Disclaimer: I do not, repeat do not, own Gakuen Alice… I wish I did though… Oh yeah, Demon and Angel are not Gakuen Alice characters; they're mine…
Summary: The academy's finally getting serious about dealing with Mikan's alices, and the Dangerous Ability Class is getting a new teacher in the bargain. What's going to happen next?
Chapter 36
The academy had allocated a full week for them to complete this mission. With both Kana and Natsume acting as the primary, they had to work together with synchronicity or else they may get in each other's way. The training they had with Angel was composed more on how they could communicate and work together as a team than anything else.
They'd spent the first three days hidden, studying and spying on the enemy compound. Seeing whose coming and going, observing the guards, and noting the times the shifts change. It was now the dead of night on day four, time for the mission to commence.
Natsume was wearing his high school uniform and cat mask. But Kana had on a dark overcoat, with an equally dark sleeveless shirt underneath, and black cargo pants. They'd scheduled the attack in-between shifts. When the guards were lax, falsely assuming that the newer guards were being vigilant. And carelessness ruled due to their numbers. The two of them stealthily knocked out the all the sentries before getting rid of the others on patrol. Heading inside the compound without a hitch, they brought down a couple more guards and went to cross the courtyard. Padding though a seemingly abandoned quad, they both jumped back when someone shot at the ground they stood at. It was an ambush. Dozens of armed men came out of hiding, all pointing there weapons at them.
Kana caught Natsume's eye and nodded, signaling that she'll shield them from the bullets while he take care of the men. She increased the wind pressure around them, and Natsume readied himself. The first shots were fired. Bullets flew towards them, only to be diverted downwards to the ground by the wind. Natsume had already blotted as soon as the rain of bullets stopped, disseminating the enemy ranks, burning the guns out of the men's hands, and knocking them unconscious.
While Natsume was busy with the guards, Kana proceeded inside. She was greeted by another hail of bullets in the corridor. With Natsume still outside, she was free to use the barrier alice to deflect the bullets coming at her. When the enemy ran out of ammo, she let out two huge wind scythes at an X-pattern, cutting anything that it came across in the passageway. Screams were heard coming from the dark corridor were the men firing at her were hidden.
Natsume came up behind Kana just as she was passing through the sliced up bodies. He looked down at the blood pooling on the floor before looking back at her. With her mask on, he can't judge any emotion going through her. But the thought of her being able to kill like this disturbed him.
They both stopped in front of a group blocking the way. She knew them to be a group of mercenaries. Since Natsume was behind her in the shadows, she was the first one the group spotted. The five men eyed her carefully. Some licked their lips while staring at her, showing some signs of lust to try and intimate her.
"Well, well, I didn't know they'd sent us a play thing," one of them sniggered. The rest followed along.
Kana stepped out of the shadows. "Sorry, Cage. I'm not here to play right now," she smirked. The mercenaries looked at her uncertainly, taking in that she knew one of them. She chuckled at their wary looks. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about me already." Being careful to keep her back to Natsume, she took off her mask, showing them her grinning face. "Or you guys just can't tell because of the mask. Anyway, I'm here on business," she put her mask back on again. "Are you going to let us pass or not?" She didn't want to come to blows them, if she can. These five guys were good men. Mercenaries though they may be, they have some good morals and principles they stick to. She'd witness it for herself. They're here only to conduct the living they're used to.
"Devil?!" The five men gawk at her in shock. They can't fight her! If any harm comes to her, her brothers and Angel are certain to skin them alive. Not only that, they've already gone up against her, and she'd literally wiped the floor with their butts.
"We can't just let you pass without a fight. Our livelihoods are at stake here. You know that, Devil," one of them complained. "But we don't want to fight you either."
Kana frowned. "Do you still get paid if someone beats you in a fight?"
The five looked nervously at each other then nodded. "But not as much as if we got rid of them."
"Good," Kana smirked. In a flash, she was behind them. She hit them on the back of their heads, causing them to black out. She's not worried about them seeing her. Mercenaries never divulge any information about another mercenary they encountered on the job, especially one who'd beaten the crap out of them. She was about to move ahead when Natsume stepped out of the shadows behind her.
"You knew those men," he stated, gesturing to the five unconscious mercenaries. Kana gave a single nod and walked away, heading for where their objective was located. Natsume caught up with her. "Why did they call you Devil?"
"Because it's my name", she answered simply, turning the corner and kicking down the locked door. Strong, bright lights suddenly flooded from room, temporarily blinding her for a moment. She blinked her eyes to clear it before scanning the room's occupant. Her gaze landed on a big, bald, mountain of a man.
The man was even taller than Demon at seven feet. And unlike Demon's lean-muscled built, he had the bulging-muscled physique of a bodybuilder. She studied his face, trying to recall where she'd seen it before. A scene in The Underground flashed through her mind.
She was waiting for the rest of her family to arrive that night, when the big, bald, brute currently in front of her grabbed one of the young, female servers in the pub. The girl looked to be just about a year or two older than her fourteen years. If she got the facts straight, Duncan had hired the girl because she had nowhere else to go except the streets.
Everyone in the pub had turned a blind eye to the girl's distress, unwilling help and go up against the man they called Bull. They knew Bull had a penchant for young, teenage girls. And he's not above forcefully taking what he wants from them.
She was about to lend her aid when her family arrived. One look from Duncan, and Bull had release the girl. The girl quickly scurried away, while Bull tried to look innocent. Everyone who comes here knows that you can "get to know" the servers only if they're willing. That's the only stanch rule inside Duncan's pub. Duncan had let that transgression pass with only a dire warning.
But she'd caught him harassing the girl again when Duncan and the others aren't around, giving the girl some very lecherous comments whenever she passed by him and touching some every inappropriate parts of her body. She'd pretty much requested that the girl serve their table only, while Bull's around. The girl had presented her with a grateful and relieved look, and personally thanked her in private. Too bad Bull just moved his sights on a different target. Now, the guy had those licentious eyes of his trained on her.
Natsume heard Kana mutter something about "too many damn bullies in the world". He was clueless as to what brought that on, but he positioned himself beside Kana. It'll take the two of them to bring down this one. He just hopes his not as strong as Demon.
"We're taking him down," Kana passionately snarled beside him, a dark aura emanating from her.
Natsume was a little shaken by the sight, but it was hidden by his mask. He'd never seen her in a rage before. She usually just acts coldly when she's getting pissed. He looked at the guys in front of them again. She must have an unpleasant memory to go along with this guy.
Kana led the attack, not bothering with introductions. Natsume followed behind her, prepared to step in if she's bound to get herself killed with her recklessness. But he didn't have to worry too much. Kana was acting professionally, putting her rage in the backseat for the moment.
Bull easily blocked their hits with his huge, muscle-bound body, and then countered with a swing of his meaty arm. Natsume jumped away from the oncoming fist. But Kana just crossed her arms in front of her, catching the full force of the blow, her arms the only things shielding her from being hit directly in the face. After Bull pulled his fist back, she did a back flip to get out of his range and waited for Natsume to join her.
"Those muscles might be bigger, but he's nowhere near as fast and strong as Demon-nii," Kana informed Natsume with a smirk. "Heck, Angel-nee's sparring cuffs pack far more power than that strike. She'd almost shattered all the bones in my arms when I blocked one of her blows." She grinned at him. "Thankfully, Nee-chan was able to hold back and only caused a simple fracture. She easily healed it with her alice." The smirk on her face grew wider. "And speaking of alices, this guy doesn't have an alice."
Natsume was lifted an amused brow at her behind his mask. That was actually strange. He's normally solemn when he has to do a mission. This was the first time he's felt amusement during a mission.
Kana still had that smirk on her face when she signaled for them to do the move they've learned during their training. Natsume nodded in return, indicating he was ready. They took several steps back before unleashing their alices. A spiral of wind and fire coiled together aimed at Bull's chest. Their combined alices exploded as it hit their target, pushing Bull to the other side of the room.
They didn't give a chance for their enemy to recuperate, both rushed at him to conclude the fight. Kana leaped up, launching an attack on Bull's upper body, while Natsume attacked from below. Spinning around in midair, Kana brought her heal down on Bull's shoulder. At the same time, Natsume swiveled on the ground and kicked the weak spot on the back of his knee. The two attacks took Bull down to his knee. Before he could recover, Natsume grabbed him by the shoulders and kneed him in the diaphragm. The force sent a shockwave through his heart and lungs, making it hard for him to breathe. Kana carried out the final, clutching her hands together and bringing it down at the back of Bull's head. Bull crashed to the ground face first.
Natsume glanced at the big, motionless man a moment before heading for the door across the room. He was about to exit to the next room, when he felt the dark, killing aura behind him.
Kana stared down that the prone body in front of her. She could just finish him off right here, ensuring that he won't be able to rape and hurt another girl out there. Lifting her hand and gathering the wind, Mikan's darker persona took over.
Natsume's eyes widen as he realize what she about to do. Before he could take a step to stop her, the wind she's gathered tore through Bull's body, ripping it to shreds and leaving nothing but a bloody pile of flesh and bones on the floor. Kana turned towards him. A fine mist of blood covered her light-colored mask and her front, giving her a hellish look.
Kana passed by him, turning the knob to lead to the room next door. It was the room they were looking for. She went inside and grabbed the storage device, ignoring the alarms that action caused. Alerted by the alarms, the remaining guards hurried towards their location. She calmly went by them, her wind blades cutting them before they can get near her.
Natsume watched from behind her, concealing his horror. He had a pretty good idea what she's about to do. And those five mercenaries would probably be the only survivors once she's done with what she's planning. He took off his mask and ran after her, grabbing her wrist. "Stop it! We've got what we came for. You don't have to kill all of them just because they saw you doing this mission!"
"What I do is none of your concern," was her heartless, monotonous reply. She twirled away him. "Get away from me right now, or else I can't be certain you won't be affected by my alice."
Natsume can feel the atmosphere getting darker and heavier as she stepped away from him, but he followed her nonetheless. She stepped back out into the courtyard, to where he'd left dozens of unconscious guards. If he doesn't stop her, he knows those guards won't be waking up from their sleep anymore. He darted up behind her, hugging her from behind. "You don't have to do this, Mikan," he whispered. "Stop it." He felt her stiffen in his embrace before she strode away from him, standing in the middle of the courtyard.
The winds picked up and swirled violently around her, like it was her servant and she was its mistress, before it roared and ripped through the mass bodies. Blood showered down from above and sprayed everywhere. She turned towards him. Blood dripped off her face and soaked her clothing, the dark liquid blending in with the dark fabric she wore. "I'm not Mikan," she growled at him demonically. "I'm Kana!"
Mikan averted her gaze from him and strolled off, wanting to get away from him as fast as possible. She couldn't stand the look of sadness and disillusionment she saw in Natsume's eyes.
Mikan lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She and Natsume had avoided speaking, and even glancing, at each other since the mission's aftermath. Scenes from tonight flash through her head.
I'm not Mikan. She'd told Natsume that lie at pointblank. She'd lied before, but she'd never denied the fact that she's Mikan until tonight. Kana and Devil might be her darker, more jaded, bordering-on-evil, alter egos. But Mikan's still the foundation, the place where they were formed, and emerge, from. The Mikan Sakura she grew into now is composed of a balance of those three personalities: the young and innocent Mikan; the mature and devious Kana; and the ruthless and temperamental Devil.
She closed her eyes, remembering Natsume's face. His expression was as pokerfaced as usual, but his eyes told a different story. She knew he wanted the immature, naïve Mikan back. But that's some thing that she can't do. She can't revert back being the younger Mikan. Eleven-year-old Mikan was still a part of her but not the whole her anymore.
She sighed and rolled out of bed. It's time for Mikan to send the gang some letters. Maybe if Natsume receives a letter from her, he might stop bugging her. Just the thought of the pervert not niggling her made her feel heavyhearted. Seated on her writing table, she got out some stationary and couldn't help reminiscing about the times she'd written in the past.
-Flashback-
She handed the letter she'd written to Demon, for him to check if she'd let anything about her training slip. Demon scanned the writing on the stationary paper, crumpled it up, and threw the balled up paper at her.
"Why did you do that?" she questioned with a frown, rubbing the spot where the paper hit her forehead.
"The words are too complex," he looked at her at the corner of his eye. "You're supposed to be the same simple-minded eleven-year-old to them, not the intellectual you are now," he explained.
Mikan took out another piece of paper. She kept her words simple, cheery and enthusiastic. She handed it to Demon again. This time, he hardly glanced at what she'd written, before crushing it with his hand and throwing it at her again.
"What is it this time?" she growled her frustration showing.
"You penmanship's too neat," he argued. "If I remember correctly, I had the hardest time deciphering your handwriting on you first letter. You're calligraphy's improved a lot, it's too much."
-End of Flashback-
Mikan chuckled at the memory. Her third, painstakingly written letter had finally passed the inspection. She'd used the simplest of terms and switched to her left hand in writing it. It had ended up looking like a letter written by a five-year-old.
Taking out a pen, she began writing.
Natsume lazed on a branch of the sakura tree since they got back to the academy. He doesn't think he'll be able to sleep tonight, recalling the mission and the nightmarish sight of Kana covered with blood. She had made it rain blood tonight, pitilessly slashing the unconscious men to pieces. Certainly not an act that the gentle Mikan he knew would, or could, ever do. This night had definitely taken its toll on his certainty that Mikan and Kana's really one and the same person.
I'm not Mikan. I'm Kana. He sighed. Maybe she really isn't Mikan. Maybe he was just forcing himself to believe that she is, because he desperately wanted Mikan to return to the academy. Maybe he just misses Mikan so much he's easing his loneliness by substituting someone else for her. Maybe he should just stop bothering himself with Kana altogether. A prang went through him at that decision. She may not be Mikan, but perhaps he'd come to care about her, a little, in his own way. He supposed he could consider her as one of his friends after all this.
That's it. It's official. For him, Kana Kimura is not Mikan Sakura, and never will be.
But why does that sound just so wrong to him?
CHAPTER END
A/N: I know I'm doing a little twist, keeping you people in suspense. But heck, Natsume needs to accept the new Mikan. That she's changed in the past five years (once he knows it's really her, that is).
I uploaded this one at exactly midnight on my PC's clock while watching some fireworks from my bedroom window. Happy New Year everyone!!! XD
Read and review. Explicitly NO FLAMES. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and suggestions are, of course, allowed.