Authoress' s note:

Hi everyone! I'm back :3 Man...School just started and I delayed this story's publish date. I wanted to make sure that I was at least halfway done before publishing this story so that I wouldn't leave this story hanging!

I just wanted to say thanks to the people who reviewed and Favorited my previous story, and also those who followed me! You guys have encouraged me to keep my story going!

I may not be the best writer but I hope you enjoy this story! It's rated M for a reason :) *wink wink*

Reviews are appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice, I only own this plot :D

When the world was created, two types of humans were created. One of which possessed the ability to shape shift into the animals within them. Those who possess this ability are called Alice, whereas those who do not are termed as full humans.

Since a long time ago, full humans and Alices have been at odds with one another. The two hunt and kill each other, thus building up animosity between them. Although Alices are stronger than full humans, as time evolved, full humans have developed ways to counter their overwhelming strength. Due to the fact that the full humans outnumber the Alices, many species of Alices have been wiped out by them. Thus, various branches of academies have been set up to shelter these Alices to protect them from full humans. Welcome to the Academy of Shifters, where students possess the ability to shape-shift into the animal within them.

Welcome to... Gakuen Alice.

The trees danced as the cold wind glided through the misty forest, howls echoed throughout the forest. Howls that may have come from the wind, or from the dark creatures at night. The light from the moon that hit the ground slowly faded away, as the moon was concealed by the ominous dark clouds. Normal vision was rendered useless at this moment, leaving only one's smell, touch, hearing and taste as an option. The leaves were rustling and the night grew even colder with every passing moment.

In the distance, a lone figure could be seen traveling through the ghost-like forest. The figure was agile, moving as fast as a wild animal. It moved through the forest as if the lack of vision didn't hinder it because its sharp eyes gave it the power of sight at night. The figure that was moving at god-like speed suddenly came to a halt, as if something blocked its way. When the dark clouds revealed the moon, the forest lit up, exposing the hidden figure.

'It' was a massive four legged beast with glossy black fur attempting to cover its spotted back, and had pointed ears that gave it its super sharp hearing, crimson orbs that shone in the dark and limbs that displayed its vast strength. It stood tall and proud on all fours, as if it were the king of the forest. This creature was commonly termed as the "ghost of the forest", it was the rarely seen and only heard of, black panther.

What would seem like a two hundred pound black panther suddenly morphed into something entirely different, originally four legged became two legged, its paws turned into human hands, its majestic body became toned and muscular and its black fur changed into raven hair so dark it was difficult to spot at night. The only thing that didn't change was the ferocity of those crimson red orbs that sent shivers down the spine. In that spot was no longer a ferocious beast, but a young and handsome human male. Properly clothed.

Bzz,bzz.

The human male whipped out a phone from his pocket and glanced at the text.

Sender: Persona

Monday, 12.22AM

Good job Natsume, head back to the academy now.

He kept his phone back into his pocket and looked down at the ground. He folded his arms and stared at the girl who was passed out cold on the ground. Why on earth was she in the middle of the forest anyway? He crouched down and tapped her face.

"Oi."

Silence...

"Oi, wake up." He demanded, but didn't get any response from the brunette lying on the ground. He stood up and was about to desert her but his conscience pulled him back. The girl was covered in cuts and bruises, some were mere abrasions while other were quite serious, like the wound on her forehead where blood seemed to be gushing out from.

"Damn it." Just my luck. He lifted the girl up and headed back to the academy.

Natsume entered the academy stealthily without anyone noticing, while carrying the damsel in distress. Where should he bring the girl to? He definitely had to take care of her wounds, but bringing outsiders into the academy was a violation of the rules. Looks like his room was the only choice.

He laid her gently on his bed, and sat down on the bed. What should he do now? He knew first aid but with wounds like hers, it was definitely out of his abilities. He stared at her face and leaned in, sniffing her neck in a non-sexual manner. Full-human. But she smells kind of like a wolf too... After sniffing her, he leaned back into a sitting position. He took out his phone and dialed the only guy that was good at healing wounds. And giving pain.

Moments later, Subaru Imai, the Student Council President, walked into his room.

"...You look fine to me." Subaru looked at Natsume from head to toe, searching for any wounds.

"Not me. Her." Natsume stood up, revealing the unconscious brunette that was lying on his bed.

Subaru patted Natsume on his shoulder, "You've grown up Natsume." Natsume clicked his tongue, swatting Subaru's hand away.

Subaru smiled mockingly, he'd always found joy in teasing a fellow feline. They were just so fun to play with. Subaru's eyes traveled up and down the brunette's body, checking the wounds on her.

"Laceration on her forehead, not too deep. Some minor cuts here and there. She'll survive." Subaru started to perform his medical skills on her, almost like using magic on her. That man lived up to his title of 'God's hands'. No wound could defeat him. It's no wonder this bespectacled man with pretty violet irises, that drew people in, grabbed the hearts of girls. His cool and calm demeanor that screamed 'nothing is impossible for me!' lit up the girls' hearts on fire, then put it out with his one-word rejection. What a devil, it must run in the blood.

"I found her lying on the forest floor out cold," Natsume shrugged, "Couldn't leave her there."

"You do understand that I have a duty to report this to authorities' right?" He let out a low growl, almost sounding like a warning to Natsume. "Of all people, you just had to pick up a full human." Looks like Subaru also noticed the unmistakable human scent coming from the girl, "You and her better be prepared."

"Hn." Natsume gave a cold reply, being as stoic as ever.

After what seemed like an eternity, the girl on the bed let out a groan. She slowly opened her eyes, bringing the world in focus. Where was she? What was she doing here? Millions of questions flooded her mind which was throbbing slightly, as if something hard had hit her before. She slowly sat up and surveyed her surroundings. The room was extravagantly large like a king's bedroom, but it had a lonely edge to it. The walls were dull and white, and was not decorated with pictures or paintings. Two words to describe this room: Uselessly empty.

Bed, check.

Table, check.

Chair, check.

Sofa, check.

That was all. She thought that the owner of the room probably didn't live here, or rarely came home.

"You're awake." She jerked at the sudden masculine voice that came from the direction of the window. It was then she realized that she wasn't alone in the room. There was a guy sitting on the window ledge all along! The raven haired guy opened his eyes and looked at her. She almost let out a scream due to the surprise, when all of a sudden, he disappeared. The next moment, she found herself pinned on the bed with one of his large hands holding her wrists above her head, and the other covering her mouth.

"Don't scream." He said, with a deep voice, and glared at her to give her a warning. She nodded desperately.

Oh my god, who is this hunk? Why is he doing this to me? Someone help me! My head huuuuurts... The girl was flustered, unsure of what she should do in this situation. Especially since a gorgeous young man who looked like he went to the gym every day, held her in this inappropriate position.

"Only answer my questions, got it?"

She nodded again.

He slowly removed his hand from her mouth to allow her to talk. She exhaled deeply because she was holding her breath all this time. Everything just happened so fast, she didn't have time to breathe.

"Who are you?"

"I..." the brunette thought deep and hard, as if she was searching her mind for the answer. "Oh! I'm Mikan. I think."

"Why were you in the forest?" he questioned, demanding nothing but the answer.

"I...I don't know…" She shut her eyes, trying hard to remember. But the pain in her head wouldn't let her do so.

"You don't know? Don't lie!" Natsume bellowed, and then gripped her wrists harder, and glared at her with fiery crimson orbs that seemed to know all the hardships in the world.

If looks could kill, Mikan would have just entered the depths of hell.

"I really don't know! I can't remember! Please! You're hurting me..." she pleaded desperately while trembling, tears escaped from her eyes because she was frightened out of her wits by this handsome stranger who was interrogating -not questioning- her, in this awkward position.

The mix of fear and embarrassment was killing her. What did she do to deserve this?

Seeing that Mikan wasn't lying, he let her wrists go and sat upright. She did the same, rubbing her sore wrists as she sat up.

"Look, all I remember is that I was being chased...by someone...something." Mikan thought long and hard. Who was that someone..? Or rather something... It was something more deadly, more ferocious...Like a beast. She recalled those fangs, the snarling and snapping of jaws, and the weight of it as it pounced on her. Her hair stood up on its ends, and she felt a cold shiver down her spine.

Natsume waited silently for her answer. The brunette looked pale, as white as a piece of paper.

"A beast..." the words slipped out of her mouth unintentionally, not knowing that she said anything. Natsume's eyes widened by a fraction but his face kept calm. He knew it was an Alice at work. He could literally smell the damn wolf scent mixed with her own. It was not surprising to see Alices and full humans killing one another, after all, this was how the world was like now. It was a good thing regular humans couldn't recognize alices in their human forms, if not the word 'peace' would be nonexistent.

"Oi Polka" he said, removing the threat in his voice.

"Polka?" she questioned, looking at him with confused doe eyes.

"A bit too old to be wearing Polka dot printed panties huh?"

"WHA-WHAT! PERVERT!" Mikan's face turned red like a tomato, pressing her hands down on her skirt to cover herself.

He chuckled slightly, so slightly that it was hard to catch it, especially in the dark. But somehow Mikan was able to. Her heart squeezed at the sight of his smile, which disappeared quickly.

"You have two choices now. One, stay at the Academy and live a difficult life. You, a full-human, would be in a vulnerable position in Gakuen Alice."

"Why?" she questioned, interrupting him. Right, Natsume forgot she suffered from amnesia. He explained everything to her, starting from the history of Alices and full-humans, and how the both of them hated and fought one another, leading to the animosity today. She remained silent and listened with utmost focus.

"Your second choice, leave this school and survive on your own. I'll bring you out. So which will you choose?"

Mikan frowned at her dilemma. Should she stay? Or should she go? Both of the options seemed bad to her! She wasn't good at thinking and all this thinking was surely not healthy for her brain.

Aish! Screw it!

She took a deep breath, "I will..."

Stay tuned for more adventures ;) Thanks for reading! Sorry if it's too long!

Image credits to: eiChi17