Mortal Angel

Summary: What if Mikan never followed Hotaru? What if she hadn't forced herself into Natsume's and Ruka's lives? Now 8 years later, Mikan accepts the invitation to go to the Academy but unfortunately, the damage was already done and the consequences are huge.

AN: This is my own version of what could have happened to class B if Mikan didn't show up until years later…

Prologue

Looking at the girl in the mirror, it was a bit disconcerting to see a whole new image staring back at her. Her long auburn hair was tied into pigtails, a hairstyle that stuck with her for almost eighteen years now. The burgundy blazer and the maroon-striped miniskirt hugged her figure while the knee length black boots hid her long legs. Obviously, it was a uniform of a school but not just any school. The star logo of the Alice Academy was placed dotingly in her front pocket.

Wonderment again surged through her as she thought of the day when some of the Academy's agents told her she was required to join them because apparently, she had an alice and a powerful one at that. Of course she knew that, because she had worked hard to make it powerful. At first, she had no idea what her alice was or whether she really had one, but after years and years of training and research, she knew that her nullification alice was a powerful weapon. That being said, she knew if somehow the Academy finds out, they would take her away regardless of her own free will, so she decided to lie low especially when her grandfather was near his death. She could not afford not being beside him at the time he needed her most. When her grandfather had passed away, she finally sought to realize her vow and go to the school that took her best friend away.

Even as the years passed by, she never forgot what happened nor did she forgive her former best friend when she had abandoned them completely. Her best friend's parents were totally devastated, having lost both their daughter and son to the vigilant academy. Her mother refused to talk to anybody while her father worked nonstop. It was safe to say that their family was sufficiently ruined. But she was not Mikan Sakura for nothing. She vowed to get her best friend back no matter what and so, when the agents appeared at her doorstep one night, she needn't think twice as she took the chance of a lifetime to drag her best friend's sorry ass back home.

She looked at her watch which read 7:15. Good. She still had a few minutes left before her first class started. After giving herself a quick glance in the mirror, she checked her things one last time and then opened the door to reveal a handsome man with sun-kissed hair who looked like he was about to knock himself.

He flashed a charming smile.

"Hello, you must be Sakura-san?" his voice was soft and gentle as he held out a hand. Mikan took it with a smile and a nod. She had met him before. He was one of the 'agents' that went to her house, but somehow his name slipped her mind. "I'm Mr. Narumi, I teach in the elementary department but I'm the one assigned to tour you around."

With that said, Mr. Narumi told Mikan everything there is to know about the Academy. She knew what the Academy was – a host for special kids with special abilities. They try to hone those so called powers to achieve a student's maximum potential. Though in order to reach that goal, communication to the outside world must be cut off and unless a student is in his/her very best behavior, s/he was not allowed to go home. Her best friend's parents told her that, before their eventual shut down to the world.

However, there were still a lot of things that she did not know about the Academy but the one thing that bothered her most was the star ranking. Even though she proved to everyone that she did not need her genius best friend, all her good marks and outstanding performances were obtained through constant hard work. The test to gain the star ranking was of absolute importance and failure was not an option. The problem was; what kind of test was it?

Mr. Narumi hinted that it was to gain the acceptance of her new classmates but she just can't believe it was as easy as that. Mikan may not be the most beautiful, or the most intelligent but she was certainly good with people. She knew she had the natural ability to get along with just about anyone. It was a fact that served years of experimentation and tests. So what was it? A long moment later, Mikan lost count of the possible tests they might give her. A sudden thought entered her mind and made her laugh a little. Maybe her classmates were cold, even heartless people that deemed themselves incapable of happiness and love. She shook her head. No, that can't be it.

It was unnerving at how right she was when she entered the classroom or maybe a funeral, it didn't make much difference. The whole room screamed solemnity and an iciness that made Mikan shiver even without a decrease in temperature. Cold, almost angry eyes watched her carefully, as if calculating her worth.

And that's when amber met lavender.

"Good morning class, this is Mikan Sakura. She's a transfer student from…" Mr. Narumi's voice fell on deaf ears as Mikan stared hard at her best friend. Hotaru Imai looked almost the same as she had when they were ten years old. Her raven hair was still kept short, and everything was immaculate and in place. Even so, something had changed and something was definitely different. Her eyes seemed to be dead, like the fire that once burned in there was brutally extinguished. She was surprised to notice that everyone had the same sad, almost haunting look in their eyes. What the hell happened to them? Based from what she had seen in the corridors and while walking towards their building, most of the kids were upbeat and happy, as if nothing was wrong.

"Sakura-san, these are your classmates. They'll be the ones your going to be with till' graduation so try to get along with them." Mr. Narumi said softly, breaking Mikan out of her thoughts. He then turned to the class and said with a strangely hardened voice, "Please give her a warm welcome and take care of her, alright class?" He was answered by pathetic 'yes' and lazy nods. Satisfied, Mr. Narumi left the room without another word.

Mikan waved a bye to Mr. Narumi before turning back to her classmates. Most of them were still staring or more like glaring at her, and it seemed to have even worsened now that the teacher was gone. Preferring to be ignorant of the obvious dislike of her new classmates, she flashed a small smile to Hotaru, hoping that she still remembered her. After all, eight years was a long time, a very long time indeed. The only recognition Hotaru gave her was the slight widening of her eyes and then she resumed in taking her notes. She smiled again, her optimism getting the better of her. She never expected her best friend would come running in her arms and cry in her shoulders, sobbing about how she was so miserable in her current state. No, she had expected this exact scenario and she had a plan of course.

But Mikan never expected her plan to involve a certain ruby-eyed rebel, the one who would literally turn her world upside down… the one who would let her know that the world isn't all sunshines and daisies… and the one who would eventually stole her heart, without the certainty of ever giving it back.

AN: I'm sorry if this was short but prologues are supposed to be short. Anyway, the important thing is, do you want this to be continued or not? Please press the review button and write some comments about the story. And by the way, if ever you wanted to continue this story, don't be surprised if some things are going to be familiar but a lot different than it was before. More explanations will be in the next chapter so please review!