Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. Enjoy!!!
RRRRRRRRRRRRRiiiiiiiiinnnnnnngggggg!!!
She moaned as she smashed her hands upon the object, turning the alarm clock off just as it began to ring.
Sitting up, she stretched, her aching muscles screaming for further rest while her mind commanded her to get out of bed.
She yawned, stood up and headed the short distance to her washroom, her long brunette hair trailing behind her in tangles.
As she began her morning routine, she looked at herself in the mirror, reflecting upon the somewhat dark circles beneath her eyes.
It had been two months since she left the Academy. Two months since she last heard or seen her friends and fellow classmates and two months since she saw Natsume.
She sighed as memories of him flooded her mind. It was around this time that the usual feeling of homesickness consumed her body. Yet, despite the ugly feeling, she pushed herself on, knowing that the sooner she finished, the sooner she would get home.
Sighing once more, she left her bathroom and into her room to change.
Currently, she, Narumi-sensei and Hotaru were occupying a really big tour bus. Her tour bus to be exact.
Indeed, this bus was so huge, consisting of four bedrooms with a small bathroom in each. There were other rooms as well, including, a living room, a kitchen, a downstairs bathroom, a laundry machine, a small office and a recording studio.
Of course, none of these rooms could compare to the Academy since it was a bus. But even though it was smaller than usual, it was richly furnished, making the place look spacious instead of cluttered.
She pulled out a pair of jeans and a pink hooded sweater, matching it with a pink headband. Since she would need to get into her costume anyways, there was no reason to dress up.
The brunette checked herself in the mirror once more. Satisfied, she headed downstairs where their teacher cooked a hearty breakfast for her.
Taking a bite of her breakfast, she looked up at Hotaru, who was drinking a cup of coffee while reading the English newspaper. She had been there even before Mikan, and was already done her breakfast.
"Hurry up Mikan. You have to be at the set by seven and it's 6:45." The amethyst eyed girl informed without looking up from her paper.
Mikan nodded quickly, gobbling down her breakfast in a matter of minutes. Helping it down with a glass of milk, the two girls stood up and left the tour bus, leaving their homeroom teacher behind, who was waving after them.
Five minutes later, they arrived on the set, greeted by the eager crew as they dragged the starlet to hair, costume and makeup.
This time, she was to wear an old fashioned pioneer dress instead of her usual traditional kimono.
In this scene, she was to walk among the English public, trying to blend in without being found out.
The story in general was actually a tragic love story. It took place in the olden day, around the time of World War II. In Japan, a strict merchant feared for his daughter's life, worrying of what might the war do to her reputation. Her name was Tsukino Rayo. Meanwhile, Tsukino had fallen in love with a young man, who loved her equally as well. Unfortunately, he was a poor man, one who had no prospects and no hope of marrying Tsukino.
But they continued anyways, meeting in secret and loving one another. They promised to be together forever and ever even if she had to run away just to be with him. But Tsukino's father found out one day when he happened to be walking by. Furious, he thought of this as the perfect opportunity to send Tsukino to safety, where she would be safe from the war and away from the poor man. Forcefully and against her wishes, she was taken to Hawaii without even saying goodbye to her lover.
Devastated, Tsukino locked herself in her room, refusing to do anything. But in reality, she was conjuring up an escape plan, hoping that she might flee back to Japan without the detection of her father. She tried many attempts but failed in all. In the end, she never escaped.
Three years later, she still longed for him though she had given up on escaping the household. She was still determined more than ever to return to Japan to meet her loved one once more.
In the past years, she began to love him even more, turning her depression and longing into a more comforting feeling. Life was peaceful, that was until the attack on Pearl Harbour.
On that fateful day, Tsukino was out on the town, having escaped once again from her household. She had just reached the town square when the Japanese invaded Pearl Harbour.
The attack left everything in chaos but luckily, Tsukino managed to hide in a hidden cellar, where she stayed completely safe.
Saddened by the deaths that laid before her, she took this as an opportunity to go back to Japan, knowing that her father would have thought she died.
She used the large sum of money that was on her, and bought a passage back to Japan after much struggling against the racism and laws built against her people.
Several months later, she finally set foot upon Japan, somewhat happy to be on land once more. Finally, she would see him, the man whom she loved with all her heart. She quickly traveled to his old home, hoping that he was still there.
She knew in her heart that he had waited for her, loving her and missing her as much as she did. But her world came crashing down as she found out that he had married, finding a new love after she had mysteriously left.
She was left in a world of depression, unable to look outside at the world and barely able to pay her rent at a dilapidated inn. Knowing that she could never resurface without his love, she did the one thing that would finally set her free. She died that day by jumping off a waterfall, landing her into the deep abyss as her soul rose to the sky.
It was a beautiful story indeed and Mikan had cried when she read it. It was just so touching and it was bound to capture anyone's heart. Surely, Tsukino's love could not be any truer.
"Thank you for all the hard work." The brunette shouted while taking a bow.
"Thank you for all the hard work." The crew replied, smiling at her politeness.
She skipped her way to her raven-haired manager, who was sitting silently and watching the whole time. Hotaru got up, handing her friend a fresh bottle of water and a towel.
"Ah, today's filming is done." She exclaimed happily.
"Not yet. We still have to record those soundtrack songs today since it's the only free day that the producer can come." The amethyst-eyed girl replied, bursting Mikan's bubble.
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. No wonder the shooting ended at 4:00 pm. It usually ends at 6:00pm." She said, thinking back.
The two girls headed their way back to their bus, relishing a little at their freedom.
"Konnichiwa, Mr. Producer." The brunette greeted as the powerful man entered.
"Konnichiwa, Miss Mikan Sakura. I'm happy to meet you, and this must be your manager, Hotaru Imai." He greeted, looking at the two girls.
"Konnichiwa." Hotaru greeted in reply.
The three made their way to the recording booth, situated in the back of the tour bus.
Once they were inside, the producer as well as Hotaru sat down in front of the equipment while Mikan made her way into the booth.
In total, they were going to record 5 songs, each a soundtrack for the movie.
Of course, she had written the songs since she was the one singing them but among the five songs, the first of the five was her favourite. She had wrote it especially while thinking of Natsume, and it was guaranteed that she'll do her best.
Opening her mouth, she began to sing, accompanying the beautiful music that flowed through the headphones, letting her feelings pour into the recording.
Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder...
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight
It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me
'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories
'Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder...
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think timeWould pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight
And I, I
Don't want to let you know
I, I
Drown in your memory
I, I
Don't want to let this go
I, I
Don't...
Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd
And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder...
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass us by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you...
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
If I could
Just hold you
Tonight
"Um, Mr. Producer, I have a favor to ask you." The brunette voiced as she finished the song.
"Yes, what is it?" He asked, looking up from the equipment.
"Is it possible to air this song in Japan as a preview to the movie. It might get people more excited about it." She said seriously.
The producer thought for a moment, pondering the suggestion before he smiled. "Of course. That's a genius idea. It'll definitely help with the promotion of the movie too."
Mikan smiled. "Arigato, Mr. Producer."
"So after, you factor 'x' and you'll get your answer. Do you get it?" The blond haired teacher looked up from the textbook, observing the two girls as they finished the question following his instructions.
Moments later, both of them looked up, having finished their work.
Satisfied with their answers, the violet-eyed teacher closed the book smiling.
"That's all we'll do today. You can rest for the rest of the night. Plus, it's already 10:00 pm." Narumi-sensei got up from his seat, collecting his papers.
Mikan smiled at her progress. Somehow, as much as she was loaded with jobs and school, she managed to balance everything so far. But would it last long?
This question lingered in the brunette's head even after she wished Hotaru and Narumi-sensei goodnight, lying down in her bed trying to predict the answer.
Finally, she gave up. There was no way to know unless she used her prediction Alice, and she was forbidden.
She sighed, closing her eyes and letting the feeling of rest settle in.
She was so tired, but there was so much to do that she didn't want to sleep. Actually, if she could, she'd spend the rest of her free time thinking of them, her friends that were on the Academy grounds, how were they, she wondered.
Especially him, was Natsume doing alright? She imagined his face; his deep, crimson eyes, and his soft, raven hair. She missed him dearly and it felt like her heart would burst from not knowing how her Natsume was faring.
Maybe this was how Tsukino felt when she was sent overseas. Maybe she also had this terrible feeling that a part of her was missing when they weren't together. How did she last three years without seeing her lover? How could she stand it?
Mikan winced, imagining the pain. And yet, she could place herself in Tsukino's shoes. Not just as an actress, but as a person too. She could understand why Tsukino became more determined throughout the movie, turning her depression and longing into love.
Actually, if you thought about it, she and Tsukino were really alike. Their attitudes and their love towards their loved one. Even the storyline was somewhat similar if you invert a few things. But would she turn out like Tsukino in the end of the movie?
'Silly.' She thought as she turned over to her side, staring to succumb into slumber.
She pushed the topic away, drowning herself in memories and images of Natsume.
Tomorrow was another day,
'and another day closer to you.'
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Arigato for reading minna-san. So how was it? I updated as quick as I could though I think it's still pretty slow. As you noticed, this is sort of a sadder chapter based on Mikan's POV, but I enjoyed it nonetheless because it was so emotional on my part. I don't know if it's the same for you guys but I still hoped you enjoyed it.
Anyways, I'm kind of blaabing at the moment but comments, thought, questions, advice and so forth are more than welcomed obviously. Again, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and I'll type the next chapter as quickly as I can. Arigato!!!