Mikan was searching for her super genius best friend Hotaru. She did this every time she was in a mess. She found a big machine and jumped of joy. She noted that it was a new invention. Hotaru should be inside here, locked up in this machine doing extraordinary things or as she would normally do to avoid seeing her bird-brained best friend. She would program the machine such that anyone (especially Mikan, and fans) wanting to meet her would have to slot in 'rabbits' in the 'rabbit' slot.
It kept on eating their 'rabbits' until they gave up their desire to meet her. Actually that was her intention. But not Mikan, she was adamant to enter and see Hotaru face-to-face no matter what it took she would at all cost meet her best friend. She brought the poor class monitor, knowing only he would consent on lending her any 'rabbits'. She gave him an imploring look, he emptied his pockets and gave her all the 'rabbits' he had. She hugged him so tightly, and he flushed slightly.
She was about to insert 1 Rabbit in when… They heard a click. They peered closer, and found that the machine's door was slightly ajar. Mikan pushed it open. Out came a mechanical hand, it grabbed her hand and pulled her into the steel beast's stomach. They screamed of shock and fear. The class monitor, who was outside the machine looked pale and frantic. He kicked the machine and tried to put 'rabbits' into the 'rabbit' slot.
They were all rejected and out came a message which said, "If you don't buzz off, I'll sell the photos of you wearing boxer imprinted with Mikan's face on it, you pervert!"
He blanched and cried, "Hotaru, you're a meanie!" He kicked the machine and ran away, ashamed.
Meanwhile, Mikan had no idea what had transpired outside of the machine. It was sound-proof. The interior was larger and spacious than the outside. It was lighted and found that the only person there was… NOT Hotaru! The person was Natsume. Egad! What? Why was he here? Where was Hotaru? Looking at him, he wasn't moving. He lay in a crumpled heap on one corner. He looked pale. Her eyes widened in panic. What happened to him?
There wasn't anything wrong with the place. It was pristine and clear of disaster and damages. She immediately went to him to check up on him. Oh! No, he was definitely in bad shape. She wondered what could have taken place here. Or gone wrong here? There wasn't anything indicating something had gone wrong here. Natsume was reckless but he wasn't known to be careless. Where was Hotaru? She put a forefinger under his nose.
She sighed relieved that he was breathing. A sudden beep made her to look at the illuminating slab on the white wall. The illuminating slab opened, she peeked inside and gasped, it was a medical box! She took out the alcohol swab and tried to dab gently on his grazed wound. But before she could apply it on his skin, he'd stirred and grunted. He slowly opened his eyes, squinted a bit before he could focus on the apparition in front of him.
"Just what I needed," he scoffed as he tried to sit up, "another run of bad luck."
"Hey!" Mikan glared at him, "I wasn't counting on meeting you here either. I was pulled in and thought Hotaru did it. So I didn't mind, but why are you here?"
"That's what I wanted to ask her?" He frowned, and was curious at the same time, "I was having some… problems but somehow I ended up here…"
"This is a prototype protective hub." Hotaru appeared before them, "it was in the vicinity for random testing. But, I had nothing to do with the situation you were experiencing."
Mikan smiled cheerfully, "Luckily your invention was around here." She stepped forward to hug her best friend but she only grasped air.
"It's a hologram of Hotaru," Natsume looked as if he'd expected something like that from Hotaru, "You can only hear and see her but not touch."
"That's right." Holo-Hotaru said.
"Why?" Mikan looked dazedly at Holo-Hotaru.
"Stop asking irritating questions," Holo-Hotaru coldly said to Mikan but changed to a civil tone to Natsume, "There's a modified version of a bicycle, use it. Don't worry, Natsume-kun you're near the school." An invisible sliding door opened behind Holo-Hotaru, the compact compartment illuminated and there stood the modified bicycle.
"That's a large tricycle but without the seat." Mikan noted.
"That's why it's called a modified bicycle." Natsume scowled, taking the bicycle.
"Go now," Holo-Hotaru informed them, "This hub will self-destruct in thirty-five seconds."
They hopped on the tricycle's platform as Mikan had observed, Natsume pressed the GO button just as the hub's door opened wide and off they went with a ZOOOOOMM! The teacher in charge of patrolling the infirmary tonight was Mr Narumi so they guessed it was alright to stop in front of him. There were no brakes on the vehicle they were riding. Natsume could only press the HALT button and both of them were thrown off the vehicle out of the impact of stopping suddenly.
Mr Narumi had a look of pure horror as he thought his life would be over. But at the sound of a crash of the vehicle against a tree and the panicked screams from two of his students. They were hanging on two branches. He quickly took action with Mikan wailing, "Mr. Narumi, help… Natsume's hurt. Natsume, are you okay?"
"I can see… your p-pol…polka dotted panty…" He said in a dazed flurry.
"Natsume…!!!" Mikan yelled, "you really are the enemy of all women…." She kept rambling on while Mr Narumi and a few academy security officers rescued them.
Meanwhile, a few yards away from the incident, Hotaru's prototype protective hub began to shrink into the size of a pebble and imploded with a small POOF! The debris just speckled stardust which was blown away by the night wind. Somewhere in a secured lab, Hotaru was frowning away at the screen. There were four specks on the radar. Two reds and two greens. She wasn't worried about the green ones. They had peaceful auras (Mikan and Natsume).
It was the other two that were the reason of her worries. Whoever they were, the red dots indicated that they had threatening auras. But they stopped their attacks when they couldn't penetrate the machine she'd invented. Mikan was lucky to bring the class monitor with her. If she hadn't those two might have used her to get inside and get Natsume. Their presence dissolved as soon as the machine was destroyed.
She couldn't let this invention be known to others. She had already burnt the blueprints. No one should get this invention. It'd bring more problems to the world if it ever came into production. The only two alices that could still penetrate her new invention was Mikan's. Elsewhere in the shadows, two figures looked at each other. One of them, Persona was grim while the other person smiled slightly at the outcome of things.
"The younger Imai is impressive." He clucked his tongue, "It would seem your 'deathly' touch could do nothing to the metal. Fire, water, rust, explosion and that machine's multi-proof to almost every alice except for that girl with Orange hair."
"The younger Imai has deep fondness for her." Persona scowled at him, "It had nothing to do with her nullifying or stealing alice. They weren't needed. The door opened and a mechanical hand pulled her in. What do you think that means?"
The elusive person with pale features and paler lips just smiled. "More work for you." Then he disappeared, leaving Persona to bristle angrily alone in the darkness.
The End