Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice is written by Tachibana Higuchi.

Natsume is one of my favorite characters. Though he is only a 10-year-old (or now 11-year-old) boy, he is so charismatic and sophisticated. I always wonder: what is he thinking when he does certain 'things'? When does he start to have feelings for Mikan? What does he think about others? etc etc. That's why I want to write something about him.

I don't plan to go OOC, instead, I would love to make it coherent with the ongoing manga, which in turn will make my story not too imaginative in terms of plot. If you are looking something completely novel, this will definitely disappoint you.

Let's start off with the pre-academy period.

Gakuen Alice: Natsume's POV

Chapter One: The First Friend

The rain-steeped ground exhaled slowly and quietly. The mist was reluctant to let go of its yearning to its origin, and stayed around the land. The humid air caressed our skins, bringing along the scents of grass and sand. With the clouds roaming in the sky, the tamed sun concealed itself from the awaiting earth. It was a spring morning in a rural village.

Spring was never my favorite, in fact, none of the other seasons was. Other than my family, I did not bother to associate fondness with anything else. Maybe mangas and food were the exception, but somehow it was because they were simply necessities.

We arrived here few days ago, and started our lives in a desolate area on the hill. Today was the first day of class, my younger sister Aoi and I were now heading towards to the school. It was going to be the seventh elementary school we had gone to. Moving out had been a habitual issue in my family for a long time.

'Onii-chan, the wild flowers over there look so good,' Aoi exclaimed happily, pointing at some little red flowers.

Red... was a unique color that gave me a mixing of feelings. It was a color of familiarity, since I would see it whenever I looked into a mirror: my crimson red eyes. It was also a color of nightmare. It reminded me of fire.

Fire… was a supernatural power I had. People generally considered these kinds of supernatural power as Alice. My father and Aoi had Fire Alice too. We could ignite a fire whenever and wherever we wanted. It sounded cool, eh? But if I could choose, I would rather not be an Alice.

Every time I thought of my Alice, my eyebrows would frown, and a tight feeling in my chest made me feel suffocated.

–

'There was a suspicious fire break out recently. Maybe this family was……'

Once our Alice was known to the neighbors, it was not uncommon to be suspected as culprits for causing fire or explosion, since there were always people who used this kind of Alice for bad things. Being born with such an Alice, we were meant to lead this kind of condemned life.

'As you have heard, the xxx gang was mal-using their influences to distress villagers' life. If your family joins us, we can do great deeds together, take over the territories, and establish a whole new life here.'

Great deeds? As of destroying things and hurting people? I seriously did not see how different these people were compared to that gang. All they wanted was dominance and control, and the benefits associated with that.

'The Hyuuga siblings should attend Alice Academy. This is the government's requirement. All of you will be better off if you do as you are told.'

Taking us away from our father was for our betterment? Were you kidding? I knew that my parents criticized the Academy's activities and system. My mother died in a so-called accident during a conflict. Who knew how we, as their children, would be treated? Who knew if the Academy or the government planned on using our power?

–

'Onii-chan,' Aoi's dreamy voice drew me away from my thoughts. 'I wonder how my classmates will be like, I am getting so excited. Do you feel the same?' She asked.

I was glad that she had distracted me just at the right time, so that I would not dwell in past memories. She did not wait for my reply and continued, 'Oh! You will go home with me today, won't you?'

'Hn.'

I wondered how long this peaceful life would last.

–

'This is Hyuuga Natsume-kun. Their family has just moved here to live on the hill last week. Does anyone live nearby? Because of family matters, they have been moving out many times.'

Kids in the class were awed at the fact that I had lived in many places. They thought it was a remarkable thing. How green they were.

I saw two tall guys dressed with black suits standing at the back in the classroom. I bet they were the bodyguards of some rich kids in this class. Other than that, it looked like an ordinary class.

Right after homeroom, some talkative classmates came to talk to me,

'Hyuuga-kun, let me tell you something interesting!!'

'I don't want to know,' I said.

'Don't be so polite, I'll tell you anyway, you know, this class is really great!!'

'I said I didn't want to know,' I could not help wondering why girls could sometimes be so pushy.

'The classmate over there,' she pointed at a blonde boy standing behind her. 'He's called Ruu-chan. He has a special power called Alice. He's the pride of our village, and we all feel so honored. Do you know what Alice is, Hyuuga-kun? It means ……'

I could still hear the girl's voice, but not the words anymore. There was an Alice in this class? This news was way too shocking for me. He was the pride of the village? Did it mean every one knew that he's an Alice? How come a kid with his Alice known to everybody could hide from the academy? That was unbelievable! I could not keep my eyes off him. It was when I realized he had beautiful ocean blue eyes.

Then, he abruptly turned away from my stare and ran out of the classroom in a dash. Why did he run away? Did I look too traumatized that I scared him away? It was the first time I wanted to know more about a person. What was his Alice? How could he manage to lead an ordinary life after revealing his Alice? Oh, what was his name by the way? I remembered that girl called him Ruu-chan. Ruu-chan could never be a boy's name, couldn't it? But if I was not told that it was a 'he' beforehand, maybe I might have a little bit confusion, well, just maybe.

All of a sudden, a sense of danger alerted me. I looked outside and saw two people carrying a blonde kid away. It did not look right at all, that was kidnapping! I immediately leap through the window to get to the crime scene. With no second thought, I kicked right at the face of the person that was hugging the boy's body. My kick was hard enough to force him let go of the boy.

'Hey, hang in!!' I shouted to the boy. I sensed someone approaching me from the back. I turned around and saw a guy carrying a short knife coming to me. I quickly lit a fire on his sleeve to scare him off.

'Monster!' He yelled at me before he ran away.

'Huh! Who's the real monster? How can one point a knife to a kid?' I scorned. I always did not understand how come adults did not feel ashamed of themselves when they tried to kidnap or hurt kids. I saw the saved boy was still crouching on the ground.

'Hey! When will you quit trembling? It's time to go!' I urged him.

After class, we went to sit on the roof and chatted. It was the first time I met an Alice who was of the same age as I was. I honestly told him my surprise, and the feeling was actually mutual.

'I was surprised too. It's the first time I saw an Alice like yours. About the "family matters" that make you keep moving out are…'

'It turns out like this as we keep ditching the Alice Academy and annoying flies.' I interrupted. 'All my family members are Alice.' I had never told others about my family before. I did not know why but his accompaniment made me feel comfortable to talk about myself.

'If I were the only target,' I continued. 'I wouldn't just sneak away. I'd fight and beat them real hard. However, since my sister is also being targeted, I cannot just ignore this. My whole family has the "Fire Alice", except my deceased mother who has another Alice.'

'That's amazing!' He gasped in awe.

'Not really. The fact that you are the only Alice in the family is even more…'

'But your whole family has such a great Alice!' he exclaimed with enthusiasm, with his blue eyes sparkling. 'It's a power that can protect people. My power is so much different from yours.'

He sounded as if he sincerely admired my Alice. He was so innocent to believe my Alice as a great one, a power to protect people. It had been a long time since I considered my Alice as a destructive power only. Recalling all those people who came after us, they did so merely for having a grip of 'powerful weapons'. Those hopeless people made me feel sick.

'You are so bizarre,' I said. 'My Alice is not as great as you think. If everyone were like you and only used this power with good intention, we wouldn't need to painstakingly move from place to place.'

I did not want to infiltrate my pessimistic feelings to him. I leaped from the roof to the floor below.

'Hyuuga-kun!' He shouted.

'Call me Natsume. What's your name?'

'Ru… Ruka,' he sounded so diffident to me. I suddenly remembered how the girls in the class called him.

'Hn, Ruu-chan,' I smirked.

He was stunned as he heard me calling him by that nickname, then a mixture of blushing and resentment appeared on his face. His embarrassing look was just so hilarious. With that, I turned away and leave, 'See you, Ruu-chan.'

Ruka was so kind-hearted and gentle. No doubt he had gotten such a girlish nickname.

I had never imagined it felt so nice chatting with a friend. It was probably because I had met someone with similar stance: same age, both being an Alice, both (somehow) had experiences of 'suffering' from being an Alice. It felt so good to know someone who could talk the same language and comprehend my feelings. Was this kind of sensation so-called thankfulness?

Moreover, it was unexpected to hear positive opinions about my Alice. Knowing that there was still someone who thought good about my Alice made my heart become so light. The bad feeling erupting in my chest appeared to have gone. I felt so relieved.

Even though there were still clouds hanging around in the sky, the setting sun seemed to find a way to color the clouds, making the sky livelier.

–

'Onii-chan! Welcome home!' Aoi rushed to me with a dazzling smile as I arrived home. 'Huh… Where have you been? You said you will go home with me, turns out I have to come back myself,'

'Welcome home, Natsume, did something good happen? You look so happy,' my father said.

'Neh, nothing,' I replied blankly. In fact, I was really happy, but I did not expect my dopey father to notice it.

'Oh! You made friends, didn't you?' Aoi complained.

'Neh, even if I do make friends, it will be of no use.'

Who knew when we would be chased by the academy and others again? Who knew when we would have to move out again? If separation was inevitable, falling in too much with friends would only leave more disconsolation for me afterwards.

Still, my heart encouraged me to enjoy whatever and whenever I could. I knew well enough that this blessing was by no means permanent; I did hope that it would last long though, as long as possible.

–

For the next few days, I chatted with Ruka after class and did not go home with Aoi. This was why when I arrived home, Aoi immediately bombarded me with tons of questions.

'Onii-chan, are you staying at school with our friend again? What's his name? How does he look like? Oh! I bet it's not a she, right?' Her eyes beamed with curiosity and eagerness

'I am not going to tell you,' I lazily replied and then stuck my tongue out, thinking to myself, 'the more you want to know, the later I am going to tell you.'

Being a pig-headed meddlesome little girl, she insisted in knowing about Ruka. She literally followed me everywhere in the house, piling me up with questions. She kept asking me throughout the dinner, and still persisted after the meal.

'Tell me about your friend please…! Onii-chan… Please! Please!' She was sitting opposite to me at the dining table, looking at me with pleading eyes and a light smile. Seeing her begging expression, I found it difficult to resist the temptation to… trick her.

'Aoi, come to my side and I will tell you,' I made the statement calmly.

She got off her seat excitedly and quickly ran to me. Once she was by my side, she wore a huge smile with her eyes twinkled with excitement, and urged me to tell her. I raised my hand and flick my fingers on her forehead.

'OUCH!!!!' She yelped as her head tilted backward.

'Baka!' I left my seat with a sly smile, heading to the kitchen to do the washing.

'It hurts!!!!! You… You are so mean!!!' She frantically shouted at me.

However, it did not take long for her to forget what had happened. She started bugging me again after I finished the washing. She was a real expert in prompting me to make fun of her.

'So, you want me to twack you again, huh?' I pretended to glower at her, while coiling my middle finger against my thumb.

She immediately stepped back and put her hands on her forehead, looking bewildered. I sneered at her reactions. Then, to my surprise, she lowered her hands and subsequently grasped my arm.

'If I let you do that, will you tell me about your friend then?' She blinked at me with a bright grin.

Oh my, what did her brain make up of? She was a real expert in giving unpredictable responses too.

'Baka!' I chuckled. 'You've been hanging around with me for a long time, are you sure you have finished your homework?

'Of course I've… Oh no! Now you have reminded me, I still have one more to do,' she gasped and hurriedly walked to her desk. Then she suddenly turned her head and gave me a cheerful smile, 'Thanks for reminding me, Onii-chan!'

Not that I thought befriending with Ruka was anything secretive, but the way she bugged around me brought lots of enjoyment to me. Whenever there was Aoi, there was laughter.

Despite having faced different kinds of annoyance attributed to our Alice, she still managed to stay optimistic and cheerful. She never forgot to put on her brightest smile, which lightens up the aura around me. I had no idea when we would have to abscond again. I did not know if there would be a day when we could no longer be on tenterhooks. In this mist of endless chaos, her presence gave me calmness in mind.

–

I thought Aoi would give up asking me questions the following days. I thought she would forget her curiosity about Ruka. How wrong I was to forget girls can be extraordinarily persistent.

I was reading mangas at home after I did my homework. She began her relentless inquiries when she had finished hers. She could probably do a good job as an interviewer. I was drawn to the manga so I did not want to answer her at this moment.

She carried on for a while and eventually left me alone. After some time, I lied down on the floor and put the manga on top of my head resting, when she unexpectedly started grumbling.

'You… You are so… bl…. blood… cold and heartless to ignore me. If you don't answer my questions, I… I… I'm… going to ig… ig… ig… ignore you…'

If that was said by anyone else, it might be an intimidation. But since it was Aoi, every supposedly threatening remark was destined to sound comical instead.

Her voice faded down as she tried to threaten me. She was by nature lovely and mild, so she would feel embarrassed and uneasy herself whenever she tried to do anything against her character. I felt an urge to laugh at her poorly-performed threat, but knowing this might make her feel more awkward, I had better keep the laughter in heart. With the manga covering my face, I pretended to have fallen asleep. Then, I heard a light laugh from Aoi before she left the room.

Later that night when I was packing my school bag for the following day, I felt a shiver as I heard a fake sugary voice from my back.

'My dearest Oniiiiiiii-chan.'

I turned around and gave Aoi a glare. She responded with a bright smile on her face, and a pair of eyes gleaming in a suggestive way. With that same pretentious voice she continued, 'The most handsome Onii-chan, the most caring Onii-chan, are you in a good mood to talk about your friend?'

My jaw instantly dropped.

'Huh! Did someone just say I am "bl… blood… cold and heartless", eh?' I teased her by imitating the way she talked.

Aoi's eyes widened, 'So you're awake all the time, and you didn't respond to me! Oh! You're soooooo mean!!'

'Yea yea, I am mean. A mean onii-chan is always not a good mood to talk about his friend,' I mocked.

She raised her eyebrow and stared at me. After a short while, she took a breath and grinned.

'I'll continue to bug you until you can't stand it and decide to tell me about your friend. Be prepared!' She gave me a playful look as she finished her words.

I could feel the corners of my lips slightly pull up by themselves. I pat on her head and said, 'It's getting late, go to sleep now.'

–

As she had said, she did try different tactics the following day.

'Onii-chan, let me help you wash the dishes tonight,' she offered cheerfully.

'I'd rather wash them myself than help to sweep broken glasses,' I snickered. She once broke 3 bowls and 2 plates and cut her fingers. I did not plan to let her wash dishes until she grew a bit older.

'Onii-chan, we are having strawberries as fruits-for-the-day. I know you love strawberries, let me give all of mine to you.'

'You always want to get rid of strawberries, don't you? That's not a fair deal, it's just an excuse, eh?' I ridiculed.

'………'

–

It had been five days since school started. Thanks to Aoi and Ruka, I had never felt so light-hearted. How great it would be if these days could last forever.

When I arrived home, expecting Aoi to rush to me, yet only my father greeted me. Suddenly, I felt a tightening inside my body. My eyebrows brought themselves together. It was a hunch that something was going wrong.

I hurried to the room and saw Aoi sitting at her desk quietly.

'Aoi, anything happened?' I demanded.

She shook her head. She didn't look like herself; there was no smile, and only a blank expression. I was very worried.

'Just tell me,' I tried to soften my voice.

'I… I feel being left out. Onii-chan used to tell me many things…' she lowered her head and said slowly.

'Baka, you think too much!' I pat on her head. I suddenly remembered she was interested to know about Ruka, maybe that could light her up. 'Let me tell you about my friend, how about it?'

'Really?' she looked up, and I nodded. Then, she immediately burst into laughter, 'YEAH!!!!'

It was good to see her laugh again. But wait… was the change a bit too abrupt? She kept laughing out loud and clutched her stomach tightly.

'Oto-san is so correct!!!' She giggled. 'I asked him what Onii-chan was most afraid of, and he replied, "An unhappy Aoi". I have to tell Oto-san that he is so right!!!'

She ran out of the room cheerfully, leaving me dumbfounded. I swore one day I would skin that idiotic father alive. When Aoi came back to the room, she grasped my arm gently and said, 'I am sorry, Onii-chan, I will never lie that way again.'

I sighed in defeat. In fact I felt relieved much more than angry. It was good that Aoi was alright and nothing had gone wrong. Still, I punched her on top of her head as punishment, 'Are you done with your work to listen to my story?'

She nodded her head eagerly. I told her about Ruka, or Ruu-chan to be exact. She asked for every detail about him, and she got more excited when I told her that he was also an Alice.

'Have you seen his Alice?'

'Neh,' I recalled when I asked what his Alice was, he looked down and answered in a murmur. It was easy to read his expression. He seemed to feel embarrassed about his Alice.

'Why don't you ask him to use his Alice?' she asked in shock.

'If he feels like using it, he will do so. I will wait patiently.'

All of a sudden, I felt the same haunting hunch again.

Within a few minutes, someone knocked at our door.

Thanks for reading the first chapter of my first fanfiction. I have difficulties in making appropriate line breaks, but I hope you still have enjoyed the story. :)