A CHANGE, A DIFFERENCE

CHAPTER 1

Once Again, Not Anymore

This is it.

I have lived my life according to my purpose.

This very instant, I have to face my useless past, once again. Ugh.

For five years, Sakura Mikan had been training. Training intensively and not caring about her emotions. No happiness, no choices. Her mind had been set straight. Not the childish girl she was before anymore, no way, not anymore. She has changed. And she knew that fact. And she liked it.

In fact, she loved it.

Now I have to face those bunches of idiots. I would be meeting them, those heartless thugs, those cold demeanors, everyone, once again.

Once again.

Those bastards.

Those sluts.

Everyone.

She clearly changed. Her perspectives, everything changed. The reason why? She wouldn't tell anyone. Only her mentor knew and another one. But she changed. Not to mention her looks.

Those liars.

Setting aside her usual brunette hair and almond eyes, she was what anyone would say-a beautiful change.

Her hair was not in pigtails anymore. She considered it childish. She quickly disposed of that hairstyle and that trait. Being childish is not a good attitude, it means being idiotic and weak as Persona-sensei had told her. Her body had defined curves, compliments to intensive training from none other than the white masked sensei.

Whichever side you look at her-she's amazing. Not having those unusually big eyes anymore which contained happiness. Instead, those eyes contained darkness, instinct, intelligence, stubbornness, strength.

In a matter of 7 minutes, 6 seconds and 5 milliseconds I would be entering the god forbidden academy. God knows what they would expect. I should prove them wrong. I am not the person they would expect and be happy about anymore. They're all idiots if they would think that.

I am not the person they used to know.

"Are you excited to enter Gakuen Alice again, Shiro Neko?" Persona started their first conversation after five, quiet hours have passed during their travel in the school's limousine.

I am different.

"No." Less words she would use, the better, she thought. She wouldn't waste talking about the damned school so much. She hated it.

I am unique.

"Then would you be happy to know you start school exactly at 7 am tomorrow?" he asked again, not looking at her, instead keeping an eye on the road.

I am special..

"No." she said as a matter-of-factly.

"I demand elaboration, Shiro Neko." He looked at her then stared back at the road waiting for her answer. He wanted to hear her voice out, at the very least.

A minute passed before she replied.

"They would not be of importance for me to lose my composure, sensei, better yet let out a grin of appreciation. They do not deserve any of it, sensei. I assume, you of all people would understand and respect my decision."

He smirked, and then straightened out fast before someone sees his smirk. She had said the words he wanted her to say. She is his best creation. She showed great improvement, especially with her great determination. And of course, her amazing alice.

Being able to nullify an opponent's attack is one thing, but to be able to steal or copy it is another. She was trained and she proved she was worth the time and effort of her sensei. She was skilled mentally, physically, and soon after, emotionally.

2 minutes, 25 seconds more.

"The answer is well respected."

"As you have expected, sensei" was her reply.

I will not fail you. I will honor you.

"I did expect that answer, Mikan"

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something but the driver called out saying they arrived. Her sensei seldom called her by her name. Every time he did, it meant something. Either he's serious, hurt, or proud of her actions.

"Prepare for the welcoming, Shiro Neko" He tapped her back.

"I thought this would be done secretly?"

"Please try your hardest to comprehend with this situation, Mikan Sakura, you are entering here today secretly but you will not be able to hide the truth that you arestill the Mikan Sakura your friends knew before..-" he started explaining but was cut by a cold voice belonging to his best student.

"I am not the Mikan Sakura they knew" she corrected a little bit colder than she intended. But she couldn't help it. She hated those people who betrayed her. Betrayal. Betrayal. It kept ringing in her head. She hated it.

They disgust me.

Her face showed angst upon hearing the word 'friends'.

Friends? They betrayed her. They're all liars. They were all…

"Mikan?" A raven haired girl called out from a distance. She was just passing by the hall towards the office from a conference meeting and her best friend's face greeted her. However, instead of her usual warm and welcoming aura, she had a dark one which made Hotaru doubt it was her best friend, Mikan.

Hotaru. You were one of them. A traitor. Traitor!-

Persona seeing his student stiffen up, layed a hand on Mikan's shoulder to lend his comfort in the least way he could. Truth was he wanted to see how his student would handle seeing her ultra-super-duper best friend, which is usually the cause of Mikan's tantrums in attempting to hug her or the breaking of her calm composure.

But Mikan never failed her mentor. She didn't lose her composure. Still calm, emotionless, cold. This was Mikan now, and she's showing it to the most important person for her.

Scratch that.

It should be ONCE important person, before she was a victim of her best friend and other friend's lying and backstabbing. They were traitors in Mikan's eye from now on, and she will trust no one except her mentor, Persona-sensei, and three more people unknown to others.

But a fact she would like to share to everyone-Hotaru is definitely not counted in those trusted people of hers. Never.

"Let's move on, sensei." She looked up at Persona with those cold eyes showing she didn't care about the girl in front of her, or maybe she wasn't aware of the girl's presence? No. Mikan had perfect eyesight which would make it impossible for her not to notice such a visible presence.

"Are you sure?" He replied after thinking about her actions.

Mikan gave him a quick 'what-the-heck-are-you-saying' glare before regaining her usual expression. She didn't expect that. She wanted him to say yes or agree already just to stay out of her ex-best friend she was facing right now. So why did he say 'are you sure?'? What did her mentor want her to say?

"Yes, I clearly do not like being in this area at the moment. Please bring me to my room." She started walking away. She wanted her mentor to just quietly follow her and not make a fuss in front of Imai Hotaru. Her mentor did get what she was thinking and walked beside her.

"Mikan! I know it's you..-" Hotaru called out. Why was Mikan acting that way? Shouldn't she have launched herself at Hotaru and prepare to get hit by her baka gun? But Hotaru didn't feel that way. Somehow, she knew there was something wrong with her, and if Mikan would hug her, she wouldn't hit her at the moment. Besides, she wanted to know why she suddenly left without telling anyone except him. Him. That Natsume Hyuuga.

Natsume was reading a manga, of course on top of their,but now only his, sakura tree, couldn't help but sense great danger. Wait. It wasn't danger. It was his mentor, 'that bastard', Persona. But he could sense another aura. A much, much, much more dangerous one near his mentor, in fact, they seemed to be standing beside each other, sharing their both dark aura. But who is that person? Whoever he or she is, that person is strong. And aside from the dark aura he or she possessed, that person held a familiar aura.

Is that person..? No way. She would never possess such a dark and strong one. She would always be one to have a happy aura around her.

But doubt went up his mind. He shook the feeling away, but he couldn't shake the feeling at all.

Maybe it is Mikan after all..

Her aura was too familiar with him. She was his partner, after all. But setting that aside, Mikan was surely a special person for Natsume. He just wouldn't accept it. Mikan leaving the academy, without saying a proper goodbye with only a warning that she might leave soon, made Natsume feel a part of him disappeared. A special part has left him. Mikan.

He started sensing where the aura was from but he forgot to control his own aura, and once the person sensed he or she is being tracked, he/she quickly hid his/her aura. A trained person. A verytrained person. Probably a new, recruited dangerous ability type,Natsume thought and washed of the feeling that it would be Mikan. Mikan would never come with Persona.

Or so he thought.

Just below the cherry blossom tree he was reading at, was Persona with a girl that looked like Mikan. No. It isMikan.

"Mi…" He started whispering under his breath.

"I know you are up there.." Mikan suddenly spoke up while looking straight and not in his direction. Maybe she didn't spot him. Just maybe, he hoped.

But then she stared up the tree, exactly where Natsume was sitting on. She didn't exactly stare, Natsume thought but he erased the truth that Mikan actually glared as if it was the most normal thing to do. "..But I do not wish to talk to you, so please leave me alone." She finished, and left with her mentor. Their mentor.

I can't believe that bastard knows about Mikan's disappearance before. Damn it!, He jumped down the tree to follow the two, but..

"I told you to stay Kuro Neko." She faced him. More like glared, again.

"What are you saying, you idiot? Do you know how much people were worried about..-" he glared back but was cut by the 'idiot' he was referring to.

"I am not an idiot, Kuro Neko.." she replied calmly. "..but I warned you to stay back, I will forgive you if you stop your attempt on getting near me." She turned back again and started walking.

"Shiro Neko, stay composed." Natsume heard Persona whisper.

Shiro Neko? What the? ..I need to know what.. , Natsume started following them, totally ignoring what 'Shiro Neko' said. Suddenly, he felt something enter him, like a thunder that flowed through his body until it got past his self defense and got to his head and snapped a bolt inside, electric current flowed once again, more rapidly this time, and by the time it has ended, he was completely paralyzed, not to mention wounded inside.

Wounded not only physically, but he wouldn't admit being hurt emotionally. He wanted to stop whatever was happening and demand answers from his ex-partner but it seemed quite impossible now. Not only impossible to get answers, but to be free from the struggles he'd been feeling. He wanted to let Mikan know she had been hope, a small light in the middle of his darkness, but it seemed his little light was blown off. And now everything seemed impossible.

But he wasn't ready to give up yet. He will know what happened to hisMikan. He wanted the old Mikan back. He wanted her so badly. He wanted her no matter what. He needed her. He craved for her coming back, and he wanted it to be soon. But something told him it wouldn't happen soon. Not soon at all. And he hated that feeling. He wanted to smack his head for thinking things like that. He wanted to get angry at himself.

"This is your room, special star my student." Persona led Mikan to her new room. He wanted to make her feel relaxed after all those times, but even he thought something was wrong with him. He felt so comfortable with the girl.

Over the years they've been together, Persona had gradually come to liking the girl as if she was his daughter. She was a very obedient person but stubborn at times, which was part of the reason why he liked her more. She was different than the rest of them. What was the most important thing about this girl was that she understood him. Persona was never the easiest person to be with, but with Mikan, he felt as if he was actually having fun. But he never got that in the way of his teaching. He started her training, and even if she was tired, you could see determination in her eyes every time. Persona got used to her new behavior; besides, he is part of the reason behind Mikan's new demeanor. Mikan seldom shared her smile, but whenever she smiles, she shares her happiness with invincible happy rays. Persona thought it was a weird thought, but that was part of his gradual changing, thanks to the girl.

It wasn't only Mikan who changed. It was both of them. A student learns from the teacher, at the same time, the teacher learns from his student. Persona first thought this was a stupid thought, but when he got to meet Mikan, he finally understood and kinda scolded himself for thinking he was knowledgeable enough. Truth was he respected Mikan.

(~)

"School starts tomorrow, wake up at four thirty sharp, take a bath by 5 am at the least..-" Persona started blabbering about my schedule. Gosh, if I didn't respect him I could've shoved him off my new, special star room.

"-..take a bath, eat dinner by 6, leave the dormitory by 6:30 sharp, arrive there by 6:45 and blah, blah, blah. I know Persona-sensei! I can read your mind anyway.." I shared my seldom grin. It's sensei anyway. I can sense he was taken a back but got back to his usual self when he saw my grin.

"I'm sorry Shiro Neko, but I wanted you to not be late in your first day of school, and..-"

"I am sorry if I offended you, my mentor. I do not wish to intimidate you any longer so I suggest we must part, after all, I want some time alone and free especially after a five hour, 8 minute, 54 second, 3 millisecond drive from the training grounds. And I would love to be able to spread my body around and start working out." I spoke fast, but I am sure Persona-sensei heard me because he nodded and left the room, now myroom, without further ado.

I sighed as I lay myself down on my king size bed. Five years. It's been five years since I left this stupid academy. I vowed to get away as much as I can, but God knows why I was sent back here. I soaked myself with everyday sweat. I trained hard, trained and trained, and now I am stronger and I'll prove them all wrong. I am not the Mikan they can push around and lie to. I have feelings before but now I don't care how much you drag me down, because in the end you will be a failure. You all who dare to challenge me will bea failure. I am different. I am unique. I am special. You'll be sorry you bastards did this to me.

If you ask me why I became like this, the answer is them themselves. They're stupid enough to greet me after what they did to me. Such bitches. Such bastards. They're all assholes.

Once again I come here, not anymore the person you expect me to be.

(~)

konnichiwa! I am riskydenial in and this is my first time submitting a fanfic. I hope you do not criticize me much, but flames are very well accepted, but please tell me what I did wrong so that I'd understand thank you for reading this and lastly, please review! Onegai I really would love pleasant reviews

um.. would you mind if I ask a newbie question? I'd be glad to hear anyone answer it

-how many pages do you use when you type a chapter? I wanna know if I made it too short..?