Pixie Wings and
Other Things

Natsume is going to have a birthday party, but what's the theme of it all, and more importantly, is Mikan invited? The day of the Crowning Ceremony is also nearing, and if Mikan doesn't bloom by then, her mother and Grandfather will be banished from their Kingdom alongside her. Can Mikan bloom and find out her history before the Crowning Ceremony, or will she be too late? NXM

Oh thanks sooo much to those of you that have supported me through thick and thin, through the bad and the good times and through this story! It's only 10 chapters long, but I hope for a sequel!

Disclaimed! I disclaim all rights to owning Gakuen Alice! Oh, nooooooooooooooo! I own what I own!!!!!!! xxxxx

Have a happy day of reading, guys, love you all! Kisses, xxxxx

Chapter Seven: ...Something Much More Wonderful.

The thing that you wish for the most could actually be the thing you want the least. You could want the best of everything, when in fact the simplest things please you more than anything. You could want the acceptance of everyone around you, but actually you just want people who truly care for you, no matter how few there are. Sometimes you don't need everything you could ever want, sometimes you just have to need what you have...

"His Royal Highness, Prince Natsume, here by declares that you are invited to his Masqued Ball on his Seventeenth Birthday this Sunday coming," Mikan read out loudly when she had received the invitation. Both Misaki and Tsubasa had one, too, which had actually surprised Tsubasa as Natsume didn't like him much. "A Masque? I've never been to one."

"Really, I always thought you would have, seeing as you're royalty like his royal Princely-ness." Misaki said, looking at Mikan who shook her head.

"No, never, our parties normally consist of flying around a tree in the woods and our Crowning Ceremony. We don't have very many parties." explained Mikan rather glumly as Misaki nodded, then placed her invitation onto her coffee table and walked towards Mikan.

"Well, seeing as you already have the wings, you can go as a faerie, all you need now is a mask and a dress, right?" she asked, staring at Mikan for a minute before smiling towards Tsubasa.

"I guess... but what will you go as?" Mikan asked. Misaki just shrugged, not knowing herself.

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out at some point... hey, maybe I'll go as a Wizard and surprise everyone." she joked as Mikan shook her head and smiled, then hugged Misaki before going off to her bedroom. Mikan hadn't picked up the Faerie Tales book since the last time she'd read it, and wanted to see if there was anything else in there that 'might' help her out, but she did doubt it.

"The Angel's Wings... I don't think I remember this one." Mikan muttered to herself as she opened the faerie tales book to the page of the Angel's Wings story. Mikan then started to read it, wondering how it would end...

The Angel's Wings

Long ago there was a faerie prince who longed to fall in love. For years he had been pressurised by his father to find a bride so that he could take the throne for himself. However, the prince could not find a girl he loved enough, so his father decided for him to marry another princess if he did not choose a bride within a certain number of days following up to the prince's eighteenth birthday. So, the prince agreed to his fathers plan, and decided to hold a three day ball a few days before he turned eighteen.
The three balls had specific themes; Formal, Flowers and Masque. Each night the prince would dance with every girl that attended the three balls and at the end choose the one he enjoyed his time with the most. So, the invitations were sent, and all the eligible faeries in the kingdom were invited to his three themed balls so that he could finally choose his bride, or be married to a princess his father chose for him.
Now somewhere in the kingdom there lived one girl who was different from all the other faeries she knew, for she was actually of Flower faerie descent. The girl loved to sing and dance, and was anticipating the ball with excitement. However, not many faeries from the local village wanted her to go because of how different she was, but that did not stop the faerie from doing what she wanted. A week before the three balls started, the faerie made herself three dresses for the dances she was about to attend; the first was a formal gown that she had dressed up with flowers and pearls that her late mother had left her. The second dress was made up of orange, yellow and red flower petals that she had carefully woven together with spiders thread, and then last of all the third dress that she made was for the last of the three balls, a masque, and it was made of hand-woven silk and some faerie dust that made it glitter gently in the light. These were the three dresses that the young faerie would wear to the three balls.
When the first night of the ball came, the young faerie put on her first dress for the formal ball and then decorated her hair with more flowers and pearls like her dress. The faerie then flew towards the ball where many other young faeries of the kingdom were, each trying to woo the prince so that they could be his bride. However, the minute the young faerie entered the large ballroom, the prince's eyes were on her, for she was different to every other faerie in the room with her peculiar dress and her pixie wings, and so the prince asked her to dance, and the young faerie couldn't have been more pleased than to accept his hand.
The next day, the faerie was ridiculed by the other faeries for her appearence at the ball, and they told her not to go to the next one, but that night she doned on her second dress and again danced with the prince for even longer than the night before. The faerie was growing to like the handsome faerie prince, and he was starting to like her as well. After the ball, the prince left the young faerie with a parting gift; a single flower that only bloomed once every ten years in the winter. The faerie promised herself to treasure it, then parted her way until the next and last night.
The next morning as the young faerie sat in her home, she stared at the beautiful flower that the prince had given her. Then, when she reached out a hand to touch the gentle petals, something filled her entire body with light and happiness, and she grew warm, for the minute her hand had touched the precious flower, she grew Angel wings as pure and gentle as the white winter snow.
And so that night, the faerie dressed for the masque; the last of the three themed balls. Her dress glittered lightly in the moonlight, and she placed a matching mask over her eyes, and when she entered the ballroom, everyone's eyes turned to her. For once, everyone was looking at her in awe instead of discontent, but she couldn't have been happier than when the prince asked her to dance once again with him. And despite her change of wings and her mask, the prince still knew who she was, because she was still her; she had just bloomed.
And once the ball finished, the prince announced his new bride-to-be; the young faerie with the Angel wings. Together, the two lived happily ever after...

"Happily Ever After... that's so sweet! I wish mother still had her happily ever after." Mikan said to herself, then closed the book and sat on the edge of her bed, stretching her arms above her head. She then skipped towards the bedroom door and opened it, found that all was quiet, then left to find Misaki and Tsubasa, who were surprisingly nowhere to be found.

"Misaki? Tsubasa? Where are you?" she called. She hadn't been reading that long, had she? All the faerie tales were just short stories compiled into one book, so they couldn't have gone far. Mikan just shrugged her shoulders and headed for the door, wondering if they had gone to do some shopping; Misaki did need some wedding jewellery, after all...

Mikan decided to flitter around the town, not bothered by the constant stares she was getting. She was pretty much old news, but the towns people were still intrigued to see a faerie fluttering around their town like it was an everyday occurrence. Mikan had bought herself ice cream, then went to look for Misaki wherever she could, but soon gave up when her wings became tired. She sighed to herself, sitting down on the pavement in the cool shade as wizards alike walked past her, waving or just ignoring her. Mikan smiled to herself.

She loved the Wizarding Kingdom; it was so tranquil and kind. Nobody ridiculed her for her wings, well, nobody but Natsume, but he always had something to say about her, he didn't like her. Mikan then wondered why she had started to think of Natsume. Why was he on her mind? The prince in the story had reminded her of him, but that prince was kinder and less hostile, Natsume was a brute and knew it. Mikan sighed to herself, shaking her head. She had to get that evil prince out of her head fast or she would just want to strangle him the next moment she saw him.

"What are you doing here, Pixie Wings?" a voice then asked. Mikan looked up to see the one person she didn't particularly want to see, but he was in a disguise.

"I'm sitting down. My wings need a rest." she stated, staring up at Natsume who arched an eyebrow like she was stating something stupid. He kept on staring at her as she tilted her head.

"I'm not a freak show, you know." she then mumbled, folding her arms.

"I never said that." Natsume growled, then leaned against the wall Mikan was sitting with her back against and stuffed his hands into the pockets of the robes he had on. "I just didn't think that wings could get tired."

"Normal wings don't, Pixie wings do, and guess what I have." she said with sarcasm as Natsume rolled his eyes, then decided to sit beside Mikan as she stared at him in shock.

"Why are you sitting next to me?" she asked him warily as he turned to stare at her.

"Because you look like an absolute loner, I can't let people think you're friendless." he stated simply as Mikan glared at him, then suddenly remembered something and smiled,

"Hey; thanks for the invite to your masque, that's quite... generous of someone like you." she said in the nicest way she could. Natsume glared at her then, scowling.

"Gee, thanks for saying it so nicely, dust brain. Anyway, it wasn't my idea, it was my fathers. He wants me to find an eligible girl to wed before I get the throne. Apparently I need a Queen to stand beside me for the rest of my life." he muttered lowly as Mikan blinked.

"Wow, that sounds so much like the Angel's Wings..." she said to herself quietly. Natsume stared at her. Mikan looked up at him, "Oh! It's a story from a book of Faerie Tales. It's sweet..."

"Whatever, it's just a story. It's not like it's real." Natsume said coldly as Mikan rolled her eyes, then suddenly leaned towards Natsume, staring at his face as he blinked, wondering what she was doing.

"What are you doing!?" he snapped as Mikan sat back, pursing her lips.

"Your eyes... they're not like other wizards' eyes. They're quite dark and empty... lonely, too." she whispered, pausing, "Why are you lonely?"

"Because I want to be." he answered. Mikan shook her head,

"No one wants to be lonely, Natsume... and anyway, you have Ruka, so obviously you aren't lonely, you're just looking for more companionship, right?" she asked him with a small smile. Natsume shrugged,

"Not really, companionship's boring." he muttered. Mikan then leaned closer again,

"What about a wife? Don't you want a wife who'll love you and think you're great?" she asked him. Boy, she was annoying.

"You sound just like my father, you know that? And anyway, all the girls in this kingdom love me and think I'm great." he told her as she sat there, then shook her head.

"No they don't, they admire you and just think you're great because you're a prince! I may not know much about admiration, but I know that girls don't like you for you. And I don't really like you that much, which must be a nice change, princey." she snapped. Natsume narrowed his eyes at her darkly,

"Don't get catty with me, dust brain." he snarled darkly,

"I can get catty with you all I want, Natsume, because I don't care what you think and I'm not like those other girls! And if you don't want me here or don't like me, then just tell me to leave, because it's obvious you hate me!" she cried. Natsume didn't answer until a few minutes later,

"No." he then said quietly. Mikan blinked a lot.

"No? Why!" she asked loudly. Some wizards looked towards them in confusion, but went about their business.

"Because you're probably the only girl I can stand other than Misaki." he admitted. Mikan became confused,

"I thought you couldn't stand me... you're always so mean to me, Natsume... and I'm mean right back." she said in a small voice. Natsume shook his head, staring into his lap,

"That's exactly why. You aren't afraid of me like every other girl; you don't admire me or think I'm superb, you're just you around me which is what I'm not used to. Misaki's the same, but she'd older and has Baldy, but you... you're a princess and you're so hot-headed!... Why are you so different!" he told her as she stared at him, then beamed.

"I'm different because I haven't had much royal treatment, Natsume! With these wings, you don't get much respect from the public!" she cried happily, then suddenly fluttered off the ground and turned upside down, making sure to hold her dress skirt tightly.

"On second thoughts, get out of my kingdom." Natsume joked as Mikan rolled her eyes, then returned to the ground and held out her hand to Natsume,

"Let's walk. It'll possibly clear your head of whatever you think of, Natsume." she then grabbed Natsume's hand and pulled him up, forcing him to walk with her, even if he did try to object.

"You're holding my hand." Natsume stated coldly, his free hand stuck into his pocket as Mikan rolled her eyes, smirking towards Natsume.

"What, afraid of catching cooties? You're such a child." she laughed as Natsume glared at her, then started to pull Mikan roughly as she blinked, wondering what on earth he was doing.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously, but Natsume was silent, pulling her along to wherever he was taking her. Mikan was getting nervous. Was he throwing her out of the kingdom? Sure, she disliked Natsume and he hated her, but did he really hate her enough to throw her out of the kingdom?

The walk was fifteen minutes, and Mikan wasn't really the best walker in the world, but if she whined Natsume would've bit her head off, he was just like that. Then she was suddenly stunned. Where Natsume had taken her was absolutely stunning.

"Is... is this a grotto!?" she cried out, letting go of Natsume's hand and running towards the said place; Natsume had certainly taken Mikan to a grotto. It was dark, but star-like crystals were embedded in the leaves of the tree's that covered the sky. A small waterfall ran into the glittering lake, and flowers, mushrooms and other weeds grew around the large enclosure. Mikan stared in wonder.

"This was once a fairy grotto, when faeries and wizards lived in harmony together." Natsume explained as Mikan turned to stare at him, an eyebrow raised in question.

"We once lived together in harmony? I thought that was just Angels and Faeries." she muttered, but Natsume shook his head, then shrugged and sat on a flat rock near by, staring at Mikan as she stared back at him.

"Yeah, but we used to live alongside those elemental faeries... or that's what my father told me. That's how we got our powers. It seems that we became enemies, though. Accusations or something." Natsume mumbled as Mikan stood there, wondering about it. She then sighed, and sat down on another flat rock opposite to Natsume.

"So how did you find this place?" Mikan asked him gently, staring up at the leafy roof. Natsume stared, too.

"My mother always brought me and my sister here. It was her favourite place... this is where she met my father." Natsume started as Mikan smiled,

"Wow, was your mom a princess?" she asked, but Natsume shook his head.

"No, she was just a regular wizard, dust brain. Kings or Queens can marry whomever they want here, no matter their status." Natsume told her darkly as Mikan closed her mouth and nodded. Natsume looked around the large grotto. "My mom was a pretty good alchemist, and from what my dad tells me, a wild girl. He met her here one day when he was trying to run awayb from the palace guards,"

"Kinda reminds me of someone." smirked Mikan as Natsume rolled his eyes like she was an idiot,

"Anyway, he found her here, casting some spells. She casted flower and water spells for a combination, I guess. My father says it's the most beautiful thing he ever saw, really." Natsume paused, staring towards Mikan who was suddenly entranced. "What are you looking at me like that for?" he snapped. Mikan blinked,

"Er... well, you're a good story teller! I love romantic encounters, it's so sweet! My mom met my dad by accident. He saved her from drowning, then told her the reason she couldn't swim was because of her propellers. My mom wasn't best pleased," giggled Mikan as Natsume raised an eyebrow.

"I forgot that your mom had Pixie Wings, too." Natsume stated as Mikan nodded,

"Yes, she does... but she took her wings as a bad thing, it seems that I accepted mine from when I was a kid and didn't gain Fairy Wings. My mom had a hard time as a kid, a harder time than me, especially when she married my dad." Mikan went on as Natsume crossed his arms.

"You're really not accepted that much, are you, dust brain?" he queried as Mikan shook her head, then lifted herself from the flat rock, and fluttered towards Natsume, hovering in front of him.

"I don't really care for acceptance anymore. I just need you guys... you all make me happy." she then hugged Natsume, which was a shock because no girl had been so personal towards him, not like this. He was sent candy and stuff by his admirers, sure, but no girl, especially none like Mikan, had ever hugged him. Heck, they were too scared!

And Mikan even surprised herself, because when she hugged him, her heart was beating faster than she could describe with words, her face was red hot and she knew she was blushing fifteen shades of red. Mikan knew that lately she'd been feeling weird whenever she was near Natsume or thought of him, but this was even weirder.

"Why are you hugging me?" Natsume asked Mikan quietly as she held him tighter. Not even she knew why...

"Because... you're a special person to me. Just like Misaki and Tsubasa and Ruka. You're my friends." she whispered, then let go of Natsume, standing on the ground and blushing harder. Natsume didn't question her anymore, he just stood up and left as Mikan watched him, starting to return to her normal colour.

Was a hug really that offensive to his royal highness?...

The minute Natsume returned home, he went straight to his room. He did not care for his fathers' words of welcome or his sister who'd missed him, he just needed to be alone, he needed to think and to wonder what the faerie's hug had really meant... were they really 'just friends'. Natsume pondered, then looked towards his window and stared at the rose that sat there in its vile. It was already blooming radiantly, just like Mikan had wished it would...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oh, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I like writing it, I just added the faerie grotto in for the fun of it, but it was like 'yay, grotto!'. Anyways, thanks for reading, guys, and always smile, and have an Airy Fairy day! Love you all!

Lots of love and hugs, Blue -Niagra

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX