Disclaimer:I do not own Gakuen Alice

Mikan was totally engrossed in her work. She had a lot to do but then she had chosen this for herself...Mikan worked as junior manager in hales firm . She got this job 6 months back, immediately after completing her graduation . She was a pretty 22 years old, her brown eyes enhanced her features even more, her brown hair were long but she always tied them.

She was always working in her litte cabin, two cupboards filled with files and books occupied a corner of her room, a table on which two file were neatly kept but pages were scattered, a computer on which Mikan was working at the moment were the other things that were in her cabin.

She heard a sound, she looked up and saw her best freind since elementary school Hotaru. She looked stunning in her short blue dress,she had shoulder length black hair which complimented her beautiful face.

Mikan was surprised as Hotaru hardly visited her in office.

She got up and hugged her best friend tightly.

"Stop that idiot you know already I don't like this" Hotaru said coldly.

"Wow!Hotaru what a surprise so tell me what happened"

Mikan knew something might have happened therefore Hotaru came to meet her.

"Ruka proposed" Hotaru said without any emotions,but Mikan knew that she was happy.

"Congrats!Finally Ruka was able to gather some courage and propose you. I am so happy for you both " Mikan once again out of excitment hugged her friend very tightly. She knew this would happen, Ruka was head over heels for Hotaru and even though Hotaru didn't show it but she did love him a lot. Ruka was a great guy, he looked like a french prince and was a very dear friend of Mikan. He was his classmate in Alice Academy.

"Mikan if you don't stop your habbit of hugging me I am going to carry baka gun with me everytime I am with you"

"Oh sorry!but I am so happy for you" Mikan said happily and smiled.

Hotaru knew that Mikan's smile was not real,it didn't reach her eyes. She hated to see her best friend like this, Mikan was the most cheerful person she had ever met but since last four years she was not herself, she hardly laughed,Hotaru knew she just pretended to be happy infront of people, Mikan had surrounded herself with work to distract herself. Hotaru knew that Mikan was lonely, and she was not willing to move on.

Anna,Sumire,Koko,Yuu,Ruka and all her friends from Alice Academy tried to cheer her up,but their efforts were always fulite. Old Mikan was lost somewhere, Hotaru tried a lot to bring back the old Mikan but even she failed. She hated him for changing Mikan. She would happily kill him if he ever came infront of her because it was all because of him that Mikan had become quiet, lost, sad and mostly alone.

"Hotaru!what's in your hand" Mikan's voice brought Hotaru back from her thoughts.

"Its Alice Academy times our school magazine, I wanted to contact Kitsuneme as Ruka wants to invite him for wedding"

"Wedding?!when?"

"Ruka wants to get married before he leaves for his meeting next month"

"Oh!I am so excited"Mikan said.

Hotaru knew Mikan was happy for her. It had always been Mikan's dream to get married early have a family but it didn't turn out that way. She saw the pain in Mikan's eyes which was always there since last four years.

"Mikan I am leaving I have to meet Ruka, and Mikan take care, stop working so much, that little brain of yours won't be able to handle all this" Hotaru said leaving the cabin.

Mikan knew Hotaru was worried about her, not only her but all her friends were worried about her. She had become a loner a completely different person, she had surrounded herself with work, she didn't take weekends off she worked even on Sundays, she even had a part time job in the evening,she wasn't going through any financial crisis, she worked to keep herself busy, because when she was alone, she always ended up crying. She was not always like this infact she was very cheerful girl always making friends, a girl who could talk and talk for hours, she was someone who enjoyed each and everything in her life, but unfortunately for her things changed and now she was living a life which was hollow, a life with no happiness.

Mikan decided to go back to work. She was going back to her computer,when she saw her school magazine. Hotaru might have forgotten it she thought.

She decided to open it even though she knew that opening it would bring back so many memories which she won't be able to handle.

"Alice Academy 2009"was written on its cover. She opened it, on the very first page was their class picture, Mikan was standing in the middle with a weird expression on her face, she remembered that day, their whole class was excited for their photo shoot, Mikan was trying hard to keep her face straight as Koko was continuously making her laugh.

She turned few more pages, their were pictures of her teachers,her classmates and her school.

Then,she saw him. He was standing with the soccer team,with a expressionless face but then he was Natsume Hyuuga, who always had an emotionlesss face.

Looking at his face brought tears in Mikan's eyes. She missed him, even though he had given her a thousand reasons to hate him, deep down Mikan knew she still loved him and always will.

His picture brought back so many memories, memories that never failed to haunt Mikan, memories that never really left Mikan.

6 years back...

Mikan's POV

I heard my mom calling me, but I didn't want to get up, I wanted to sleep more.

"Mikan!Open the door I have a great news for you" Yuka shouted out of excitement.

"Mom what's it,its only 8 am and I want to sleep" I said in a sleepy voice.

"Mikan sweety open the door,its important" unwillingly I had to get up.

The moment I opened the door mom at once took me in her tight embrace.

"Congrats darling you did it!you got admission in Alice Academy"

"Mom!are you sure I got in!"I was shocked, I never thought I would get in, I was aware of my intelligence but then Hotaru had tutored me every time I did a mistake she would hit me hard with her stupid gun. I did work hard because I really wanted to get in as Hotaru had already got Alice Acdemy scholarship Hotaru unlike me was brilliant she was a gadget freak, she had invented so many gadgets including baka gun. I love Hotaru so much and I would be so lonely without her that is why even I planned to go to Alice Academy. I had to study for hours since last two months I had never ever studied that much before and I planned to never study that much in future too.

"Yes!I was surprised too,its such a prestigious school,I am so proud of you" mom said, while hugging me.

"Wow mom finally I and Hotaru would live together I am so happy" I was jumping and dancing I was so excited.

I immediately took out my cell and dailed Hotaru's number.

"Helloooooooooo! Hotaru I got in. I did it now we both would live together for next two years in the boarding we are going to have so much fun,I am so exc..."

"Shut up idiot, I already know you got in I checked it in their site"

"Aww so sweet of you, you were so worried about me"

"No stupid!I knew you would get after all I tutored you, otherwise with that little brain of yours this could not happen"

"Thanks Hotaru for teaching you are the best friend I could ever have"

"I am already regretting teaching gd knows how would I tolerate you for next two years"

"Don't be mean hotaru I know you love me"

"I want you to treat me with an expensive lunch"

"But I don't have enough money Hotaru"

"I don't know Mikan don't forget because of me you are going to Alice Academy" with that Hotaru hung up, even before Mikan could complain.

"Mikan I am so happy for you,I knew my little girl would get in" dad said. I loved him a lot, he was more like a friend to me than a parent,my mom always said that I had inherited my cheerful,energetic and clumsy behaviour from him.

I gave him a tight hug. Even though I was very excited to join Alice Academy, the thought that I would have to leave my parents and my old school saddened me,we were a loving family. My dad Izumi Yukihira was a teacher in a local school and my mom Yuka was a painter, my parents had met in high school, they fell in love although my dad was my mom's teacher. After sixteen years of marriage they were still in love.

I had many friends in my old school, all the teachers loved me even though I wasn't the brightest student. Leaving my old school was going to be hard for me.

Next month, I had to leave for the Alice Academy which was a boarding school situated in the outskirts of Central Town.

One month passed quite easily. I had an exicting month preparing for my new school.

The Alice Academy authorities had sent important forms, their rule book, my class schedule and their prospectus a week before their classes started.

I was sitting in my room and was reading Alice Academy rule book.

"Alice Academy RULES"

1. Girls and boys have to be in their rooms before 10.

2. No student should be seen outside the hostel after 8.

3. Girls are strictly prohibited to go in boys hostel after 8.

4. Boys are strictly prohibited to go in girls hostel after 8.

5. Classes start at 9 a.m students have to reach their classes 10 minutes before it starts.

6. Students will only wear uniforms in school.

7. No drugs,or alcohol is allowed.

8. No one can leave school premises without informing the school principle

9. Students seen voilating these rules will be strictly punished

While reading these rules I prayed that I do not voilate any of those, because somehow I always ended up breaking rules.

Hey everyone this is my very first story...:)

If you liked then plzz do review

-with love

silent reader ...:)