Heyy Everybody! Okay so this is my new story where Mikan is found by the ESP before Hotaru decides to go to Gakuen Alice. It's sort of AU but I'm gonna go along the same basic storyline and timeline as the manga. There will be romance (of the NatsumexMikan sort 3 I do love Ruka . . . but he's just not right for Mikan in my opinion) later on because I'm a sucker for it. Also the chapters are gonna be short, 1000 to 2000 words at most because this story is likely to be infrequently updated as is. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any associated characters and settings

.

.

.

Her first thought is of her grandpa. A gravelly old man with a heart of gold and morals set in stone. He was her first memory of being cradled to sleep at tender age of two years, and the one to teach her how to walk and tie her shoes. He encouraged her through everything she needed him too. He raised her to be the person she is. She's learnt a lot from him, and loved him more than anyone else for the first nine and a half years of her life.

Did it hurt him as much as it hurt her when they took her away. She's pretty sure it did.

Her second thought is of her best friend. Cool, smart, amazing Hotaru. She never met anyone she mixed with quite as well as Hotaru. Her petty envy vanished in the wake of a connection that tied her in everyway to her eternal best friend. Hotaru was cold, and indifferent, but every now and then she'd say something, or do something that reminded her that what they had was not as easily expressed through kind words, or meaningless pleasantries.

She's glad Hotaru wasn't there; she might have been dragged away too.

And then she realises she's never going to have a third thought because there's only two people who mean that much to her world. Hotaru hasn't been around as long, but she's just as special as grandpa. She'd do anything for them.

And she knows for certain she's not all talk because when she got home to the shrine earlier than grandpa on that stormy wednesday afternoon, men in black suits with cold eyes kicked down the door and surrounded her. She fought and struggled and screamed at the top of her lungs like any normal kid would, as she'd been taught to do when grabbed by strangers. Even the appearence of the frighteningly tall and thin man with a white face mask and an aura of absolute malice could not halt her screams. But then he opened his red-painted mouth, and it only took one comment to subdue her protests.

"Come quietly, Ms Sakura, or your precious friend and grandfather will pay the price."

And she did. She went with her head hanging. With her eyes blindfolded. And she went with her hands tied behind her back, both figuratively and literally. She was shoved into a car with surprisingly comfortable seats and belted in. Tears had welled in her eyes and soaked the blindfold when the car drove away. She hadn't said goodbye.

In the end her not having a third thought of her own didn't matter because the scary man with his angry-soft-hateful voice filled her mind with threats and promises alike the whole drive.

"They'll be fine, Ms Sakura, as long as you behave . . ."

"We won't ask anything you can't do, but we expect it to be done . . ."

"Hush now, don't cry. Everything will be explained in due time. You'll be special, everyone's waiting for you . . ."

It was a long drive. She curled up in a ball against a car door that was locked and ignored the loss of feeling in her hands. Silent tears continued to fall; she wasn't usually one for quiet tears, but these thugs weren't going to hear her wail, not if it meant grandpa and Hotaru would suffer. She determindly ignored the painful constriction around her wrists and resolved to sit the whole drive without moving an inch. This doesn't work, because despite her anger and fear (and there was a lot of fear), she is still a kid, and she is tired, and emotionally exhausted. By the time the car pulls to a stop, she is almost asleep.

"Ms Sakura?"

She jolted awake and briefly panicked when she could see nothing but black. Her hands clawed at their bindings and her chest heaved with shuddering breaths.

"The blindfold and restraints will be removed shortly. Just come with us a little further and we'll tell you everything."

Angry-soft-hateful-alone.

She stiffened when hands opened the car door and guided her out, ghosting over her shoulders and sending shivers down her spine. She didn't want any of these people touching her. But she would let them, if it meant Hotaru and grandpa would stay safe. They lead her a long way, and she stumbled frequently, still tired. She knew it was night because they were walking past trees and the summer crickets were chirping loudly. It was a cool night, and if she stopped thinking about where she was going and concentrated on where she was, it was a nice night.

She fazed out, her mind wandering to happier times. She's good at losing herself in daydream. So much so that by the time they've half-carried, half-led her into a building and up a flight of stairs through some more halls iand into a room with the hush of a funeral parlour, she's not even with them anymore. She's with Hotaru and grandpa. Then her blindfold is ripped away and her eyes assaulted with light. Her arms are untied too, and they fall forward numbly. She cried out in pain and dropped to the ground, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes.

"Mikan Sakura . . ."

Her body froze as the voice washed over her like velvet. She slowly raised her head and saw the boy sitting in a chair four times too big for him, and eyes fifty years too old for him. He was fine boned, and handsome, with delicate features and a smirk that radiates pure confidence. She took him in slowly, from his manicured nails to his perfectly pressed suit. Either side of him stand a man and a woman. The white masked man and a tall lady with hateful green eyes and clutching fingers. Around the walls of the room, more suited men stand; the same ones who brought her here. She slowly got to her feet, trembling.

"What's going on?"

Her voice is small, and pathetic. Frightened. She sounded like a frightened rabbit who had learned to speak. The boy smiled at her with icy perfection.

"My dear, I am sorry for the fright we've given you, but I wasn't sure wether dear Yuka would have you under guard or not."

Her lower lip wobbles precariously. "Who's that?" The boy's gaze narrowed. His eyes searched her face coldly, as though looking for a lie. She gulped audibly, tears welling in her own eyes again.

"Someone you will obviously have to be accquainted with later on. Now Mikan, I'm sure you have no idea where you are and why. I can understand that would be slightly . . . distressing for you. It's a long story and I'd rather not go into too much detail; we'll save that for later. The fact of the matter is, the world we live in is like the disgusting mess found in a pig's trough."

She locked her hands together tightly to stop them shaking her head was spinning, and she wondered when anything was going to start making sense again. The boy's cultured speech had fallen to silent contemplation. He observed her thoughtfully, his old eyes gleaming with an emotion that froze her in place and made her want to hide. She averted her eyes hurriedly.

"W-what does that mean?" She stammered weakly.

The boy smiled the smile of a predator who has caught his prey. She shook.

"It means my dear, that you are the diamond, and you are mine."

.

.

.