonder.

There was a pause, and then with a low voice, Ruka said, "an Alice stone?" Natsume nodded. "But how could an Alice

stoneprotect us unless it was made out of an Alice whom had the power of Nullification..." It was not after a few seconds that

Ruka realized that the Alice Stone was Mikan's. He then grew very quiet.

"Let's go when we can..." Natsume whispered (although no one but the two of them was sitting there).

"Where?" asked Ruka. "Should we go to the hospital now?"

"No," Natsume said quietly. "We have to run away from here."

"Why?" Ruka asked, bewildered.

"Because what do you think will happen to me when I show up in front of everyone?"

"But Natsume!" Ruka said. 'I just know you weren't the one who set the fire...were you...?" he added, a little scared.

Natsume look at Ruka with a serious face and said, "No, but who will believe that!" Ruka looked shocked.

"But what about everyone? What would they think; they might think we're dead if we don't show up!" Ruka looked at

Natsume as if he had gone mad.

"Then stay, I'll go alone!" Natsume said silently.

"That wasn't what I meant!" Ruka exclaimed. "I know you want to run away from here but think about Mikan!" Natsume

looked taken aback at these words. "Aren't you aware of her feelings?"

"I don't care about her!" Natsume roared.

"You act like you don't give a damn but you do!" Ruka retorted. This was the first time Ruka felt this angry at Natsume.

"You're being selfish!"

"You understand, do you that if everyone else thinks I set the fire, Mikan would be hurt and all the more, I'm the only one

people around here, think is capable of setting such a fire even if I didn't!"

"But Natsume, you weren't the one who set the fire-!"

"DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT AS YOU DO?" Natsume bellowed. His colour rising. Ruka became silent.

"Do you see the ruckus the fire made and if people think it were me, do you think they could forgive me; don't you think that

the people are better off without me?"

There was a pause.

"Where do we go then?" Ruka replied.

This fanfiction will be updated soon. I do not own Gakuen Alice, I merely wrote a fanfiction of it. :P