Chapter 25: Cause
Thank you very much to: AMYROSEANDSONIC0 for adding me to your Alerts List, to HuntressTG for adding Flame to your Alerts and Favorites Lists and to colinare for also adding this story to your Story Alert List :)
Lastly, to the ever kind mikan26, thank you for reminding me about Mikan's memories in this story's context. I try to provide something about that in this chapter.
We're near the end, everyone. (About damn time, I know. My apologies.)
Hotaru and Jii-chan catch up.
Featuring fear and investigation.
Gakuen Alice and its characters are the wonderful creations of Tachibana Higuchi.
Jii-chan slowly blinked his weary eyes five times. Nothing changed. He then slapped his cheeks twice.
Hotaru patiently stood by the gate and adjusted the straps of her canvas bag. Meanwhile, a small dog barked loudly in the house next door. Finally, Jii-chan seemed to be sure of what he was seeing.
"My goodness, it really is you! I think you've become more elegant."
"Good afternoon, Jii-chan. I'm just the same, just a bit richer."
"Thank you for coming over, Hotaru. You didn't have to go and see my wrinkled old face again, dear child. You should be spending time with your beloved family, you know."
Mikan's grandfather took Hotaru's hands in his. He silently noted that she had grown a bit taller since they last saw each other years ago, which was the day Mikan returned to the academy. Time had gone by so fast.
Jii-chan wondered how it would feel to hug his beloved granddaughter again. He was invited to see her during graduation day, which was just months away. They would be allowed to spend some time in the academy's guardhouse. Jii-chan was grateful even for that. He knew that it was a relaxation of the academy's rules. It would undoubtedly raise many eyebrows.
Hotaru gave her favorite old man a small smile as she slowly shook her head.
"That's such a silly thing to say, Jii-chan. I'm more than glad to see your dear wrinkled, caring face again."
"I don't think I'm silly."
"Visiting you was one of my priorities since I left the academy, Jii-chan. My whole family sends their regards and a small present. I'll bring them over in the future, if that's alright."
Hotaru handed Jii-chan a small bundle from her bag, which he accepted with a slight bow of thanks.
"Of course. I'd love that. Please relay my good wishes to your whole family. I'm quite curious about your older brother. He's called Subaru, is that right?"
"Never mind him, he's boring. How are you doing, Jii-chan?"
"Ohoho! You're as cold as ever. I somehow get the feeling that you and your older brother have the same personality. As for me…same old, same old. I'm doing quite alright, child."
"That's great to hear."
"Yes, indeed. Well, where have my manners gone? Come in, come in. Would you like some tea, Hotaru? Did you know that I'm a member of a tea club?"
"Yes, Jii-chan. You wrote to Mikan about that a while ago and she told me all about it. I'll drink tea. Thank you very much."
"It's the least I could do for you. But maybe you could do something for me, Hotaru."
"What do you need, Jii-chan? I can install state-of-the-art technology that's way beyond your any of your wildest dreams. This place could use some improvement, if you don't mind me saying so."
Jii-chan pursed his lips and looked at his cobwebbed ceilings and creaky doors. He nodded absentmindedly as he put the kettle on the stove.
"Well, young one. I will take you up on your offer. I think some renovation is in order but that could wait another day."
"I'll be waiting.
Jii-chan took out some tea packets and tea cups.
"Since you mentioned dreams a while ago, the dreams I've been having lately are about someone I wish I could see again. It's not Mikan, by the way."
"Who is it?"
"Yuka-san."
"I met her only briefly, but it was enough to convince me she loved her family very much."
The kettle whistled.
"Will you tell me about Mikan remembering her mother and father again? She didn't elaborate much in her letters. It must have been very hard."
Hotaru studied her reflection in the steaming tea cup Jii-chan had handed her. She swirled it to buy some time before answering.
"My brother warned us of nightmares and other things."
"I see."
"The nightmares came as soon as Mikan got back to the academy…. the first things she remembered about her parents were about their deaths."
Jii-chan sighed.
"Your Principal Yukihira told me about how they died. It was simply horrifying! How could fate be so cruel to their family? It's not fair! I wish I could have met Izumi-san as well."
"Me too, Jii-chan. He seemed like someone you'd always enjoy spending time with."
They drank their tea in silence for a while.
"What did Mikan remember about them beyond their deaths?"
"She remembered how Izumi-san and Yuka-san met as a teacher and student. Mikan also remembered how she herself met her father."
"What do you mean, Hotaru?"
"I understand your confusion, Jii-chan."
"I could understand that Yuka-san could have possibly told Mikan about how she met Izumi-san, but what about Mikan meeting her father? How is that possible? Mikan's father died before she was even born. Please explain it to me."
"We have a teacher who can travel through time. We call him Nodacchi. He was also a student in the academy at the same time as Yuka-san, Narumi and Shiki-san."
"Ah, Mikan mentioned him a few times in her letters."
"Nodacchi took some of us with him to the past. That was how Mikan saw the story of her parents… from start to finish. Yuka-san didn't get to talk to Mikan for a long time. Mikan met Izumi-san very, very briefly."
"Just a minute, I think I'm going to have a headache. I will never get used to these strange abilities!"
"Sometimes I'm still boggled by it myself. Thank you for the tea, Jii-chan."
"You're very much welcome, Hotaru-chan. You know I consider you as my other granddaughter."
Hotaru nodded.
"Then I'd like some snacks, please."
Jii-chan stood up to look through his modest pantry.
"I'm afraid what I have here won't satisfy your huge appetite, but I'll see what I can do."
"Alright, Jii-chan. I all else fails, I saw a nice deli on my way here."
"Believe me, that place is overpriced."
"Don't worry about that, Jii-chan. I can afford it, anyway. I'll treat you today. What do you say to that?"
Jii-chan stomped his feet in indignation.
"Nonsense! I'll take you to a different place instead. I know a place in one of the back alleys in this town that will definitely satisfy your huge appetite at a more reasonable price. Don't argue with me!"
Hotaru put her hands up in surrender and nodded.
"I won't, Jii-chan."
"That's a very wise decision. Very wise."
"Jii-chan?"
"Hmm?"
"I…I missed you."
"Now you're making me cry. I missed you too, Hotaru-chan."
As they walked to the place Jii-chan recommended, he stopped and scratched his chin.
"Please tell me you didn't forget the directions."
A gentle breeze passed and ruffled the leaves on the trees. A few landed at their feet. Hotaru stepped lightly on some of them and heard the satisfying crunch that resulted from her actions.
"No, it's nothing like that. I was just thinking about Mikan's parents. Maybe she also wants to stay the Academy after graduation because of them. She wants to spend more time in the place that holds their memories. You mentioned your time-traveling teacher. There are more people in the academy who can tell Mikan about how Yuka-san and Izumi-san lived."
Hotaru thought about Kazumi Yukihira, Narumi-sensei, Noda-sensei, Jinjin and several of their teachers. There were some merchants from Central Town and a number of school staff too. High School Records Director Kyosuke Minami claimed he was a former drinking buddy of Mikan's father.
"I suppose you're right, Jii-chan."
They resumed walking towards their destination. Hotaru told Jii-chan more about her latest inventions, her worst clients and her plans of studying in Tokyo Institute of Technology to major in Earth and Planetary Sciences.
As the small restaurant came into view, Jii-chan couldn't hold back the final question he had been wanting to ask Hotaru. He cleared his throat conspicuously. Hotaru raised her eyebrows. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to be glad with whatever Jii-chan was going to say next.
"So, what's the real score on you and that Ruka Nogi?"
Hotaru very nearly smacked Jii-chan for that question, but she managed to compose herself and settled for looking sharply at the old man. He shrugged and didn't pursue the topic any further.
At the same time back in the academy, Ruka was with Nonoko. They stood before Principal Jinno in his office. Sakurano was leaning on one of its walls. Jinno looked at Sakurano with undisguised disapproval until he finally straightened his posture.
Ruka and Nonoko would have found the situation funny if they weren't so apprehensive, wondering exactly why they were summoned by Jinno. They had been teleported to the office by Sakurano and he wouldn't tell them why they were needed and why it all had to be done in secret. He just smiled at them mysteriously.
The last few days had been very tense in the academy. The night terrors suffered by some students of the Elementary and Middle School Divisions also happened to some students of the High School Division. Youichi was accused of causing all these incidents.
Youichi vehemently denied having to do anything with it. He, Natsume and Mochu got into a brawl with a group of very persistent accusers. A portion of the grand auditorium had been damaged as a result of the fight. They were all punished with one whole month of work in garbage collection and disposal. Koko and Kitsu missed the scuffle because they woke up late during the day of the fight.
The horror and dark magic clubs gained prominence and held joint seminars. Central Town shops began selling various amulets and crosses and other objects to ward off phantoms and evil spirits.
Jinno coughed and everyone gave him their undivided attention.
"The intruders from Genesis are certainly the perpetrators of the undesirable incidents the past few days. They were able to sneak something in the buildings before they were caught. Nogi, this is the part you need to do. You and that wonderful dog Persephone need to help us get the Invisibility Alice guy to talk about what they sneaked in."
"We'll do our very best, Principal Jinno."
"Ogasawara, we need your abilities now more than ever. From our initial investigation, we suspect that they sneaked in a chemical, probably carbon monoxide. We were given information that we may find the source of the gas to be in the vicinity of the pipes. The academy-wide maintenance we have instituted is actually a ploy to examine all the pipes in the buildings. I suspect we'll find some canisters or something similar."
Nonoko's eyes widened.
"Oh, that maybe the cause of all the terror! I know that carbon monoxide can indeed cause symptoms that make it seem like you're being haunted. The students reported that they felt the strange sensation of being watched by something or someone sinister. Some swore that they saw ghosts, heard suspicious sounds and experienced an overall aura of paranormal activity."
"It's the perfect Halloween scenario that led students to believe it was all Youichi's fault," said Sakurano.
"Yes, it is. That doesn't excuse any thrashing of school property. Genesis gave us a twisted gift, the gift of fear. It's invisible, but palpable, lurking in the air," said Jinno.
"It's very dangerous! Carbon monoxide can poison you before you're even aware of its presence. It is odorless and colorless and it blocks the entry of oxygen in the bloodstream. I'll get to work right away," said Nonoko.
Meanwhile, Mikan, Yuu, Anna, Kitsu, Sumire and Koko exited the academy's hospital. They had just finished visiting the victims. Koko wore his ring again. It was an Alice restraining advice he received in preparation for living outside the academy. In Narumi's words, it was going to be "very noisy" outside.
"The visions the students had were terrible," said Koko. He shivered. "I don't know about you, but when I think of an attack on the academy, I think of destruction of dormitories, use of weapons, hostages —"
"You volunteered to peek inside their heads," said Yuu.
"I think you can stop with that terrible list now," said Sumire.
"I know, I know. I'm just saying whatever this psychological thing is, it's sort of worse. You can't retaliate physically."
"I think I agree with Koko on this one," said Yuu.
"Thanks, Yuu!"
Mikan sighed and murmured to herself despairingly.
"If it was an alice ability that caused this, I would have been able to help by nullifying it or…stealing it. I think I''l be able to control my Stealing Alice somehow."
Kitsu heard her and gasped. Mikan paled as she put both hands over her mouth. The others looked at them with puzzled faces.
"Okay, Mikan. We're waiting. Spill the beans," said Sumire.
Mikan took a deep breath.
"Um, I got all my alice abilities back."
"Oh," said Koko and Kitsu together.
"Natsume, Hotaru and Ruka know. I'm I didn't tell you about it before. It wasn't a matter of trust," said Mikan. She was still speaking softly.
To her immense relief, her friends smiled and reassured her that it was alright. They understood her hesitation to reveal her situation.
"You don't have anything to apologize for," said Anna.
"Yeah, Mikan! We're not angry about it. You can relax. We won't burn off your hair unlike someone else," said Kitsu.
"Hey! Natsume stopped frying my hair a while ago."
"We're ready to help you when you need it. Just say the word," added Yuu.
"At least you told us before we graduated," said Sumire. "Anyway, I still have half an hour to go before my Fashion Marketing and Merchandising class. Besides, our instructor is almost always late. We girls need to spend some time for ourselves. Right, Anna?"
Sumire and Mikan's eyes glinted. They were still demanding an explanation for the mystery juice drink that Anna and Nonoko concocted. It had caused some very awkward conversations, especially for Mikan and Natsume.
Anna laughed nervously and slowly stepped back.
"Please calm down, you two. Maybe we can wait until Nonoko's here? I really don't know why she isn't here with us."
"You're not getting out of this," said Mikan and Sumire together. Anna looked worried.
Yuu, Kitsu and Koko shrugged and decided to excuse themselves from whatever the girls needed to deal with. Many hours later, Koko would remember a conversation with Sumire about being jealous of other girls in the gaming career path. He would smile to himself and sleep contentedly.
End of Twenty-Fifth Chapter
P.S.
There are documented cases of horror stories rooted in carbon monoxide poisoning. Take care, everyone!