Hey guys long time no see, just casually sauntering back after a few years afk to give this story a much needed revision :D *nervously laughs* But seriously I am really sorry about leaving so many stories incomplete for so long T_T. I can't promise I'll finish them all, but I think Hating Hyuuga is a good start at least. It is a very fun story to write. This is looking to be a near complete rewrite, so if you find yourself nostalgic for any of the old chapters drop me a pm and I can send them. This new version features some plot changes, and changes to Mikan's character to make her less OOC. Definitely worth re-reading if you've already read this before. As with all my fanfictions, I do not own the characters or Alice Academy :) Without further ado...
Hating Hyuuga
chapter 1
Mikan Sakura vs. The World
Standing at the front gates, I look at my father, mouth agape. He just shrugs, evidently used to this sort of grandeur already.
"You didn't mention anything about it being this big!" I hiss at him, standing awkwardly to the side as he shows the guards our papers and the mammoth wrought iron gate swings open.
"It's a boarding school, of course it's big." He says with a dismissive wave of his hand. You've got to be joking. I come from a teeny tiny village south of Osaka where the schools are five classroom buildings where sometimes when the weather's bad you can stay the night. I give his arm a karate chop but now he doesn't even pretend it hurts.
"You'll be fine." He reassures me, patting my head. "Everyone's really friendly here, and you'll make friends in no time." Now that he brings up friends I think I might just cry. It's an elevator school, most of the people here will already know each other. Friendship groups will have formed. Bonds made. I can already imagine myself spending the rest of my life alone. I shake these thoughts out of my head and slap my cheeks. I can do this, I tell myself silently. Not a problem.
I've never had trouble speaking to people or being myself. It's just that sometimes I don't think before I speak. Everyone at my old school is used to it, but that's only because they've known me my whole life. I tap my head as if trying to dislodge these negative thoughts and just try to focus on walking. That's right, you can do it; says the invisible cheer squad inside my head. I wonder if my mum knows a good psychologist…
A black, very shiny and very, very posh car glides past me with graceful ease, and I shoot a dirty look at my father for not having a car. He gives me a look saying, blame your mother not me. My mother is visiting an old friend of hers today, so she commandeered the car. She always commandeers the car come to think of it. Probably because it's hers. I silently try to project vibes of, get your own car dad. The vibes don't really work, but I think he still knows what I'm thinking. As if to rub salt into the wound a silver shiny European car slides smoothly past, easing around the corner a full half minute before I get to it. Even though I was clearly here first!
The view when I get there takes my breath away. Not in a romantic sense, but in the sense that when I see the massive octo levelled building across the lawn I forget how to breathe and just stare. Well, perhaps not eight levels, but suffice to say that it is very big. As if that isn't enough it positively oozes with sheer luxury. The gently sloping lawns of velvety green, the smooth stone exterior, the glass feature walls where the original building had been renovated. All suggested taste of the highest discernment, and a deep wallet to match.
I grin, motioning to the open space before me.
"Is Kazu really the principal of all this?" I turn slowly and drink in the space. Without waiting for my father respond I run down to the grass. Even through my shoes I can feel how soft it is, and suddenly I drop my heavy bag and viola case on the grass and plop myself down, lying on my back and looking up at the sky. Shortly my father enters my field of view, an amused expression on his face.
"It looks like you've made yourself right at home." He sits on the grass beside me and ruffles my hair. "Don't be such a brat or you'll be late."
I groan at his reminder and pick myself up, brushing away the grass on my coat. I take a few steps before I realise that he isn't following. He looks at me sheepishly.
"I don't need to be anywhere for another half hour." He declares, and then flops back onto the grass with the biggest grin on his face. I throw my bag at him, retrieve it, and then continue on my way through the main entrance, more determined for his absence.
At the information desk in the lobby I show the secretary my new school papers and she smiles in recognition.
"Ah ha! So this is the rumoured principal's niece. I can sort of see the family resemblance. You have his ears." she says pleasantly, and for a moment I wonder if I should be offended. His ears? "Principal Yukihira apologises for not being able to greet you in person, he is currently away at a meeting with the education board."
The mention of Uncle Kazu reminds of something I have to ask.
"Excuse me, does anybody know I'm his niece?"
"A few of the teachers."
"So none of the students?" I ask, relieved when she nods in confirmation. I don't know if I could deal with being the principal's niece to everyone.
"It can stay that way" she reassures me, sensing my relief. "Would you like to be shown to your dorm to put down your bags and instrument? We can also arrange a tour for you."
"Oh, just a map should be fine!" I say, somewhat irresponsibly considering my track record with maps. Not only does she give me a map but she also gives me some instructions for getting to my room. Soon I am on my way, wandering down the hallway looking like a tourist with all the head turning and craning I am doing. I consider taking a selfie in front of the portraits of famous graduates but some students walking past stop me. Which is a shame really; it would have looked great on my Facebook page.
The dormitory building is much newer than the main one, although effort has been put into keeping it classic looking. It stretches out along the banks of a lake, made of smooth white stone and with a leafy vine creeping over the surfaces from one end. Tall arched windows line the front, and inside behind the velvet curtains I can see a large dining hall, long varnished wood tables stretching across its length, adorned with flowers in vases. It feels a bit like a dream, and I walk in with a silly smile on my face, looking around from the herringbone wood floor to the high ceilings from which hang warm colored lights. I walk over to one of the curtains and run my hands along the fabric. Really who could blame me? So much emerald furry softness…
The sound of laughter draws my attention to a group of students sitting at one of the benches.
"Are you lost?" One of the girls asks. She's sitting on the table, one leg crossed elegantly over the other and looking very much at the centre of attention. Honey coloured hair curls softly out at her jawbone, and is brushed with a graceful flick to the side.
'Uhh." I start, not fully confident in my ability to find my room. "You wouldn't happen to be know where room 304 is?" Everybody around her titters but I can't quite put my finger on why. I guess I'm just naturally humorous. I remember my grandpa used to say that my face alone could make him laugh.
"304? Of course." the girl says. "That's in the other building."
"The other one?"
"It's the newest building so it's not on the map. If you go to the other side of the lake, there's a path leading a bit farther into the forest. It's just at the end of it."
"Thanks!" I say smiling, although I am totally disappointed that this gorgeous building isn't actually my dorm. I turn to leave but then I remember my manners. "I'm Mikan by the way, Sakura Mikan."
"Pleasure." the girl replies, but does not offer her own name.
It is half an hour later when I finally realize that I have been lied to. My arms are exhausted from holding my belongings, I'm lost in the middle of a forest, and to top it off there is a teacher in front of me with a really lame old fashioned bowl haircut. He is now lecturing me about being in an out of bounds area.
"I was just looking for the dormitory!" I defend.
"Oh really now?" Yes, I want to scream, I really, really was. Why on earth would I take a hike out here with a duffel bag containing all my belongings and a heavy viola case slung over my shoulder? The teacher continues speaking. "Because I have heard from some students that you, hearing the north woods were out of bounds, decided to come here anyway."
"No! That's not what happened!" I think I'm going to cry. But then I see that he's wearing this super cute frog tie and I laugh instead. Hysterically.
"How dare you laugh as if this is some menial thing you have forgotten about!" Uh oh. Sparks are flying and not in a good way. He grabs me by the ear. "Purposefully and maliciously defying school rules." Small bits of spittle fly out as he speaks and I groan.
"They're lying!" He ignores my protests and starts to drag me in some direction; I have long since given up on figuring out which. I suppose there is a bright side to this. I would never have found my way out of that forest alone.
Sometime along the way he stops dragging me and I follow obedient and silent, dejectedly wondering why my first day, no, first hour here has turned out so dismally. Every time I open my mouth in a new attempt at defending myself he snaps his fingers angrily and I shut it. God this teacher is just a little bundle of sunshine. He deposits me in a near empty classroom.
"Here Izumi, a new one for your detention, caught her in the woods. Don't be too soft on these miscreants." And then he is gone, leaving me in a classroom with my father looking almost as shocked as I am.
"Help me…" I whimper, before dropping my bag on the floor and curling up into a ball. After he has recovered he laughs.
"What did you do to make Jinno so angry?" He asks. Is that a hint of admiration I hear in his voice? I sigh and recount my story to him, making sure to add in the part about how I am INNOCENT.
"Oh Mikan." he says, giving me a pitying look. "Only you could get into trouble so soon after arriving."
"None of that was my fault though!" I wail.
"I know honey." He says, patting down my hair. "I'll go and explain the misunderstanding to Jin Jin now."
"Really?" I ask, brightening.
"Yes!" He says, determinedly opening the door. He looks back as an afterthought. "Can you watch Hyuuga for me? If I'm not back in 15 minutes he is free to leave."
"Wait... What?" I realise for the first time that there is someone else in the room. A boy, someone with an actual detention, sits bored by the window. "What did he do?" I hiss to my father. He shrugs.
"I don't know, I only supervise the detention." When my father has left I look at this guy. Is he a delinquent? Or someone who's here by mistake like me? His head tilts slightly and he regards me with his shockingly vivid eyes.
"Wouldn't you like to know." I jump guiltily at the sound of his voice, as if I have just been caught doing something wrong. A slight breeze comes in from the window, blowing ripples in his raven black hair. Like the icing on top of the cake two pink petals whirl their way in through the window, landing neatly on his broad shoulders. He casually brushes them off with his long slender fingers. I am strongly reminded of the last dating sim I played. He stands up in one smooth movement and stretches, elongating his athlete's body.
"See you around, Mikan." The way he says my name makes it sound so…not child friendly. Whoa whoah whoah. Wait.
"You still have fifteen minutes left of your detention." Suddenly it feels like everything; the soft light, the opportunistic breeze and faraway look, even those two stupid cherry blossom petals, was all a set up to distract me. I cross my arms and stand between him and the door. "Don't think I forgot."
He gives me a long, significant look, a 'are you seriously doing this' look. I nod. At last he drops the act, a scowl coming across his face.
"Get out of my way." He orders.
"I will." I say stubbornly. "In 15 minutes."
"I have better things to do, although you clearly do not." He says this loudly, clearly and concisely, as if speaking to an idiot. I narrow my eyes and my jaw juts out.
"Don't you think it's important to reflect on your mistakes?" I ask.
"No." Is his blunt response. I drag a chair towards the door and straddle it, leaning my chin on the backrest, keeping my eyes fixed on him like a hawk. He swears.
"Time to think about your actions Hyuuga." I say in an ominous voice.
"What are you some sort of hall monitor?" At this point I don't even care about what he did or whether he's sorry for it. I just want him to be as tired and miserable as I am at the moment.
"Now I want you to write, 'I will never try to escape Yukihira sensei's detentions again' fifty times for me before you leave." He gives a sigh of exasperation and simply kicks my chair over. The world turns sideways.
"Nice underwear." He says before he leaves. I just stay there on the ground for a bit, waiting for it to swallow me whole.
I really hope you've enjoyed this rewrite of the first chapter ^_^
Tell me what you think in the reviews :D