Hitoriaruki: Walking Alone

Chapter Two: Hidden Motives

By: Kasia

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are NOT mine. The storyline is the only thing that is. All credit for characters goes to the original author, Higuchi Tachibana.

Mikan had gotten lucky, Natsume was too focused on what was in front of him to see her fault. Following his gaze, her eyes widened in shock at the immensity of the storm now bearing down upon the little cave. She leaned out, noticing for the first time that they weren't under the cover of trees.

"Ow!" She yelped, Natsume bending to pick up the penny-sized piece of ice that had rammed her head.

"...Hail. Get inside." She didn't need urging and was already limping back to their burnt-out fire. She sat down, a little worried as to what he was going to say about her handicap, but he either hadn't noticed or was ignoring the matter entirely.

Finally, at nearly midnight, Natsume laid to sleep, agreeing to let her have first watch. Mikan had barely waited fifteen minutes when she began unwrapping her ankle. She hadn't been able to see it well earlier, but now everything was clear. It was not a twist or even a sprain, but a devastating break, and she cringed at the thought of how long it would be before it healed completely. Her only comfort was that it was a completely clean break, as far as she could tell, and that made things a bit simpler.

Natsume, watching her with eyes that appeared to be closed in the fire-lit darkness, was taken aback. Her ankle was swollen and definitely in pretty bad shape, and he was about to say so when he heard her intake of breath. She grabbed her foot, clenching one eyelid closed. This is it, Mikan thought. No turning back now... If I'm only going to rely on me, then this is it.

Swallowing hard, she looked away and quickly snapped the bone back into place. She gasped in pain and leaned forward, both hands clutching the fixed sever as tears of pain, agony, and understanding of her predicament splashed off her nose.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, Natsume could do nothing but stare. Mikan crying wasn't unusual - when she had first come to the academy, she was a complete crybaby - but he had never seen her like this. At first glance, she was mearly shedding tears because of her ankle, and rightly so, but as he watched her he noticed that she wasn't squeezing her eyes shut like she was in pain. They were wide open, gazing at the ground in a daze, a million emotions reflected in them.

Fear, anger, hope, and a grim realization followed by a choked-back sob and an unseeing gaze of complete loneliness. He wanted to comfort her, to say something - anything - but now determination was showing in her features, and he knew that, no matter what he said, her stubborness would win. He knew her well enough to understand that, if nothing else. It was one of Mikan's biggest strengths, yet he feared it would be her downfall.

She roughly wiped her face, closing her eyes and taking a short but concentrated breath. When they opened again, no hint of the conflicting emotions could be found.

The sun arose slowly and gracefully, spreading its light across the horizon and creating bright blue and pink streaks in the morning sky. Mikan woke to the smell of breakfast and yawned sleepily before sitting up and eyeing the fish Natsume had skewered over the fire. Judging by the height of the sun, she calculated the time to be about half past seven. She silently scolded herself for sleeping in so late - Shishou taught me better! - and lifted herself from the cave floor. She stretched, turned to Natsume and was about to give him a warm welcome when she paused. Flipping back around, she began to argue within herself.

Wait… I'm supposed to be cold, right? Ugh, but that just feels wrong! It's not like I'm mad at him or something! But, wait, I've gotta push him away just like everyone else. I have to make him think I don't care about him - that I don't want to be with him anymore. Gah, but I just CAN'T do that! I know I should, but I just can't, there's got to be some other way… Or… Maybe that guy was wrong. Yeah, maybe no one will follow me. Maybe I'm not really the target - I bet he got me mixed up with Hotaru or something. And there's no way I'll leave her if she's in trouble! Come on, Mikan, pull it together, this is your best friend!

Somewhat convinced - though falsely, - Mikan turned back with a full smile, ready to give Natsume his greeting.

Only, he wasn't there.

She turned around again, looking into the darkness, but he wasn't even back in the cave. Trying to shove down her chills, she stepped out into the sunshine, looking all around her. Nothing. And the fish was still burning over the fire, too. I Where could he have possibly went? He was just there! Starting to get worried, she turned to step back into the cave and-

WHAM! Mikan fell to the ground with a crash, the knot on her head slowly beginning to form.

With a gasp, Natsume woke and jumped straight up, only to fall back down as dizziness filled his senses. Giving his mind a moment to clear, he gingerly looked around, trying to get a bearing on his surroundings. His first thought was Sakura Mikan's safety. - Was she there? Had they captured her, too? If yes, where was she? And if not, was she okay? - His thoughts raced until he felt himself growing dizzy again. Trying to push the pressing questions away, he reasoned with himself. Even if she's here, there's not much you can do unless you can escape yourself. Worry about that, first.

Carefully climbing to his feet, he again observed the setting around him. It was a small square cellar, maybe 10 feet across, made completely of stone. There was a single window with metal bars keeping him locked in. He could see the grass behind them, so he knew he was mostly underground. There was also one door, metal, with a small barred opening in the top. He stepped up to it and peered through.

There were two other visible doors in the short stone hallway. He looked up and down the corridor but saw no one.

"Mikan!" He whispered urgently. For all he knew, she was knocked out in one of the other cellars. "Mikan!" He tried again.

No response.

With a sigh he turned back to his prison, but then he heard a shuffle behind him.

"Are you looking for someone, boy?" It was a women's voice - though it wasn't Mikan's - and he rushed back to the bars.

"Yes! Her name is Mikan and she's about 5'3" and has long brown hair and is wearing a-"

"There's no one else here," she interrupted, speaking firmly. "We are the only prisoners. And if they've captured you then it must mean that you have something they want. What's your alice, child?"

Slightly annoyed that she kept treating him like a kid, and yet wondering how she knew he had an alice, Natsume quickly raised his hand, preparing to give her a quick demonstration.

Only nothing happened.

He tried again, this time focusing and wondering if maybe he was more tired than he thought. Still nothing. Sweat was beading on his chin as he went for a third attempt.

"It would be better if you just tell me what it is, I don't have the strength to keep canceling it."

"W-wait a sec, why would you be canceling it?" And how would she be canceling it? This all seemed a little too familiar…

"Well, how good would it be if they not only saw your alice, but in seeing it discovered that you were awake and ready to use it? They would have you doing their bidding instantly. And you don't want that, I presume?"

"…And… What is your alice, exactly?" He took a deep breath, preparing for the worst.

She hesitated then steadily replied, "The Imitation Alice." He breathed out, narrowing his eyes.

"The what?" He had never heard of that before, and in his profession he had to know pretty much every alice known to modern man, so why…?

"The Imitation Alice… It means I can copy other alices; it's just like it sounds." She gazed at him, a daring twinkle in her eye. He contemplated for a moment before responding.

"Do you have to see an alice to use it?"

She cocked her head to the side and her lips curled up a bit.

"Ah, if only it were that easy," she murmured, "But alas, the only way I can get a new ability is by having it first used on myself."

Natsume went rigid. A thought had just occurred to him.

"Then how did you get the nullification alice?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and gave him a disappointed look.

"Didn't I just say that I have to have it used on myself in order to get it? Honestly, I thought you were much, much more intellig-"

"Yes, yes, but how did you get it? The only person in existence that has the nullification alice is ..." He stopped himself, trying to figure out how to word his thoughts without giving away Sakura's name. Finally, he concluded, "...Is a person you can't possibly know."

She gave him a quizzical stare, and indignantly replied, "Well, why not? I dare say I've known both of them my whole life. Well, one of them I've known for her whole life, but anyw-"

"Both of them?" Natsume interjected, eyes going wide. Everything he had ever heard or gathered about the last person to have Mikan's alice seemed to point to them being dead. While he was quite sure it had been a woman - and that was really only a hypothesis - he had never heard of her being alive.

"Why, yes, both," she calmly stated, studying his features, "And you obviously have done your research, haven't you? I take it that you know the younger one - an acquaintance, perhaps? Well, no, that can't be right," she pressed her forefingers to her temples, "You know too much about the older one for you to just be an acquaintance. You must be close... And wow, you really spent a lot of time in that library at your school, didn't you? Gakuen Arisu, is it? Ah! I know a few of your teach-"

"Are you reading my thoughts?" Natsume demanded, staring at her in anger.

"What!" She glared at him in contempt, "I would never read someone's thoughts! Those are far too personal!" She paused before continuing, "...No, no, I'm reading your mind, silly child. I'm looking at your information database, trying to figure out what you know and what you don't know." He opened his mouth to speak again, but she held up her hand, "Not your personal memories, just your regular ones. Breathe, I won't go snooping about if it doesn't have something to do with my mission - this alice takes too much energy for me to waste it like that." As she lowered her hand, Natsume let out the air that had been held in his mouth. Apparently she knew how to silence people, as well. This woman would be tricky to deal with...

"Hmm... Okay, so it seems you know Mikan-chan. Well, at least you're not her enemy - with your alice you are a very valuable ally..." She noted astonishment replacing the anger in his eyes and decided not to mention the intimate relationship the two seemed to share. No use getting him mad, again.

"...You called her Mikan-chan? How do you know her?" He looked intent, determined, and extremely protective, but she just smiled.

"Dear child, I knew her before either of you were born. Her mother is a dear, dear friend of mine, God protect her, as well as her husband - Mikan's father. Until recently, we had a schedule that assured that at least one of us was watching Mikan at all times..." She paused and looked down, tears welling in her eyes for just a moment before she blinked them away.

"...Until recently?" Natsume really didn't like where this conversation was headed - he had finally found someone who knew about Mikan's heritage, and now she was distraught just from talking about it. This couldn't mean anything good.

She took a deep breath, exhaling shakily. "Until my older brother, Edward, died," she whispered breathlessly, explaining, "My brother... Ed is Mikan's father, you see? And Maria… I haven't seen her in over five years... I do hope she's alright." Natsume gazed at her for a moment.

Dropping his eyes, he quietly responded, "But Mikan doesn't even know you exist." The woman looked up at him and furrowed her brow, unsure. He continued, "To her, the only father she's ever known is her grandfather. Maybe Narumi-sensei, too, but that's all. She mentioned once that she would like to know more about her mother, but that's all she said." The woman stared at him, jaw slightly lowered.

"That's impossible...! I personally sent in one of my own men - one of our men - and he i promised /i us that he would tell her the truth! He's a very close friend of ours, there's no way that he wouldn't! Why, he even became her martial arts teacher and everything!"

Natsume's heart seemed to stop. Her martial arts teacher? Shishou! He took a deep breath, steadying himself. Think, he demanded to himself, Think, think, THINK! Why would Shishou not tell Mikan something so important? What other possibility is there? There's no way that Shishou is really against us - that he's been teaching Mikan but is really a traitor. Why would he teach her how to fight when he's actually against her? There would be no point. And she knows how to fight, too. There's no mistaking that... He collected his thoughts slowly and carefully before speaking.

"...Is there any reason he wouldn't have told her?" Mikan's aunt was pacing her room, but she quickly came back and grabbed the bars fervently. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped and looked up as though a light bulb was turning on. She grinned, realization and hope back on her features.

"Well, there is one reason," she grinned mischievously, chuckling before continuing, "That sly punk," she sighed, the words sounding slightly odd in her fresh british accent, "I can't believe he really did it! It's almost impossible, but it's really the only way he wouldn't tell her. And now, meeting you here, why, it makes such perfect sense. And you know so much about her, too, so obviously…" She trailed off, obviously excited about something.

"What?" Natsume demanded, curious, "What is it?" She smiled and looked up at him.

"He managed to find her a-"

There was a loud crash, and the two of them turned to see the hallway walls collapsing inward. What was worse, the tidal wave of falling rock seemed to be coming straight to them!

"Grab my hand!" The woman yelled, thrusting her arm through the bars. Natsume stared at her in complete confusion. There was no way that she was scared, not with those fighting eyes, so why…?

"Grab my hand, now!" She demanded again, and this time he didn't think to question it. Shoving his arm into the hallway, he stretched to reach her with all his might. Right when the rocks started to fall around them, their fingertips touched and WOOSH! There was no trace of either of them left.

Mikan dusted herself off as she carefully stood from her kneeling position. Somewhere close there had just been a serious earthquake, and it had rippled its way to her spot in the middle of the sandy dunes she was standing in. Strange… She had been in the snow only a little while ago, but now everywhere she looked was the tan color of sand. Pulling her backpack a little tighter to her shoulders, she turned to the direction of the origin of the quake, gingerly nurturing her right ankle with each step.

Nearly an hour passed before anything of importance came into view. She paused atop one of the dunes to examine it, studying the layout of the now collapsed building. It looked like it was supposed to be a church, but with the walls collapsed she could see that it was a dungeon. Surveying it for only a moment longer, she started her way towards it. She had been trying to find a way to leave her friends without them catching on, but now she wouldn't even have to! She bit her bottom lip, thinking that they would probably forget about her soon.

"I imagine they won't even come to look for me," she muttered under her breath, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "I was trying to get rid of them, but now I miss them already. How will I ever survive without them…? Maybe if I could just see them - just once more - without them even knowing I was watching them. Sometime when they're out having fun or doing something great," determination filled her voice and she raised her chin with a stubborn grin, declaring, "I won't miss any of their best moments!"

"Well, I would hope not."

Mikan jumped, spinning around and stepping away from the speaker at the same time, tripping over her own feet and falling backward. Standing in front of her was a older man with dark hair and pale blue eyes.

"Shishou! You… What? Why? How?" She stared in complete adoration and amazement, sadness and doubts instantly fading away.

"Why? To protect you, of course! I might have taught you most - maybe all - that you need to protect others, but honestly, you are years away from finally learning to protect yourself," he finished with a grin, dropping his hand in front of her. She grabbed it and he pulled her up, both ignoring the sand covering her.

"But… But, hey!" She propped her hands on her waist, proudly cocking her head up a bit, "I'll have you know that I defeated four - not one or two - four highly trained men just a bit ago!"

He chuckled, "In an effort to protect yourself, or to save your dear friend Hotaru from certain death in the freezing temperatures of the snow?" Mikan paused, considering this.

"Well… Well, I guess maybe to protect Hotaru, but she wasn't even there."

He nodded, "I know, I saw the whole thing. Actually, I was with Hotaru until she went right past you. I was shocked that you didn't notice her, Mikan," he chided sarcastically, but Mikan knew there was truth to his words, "You really should have been paying more attention to your surroundings."

"…So… How long have you been with us, exactly?" She timidly looked up at him, waiting.

"Since you left school. I couldn't very well leave my student on her own - especially when she's still lacking in the common sense area," he teased. She gently shoved his shoulder with a smile. "But about this 'get rid of them' business, hmm? What's going on in that head of yours, Mikan?" When she remained silent, eyes darting to the ground, he sighed. "I suppose you could tell me while we move, as it's really not safe in this area. And there's someone near that I've been meaning to see in quite a long time, so if we could continue on. I do expect you to explain this to me as we walk, though, Mikan-chan. I hope you have come to trust me enough to do that."

Mikan nodded numbly and the two started walking, her voice fading into the distance as she talked.