Blood Red

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Waking Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. But, hey a girl can dream right?

The sheets felt soft and silky under my skin. The warmth of sunlight played upon my closed lids. A strange feeling of inner calm radiated through my being. A feeling that I hadn't felt since, well, forever. I remained the way I was, between a state of consciousness and sleep. My thoughts were fuzzy. And slow.

I turned over on to my back. A wide number of noises, severely dulled by my lack of consciousness, filtered through my ears. I barely registered them. I heard someone talk. I didn't catch what the person said. A clear thought formed in my head: It must be Sumire. Then the rest of my endorphin-filled brain took over and I thought, Who's Sumire?

After a while, my mind became relatively clearer and I started wondering why on earth I was feeling so happy. Even as the events of the previous day washed over me, I wasn't a bit fazed. Slowly, a series of vague images appeared to me. With a sense of certainty, I realized that it was a dream I had had that was making me so happy. Already it was fading. In no time at all, I couldn't remember a single thing. But the comfort lingered long afterwards, filling me with a sense of security and mirth.

My eyes opened a crack. I smiled imagining the great day I would have to-

"Oh, you're awake. Finally."

My eyes flew open and I sat bolt straight. I looked upon the person in front of me with a sense of dread. Because that wasn't Sumire's voice.

A very annoyed and angry raven-haired boy sat casually in a wooden chair. His hair was tousled and there were dark circles under his eyes, like he didn't get a good night's sleep. His short eyebrows were pulled down in a scary frown.

His eyes were crimson and they were glaring straight at me.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that wasn't Sumire.

Instead I found myself gaping at Natsume Hyuuga.

Remember how not a moment ago, I was feeling elated? All that happiness and comfort and security?

Yeah, in case you're wondering, that was all total bullshit. Those feelings evaporated into nothingness the moment I heard his voice.

"You!" I said finally, overcoming shock, and finding my voice.

He raised an eyebrow, "Me."

"You-what, how-" I took a moment to compose myself. "What are you doing in my room?"

He seemed annoyed. "Your room? I think you'll find that this is not your room."

"Wha-" I looked around for a moment. It was true. The room bore a striking resemblance to my room, but it was most certainly NOT my room. Any moron could figure that out. But I was pretty sure I'd entered the right room. Sure, I hadn't bothered to check twice, but I was sure I'd entered the right room. The door had been in the exact place my room door wa-

My eyes flickered to Natsume Hyuuga.

Oh. My. God.

I was in the boys dormitory.

I officially hate my life.

Something Sumire had said came back to me.

This is the boys part of the dorms. You're not allowed to go here after 7 pm.

I groaned and held my head. What had I done?

Natsume cleared his throat, "Do you mind?"

I looked up at him, surprised. He looked pissed off.

The words spilled out of my mouth, "I'm so sorry. I just got a bit lost yesterday. I thought this was my room .The door was open and I didn't even check. And now I'm in the boys dormitory. Oh god..." I stumbled out of bed - Natsume's bed - and caught myself on the edge of the bedside table.

I was still rambling, "This is horrible. I'm sure to get expelled. Oh, what will they think of me? I'm such an idiot!"

"Yeah, no kidding," he glared at me.

Despite the fact that I was the one at fault here, for some reason I found myself getting irritated at him. I threw him a dirty look.

"You haven't been here for more than a day, and you're already the craziest fan girl ever," he drawled casually.

Fan girl? What was he talking about? More importantly, I needed to get out of here, the more time spent in this room, the more the danger of expulsion increased. Not that I didn't want to get out of this school, I just didn't want to imagine what my mom would do to me when she found out the reason of my expulsion. The thought made a shiver run through my spine.

"I need to get out of here," I mumbled, picked up my shoes from the foot of the bed, slipped it on and made my way towards the door. I turned the doorknob and opened it a crack, but a hand pushed it shut again. A hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around before slamming me into the door. I found myself face to face with Natsume Hyuuga. I glanced at the chair beside the bed where he was sitting mere seconds ago. How had he gotten from there to here in less than a second?

Never mind that, I had more pressing issues. For example, the guy in front of me.

"What are you doing?" Natsume breathed, his breath fanning my face. I was startled to have him so close. His crimson eyes looked at me reproachfully with a hint of alarm.

"What does it look like, genius? I'm getting out of here. I thought you didn't want me here?"

"You're a girl in the boys' dormitory," he hissed at me, "When they see you coming out of my room, they'll think that just anyone can waltz into my room. They'll stake outside my room I won't be able to leave for days."

His eyes held a crazy look in them. "Who," I whispered, "Is 'they'?"

"My crazy fan girls," he replied monotonously.

"Fan girls? You've got to be kidding me," I said sympathetically, placing a hand on his chest to push him off- he didn't budge- while at the same time trying to turn the doorknob and make a beeline back to my own room, and trying to do it subtly.

Too late-his eyes glanced at my hand which was turning the doorknob. He grabbed my hand and pinned it above my head. He grabbed my other hand as well and trapped my legs with his own.

Oh great, now I was completely at this guy's mercy.

"If you walk out," his voice rising and his eyebrows pulling down into a scary frown, "You'll be murdered in cold blood by those crazed girls that are probably running amok behind that door right now."

I glared at him, my temper rising, "So what, " I challenged, "Do you propose we do now? I can't simply open the door and leave for fear of being killed by your, er, 'fan girls' ," -I drew quotation marks in the air with my fingers- "And you don't want me to walk out either since you're scared you'll be mobbed. At the same time, neither of us want me to stay in this room a second longer. I mean, what do you expect me to do?" I threw my hands in the air to emphasize my point, "Jump out of the window?"

Natsume who had been sitting hunched over on his bed, staring at the floor through laced fingers, suddenly went rigid. Then he lifted his gaze and stared at me expressionless.

"Oh no," I said realizing what was going on through his head, "You can't- I refuse to let you throw me out-"

But he had already risen from his position, and hurriedly scrambled to the double-hung window and slid it up. Sunlight poured in and played around the room, casting shadows everywhere.

"Are you mental?" I hissed at him, panic creeping into my voice. When he didn't answer, I began thinking of ways to escape from my imminent doom. In the case of a fight, it was obvious he would overpower me. But if I pretended to go for his face, then kick him in the nuts instead, maybe I could just buy myself some time to run out while-

"You're not going to jump out," Natsume's voice snapped me from my vision of an all-out brawl.

"What?"

"You'll use the fire escape."

I almost fainted with relief. Of course. The fire escape. Why didn't I think of that?

Because you're so stupid, you actually slept in some guy's bed thinking it was yours, I mentally answered myself.

Oh, shut up, the defiant side of me answered.

Suddenly, there was a loud rap at the door, followed by a playful voice muffled by the wooden door, "Hey, Natsume. What are you doing holed up in there? Classes start in five minutes."

Natsume glanced at me pointedly before replying, "I'm coming. Just give me a minute."

I started panicking, "Five minutes? Classes start in five minutes?," I sputtered, thinking of what the teacher was going to say when I showed up late on my first day at this school, "Oh, I am so dead."

"Can you please stop mumbling and get out?" Natsume hissed at me. Such a sweet guy.

I squeezed out through the window, momentarily wondering whether I needed to lose weight. I placed one foot on the fire escape, before squeezing the other one out through the window. I held onto the railing for support as the whole structure swayed. I looked down and blanched. The ground was several feet away. Natsume's room overlooked a garden pathway, leading up to a humongous green field.

"Now get going, "Natsume peered at me, holding up a hand to shade his eyes from the sunlight,"Oh and, you might want to brush your teeth before you go to class. Your breath really stinks."

And with that, he shut the window in my face, and hurriedly drew the curtains over it.

Yep, definitely the nicest guy on the planet.

But he wasn't the priority here, I still had to get all the way back to my dorm, freshen up and get to class. Tentatively, I put a foot on the first step, starting my long, careful descent downwards. The fire escape was incredibly old and rusty. Some parts of it creaked under my weight. I briefly wondered whether the fire escape would give way under me and I would fall to my doom.

When my feet had finally touched solid ground again, I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. A few students milled about in the field, some of them siting on the grass. From where I stood, they looked like small dots. I hoped they wouldn't notice me.

I snaked my way around the corner of the building, keeping my head as low and staying close to the wall. A couple of students passed me but none of them gave me any notice. I knew I looked like a mess: I had just woken up.

I reached an entrance of a building of the academy without any trouble. I went inside and found myself immediately in a throng of students. What little sense of direction I had gave up as the crowd pushed me right and left till I felt as helpless as a ping-pong ball.

I was never going to make it to my own room- heck, I didn't even know which corridor I was in.

Just when I was going to give up, a hand gripped my shoulder like a vice, "Sakura!"

I whirled around and found myself face to face with Sumire.

"Sumire!"

Okay, maybe she wasn't my favorite person, but at that moment relief washed over me and I could barely restrain myself from throwing my arms around her.

"Where the hell did you disappear to after lunch yesterday, you idiot?" She hissed at me, leading me through the crowd.

"We looked everywhere, and I mean everywhere. I had to beg Imai to force someone to check the boys' bathroom. At last, we thought you must have run away from the academy or something. So spill. Where were you hiding?"

I grinned sheepishly, not wanting to tell her where I actually was. If I did, she'd have a heart attack. But seeing as she wasn't going to let me off the hook without an answer, I didn't seem to have much of a choice.

I avoided her eyes, and mumbled, "I was in Natsume Hyuuga's room."

"You were WHERE?"

"Sumire, calm down, people are watching," I begged through clenched teeth, my cheeks flaming as half the corridor turned to look at us.

"Sorry," she whispered, "You were where?"

"I told you: I was in Natsume Hyuuga's room."

Sumire stared at me as if I was mental, then grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd," We need to talk."

I sighed. This was going to be a long day.

Despite my weak protests, Sumire continued to drag me all the way back to our own room, pushed me inside and hurriedly closed the door, before settling o the couch, legs crossed.

"Explain," she ordered.

So I did. I told her how I had mistaken the boys' dorm for the girls' dorm, went inside the wrong room and woke up to find myself in Natsume's room. I told her how I had gotten out through the fire escape.

"So let me get this straight," she held up a hand after I had finished," You actually slept in Natsume's bed?"

"Uh yeah, I did," I replied, "Listen, there's just a minute left before classes start. We should really get going. I haven't even brush-"

"Oh my god. This is, like, unbelievable. I mean, forget what happened with Koizumi, this is so much more. How could you, of all people, infiltrate Natsume's room-"

"I didn't infiltrate it, I mistook it for our room-"

"Do you know how many girls would give their right hand to just get a look at Natsume's room?" she went on," I would give both my hands. So tell me, what did it look like? Were his bed sheets red or orange? Does he really have a picture of a girl on his bedside table?"

"I don't remember," I said a headache forming as Sumire bombarded me with questions, "Geez, you sound like some crazy stalker."

"Says the crazy, obsessed fangirl who actually snuck into his room and slept in his bed-"

"Okay, first of all," I said jumping up, my temper flaring," I am not a crazy, obsessed fan girl. I don't even like him, okay? In fact, I think I actually hate him. Second, I did not sneak into his room. It was a mistake- a honest, innocent mistake that I was stupid enough to make, okay?"

Sumire seemed surprised by my outburst. I stood there glaring at her, doing nothing.

The school bell interrupted our staring match.

We both glanced briefly at the door, looked at each other before saying in unison," Shit, we're late."

I brushed my teeth, freshened myself up and rushed around the room, combing my hair and pulling on clothes.

"Hurry up, Mikan!" Sumire waited for me outside the door. We had our first class together, which was Maths. We burst into the room, three minutes late- or as Mr. Jinno, the maths teacher, said, "Three minutes and twenty-three seconds late."

Jinno was a large man who immediately found numerous faults with me that he voiced aloud, just in the short span of forty-five minutes. I mean, can I help it if I'm horrible at math? When the bell rang, I practically grabbed my stuff and ran out of the room.

I had English next. Sumire had History. I got lost several times, trying to find the right classroom, wasting a good ten minutes.

I roamed through the corridors, trying to locate the right classroom. For some reason, most of the students stared and whispered at me as I passed them. Was there something on my face? Or maybe they remembered me from yesterday's canteen incident. Whatever the reason was, I didn't like the attention.

I kept my head down and tried to blend in. When I finally found the right classroom, I took a deep breath and entered it.

Immediately, all the heads in the classroom turned towards me. They all stared at me for some time, before something that seemed like recognition registered on their faces and they gaped at me. Which was impossible since this was my first day at this school, and I was sure none of them knew me. How could recognition flit across someone's face when looking at someone they didn't know?

An image of a long-haired blonde girl seething and snarling appeared in my mind's eye and I winced. If I had known talking back to Luna Koizumi would get me this much attention, I'd have never set foot in that canteen.

A few of them dug out their cellphones and stared at it for a few minutes before turning their gaze back to me.

Did I mention how much I was starting to hate this school?

"Mikan-san! I was beginning to think that you'd never come," a cheerful voice said to my right.

I whirled around, recognizing the voice, " Mr. Narumi. What are you doing here?"

"I'm your English teacher, of course." He was wearing a pirate costume, eye patch and all, with a scabbard hanging on his waist.

Out of all the English teachers I'd had throughout the years, Mr. Narumi seemed to be the most eccentric. I mean, what kind of teacher actually dresses up for his classes?

He took my hand and dragged me inside the class.

"So, Mikan-san. Introduce yourself," he said brightly.

I was in a daze," Huh? What?"

"Introduce yourself," he said encouragingly,"Tell us a bit about you."

"Oh,uh.." I looked around the classroom. None of them seemed pretty glad to see me. The girls shot daggers at me, while the boys just looked at me quizzically, like I might be a new interesting bug they had just discovered.

"Hi, I'm Mikan Sakura. I'm sixteen years old and, uh-" I racked my brains ," I like reading books and-" I glanced at Mr. Narumi once before saying ,"English is my favourite subject."

Mr. Narumi was impressed, "Your favorite subject is English? What a coincidence! English is my favorite subject too!" he looked around the room as if expecting peals of laughter. No one so much as smiled.

He cleared his throat, and took out a thick, dog-eared file from the cupboard, "We need to find a partner for you..." he flipped through the file, forehead creased, mumbling to himself.

I took the opportunity to inspect my classmates. I didn't know most of them. I noticed Hotaru, Anna and Nonoko sitting in the middle. Anna and Nonoko smiled at me. Hotaru barely glanced up from the book she was reading. At the back of the class, I noticed a playful, blond kid grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Next to him was a boy sitting with his legs kicked up on the table in front of him, a manga book covering his face. Was he sleeping? I glanced at Mr. Narumi. He didn't seem to notice the casual kid in class. Or, I thought, he didn't care.

"Mikan-san, well, almost everyone has a partner...except," he looked up from the file with a dazzling smile, that for some reason made me nervous , "Natsume-kun."

Wait...what?

The class immediately broke into whispers looking back and forth from me to the boy sleeping at the back of the class. Some of the girls screamed.

Could that be...

The boy who had been grinning nudged Natsume and said something to him. Natsume removed the manga from his face lazily, his eyes staring right at me. He didn't say anything. But, I knew he remembered me from the way his eyes flickered.

"That's him over there," Mr. Narumi gestured, "H's your partner so you should sit next with him. You'll be doing projects, assignments, activities...basically everything with him."

I looked at him as if he was crazy, and feeling the entire class' eyes on me, made my way to the back of the class with a tortured expression on my face. Begrudgingly, I sat down next to him. The Cheshire-cat-boy winked at me. I wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean.

Even after I had sat down, the entire class was still staring at me. I didn't even want to know how red my cheeks looked. Natsume, for his part, had slid the manga back onto his face and resumed sleeping.

Everyone was still staring at me. I mean, I can't help it if I had the misfortune to get stuck with the world's biggest jerk. Mr. Narumi had to clear his throat several times before he could actually start class. When he actually started teaching, I heard Natsume mumble, "And just when I thought I'd gotten rid of you."

I was shocked. I thought the guy was sleeping, but apparently not.

"I didn't ask for this," I hissed at him through the corner of my mouth.

Throughout class, people stole glances at me. I resisted the urge to jump up and run screaming out of the class. When the bell rang, I jumped up and ran out of the class again. This was starting to become a hobby.

But even outside of classes, people continued to stare at me as if I was some sort of freak. This was way more attention than I had bargained for. Why was everyone so interested in me, all of a sudden? I know I stuck up to Luna and everything, but that wasn't reason enough to stare at me like I had three heads and one was green.

I was about to enter my History class when a soft, clipped voice behind me said, "Miss Sakura?"

I turned around, and saw that it was the receptionist I had met yesterday, "Uh, yes?"

"The Principal would like a word with you."

The Principal? What had I done that merited an audience with the great Principal himself?

The receptionist had already started walking away. Not wanting to be left behind, I followed her. She led me through a maze of corridors, that I had no way of remembering, before coming to a halt in front of a large, wooden, polished door.

She knocked on it twice, before opening the door, "Miss Sakura is here to see you, sir."

A deep voice from inside the room said, "Send her in."

The receptionist held the door open and gestured for me to go inside. Feeling nervous, I went inside to meet whatever awaited me. I was inside a large, spacious room. Towards the right were rows and rows of trophies the school had won through the years. In front of me, was a tall, lean man heavily clad in black, seated behind a desk. He was peering at a laptop in front of him intently. His eyes were hidden beneath long hair. A few earrings dangled from his ear.

I stared at him. This was definitely not what I expected the Principal to look like.

"Sit down," he wave at the chair in front of his des, not raising his gaze. I bit my lip, and took a seat.

"My name is Mr. Persona. I'll cut to the chase here," he said briskly and without faltering, "Early this morning, we received these pictures taken by one of our students."

He turned the laptop towards me and leaned back in his chair. I looked at the pictures on the screen and my heart sank.

"Explain yourself," he said quietly.

I was at a loss. Not a single word to amend the situation came to mind. I just sat there, staring at the screen, while Mr. Persona surveyed me carefully. I finally realized why everyone had been staring at me. It wasn't because of Luna at all. If these pictures were really taken by a student, then no doubt they must have circulated throughout the entire school by now.

I wondered what my mother would say after they expelled me.

On the screen was a picture of me climbing out of a window and onto a fire escape. Behind me, almost hidden behind the folds of the curtain was a pair of crimson eyes and raven hair that unmistakably belonged to Natsume.

Yes, I know, I know-I haven't updated in three months. I'm really sorry, it's just that there's a lot going on here at the moment.

But, never mind that, how about a review?

Depressed Writer