DISCAIMER: Gakuen Alice and its characters do not belong to me. I could never create someone as hot as Natsume-kun :p

AS of 3/2/09 - Revised

Chapter 2

Jumpstart

I heaved a sigh and then grinned happily, glad to have finally made it to Tokyo. A brand new city filled with new sights and people. I had a good feeling about this place.

Oh no, I forgot to introduce myself! Please forgive me. My name is Mikan Sakura, aged 16 years.

Until recently I was living with my Grandpa in Kyoto prefecture. However, my grandpa passed away a week ago. I don't have any other relatives, so my custody passed to a board of people who run a wide chain of companies. Apparently, my mother had set it all up before she passed away. I had to move to Tokyo to join a school run by that board.

So here I am in this big, big city. It's seriously huge. Anyone could get lost in it. Like me. Sheesh, and after I read the map so carefully too!

Let's see... I'm standing on a deserted road.... and there's no sign of life. Oh, there's a humungous house, almost like a mini palace, at the end of the road. Is that the school?

Suddenly there was this big explosion at that house. I screamed in terror and started running blindly in the opposite direction. No way, am I going to a school populated by terrorists!!

I took a right turn into a dark side alley. Just as I thought I was safe, someone grabbed me from behind. Was the lord trying to give me a heart attack at the age of 16?

I screamed again and it clamped a hand over my mouth. "Stop making so much noise, you", growled a low, male voice.

Panic seized me. What was I going to do?!

Ok, calm down, Mikan. I tried to remember the self-defense tips Hotaru had taught me. Hoping that it worked I gathered all my strength and simultaneously stepped on his foot and elbowed him in the stomach, hard enough to hurt.

My captor didn't even twitch. What was I supposed to do now?!

In midst of my panic attack I noticed a man pass the alley. All I could see was that he was some sort of weirdo wearing a white mask and lots of jewelry, but at this point I was desperate. Just as I was going to try and get his attention, my captor removed his hand, grabbed me by my shoulders and turned me around.

It was a boy who seemed to be my age, taller with black hair. I looked up and noticed his eyes for the first time. As I looked into them, they seemed to turn an impossible shade of blood red.

His gaze seemed to pierce through me, and when he spoke, his voice sounded.... queer.

"You did not come into this alley and meet me. You did not witness anything unusual. Is that clear?"

Huh? What was he, delusional?

"What are you talking about? You're standing right in front of me. Of course I met you", I babbled, thoroughly creeped out by his eyes.

Instantly his eyes lost the red shade and seemed to widen a little. He looked down intently at me.

He opened his mouth to say something, when to my utter surprise a blond man bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

Where had he come from?!?

This day couldn't get any weirder.

The boy seemed to faint and slumped to the ground. I couldn't move as my brain was still trying to comprehend what it had seen.

"Excuse me Miss, by any chance are you Mikan Sakura?" The blond man with purple eyes asked.

I jerked back to my senses. "How do you know my name?" I asked.

"Ah Mikan-chan, it's so good to finally meet you! I'm Narumi, you're temporary guardian and new teacher. Welcome to Tokyo!" he exclaimed.

Relief at meeting a reliable authority figure flooded me. "Oh, Narumi-sensei", I said, anxious to gain some sort of comfort," It was so bad! There was this explosion and this person grabbed me from behind and started saying weird stuff like 'you won't remember anything' and staring into my eyes and actually expecting me to forget...." I trailed off as I noticed Narumi sensei beaming at me. "What?" I asked defensively.

"Oh, nothing at all. Anyway, Mikan-chan, you were supposed to meet me at the school! That's three lanes away, you know. Come on, let's get to the school so we can discuss your position."

Grabbing my bag, he started walking away. "Wait a minute, what about him?" I asked turning around to look at the mysterious boy, just to find him missing. "Where'd he go?!" I frantically looked around, not having heard him leaving.

" Don't get left behind!" called Narumi-sensei, already at the end of the lane.

"Ah, wait for me!" I ran after him, leaving behind all thoughts of strange boys and red eyes.

* * *

"Darn you, Hotaru!" I cried as I ran through the halls. In case you're wondering why I was cursing my best friend while speeding along the halls of Alice Academy, a little recap might be helpful.

"Well, Mikan-chan, as you know, your responsibility and guardianship has now passed to the Midnight council, according to the papers signed by you, your mother and your previous guardian," Narumi-sensei said as he passed me a cup of tea in the academy's visiting room.

I nodded, while silently wondering which strange company board called itself Midnight.

"As part of that agreement, you have been enrolled into the Alice Academy, a highly reputed school run by the council." He continued, "There are a few things we need to discuss about your eligibility to join the school, but that can be done later."

" Here's your uniform!" He handed me a black long-sleeved jacket, a white shirt and a golden mini-skirt with checks. It was so stylish. I was starting to get excited about my new school.

" You have been assigned to Class 2, section B. The class president should be here soon to show you to your class room." He said, just as someone knocked on the door.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw who had come in. It was Hotaru, my best friend in the entire universe and the person most important to me. "Hotaru!!" I cried, launching myself at her.

And of course, she neatly dodged to one side, leaving me in the dust. "What are you doing here idiot? Are you stalking me?" she asked emotionlessly, stoic as ever.

"Jeez Hotaru, is that the sort of thing to say to your best friend when you meet them after a year?" I asked rubbing my head." And what are you doing here? You just suddenly disappeared a year ago without a word. Even your parents refused to tell me where you went. Do you know how worried I was?"

"Uh, I hate to break up this lovely reunion, but your class starts in fifteen minutes Mikan-chan. I think you should hurry." Narumi sensei said.

"What?!" I didn't want to be late on my first day. "Come on Hotaru, you can show me the way" I turned, only to find that she was no longer there.

So there it is. I can't believe she left me to find class on my own. Now I was really going to be late.

I bounded up a staircase taking two at a time, only to bump into something on top of the stairs.

" Arrgh!!" I shrieked, as I lost my balance and started falling backwards, arms flailing and everything flying. Suddenly a pair of arms caught me around the waist and pulled me upright again.

Taking deep breaths to calm myself, I looked up at my savior. It was a boy with black hair, wearing the weirdest masks. It was shaped like the face of a black cat, and covered his entire face.

"Thanks for saving me!" I beamed at him. He started walking away without a word. Hmph, he could at least acknowledge my thanks!

Then I remembered something. "Hey, wait up!" I cried, running to catch up with him." Could you please tell me the way to Class B?"

He stopped and turned to me." Why would I bother to that, little girl? You could go to hell for all I care."

What??

"There's no need to be so rude! And I'm not a little girl!!" I said.

"Anyone who wears pigtails and polka dots in high school is a little girl, Little girl" he said, and started walking away.

Polka dots?? What? Oh my god.... don't tell me he saw.... while I was falling... My skirt....

"AARRGGHH!!! You PERVERT!"

This was not how had imagined the start of my new school.

A/N- This one was Mikan-chan's POV.... Please tell me how you liked it!