The Raven Bride
Chapter 3: First day of School
I sighed for the tenth time.
"Mikan, will you stop sighing and relax? " Uncle said to me, his voice laced with annoyance. "As I told you, no one's going to eat you in there. "
I sighed again. "Easy for you to say, you've been there for many freakin' years! "
"Since I am, then all you have to do is believe in me. "
"So in other words, I have no choice but to be brave and face everyone? " I said while biting my lip.
He nodded.
I rolled my eyes. I admit, I was nervous as a newborn puppy. Who wouldn't be if it's your first time attending a co-ed school?
"You know I hate bitches and jackasses. " I muttered.
"Bitches, yes, but not jackasses. " He corrected slightly. "Mikan, you might find Alice Academy weird from Pink Rose high, but it's definitely one of the decent schools here in Japan. "
"Why? Is it because this place lacks pubs and shopping malls? " I answered.
"Nope, we have shopping malls. And it's located inside the academy too. "
"Oh my veggies! Did you say you've got malls inside the academy? " I asked in surprise.
"Yeah, and they bear the latest trend and brands in clothes too, like Burberry and Louis Vuitton. "
I choked on my own saliva when I heard that. Seriously, am I really in a province?
"As for pubs and disco bars, we don't have them here, but they sell liquor, well, strictly for kids above 18 years of age, of course. " He said as he swerved to the left. "But I never have any because I'd rather have milkshakes anytime of the day. "
"We're all allergic to alcohol. " I noted and smiled at him. "But we love milkshakes. Guess it runs in the family. "
He smirked as he entered the car inside the humongous gates of Alice Academy.
"I know you can do it, Mikan, just relax, no one's going to eat you in there. "
I sighed again. "I hope so… "
"Good morning, Principal Yukihara… " I heard a womanly voice greet as we entered the huge oaken doors.
"Good morning, Hii sama… " I heard him reply as he stepped aside to show me.
I blinked, standing in front of me is a very beautiful woman. She's got lovely, wavy black hair, some of it where tied meticulously above her head and secured with jeweled pins, and her outfit is the traditional kimono which was dark green in colour designed with light green plum blossoms and secured with a golden obi.
I saw her wave her fan and put it above her lips as she scrutinized my features.
"So this is your niece? " She asked in a normal voice as she looked at me and slightly narrowed her eyes, which I presumed was a sign of smiling. "She was lovelier than I thought. "
I blushed at her comment. "Umm…thank you… And it's a pleasure to meet you. " I said as I bent my head.
"Don't bend your head, I want to see your pretty face. " She commanded which caused me to jerk my spine upward.
Before I could react, I saw her fan going towards me and swiftly reached under my chin.
I widened my eyes as she smiled.
"Angelic yet innocent…ah…yes…the perfect face for a Raven Bride… " She said mysteriously as she bent her arm back, snatching her fan again and putting it under her nose.
"Excuse me? " I asked in bewilderment.
"Hii sama…please don't scare our new student… " Another male voice intervened.
I looked up, only to see a gorgeous man with light gray hair and deep blue eyes.
I saw Hii sama lowered her eyelids at this.
"I'm sorry about that. My Aunt loves to scare the new students. " He said in a serious voice, and shook my hand. "My name is Shiki Masachika, one of the Principals of Alice Academy, a pleasure to meet you. "
"Same here… " I replied courteously.
"I'm sure your uncle had discussed your situation and that you'll be having classes by yourself? " He clarified.
I nodded.
"Good, because we wanted to avoid any unnecessary incidents in here again. We don't want any other innocent lives being used as target of bullying by the dispute between the two clans. "
"The two clans? "
"Yes. The Crimson and Cerulean clan, the owners of Utashinai. " He explained.
I was about to ask when I saw Uncle step up.
"Shiki, I think it would be better if we discuss those things later, we should be focusing on how we will introduce Mikan to the whole school. " He said, obviously not comfortable in discussing that topic.
I stared at him.
"We will do it the traditional way, of course. " Shiki san answered as if reading his mind.
"But Shiki… we all knew that many students hated introductions of some sort, they'll probably ditch that part and go to the malls instead. " Hii sama reasoned.
"It's alright. " I replied. "I don't need useless introductions anyway. "
"No, it's not. " Uncle said.
"Why is that? " I asked, puzzled. Who cares about stupid introductions anyway?
"Yukihara san…if we don't introduce you to the whole school and allow you to go on roaming around the campus, most of the students will think you're an intruder who invaded out territory. And not many sit well with that, usually, if one of the clans see someone new, they will report it to their members, then hunt that person down and torture that said person until he or she tells them about her/himself, and it's not a very good situation to be with. It's like being a Christian in the dark ages, they will hunt you for your head once they knew you're a believer of God…" Hii sama explained.
Oh God, are they really that violent?
I gulped at this. "But why? "
"We all value our privacy, and as much as possible, we don't want to spill our lifestyles to the outside world. " Shiki said as he sat on the swivel chair. "Like many people, we want to live peacefully in this place, and we are so used to our quiet lifestyle in here, as well as proclaiming our own territories to other clans. Noisy streets and crowds are of a big disturbance to us, we will never like it if there are nosy reporters or travellers who wanted to bombard us with different useless questions. "
"I see… "
I saw Uncle step up which suddenly made me nervous. Looking at him now, I have a feeling that he already solved my dilemma about introductions.
"How about this, what if Mikan performs a little concert? " Uncle proposed.
Both adults looked at him while I looked blinked at him multiple times.
"Mikan is really good at playing the piano and she knows how to sing, she was often asked to sing in the theatre of their school. " Uncle added, smiling confidently. "I'm sure they will be interested, afterall, not many people around here are listening to classical music. Maybe if she does, they might attend afterall. "
"A concert? " Hii sama mused as she lightly narrowed her eyes. Which means she was smiling under her fan. "That might be a good idea, and a bit different too. "
Shiki san looked at me as well. "It's alright with me, any method you wanted to use for introducing yourself is applicable, as long as it won't include stripping away your clothes. " He said casually which horrified me internally. Seriously? Some students do that?
I looked at Uncle who gave me a you-have-no-choice-look and either-you-do-this-or-be-hunted look.
I sighed. "I just hope my voice won't crack with nervousness. "
I saw the three adults smile at me, they know they have me in their clutches now.
"Alright then, so instead of the gym, we'll do the introductions in the amphitheater. " Uncle said, obviously pleased.
I quickly ran towards him and elbowed him.
"Are you sure about this? " I whispered.
He smiled as he ruffled my hair.
"I wanted to show you off. " He said instead which really swelled my heart in flattery. "I wanted you to shine and show your abilities to other people, they will like you once they heard your angelic voice and once they saw your talented hands, believe me. "
I lowered my eyelids. "I'm not that beautiful…and I'm not a supermodel like mom. So I'm not sure if they will pay attention to me. " I admitted shyly.
"You're the only one who sees yourself that way. " He responded as he put an arm around me. "You need to change, jeans and t-shirts are not good for theatre shows. " He grinned.
I grinned back in return, he was encouraging me. And for some reason, that really raised my confidence level.
"Then I'll do my best, Uncle? " I teased.
He snickered. "You always do, Mikan. "
I tapped my finger on the piano key to test it, together with it, I felt some strands of my hair fell on the side of my face.
I clutched my off shoulder, white cuffed dress. I told them it wasn't necessary, but Hii sama insisted that I should wear one. Together with it are white flat shoes and pearl sequenced hairband.
I've always loved music, the classical ones, back when I was a kid, I've been dreaming of becoming an opera singer or a piano composer or be a part of an orchestra. I've always loved how the notes will turn to life at the struck of any chord or any key.
Suddenly, I heard many steps going towards the amphitheater, with this, I quickly ran towards the curtains and hid at the backstage.
Curious, I went to the farthest side of the curtain and slid it a little.
I found my mouth flung open as I stared at the students in shock.
All of them are wearing black! Seriously! Though, they're garb was in trend. Most of them have gothic and punk styles, some of them have their hairs designed to fall to the side like Adam Lambert's latest hairstyle, and some of them have afro hairs which was in different colours, but most of the guys that I saw have spiky hair, but for me, they all look like they are about to attend a funeral…or maybe a Halloween party or a rock concert.
I looked at my white dress lamely. I think I should run towards the dressing room and change into a black outfit just to fit in.
But…it would be preposterous.
Music is an expression of one's self. The nuns always tell us that. And anyone will be able to know you just by listening to your music.
I breathed as I slid the curtain down. Gah! Who cares about the dress code anyway? Screw that nonsense! I've never been a fan of black colour anyway, so why should I care about that stupid punk/gothic styles if I don't like them?
"It's okay, Mikan… " I breathed as I looked up above. "You can do this, all you have to do is express yourself in your music…then they will know who you are…it's not like you're here to please, you're here to introduce yourself. Just to be known in the whole school so that you won't be hunted down and tortured in the darkest basement of the school. It's not like you care wether they like you or not, is it? " I asked as I leaned on the wall. "I can do this…I can do this…I can do this… I can- "
I stopped talking to myself when I heard Shiki san's voice rang across the amphitheater.
"Good morning to all of you…today, we're going to have a new student- "
I heard groans fell upon the group which made me exhale and crush my already budding confidence.
I heard Shiki san say something more, but I never listened, instead, I took my compact mirror and looked at myself.
I never changed, I was still the same, the only difference is that, I have a flushed face, which acted like a blush on to my cheeks.
I smiled as I clutched my mirror. Uncle told me that I can do it. He believed in me. Nobody will eat me, I said to myself. And he's got high expectations of me. He did a lot for me, and he'd been very good and considerate. It's time to pay him back.
I stopped when I heard my name being called by my Uncle.
Whoa…that's a surprise, I never even heard him spoke, let alone go after Shiki san, guess I really was getting paranoid and getting concerned over my own insecurities.
I braced myself as I heard his footsteps walk towards the backstage.
"Allow me to introduce to you…my niece, Mikan Yukihara! " I heard Uncle introduce as he slid his hands inside and parted the velvet curtains slightly and gave me his hand.
I took his hand nervously and allowed him to pull me out in front of everyone.
All of the students were silenced as they set their eyes on me.
I tried not to flinch as they looked at me. I know they're scrutinizing me from head to toe. I know what they're thinking, I'm too unfit to be with them. I didn't even follow their dress code.
Feh! As if I care about that useless nonsensical dress code! I muttered in rebellion.
Uncle nudged me as he gave me the mike.
I cleared my throat as I met their gaze.
"My name is Mikan Yukihara… " I introduced in the most casual voice that I could muster. "I didn't mean to disturb you of your time, I won't tell you all about me in the traditional way because it will take time, however, if you just give me fifteen minutes to introduce myself to you through my music, then I will be very grateful. " I added as I gave the mike to Uncle and quickly sat up on the piano. I placed my fingers on the keys and gulped for some air.
I can do this… I chanted mentally as I started to let my fingers flow on the piano keys.
Will of the wind
I spent half my life
Looking at the reasons things must change.
And half my life trying to make them stay the same.
But love would fade like summer into fall;
All that I could see was a mystery,
It made no sense at all.
Chorus 1:
The will of the wind, you feel it and then,
It will pass you blowing steady.
It comes and it goes, and God only knows,
You must keep your sails on ready.
So when it begins, get all that you can;
You must befriend the will of the wind.
I spent so many hours
Just thinkin' 'bout the way things might have been.
And so many hours trying to bring the good times back again.
And so it goes for lonely hearted fools;
They let their days just slipe away,
Until they give into...
Chorus 2:
The will of the wind, you feel it and then,
It will pass you blowing steady.
It comes and it goes, and God only knows,
You must keep your sails on ready.
So when it begins, get all that you can;
You must befriend the will of the wind.
Bridge:
Ohhh...
The will of the wind...
Chorus 3:
The will of the wind, you feel it and then,
It will pass you blowing steady.
It comes and it goes, and God only knows,
You must keep your sails on ready.
So when it begins, get all that you can;
You must befriend the will of the wind.
So when it begins, get all that you can;
You must befriend the will of the wind...
I tapped the key slowly, ending it on my ring finger on my right.
Slowly, I turned to my audience who looked at me intently, some of them are blinking and some of them are just staring at me.
I looked at Uncle who smiled and gave me a thumbs up.
I was about to signal in contrast when I saw some of the students from the blue section stood up and clapped at me.
I blinked in surprise, it was then followed by the people who are sitting on the red section, some of them stood up too and clapped at me as well.
I breathed a sigh of relief, thank goodness…
In response, I smiled brightly at them, then took the hems of my dress and curtsied a bow.
"That was a wonderful music, Mikan chan. " Hii sama praised me as she greeted me backstage. "I would want to listen to you more often. Maybe I should ask you to come at Hana Hime den some other time. "
I blushed. "Thank you. "
"You even made the unruly stallions of the school sit up and take notice. " Shiki san said to me as he smiled.
"Unruly stallions? " I asked.
"The future leaders of the Crimson and Cerulean clan. " Shiki san clarified.
I tilted my head. "Who are they? "
"Natsume Hyuuga and Yoichi Hijiri. " Uncle answered. "Hyuuga san is the leader of the Crimson clan of the Academy, the one on the red section, while Hijiri san is the leader of the Cerulean clan, the one on the blue section. "
"Most of the time, they don't give a damn about the new students. " Uncle added which made me flinch.
"But I think they loved you performance, Mikan chan. " Hii sama responded as she put her fan on her face. "Though, I don't like the look in their eyes when they stared at you. "
I gasped as I took the meaning seriously. "Don't tell me that they're going to bully me? " I exclaimed in panic as I ran towards uncle and hid myself behind him. "Please, I'm not going to do anything to them! I'll leave them alone, just don't let them bully me! " I pleaded as I clutched Uncle's sleeves. I'm a crybaby, though it was lessened now, but still, the thought of being bullied sends shivers on my spine.
The three adults raised their brow at me.
"That's not what we meant, Yukihara san… " Shiki san said. "What we're trying to say is- "
"You don't have to worry about them. You're going to have your classes alone, remember? " Uncle said hastily, cutting Shiki san of, then he looked at him, as if implying on something.
Shiki san just nodded and turned his back on us as we continued walking.
"You're classroom will be here, Mikan. " Hii sama said when we turned to our left, and opened the door alongside it.
We entered, and it was like any normal classroom. Only it was smaller and it has only 2 pairs of table and chair.
"You can seat on whatever place you want, it doesn't matter. " Uncle said.
I was about to choose when I heard a cold, silent voice.
"Good morning, I'm sorry, I'm late… "
We slowly shifted our heads, only to find a beautiful girl who looked like the same age as me. She's got long black hair and rare lavender orbs, as well as smooth, fair skin. She could be lovelier, except that her face shows no emotions at all.
Like me, she's not wearing a black dress or garbed in a punk fashion, instead, she wore a purple halter dress with dark violet strappy sandals.
"Hotaru Imai, a pleasure to meet you. " She said in a cold and emotionless voice.
"Welcome, Imai san. " The three adults greeted.
She then landed her eyes on me which caused me to bow immediately.
"I'm Mikan Yukihara, nice to meet you, Imai san. " I said hastily.
"So she's my only classmate? " She asked the Principals.
"Yes." Hii sama answered. "You can have the classroom to yourselves. "
Hotaru just nodded and chose the seat on the left, so I have no choice but to choose the seat on the right.
"Alright, now that the two of you have met, we will leave you be, you can have this day as a free day. Classes will resume tomorrow, so you better prepare for that. For the mean time, get to know each other, only the two of you could back up each other if some problems come up in the future. " Shiki san said as the three of them went towards the door. "And don't come out of the room until you're personal bells have rang. " He added as he ushered the other Principals outside. "Have a good day. " He dismissed as he closed the door.
I sat on my right and looked at Hotaru.
"Hey, Imai san, how come I never saw you introduce yourself earlier? " I asked.
"I introduced myself using a video and posted it on the student's centre website. " She replied absently as she took a book from her bag and read it.
"Oh… " I replied as I looked at her. She looked like the type who never want to socialize with people, she looked cold, but I don't think she's a bad person.
"Where are you from, Imai san? " I asked again. She kinda looked intriguing to me.
"Tokyo. "
I widened my eyes and smiled.
"I'm from Tokyo too! I studied at- "
"Pink Rose High, I know. "
I gaped at her. "How did you- "
"I studied at Pink Rose High too. "
I gaped at her even more and my eyes widened.
"How come I have never seen your face or heard your name at Pink Rose High? " I asked mysteriously. In all of my 11 years in Pink Rose High, I practically know everyone. Even the transfer students, so how come I've never heard of her before?
"I studied there when I was four. " She explained as if reading my mind. "It's only a year though, because I am one of the students who are often sent overseas as an exchange student. "
"Oh, I see… " Now I know why. Aside from being a girl's school, Pink Rose High was also known for its very talented and gifted students, our school was often asked to send some students to other countries. I was sent twice to Italy because of my musical skills.
But I also heard that there are some students who were sent frequently, the ones who are not staying at the school most of the time, therefore, they're not that famous in Pink Rose High.
Hotaru sighed. "I was always sent abroad, that is why not many people know me… " She trailed as she pinned me with a probing look. "Despite that, I am still aware of all the current events in school, wether it is personal relationships or public events… " She trailed again as she looked intently at me. "And I happen to know all about your relationships, Yukihara. "
I blushed as she told me this, but when I looked at her, her expression was serious.
"Just because we're classmates Yukihara doesn't mean that you can like or attract me. " She warned which made me gulp. "I'm not interested in girls, and I never wanted to engage myself in such relationships. If you want me to be your friend, I could manage that, but it will never go beyond friendship. "
I exhaled. "Don't worry, I'm not into relationships as of now. " I reasoned as I looked above. "I just suffered a severe heartbreak, and I don't think I could look at someone new right now. Not when I'm not being able to move on yet. "
She shrugged. "Just saying, since we're going to be stuck in this boring place for three years with just the two of us. I just wanted everything to be crystal clear from the very beginning, so in the end, you will have no reason to interject me. "
I halfsmiled. "Thanks for setting up the guidelines. "
"You're welcome. " She said as she smirked. "Believe me, I made my own guidelines clear the moment I sent my videotaped introductions to the student's website. "
"At least you didn't have to face a batch of assessing eyes. " I grinned as I slumped down on my table. "Unlike me, I have to deal with the pressure of seeing them. "
"That sucks. "
"I know. "
"I don't want to make your head swell, but you've got a beautiful voice, Yukihara. I heard you singing while I was walking towards the faculty of the school. "
I smiled at her. " Why thank you for the flattery. " I responded.
She smirked. "You should be glad that I complemented you. I never liked complimenting anyone, but I think you deserve one. "
I laughed. "Sounds to me that you're a hard to please person. "
"I am, and meticulous too. "
I laughed even harder. She's a bit weird, but she's not bad at all.
"I think we'll get along really well, Imai san. " I chuckled.
She smirked at me. "I think so too…Yukihara. As long as you're not gonna go gaga over me. "
I laughed again. "I won't, I swear, now, since we've established friendship ties, you can call me Mikan, Imai san. "
"That's Hotaru to you, Mikan… "
"I don't know if it's a good idea to have our lunch in the cafeteria. " I mumbled as I ignored the stares that were directed to us.
"I'm trying not to flinch, actually. " Hotaru admitted as she unwrapped her crab flavoured sandwich.
Me and Hotaru are sitting at the farthest corner of the cafeteria, the table where there were only a couple of seats. Since we got free time, we easily got out and ordered our lunches before the rest of the students had gone to the place.
Recess is of no problem because the Crimson and Cerulean clans have different time tables about it, but when it comes to lunch time, everyone gets together according to the Academy rules, and that includes us.
"I don't think we're the only ones who don't appreciate this get together thing. " Hotaru pointed out as her eyes darted towards the two divisions. "I don't think they enjoy each other's company too well. One look at them and you can see that they're going to be at each other's throats any minute now. "
I followed her eyes, and true enough, the two clans are sitting side by side, obviously ignoring each other and giving each other a cold shoulder. Some of them are glaring daggers to another clan and vice versa.
I observed them. Most of the people in Crimson clan have dark, raven hair, or strawberry blonde or dark pink hairs, dark violet hairs also abound the clan, as well as dark green hairs and dark brown hair. All of them are either tan or have olive complexions. And their eyes range from crimson, maroon, dark green, black, dark brown and dark purple.
On the other hand, the Cerulean clan have their share of blondes, light brown hair, dark grey hair, dark blue hairs and ash blonde. Their skin were surprisingly pale compared to the Crimson clan, and their eyes range from blue, dark blue, lavender, light green, turquoise, cobalt, light brown, and bluish white.
Their colours definitely define their nature. The Crimson clan looked fierce, aggressive and ferocious, while the Cerulean clan are cold, calm, and collected.
They are like Fire and Ice landed in one place.
I saw some of them glaring hard at each other, if looks could kill, they might've been at each other's graves.
"This place is a bit weird. " I mused.
"What do you expect from the hidden places? " Hotaru scoffed. "Discrimination is surely apparent in here, and then they go all around telling other people that this school is so great. "
I breathed as I realized the truth in her words.
She's right.
This school and this place…
It's so very elusive.
"I think there's a dispute between them. " I answered as I sipped my juice. "Uncle told me that. I heard there's been a long waging war between them eversince the start of time. "
"Oh puhlease, we're in the 21st century, not 1900's. " She answered bluntly. "Where are we? In Hitler's time where there are division of different groups? "
I shook my head. "I don't know either, but a fight between clans might be a very traditional and historical one. And I think they value that very much. "
Hotaru shrugged as she bit her crab sandwich. "That's stupid. "
I snickered as I bit my tacos.
SPLASH!
We both jolted on our seats when we heard the sound of water and glass that fell on the floor.
"Are you here to insult me again, Hijiri? " A husky, raging voice thundered.
Curious, I looked up, only to see a young man with raven hair standing up and was glaring daggers at the young man with spiky gray hair.
"Why, refusing to admit that you're a douche, Hyuuga? " The gray haired young man replied calmly as he sipped his soda.
"You're the douche in this place, asshole! If not for those stupid rules, I would've clawed my way through your intestines right now! " The raven haired guy said in rage.
The grey haired guy just looked at him bored.
"Now you're not only being a douche, but you're a savage as well, Hyuuga, tell me, are all the people in the Crimson clan as savage as you? " He retorted as he shook his head. "No wonder, you guys don't seem to have any breeding at all. "
"What did you say? " Some of the guys in the Crimson clan hooted furiously.
"You really are testing my patience, Hijiri. " The raven haired young man snorted as his glare increased.
The gray haired guy smirked. "You wanted to fight again, Hyuuga? " He challenged as he put his soda on the table and stood up.
The raven haired guy smirked in return. "Now you're talking. " He said as he jumped upwards and towards the center of the lunchroom.
The gray haired guy did the same thing as well and landed gently across the raven haired guy.
"Let's settle this! " The raven haired young man shouted as he opened both of his palms and produced twin fireballs.
I blinked. No freakin' way!
Oh shoot! Holy macaroni! He can produce fire by magic?
I looked at Hotaru quickly and sweatdropped, instead of getting scared, she took a video cam which she fished out of nowhere and was videotaping the whole scene.
The grey haired young man followed, he raised his palms in the air, but this time, he produced a ring of sea green icicles on his palm.
I blinked even more. Oh God, people in here can produce magic? Is that the reason why Shiki san told me that they avoid being disturbed by the outside world?
I saw the fire caster attack first, he jumped horizontally in the air and combined his knuckles and aimed it at the ice caster.
The ice caster smirked confidently as he used his icicle filled palms to block the attack.
The moment the fire reached the ice, it melted for awhile, but then, the ice suddenly engulfed the fire, encaging it in a round crystal ball and putting out the flames.
The fire caster narrowed his eyes as he jumped backwards and landed on the floor. He then raised his index finger in the air, he swirled it a little, and then, immediately, a laser of raging fire came out in the air. He then pointed it at the ice caster.
I watched, as the laser beam targeted the ice caster in a lighting fast speed, giving shards of red drops while travelling towards its target.
But the ice caster suddenly raised his palm, and then, a whip of cold, hard, blue ice went out from his palm and met the lighting fast speed of the fire beam.
I stared intently, as the two lasers met and crash on each other.
I blinked, as the red and blue lasers tried to outrun each other. The lasers clashed, like twin vicious vipers, none of them wanted to give up.
The meeting of two powers was so great that it was able to produce a strong gust of warm and cold air. All the people in the cafeteria backed away as the casters fought to each other.
The fire caster pulled his stance forward, but the ice caster did the same, he put his foot forward.
"Why the hell won't you give up? " I heard the raven haired guy shouted in anger.
"Like hell I would, Hyuuga! " The grey haired guy retorted as he pushed himself closer.
They got closer and closer, so is the intensity of their powers. It was so strong that I felt like we will be thrown away any minute right now.
Or maybe produce an explosion.
"Anytime soon that clashing of powers will reach its end. " Hotaru stated as her hair waived backwards because of the wind.
I looked at her, she still had the videocam in her hands, she really was determined to videotape all of this paranormal activities for some reason.
When the two casters are in the middle of clashing each other, their laser beams reached their limits, and instead of outrunning each other, it suddenly jumped to the left side of the building, hitting a cement post, causing it to break and fall down.
Suddenly, I felt the ceiling above us started darkening.
Gasps and shouts were suddenly heard towards us.
"Watch out! " Some of the students screamed hysterically
"Get out of the way! "
"Hurry! "
I looked up and widened my eyes when I saw the post falling towards us.
"Hotaru! " I shouted as I tried to reach her.
"Mikan! " She shouted back as she stretched her hand towards me.
Luckily, we caught each other's hands and jumped away from our place before the post hit us.
BLAG!
We felt a rush of air afterwards, then suddenly, we found ourselves falling harshly towards the door.
CLANK!
I winced in pain when my back hit the door, I saw Hotaru gritting her teeth in pain as her back hit the door as well.
We hit our backs hard before we felt our bodies sliding down towards the floor.
After that, it was followed by an earsplitting explosion. I quickly covered my face with my arms.
And then, I heard the sound of pieces of cement falling down in the air.
Suddenly, I felt a heavy rock hit my left shin. I gritted my teeth, but I kept my arms on my face.
When the hard rainfall of rocks stopped, I quickly peeked on my arm, but it was so blurry, so I decided to unwound it to get a better view.
I was about to unclasp my arms when the door opened knocking me to the side.
"What on earth happened- " I heard Uncle ask loudly and then he stopped.
I guess he noticed me.
"Oh my God! Mikan! Imai san! " He exclaimed as I heard his footsteps towards me.
I felt him unwound my arms and held my cheeks gently.
"Mikan, what happened? " He asks as he released one hand and lifted a big rock that hit my shin.
"Uncle, is Hotaru okay? " I asked immediately, ignoring his question.
My eyes widened when I felt something flow on the left side of my face, but once again, I ignored it.
"I'm fine… " A cold voice answered.
Immediately, I whirled my face, only to find Hotaru with a huge bleeding wound on her right shoulder, and the right side of her face was filled with strings of blood.
Absently, I put my palm on the left side of my face.
And when I did, I put my palm away and stared at the liquid that flowed on my skin.
It was blood.
Great! What an experience to treasure during our first day of school! I muttered sarcastically. Getting hurt and wounded in the cafeteria! Nice one, dear schoolmates.
I wonder if this day could get any worse? I added as I fumed in anger.
"Principal Yukihara, what happened- Oh my! " I heard Hii sama gasp as she looked around.
Shiki suddenly emerged from behind Hii sama, and then quickly strode off towards Hotaru's side and carried her in his arms.
"We have to take them to the infirmary! " He said quickly as he strode off towards the door.
Uncle quickly lifted me in his arms and ran towards the door as well.
When we were out, I looked back, and I saw the students staring back at us, horror and worry were obviously etched on their faces.
Suddenly, I felt a pair of eyes looking intently at me.
When I looked up to wherever it came from, I froze.
Looking intently on me was the raven haired man, the fire caster. His tantalizing ruby orbs were on me, and his gaze never left my form.
I was about to presume that his gaze were out of worry and concern because they hit us with their dangerous fight…
But my thoughts were pushed aside when I saw his eyes sparkle and his lips formed a slow smirk.
I shivered as I quickly tore my gaze from him. I never liked his gaze and his smirk. He looked like a snake who found his most favourite and precious prey in the middle of the dessert.
I shivered even more at the thought.
Oh God…I hope I won't encounter that raven haired guy anymore…
Or else, my life will surely be in hell!
Please review!
Thank you for reading!
I'm so sorry if I took too long in updating. I was sick for a week, which caused me to be absent in most of my classes and caused me to rush up on many things that I missed. I was about to write some one shots during Halloween, but I'm so very busy rushing on my own academic studies.
While I was making this chapter, I was contemplating on whoever will be Natsume's rival in this story. Back then, I thought it will be Ruka, but...on second thoughts, Ruka is too sweet and gentle for me, using him as a rival will be too predictable, even if I made his attitude the same as Natsume, the results will be the same, it will be predictable as well, and I don't like predictable events in my story. I love it when even I, the author can't even predict what will happen in my story. Though its a good thing to predict some of the scenes and chapters, I love it more when I just allow the story to unfold by itself.
I wanted to use Tsubasa and Tono as well, but it's the same thing with Ruka, it will be too predictable since they're all so mature, and Mikan will be too young for the likes of them.
And then, Yoichi came along.
I know he's just this cute little boy in Gakuen Alice, but he's the closest one that I could match with Natsume. Since they were almost the same when it comes to attitude as well as power and prowess. To be honest, I can feel that he will be a great impact in this story, and would make an even more dangerous and seductive rival for the likes of Natsume.
And he's very close with Mikan as well, though their relationship is a brotherly and sisterly love. But then, again, brotherly and sisterly love could lead to another level, such as what happened to Yuka and Narumi's relationship.
In this story, I didn't use Yoichi's original alice, instead, I used the ice alice for him. Afterall, the number one rival of fire is ice, which will make an even greater impact in my opinion. However, I was thinking of including his original alice in the latter parts of the story.
I'll try my best to update my stories!
Thank you for all your support! I was surprised at the reviews of Raven Bride and Centuries of Love! Gosh, I can't thank you all enough!
I love you all and thank you again for appreciating my stories:)
