A Future to Fix
"Mikan!" Jinno-sensei yelled,
"Hai!" Mikan answered with a yell, standing up in a salute position.
"Need I remind you that there is no sleeping in my class?" he glared at her,
"No, sensei," she replied impishly.
"Well, it's detention for you, again, Miss Sakura," Jinno-sensei sighed, shaking his head slightly, muttering to himself.
Sitting back down, Mikan looked towards her partner, Natsume, snickering. He rolled his eyes in an obvious fashion. Class had become all too much the same for them. Hotaru, Mikan, Natsume, Ruka, Yuu, Anna, Nonoko, Surmire, Koko, and the rest of those in the same age group as Mikan. So, every once in a while, when Mikan had a late night of homework, she'd end up falling asleep in class. Almost always it was Jinno-sensei's class that ended up being her nap class. And almost always, she was declared detention for her actions. Of course, at the age of fifteen, she didn't care too much anymore. She just wanted to enjoy her stay here in the Alice Academy, enjoy being with Natsume, and wait for the day that she'd be able to see her Jii-san again.
It had been a long time since she had seen him. Even seeing him through a seer wasn't good enough any longer. But, like everyone else, she had to endure it. And she would. She'd keep on smiling because crying and pouting about it had never gotten her anywhere (except maybe the almost being kidnapped part). But then again, that was the past and the future had changed so dramatically. Natsume was no longer being committed to doing missions obsessively, Persona was no longer a teacher in the school (for some reason, two years ago, ((soon after Mikan had come back)) he'd disappeared, a note of resignation the only clue that he'd left voluntarily), and the elementary school teacher was replaced. No one knows what happened exactly to him, but most believed he'd been killed. Mikan was a part of that group of people. After having gone into the past so long ago and the fight with that principal, those were times that Mikan did not wish to relive. Especially the part where she'd left with her mother until it was safe to come back. And after having left her friends behind, especially Natsume; the tears still began to well up in her eyes even at the thought of it. That had been the hardest decision she had ever made in her life. But now that she was back, she vowed to never leave her friends again.
It had been great, living with her mother, Yuka. She loved getting to know her, and seeing how great a person she really was. But through the time Mikan had been gone, the pang of missing out on her friends' lives, wondering if they were okay, if Natsume was still alive, all of it had been hard to bear. But she did it. And here she was, now the girlfriend to Natsume, and enjoying life more than ever.
Suddenly, Mikan felt a poke against her leg; she looked in Natsume's direction, glaring.
"Eh?" she muttered out. All he did was point to his mouth, motioning for her do to the same. As she did so, Mikan realized she'd been drooling; making it perfectly clear that she'd fallen asleep, yet again, within the few minutes that she'd woken up. "Oops," she grinned.
The bell rang seconds later, implicating the fact that class was now over with and they could leave for the day. Mikan jumped out of her chair and dashed towards freedom, ready to enjoy her day, when she realized that she'd gotten detention. She slumped where she stood, and turned to walk towards Natsume and Hotaru.
"Awww, I don't want to go to detention. I want to be with you Natsume, and Hotaru!"
"Well, that's what you get for falling asleep in class, yet again, baka" Hotaru responded blandly, standing at the side of her desk, inspecting a small invention she'd made.
"Mou, Hotaru, you're so mean," Mikan pouted, her lip jutting out slightly.
"Oi, polka, don't make such a fuss when you're the one who fell asleep." Natsume stated. Mikan gave him a fake glare, all the while watching Natsume stare at her. She blushed slightly, liking the look she was receiving.
"Mikan!" Jinno-sensei yelled her way. She froze instantly, looking in his direction.
"Hai?" she asked innocently,
"Detention. Courtyard. Now." The fierce growl in his voice made Mikan act immediately.
"Yes sir! Jinno-sensei, sir!" She gave him another salute, then ran her way towards the courtyard. Almost as an afterthought of forgetfulness, Mikan waved a goodbye to Hotaru and Natsume as she left.
Mikan ran as fast as she could, not wanting to be in any more trouble then she already was in. She skipped down the stairs quickly, almost tripping over traveling people a few of those times, as she hurried outside. And when she did finally get outside, there were trashcans practically lined up waiting for her to chase after them. Mikan groaned, smacking her head in the process. Tag game, here I come! Mikan announced to herself, repeating the happy thoughts to herself once again. It really did help her in capturing the trashcans. It also helped to make it a little more bearable as well. A little while later, Mikan smiled in triumphant thought, marching her way across the court with a tied up trashcan in tow.
"Captured again, are we?" Mikan said in a high voice, cackling, "Well, my pretty little trashcan! Off we go to be cleaned!" Before Mikan could march any further, she noticed the people around her, staring at her actions. Giving an embarrassed laugh, Mikan trudged on, muttering to the trashcan in a voice no one could hear.
An hour and a half later, Mikan had gotten half of the trashcans cleaned, and began to sigh at the thought of all the rest needing to be done. But then, she remembered her vow,
"Right! I got to remember that this is for the good of the school! I must smile and keep going, because without that, the world would be very sad!" It was what Mikan had to do to keep herself encouraged to do the work. And that was one of the things her friends loved about her. She kept the smile on her face, no matter what trial she was facing.
Suddenly, while chasing after one of the trashcans, Mikan heard a loud "Look Out!" and when she looked up, she saw an Alice ball headed right for her. She only had time to pale at its oncoming sight before it hit her in the head. The last things she heard were, what she thought to be, Natsume's voice yelling to her.
"Mikan!!" He yelled, "Mikan!" this time, the yell was further away. "Mika—" the rest of her name was cut off as she fell into unconsciousness.
***
Mikan didn't know how long it had been, but the next thing she could hear was a man's voice, calling out her name.
"Mikan," she groaned, feeling the splitting headache gnawing her head, "Mikan," the voice said again, "Mikan, wake up. You need to eat something. You haven't eaten anything since breakfast,"
"What… What time is it?" she muttered out in a raspy voice,
"Past dinner time, dear. You've had a fever, remember?" The voice was soft and calming. Wait, a fever? Mikan couldn't remember having a fever when she was knocked unconscious. She had been hit by an Alice ball. Did she receive the fever afterwards? Groaning again, Mikan opened her eyes, wondering what teacher it was that had such a soft voice. It certainly wasn't Imai-Sempai, Hotaru's older brother. He had that cold attitude towards everyone in almost the exact same way Hotaru did.
"Where am I?" Mikan whispered, feeling very groggy.
"You're in your bed, honey. You need to eat something before you get sicker though," This time, the voice had been a woman's voice. Who, in the entirety of the school, was a doctor that was a female? Mikan slowly opened her eyes, realizing that she was lying on her back in a warm, comfy bed. Two people were sitting beside her. Her jii-san was one, and the other looked exactly like her mother, Yuka.
"Mom?" She muttered out in astonishment. "Mom?" She said again, now more awake. "Mom, what are you doing here?" She questioned, her brow puckering in confusion.
"Why, I live here silly!"
"Live here?" Mikan asked, "What do you mean, live here? This is Gakuen Alice. I thought we'd agreed that you'd wait 'till I was graduated before we saw each other again," As Mikan stated this, she could see her mother's eyes widen in shock,
"How do you know about that school? What do you mean why am I there? What agreement are you talking about? Honey, you must've been hit by this fever worse than I had thought. Mikan, you're at home with Grandpa and me." It was clear that Mikan looked like an idiot in this situation. But she couldn't understand. Why was she living at home? What happened to Gakuen Alice? Was she taken out while unconscious? No, Natsume would never allow her to leave his side again. So, if she were to be home now, where was Natsume? Mikan was quite positive that he'd have come with her anywhere she went; especially when they both went through the agony of being apart from each other for three years.
"At home? What do you mean at home? I thought we had agreed that I'd live out the rest of my time at school until I graduated." Mikan tried to push herself out of the bed, but her grandpa pushed her back down,
"Look dear, we know that you've been very sick, but you need to snap out of it. You've never gone to Gakuen Alice, and you never will. I don't know how you found out about it, but you need to forget whatever it is that you think you know of it." Mikan could tell her mother was a little frustrated, but she wasn't the only one. What was going on? She was at Gakuen Alice! She had to be. This had to be a bad dream. It had to be. Mikan couldn't imagine ever living without Natsume, or Hotaru, or Ruka, or all her friends ever again. So what cruel fate put this upon her, if not it being just a dream?
"But mom, I…" Mikan drifted off as she looked down at herself. She was still fifteen years old, that she could tell. Relief fluttered through her. At least something is still the same she thought.
"Eat your soup, Mikan. You need all the strength you can get. You can't skip out on class again."
"Class?" Mikan stuttered out.
"Yes, honey, you've got school to go to. You can't miss any more then you already have. What with all the sicknesses you've been through, we're lucky that they haven't told us that you won't be able to graduate." Her mother patted her leg, standing up to leave the bedroom; though Mikan could see the worry lines creasing her mother's brow. Mikan had the same worry lines inching on her own forehead. All she could do was stare at the soup, sitting on her lap, and watch it grow cold. Her grandpa left soon after her mother did, and in the end, she was left to her thoughts.
I can't be home. This just has to be a dream. Mikan pinched herself to test it out. She yelped softly in response, proving that she could feel pain. Taking a look at her surroundings, Mikan couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and have the sense of sadness within her. Everything was so different, and the room felt awkward to be in. Mikan wasn't sure what to do. So, she set the soup off to the side, on top of a dark, mahogany dresser, then got out of bed. She watched her socked feet hit the ground, feeling the haziness begin to slowly dissipate. Slowly walking towards her closed door, Mikan opened it a crack, hearing her mother speaking to her grandpa.
"I don't know what I'm going to do. She's somehow learned the name of the school I am fighting against and I worry that the school has found a way to mess with Alice Students heads."
"You don't need to worry, Yuka. I'm sure it was all just a dream. You don't need to fear anything."
"I can't help it! Those people may be after Mikan! And if they take her away, I don't know what I'm going to do. I thought that they had stopped tracking me. It's been such a long time since I've been running from them. What if they're going after Mikan? What will I do then? She's only fifteen. She knows nothing about her Alice, and if they get a hold of her, I don't know what kind of danger she'll be in." Mikan could hear her mother softly crying. But the more her mother said, the more Mikan became confused. Hadn't they changed the school for the better? Why was her mother still worried about what was going on?
"Yuka, if they haven't found you after all this time, I doubt that they even know that you have a daughter. You don't need to worry," that was her grandpa, giving his usual amazing talks. Mikan could feel tears in her eyes. She'd missed him so much! But she couldn't go and hug him now. Something weird was going on and the entirety of the situation was far too off for Mikan to feel at all comfortable with anything.
Feeling highly deflated, Mikan drifted towards her bed and sat down on the edge of it. What was she going to do? Did she have to go to school? If so, how would she know how to get there? Not only that, what about her friends from Gakuen Alice? Were they worried about her? Or did they even know she existed? Saddened by that thought, Mikan lay down in her bed, feeling the heat of tears beginning to form and fall down her cheeks. She pulled the blanket over her body and up to her chin, wondering what the future would hold for her next, and slowly drifting off to sleep. Not even noticing the sound of her door being opened slightly, her mother taking one last glance at her with a worried frown on her face before closing the door.
***
Mikan woke to the sound of birds chirping out her window. She lay in her bed, content to just sleep the day away, feeling so glad that what had happened was only a dream. After all, being hit by an Alice ball could do that to a person. Soon though, she had noticed that the feel of her blankets were different. Even more different than that of the Hospital blankets at Gakuen Alice. Mikan's eyes opened in an instant, taking in her surroundings. Fear enveloped her being. It hadn't been a dream. She really was at her jii-sans house. Mikan began to tremble, still in the line of thought that it had to be a dream. A really horrible dream and that someone was playing tricks on her mind. Less than a minute later, Yuka entered her room, bearing a tray of food. Seeing the tray; Mikan's eyes widened in anticipation, thinking that it'd been ages since she had last eaten.
Upon seeing Mikan's face, Yuka smiled in happiness.
"Here you go, my love. Eat up! School starts in an hour and you don't want to be late. Again," Yuka drawled the last word.
"I… I… ok!" Mikan agreed. Deciding it would be better to listen to her mother at the moment rather than fight with her. Being as hungry as she was, she figured it would be best not to make her mother worry. Even if she was in a different reality.
Mikan finished her breakfast, feeling much more sated in the hunger genre. Even so, she still had that pang of worry going on through her heart. She had school, this she knew. But she had to figure out how to get there and then she had to figure out what her classes were and where they were at in the school. While pondering this thought, the doorbell rang and Mikan heard her mother answer the door. Two seconds later, her name was being called out.
"Mikan, your friends are here. Time to leave for school," Yuka walked into the kitchen, "Will you be ok going to school? Your fever has gone down, but I'm still worried about you. You were quite delusional last night." Mikan sweat-dropped. So, her mother thought she was delusional. It was for the best, she supposed.
"I'm fine, mom. See you after school!" Mikan ran to the front door to greet her friends.
"Mikan! How are you doing? We were so worried about you! You were really sick when we came by yesterday. Do you remember seeing us? You could hardly stay awake," Mikan looked at the two girls standing in front of her. The one on Mikan's left had long blue-black hair, and very dark blue eyes. The other had short, brown hair, and eyes the color of Gold (or so it seemed to be for Mikan). For the life of her, Mikan did not recognize either of them.
"Uh… I don't remember seeing you guys yesterday. I must have been more out of it than I thought."
"Oh, it's alright!" the girl with blue-black hair stated, "You were very sick, so you don't need to stress over it. Just relax and we'll make sure you're good to go!" Mikan stared at her. I guess this isn't so bad; they seem like really nice girls. I better keep quiet about what I know though. Or what I don't know, rather. Mikan smiled at them both, trudging along with each of them, wondering when this reality would leave.
"So guess who we saw yesterday at school, Mikan!" the short brown haired girl asked,
"Uh… who?" Mikan replied, wondering who it could possibly be,
"Seiji Akiyama! And he was wondering where you were, too!" the girl with blue-black hair said excitedly. Bewildered, Mikan replied again,
"Uh, who is that?" Shock crossed both of the girls' faces.
"Seiji! The boy who you've been crushing on since like, you were twelve! Duh! Boy, that fever really must've done a toll to your brain Mikan, because you sure aren't acting yourself. Don't you think so Fujita?" The girl in questioned nodded her head quite energetically,
"Yup. I agree with you Keiko. She's definitely acting very strangely." Mikan looked at them both, finally having figured out who was who. The girl with blue-black hair was Keiko, and the brown haired girl was Fujita. Hoping she could remember those names, she gave each of them her sheepish grin,
"Aw, you both know that I'm just messing with you! Of course I remember Seiji!" Mikan announced, pretending to be full of excitement at the mention of this boy. But how could she like another boy when she was in love with Natsume Hyuuga? The arrogant, perverted boy who she couldn't get enough of? Mikan had to keep reminding herself that everything was different, and that she wasn't in her reality anymore. So she walked along with Keiko and Fujita, hoping beyond any hope that she'd wake up from this twisted world and get back to the one that she loved so deeply.
***
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the middle school, heading towards their classes. At one glance at the school though, Mikan blanched. The middle school was almost as big as the one in Gakuen Alice. She wasn't sure she'd even be able to find her classes at this rate. Feeling dejected, Mikan told Keiko and Fujita that she'd catch up with them later, and ran to main office. It took her several minutes to find because she had to ask directions from several people. But when she did, she barged in with a loud gasp, bending over and holding her hands on her knees, letting her long brown hair flow over her face. Her hair was let down today, unlike usual, so when she looked up, she had to scrape away the remaining hair out of her eyes.
The first thing she noticed was three men in the office. One of which had a surprised look on his face. The other two just stood there, glancing her way, acting as if they were bodyguards. But more surprising, was that Mikan knew exactly who the men were. The surprised man was the High School Principal, otherwise known as her Uncle Yukihira. The blonde man, who looked as if he was gay, was Narumi-Sensi, and the other man was Jinno-Sensei (a frown on his face like usual); all of whom had their eyes fixated on her. Mikan gave a brief bow, swiveled past them, quickly asked for her schedule, and ran out of the room. Her heart pounded the entire way, wondering why in the world those three were at her school, on this very day.
Mikan didn't have to wait for very long, for soon after her first class started, she was called to the office. Looking at both of her supposed friends (it turned out that they had the same first class together); Mikan left the room slowly, wondering what was happening. Hope sprang within her as she walked. Maybe they had figured out that she was supposed to be at Gakuen Alice, and that it was a mistake for her to be here. Maybe they found out that someone was playing a practical joke on her and came to bring her back (though she wasn't sure how that'd be possible). But she did not expect what the true reason was for.
"We are taking you to Gakuen Alice tomorrow morning at seven a.m. sharp. Do not be late." Mikan's Uncle stated. Confusion lit her brow. Why are they acting so strange? Mikan wondered.
"I'm going to Gakuen Alice?" All three nodded at her obvious question. Though they all thought they had to prepare her for what was going to happen, Mikan couldn't wait to leave. Even though she was leaving two important people behind, she knew that she'd see them again one day and didn't fret one way or the other. She was going to Gakuen Alice where all her friends were. If that were to happen, then maybe things would return back to normal.
***
That night, Mikan packed her bags in her bedroom, listening to her mother sobbing and grandfather trying to comfort her. Earlier in the day while Mikan was at school, her mother had gotten a call from Gakuen Alice, telling her what they had told Mikan. Yuka had been crying non-stop since Mikan had gotten home, and Mikan had no idea what to tell her.
Feeling a bit guilty about leaving her mother, Mikan left her bedroom of unpacked clothes, and walked to her mother's side. Putting a hand on Yuka's shoulder, Mikan softly spoke,
"Mom, I'm going to be fine. I can handle this better than you may believe," Mikan watched her mother look up at her with tear-filled eyes.
"Mikan, you do not know what you're getting into. That place is dangerous, and there are things and people there that you do not want to meet. Ever." Suddenly, Yuka's face brightened and she stood up so fast she almost knocked Mikan over, "We should run away! You don't need to go to that school, Mikan. We could leave and you'll never have to leave my side." She was smiling so brightly, Mikan felt even guiltier then before about crushing those dreams.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I can't leave with you. I need to go to Gakuen Alice. I need to figure some things out." Mikan grimaced at her own words. She knew that her mother would have a hard time, but seeing it in person made it harder to decline.
"Mikan, you can't go to that school. It's far too dangerous," Yuka commanded, hoping that her daughter would listen to her.
"I'm sorry," Mikan muttered, going back to her room. She heard her grandpa talking to her mother and felt a small sigh of relief etched within her being. She would go to Gakuen Alice and once there, maybe she could figure out how to go back to the true reality. The reality where she and Natsume were together. The reality where she and Hotaru were best friends; and the one where Persona and the evil Elementary Principal were long gone. Mikan shivered at the thought of those two. Both of them were evil, though the elementary principal was far worse than Persona.
Mikan bit her lip, now finished with her packing, and wondering what she should do next. She took a look around her room. The one she had stayed in up until she had turned ten years old. It had changed somewhat, but that seemed expected. She was five years older than when she had last been in this room. The walls were a creamy white, with a few brown spots littering each wall, quite a lot of pictures of her and her friends Keiko and Fujita hung above her feather bed, and a lamp hung down in the middle of the ceiling. And then there was the mahogany dresser next to her bed, matching the bed frame. She took a deeper look and noticed that the bed frame was intricately detailed. It looked like it was designed for a queen. The entire room was definitely her style and yet, nothing like how she wanted things to be. Mikan could not wait to get to Gakuen Alice even with her anxieties concerning what would happen.
***
It was a little past seven A.M. and Mikan was standing outside the front of her house, duffle bag held in front with both hands, and a look of anxiety etched across her tired face. She hadn't had any sleep the night before, being too worried about what was going to happen which led to her standing there, almost falling over on the spot, with dark circles underneath her eyes. Mikan could remember perfectly the day she had left for Gakuen Alice before. She had been very mad with Hotaru, only receiving one letter with which included a plea for some more melons. Of course, Mikan definitely wasn't happy with that pleading for Melons and talking about the weather were the only things Hotaru could come up with. And missing her so badly led to Mikan's decision to go and find her so that she could see her best friend. That of course led to her being accepted into the academy and meeting all of her wonderful friends. But could she do that again? Would she be able to make friends with everyone and fall for Natsume all over again? She couldn't get those questions out of her head as she stood there, waiting for her ride. She'd already said goodbye to her mother and told her come outside while she waited. Mikan knew it'd be too painful for Yuka to sit with her as well as giving her more opportunity to try and convince Mikan not to go.
So Mikan stood there, hearing her mother sobbing inside, watching the clouds fly by as she waited for the limo ride to Gakuen Alice when suddenly she could hear from a distance the sound of a car on the dirt road. Expecting it to be her limo, Mikan was not disappointed. The black limousine rode up in all its shining glory, stopping in front of her house with none other than Narumi-sensei to step out of the car, greeting her like an old friend. If this had been the other reality, Mikan might have believed it, but this, Mikan wasn't sure what to think of it. Yet at the same time she was quite relieved to see that Narumi was still the same old Narumi.
"Hello Mikan Sakura, my name is Narumi, and I shall be your guide to the Academy," he smiled at her, signaling for her to enter into the limousine. And right before Mikan sat inside she heard shouts coming from the direction of the road, noticing that it was her two friends Fujita and Keiko shouting for them to wait.
"Mikan! Wait! Don't leave yet!" yelled Fujita, both of them stopping right in front of Mikan and a recovered from surprise Narumi.
"What do you guys need?" Mikan asked, puzzled.
"I can't believe you would leave without saying goodbye!" said Keiko angrily.
"Yeah Mikan, we've been your best friends for ever and you don't even have the decency to say goodbye? Do we not mean that much to you at all?" Fujita question, tears starting to occupy her eyes. A twinge of guilt filled Mikan at the sight of the two.
"I'm sorry you guys, I guess with all the fuss of everything, I had forgotten to tell you goodbye." Mikan apologized. Sympathy instantly filled the two friends' faces and they each got teary-eyed both enveloping Mikan in a large bear hug, not able to keep their tears at bay.
"We're going to miss you Mikan-Chan," Fujita hiccupped. Pulling back to rub her eyes. Keiko following suit.
"Aw, you guys are so sweet!" Mikan gushed, giving each of them one last hug. After all, they did help her out after she had been "sick" and needing to find her classes. Waving a hand to her friends, Mikan sat in the limousine, listening to the leather seats make that squeaking noise they make when they become disturbed. Giggling at the sound of it, Mikan squished around until Narumi-Sensei entered causing her to stop immediately and begin to blush profusely.
"Having fun there Mikan?" Narumi-Sensei asked curiously, a smile portraying his face,
"Er, yes. Yes I am."
"Now look," Narumi-Sensei began, "Going into Gakuen Alice, you won't be able to see your family at all nor will you be able to leave the school grounds. We've got plenty of things there for you to do, but if you try to escape, you will get hurt. We've got a barrier around the school property, so beware." Mikan nodded, only half-listening to what Narumi-Sensei was saying. She knew everything about the school and so she figured zoning out wouldn't be too bad. But apparently it was.
"Mikan? Mikan!" Narumi-Sensei was practically yelling at her, snapping his fingers to grab her attention.
"Uh, yes?" Mikan stuttered, coming back to the present time.
"Do you understand any of what I just said?"
"Um… what did you say?" Mikan asked sheepishly, noticing the serious look to Narumi-Sesei's face.
""The Academy is not quite like it used to be. Now, I know you don't know what it used to be but let's just say that it's become more dangerous. I need you to find friends that you can trust. Okay? You understand that? Because with friends, you will be stronger."
Although she had a hunch where this was going, Mikan had to ask, "Stronger? Stronger for what?" Narumi-Sensei didn't answer her question, instead giving her a smile and replying with a "just make sure you find friends you can trust" ending with a conclusion to his voice. Turning to look out the window, watching the world's art go by, Mikan wondered if she would even be able to make the friends she once had. How were they like now? Worry creases lined her forehead as she began to ponder if this decision really was the best one to make.
Two hours later, Narumi and Mikan entered Gakuen Alice. The difference in entering the Academy did not escape Mikan's knowledge. The irony of how she was getting in this time was quite funny in her opinion. Though, she did feel a little sad when she remember that it was the first day she had met Natsume. Back in her reality that she loved and missed so much. As she stepped outside, Mikan didn't notice any real change concerning the school itself. It looked just like it had the last time she had seen it, and as she walked with Narumi towards her classroom and classmates to be, Mikan wondered if the kids were still the same. She really hoped so for it would make life here a whole heck of a lot easier then if everyone was mean.
The middle school looked like its usual self, nothing changed, nothing out of place. There were few students roaming about the school grounds though none of which looked like they came directly from the middle school building. So on Mikan and Narumi walked, Mikan taking cautious steps while Narumi seemed to have his natural glow and bounce that he normally would. Nothing seemed out of place to Mikan beyond the fact that she had been living with her grandpa and mother.
Soon, they entered the building, just before the bell rang and suddenly the halls were swarming with students. Narumi, still smiling, turned to look behind him to see if Mikan was still following him (the halls having been to crowded for her to walk next to him), then waved as he turned a corner. Mikan knew the halls, and knew that they weren't heading to a classroom but to the Middle School Principal's office. It took a moment for Mikan to remember that she had indeed gone to the Principal's office when she had first arrived into the Elementary School Building. At that time, she had met her first classmate up close. Natsume, the one she loved so dearly. Furrowing her brow, Mikan had to wonder how his health was holding up. Was he still alive in this reality? If he wasn't, she wouldn't be able to handle it. That would be just too horrible. Mikan wasn't sure if she'd be able to take going to this school without him here. True, she did have Hotaru but she couldn't fulfill Mikan's heart in the way that Natsume did. Scared to even think about what she would do without Natsume, Mikan hadn't noticed that they arrived at the office.
"Here we are, the Middle School Principal's Office," Narumi-sensei announced. Mikan took a step inside.
"Um, where is he at?" Mikan questioned, faking the innocent act about what was to happen.
"Oh, you won't be meeting your Principal at this moment. Two students from your class will be coming here to direct you on where you'll need to go. Now if you'll excuse me for just a moment, I will be right back," Narumi-sensei left, leaving Mikan to look around the office. It almost looked similar to the room she had been in when she had first arrived in her own reality. There was a couch, and some paintings on the walls; a very large window to her left, overlooking the pathway towards the Elementary Building. The walls were colored a very deep, maroon red while the floor was a smooth, oak brown wooden flooring. Looking closer one could see that each board had some sort of intricate detail carved into the flooring, also seeing that an alice ability covered each board with a sealing to keep from scuff marks and breakage of the beautiful art carved there. Lifting an eyebrow, Mikan couldn't help but wonder who had the awesome alice and wished for but a moment that she had it as well. But the instant that she had thought that, the door opened up loudly, creaking along the way (the door creaks? Mikan didn't remember that about the door) and in popped Narumi, his happy-go-lucky personality and all. Behind him stepped in Yuu Tobita, and behind him came Hotaru. She looked just the same as before, except her aura seemed almost darker in this reality; as if she hadn't been able to get along with friends and could care less whether she did or not.
"Ho---!" Mikan stuttered mid-step, forgetting that maybe Hotaru didn't remember her in this reality. Narumi looked at her oddly, then introduced the two.
"Mikan, these are the two student body officers, they will show you where you will be sleeping and take you to your class. In this classroom, it will hold all of your classes that you will be taking, so you don't need to memorize a bunch of places to go. Oh, one more thing," he paused for a second, smiling widely, "Welcome to Gakuen Alice!"