Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Hi everyone! This story has NatsumeXMikan pairing (mainly), with slight HotaruXRuka, MisakiXTsubasa, and SumireXKoko. And this is my first story ever soooooo... please give me a lot of feedback on how to improve as I want to improve my writing skills too. But regardless of the number of reviews, I'll still upload as I write for myself. Flames are welcomed too :) Hope you like my story!

Update: Yeah, I just updated it because I feel the chapter is rather short. At first I planned to divide it into two short chapters but it makes sense to make them into one, so I just did it. *sassy mode on*

"What is the music of life?"

"Silence, my brother."

-Skyrim

"…Another famous band's concert has been wrecked," the female announcer said, her voice echoed from the TV speaker. "Authorities have confirmed that this is indeed another work of Silence, as the evidence—a printed picture of a broken tone—has apparently been found in the electricity room. It is suspected that…"

A brunette was sitting on the couch in that room. She munched her cereal, her eyes fixated on the TV screen with interest.

"Ne, guys, what's Silence?"

"That's what happened when you never watched or read news," a pink-haired girl, who was standing in front of the fridge, rolled her eyes.

"They're a very notorious gang who always wrecked famous bands' concerts. By cutting the electricity, by kidnapping the band member right before concert, by releasing wild dogs during concert… their methods vary." A green-haired girl came and sat next to the brunette, holding a glass of orange juice in her hand. "Mikan, you really need to keep yourself updated. This is related to our job."

The brunette—Mikan—pouted. "I was busy lately! You know I've been practicing to pass my exams, Sumire, Misaki."

"By the way, isn't the result supposed to arrive today?" The pink-haired girl—Misaki—closed the fridge. Now she was holding an apple.

"Yep!" Mikan smiled widely, but also anxiously. "I hope I passed. I can't wait to get permission to work with you guys."

"Well, you already failed twice. If you fail again, that'll make you super idiot." The green-haired girl—Sumire—said mercilessly.

"Sumire!" Mikan groaned. "Don't jinx it!"

"Morning, Hotaru!" Sumire ignored Mikan and greeted the black-haired girl who just came inside the house.

The girl—Hotaru—lifted up a huge brown envelope, already opened. "I got the mail."

"Is that—" Mikan's eyes widened. She quickly stood up.

Hotaru threw the envelope on Sumire's lap before walking away. "I'll go up and pack now. We're leaving at noon."

Mikan flopped back on the couch. "Another long-term job, huh?" She couldn't hide her disappointment. "I'll be lonely again."

"Don't worry, Mikan, we'll bring you souvenirs and stories as usual." Misaki approached her and patted her shoulder.

Sumire took out the documents inside the envelope and skimmed through them. A smile played on her lips. "Do you want to hear some good news?"

Mikan's eyes lit up again. "What?"

Sumire lifted a piece of laminated paper. On the top was written: Certificate of Accomplishment. Mikan had seen three of them before, so she knew what that thing was. "I passed the test?" She blinked in disbelief.

Sumire gave that certificate to her and some other papers. "These are your work permits," she said. "Stamped and signed. And some other documents, too, which you can read later."

Mikan's hands trembled in excitement as she read the words on the certificate. Her name was written there, with some congratulating words.

"Congratulations, Mikan!" Misaki hugged her from behind. "I know you can ace it!"

Sumire, too, hugged Mikan from the side. "I'm so proud of you," she said as she let go of Mikan. Her eyes were already watery. "Hey, don't cry just yet. I have another news for you."

Mikan and Misaki stared at Sumire, puzzled.

Sumire smirked and waved another paper. "You're coming with us for this job."

"SERIOUSLY?!" Mikan jumped and grabbed the paper. She quickly read it.

Mission: Protect Fire

Members:

1.Sumire Shouda – Team Captain

2.Hotaru Imai

3.Misaki Harada

4.Mikan Sakura

"OH MY GOD! Mikan, you're coming with us! Isn't this awesome?!" Misaki hugged Mikan again. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"There are four copies for each of us, containing the details of the work. Hotaru already took hers," Sumire distributed the rest of the copies. "Please read through them and pack, as this is going to be a long mission. As Hotaru said, we'll leave at noon."

With that, Sumire left.

Misaki, too, left shortly afterwards, leaving Mikan, still smiling widely at those documents.

She read the mission paper again and tilted her head. "Anyway, what's Fire?"

Mission: Protect Fire

Members:

1.Sumire Shouda – Team Captain

2.Hotaru Imai

3.Misaki Harada

4.Mikan Sakura

To Miss Mikan Sakura,

Congratulations upon passing the Final Exam.

We chose you to join this mission so you can observe one of the best teams Alice has. We fully realize that even the best teams have their weaknesses, and after observing your skills, we have decided that you can complement what they are lacking. From now on, you will be a permanent member of this team.

As for this mission, we will require you to:

1.Pack your belongings, all of them, as this will be a long-term mission with undetermined period.

2.Research and find out more about Fire.

As you should have known, Fire is a four-manned band whose name is climbing the ladders rapidly these days. Apparently they have received threats from Silence, so their manager had put a request for us to protect the members during their upcoming tour.

The individual member-to-member is as below:

1.Sumire Shouda – Kokoroyomi (bassist)

2.Hotaru Imai – Ruka Nogi (keyboardist/guitarist)

3.Misaki Harada – Tsubasa Ando (singer/guitarist)

4.Mikan Sakura – Natsume Hyuuga (drummer)

Instructions:

1.Your weapons will be delivered together to your new place. It is expected to arrive around 3 P.M. Please keep them safely and maintain their performance. For repair, Miss Misaki Harada will be able to assist you. You should ask a thing or two about weapons maintenance to her.

2.Once you arrive there, you will have to:

a.Meet your assigned member, Natsume Hyuuga. Do research about him beforehand. Gain his permission and set boundaries for his convenience.

b.Teach him emergency measures, but DON'T let him touch your weapons.

c.Get to know him better to make him more comfortable.

d.Stick around him 24/7 as much as he let you.

e.Ensure that his living place is safe. Changes to the place may be made as necessary, but only with Alice's and Mr Natsume Hyuuga's permission.

3.Disguise yourself whenever you are going in public. Disguise kit will also be delivered. Enquiries can be brought up to Miss Sumire Shouda. You can learn about disguise and 'honey trap' from her.

4.Keep investigating about Silence.

5.Constantly keep in contact with the other members to exchange important information. Basic spying kit, such as smart glasses, Bluetooth speaker, infrared detector, etc., will be delivered as well. Miss Hotaru Imai will be more than happy to assist you in repair, maintenance, and usage.

6.DO NOT FAIL. Failure, as you should have known very well, will result in unavoidable elimination.

Good luck.

A drop of sweat rolled down Mikan's forehead. Elimination?

Is it too long now? Well, whatever. Anyway, don't forget to comment! Thanks for reading!

Special thanks for my three very first reviewers: chewybillabong, Carolle Royale, and AnimeMango! I was so encouraged by your reviews!

~sassgoddess