Disclaimer:
I do not own Gakuen Alice. The plot is borrowed from Daa! Daa! Daa! and tweaked to fit and maintain the characters' personalities, and to prevent the copy-and-paste, line-for-line idea of this AU. Some of the scenarios are direct copies as they are the only way I can see it happen without any complications (like narrative loopholes).
Chapter 1: Housemates
"I can't wait to see what Gakuen Alice looks like inside!" A teenage female's voice chimed in the air. It echoed through the halls of the temple. Her school was shut down for a while due to a chemical accident. There was no definite time yet on when they were going to go back up and running. However, the school was not going to let its students go on a vacation that could last for months. The school's committee and its sister school, Gakuen Alice, agreed to take in the students for the meantime as the students weren't that much to begin with.
A brunette female with eyes the color of chocolate sat looking dreamily at nowhere. Gakuen Alice was locally known to be a beautiful school with nature as its fenced backyard. It was unlike her school that had a little less flora and fauna to admire. She wasn't just excited for the scenery and environment, though. She was also excited to meet Gakuen Alice's students and acquire new friends. Plus, she would get to see her best friend Hotaru again after just transferring to Gakuen Alice that year.
"Mikan, will you pay attention?" The young female's grandfather scowled, displeased by her daydreamy state that she completely forgot about the real topic at hand.
"Oh! Right!" Mikan grinned sheepishly as her shoulders rose as if to hide her head in shame. "Sorry, Grandpa. So a family friend's son is moving in with us because his parents are going abroad?"
A nod. "Yes. He has no relatives to look after him, and we are closer to Gakuen Alice anyway, so it saves him 20 minutes of the trip."
"I see…" Mikan nodded slowly. "How come I've never met him if he's a family friend?"
"You have, but you were a baby at the time. I doubt you could remember." The old man sipped his tea.
A quiet 'oh' could be heard.
She took it normally, casually. She was an accommodating person. Her parents and, eventually, grandfather wanted her to be the best version of her all the time. When her parents died, Grandpa Sakura made sure Mikan maintained the kind of standard her parents had set for her, especially when it came to her manners. Grandpa was strict sometimes, and she wished she had a parent to run to when she had quarrels with him whenever there was a generational clash of ideas. Despite the occasional arguments, Mikan loved her grandfather. Though, she sometimes wished she still had parents. Excited, Mikan helped her grandfather tidy up the house for the arrival of their new company.
Meanwhile, the boy transferring to their home wasn't taking any of his situation. A teenage boy with raven hair and crimson eyes was sat by the dinner table. He was glaring at both his parents. He felt betrayed. How could they tell him the last minute when he barely had a say in the matter? And why did he have to move in with a family friend? He could handle himself! This wasn't going to be the first time he was going to be home alone.
"Why are you telling me this when you've already made up your mind?" He said impatiently.
The woman who looked a lot like him still retained a smile even with his son clearly displeased with the setting she and her husband had already set up. "I'm not that rude, honey." She admitted with a grin.
The teenager's response was an annoyed huff.
"It'll just be for the meantime, Natsume. When our contract is done, we'll be back here." The father was trying to lessen the tension with his soothing words, but alas, it did little.
"Please, Natsume? We want to achieve our dream, but we can't let you live by yourself while we're away." His mother smiled apologetically now. Truly, his parents were worried about him. "This has been our dream, Natsume."
Natsume gave them one last scowl before retreating to his room upstairs. How could he protest? He wasn't the most patient son, but he understood-or tried to-why they had to do this. It was their life-long dream; they told him this more times than he could count. No longer in his parents' line of sight, he sighed. He was frustrated still, but he did not want to hold them back.
So that was why they were shopping for new suitcases, he thought as he stared inside his parents' room, which was across his. They were already done packing. As for him, he had to pack his own belongings. He never understood his parents, and he didn't think he ever will. The house he was moving into would save him commute money as the house was a mere walking distance. It wasn't too bad, but he heard he was staying with an old man. He was going to be the one burdened instead of the other way around. Natsume was not fond of old people… especially old women. They wouldn't stop talking, telling him about their life when they were young.
The teenager rolled his eyes at the thought. Last minute protests weren't going to work on his mother; she was stubborn. She always got her way, one way or another. Natsume grabbed several bags to put his clothes in. He stuffed them in, not caring if they got crumpled. He hated this.
Tomorrow couldn't have come sooner for Mikan. She had been so excited last night that she exhausted herself making sure the rooms were neat and ready for use and a great first impression. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and didn't wake up until her alarm had violated her eardrums. Sleepily, she reached for the top of the clock, desperate to shut it up. Mikan sat up whilst rubbing the sleep off her eyes. Today was the day their new housemate was coming. She was excited to meet this family friend.
Grabbing her towel and bathrobe, she skipped to the bathroom. All sorts of things were in her head, but none were unpleasant. Sitting in the tub, she closed her eyes and daydreamed about making new friends, strolling around the campus with them. It was going to be great. Mikan rinsed the froth of bubbles off her skin and got out. She continued to daydream until she was slipping into her underwear before she wore the bathrobe. Her daydreaming was disturbed by the bathroom door sliding open.
Her head turned, seeing red and raven as she was in the middle of slipping into her orange robe. Silence ate them up, until it was broken by an ear-piercing scream, then the sound of a door shutting and plastic hitting wood.
Breakfast was awkward. Grandpa Sakura could only smile awkwardly at the two teenagers sat across one another. Mikan was angry and didn't hide it, but she was looking away from him. Her face was red from embarrassment, while Natsume was calm and composed as if nothing happened, not even looking away but not looking at her either. He had his usual scowl, however.
"Mikan, this is Natsume." Grandpa Sakura broken the silence.
"We already met." Mikan clenched and gritted her teeth as she gave Natsume a pointed look. The male didn't say anything nor shifted. "He peeked at me while I was in the bathroom!" She accused with clenched fists.
Still no reaction.
This made her face even redder from anger.
Natsume's eyes shifted to look at her, then after a beat, his lips formed a small smirk as if he had just thought of a clever plan. She was taken aback by the expression. What was he thinking? Mikan squinted suspiciously, scrunching up her nose.
Grandpa Sakura sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward, "Now, now, Mikan. That is not a way to look at our guests."
Mikan's squint loosened, but still, she was squinting as if to tell him she was watching him. Still, he was smirking. The atmosphere grew intense once more as they held a silent staring contest. Grandpa Sakura sighed, shaking his head in defeat. And as if on cue, the phone rang.
"Mikan, please get the phone," He asked patiently.
Mikan didn't want to lose, but she did not want to disobey her grandfather either. Reluctant, the brunette turned as she stood swiftly to answer the call. "Sakura residence!" She chirped brightly as if she weren't having a stare-off just now. It amused Natsume, and he theorized with this alone that she could be good at pretending. Now it was his turn to squint lightly, but only for a split second.
"Oh! Hello uncle!" Now she really forgot about the staring contest and all the sins Natsume has committed against her. "Grandpa? Okay, hold on." She put a hand over the microphone and turned to the dinner table, "Grandpa, Uncle Kazumi wants to talk to you." She extended the phone to him while still covering the microphone.
Her grandfather stood from his seat to take the phone and let Mikan finish eating. The two teens finished their meal, and in the process of doing so, Mikan stole glares at him. She hasn't forgotten. She was easily distracted, but she wasn't done yet.
"I can't leave Mikan and Natsume alone," the elder Sakura said. This caused Mikan to lift her head and turn to look at her grandfather. What were they talking about? The brunette's face contorted to a concerned frown. Although Natsume didn't want to, he noticed the unpleasant expression she exhibited as her face was the first thing he saw from looking up at his almost empty rice bowl.
"Grandpa, what are you talking about?" She asked quietly, concern clear in her voice.
Her grandfather pressed his lips to a thin line, "Is there really no one else to look after my daughter?"
"Is auntie okay?" Mikan now rose from her seat. What was going on with her family? She was afraid to know, but she did not want to be left in the dark either.
Nonno hummed curtly and firmly in confirmation. "I'll talk to her then call you back," He said, then put the phone down.
Not even a day and he (Natsume) was already witnessing drama in this house, Natsume thought while chewing the last of his rice. He did not look at either of them, however. He kept his focus on his food, knowing it was rude to stare. It sounded serious though, he thought again.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?" Mikan held her chair, bracing herself for the bad news.
"Nothing's wrong," Her grandfather smiled, "Just that your auntie is going to labor soon and she asked for me, but I can't just leave you alone here. You might end up throwing one of those house parties and burn the temple down along with you!"
The female teen groan, making a face halfway annoyed and halfway exasperated, "Grandpa!" She whined, "I'm not like that!" She huffed and stood straight, "If auntie needs you, you should go. Natsume and I will be fine!" A bright smile was flashed at the elder.
"I promised his parents I will take care of him, Mikan."
"So did I! We'll be okay, right, Natsume?" Her head now turned to look at the raven-haired boy sitting patiently with a glass of water.
His gaze shifted between the two. This was their family matter. Why was he being dragged into this? His no response made Mikan shoot him a glare once more.
Nonno turned his attention from Natsume to Mikan, "Mikan, it'll be alright-"
"But Grandpa," Mikan's head snapped to her grandfather's way, "You were the one who wanted to see your next grandchild as soon as he was born! And besides, we're not six! We can cook, clean, go grocery shopping-all the adulting!"
"Mikan, that's barely scratching the surface of adulting." Grandpa sighed. Mikan was stubborn, and he can hardly blame her. He raised her to be persistent… persistently stubborn.
"We're still going to be okay! How long will you have to be in Tokyo anyway?" She asked with another bright smile. How was this girl always smiling the way she did? It slightly bothered Natsume, but not in a not-so-bad way. That carefree smile made her look like a dimwit, though.
"A week."
"It's just a week! We'll be okay! Come on, Grandpa. You know you want to!" Mikan grinned cheekily.
Her grandfather shook his head in amusement. She was right, though. He wanted to see his new grandson, and if he let this opportunity pass, he might not see the child until it was a few months old. "Alright, but no house parties! You know the rules, Mikan! And Natsume," He turned his attention to the young man, "I know your parents raised you well, but I would like to remind you that this is a temple, and I would like this place to remain at peace and one piece."
Natsume nodded, "We'll be okay. I'm not really fond of parties anyway."
"You two take care of each other. Don't wreck the house. I won't be here when you return from school."
"Got it!" Mikan answered enthusiastically.
Natsume scowled, irritated. Was she always this loud? He glared at the brunette. Now done with his food, he stood up and thanked them for the meal. He strolled past the pair to get his bag and head out. Soon, Mikan followed suite, catching up by jogging after him.
"Hey, let's walk to school together!" She said smilingly. She wore a different uniform than him, and he took note. He remembered the announcement last week that they were going to share classrooms with that other school. He merely scanned her from head to toe then looked back ahead, ignoring her. Mikan was unamused. How rude! She huffed and walked a bit behind him. When did this jerk get to the temple anyway? She made a face the mixture of annoyed and curious. "Hey, when did you arrive at the temple?"
No answer.
"Hey."
Nothing.
"HEY!"
"Why do you have to be so loud, Polka dots?" He asked annoyed, turning his head and flashing an irritated glare.
"Polka do-PERVERT!" Mikan's face was as red as a tomato, and she instinctively swung her handbag at his head, which he dodged by leaning out of reach. "When did you arrive!?" She demanded.
"Why do you want to know?" He now no longer looked at her.
"Because I was told you were going to arrive today, but not that early! I thought you were arriving after school!" Her face was red for many reasons, and he was all of it.
"Now you know I didn't."
Mikan stopped from walking, inhaling and exhaling angrily. The nerve of this boy! She was fuming, her chest rising and falling as she heaved heavily. She watched him walk on ahead, but he stopped. He glanced at her and smirked triumphantly. This earned him a gasp from her as he disappeared into the gate of Gakuen Alice.
"Why that-! Natsume!" She chased after him, ready to hit him with her bag. This time, she wasn't going to miss his stupid head. She made strides, and soon, she was catching up. Mikan reeled back for a good hard hit, but as she swung at him, she was stopped by her friends' call for attention. This immediately and effectively got her into a good mood. She no longer felt the urge to hit Natsume, and instead ran towards her pals. "Hey, you guys!" She squealed excitedly.
Her shrill voice didn't go unnoticed by the surrounding people, including Natsume. He kept on walking, but with an annoyed look on his face. He couldn't believe he was going to start going to school with her annoying high-pitched, happy-go-lucky voice.
"Hey, Mikan, who was that guy?" A pink-haired girl asked.
"Who?" She asked unwittingly, "Oh," Her big brown eyes lost its roundness from unamusement, "Nobody. Just some annoying perverted guy," She grumbled. She was going to make things even and wipe that smirk off his face later. "Anyway!" She was back to her smiling self. "Have you guys seen Hotaru yet?"
"No." A deep blue haired replied sadly. "What classroom did you get?"
Mikan's head tilted in thought, trying to remember the classroom she was assigned in. "2B. You?"
Her two friends' face lit up. "We're all in the same class!" The trio held hands and squealed, stomping their feet quickly in excitement.
The three proceeded to have a small tour, admiring the environment of the academy, before they went to look for their other classmates. They asked for their rooms before going to their own room. It turned out that there were five to eight students put in each classroom. It was like transferring schools, which wasn't technically wrong. They had to introduce themselves to the entire class. Mikan's two friends sat closer to the front, but separately, while Mikan was closer to the window. On the way to her seat, she saw Natsume and it made her frown unamused. Why did she have to be in his class? She had to deal with him at home, and now she had to deal with him at school too.
Natsume noticed her even before she introduced herself, so he didn't bother listening nor looking at her. He heard footsteps of the new students shuffling to their seats. Once, he looked up. Mikan wasn't in front of him, he noticed-Not that he was actively looking for her. During class, he boredly read along with the teacher and wrote notes. In the middle of Literature class, he glanced to the left for some unknown reason. There, he saw Mikan looking out at the sky. He didn't wonder what she was doing or what she was thinking about, but he took note of her seat; she was one seat behind and three seats away to his left.
Lunch came and Mikan displayed a pouty face. Hotaru wasn't in the same class as her. She sighed looking into her orange bento. "I didn't see Hotaru…" She mumbled sadly to herself. "Anna," She called the pink haired girl, "Did you see Hotaru?" She asked, to which her friend said no.
"Maybe Nonoko knows. She just went to the corridor to find the others." Anna smiled before biting into her rice ball.
Mikan hoped Nonoko did. She prayed hard, looking up at the ceiling in desperation before continuing to eat her food. She had already befriended her seatmates and asked if they knew who Hotaru was, to which they said no. Looking down at her bento, she didn't feel hungry anymore. Instead, she felt like whining about Hotaru. "Hotaru, where could you be?" The brunette slumped in her seat.
A few seats away, a certain raven haired boy was eating in his own bento. It was the one Mikan and his grandfather prepared. The food and assortment tasted different from his mother's cooking. Mom… He wondered where she was and how she and his father were doing. To his right sat a blonde boy eating an egg sandwich. He was staring at Natsume's bento. It looked different from the usual assortment.
"Your mom trying out a new set of bento?" He asked with a smile.
No response. If he said anything about living alone, his best friend Ruka was surely going to be worried. So he just stuffed an egg roll into his mouth.
One of the new students-Nonoko-jogged inside. She went to Mikan and told her the news of Hotaru being away for a school competition. Mikan's loud whining pierced Natsume's eardrums. He was getting annoyed, but he didn't say anything. Just then, some of their 'fan girls' surrounded them, interested in his new bento's assortment, as well as sharing their own. One girl asked if he made his bento himself today. He didn't answer again because he wasn't obliged to, and stuffed another egg roll into his mouth. The girls were offering to make him bento one day and he would just ignore them. Ruka would be the one nice enough to politely decline for the both of them.
A few seats back to his left, Mikan stared at the small crowd forming around the two boys. Anna and Nonoko were close to their friend and also stared in awe. "He's a little popular huh?" Nonoko held her food suspended close to her mouth.
Anna's mouth was the only feature animated as she watched on the small commotion. "I wonder who he is. Wasn't he the guy you came to school with earlier, Mikan?" She turned to look at the brunette who was no longer looking at the group.
Someone's ear twitched, and basically the group of girls turned to look at the 'new students' to which the trio were unaware of.
"Do you know him, Mikan?" Nonoko gave a follow-up question.
"Sort of…" Mikan grumbled, munching her meal in one cheek.
"What's his name?" Anna leaned closer to her.
Nonoko did the same, "How did you know him?"
Mikan now looked at the two, glancing between them. "Eh? W-why is this important?" She then noticed the pointed stares directed at their group-her specifically. She was mute from confusion. Brown eyes met crimson again, but this time, he was giving her a look of warning. What for? Her head tilted slightly to the side. "Uh…?"
"Is it true that you went to school with Natsume?" Now the fan girls crowded her, dividing her away from Anna and Nonoko. "How?" One fan girl asked. "Why?" The seemingly leader of the group inserted.
"W-well- H-he- I-" Mikan swallowed, leaning back with her head now close to the window. Why were they so obsessed with that pervert?
Then, out of nowhere, the man himself answered the question. "We're cousins." Now everyone glanced at him. Even his best friend was surprised. Mikan was confused, though.
"Is this true, Mikan?" Nonoko inquired.
Mikan was about to open her mouth to protest. What kind of ridiculous lie was this? But then her gaze met Natsume's, and this time, it was intense. His eyes spelled death and torture. She understood what that meant for some reason, and for some reason, he knew what she was going to say. "Y-yeah." The brunette nodded nervously. "We're cousins. I was walking with him because I haven't seen him in a long time." It wasn't exactly untrue; Grandpa did say she has seen him when they were babies.
Natsume now looked away and back at his bento, closing it. He was no longer interested in eating. Ruka stared on at the group of girls, especially the brunette. He has never heard of Natsume speak about her. In the many years he and Natsume were friends, he has gotten to know his family—even his extended ones, but never has there been a mention of a cousin living in the area. Though it didn't feel right, he didn't voice it out.
The girls collectively backed off from Mikan. "If Natsume says you are cousins, then I believe him." One loyal girl said. The others agreed.
What kind of fans did that guy have? The zeal was nothing like she has ever seen! Mikan mentally took note not to mess with them. She felt like she was going to die back there.
For the rest of the school hours, Mikan didn't think much of the wild experience earlier. Instead, she thought about her grandpa, Hotaru, and her uncle's family. She hoped they were well. She ended the classes with a smile. Going home, she walked with Anna and Nonoko, but only until the steps of the temple. Mikan climbed the set of stairs to be greeted by none other than Natsume himself.
"Polka."
Immediately, she was annoyed. "Don't call me that. What do you want?" She snapped.
"You can't ever tell anyone about our setting, got it?" He looked down at her. He was several inches taller.
"Why not? What if they come over my place? Like my friends?" She tried to walk past him, wanting to take none of what he's saying.
"You make them leave," He said in a-matter-of-factly tone as he blocked her way.
"What? No! How about you leave instead?" She glared at him.
"Think your grandpa would be pleased?" He had a point and he knew it. He smirked.
She hated that smirk. "He wouldn't take lightly to your rude behavior either and ask your parents to take you back." She stuck out her tongue at him. The two of them had another stare-off as they walked to the house. Mikan opened the door wide open.
In the midst of their glaring contest, an object shone from the sky. The two teens were unaware that this object was shooting straight at them, so during their staring contest, the projectile flew between them, leaving a trail of neon light. Mikan and Natsume gasped wide-eyed at the trail of neon blue light that divided them. They were both frozen in place, processing what just happened and what was it that just zoomed between them. Mikan snapped out of the shock first and ran inside, following the trail.
Is she stupid? Natsume ran after her. "Stop!" He grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. "We don't know what's in there."
"But something's inside!"
"I know." Natsume's eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was odd, though. The projectile seemed to have control of its movement and speed. He started to walk ahead of her, albeit cautiously. "Get your phone out," He said quietly as he followed the tail of light.
Mikan fumbled for her phone in her pocket and held it close to her chest as she followed him. Both of them hid behind a wall to where the trail ended, which was an empty guest room. Natsume clenched his teeth behind closed lips then peeked slowly. Mikan was shaking next to him, holding her breath in anticipation. "W-what do you see?" She asked quietly. When he did not reply, she slowly peeked on the same level of his arm. What she saw got her frozen in her position once more. What in the world is that? She thought with her gaze set upon a baby blue UFO the size of a large cradle—big enough for a three year old to fit in.
"What…?" She wondered aloud. That was when Natsume moved, walking closer to the odd thing. The UFO looked like the stereotypical flying saucer imagined, but small. It didn't break anything else inside. Though, it did put a terrible hole on the door that will surely have the elder Sakura angry.
The brunette gasped after realizing her housemate was halfway across the room. "Natsume! Wait!" She called with a loud whisper, afraid to catch the attention of whatever was inside. Was it an ugly alien with a large head and eyes the size of a baseball? "Natsume!" She called again, this time rushing to his side, but she stopped on her tracks. Steam came out of the UFO. Mikan stood frozen in her place again while Natsume made a defensive stance, ready to fight whatever was to come out. The two of them prepared in their own ways. While Natsume was ready to fight, Mikan was taking mental notes on how to escape should she be grabbed; she completely forgot she had her phone in her hand.
The glass dome of the UFO opened. Natsume raised his arms. This is it, he thought. He held his own breath. He had a sense of responsibility to protect Mikan. God, he wished he took those self defense classes now… But then again, there was a large chance it wouldn't work on aliens. He braced himself. "Run," He told Mikan, but Mikan was frozen with fear. She could not process what he was saying. He turned his head and shouted, "Run!"
Mikan snapped back to her senses then looked at Natsume. She was torn. She wanted to, but she did not want to leave him there. With a hard swallow, she shouted "No! I'm not going to leave you behind!"
"You idiot—"
"Daa!" A baby's enthusiastic voice came from the spacecraft.
The two teens flinched. Did they hear that right? A baby? They glanced to the direction of the UFO. Behold! There was a baby—a year old from the size of him—with light brown hair and bluish gray eyes. He wore a blue onesie and a white bib with a smiley face pin around his neck. Both teens blinked once.
Natsume's mouth fell open. "A…"
Mikan blinked twice with big round eyes, "...Baby?"
The baby blinked between the two of them and smiled, raising his little hands. Immediately, he lifted inch by inch off the plush surface of the interior and began to float towards the two. Mikan was frozen on her spot while Natsume, being closer to the UFO, took a few steps back and stopped right next to the frozen Mikan. An alien baby that can float!? Mikan's face became progressively paler as the baby got close. The infant flew closer to her and grabbed the sleeve of her uniform and said, "Mama!"
"Eh?" The brunette stood with her held suspended. The baby was looking back at her with big bright eyes and a wide smile.
"Mama!" The little boy repeated, then glanced at Natsume, reaching for him while still clutching onto Mikan. "Papa!"
"I-I'm not your mama! I'm too young to be a mother!" Mikan blurted out flustered but was not pulling away from the baby.
Meanwhile, Natsume was frowning and speaking a lot less loudly than Mikan, "I'm nobody's papa," he said over Mikan's talking, but the baby took none of it and chirped happily, "Mama! Papa!" He was now holding both of the teen's sleeves.
They once again talked over each other, telling the baby that they weren't his parents. The baby didn't listen. He let go of them and began to fly around the room. Mikan's arms stretched to reach for the infant, but it proved that she was too short. "No! You'll hit the ceiling!" She jumped as high as she could to grab the baby, who in turn grabbed and pulled a lock of her waist-length hair. She let out a whiny grunt from the pain on her scalp. "That hurts! Please let go!" And so the baby let go and stared admiringly at her.
Natsume's eyebrows pinched together. "I think he understood you."
The female glanced curiously at him then at the baby. "I wonder if he's hungry." She stared down at the baby cradled in her arms.
The two of them went to the kitchen and while Mikan got and warmed the milk, Natsume observed the baby given to him. Was he truly an alien? He looked like an ordinary baby… until he started flying, that is.
"Here." Mikan was back with a milk carton with a bendy straw. She neared the milk carton to the baby and held it for him while he sipped. So cute, she thought with wide fascinated eyes. Natsume watched on as well. He has never been this close to a baby before. While the baby drank, Mikan and Natsume glanced at each other. Mikan gave him a troubled look, "What do we do?"
"He's an alien. We have to call the authorities," He answered. "We don't know if he's radioactive or something."
"He doesn't look like it." Mikan glanced down at the drinking baby.
"I would call mom and dad but they're probably busy or asleep."
"Your mom and dad? Why?" She looked curiously.
Natsume looked at the baby. "Mom is an engineer, and dad is a physicist. They were commissioned by NASA to work with them."
"Oh. So that's why they had to leave the country…" She muttered. "You should call them."
"I would but…" He scowled with his eyes trained at the baby now done drinking. He was deep in thought. What could they do if he told them they have an alien baby with them? Would his parents believe him in the first place? This baby didn't even look like an alien. "...What if they end up dissecting him?"
Mikan's cheeks lost its color. "D-dissecting? W-why would they do that?"
He looked seriously at her. "He's an alien. Haven't you ever heard of what happens in alien movies? Scientists dissect aliens to know about them."
"N-natsume… they're just movies though. Right?" She laughed awkwardly, dismissing the idea.
"What if it's what they really do?"
"I… um… Maybe you can call your parents and check. Ask them what they'd do if they have an alien in their midst, and when they ask why, tell them it's for our homework." She waved him off, still awkward. She couldn't shake the mental image of this baby being opened up and prodded in a lab. If she were to say it, she was worried. Should they really let his parents know?
In Natsume's perspective, her idea was solid, though it made him a tad out of character in front of his parents. What else was there to do? He only had to swallow a little bit of his pride to pretend to ask them. The real question lied with the answer of his parents. What they were going to do next was up to their response. They might be sleeping right now, he thought. But this is an emergency. He took his own phone and checked if any of his parents were available on Facebook. His dad was, so he decided to call. With the phone pressed to his ear, he waited, his back turned to Mikan and the baby.
Meanwhile, Mikan held onto the child who was playing with her hair again. She worriedly watched as Natsume spoke with his father.
"Hey, dad. How was the flight?... I'm good. And mom?..." His body turned slightly to see his housemate from the corner of his eye, "She's doing okay. You didn't tell me she was loud, though."
Her eyes narrowed and twitched. "Pervert!" She said through gritted teeth.
He turned his back on her once more, "Grandpa Sakura went to Tokyo. His daughter's going to be in labor soon. We're fine, dad. We're not babies; we can handle ourselves… I called because there's homework that requires your opinion."
Mikan swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. Here goes, she thought.
"What would you do if you came across an alien?"
The silence was killing her. She could hear his dad's voice but could not make out what he was saying. Natsume's still form was not helping her with the suspense. What's he saying? Mikan looked on worriedly.
Minutes of talking felt like hours. Natsume finally ended the conversation, "Thanks, dad. Take care." Then he hung up. His shoulders sunk and his body relaxed as he exhaled. He was tense the entire time.
"So?" Mikan slightly leaned to the side to see his face over his shoulder. "What did he say?"
"He told me he'll turn the aliens over to the authorities. When I asked him what NASA would do, he said it wasn't NASA that would solely handle it, but Area 51. They were going to cut him open."
Mikan's face turned pale. "I knew it…" She said in a sullen sing-song way. "What do we do, Natsume?"
"We're teenagers with a baby. Even if we tell authorities it's an alien, they won't listen to us, so we're going to keep him here until we know what to do." Natsume turned to face them and walked to the two. His deep crimson eyes caught the pin on the bib. Mikan noticed his gaze and followed it.
She saw the pin and pulled it. It was not even pinned, but only stuck on the fabric like it had some microscopic velcro. The badge was the face of a person with glasses.
"I wonder what this is…" She mumbled, squeezing the thing between her thumb and index.
"Uu! Yuu!" The baby called happily.
"Yuu? It's soft and—ah!" The button had gotten bigger, thus making Mikan drop it to the ground. It was growing in a cloud of smoke and glitters that faded in the air. The pair backed away with the baby in Mikan's arms protectively holding him. Natsume had his arm covering both Mikan and the baby; It was an instinct as well as a responsibility he put upon himself when Grandpa Sakura left. He had a brave look in his eyes, ready to fight whatever this was.
The cloud of smoke and glitters dissipated, revealing a person with sand yellow hair, golden brown eyes and glasses. He wore a suit and red bowtie reminiscent of a butler. His big brown eyes blinked a few times before he sprung into panic after seeing the child he was supposed to be caring for in the arms of strangers. "Ah! Yoichi!" He called lept and attempted to snatch the little baby from their arms.
"Oi!" Natsume pushed back the alien. "Who are you!?"
Once Natsume's arm was no longer protecting Yoichi, Yuu grabbed the infant from Mikan's arms and stepped back. Mikan now stood with her arms to her chest, slightly just behind Natsume.
"I'm not going to ask again. Who are you!?" Natsume said impatiently. An alien baby was one thing, but a grown one was another. Who knew what a grown alien could do?
Assessing the situation, Yuu knew they were in the bad side of things. It was not ideal to get into a physical quarrel as little Yoichi might get hurt by these… these people. Where exactly were they? "I-I'm Yuu. Yoichi's sitter-butler. What is this place?" He was afraid. How were they going to respond?
"Y-you're on Earth. This is the country of Japan." Mikan spoke behind a skeptical Natsume. "A-and you're aliens," She said like the extra-terrestrial was not aware.
"Earth?" Yuu repeated with a slight tilt of his head. "Oh no!" He panicked and ran out of the kitchen to the corridors, looking for Yoichi's UFO. "No, no, no!" His voice echoed in the house.
Mikan and Natsume ran after the two extra-terrestrials. "Hey!" Mikan called worriedly, "What's going on!?" She arrived at the room where the UFO was first before Natsume did. Both of them skidded on the floorboards. Their view was met by the sight of Yuu typing with one hand on the UFO while his free arm held baby Yoichi. He was mumbling statistics and information about Earth. Apparently, Earth and their planet had a lot of similarities.
"What's…Alice?"
The male with glasses turned his attention to them. "It is our planet outside of the Milky Way Galaxy, and similar to Earth in many ways. The people look similar, but are different."
"Huh…" Natsume huffed quietly. "How did you get here? And why?"
The sitter looked down sadly, "We were strolling in the park as it was a fine day… but a wormhole appeared and sucked us in. I shrunk myself into a badge and stuck with Little Yoichi." He looked up, "His parents must be so worried right now. I already sent the distress signal." Yuu looked to Yoichi who was floating around the room, enjoying the wide space. The sitter squirmed awkwardly and faced them before bowing. "Please let us stay here for a while until the rescue party arrives!" He begged.
With a hand to her chest, Mikan worriedly looked at Natsume who seriously glanced back at her. They already talked about this earlier and they still had the same decision now. Judging by their looks, they both seemed to agree. They looked back at the alien sitter. Since it was Mikan who owned the place, Natsume let her answer.
"Of course!" She smiled brightly. "Natsume and I kinda already agreed to take care of your little boy anyway."
Yuu sprung up to take both her hands and thank her. "Oh thank you, ma'am!" He turned to Natsume and bowed repeatedly, "Thank you, sir! Oh, we're so lucky to have such a nice young couple to let us stay!"
The female of the house reacted in surprise from what she heard. This alien thought they were a couple! "No! We're not a couple!" She blurted out.
The blonde looked at her confused and surprised, "Oh? I see. I apologize for that mistake." He bowed apologetically.
Yoichi came floating between the two teens once more, "Mama! Papa!" He called with a big smile on his face.
"Say," Natsume started with his eyebrows drawn together and his lips pressed to a crooked thin line in annoyance, "Does he call everyone mama and papa all the time or are we special?"
Yuu smiled awkwardly, "I'm afraid you're rather special. Now that you've mentioned it, you do look like Little Yoichi's parents on Planet Alice."
"Really?" Mikan's mouth was left agape in fascination.
The sitter-butler went back to the UFO and pressed some buttons. Soon, light emitted from the dome and displayed a hologram of a small family. On the left was a man with messy raven hair and on the right was a woman with waist length chestnut hair, and in her arms was baby Yoichi. Yoichi came floating towards the hologram and pointed at the man, then at the woman. "Papa! Mama!"
The two teenagers stood dumbfounded. It was indeed true. They looked like the little boy's parents, and for some reason, they felt that they had to take responsibility of him, take good care of him like they were his real parents. Natsume thought of it as a sense of responsibility—the same one that his parents had instilled in him ever since he could remember, while Mikan thought that this feeling was because of her love for babies and her motherly nature. That must be it. If not, what else was it? Her eyes shifted to gaze at the floating baby who was laughing and giggling around the hologram. She thought about how relieved she was that he and Yuu crashed at her house. If they didn't… If they didn't, this poor baby and his babysitter must be a lot more afraid, not to mention crying. She just couldn't bear to think of this sweet innocent child crying in a planet unknown to him and without his parents.
She knew exactly how it felt like to not have any parents. Grandpa Nonno was there, but sometimes she wanted to have both of her parents with her. Mikan stared glossy-eyed at the infant. Natsume was doing the same, but with a lot less emotion. Although, it did not mean he wasn't thinking of the same things as Mikan. Sure he had both of his parents, but they did not always have time to be one for him. Right now, this baby couldn't have both his parents with him, and this baby thinks he's his father. The least he could do was to be there for him, like any father should, even if he was just indulging this child's claims. He also did not want to make this child feel the same way he felt — a little abandoned and disregarded.
"I guess it's the four of us for a while." Mikan smiled brightly, no longer teary eyed. Natsume glanced at her.
Yuu happily nodded, "Yes! It's nice to meet you!" He then took Yoichi into his hands and happily spun him around, saying how lucky they were that they found a nice home to take them in for the meantime.
Mikan felt that this was going to be an interesting year, while Natsume thought it was going to be a year full of troubles.
End of Chapter
Author's Notes:
Hello! I am xCandySlice (feel free to call me Candy for short) and thank you for finishing this chapter! I hope you liked it. You might have questions about the fanfic, and if you do, you can leave the question in a review (especially if you are an unregistered user of the website) or drop me a private message! Updates may be fast or slow depending on my availability. Since I will be very busy this month, the next chapter might come next month. One thing is for sure though is that my updates will be during breaks, like the weekends.
Kindly leave a review, and/or follow and favorite this fanfic! It would certainly boost my muse to write the next chapter!
Below is a sort of FAQ portion for this chapter.
Q: How old are they?
A: I intentionally left this part of the fanfic unknown as I myself am struggling to choose between 13 or 14. One thing I did intend is that they're in junior high.
Q: Are Gakuen Alice and Planet Alice related?
A: The follow might spoil the fun of guessing for you, so stop reading here and move to the next question if you don't want to be spoiled: Maybe, maybe not. I already have an idea where it can go with both options.
Q: Is Mikan's surname Sakura or Yukihira?
A: It would be Yukihira. I intended for Mikan's mother to be Sakura than Azumi.
Q: Why did you choose for Yuu Tobita to be the guardian?
A: It's because I think his ability is the closest to Daa! Daa! Daa!'s canon babysitter's ability, which is transformation. I initially thought about Hotaru, Ruka, and several others, but I think Yuu embodies the ability and personality mold of the babysitter perfectly.
If you have questions unanswered, feel free to leave a private message or a question in the reviews (which I'll be slower to answer as I can't update every day to answer queries).