Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice does not belong to me.
The whole classroom was abuzz with pleasant chatter.
"Have you heard?" Anna asked Mikan, excited.
"Heard what?" Mikan nonchalantly asked. She was absorbed in her Maths homework, which she found rather difficult.
"About the Masquerade Ball!"
"What's that?"
Anna looked shocked. "It's nothing, just the most exciting event of the year, of course!"
"I can't believe you don't know about it, Mikan," Sumire scoffed, disdainfully as usual. "Where have you been hiding?"
Mikan finally turned her full attention on Sumire and Anna.
"I've got absolutely no dresses to wear!" she wailed, loudly.
"We figured. That's why we're going dress shopping right after school."
The rest of the school day passed in a blur to Mikan. She was so excited for the upcoming ball. From what she had heard, it was wonderful. Whispers of a huge ballroom tiled with the finest marble, the best cuisine from more than ten nations, the gorgeous gowns, the wonderful people, and the sheer romance of it all. Perhaps someone would come and sweep her off her feet. It was an event she was sure she would remember forever.
Soon enough, she managed to get through Jinno's awful class. In fact, she thought she understood a few of the weird concepts he introduced. It was enough to make her feel like she was floating on air.
Anna, Sumire, Nonoko and even Hotaru came after Jinno's class. They were headed off-campus, to apparently the best store in Tokyo, which was run by Sumire's aunt, a well-known fashion designer. As Sumire's aunt had promised them exclusively the newest designs, there was no chance of anyone else being spotted in anything similar.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the store. Mikan was awed by the huge number of beautiful dresses, and then shocked the moment she saw the prices.
"I can't afford any of this," she stammered.
"Nonsense! It's on me," Sumire said, grandly. She liked being able to do something for Mikan at last. Mikan had been nothing but a friend to her.
"I can't accept this, Sumire," Mikan protested.
Sumire just ignored her and continued looking through the racks of dresses. Mikan sighed and followed her example, rifling through rows and rows of dresses. They were all beautiful, but they just weren't the one she was looking for. Blue wasn't really her colour, she didn't like black, and white seemed too plain. Orange was definitely out of the question, and so was brown.
Suddenly, her eyes found the perfect dress. It was strapless, and made of silk, flowing around her like waves. The only thing was that it was bright red.
"What do you think?" she asked everyone.
"Oh, Mikan, it's perfect!" Anna gushed. Everyone seemed to agree.
"You'll be the star of the ball," Sumire sniffed. Hotaru said nothing, but continued eating her sandwich appreciatively.
"Since you're done, shall we move on to the masks?" Nonoko asked. "We've spent enough time here already. Everyone had found their dresses. Sumire bought a simple black, backless dress, Nonoko and Anna were going to wear pink, and Hotaru purchased a simple purple sheath dress. They walked a few blocks down to an old, mysterious looking shop. A clear banner at its entrance read, "Magical Masks."
Once they entered, they saw a whole array of masks, all glimmering and sparkling with mystery and hidden secrets. There were masks like birds, demons, elves, witches, and even a plain white mask studded with precious stones. None of them appealed much to Mikan. She wanted something white, somewhat feathery. She found the perfect mask hidden behind a rather scary one of a harpy. It had white feathers, and glittering gemstones on the sides. It was perfect.
She just knew that there would be something special about this ball.
The night of the ball
It was the night of the ball, and everyone was nearly dying of excitement.
"I wonder what the theme will be this year..." Nonoko remarked.
"Same, last year it was summer, and the year before that it was black and white."
Mikan looked wonderful that night. Her hair was loose and curled, falling to a few inches below her shoulders. Her lips were glossed and her nails were painted a bright red, to match her dress. Her eyes shone gold, and her mask was in place. She couldn't wait to enter the ball.
"The ball shall now begin!" announced a voice. The curtain blocking the view of the ballroom rose up, and the ballroom was revealed. Mikan gasped in wonder. It was beautiful beyond her wildest dreams. A golden chandelier, alight with candles, shone over everyone else, casting a warm glow over everyone. The ceiling seemed open, and although it was the middle of summer, snow started to fall, coating everything in clean whiteness. Couples immediately started dancing, although no one knew who their partner was. Sounds of laughter echoed throughout the air.
Mikan sat in a corner of the room, waiting for someone to offer to dance. Her previous good mood had dissolved. Perhaps this was her fate, to wait the whole night and never get a chance to dance.
It was not to be.
Someone approached her, and although his face was covered by a black mask, he looked somehow familiar. Mikan could see black hair, and from what she could see, he looked extremely handsome. He had high cheekbones, and a good bone structure.
She accepted gladly. She wanted so much to dance, that she would have accepted a dance from anyone. She wondered why her hand seemed to fit so perfectly in his hand, as though it was meant to be.
Little did she know, that he was wondering about the exact same thing. Together they danced for the whole ball. They never wanted to let go, for both knew that once they stopped dancing, the spell would be over. The ball would be done, and nothing would ever be the same again. She wanted to dance in his arms forever, while he never wanted to let her go. The music soared, reaching a crescendo. He spun her around, and she landed perfectly back in his arms.
However, all good things must come to an end.
The final song stopped. The ball was over. It was now the moment when people started taking off their masks, revealing their identity to each other. He made no move to take off his mask.
"Why don't you take off your mask?" she asked, tentatively. She desperately wanted to know who he was.
"You'll hate who I am," came the curt reply.
"I won't!" she protested. How could she hate someone who gave her the best dance of her life?
"I can't tell you who I am, but I can do this," he said, before leaning in to kiss her briefly on the lips.
"That was my first," she whispered, shocked.
"I'll tell you a secret," he leaned into her ear. "It was mine as well."
He disappeared into the night, leaving Mikan alone.
She briefly touched a finger to her lips, thrilled with the events which had happened. She vowed to herself to find out who he was.
The next day
Mikan was sitting in English class, next to Natsume as usual. She just couldn't concentrate on the lesson, as her mind kept drifting back to the beautiful ballroom and the mysterious man she had danced with.
"Natsume?"
He made no reply, but Mikan continued with her question. "Who did you dance with yesterday?"
"Why should I tell you that?"
"Because I'm your friend?" she fluttered her eyelashes at him. He tried to ignore it, but a faint blush spread on his cheeks. Obviously, Mikan didn't notice.
"I didn't find out her name," he lied. He knew perfectly well whose she was, but she didn't have a clue about him. He liked it that way. Someone as pure as her shouldn't be with someone as dark as him.
"Really? I didn't find out who I danced with either..." Mikan sighed, disappointed. "Do you have any idea of who it might be?"
"Nope."
"Were you the one who danced with me last night?" she suddenly asked.
"Why would you think so?" he retorted. Inside, he was panicking. How did she find out so quickly?
"Just tell me! You said you were my friend!" she accused him.
"I never thought of you as a friend," he said, regretting the words as soon as he said them.
Mikan's eyes filled with tears, and she ran out of the room.
"You were always more than that," he said, to her empty desk. It was better this way. She should hate him. He was too dangerous, too tainted for anyone to care about. His blood was not pure. He knew it was the right thing to do to keep her safe, but why did it hurt so badly? His crimson eyes flashed.
Outside the classroom, Mikan punched the wall in frustration. Just when she thought she was getting somewhere with Natsume, he would insult her and hurt her again. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. He never denied that he danced with her yesterday.
But he never confirmed it either...
Mikan's brain went into overdrive. What was Natsume hiding?
Back in the classroom
"Wow, you really messed up," Ruka remarked, wryly.
"Shut up, Ruka. Not in the mood," Natsume groaned.
"You never are."
"True," said Natsume.
"Honestly, I think you should just tell her. She seems like she'll accept you for who you are," Ruka said, before walking away.
No one ever will, Natsume thought. I'm a monster. That is what I am, and that is what I will always be.
Author's Note:
Hope you liked this chapter! Review, follow, I'd love it :)