JC: I'm on chapter 10. I'm so happy that so many fans like my story. I love Gakuen Alice so much, especially Mikan-chan! I will continue to support it through my fanfics and stuff.
I want to thank the following reviewers for their support until now:
truc.mi, jazzflame, GlyNchaN, flamehaze, FrUiTyxLiCiOuS, katiesquilts, dethblist, Aminatsu032, oO0OoyummyflakesoO0Oo, NATSUM3, KawaiiLinaKisses, mica123, pApAw, ladalada, lizeej, Natsumedestiny, Junkiie, xXxraikimikoxXx, Sinshana, Misaki-chan, CarTonic, Aelita18, CuteGirlygal07, melissa1995, yamishun, smalltaz, Yuki's-lil-sis, younggem, tina1061, AWan, Think-sama, yasly, -natsume-luvr25-, susan, Eclipse, Smalltaz, LiLCutiePieXD, anime-hime12, unie, VampireKissesFan, Rebe896, Leyla, Purple-Nen-Sapphire, Angielia, Mizuki, michiy0, ichigo kimmie, halftherainbow7, harmony235, xmiku, AliceJUju, GerMainez, tikimiki, aleda12, Dooti, fAlLeNaNgElx0x, charina, Someone, Rr, guest...
Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice, so don't you dare sue me.
Forgotten Memories
Chapter 10: Emerald Blue Wind
She wished the rain would stop, so the children could go out and play. She had been staring aimlessly at the rain, sighing and thinking about her lost memories. One of her classmates had told her that she lost her memories during a rainy day such as the one she was witnessing at the moment. She asked them a lot of questions about her identity, and most of them were answered by her good friends, Anna, Yuu, Nonoko, and Kokoroyomi. She was able to find out more about Natsume, Ruka, and of course, Hotaru. Among all her classmates, those three were a blur to her. She wondered why they weren't included in the Blue Alice Stone. Natsume, Ruka, and Hotaru were her classmates too. She was extremely bothered by this.
"Hotaru is my best friend," she muttered, heaving a sigh once again. She placed her hand against the glass of the window and felt her hands turning cold due to the weather outside. "But I can't remember her." She lowered her head, grimacing at what she just said.
There were also the two boys, Natsume and Ruka. She can't remember them no matter what. She could see how they cared for her but she was oblivious to the boys' feeling of love for her. She prayed hard, hoping she would find the Alice Stones containing her memories of them.
Checking at the time, she saw it was nearing 6 PM. "It's almost time for dinner," she said, taking her hand off the glass. She picked out a yellow turtle-neck blouse and white mini-skirt. She put on the clothes and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She let out a small smile seeing that she looked fine. "I wonder what's for dinner today."
As she reached for the door knob, she felt a slight breeze crawling on her skin. She instantly turned around to see the window wide open. "I don't remember opening the window…" she said, feeling a bit nervous. She motioned herself over to the window and closed it right away. "So weird."
"Sakura Mikan-san," a voice spoke all of the sudden.
Mikan got so startled by the voice that she let out a loud "EEEKKKK!" She spun on her heels to look at the person who spoke. She gasped at the sight of a girl wearing casual clothes. "W-Who…Who are you?" she managed to asked in a stuttering voice.
The girl raised her head, revealing her sparkling emerald-blue eyes. Her blonde hair reaching up to her shoulders was silky and smooth. "I'm sorry for scaring you, Mikan-san," she said in a monotonous voice.
"Umm… It's all right," Mikan replied. "But who are you and why are you here in my room? Wait, how did you get in here in the first place?" She spoke normally this time.
Obviously shocked to be bombarded with three questions right away, the blonde's eyes widened a bit. She let out a small giggle and smiled. She looked so pretty with a smile. "You were wondering how the window got opened a while ago, right?"
"You're the one who opened it?" Mikan said, shifting her eyes on the window. "And you came in here through the window?!" Her voice rose.
"Yes."
"How is that possible?!" Mikan turned to the girl once more. "I mean, my room is on the second floor."
"Oh that…" The blonde scratched the back of her head and chuckled. "It's all because of my Alice."
"Your Alice?"
The blonde nodded. "I have the Alice of Wind. I can manipulate the elemental wind according to my will. I also use the wind to fly." She explained her Alice in clear words.
"Oh, I get it!" Mikan approached the blonde until she was only a few inches away from her. "So, what's your name?"
"Chiaki," the wind manipulator said, "Kazeno Chiaki."
"It's a nice name!" Mikan beamed with a smile.
"Your name is nice too, Mikan-san," Chiaki replied with a smile as well.
Mikan was surprised as Chiaki called her by her name. She thought if she knew Chiaki before she lost her memories. "Umm… Kazeno-san, are you my friend here in the Academy? Are you also a student?"
"I'm not your friend and I'm definitely not a student here." Chiaki's voice sounded serious this time.
"Then why are you here?" Mikan had a bad feeling about the blonde. If Chiaki was not her friend or classmate, then who was Chiaki to her? She was afraid to think of her as an enemy, since Chiaki seemed to be a nice girl, at least she felt like she was nice.
"Mikan-san, I'm a member of the Anti-Alice Organization," Chiaki said, narrowing her eyes.
"Anti-Alice?!" the brunette gasped, as she backed away. She knew what the Anti-Alice Organization was. She knew it because she remembered encountering some of its members before. There was this time where she and Shouda Sumire chased after Mouri Reo, a popular singer who was once a Special Star student of the Academy. She also remembered the time she encountered a strange woman who stole Tobita Yuu's Alice before. With all that in her mind, she knew how dangerous the Anti-Alice Organization was.
Chiaki crossed her arms behind her and leaned back against the window. She felt the droplets of rain on her back and the cool breeze passing by. Her emerald-blue eyes never left Mikan. "Mikan-san, my senior is responsible for your memory loss," she said with no emotions at all. "If you want your memories back, all you have to do is to find him."
Mikan's amber orbs widened. "What? Why are you telling me this?"
"It's because…" The young wind manipulator lowered her head, allowing her blonde hair to cover a part of her face. She let out a quiet sigh as she clenched her hands behind her back. "You're her daughter…" she said softly but enough for Mikan to hear.
"Huh? Daugther?" Mikan had absolutely no idea what Chiaki was talking about. "Kazeno-san…" She was about to ask her more, but Chiaki suddenly gazed at her with sadness in her emerald-blue eyes. Mikan was surprised at this.
"Mikan-san, I'm not your friend," Chiaki said, her voice almost stuttering. "But I don't want to be your enemy either."
Something was wrong, Mikan felt it in Chiaki. But she can't trust her just yet. After all, Chiaki was an AAO member. "A-are you t-trying… to…deceive me?" she asked nervously.
Chiaki only shook her head and spun on her heels. "Mikan-san, the organization wants you." She gritted her teeth. "They want you because of your two Alice."
"Kazeno-san…"
The rain was pulling to a halt, but the sky was already dark. It was already night time. Chiaki realized she needed to leave before anyone finds out about her. "I'm sorry. I can't do anything to stop the organization." She climbed up the window and knelt on it. "Please be careful, Mikan-san." With those final words, she jumped off the window.
"Kazeno-san!" uttered Mikan, almost forgetting about the blonde's Wind Alice. She ran to the window to see if Chiaki was all right, but as she looked down, nobody was there. "She's gone…"
The clouds were clearing up, revealing a bright moon. The ray of moonlight shone upon her face, as she wondered about the blonde who revealed herself neither as a friend nor an enemy.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The loud knock came banging on her door, surprising the poor brunette. She quickly opened the door, revealing her raven-haired best friend, Hotaru. Before she could speak, she noticed the wet raincoat Hotaru was wearing. "You better dry yourself up, Hotaru, or you might catch a cold," Mikan said, worrying for the inventor.
As usual, Hotaru did not show any emotions in her face. "Mikan, there's something you should know," she said flatly, as she grabbed the brunette's hand. "Come with me right now." She pulled Mikan out of the room, closed the door, and dragged her across the hallways.
"Hotaru, where are you taking me?" she asked, as she tried to keep up with Hotaru's pace. The inventor could sure walk fast.
"Shut up," Hotaru retorted. "You'll know once we get there."
Mikan knew there was something bothering Hotaru, but the raven-haired girl refused to tell her. Whatever it was, she was dying to know. Maybe it has something to do with her memories or maybe Hotaru had found another Alice Stone of hers, she thought wildly.
In a 5-star hotel located near the Academy, three Anti-Alice Organization members were currently discussing their devious plan. The leader of the pack, Fujioka Takumi, who was also the oldest among them, was relaying the plan one by one. Since he was well-respected in the AAO, he was always confident with his plans, saying that they're full-proof. The other members can't disagree with him, because Takumi's mind was very cunning. When he finished his talk, he asked the other members if they had any questions.
The girl with jet-black eyes raised her hand. "Takumi-san, do you really think Mikan-san will join us?" she asked.
Takumi nodded knowingly. "Of course, Haruka, although I do have to remove some of her memories again since a certain someone gave one of her Alice Stones back." He shot Raito a dead glare.
"How many times do I have to tell you?!" Raito yelled, rising from his seat. "It was necessary!"
"You could've knocked her out, you know…" Haruka said sarcastically as she started filing her nails.
"I don't want to hurt Mikan-san, understand?!" His voice was so loud that it annoyed the hell out of the Dark Witch.
"RAITO-KUN!" Haruka narrowed eyes at him. "You don't have to shout! Geez, I'm not deaf!" She rolled her eyes away and folded her arms in front of her chest.
Raito clenched his fists hard and sat back down on the couch. "Haruka-san, can't you just remove the curse on Mikan-sama?" he grumbled and stared hard on the floor. "I hate to see her suffer whenever she tries to remember."
"I understand how you feel, Raito-kun," Haruka replied in a soft voice this time. "But I can't remove the curse unless our superiors order me to." She went back to filing her nails, acting like she doesn't care, but she actually does.
"Haruka's right, Tsurugi," Takumi said, leaning against the wall. "Why do you care so much for Sakura Mikan anyway?"
"Takumi-san, I already told you," Haruka butted in before Raito could speak. "He's in love with her."
"Yeah, I know, but why?" Takumi motioned himself in front of Raito and stared down at his depressed face. "Why her?"
The boy with the topaz eyes stayed silent. It wasn't like he couldn't answer; he just couldn't explain his true feelings for Mikan. He felt his heart pumping so rapidly. He wanted Mikan so badly. He had a great desire for her. He couldn't believe that a girl he just met a few days ago would have so much impact on him. The feeling of love was so ethereal and wonderful.
Takumi was still waiting for his answer, and Haruka suddenly thought of something interesting to agitate Raito.
"You better give her up, Raito-kun," Haruka started, crossing her legs.
"What did you say?" Raito looked up at the auburn-haired girl.
Haruka shrugged, as she put the nail file away. "You don't have a chance with Mikan-san." She put on a malicious grin on her pretty face. "Besides, Mikan-san has Hyuuga Natsume."
Temperature rising, Raito bolted up from his seat and went over to Haruka. "Don't ever mention his name to me!" he threatened with angered eyes, but the girl seemed unaffected with this.
"Why? Jealous?" Haruka poked his abdomen playfully. "I fought with Hyuuga not so long ago and I can say that he's in love with Mikan-san. Not only that, according to our sources, Natsume is Mikan-san's partner in the academy and they're very close. I think they're more than friends." She kept on blabbing on how lucky Natsume was to have Mikan around, causing Raito to get more jealous every second. She didn't care if Raito was angry. She always liked teasing him to the extreme.
Raito couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Haruka by the collar and pulled her up. He shot her with deadly eyes. "SHUT UP, BITCH!" he uttered, shaking her a bit. "I'll make sure Mikan-sama will be mine! I won't let Hyuuga or any guys have her!"
Haruka was having hard time breathing but she was still grinning, as if she wasn't scared of Raito at all. "I kinda doubt that, Raito-kun," she said slyly. "But I would like to see you try."
"You are such a witch!" Raito yelled out, roughly pushing her back to her seat. "I'm going out!" He left the room with a loud bang from the door.
"I am a witch and I accept that fact," Haruka muttered under her breath. She then let out a chuckle. "He's so hot-tempered."
"You've really provoked him, Haruka," Takumi said, taking a seat beside the girl. "You should be careful. He can hurt you." Though he said those words, his face looked cold.
"I know, I know…" Haruka wasn't afraid of Raito. She had known Raito for a long time now and she had always teased him. She knew how to deal with Raito's anger with a snap. "Takumi-san, Raito-kun will never hurt me. I'm sure."
"If you say so…" Takumi leaned his back on the couch and closed his eyes a bit. He was a little tired from all the work he has been doing for the organization. "Oh, by the way, where's Kazeno?" he asked.
"She's probably wandering off in the city again," Haruka answered, as she took a magazine and opened it. "You know how she likes being alone and stuff."
"She's one strange girl." Takumi didn't know much about Kazeno Chiaki, except for the fact she was an AAO member since the age of 5. Everything about her seemed to be a mystery. The first time he saw her, he thought she was weak and helpless. He was surely wrong. When he saw her used her Alice during a training simulation, he was completely flabbergasted. She possesses an Alice more powerful than any of us here. I'm sure glad she's on our side.
A group of people were gathered in the room of a Special Star student who happened to have a Fire Alice. Yes, it was Hyuuga Natsume's room. He didn't like the idea of using his room to hold a meeting, but since it was about Mikan, he just gave in with a grunt. He was currently laying on his king sized bed reading one of his shounen mangas. The other people in his room were Ruka, Narumi-sensei, and Tsubasa. All of them were quiet, too quiet for their own good. Natsume knew that they were deep in thought.
The door opened up and in went two elementary girls who were none other than Mikan and Hotaru.
"You're finally here." Narumi-sensei was the first one to speak after the dreaded silence.
"What are we doing here anyway, Hotaru?" Mikan asked, hoping to get an answer this time.
"We have something important to discuss," the blackmailer replied in a cold tone. She took of her rain coat and hanged it on the rack.
"What's this all about?" Ruka said, rising from the chair. "I was eating my dinner when you suddenly showed up and pulled me away, Imai." He was obviously pissed but only a little.
Hotaru glared at Ruka, startling him a bit, before she started explaining. "I was attacked by a girl who calls herself the Dark Witch."
Natsume's crimson eyes grew wide as he heard that name. Nonchalantly, he put his manga down and sat up on the bed. "Hey, does she have black eyes?" he questioned with a bored face.
"Yes, why? Did she attack you too? She did mention your name before."
"I fought with her."
"You fought with who?" Ruka said, growing worried. "Natsume, did you get hurt?"
"Ruka, I'm fine."
"Well, I'm not," Hotaru said, her face darkening with frustration. "That idiot gave me a hard time."
"What did she do to you?" Mikan asked, throwing a concerned face at her best friend. Like Ruka, she wanted to know if Hotaru got hurt or anything.
Hotaru was pleased to see how concerned Mikan was, but her face remained stoic as ever. "She did manage to pull a fast one on me." She unleashed her Baka Bazooka and the thin metal pole for everyone to see. "But I used these inventions against her."
"Wow!" Mikan's eyes sparkled at the sight of the inventions. "Hotaru, you're great!" she beamed, as she threw herself at the inventor.
"Do you want me to use the Baka Bazooka on you?" Hotaru threatened with a distrustful twinkle in her eyes.
Instantly, Mikan pulled away and chuckled. "Uh—I'll pass…"
"Hotaru-chan is still scary as usual," Narumi-sensei whispered to himself.
Going back to business, Hotaru turned to the Special Star student. "When you fought with her, did she use her Alice on you?" she questioned.
"I kept attacking her, but all she does is evading," Natsume grumbled, as he thought of the auburn-haired girl who totally pissed him off.
"So, you have no idea what her Alice is…" The inventor crossed her arms and heaved a sigh. "Unfortunately, she didn't show her Alice to me either. For a girl, she surely can fight without the help of her Alice."
"This Dark Witch sounds really skilled," Tsubasa said.
All of the sudden, Hotaru and Natsume gave the shadow manipulator a deadly glare, sending chills down his spine. Both of them were obviously furious about the Dark Witch since they have encountered her. Tsubasa couldn't help but give a small laugh to ease his nervousness.
"Oh, before I forget," Hotaru said, averting her eyes away from Tsubasa. "The Dark Witch is a member of the Anti-Alice Organization."
"WHAT?!" Everyone in the room shouted, except for Hotaru and of course, Natsume, since Dark Witch already told him.
"So, they are behind this after all." Whenever the AAO was involved, Narumi always thought of his junior, Reo, and his senior, Azumi Yuka. Believe it or not, those two were special to him, but they left the Academy and joined the AAO. Of course, he was shocked about this, but he eventually accepted the fact.
Tsubasa fiddled with his hat a bit as he felt uneasy. "Do you think the Dark Witch is the one with the Memory-erasing Alice? Based on Hotaru's and Natsume's experience, this girl did not use any Alice to fight. It could only mean that her Alice is not an offensive-type."
"If that's true, then that girl must probably have the rest of Mikan's Alice Stones," Narumi said.
"Do you think she has companions with her?"
"Knowing the AAO, she probably has some backup with her. Tsurugi Raito, perhaps?"
"There's another member besides them…" Mikan spoke up.
"How do you know?" Ruka asked her.
"A member of the organization actually visited me in my room a while ago," she started explaining only to get shocked face from everyone.
"One of them actually went to your room?!" Ruka approached the brunette, carrying his bunny rabbit with him. "Why didn't you tell us right away?"
"I'm sorry…" Mikan sighed, lowering her head, as she thought about the blonde girl with emerald-blue eyes. "It's just that…"
"What?"
She had a heavy feeling in her heart—one she couldn't explain. She tried convincing herself not to trust the words of an AAO member, but Chiaki's solemn face seemed to haunt her mind. She was totally confused. Despite this, she explained everything to everyone in the room. She told them how Chiaki entered her room and introduced herself. She described how Chiaki looked and what kind of Alice she had. She also didn't leave the part about Chiaki's words to her. After everything was said, she sighed deeply and waited for someone to talk.
Unexpectedly, the raven-haired boy was the first one to speak. "Don't trust her." He shrugged. "She's up to no good."
"But Natsume…" Mikan's eyes grew soft. "She doesn't seem to be a bad person."
"Tch. You're too soft," he replied.
On the other hand, Narumi was in his own world thinking about what Mikan said earlier. You're her daughter… Those words kept repeating in his mind like some broken recorder. He knew very well what those words meant, what Chiaki was trying to say. So Kazeno actually knows Yuka-senpai…
Saturday morning came. No dark clouds were in sight, only the warm sun and the fresh scent of flowers around. It was a very good morning, at least for some students.
Staring at the beautiful cherry blossoms trees, Mikan thought about a lot of things, especially about Kazeno Chiaki. Her friends, particularly Natsume, have warned her not to trust the blonde Alice girl. However, Mikan remembered how sad her emerald-blue eyes looked.
She left her window and walked to the door. She turned the knob, while staring down, and opened the door. She didn't realize there was someone by her doorstop.
"Sakura…" a familiar voice snapped her back to reality.
"Eh? Oh, Ruka-pyon!" Her lips curved into a smile. "Good morning!"
"Sakura, are you all right?" The animal-lover, with his rabbit friend in his arms, gazed deeply on the brunette's face, showing nothing but concern and love for her. "You seem a little daze. Did you get enough sleep?"
Mikan pretended to be cheerful when she answered, "Of course, I'm all right! I slept like a baby last night." She was beaming with a smile on her face, hoping Ruka would buy it.
But Ruka could see right through her. After knowing Mikan for two years, he can tell whenever she tells the truth or not. "Please don't push yourself too hard, Sakura," he said in a sweet voice.
"Ruka-pyon…"
"You can't get through this problem alone," Ruka continued, as his face flushed red. "I-I'm here for you…" His voice lowered down, because he felt a little embarrassed. Not only that, his heart was quickening in pace.
She was really happy to have such a good friend like Ruka. Compared to Natsume, Ruka was more kind, considerate, and friendly. She would always feel comfortable around Ruka. Even so, this doesn't mean that she liked Ruka better than Natsume. "Ruka-pyon…"
"What is it?" Ruka regained some of his composure, but his face was still red. It became redder when Mikan entwined her fingers with his free hand.
"Thanks…" she replied, showing her ever famous smile that can melt anyone's cold heart.
Somehow, Ruka felt like a statue which was stuck in one place. Honestly, he was thrilled to see Mikan holding his hand, but his nervousness was getting to him. "Y-you're we-welcome, Sakura…" he managed to say, as he felt the beating of his heart. It was going crazy.
Natsume was walking across the halls with only one thing in his mind—Mikan. He tried denying to himself that he didn't want to see the bumbling yet adorable girl so early in the morning, but his body was betraying his own mind. His feet had led him all the way and he didn't even bother to turn around. As he approached his destination, he saw his best friend Ruka holding the hand of his beloved brunette. He became jealous, but he didn't make a fuss, since it was Ruka. If it was another guy holding Mikan's hand, then he would surely burn him.
"Ruka-pyon, let's go to Central Town!" Mikan said cheerfully. "Remember the dream I told you? You and I were in Central Town and you bought me a box of Fluff Puffs!"
The raven-haired boy cringed at what she said. His jealousy was dangerously rising, but he still kept his cool.
"All right, I'll take you there," replied Ruka who was still blushing. Then he noticed his best friend standing a few distance away from them. "Natsume?"
Mikan smiled as she saw Natsume too. "Good morning, Natsume!"
Natsume, with his usual stoic face, gazed upon the two with crimson eyes. The feeling of jealousy lay well-hidden behind his mask. "What's so good in the morning anyway?" he said, irritated.
With a pout, Mikan released Ruka's hand and took few steps forward. She stomped on her foot and clenched her fists. "I was just greeting you, Natsume!"
"Whatever…" He rolled his eyes away, acting like he doesn't care. He knew it would annoy her.
"Your attitude really stinks. I can't believe I actually know you." Mikan blurted out with frustration.
"I don't care," Natsume said with a bored face. He spun on his heels and started walking away.
"Natsume, where are you going?" Ruka asked.
"Back to my room," he answered nonchalantly. Since Mikan wanted to spend a time with Ruka in Central Town, he decided to leave the two alone—even if it hurt him. His best friend's happiness was also important to him and he didn't want to be selfish.
To be continued…
JC: I feel bad for Natsume here. Don't you worry, though; he will have his chances on Mikan in the future chapters. Raito has some serious issues and he wants to get rid of Natsume. This means more fights between him and Natsume. Mikan will gain another memory again in the next chapter. Who will she remember next?
The fourth member is a girl known as Kazeno Chiaki. Okay, I confess. The name 'Kazeno Chiaki' is actually my Japanese name. I made Chiaki to have the same hairstyle as I do and the same personality. In other words, Chiaki is me. I didn't plan on making my own version of character, but my friend actually forced me to put myself in the story since it would be fun. She actually wanted me to be like Higuchi Tachibana who puts herself in the story as well.
I'll update soon, okay? Please send me reviews. No flaming, please…