Summary~ Mikan Sakura may seem like your average teenage girl but the truth is…she can see outer worldly creatures such as spirits and demons, and to be more specific she is the only female heir to the Sakura clan making her the blood maiden…Mikan's duty: Make sure the balance between the Sakura clan and the demons stays in complete order, even if it means being married off, even if it means being eaten alive. All seems okay but when Mikan's birthday is just a few weeks away and she is about to be of age, she must choose: to be engaged to Natsume Hyuuga the infamous Kuro Neko demon or forfeit her life in order to maintain her family's pride and name.

Disclaimer - I do not own Gakuen Alice or its characters

Chapter One - The Eternal Promise

I remember those happy days and often wish I could speak into the ears of the dead, the gratitude which was due to them in life and so ill-returned.

-Gwyn Thomas

-Mikan's POV-

The light coming through the small openings in my baby pink curtains dance a graceful dance across my heavy comforter. The dance so beautiful and elegant that I can't take my eyes off of it. The sound of the birds greeting each other a good day as they pass each other by. Causes me to close my eyes and wish that I could hear more. The sound of water as it gently drops on the calm surface of a nearby pond. I glance at the clock. It was mid morning, I sat up, and climbed out of bed and walked over to the window and drew open my curtains and opened the window.

Outside I saw the sight that I saw everyday. The endless rows of cherry blossom trees that made no cry as they dropped their beautiful leaves, the leaves that were they're clothes, I stared at the glorious sight in front of me. A glorious sight that beyond all doubt made me want to weep. Weep for all the things that I understood, for all the things that this life that I was living meant. Angry with myself I shut the window. I must never forget my duties as the maiden of my families shrine. I must never forget the reason that I was born into this family, the reason that I am the only female to be born for thirty years.

I walked over to my wardrobe and in a swift steady motion I opened the door. Inside were many different outfits made of silk and of cotton. Things that had been gifts to me for the past sixteen years of my short life. But oddly none of them held any meaning to me. None of them held my heart. I reached into the wardrobe and pulled out my school uniform. I gently tugged at the top button of my silk pajama top. I undid my top and grabbed my uniform top and unbuttoned the shirt and put it in place of my pajama top. Once that was done I slipped my pajama pants off and my uniform skirt on. I looked at myself in the mirror. Distant thoughts from the past years started to drift unwelcome back into my mind, in a small place where the thoughts always seemed to be cradled.

'Is that Sakura's Daughter?'

'She's a beauty'

'I wish I had her looks'

I placed my hand over the reflection of my face in the mirror. 'What's so great about these looks?' I thought. I shook my head. Trying to knock the unwanted thoughts back, back to a place where they could never come back, back to haunt me. I turned away from the mirror and walked over to the desk that was in the corner of my bedroom. I grabbed my bag, I accidentally knocked over the photo frame that had been sitting on the edge of the desk. I picked up the photo frame. The photo was of my mother and me when I was just a newborn baby. I felt my eyes soften. 'What if you had been around? What if you hadn't gotten sick and died?' I thought to myself staring at the photo frame that I was clutching in my hands. I traced my finger over the design of the frame. Its silver edges and written in cursive letter on the frame in gold was Together Forever, I sat the frame back down gently and headed for my bedroom door.

I walked out into the hallway. The walls a pale white color and stale green. It was an bodacious pair of colors. But when you've spent most of your life in this house, learning how to constantly maintain your manners, using proper Japanese and English, all of it looks the same. Decorating the walls of the hallway were paintings. Real and expensive paintings. I made it to the end of the hallway. There I saw a figure talking to another figure. My Father and the maid in charge of me, Serina. Serina turned and looked at me from the corner of her eye. I saw the sudden change in her eyes "Take care of it for me Yamada-san" my Father said to Serina turning in my direction, I quickly bowed my head "Good morning Father" I said as I watched the shuffle of his feet as he walked right past me without saying a word. I looked back up and glanced at Serina "Good morning" I said walking over to Serina "Good morning Sakura-sama" Serina told me as she quickly bowed her head to me and then turned towards the kitchen "Are you famished?" Serina asked me. "No, I'm fine, besides I don't want to be late for school" I explained as I headed for the door. "Oh-Sakura-sama, your lunch" I turned and looked at Serina, as she handed me a bento box wrapped in a pink cloth. I looked back up at Serina and gave her a warm smile "Thank you Serina" I said. I watched as Serina's cheeks turned a light pink tinge color "I'm going" I said as I headed out the door.

I stared at my feet during the walk to school. I feel like I'm going through these slow motions of life, and lately the sinking feeling was getting worse, maybe it was because my birthday was right around the corner, and that I would be of age very soon, I stopped in my steps, and shook my head. Never forget your duty to your families clan…the duty of the blood maiden…the eternal promise.

-Flashback-

I moved slowly, trying to even out the steps that I took towards my Father's study. I placed my hand on the door, and slowly opened it, hoping that the door wouldn't creak as I opened it. My Father was sitting quietly at his desk, leaning back, perhaps pondering about some of the work that was stacked in front of him on the desk. 'Maybe I shouldn't bother him' I thought 'But he did ask me to come and see him as soon as possible' I continued. As I had an internal conflict wage on in me, I was about to turn and shut the door and hope that he hadn't heard me in the first place, but no such luck. "Mikan would you please come in and shut the door behind you" I nodded my head and followed his direction though his voice had thrown me off guard. Not once in the sixteen years of my life had my father every spoken to me, at me maybe, but never to me. His voice sounded wary and solemn but it rung full of authority. Thirteen years ago my Father had taken a vow of silence when my Mother had gotten sick and died, he refused to speak to me, at first I thought it had been because I was the spitting image of my mother but on the ninth year of my life I figured out the reason why he had never uttered a word to me. The reason: he wished that he'd had a son instead of a daughter. 'Was I that much of an embarrassment to him' I had thought long ago.

I walked over to his desk, and stopped and looked at him, without turning towards me my Father pointed at a chair that had been in front of his desk "Sit Mikan" my Father's voice rang. I quickly sat down and looked at the back of my Fathers chair "Mikan-you are aware of you duties, are you not?" my Father asked me. "Yes, I am Father" I said. I watched as my Fathers chair turned and faced me, I dropped my head unconsciously 'Why was I so afraid to shame him?' I thought to myself. "Then I assume you know what is going to happen in a few days?" my Father asked me. "Yes" I said with a pause "Where will the Ceremony of Promise be held…Father?" I asked him slowly. 'What was I doing? I've always known that this day would come…so why was I so afraid? Why was I trembling?' I thought, as I tightened the grip of my hand, causing my knuckles to turn white. "Are you having second thoughts…Mikan?" my Father asked me. I shook my head "Are you sure?" my Father asked me again. I looked up at him, my eyes distant by still assuring "Never. I know what I must do to honor the Sakura family" I said to him, my tone convincing yet somewhat pleading. "Good, then you may go" my Father said to me, turning his back to me again "Excuse me then Father" I said as I stood and headed for the door slowly making sure not to move to quickly. I couldn't show him that I was scared… no terrified… no horrified. I couldn't show him such weakness.

-Flashback End-

I looked up and saw that I was standing in front of the school entrance. I watched as all of the students flocked together. All of them laughing, enjoying each others company. How long? I wondered. How long ago had it been that I looked so happy, so innocent, so clueless? I was so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed that Anna and Nonoko had walked up behind me. "Mi-chan are you okay?" I looked at Anna, her cotton candy hair in her face as the wind blew, her sky blue eyes staring warmly at me, her smile tender and carefree. "She's right, you've been acting strange since last week, were really getting worried" Nonoko said. I looked at Nonoko as well. Her deep blue hair and sky blue eyes, that mirrored Anna's. Both of them were so gentle and welcoming to me. Neither of them knowing that in a few weeks, they'll never see me again. 'I shouldn't tell them' I thought 'If I do, it'll only make it harder for me to live with' I thought looking at the both of them with such regretful and distant eyes. "Your both right, I don't know what's gotten into me lately, but why don't we go and do something fun after school, okay?" I said as I grabbed both of their hands and walked with them into the school building. I should make this the next best weeks of their lives…that's right…hanging out…laughing…having fun…these are the things that I want them to always think about…and not of the looming fate that would arrive on the day of my birth. "Come on guys…we'll be late" I said looking back at them, with a warm smile plastered on my face. I just hoped that they wouldn't see past the act that they're about to be apart of, that I so selfishly made them the cast in. 'I hope they'll forgive me' I thought as we walked into the classroom and finding our seats. 'I'm such a decitful person' I thought as the teacher walked in ready to give a lecture.

To Be Continued…