Chapter 3
Three days had passed and it was officially Friday. Mikan had gone through those days continuously trying to find a way to get out of her present predicament while living her school life. Mikan found it a little interesting to note that although the Mikan of this reality had just shown up to school and was starting a new, the school year had actually already progressed. Time-wise, it was nearly Sakura season, when nearly all the cherry blossoms were in bloom.
So, she was, for all intents and purposes, was finishing her year out from where she left off in this reality. Just with a twist, apparently. Mikan had done well to not get in trouble the last few days, although she had gotten into quite a few tiffs with Permy, and Koko still had a bad habit of reading people's minds when they didn't want it to be read. But Mikan didn't really care about that- well, almost didn't care about that. She couldn't allow him to see too far into her mind. Nor was she too worried about Permy when she knew that she was going to fix their friendship with time.
What did worry her, apart from everything else that she was worrying about, was the fact that she had yet to see a couple of her favorite people. Ando, for one. And Youichi, for another. Misaki happened to be in the Special Ability Class with her and they became fast friends. Even in just three days. So, knowing what she knew previously, how the Principal transferred Ando to the Dangerous Ability Class with Persona, she feared for the worse for him.
As much fun as the Special Ability Class was, they were not afraid to test Mikan's abilities out. Mikan had to giggle when she thought about their reactions. Really, was it so surprising that she was able to use her ability so well?
And now, the day had come that Mikan was to be tested by her classmates. To see if she truly fit in. She recalled that previously, the reason she had to have this test done, was because no one actually believed she belonged to the school. But now, she had proven herself a few times over. She didn't quite understand the point. When she had voiced her concerns to Yuu-kun the day before, he seemed nonchalant about it.
"It's just what our classmates do to gain trust with each other," he'd stated.
"Is that the only reason?" She'd asked. It really wouldn't have surprised Mikan if something was up. Permy did seem strikingly suspicious. The ever prominent smirk was hard to ignore. Yuu-kun, however, only shrugged. He seemed worried for her, but Mikan could tell that he was just as curious as everyone else to find out how well she handled being out in the forest.
The only person who didn't seem to care one way or another was Ruka. He sat in the back, leaning his chair backwards a tiche, frowning deeply. Ever since that first night she noticed him outside, she couldn't stop looking his way. She wished there was some way that she could approach him without it seeming weird. How was she going to break the ice?
Mikan glanced at the alarm clock near her bed. This was the first time she had woken up before it sirened. A yawn escaped her mouth, and Mikan stretched, walking over to the window.
"Will I get to see you today, Bear? I really hope that you're doing alright." Although she seemed to hide her feelings well, Mikan was worried about Bear and his creator. What if Kaname had passed on in this world as well? What friends would Bear be left with? He had seemed pretty lonely, even back then. How would he handle people if Kaname really was gone? It definitely wouldn't be good. It pressed Mikan's heart to know that her friend may be suffering.
She opened the window and felt the cool breeze of the morning's dew. Mikan closed her eyes and just felt the world around her. She could feel that the day was going to be etched into her soul forever. Unsure of why this would be, Mikan opened her eyes once more to bask in the colors of the sunrise. Whatever lay ahead for her, she'd take on with grandeur.
"You will find a way back to your reality. Especially if-" No, she wouldn't even say it out loud. It would hurt too much to say it.
Mikan stared outside for a little while longer, before she finally put her school uniform on. She was to go through classes like any other day, but when night fell, that's when she had to leave. Yuu-kun had told her he was going to prepare her some food for the night, in case she needed some comfort food. Misaki had roughed patted her back the day before, enthusiastically saying that if she could ward off any of their attacks, she was a shoe-in to beat the monsters of the forest. It was an endearing thought.
Mikan soon entered class with Yuu-kun in tow. Narumi Sensei was the teacher and knew of the excitement about to happen. He tried teaching for half the class when he finally gave up.
"Alright class. I can see that you are not going to be able to concentrate. I will give you the rest of class to yourselves," a small 'whoop' from the class could be heard, "but," he exclaimed, "I will not tolerate any rowdy behaviour. If you guys break something, Jinno would have my head!" Everyone, including Narumi sensei himself, laughed; for they had no doubt Jinno-sensei would clobber Narumi-sensei if something were to happen.
"So, Mikan!" Anna exclaimed, her beautiful pink hair seeming to bounce in coordination with her words, "are you scared to go into the forest alone?" She barely left time for Mikan to speak before she spoke again, "I know that I would be way scared! There are creepy crawlies in the forest!" She shuddered,
"Yeah, and monsters!" Nonoko chimed in.
"Eh, well," Mikan laughed a little, "I'm not really scared."
"What? Really?" The two girls blurted simultaneously.
"Yeah. I guess I still have some getting used to the strange things that go on here," she lied. I mean, if they really knew that I was used to this sort of thing, they'd probably freak. She thought, and then was horrified to hear Koko speak aloud for all to hear. They all stared at her, wondering what she could have meant by the statement. But before anyone could get a say in, Yuu-kun stepped towards her,
"Here, Mikan. This is some food for you to take with you into the forest." Yuu-kun blushed as Mikan opened it up to see a wonderful variety of snack foods piled into the bento box.
"This is wonderful! Thank you, Yuu-kun!" She hugged him briefly, unaware of a glare from a fellow classmate nearby. Permy was huddled in her desk, feeling grumpy about the excitement that everyone had for the class. Hotaru was her usual self, sitting at her desk working on her personal projects. And Ruka, he watched everyone with almost as inexpressive of face as Hotaru. His chin rested in his hand as he took the seen in.
Out of everyone in their class, Ruka felt the most intrigued by Mikan. Not that it showed on his exterior, but he could feel something was different with her. She was someone special. More so than anyone else.
Feeling someone's eyes on her, Mikan found Ruka's gaze. They stared at one another before Ruka quickly glanced away. Mikan really had to find out what was going on with Ruka. Maybe it really was because he was saddened by Natsume's kidnapping. Suddenly, with that thought, Mikan felt disheartened. He had to know something more. He had to. Maybe they would be able to find out what happened to Natsume together.
Mikan's attention was turned away by the bombardment of questions from everyone else in the class. Apart from Permy's constant glare and Ruka's depressed form in the background, everyone was excited to see how she would do. Again, Mikan wondered why she was going through this at all. Everyone seemed to accept her. Why couldn't Permy do the same?
She looked towards Permy who was now sitting next to Ruka. Maybe she would change her mind. But that hope was in vain. Soon enough, Hotaru stood up and walked towards Mikan.
"Okay Mikan, here are the rules." She placed a small, square piece of paper into Mikan's hand. She read aloud.
"One. Participant must stay the entire night in the forest to qualify. Two. The participant is, in no way, allowed to contact an outside source. To do so signifies immediate disqualification. And Three. You must use your alice at some point during the night in order for the entire class to trust that you are worthy of being a student at Gakuen Alice." Well, that was a little harsh. Mikan studied the words on the paper a little longer. How did Hotaru intend to watch whether or not she used her alice? How was she going to use a nullification alice in the forest?
"So, there are the rules. Any questions?"
"Um, yes. I'm allowed to bring a sleeping bag and pillow, right?" It would be stressful if she couldn't have even that with her.
"Yes." Hotaru gave a brief nod, and relief washed over Mikan. At least she wouldn't have to bumble over making a fire. Permy snorted from where she was sitting.
"Mikan, you baka, I bet that you won't even last ten minutes in that forest tonight, and then you'll be on your way out of this school." Permy laughed light-heartedly, her hand daintily touching her mouth in the process.
Suddenly, almost as quick as a bird, a massive thing (for that's the only way Mikan could describe it) punched Permy in the chest, causing her to fall off her chair.
"Baka!" Was heard from Hotaru, her arm still raised from the device that was smoking out of the end. "I am the only person that can call Mikan 'Baka'," she informed Permy. Her voice had a slight shake to it - the only way that you could tell what her emotions were.
Everyone stared on, shocked. Hotaru, ignoring everyone in the vicinity, acted as if nothing out of the ordinary just happened. She then holstered the device and looked at Mikan.
"Any questions?"
"Er, no." Mikan answered hastily. Hotaru then nodded and headed out of the classroom, briefly mentioning she had some things she needed to take care of. Everyone stared for a minute at the closed door, and then excitement picked up once again.
Their excitement confused Mikan. Weren't they supposed to be serious? It was almost as if they were excited to see her fail, because it was obvious that that's what these challenges were. It was also curious that the teachers knew about this overnight stay outside. Wasn't that something they were supposed to keep students from doing?
"Mikan!" Hosshan, the boy with the incredible ability to control the weather, currently had a rainbow floating above his head. "Don't worry about the weather, alright? I'll make sure that it stays nice and warm out there."
"Thank you!" Mikan replied warmly. It really was nice of him. And quite impressive; though, she was glad she didn't have that kind of responsibility. Soon enough, it was nearly night time and Mikan was ushered to her room to finish preparing for her stay outside. She looked out the window, hoping this would be worthwhile. She wasn't sure how she was going to convince her classmates that she deserved to stay. Her nullification alice wouldn't do her much good unless her classmates planned some kind of minor attacks at her that she could deflect. Otherwise, it was going to be a long night.
The upside of going to the woods was getting to meet Bear once again. She sorely missed Bear. He probably wouldn't take too kindly to her showing up in the woods, but she was prepared for that. She had packed away some protective pads to place on her body to keep her from getting bruises from his punches (because damn did they hurt.)
Soon, she and her classmates were standing on the outskirts of the woods, Mikan carrying her luggage and everyone else staring, giving her a send off. She'd already been here for a short time and yet she still felt that closeness with her classmates. Even if they were planning on ambushing her in the woods.
"Here," Hotaru handed her what looked like ear buds. "Press this button only if you are in danger and no other reason. If something happens, we will be right out to help you." Although they were in the dark, Hotaru had handcrafted flashlights and were currently using the tiny machines.
Mikan took a moment to look at her friends (she was going to become good friends with all of them no matter what! Even Ruka, who seemed very reclusive) and then she turned to look at the darkness of the woods. If it were possible, the darkness seemed darker than outside. But what did that matter? She was just excited to get this night over with and on to re-making long-lasting friendships - who knew if she would ever end up in her reality? - as Mikan stepped into the forest with final hurrahs of 'you'll do great' and 'good luck!', Natsume entered her mind.
She really couldn't help it. He had consumed her thoughts so much in her reality, is was partly why she failed so much in school itself. She loved Natsume. She had known it for a while now. It's why it hurt even more that he wasn't around. It pained her to think what might have happened to him. It made her heart hurt so much so that the pain seemed almost physical.
But she couldn't allow his whereabouts deter her from her current mission. Operation: Locate Bear. Mikan set her bookbag on the ground in front of her, pulling out a map of where she remembered Bear to be located in her reality.
"Okay, all I need to do is walk straight a little ways and turn… right at the facerock." Mikan turned the map a little sideways, hoping to get a better grasp at the direction she needed to head. Feeling satisfied, Mikan looked up at the darkness, only a small light from her flashlight showing her the best path to take. The next item Mikan pulled out was her compass. A generous classmate lent it to her. She supposed it was so she could find a way out if she succeeded. She scoffed at the idea.
"If? There's no if's for Mikan Sakura! I will make it out no matter what! They'll see." She spoke allowed, in part to help her anxiety lessen. She was prepared for this night, probably over prepared, and she was confident she'd be able to succeed, but that still didn't dissuade her heart from beating a little more quickly as she walked the darkness of the woods.
A creature chimed a little ahead of her, and another scampered off somewhere. Mikan jumped at each sound that seemed too close to her. It wasn't that she was too scared to be here, she just didn't want to have any conflicts. Not to mention she expected to feel a full fledged punch directed towards her face any time now. Mikan was definitely not looking forward to that.
Mikan looked at her map once more.
"Okay, I should be getting close to the facerock…" She looked up and lo and behold, there was the facerock which literally looked like it had a face carved into it. Mikan didn't doubt some student with an alice ability actually did so in order to find their way in the forest. Although, upon closer inspection, Mikan could see differences to the facerock compared to what she remembered.
"Well, things are looking pretty good for me!" Taking one more glance at the map, Mikan too a sharp right, calling out to Bear as she did so.
"Bear! Bear! I know you don't remember me, but I'm your friend!" She continued along her path, calling out to Bear, hoping he'd show up. She really wanted to make amends. A twig snapped to her left and she stopped.
"Bear?" She called out, "Is that you?" It was an animal. Surely it was. The sound wasn't made again. Dismissing the anxious feeling she was getting, Mikan continued along her way.
"C'mon, Bear! You can trust me." Mikan walked forward in the darkness, the flashlight making shadows as she did so. "Please come out, Bear." Suddenly, a rustle could be heard. Mikan directed the light towards the sound, but there appeared to be nothing. And then whack! Mikan was flung across the small space and hit a tree. She immediately felt grateful that she'd thought ahead and wore pads to protect her. But even with them, she was sure she was going to have some bruises.
Mikan turned her flashlight to the direction where she had been hit. She flinched when the light reflected off Bear's eyes, and fell over as he rushed her way, coming in for another hit.
"Wait, Bear! Wait!" She shouted as the stuffed animal barely missed her face by a few inches, "I'm not going to hurt you! We're friends!" Bear was in a crouched position, looked her way and Mikan could swear she saw his eyes glint devilishly. She felt a bead of sweat slide down her temple, knowing the look to harm in his face. She knew Bear well enough to know that he had no intention of listening to anything she had to say, but Mikan also knew that by accepting this form of harm, Bear could let out all his frustrations.
Not that she wanted to be hurt or anything. It certainly didn't sound pleasant, but what were friends for? And if she was able to get him to understand her story because of it, then it would all be worth it.
Bear still stood crouched, ready to pounce. But Mikan sensed hesitation in his movements. With a little hope, Mikan spoke up.
"Bear, we're friends." Her voice was softer, near a whisper, "And where I'm from, I was even friends with Kaname-san!" She smiled sadly at the reminder of her beloved friend. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Bear." Although Mikan had given her condolences in this reality, she could see the pain Bear was in now, in this reality. It pained her to see it. Especially considering, in her reality, Bear had vastly mellowed and didn't even punch her now.
On occasion, when he was in a mood, he would be more inclined to do so (she found out the hard way when she was really chatty one night) but apart from that, he seemed to be doing well. So to see this pain, to see that he more than likely did not have a friend in the world, made her heart ache. She could feel her eyes welling up as she watched him.
Bear stared at her for a moment longer, and in the darkness with only the flashlight as her light source, Mikan could only vaguely see him nod his head before slowly standing straight. It was strange to her, to see him accept her plea so easily; even so, she felt relief wash over her. Though this friendship would still be on the tip of the rocks, it was a start.
Standing up, Mikan brushed off the dirt that accumulated onto her clothes, striding towards Bear. He then turned and started walking deeper into the forest and Mikan followed, assuming he was taking her to his home. With the flashlight in hand (and thankfully not being on edge waiting for a demon punch) Mikan shamelessly stepped on leaves, hoping to hear a crunch from the more dried up ones.
Because it was dark outside, and Mikan had yet to actually look up to see when Bear was stopped; she bumped into him, only to look up and see his house just down a small cliff.
"That's where you live?" Mikan asked allowed. Bear nodded, "yosh! It's so cute! I love it Bear!" She engulfed Bear in a massive hug. If this were a cartoon, Mikan would have noticed an irritation mark situated right on his temple. And if Mikan had noticed this, she would have realized she should have backed off way before she actually did.
Unfortunately for her, this moment in time wasn't a cartoon, and she wasn't able to see the irritation flaring up, thereby causing her to be punched in the face and making her fall backwards a few steps. If this were a cartoon, she was sure she would have flown sky high.
"Mou, Bear! That wasn't nice. I was just trying to show you how excited I was." She pouted, rubbing her cheek. Inside, she was ecstatic. Her plan was working! She was going to become great friends with Bear. She was tempted to send a message to Hotaru and inform her of her accomplishment, but was reminded that Hotaru had no idea she had known Bear previously, nor was she allowed to make contact unless absolutely necessary.
Resigned to her fate, Mikan made her way to Bear who, surprisingly enough, was farther away from her than she deduced. Wow, he threw me a lot farther than I'd first thought. As she slowly found a good path to walk on (with the least amount of pocky plants as possible) Bear suddenly stiffened, looked to his right and suddenly, wham! he was thrust sideways and slammed into his roof, falling down with a quiet thump. Fear peeled down Mikan's spine.
"What just happened?" She asked allowed, "Bear?" She started running towards where the direction he flung in. But before she could get too far, someone grabbed her from behind and started dragging her in the opposite direction.
"No!" She yelled, "let me go! Let me go!" She tried to struggle out of the tight grip but whoever it was had her firmly in their arms. "I have to get to Bear! He might be hurt!" She struggled as much as she could, trying to wiggle her way out of the grasp but she was unsuccessful. The person continued to drag her away.
Mikan watched as her world was engulfed in darkness. The flashlight Hotaru had given her had fallen out of her grasp as she struggled and now, it was getting farther away. Mikan began to feel true fear overcome her. Who were these people and why were they taking her? She would have guessed that it was a classmate of hers except the figure was way too tall. And if she found out that teachers were in on this as well, she'd be really hurt by their antics.
What would she do if she was taken away? How would she get help? Her classmates weren't best friends with her in the way they were in her reality, so how could she expect them to come after her?
Suddenly, Mikan remembered the earpiece that Hotaru had given her and she put her hand to her ear, pressing a button (she was extremely grateful her kidnapper hadn't realized she had this device.) Although she didn't hear anything on their end, she still shouted "Help! Please help me!" before the person grabbed her hand, locking it behind her back, all the while holding an elbow squarely around her neck. It was the most uncomfortable thing Mikan had ever experienced.
"Let me go!" She cried. The person simply tightened their hold against her neck, cutting off her air supply.
"Shut up!" A male voice whispered angrily, "you don't want to see what happens when you continue to struggle."
"Where are you taking me?" Mikan choked out, trying to gather a sense of what was happening.
"None of your damn business," the man replied. It seemed like he was taking her deeper into the forest, which meant that there had to be others going along with this plan.
As Mikan stared off into the darkness (they must have had some sort of night vision devices in order to see in the dark!) wondering what would happen to her. It was hard to suppress flashbacks from three years ago. When she had been locked up in the school for detention. Unable to do anything and unsure of what would happen to her and her classmates if they didn't stop fighting.
This was very much the same deal. Except this time, it was only she who was targeted. That was almost more frightening to her. They could do anything they want to her and she would be at their mercy with no hope of escape. She had to do something now, before it was too late!
Taking the initiative, Mikan stomped on the man's foot, causing him to loosen his grip around her neck. She then shot her foot upwards, remembering the saying "kick 'em where it counts!" The man, already slowing down from the pain of his foot, groaned loudly as she kicked. Mikan then quickly knocked his arm from around her neck and kicked him once more before running off.
Yay! I did it! I did it! I can't wait to tell Natsume! Mikan didn't even pause to mourn over her thought process. She had momentarily forgotten that his presence wasn't nearby in this world. She just continued to run in the darkness, narrowly missing tree's as she did so. She ran off in the direction they had left originally, hoping she'd find her fallen flashlight.
Suddenly, Mikan heard a popping noise before she felt a strong pain around her calf. Something had wrapped around her leg and embedded teeth in her skin. Crying out, Mikan fell to the ground, her shaky hands feeling their way to her leg to remove the creature that had bitten her. She prayed it wasn't poisonous.
"What…?" Tears beginning to form, she felt around her calf and realized it wasn't any kind of creature that had wrapped around her leg, but a wire. Panic filled her chest as she realized she'd been caught by the man. How he was able to catch up to her so quickly, she didn't know. It had to be those night vision devices she assumed he was using.
A twig snapped in front of Mikan from deeper inside the woods, and then she heard a low laugh.
"Did you honestly think you could escape?" No, it wasn't the same man that Mikan had gotten away from, but another one! His voice was different. Mikan could barely perceive his form getting closer to her. "I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this, but you leave me no choice." The man, having come directly in front of Mikan, crouched down. Tears were now sliding down Mikans cheeks as she looked at the man.
Although she had tried to scoot backwards away from him, he simply stepped closer. He then reached out a hand and placed it on her cheek, not softly, like a lover would do (as Mikan remembered Natsume having done so to her over the years) but firmer, intent on holding her head still.
Mikan froze, but not quite on her own. It was like he was forcing her to freeze up. With a start, Mikan realized that he was trying to paralyze her so she couldn't move. Quickly she brought up her defenses, using her nullification alice to, well, nullify his alice. With a sigh of relief, Mikan felt her body gain feeling once more. If it had been daylight, she would have seen the surprise in the man's eyes. But with his head flashlight, she couldn't see anything.
Using his surprise to her advantage, Mikan shoved him out of the way, unable to keep herself from grunting angrily as she did so. And then, as quick as a bunny, she was up and running once more, this time not really caring where she went, just as long as she was able to get away from the man.
Only seconds later did Mikan recognize the pain in her leg. She had pulled out the wire, and now felt pain and blood from the open wound. She didn't want to even think about what that was going to feel like in the morning.
Mikan continued running, swiping branches from trees out of her way and tripping over bushes as she did so. I've got to get out of here! I've got to get to safety! She kept telling herself. Just run! You'll be safe soon! She twisted and turned as she ran. So far, she heard nothing from behind her. Yes! She thought I'm going to be safe! He hasn't found me yet!
Saying "yet" turned out to be a bad idea. Because right as she thought that, someone body slammed her down to the ground from the side. Pain shot up her shoulder, and a cut formed, beginning to bleed rapidly. This was turning out to be her worst night in the woods, ever.
"So, you think you can get away, do you?" A man who, with very little surprise, had a different voice than before. Mikan assumed they were accomplices. "Think again. You're coming with us." The man then lifted Mikan off the ground bridal style. She struggled, but his hand pressed into her shoulder wound and she became weak. She tried to speak out, but soon realized he had silenced her voice with his alice. If she didn't have her voice, there was no way she'd be able to alert anyone where she was!
Quickly, and almost as an after thought, Mikan placed her free hand against his cheek and, with all the remaining strength she had left, stole his alice. The man stopped mid stride, unsure of what was happening until it was too late. Shock entered his face and he dropped her. She hit the ground with a loud thump. She couldn't help the loud cry that followed.
The man staggered backward, lightly holding his head.
"What the hell did you do?" He looked at her with incredulous laced in his voice. Mikan stared up at him, wide eyed. It had been a while since she had to steal an alice and it took a lot out of her. She looked at her hand, the large alice encompassed by her fingers. The man thrust his hand forward, as if trying to use his alice. When he realized he had no power, rage burned in his eyes.
"You will pay for what you've done!" He started towards Mikan. She scooted backwards, fear in her eyes. Apart from what she had just done, she had no idea how to fight. Not by physical combat. She was beginning to think she should learn.
In the darkness, Mikan couldn't see anything but the man's shadow. She saw him rush forward, ready to strike. But before he was able to get one hit, he stopped. It was more the sounds that Mikan heard that tipped her off versus what she saw. Sounds like a mini waterfall.
The man began to squirm, slapping his clothes as if he was trying to wipe off dirt. But it continued.
"What the hell?" He screeched, "what is this? What did you do to me?" As he spoke, animals began to come out of hiding. Some tried to crawl on him, other's formed a barrier around Mikan. The animals varied from small insects to deer. Mikan stood in awe as they took over the man, who continued to scramble from fright.
"Get these off me!" He screamed. Stumbling backward. It was a strange thought, but Mikan couldn't help wondering where his cronies were. She didn't have to wait for the answer long. Suddenly, something slammed against the man's head, knocking him to the ground. And then Mikan saw another, slightly shorter form step up.
"You will be the one to pay." The voice said. Mikan's face instantly lit up. It was Ruka! Of all people, Ruka had come to save her!
"Why you little-!" He quickly stood towards Ruka, ready to pounce. Before he was able to do anything, Ruka punched him square in the face. The man crumpled to the ground. Ruka stayed where he was, making sure the man wasn't going to wake up any time soon, then promptly made his way to Mikan, who had stood up, hobbling.
"Are you okay?" He came up to her, giving her a once over, his hand tenderly going to her arm. "You're hurt." Mikan laughed a little, she could feel perspiration beginning to form on her forehead.
"Bear, he… he's hurt too." She told him. She wasn't sure if Ruka knew who she was talking about, but he nodded anyway.
"C'mon. We need to get you to the hospital." He helped her walk.
"How did you know I was in trouble? I thought it would be Hotaru who was going to come." Her legs were wobbling big time, and the sting in her calf was beginning to hurt a lot more than before. "And how are you walking without a flashlight? Do you have night vision goggles too?" Ruka barely graced her with a smile.
"There'll be answers soon. But hold on one moment, there's something I need to do really quick." He stopped, made sure Mikan wasn't going to fall, then headed over to where all the animals were still gathered. He kneeled down, making himself eye level with most of the animals, and then he smiled a genuine smile. At least, that's what Mikan assumed was happening. In the darkness it was hard to see, but she was well acquainted with Ruka's alice and what his face looked like when he spoke with animals.
As she stared in Ruka's direction, Mikan could sense her vision going blurry. The pain was really getting to her. Placing a hand to her face, she tried to find a tree to balance on, but found nothing and ended up sitting on the ground.
"Ruka…" She called out, trying to get his attention. She was going to pass out, she could feel it. Ruka turned his head her way, and hurried over.
"Mikan! Mikan! It's going to be okay!" And that was the last Mikan heard before she lost consciousness.
Hey guys! Chapter 3 is up! Yay! So, I recognize that this may seem a little bit rushed. That's the beauty of a first draft, right? Once the story is finished, I'm going to go through and completely edit and fix things and make it better. Huzzah! Anyway, please read and review! and thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! It makes me more motivated to want to continue forward. :D You guys rock!