Hey Guys,

Sorry I've been lacking in motivation to write. It helps when there are reviews to let me know how I'm doing.

I have the next chapter planned around...just need to get around to writing it.

Hope you enjoy this one.

Months have passed and it was finally time for Mikan's class to graduate.

All the acolytes who have just completed their second term gathered into the hall waiting for their graduation ceremony to start.
You can feel the excitement radiating from the young acolytes in the room. They were busy chatting with each other about their future plans. There is so much they can do. Some have chosen to stay in the church to do further studying with the teachers while others choose to gain knowledge by traveling.

Like all the other students, Mikan was busy chatting with her classmates while waiting for the the principal to speak.

"So what are you going to do?" Mikan asks.

"Well, first I'm going to go back home. Probably meet up with some of my friends back in Payon and then I'll start traveling." Aki replied.

"I'm going to go back home for a visit before coming back here to study some more." Yuki replied, "What about you?"

"I don't think hitting the books is for me. I prefer exploring the world and seeing everything for myself." Mikan replied. "Hopefully I can meet up with Hotaru and go exploring with her. Maybe I can invite Ruka as well."

"You've been training a lot with Ruka on your free days." Aki pointed out, "Is there something going on between you two?"

"What do you mean?" Mikan asks.

"Do you like him?" He asks directly.

"Of course I do! He's a really good friend."

Yuki sighs and pats Mikan on the back, "Poor Ruka, I wonder if he has noticed how dense Mikan is when it comes to things like this."

Aki laughs and says, "I meant like him more than a friend. Does your heart beat faster when you see him, you know things like that."

"I don't think so. The only time my heart beats faster is because we get ourselves into big trouble like that time with the wolves."

"You should be more careful when training." Yuki scolded her, "You might not be so lucky every time that someone just happens to come and saves you."

"Yes M'am." Mikan replied with a salute and Aki laughs at the scene in front of him.

Throughout the school year Mikan, Yuki and Aki have gotten very close. Yuki was like the big sister in the group, always looking out for the other two. Aki is the playful one, he loves to joke around and tease Mikan and Yuki. Mikan was the baby of the group, very naive and innocent and that's the way they want to keep her.

"It's hard to believe we'll be graduating and going off on our own now. We won't have classes with each other anymore. We won't be eating our meals together. We won't be living together." Mikan said sadly.

"Don't talk like that. It's not like we won't ever see each other again!" Aki responded.

"He's right you know Mi-Chan. We can always talk to each other through the communicator and we can meet up to train with each other! And we can always warp to another town to meet up with each other."

"Yeah! Who knows, we might even end up in the same guild as each other!" Aki exclaimed excitedly.

Mikan smiled at the two gratefully and was about to say something but the high priest got up to the podium and began to speak.

"Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the graduation ceremony for our graduating class. I want to congratulate all of you on your achievements to date. But remember, this is only the beginning. What we have done here is teach you and train you to be ready to go out and face the world. A world full of adventures is out there waiting for you. But remember, no matter where you go, the church will always be your home. You are always welcome here. Now, we'll have the valedictorian come up to say a few words."

After the ceremony

Mikan was walking Yuki and Aki to the Karfa lady.

"Remember to call me or write to me once in a while!" Mikan reminds Aki.

"Don't worry! I won't forget, that was only the 20th time you've reminded me."

"I'm going to be so lonely without you two." Mikan cries.

"What are you talking about? You're always off training with that archer friend of yours." Yuki teases Mikan.

"Oh yeah, what's his name again. Hum...I think it was Ruka." Aki joined in the teasing.

"We should all go training together!" Mikan exclaimed.

Yuki laughs, "We'll see about that. Since I'm doing further training with the church I won't have as much free time as you guys. But whenever I can we should meet up."

"Ok time to say goodbye." Aki said and hugged Mikan and then Yuki.

"Take care." Aki said and then asked the Karfa lady to warp him to Payon.

"I'll see you later Mikan. Come by the church to see me any time when I'm back from Geffen." Yuki said while hugging Mikan. Then she got a warp from the Karfa lady to go home to Geffen.

"Sigh, I'm all alone again. Well I always have Ji-Chan, but it was nice to have someone that's like an older sibling to me. I think I'll go visit my secret spot before I go home today." Mikan said as she walks towards the south Prontera gate.

In the garden
Mikan walks in and sits under her favorite tree.

"Hi Mr. Tree, it's been a while since I was last here. I've been so busy with school and training lately I never get a chance to come. But starting today I should have more time. Our graduation ceremony was today so that means I'm done my classes. As long as I'm not out on an adventure I can come visit more often. I hope this means that I'll get to see Hotaru some more! I'm sure she would have graduated as well. I'm going to miss Aki and Yuki though. I know I can always go visit them, but its different then living with them. I'll figure something out." Mikan mumbled the last sentence before closing her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Sometime later

Drip drip drip

Something was dripping on Mikan and woke her up.

"Huh? Is it raining? I better go home if it's raining." Mikan said in a far away voice as she had just woken up. She wipes her face with her hand and looks at her hand to see it was covered with red liquid and not water like what she had expected. She exclaims in surprised, "EH! This isn't rain." She lifts her hand up to her nose to smell the liquid. "OMG this is blood! Mr. Tree is bleeding! Don't die Mr. Tree! I'll put a bandage on you to stop the bleeding!" Mikan said as she began to climb the tree in an effort to get to the branch that she thinks is bleeding.

Once she got up to the branch she found an assassin lying on it bleeding. "Oh, it wasn't Mr. Tree that was bleeding, it was you!"

The assassin didn't respond to Mikan's comment and stayed motionless.

"I'm going to try to help you Mr. Assassin. Just stay still and let me look at your wounds." Mikan said as she tried to get into a better position to examine the assassin's wounds. However the branch is not very big and since Mikan is very clumsy, she accidently knocked the assassin off the tree when she tried to move to where he was. Mikan grabbed his arm to try to stop him from falling off but being much lighter then the assassin she ended up falling with him to the ground. Good thing the ground was not very hard for the grass was quite long and cushioned their fall.

"Girl, are you trying to kill me or help me?" The assassin groaned as he landed on the ground with Mikan on top of him.

"Gahhhhh, gomenasai. I didn't mean to cause you to fall. I just wanted to heal you and look after your wounds for you." Mikan apologized frantically then she starts casting her healing spells to stop the bleeding and to close any surface wounds.
Once the bleeding stopped she started to examine him to see how bad the injuries are.

"Good, it doesn't look like the injuries were so bad that my spells couldn't heal them. What did you do to get all those injuries in the first place? Even though they were not deadly, that was still a lot of injuries."

"That's none of your business little girl." He replied coldly without opening his eyes.

"Is that how you talk to someone that just helped you?" Mikan exclaimed.

"I never asked for your help." He stated then opened his eyes to find out who it was that helped him.

When Mikan saw his eyes she immediately recognized him.

"It's you!" She exclaimed and pointed at him! "You're the one that saved us from the wolves and Ruka thinks you're his friend Natsume and has been looking for you nonstop!"

He lied there silently staring at the leaves above him.

"Hey, are you really Natsume? Ruka would be very happy to know that you're ok."

"What is it to you?" he asks emotionalessly.

"Well, Ruka's my friend and I want to see him happy." Mikan replied.

"Just a friend?" He voiced questionably.

"Yup. So are you Natsume?" Mikan asked while poking him.

"If I tell you will you stop bugging me, little girl? He asks.

"I'm not a little girl! I have a name you know. It's Mikan Sakura, so use it."

"I can call you anything I like." He growled.

"Arghh, you're hopeless. If you're not going to tell me who you are then I'll just assume you're Natsume and tell Ruka that I saw you."

"Do you really think you should do that? What if I'm not Natsume, then you'll be giving Ruka false hope that you found his friend."

Mikan was silent for a second and bit her lips thinking of what she should do.

Then a voice came in over his communicator. "Kuro Neko, report to base immediately."

"Tch," he said as he stood up and was about to leave.

"What kind of name is Kuro Neko?" Mikan asks out loud.

"A code name," he replies, "Now, make sure you don't tell anyone of our meeting or else I'll have to make sure you and those people stay quiet, permanently." He pulls out his knife and threatens Mikan.

Mikan gulped, "Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone."

"Good" he said before crushing his butterfly wing and disappearing in front of her.

So they meet again :P

I'll be working him into the story once in a while until he makes his official appearance :P

Next chapter we'll have one more GA character joining us :)

You'll start to see them change into second class soon as I want to introduce the rest of the gang in their second job class.

Hopefully I'll find the motivation to write faster.

Please review.

Thanks!!

PS Thanks for everyone that reviews. I read them all. I guess I should start responding to them... :) Next time I will