Of Life & Death: Curse of the Dancing Pedals Chapter 1: Our First and Last Encounter, a gakuen alice fanfic

Of Life and Death

By Smiley Cool Dreamer

Disclaimer: Please realize...I don't own Gakuen Alice, just the idea.And also if you think I accidently included something I didn't cite, please inform me. I might have unintentionally included something after reading and seeing multitudes of anime, manga, books, and fan fiction.

Authors Note:If you do not want to run into any unwanted readings I suggest you read this first, before you set your eyes on something you do not like. We are in my own recreated Gakuen Alice World(In English it means Alice Academy) where Alice's or powers have been discovered in advanced blood lines. This power has been used to innovate and invent isolated technology from the past, present, and future. Warning: Some of these objects and actions may not correspond with the time or the age of the people. Also there may be out of worldly subjects in this fan fiction. Before flaming me for writing something like this(if you were panning to)realize that this is fictional and therefore nothing has to be real of timely.. Also if you dislike horror, tragedy, and cliff hangers. Please stop right here. I do assure you though that this will be a great story.

Chapter One: Our First and Final Encounter

Sunday May 5th 6:00 pm 1000 B.C

Mikan Sakura was just born. Her parents were Yuka Azumi and Azuka Sakura.

"Why did I let you swindle me in to having this abomination Azuka?" Yuka cried

"Yuka have you forgotten already. This isn't our child it is our slave…" Azuka whispered in her wife's ear. His voice was cold and chilly enough to turn the deserts into glaciers.

"Yes honey…" Yuka responded in just as seductively icy voice.

"Mikan Sakura will be her name." Azuka followed up. "Tangerines, it's a fitting name for a servant. She will be eaten and used by us."

"But dear you know very well I can't have children, you know the reason why." Yuka complained a little.

"Who ever said it had to be yours?" Azuka was talking with a smirk on his face."We all know what that they left their stillborn child behind. That child has not been done over with yet by him. We can use that child. And we know who can give birth to our ambitions."

"We will owe him afterwards you know?" Yuka commented.

"Of coarse. But that child will be helping us with that job. I heard she was the special child that came once every millennium. It's really a shame her birth parents were of those kinds of creatures." Azuka retorted back with a scary smile.

"Well that's fine then, I just don't want us to be stuck in that place again. It's quite annoying when you have to stay in a still position for such a long period of time while you're still conscious. It stinks like hell. He really needs to clean up and find another creature for those odd hobbies he tends to perform. He has the weirdest toys. Not that I don't like him. He's almost like our parents after all. We still owe him though, even if we didn't ask for the child, he gave us this. But there is a problem, were will be get what he needs while the child is being nurtured? I surely don't want to be down there with him letting him do that. I just got out of that not too long ago. I didn't like him doing that. He's way to queer. He needs to realize that I'm alive too." Yuka continued on.

"That will be no problem. Those other fools that our previous replicas knew will trust us completely. You know what advantage we have. It makes it even better that they bow down to us, because of those pure blooded fools. It makes my life much easier. Once we're done with those fools we can use that child. He will be satisfied after that. His needs will be fulfilled. We will rid him from this world by those means that lie dormant. Our chains will be released. Our ambitions will be allowed to expand exponentially. We will achieve that. If only they realized....if only they did, they would find their selves in much less trouble. Those fools who refuse to believe and think that they are on top of the world will pay."

"But dear, isn't it hilarious those fools don't realize."

"My dear it is."

When Mikan was 7, the Sakura House hosted an extravagant sleep-over party. There were people wearing dresses and makeup, there was live music, dancing, laughing, gambling, food, couples, and families that looked very happy. The Sakura mansion was covered in decorations and extravagance everywhere. It was a very florid house.

Mikan was 7 at the time and had never seen another girl her age. Yuka and Azuka had never taken her anywhere outside of the house before. It was that night that she encountered Hotaru, a stoic and interesting girl who was covered in violet head to toe. Violet hair, violet eyes, violet lipstick, violet dress, violet shoes, and more. Mikan couldn't even count the number of accessories that were on her. Mikan stared in astonishment. Why did a little girl like her have so many luxuries? That was weird. Maybe she was just a special kid. Mikan thought all kids her age were like her, with out good environment, good clothes, good treatment. She thought only adults had that privilege.

Hotaru was looking at a girl covered in rags. 'This is a high class party, isn't it? Why is there someone so poor looking here? Wait this doesn't even make any sense, in our village no one is that dirt poor to be not able to offer their children even decent clothing. What's going on? Only the people of our village were invited here, there shouldn't be someone like her here. Maybe I'll walk over to her and get some info out of her.' A series of questions ran light speed though Hotaru's mind as she tried to contemplate all the possible answers. Hotaru stared at the girl for an instant and then instantaneously she paced directly across the room to the girl.

The 2 girls stared at each other when they met. "Who are you?" Hotaru raised her question skeptically. Hotaru had her notorious stoic blank expression on her face and piercing eyes.

"Mikan Sakura. Who are you?" Mikan gave a little tone when she asked her question. She beamed a smile that could melt the universe at the funny looking violet girl.

Hotaru looked pissed. 'Definitely weird. Maybe I can get some money off of her. She's a Sakura yet she's dressed in rags. She doesn't sound like she's lying. I always know when someone is lying to me. It's my specialty. That is really odd. I wonder what's happening inside this house. It's definitely fishy. Ok then its decided. I will run an investigation on this house later tonight.' "You don't need to know my name. But if you really want to know then give me ten silver pieces." 'This shouldn't be a lot for the house of Sakura. Even a kid should have a least that much money, especially when she is a Sakura. They only have three people left in their family, so she must be the heir. I had heard that some tragic accident befell on the rest of the Sakura house, only the main house(the pure blooded ones) were left. I wonder what happened to them.'

"Who's a silver piece?" Mikan tilted her head sideway to think and pursed her lips. Then she put her hand under her chin to emphasize her thinking posture.

'This girl so funny, she sure is a comical one.' Hotaru thought with a slight smile on her face that she showed for the first time. "It's 'What's a silver piece?' you dummy!" Hotaru smacked Mikan on the back of the head gently. But Mikan lost her balance and fell over onto the floor. Hotaru noticed she had bruises all over her hands and feet. But she quickly got back up. Mikan was used to this and she thought being abused was normal. 'This is getting freaky. She's a Sakura yet she doesn't even know what money is. This leads to 2 conclusions: One there is child abuse here and her parents are lying, scheming, heartless souls. Second she really isn't a Sakura. And don't those multitudes of bruises burn. She sure takes pain well, she must be strong, or just used to this. Mikan, this girl is a real mystery, yet so easy to read. Hmmm...how does that even make any sense.' Hotaru slapped herself mentally for thinking ridiculous things.

"Hey are you special? Why do you have all these pretty things? Can I have some too?" Mikan just had to ask the violet covered girl that. She was just too curious. 'I wonder what I can do to get those pretty things on me...Maybe she knows. Hopefully daddy and mommy won't punish me for asking. Maybe I can get these accessories as those rumored birthday presents I hear about. I wonder, when is my birth day anyways. '

"Are you really stupid?" Hotaru looked at Mikan with a 'what is with this situation' look. "I'm normal. You are the one that is not. Look at everyone around you. Especially the other kids that you fail to notice. Do you see then in clothing, oh sorry, rags like yours? I didn't think so. Come with me, I'll get you some decent clothing from my maid I brought along." Hotaru was just firing complaint after complaint at Mikan. 'Geez even maids, slaves, and servants look like they are in a better condition that you. And you claim you are a Sakura? This is hilarious.' Hotaru thought mockingly. Hotaru would see whether she was a Sakura or not. She knew for a fact that all Sakuras had a Sakura pedal colored and shaped birthmark born with them at birth. It could be anywhere on the body. According to legend, if a Sakura had 5 pedals centering around a white crystal engraved between their 2 breasts then they would be legendary. The legend also says it has to be a girl. But it did not say what great things the birthmark would allow the human to do. That was what Hotaru always wanted to know.

Hotaru led Mikan to the room Hotaru was going to be staying in that week for the party. It was a week long party, so everyone who came got a room. The Sakura Mansion was huge after all. "Get in the closet and strip." Mikan hurriedly obeyed Hotaru's swift commands. Mikan stripped. "Turn around face me." Mikan swiftly did so again. 'This girl is disciplined. She's way too good at following commands, its like she was trained this way. But it shouldn't be, she's the Sakura princess. And there! Oh my goodness! There's the 5 pedaled Sakura mark between her breasts. I wonder what great things she will do? This is amazing. She is definitely a Sakura. But look at all those bruises. They look like they were made from horse whips and hands. I knew it. It has to be child abuse. There's no other explanation for her condition.' Mikan was put into a pretty white spaghetti strapped dress by Hotaru, she had a single Sakura pedal pendant hung by a thin silver chain on her neck. On her wrist was a thin silver chain with pink diamonds hanging off all around it. Mikan had a sun hat with a pink bow around it on her head and a sandals with one inch heals that were white and pink stripped. Her auburn hair was put into two pigtails tied by red strings. Hotaru also applied make-up on her face and pained all her nails white with a Sakura pedal on each finger. "Here look at your self. Now you look more like a Sakura heir."

"Am I really supposed to look like this? What if mommy and daddy don't like it and punish me? I don't like being punished it hurts. If I follow all their orders and don't cry it doesn't hurt Violet-chan." Mikan looked worriedly at Hotaru. Mikan had decided to call Hotaru by that name because she was wearing violet colored everything.

"What do your parents to punish you?" Hotaru was curious. She knew she shouldn't pry into others painful memories, but she just wanted to know even if it was a little bit.

Mikan looked down. "Whips...they grab me very hard, sometimes they tie me up, chains, pocket knives, vases, slapping....Can I not talk about this any more?... It hurts too much." Mikan asked hopefully with a pained expression.

"Stop then. My names Hotaru Imai. You may call me Hotaru, in return I will call you Mikan." Hotaru knew telling her name to Mikan would immediately make her feel better she was just that kind of person. She could rise up from the dumps with just a word of encouragement.

Mikan was ecstatic. "You finally told me your name Hotaru-chan!"

"Mikan-chan, I'll help you get out of this nightmare, ok? You shouldn't be hit like this. Ok?" Hotaru this time genuinely wanted to help the Sakura heir this time. She had a gut feeling that she was going to be a important friend.

"Ok then..." Mikan wanted to trust Hotaru with her life. She seemed like a very good friend and a very responsible one too. But fate didn't allow Mikan to have that virtuous life yet. Their escape planning would be interrupted but Mikan's parents. "Hotaru-chan!" Mikan squealed. Mikan just had a brilliant idea. Mikan wore two bracelets that she made herself out of strings that were identical. There was only one set like this in the world. She took one off of her wrist and handed it to Hotaru. The bracelet had rainbow colored strings on it tied and knotted together in intricate ways making flowers, leaves, hearts, stars, and all different types of patterns on the bracelet.

"What's this ugly thing for?" Hotaru asked harshly.

"Does Hotaru-chan not like it? It's to symbolize our friendship, after all your the first friend I ever had. I worked hard on it so my first friend would like it." Mikan started to bawl.

Hotaru grabbed the bracelet and put it on. "Stop crying you dummy. You look 10 times uglier when you cry." Mikan looked up at Hotaru with astonishment and then her famous smile.

"Thank you Hotaru!"

"You idiot. I should be the one saying thank you. You're my first friend too."

"Really Hotaru-chan? You're not lying?"

"Why would I lie about something like this? Don't you trust your best friend?"

"Of coarse I do!" Mikan jumped on to Hotaru in a crushing hug and laughed. Tears were still left over from the crying a minute ago dripping down her cheeks.

Hotaru being the dour girl she is pushed Mikan off her immediately. Even though she acquired a friend now, she was still far from familiarizing with human contact. Even her parents couldn't break the lock that sealed her once heart that was once ajar.

"Wahhh....That's not fair Hotaru-chan. You're so unfeeling Hotaru-chan. You're my best friend, why can't I hug you?" Mikan nagged.

"Because you're getting my dress you are wearing all ruffled, and my dress wet with your salty tears." Hotaru expertly conjured up an excuse.

"Fine! But you can't forget me. Best friends forever! Pinky promise me Hotaru." Mikan stuck one small pinky out to Hotaru with a smile on her face once again.

"Even though this is stupid..." Hotaru sighed and reached with her own pinky and linked it with Mikan's. They shook it three times then let go. There was no helping this. After all it was Mikan. "Mikan tomorrow and for the other 6 days I'm going to be here we're going to devise a plan to get you on to my carriage and away from this place." Hotaru spoke with great determination.

"OK!" And Mikan was inspired by that to try her hardest too. Mikan immediately started on a different topic being the hyper and random person she is. "Hotaru you know I have a dream every night. And it's different every night but it's like a continuation of a very long dream. I don't quite remember what it's all about thought. Because everyday, as soon as I wake up all the info about the dream disappears. And when I sleep, the dream's info returns once again and continues where I left off. It's real scary. I can tell by the way I wake up with sweat and a pounding heart. It's almost real, I can still remember that smell, the horrible feeling of being helpless. but you know last night," Mikan's winter tone suddenly changed into summer, "I finally could recall a little bit of it. I remember a man in a cloak comes to save me. I remember feeling so relieved. I just can't help wondering who he is. I wonder if he's my Prince Charming. I always liked those princessy fairyish stories. Where the Princess is in trouble, then the Prince comes to save her, and then the live a happily ever after! I want to meet my Prince Charming one day too. " Mikan sped through her last sentence so fast Hotaru almost couldn't catch on, but she slowed down especially to say the 'happily ever after' and 'I want to meet my Prince Charming one day too.' clearly. Mikan loved those stories from the bottom of her heart and wished everyday she would meet someone she loved.

"I see Mikan-chan. But really, be realistic. Dreams nor fairytales come true unfortunately for you." Hotaru said as-a-matter-of-factly. 'But really I wonder, she's the Sakura legend, can these things happen? Is it possible that when someone like her is living these things do happen? Speaking of that maybe I should tell her who she actually is? She's too oblivious to know that she's that legend girl. I doubt that she has even heard of the legend, much less know she's the legend girl. Hmm...Nah...She should just figure it out her self. I don't want to mess with such forces. If she does not know yet herself, it must mean that it is not time yet. She will definitely find out with in time.'

At the end of the 7th day Hotaru wanted to smuggle Mikan onto her carriage. Everyone was leaving and was saying their goodbyes. It was 11:30 at night. The weather was not pretty. An inclement blizzard had clashed with the area. It did not seem to be leaving for days. But if the carriages left now they could make it home before the storm got too strong.

When Mikan attempted to exit the mansion an event of shocking consequences elapsed. An electric pulse field held her back while Hotaru could pass though. This was unexpected and totally and completely spoiled Hotaru's plans. Who knew that Mikan's parents would go so far as to use their alice to put a field to constraint and hinder Mikan's mobility. The fence discharged legions of streaky blue lights and a ghastly sound as if the entire world was on the verge of dissipating into smithereens, in a split second.

Mikan was clutching Hotaru's hand firmly but as soon as she felt the unmistakable recoil of the electricity, she hastily released her hand so Hotaru would not be wounded as well. Hotaru was thrust outside the electric field by Mikan, but Mikan was still on the interior of the barrier. The inadequate amount of elapsed time and the multitude of jolts she would receive if she had, forbid her to dive out as well. Mikan's parents arrived in literally a split second as soon as they experienced a tremor in the reverse barrier they deftly constructed.

Hotaru experienced an unpleasant landing on her rear but she was too appalled by the images flashing in front of her eyes to bellow at her friend who was being abused much like an animal.

Mikan's parents became extremely alarmed that the electric field had been triggered. Azuka, Mikan's father, was seething. He yanked Mikan's over to himself and tore her away from the door ferociously. Hotaru, an unfortunate audience of this even was left agape. Her eyes were for the 1st time ever scene wide, like she was actually afraid. Even executions were not this gruesome. At least the executioners would finish the person in one clean painless stroke. These parents of Sakura's or rather monsters that kept her captive were horrendous. Mikan's father Azuka swung Mikan in a circle like a rag doll, similar to a chew toy for an undomesticated dog. Whoosh...whoosh...Mikan flew in circles. He had descended from the staircase to severely punish that slave who dared try and disobey him. He was going to extirpate the hopes out of that girl once and for all.

"You dare disobey me you devil child! Now you will inevitably come face to face with your death, you understand? Now what do you want me to do to you before you die?" he exploded into Mikan's ear. Mikan could feel the saliva that was spit sprayed out from his mouth after he spit out a mouth of saliva in disgust, when he swiftly swung his head to the side and back; as if even referring to her were a crime. The veins in his eyes were now very much visible. Popping out and ringing the side of his two eyes were thin capillaries put under a gargantuan amount of stress, looking as if they would explode at the moment. His eyes were wide with a crazed look in them, his pupils dilated to tiny black specks. The white around his eyes morphed into a yellowish color, as if it was deteriorating from old age. Bags that looked like overdone mascara appeared under his eyes. The two separate eyebrows, became conjoined like very narrow 'V'. His nose was flaring as a provoked buffalo's would; steam appearing to be released from the two inflamed nostrils. From his mouth escaped sharp yellow teeth, a deadly carnivore's. His lips contracted above his atramental gums. His cheek's tissue was being resituated into a distorted manner. This man was a beast, he wasn't like a beast he was one, a monster, nothing could describe the fear being instilled there at that moment for both Hotaru and Mikan. A haunting vividness was imprinted onto their minds for an eternity.

Mikan was now wide eyed. He whispered something into her ear, and Mikan started squirming only to receive another dose of Azuka's kicks and punches into her stomach. Mikan didn't dare go unconscious even though she wanted to. Her parents might poison or kill her. Mikan was dreadfully frightened. And though she tried not to let her visage release evidence that she was, the attempt expectedly failed. Revealing her emotions was equivalent to more excruciating anguish. She wouldn't be able to see Hotaru any more if she took her dirt nap now and she didn't desire for Hotaru to be sad because of her death. Azuka's visage was plastered with a bloodcurdling smile that was comprised of obvious malicious and wicked intentions in his mentality.

"Mikan!" Hotaru shouted with a desperate tone, she and Mikan were the only ones that weren't outside entering the carriages yet. 'Oh not Mikan, what kind of trouble have I obtained her no., If only I didn't request for her to escape, she wouldn't be in this deep ditch of dilemmas now.' Hotaru started looking for an escape rout or aide left and right. But as smart as she was, there was nothing. She couldn't help her best friend, and that was that. She couldn't do anything about it anymore. They were at a dead end. No escape anywhere. Zilch, nada, and none.

"Hotaru! Go! Leave me! Save your self before he kills you! He will do everything to create your phony death if that will save his image. Now that he knows you have seen the real side of him, he will be relentless! I'm not worth the hassle." Mikan screched to Hotaru to warn her. Tears were at the brim of her eyes threatening to trickle down. But Azuka didn't like that and decided to grab Mikan even tighter making her tears bleed out slowly down her cheeks. Mikan tried to hold her tears back in failure. Mikan was so apprehensive for Hotaru's safety that she was probably more worried about Hotaru and her family than herself.

"Don't tell anyone about this if you want to live got it you little money-thieving Imai-spawn! If you want this little slave I have here to live to see tomorrow, if you want your family and yourself to be safe, then I suggest you shut up and move your hinny. Understand." Mikan's mother Yuka descended the stairs in her slender bright red dress. She said that to Hotaru who just stood there with a dumbfounded, indescribable expression. Yuka's tone sounded very deadly to Mikan and she hoped with all her heart that Hotaru would dash for herself and escape to salvation.

Hotaru was contemplating hard. Should she save her friend Mikan and get herself and her family into trouble, or should she just run off and pretend this never happened. The latter would be better, although she loved Mikan with all her heart, her family had nothing to do with this, it wasn't fair that she drag people that didn't know Mikan into this mess. Yes she would run, even if she didn't want to with all her heart. It was not fair to drag hundreds of people into deaths hands just to save one. Hotaru turned to run and took one last glance at Mikan who was showing her that brilliant smile of hers that could cheer anyone up, for the last time. Hotaru pivoted with her left foot and ran straight for the left side walk. Swish her hair went along with her. She stared at her feet to make sure she could not trip over her own clumsy feet. Ba-dump, ba-dump, thud thud, ba-dump ba-dump, thud thud. She could hear her own heart pounding against her chest the noise resonating in her ears, her lungs burned for air, the agony of the disability to breath properly revealed itself to her. Clump clack, clump clack, the sound of her shoes striking the pavement eventually led her to her carriage. Hotaru would never forget Mikan. She knew that Mikan would be her one and only best friend. And even though they only saw each other for a week, Hotaru and Mikan felt they knew each other so well it was like they were friends for eons.

"Yes little girl turn around and run, forget you ever met this little monster...forget..." Yuka's voice resonated in Hotaru's head. Hotaru dashed out the door to her carriage as fast as her feet could carry her and hopped on her ride as fast as she could. She changed her disposition to one containing a face that said everything was of normal circumstances. She did not want to worry her parents.

"Hotaru! Where have you been. We were so worried, we thought you were lost! Please inform us when you take leave." Hotaru's mother bawled.

"Mother it's ok. I just went to say goodbye to a friend." Hotaru replied emotionlessly.

"You made a friend! Who is it? Who is it?" Hotaru's mother was buoyant with happiness all of a sudden. Her stoic daughter never had a friend in her life. And she was worried about her future social life. Taking her to the Sakura's party was a good idea after all.

"I'll tell you later mom." Hotaru replied like a obedient daughter she always was. 'This is good. Mom does not realize anything happened.'

Hotaru's father peeked out to the Wagoner, "Start the carriage for home. We found our daughter." Hotaru's father sat back down in the carriage. The sound of the whip on the horse signaled it to go. In seconds they heard the Wagoner yell 'Ja!' 'Ja!' telling the horse to go even faster. Hooves could be heard pounding the ground rapidly. The wind was strong. It cried making a loud hooting sound as if it was in pain like Mikan. Hotaru peeked out the window of the carriage looking back at the Sakura house remorsefully. A cloud of dust was left behind where the carriage went. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the friend she couldn't save, but in minutes Yuka's erasing alice had taken effect. Hotaru's eyes felt heavy like she hadn't slept in a decade. She didn't want to sleep. Her intuition told her that if she slept she would forget everything, including Mikan. She didn't want to forget Mikan, it was too cruel to leave her to those evil parents for the rest of her life. Mikan disserved better. She disserved to live a happy life, cheerful like her blinding smile. But she couldn't fight the sleep. Hotaru's eyes grew heavy and they shut seeing only blackness. Hotaru whispered, "No...Mikan...Live...Mom her name is Mikan help me remember. Don't let me forget. Please God." very softly. But her words were drowned out by the sound of the hooves pounding on the ground.

Hotaru heard one last sound and that was her mother's soothing voice," Sleep Hotaru, you can tell me when we get home. It's been a fun and exhausting week." Hotaru fell asleep with her head on her mothers lap.

Back at the Sakura mansion things were not going too well. "You insolent fool! You dare even have the thought to escape?" Azuka's voice was booming in Mikan's ears. Mikan's ears heard ringing noises from her fathers lightning sounding voice. Mikan cringed involuntarily. "What do you think we should do to this thing Yuka?"

"Don't you think hanging her from the jail cells in the basement with rats, fleas, and the dead, would be a nice idea. Then we should whip her and pour boiling water over her to burn her, then a little cold water would make those wounds burn even more. It's ok if she dies. I don't need a rebellious, disobedient, untalented, naive daughter like her. He will finally be satisfied. Our chains will to him will finally be severed." Yuka smiled and cackled in an unfathomable method. She appeared like an evil witch from a fairytale nightmare come true.

Mikan was sure she was going to die, but she had no way to escape. Her father dragged her down the cement floor like a rag doll then tied her to two hand cuffs dangling from the jail cell wall. Mikan dangled by her wrists. Her arms were straight above her head and her wrist and hands were the only thing stopping her from plunging into the uncovered sewer under her. Her hands were larger than the cuffs naturally. It hurt her wrists bad, but the environment she was put into was scarier. "I'll be back to deal with the rest of your punishment. I'll see to your death, like all the others. Those impure fools." Azuka laughed at all those other impure Sakuras madly. Mikan wondered what that sentence he just said meant. 'like all the others...those impure fools.' Azuka took the torch he brought down with him and blew most of it out so only a ember colored wood remained slowly burning away the wood. Mikan heard her fathers foot steps disappear off into the distance quickly. Then she heard a loud bang of the huge iron vault door that was located at the top of the long spiraling cement staircase she was dragged down from that went about 100 feet up. The little speck of light from the open door at the pinnacle of the winding staircase, dissipated.

The sewer looked like a bottomless pit. Mikan peered down into it and spit into it to observe how far down it extended. After 30 seconds her ears still received nothing. It was insubstantially deep and she was in the dark about the things down there. But she knew if she got out of the hand cuffs and fell down she would die anyways; whether due to impact or the act of gorging from the living unknown. Who knew what was down there? Mikan did dared not know.

By the torch light she could identify corpses, flies and tics. They seemed to be unpleasantly prevalent here. Mikan did not even know that the Sakura Mansion had such ghastly quarters. The walls had blood stains all over it. The bars of the jail were abundant with spider webs, and the deadly back widows coated the grounds. It smelled so disgusting, revolting. Mikan wanted to hurl so much, but her empty stomach did not allow that luxury for her.

There was a 9'x6' dark shining metal table with a dissecting tools. It seemed almost new It looked as if someone was doing autopsies on live humans there. There were corpses and skeletons covering the floor like how grass covered the land. They were not only human corpses, there were animals and contraptions of animals and other things that looked like golems or aliens or mutations of some monster that was unearthly. It looked as if some mad scientist was down here creating unworldly creatures and then drained the blood of them. By the dying torch light Mikan could also see that every one of the corpses had a Sakura pedal on them.

Then it hit her. She knew what Azuka was talking about. Those little clips of conversations she would always catch her parents discussing about finally made more sense. The Sakura's or more precisely her parents murdered their whole clan. So that only the pure bloods, her parents, existed. They probably did not want other blood corrupting their superior blood line. 'Those selfish greedy abominations of parents!' Mikan thought angrily to her self. They were coldhearted murderers. It with no love at all. They probably only got married just because they had the same sick ambitions. Then a scary thought dawned upon Mikan once again. Where they even human? Could humans do something so horrific? This gave Mikan even more shivers down her spine. 'Come on Mikan get yourself together. It's ok. Your Prince Charming will come and save you right?' Mikan smiled to her self to get herself to cheer up and chase the fear very far away. But it ended up in failure much to Mikan's avail.

It was tepid down there filled with the dead animal and human heat, but somehow there was this cold breeze that sent chills down her spine once again. There was something worse down here way beyond her imagination. Worse than monsters, worse than abuse by chains and whips. Very much malicious and vile. A evil words and the human mind were not able to express, that would over load the system to even ponder upon such an perilous creature.

It was then that Mikan spotted a huge Jacuzzi. It seemed to be decorated. But messily, seemingly with out care. Now why would one of those relaxing things be down here of all places? It looked out of place. But when Mikan lifted her head to see what was in it she regretted it immediately. What she saw was parts of bodies that looked like hers, Yuka's, and Azuka's. Then she saw something else, the parts were floating. But on what? The liquid looked dense and crimson colored. Spotting things by the dying torch that was left down here made things rather hard to distinguish. It was a bath full of blood. Then she saw the drained shriveled looking young human corpses beside the Jacuzzi. More pieces of the puzzle were now solved. Mikan knew more of what was going on now.

There was a monster down here somewhere...on the loose... in this small basement. It fed on young people's blood then bathed in it, like how humans bathed in water, like how humans drank water. And it ate human flesh, like how humans ate animal flesh. Human's natural enemies, something higher up on the food chain. And Mikan could do nothing about it. It's targets were the Sakuras. Their advanced blood line. That thing, monster, or what ever it was, was killing her family. Her father and mother had been killed. Then that monster made everyone believe that those two things that stole the appearance of her parents, were her parents, when they were actually just a sick creation of a creature living on the line between the dead and the living that survived on blood. No human could be so cruel.

Mikan had saw her parents walk into this vault a few times. She was told never to go near it though. Now she knew why. Even if she wished with all her soul to could forget this, it would never happen. This was engraved into her mind now.

Azuka came back down with the whip. He quickly started to whip Mikan, scathing her skin. It stung but she didn't dare scream. Screaming would only result in additional agony. After about 10 minutes of whipping, Mikan noticed that something was moving in the Jacuzzi. It was bathing in the blood and body parts. She saw the blood move. Then there were bubbles as if someone was playing in a bubble bath. It got up and when Mikan saw the scene her eyes widened, it was heading towards her and Azuka. She was too stunned to scream. Her breathing went into a standstill.

The creature slowly ascended from the pool of blood. First the arms, a trickling liquid could be hear. Drip drop, drip drop. The arms were very thin, anorexic looking. Then the head, it looked like a skull wrapped in transparent skin. The eyes were deflated, dilated, and black. As if they wanted to decay, but could do so no further. The body, the yellow ribs could be seen slowly reveling itself to Mikan's consciousness. The skull looked very much like her fathers angry face. Yellow triple rowed shark like teeth could be seen. A very slow beating heart could was revealed in addition to all the other black colored organs. It looked as if they had been soaked in tar before growing in his body. There were blood vessels holding the blood of his previous victims and nerves visibly pulsing in right below the surface of the transparent skin.

Just then Yuka came down and joined Azuka. She had brought the water down, the cold and the hot. "Hey Yuka, honey, why don't you pour some of that water on her now, I prefer hot first. Do you like getting cooked girly? Hope you like cooked meat, cause there's going to be a lot of it on you." He grinned sickly like he was having fun. That corrupt mind he had, no one knew where it originated from.

"Of coarse my wonderful husband, oh you are so strong and handsome, look at what you did to that child, only someone like you could do something so wonderful." Yuka was taking pride in her horrific actions. Mikan was not shocked by that though now knowing what goes on in her fathers mind. What shocked and scared her the most was the next few moments that came. It was a miracle that she did not get a heart attack.

In less than a second that monster that was slowly getting out of the Jacuzzi and seemingly transported adjacent to Yuka. A gust of terrible smelling air crashed head on with Mikan's nose. A crackle was heard clearly, then 3 more. A tearing sound soaked Mikan's ears. A continuous blood-curdling scream. Then the scream abruptly stopped. It broke her arms then her legs, then it yanked her arms out of their sockets in a horrific manner.

Yuka was screaming in crazy screwed up manner, almost as if it was ecstasy. But it wasn't. It was true pain. Hate and love were only a thin line apart as was pain and ecstasy.

The monster then gashed holes all over Yuka, there were holes through her stomach, her arms, her legs, all hanging off by a few segments of skin. He took out her intestines, her liver, her lungs, her gall bladder, her brain, all her internal organs, and tossed it all into the Jacuzzi like you would with laundry into water.

Blood streamed from her in waves, similarly what would happen if you tried to drain an ocean. The monster suspended her up above the Jacuzzi and let the remaining dark crimson liquid slowly trickle out. Pitter patter, drip drop, pitter patter, drip drop, the sound of the emptying blood vassal resonated through the tepid basement. Then it chucked her through the room so that she it the wall with her back. Offf, boom. Yuka pummeled down on the floor with the rest of the corpses leaving Yuka half alive and half dead. She was going to die slowly in that horrible manner, if she could die that was...

Then the monster in a flash appeared next to Azuka. He was wide eyed with fear. Their creator had gone mad. He did not have enough blood. Azuka knew he should have offered more sacrifices. But now it was too late. Everyone was doomed. It was the equivalent of the King of the Underworld, the Lord of the Flies. It was unstoppable It twisted his limbs and sent multitudes of needles every piercing every arm and limb, every inch of his essence that it could. Then as if those needles were attached to the monster it fiddled with the needles and searched for all the arteries and veins. Azuka cried a cacophonic sound on the line between pure bliss and intense agony. "AHHHHHHHH!" Azuka dropped the whip with eyes wide. His pupils were dilated and he was smiling madly. The screaming like Yuka's was abruptly halted, leaving only the echoes for Mikan's ears. The monster pulled the needles out and hung him above the Jacuzzi and used his blood like a shower. Then he appeared right in front of me.

It took that human like hand stained with blood and caressed Mikan's face leaving a trail of warm liquid there. Then he broke the jail cell and pulled the chains over and tied them to the bars of the jail door, so Mikan wouldn't dangle above the sewage hole anymore now. Mikan could see its features closely now. Shriveled skin, retracting flesh, visible skeleton, scaly mush colored skin covered with mold, mildew, fungi, and other things which the 7 year old did not know of. Mikan realized, it was a man. He looked like he lived eons ago. Mikan realized, every time he bathed in blood, his life got longer in a sick way. He was taking the years away from all those people he murdered and decapitated gruesomely. Some hell bent man who was obsessed with longevity had created this mess.

Then truth had revealed itself to Mikan. A series of bolting images flew through Mikan's mind. She found out a few more things. 1st her parents were dead as soon as she was born. 2nd her current parents were made by him. 3rd her parents were not human, they feasted on preferably human blood and flesh, but they were not vampires. There was no name for them. 4th the Sakuras pedals in the center of her chest meant she was the Sakura Legend girl. 5th This legend meant she was bound to die before her 17th birthday, only to be reborn a millennium later. It was not a gift at all. 6th He was a mutated human, who had deranged ambitions of becoming eternally youthful. So he started to bathe in blood at a young age. Soon after hundreds of years he became a monster, not human, not zombie. Something one of a kind and horrifying.7th, her 'parents' ambition was to infest the world with species such as theirs. 8th that monster's ambition was to mindlessly gulp down the very thing that gave others life.

Mikan remembered what position she was in after her train of thoughts and realizations. His hands trailed down Mikan's arm then to her finger. Then it stopped, it took a 10 step back and prepared to attack.

It moved.

5 steps left till it got to Mikan. Mikan's eyes dilated she screamed and kicked and tried to get out.

4 steps left. Mikan thought 'I don't want this to hurt.'

3 steps left. Mikan thought 'Please give me a quick death at least'.

2 steps left. 'It's going to kill me I'm going to die sorry Hotaru, please don't be sad. I'll try harder in my next life.'

1 step left. 'There's still hope right, I don't want to die yet.'

Mikan saw the monster take the first half of the last step and yelled out loud. "SAVE ME SOMEONE! "

A quarter step left. Mikan felt a whoosh of wind fly past her, then cloth, then cold air seeking into her skin, and seething pain through her stomach. A claw meant for cannibalistic means went through it. Mikan could feel the shape of the thing that went through her. "Will I live?....Someone kill that monster. Please God. Let no one else suffer like I did." It was Mikan's last thought before blacking out.

Authors Note: So? How do you like it? Think Mikan will live or die? Remember Read and Review! More Reviews=More motivation to write and faster chapters. Hmm, this story really would be more fitting for Halloween though. Don't you think? Well, guess I'm just late for the holidays. Oh and I'll put this under complete for now, I'm not sure whether I should continue this or just leave it as a one shot. *Smiles.