Gakuen Alice ~Shadows Can Fade Out~

Chapter 1 ~Memories in the Dust~

"Class, this is Namiko Ayano. Be sure to welcome her kindly." said the elementary division (Class A) teacher, Hiyako, placing his hand gently on the head of a shy-looking girl with shoulder-length, light brown hair and bright sapphire eyes. The girl's eyes swept the classroom, almost every student was staring at her wondrously. "Quickly find a seat, please, Namiko-chan." advised Hiyako, withdrawing his hand from her head and giving her a slight push towards the desks. Hiyako left the classroom with a smile, and the assistant teacher rushed in.

The classroom instantly become a zoo, students using their Alices and obviously creating chaos for the teacher as he tried to settle them down. Namiko looked around, and decided to take the seat closest to the back of the classroom. She looked around for a vacant desk, finding one next to a boy with messy black hair that hinted a bluish tint, wearing a dark green hat and three black star marks underneath his left eye. She walked over to him, but he didn't notice her, too immersed in a manga book.

"Excuse me..." she said in her usual quiet voice. He didn't look, so she tried to amplify her voice. "Excuse me." She repeated, tapping his shoulder. He looked up, dazed. He snapped his head towards her, seeming annoyed. "Haruko-kun, if you make another comment about my punishment marks, I'm gonna-" the boy then realized that he was talking to Namiko. His clear, dark blue eyes opened wide as he scanned Namiko, top to bottom. Without realizing his actions, he continued to stare at her. Namiko flushed bright red, her body beginning to become transparent.

Several students in the class gasped, including the boy who had been gaping at her. "Whoa! Are you seeing this?" some whispered. "She totally invisible!" gasped others. After a few minutes everyone gave up on searching for her. But the boy looked around."W-wait a sec! Where'd you go? I-I'm sorry for staring!" whispered the boy. "All I wanted to do was ask if I could sit next to you..." Namiko whispered from behind him. "Aaaaieeee!!" screamed the boy, jumping out f his seat. A few students glared at him, then returned to wreaking havoc.

"Let me know where you are before you start talking to me." snapped the boy. Namiko reappeared in the seat next to him with an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, I'm really, really shy. So whenever I get embarrassed o-or scared or something, I to lose control of my Alice and I turn invisible." she explained. The boy nodded, understandingly. "So your Alice is 'Invisibility', huh?" he noted. Namiko nodded. 'Well, actually, it's no my only Alice. I don't know why I have two, but I do.' Namiko thought to herself.

"Anyway, yeah, it's cool with me if you sit next to me." the boy added, remembering her previous question. "I'm Tsubasa Andou. My Alice is 'Shadow Manipulation'." said the boy, grinning. Namiko gave him a shy smile and bowed nervously. "Nice to meet you, Andou-kun. I'm Namiko Ayano. Alices of 'Invisibility' and 'Barrier Ability'." she replied. Tsubasa's eyes grew wide again. Namiko cocked her head to the side. "What?" she said. "You have TWO Alices?!" he asked, pointing at her. Namiko rubbed the back of her neck and smiled embarrassedly. "Um... Yeah, I do." she answered.

"Wow... You're pretty... Er, cool, I mean." amended Tsubasa, before Namiko noticed what he actually about to say. "Thanks..." uttered Namiko, flushing puce, her body beginning to fade out. Tsubasa gave her an odd look. "Is this gonna be a regular thing with you?" he asked, pointing at her almost invisible body. Namiko nodded. "Until I can learn to control my Alice." she replied, laughing and regaining her colours. Tsubasa laughed with her. "I've never met anyone with your 'Invisibility' Alice before." said Tsubasa, suddenly changing the subject.

Namiko nodded. "Hiyako-sensei said my Alice was rare. He said my ability class was 'Special'. What about you?" Namiko studied Tsubasa. "Hey! My ability's 'Special', too! So, your in both of my classes, huh? That's cool." said Tsubasa. A girl in front of them suddenly laughed. "Quit flirting with the Ayano-san, Andou." she said, turning around. She gave Namiko a friendly smile, then smirked towards Tsubasa, who was beet red. "What's the deal, Harada?! Can't I have a normal conversation with a girl without you thinking I'm flirting with them?!" yelled Tsubasa.

The girl to which Tsubasa had addressed as "Harada" grinned. "Of course not. I can obviously tell the difference. And that was flirting." said the girl. "Hi, my name's Misaki Harada, my Alice is 'Doppleganger' my ability type is also 'Special'. Nice to meet you, Ayano-san." she said, smiling. Namiko smiled small and nodded, "Nice to meet you, too, Harada-san. You can call me 'Namiko', I don't mind." said Namiko.

Misaki laughed. "Okay, but if I call you Namiko, then you call me 'Misaki', deal?" offered Misaki. Namiko nodded and grinned. "Deal." she agreed. "Hey! Don't forget about me! You can call me 'Tsubasa'." said Tsubasa, obviously not wanting to be omitted in this friends' circle. Namiko giggled. "All right... Tsubasa." she said, quietly, while Misaki laughed hard at how red Tsubasa's face was.

This was going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

5 Years Later... [Namiko Ayano's P.O.V.]

"Morning, Namiko!" called Tsubasa while passing me in the hallway of the "Double Rank" dorms. I smiled at him cheerfully and gave him a small wave. "Good morning, Tsubasa." I greeted. He returned my wave with his usual devilish grin and grabbed me into a hug. "I swear, sometimes you're just too cute, Namiko!" he cried. I turned bright red and began to fade out. Tsubasa grinned wider and let me go. "Am I making you nervous?" he asked. I felt my face going even hotter. "O-of course not!" I corrected him before he could go further with his teasing, a vein popping out of my forehead.

[Insert image of Tsubasa Andou here]

This boy here is Tsubasa Andou, my very best friend. Actually, now that I think about it, we've been best friends since I came to the Academy at age 4. We're always together (inseparable, if you will) and many people tease us about that. I never seem to help those situations, since every time they happen I flush like an idiot and disappear instantly.

Yes, it's true. I have a crush on Tsubasa. Then again, he doesn't make it any easier by treating me like I'm his sister or daughter or something and calling me "cute" and "adorable" all the time. But other than that I don't mind the fact that he most likely won't return my feelings. I'm happy with being his best friend and I don't usually feel longing for him, because it's just an innocent crush.

"Anyway, let's go have breakfast!" Tsubasa changed the subject and grabbed my hand, pulling me down the hall and out the door towards the cafeteria. I smiled and ran with him. I may not have known it at the time, but my crush on him was blooming into something more...

-------

Not bad? It's my first publishing, so don't sue me! Please let me know what you think! ^^ *waves and disappears in a puff of smoke*