DISCLAIMER: Gakuen Alice ain't mine. sigh
Again, lo siento, gomenasai, sorry for updating soooooo late. I've been very busy for the past weeks. Anyway, here's the second part of this Chapter. Hope you like it…
CHAPTER 4: The Exchange Student Part 2
"It's an honor to be here. Please to meet you all," the purple-eyed boy bowed.
"He's so good-looking!"
"Man! I wish I was that popular with the girls!"
"Kawaii!"
"Mr. Suijin can even control the water from a person's body," Mr. Narumi explained.
Water? Now I remember him… How come he's here? Natsume thought with a grim face.
Mikan surveyed her classmates and smiled. You never fail to attract attention, you sinfully handsome delinquent! She waved at the boy at the boy. "Mizu-kun! Over here!"
Mizu grinned when she saw Mikan. "So there you are, brat…"
"A-re? You two know each other?" Koko asked.
"Mizu and Mikan went to same class back in Spain," Mr. Narumi replied. "You may take the seat beside Mikan."
"Yes, sir…" Mizu walked towards Mikan. "Hello, brat…"
"Shizukani! And I told you not to call me brat anymore!" Mikan pouted. "So this was your surprise eh?"
"Si. And I did surprise you, didn't I?" Mizu grinned.
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. And look at my classmates now… Jeez! You're really a head-turner!"
"Can't help it, señorita." He winked at Mikan. "You have a good-looking partner."
"Partner?!?"
Mikan's head sprung towards her friends. "Eh? A-ano… W-we were p-partners during practices in track and field back in S-Spain. R-right Mizu?" She gave Mizu a fierce look.
The purple-eyed lad nodded in reply. "Si." I hate it when you look at me like that. It's sending me chills.
Mr. Narumi clapped his hands to get the class's attention. "Now class, eyes in front. We still have time to discuss a lesson or two." But the school bell already rang.
"A-re? Is it really time already?" He looked at his watch and sighed. "Oh well… See you tomorrow my dear students."
"Now look what you've done," Mikan watched Mr. Narumi leave the room. "Because of the commotion you've created, we didn't even have our lesson—" she stopped when she saw Mizu walked towards the raven-haired boy. Masa ka… What are you planning to do, Mizu?
"Black Cat…" A corner of Mizu's lips twitched.
"Dark Phantom…" Natsume growled.
"Ah, so you still remember me… It's been years… Good thing you still recognize me."
"…"
"How's the famous Natsume Hyuuga?"
"…"
"I see you're still quiet as ever…"
"What do you want?" Natsume asked in a dangerous low tone.
"Oh nothing…" Mizu grinned.
"You didn't tell me you two know each other…" Mikan was surprised.
"Lo siento, señorita. I forgot," Mizu replied, placing his arm around Mikan's shoulder. "He's a former comrade."
Mizu saw a flicker of emotion on Natsume's eyes. His lips curved into a self-satisfying grin. Well, Well… What do we have here? A jealous black cat, eh?
Natsume stood up from his desk. "Let's go, Ruka."
"N-Natsume… Wait…" Mikan attempted to stop the boy.
"It's alright, Mikan." Mizu said in a soft voice. "I'll talk to him later." He held Mikan's hand and smiled. "Come on, I've got presents for you from the group."
Mikan's eyes sparkled and momentarily forgot Natsume. "Really? How are they?"
"They're wacky as ever except for you-know-who, still laconic as ever." Mizu grinned. "And they miss you."
Mikan sighed. "I miss them too…"
"How about me?" the purple-eyed lad used his oh-so-charming voice. "Don't you miss me?"
Mikan pinched his cheeks. "Knock it off, Mr. Playboy!" She went inside Mizu's room first. "Your charm won't work on me!"
The boy laughed. "Now that's a rare kind."
"So what have you got for me?"
"Oh yeah, hold on." Mizu grabbed his knapsack. "Here, catch."
Mikan's sweat dropped and almost fell comically. "What were you guys thinking?" She placed the "presents" on the table. "A 4.8 inches American derringer and a 3-inch Swiss knife?" The brunette shook her head. "This is a school for crying out loud! What do I need these for?"
"For missions, of course," Mizu replied casually while opening a Ponta juice drink. "And for protection as well."
"Hmpf! You know very well that I can take care of myself, even without a gun and knife." Mikan raised her chin indignantly. "And missions here are done by the members of the dangerous ability group! Remember that I'm in special ability!"
"Uh-uh.. Not for long," the boy sat on the couch. "Aside from Nullification Alice, you also got the ability to enter and alter dreams. And on top of all, you can make a person see his worst fear just by listening to your voice…"
"What are you insinuating?" Soft furrows formed on Mikan's forehead.
"That your Alice is no longer categorized as a special ability… You're in dangerous ability type now."
"What?!?" Mikan bolted from her seat. "¡Estas bromeando!"
"No, señorita." Mizu said in a coaxing tone. "Don't worry no one will know about that. And you mustn't tell even your bestfriend, Hotaru. Speaking of that raven-haired friend of yours, she's way cuter in personal compared to pictures." The boy grinned.
"Uh-oh. She isn't available. You don't wanna mess with Ruka, her boyfriend." Mikan looked fiercely at Mizu. Then the girl sighed. "B-but why can't I tell Hotaru?"
"Idiot…" Mizu brushed his knuckles on Mikan's chin. "There no way you want your friends to get involve with our kind of work, don't you?" The purple-eyed boy grinned at Mikan. "Just like what your loved one had been doing to his friends…"
"L-loved one?" The brunette stammered. "W-what are you t-talking about?"
"Oh come on, Mikan." Mizu moved closer to Mikan and whispered. "I already knew the person whom you really care about… It's the black cat, isn't it?"
Mikan's cheeks flushed deep shades of red. "I h-haven't t-told you a-anyone about that e-except Hotaru! H-how did you know?"
"I cannot read minds but I can read your facial expressions," he smiled sweetly.
"A-am I that transparent?"
"Si, señorita." He raised Mikan's chin. "Look at you. You're blushing. Back in the classroom you blushed as well. And that happens whenever Natsume's around."
"You're wrong!"
"Really?" The boy teased her more. "Admit it, you're in love with the black cat. Or much better if I ask him what he feels."
"Yamero yo!" Mikan hissed. "Stop teasing me!" From auburn, Mikan's eyes turned darker shade of brown. She stood still and faced the boy.
Mizu's sweat dropped. "H-hey M-Mikan… Ochitsuite…" His voice trembled. "C-calma, señorita…" He held his breath.
Mikan blinked then realized that she almost snapped. Her eyes widened as it turned to its original color. "Gomenasai!"
The boy sighed in relief. "Come here, brat." He pulled Mikan to sit beside him. "That's one of the reason I asked our boss to allow me to be the exchange student here… You can fully control your Nullification Alice but not your ability to make people see their worst fears… You almost used that on me awhile ago…"
"Really… I'm so sorry…" Mikan sobbed. "I d-didn't mean to--… I m-mean you k-know I--"
Mizu held Mikan close to him. "Hush now… It's okay. Don't think about it." He let Mikan buried her face to his chest.
"Eversince I discover this ability, I tend to get emotional even over a small thing. I don't know why…"
"And that again is why I'm here…" Mizu replied. "If possible, the whole group would come here for you but they have missions to finish." He held her chin and wiped Mikan's tears. "We still have a month or two to fix that attitude of yours."
He winked at the brunette. "Genki o dashite! Where's the strong-willed Mikan I met in Spain?"
Mikan sniffed. "What I'm really worried about is if I can control my emotions as to not to accidentally use my Alice and blow my cover."
"I told you not to worry. I'll help you." Mizu yawned. "But meantime, let me sleep first. I just arrived here from Spain today and went straight to class." He yawned again.
"Oh yeah, I forgot!" Mikan burst out. "Get some rest. Call me when you wake up, I'll take you to Central Park."
"Now there's the cheerful Mikan I know," the boy smiled.
"Hm. I'm okay now. Thanks to you, DP!"
"It's Mizu. Don't call me that here. You'll blow our covers up," he grinned.
Mikan walked towards the door. "Alright then, Mizu-kun." She stuck her tongue out. "Ja ne!"
Hasta luego, Nightwind… Mizu thought.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Nightwind… Who'd ever thought that the owner of that name is the gullible Mikan, the brunette thought as she remembered her first day in Spain.
FLASHBACK
/Two Years Ago at Alice Academy, Spain Branch/
Whoah! Alice Academy sure is grand, Mikan told herself as she stood at the front gate of the academy. But how come they didn't send anyone to pick me up at the airport? Darn it! She took a deep breath before approaching the guard at the gate.
"Excuse me…"
"Si?" The guard replied.
Eh? What did he say? Mikan scratched her head. She cleared her throat. "Good-evening. I-am-Mikan-Sakura… from-Japan," she sounded like a robot while trying to explain her purpose.
But the guard just stared at her as if he did not understand what she said. Oh no… This ain't good… Hey! Wait a sec… She took the letter Mr. Narumi gave her and gave it to the guard. Then she showed her one-star pin and emblem of Alice Academy. Hope this works…
"¡Ah! Hola!" The guard exclaimed after reading the letter. He opened the gate and let Mikan in. "¡Lo siento, señorita!" He returned the letter. "¿Como esta usted?"
"Huh? A-ano… Eto…" Mikan stammered. What the heck were those words Narumi-sensei thought me? Jeez! Why am I so forgetful? She thought hard. Oh! Now I remember! "N-no h-hablado Español…"
"Oh…" The guard nodded. "I'm sorry, señorita. I thought you speak Spanish. Anyway, I'm Alejandro. Good thing you found this place."
"Yeah… Being in a foreign country really is tough especially when you don't know how to speak its language… Doing signs and signals, if you know what I mean."
Alejandro laughed. "Si. I get it. Anyway, you better get going now. The faculty room is in that building, ground floor, second room to the right."
Mikan followed where the guard was pointing at. "I-is that s-so?" She gulped. "D-do I r-really need to pass t-through that f-forest?"
"Sorry to say but… Yes," the guard replied. "Run along now, señorita…"
"S-sou desu ka…" Mikan swallowed again. "Right. I'm going…"
"¡Que tenga suerte!" Alejandro waved at Mikan. "That means good luck!"
"Hai! Arigatou!" Mikan started to walk towards the forest. This reminds me of the Northern forest…
She went further inside the forest. Her knees started to shake when she heard twigs snapped and rustles from the trees. This is so creepy…
Mikan was half way from the other end of the forest when suddenly three figures with masks on their faces appeared in front of her. She managed to contain from shrieking.
"Well… Well… Well… What do we have here?" One of the figures said.
"A Japanese girl!" The other stranger uttered. "It's been years since the last time we had a Japanese student here."
"Well then… Shall we start the party, little miss?" Mikan could sense that the two were grinning underneath their masks.
"L-let me pass… O-or y-you'll be sorry…" Mikan acted tough.
"Ooh… Scary…" The two figures laughed while the third figure remained silent. "Get her!"
One of the figures grabbed Mikan's arm and pulled her off the road. "Iie! Let me go!" Mikan's heart pumped hard as fear crawled her veins. No! Oh please someone help me! Mikan screamed in her mind. I must do something!
He kicked the person grabbing her. She was able to break loose and ran as fast as she could. She moved swiftly in the darkness, dodging somewhat invisible blows thrown by her pursuer. T-they're going to kill me!
"Man! That girl runs fast! She's like the wind or something!"
"You said it! She can even dodge my Alice of shockwaves." The figure ran faster. "Darn it! Where's that man? He's late!"
From the shadows of the forest, a pair of keen eyes was watching the scene. She can easily move through the darkness. And whoah! What speed… He stretched from a branch he was sitting. I can't clearly see her from here. Better move closer.
"What the heck's going on?" Mikan was already catching her breath. "Somebody help me!" She yelled.
She looked back to see if her attackers were still after her. Hope emerged when she saw them far behind her. But wait… Where's the other one?
Suddenly she bumped onto someone. She gasped when she saw it was the other stranger.
"Got you…" He grabbed Mikan's arm firmly.
"How did you--… Alice of Levitation…" Mikan's eyes grew wide when she saw herself floating together with the stranger.
The silent stranger landed Mikan softly on the ground, still grabbing her arm. She saw other two walking towards them.
"Look, I found this kid hiding in the trees while we were chasing that girl. I think he's spying on us." Mikan saw one of her attackers carrying a five-year old boy.
"Spying eh? You know what to do, pal." Mikan was horrified on what her attackers might do with the boy.
"I want my mommy," the little boy said with teary eyes. "¡Señorita, ayudeme, por favor!" Mikan's eyes widened yet again when she saw the one throwing shockwaves at her during the chase aimed his Glock at the little boy.
"H-hey! W-what are you planning to do with that boy?" Mikan shrieked but the lads with masks just ignored her. The little boy started to cry.
"No, don't! Don't hurt the boy!" Mikan yelled. Looking at the teary-eyed boy, she forgot all her fears, thinking only how save the kid. She summoned all her strength and pushed the guy grabbing her and held the little boy on her arms.
"Whoah! Caramba! For a little niña like you, you really move so fast."
"Don't come near us!" Mikan's eyes turned into slits. "Don't worry, little one. I'm going to protect you from these bullies."
"Come on now, don't make this hard for us. Yo, Silver, get her." The boy with the Levitation Alice started to float towards them.
"I said don't come near us!" Mikan emitted a blue light from her body. The boy fell on the ground.
"Hey, are you alright? Why you little--… I can't use my Alice!" The boy with the Alice of Shockwaves muttered.
"Don't worry, Deathstalker. I'll handle this… What the—I can't use mine either!"
From auburn, Mikan's eyes turned into darkest brown. H-hold on…Why am I seeing this? "Snake…" She murmured.
"What are you mumbling there?" The one called Deathstalker shouted.
"Snakes… They're… all over you…" Mikan's voice was low. "They're crawling towards you…"
"What the hell—" Deathstalker suddenly became nervous and started to shake his hands like crazy. "No! Stop it! Get away from me! KC, help me!"
The brunette's eyes, in its darkest color, flickered as realization flooded her. Now I get it… So this is the extent of my Alice, eh? Her lips twitched.
"Deathstalker, what's happening to you?" KC shouted. "Y-you're bleeding!"
"N-no! I've been bitten!" The boy gasped.
"Hey you! You're KC, right?" Mikan yelled. "I won't move so much if I were you. You don't want to fall from that abyss, right?"
"What abyss—" He stopped from his tracks. Sweat formed from his forehead. What he saw was a bottomless abyss in front of him. And when he looked from his back he saw the same thing. "Get me out of here!" He choked the words.
Ah! At last! A better view… The shadow sat again from a branch a few meters away from Mikan. Hmm… I see... She has that Alice eh? The shadow thought. Interesting… She made Deathstalker see his worst fear. But how come he's bleeding? The shadow fell in deep thought. She also made KC believed that he's in the middle of the abyss…
Oh now I get it! Eventhough they're just hallucinating, she's talking directly to their brains making their fears real. I better go there now before those three get in more trouble. He jumped from the tree and started to walk towards Mikan. Let's get a clear view of this interesting girl…
"Satisfied from sightseeing, Dark Phantom?" Silverfox said nonchalantly.
"What are you—" Mikan stopped in mid sentence as she sensed another figure from her behind.
"My, what interesting Alice you got there…" the newcomer uttered.
The brunette saw the guy whom Silverfox called Dark Phantom emerged from the forest. She quickly hid herself to the shadows of the trees. Oh shoot! I've lost control of those two! She thought when she saw them walking towards the new guy.
"Darn it, DP! What took you so long?" Deathstalker shouted.
"That girl's dangerous!" KC shook his head. "Man! She's scary…"
"Lo siento, amigos but I have to see her capabilities."
My capabilities? Why? Who are these guys? Mikan thought with a confused face.
"It's alright, Miss." The little boy in Mikan's arm spoke. "No se asuste," he continued and smiled at her sweetly.
"Huh? N-nani?" Mikan was dumbstruck. What the heck's going on?
"Daijobu desu…" The little boy held her hand in assurance.
"¡Hola señorita!" the new lad spoke. "Sorry for causing you trouble." Mikan saw him walked towards her and with the help of the moon's rays, she saw a pair of purple eyes in its deepest color.
Oh… He's so handsome! She wanted to kick herself when she realized what she was doing. Oh shoot! Darn it, Mikan! You don't have time to admire your enemy!
"Don't come any closer!" She held the little boy tightly.
"Don't worry, sister. My big brothers' not going to harm you."
"Big brothers? Now wait just a minute! Can somebody tell me what's going on?" Mikan trembled in controlled anger.
"We'll explain it when we get to the Principal's office. Now come out of there, we're not really the bad guys here."
Mikan took a calming breath and walked towards the group. And when a ray of moonlight shone on Mikan's face, it was the purple-eyed boy's turn to be stunned.
"Rinako…"
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"So here we are…"
Inside the room, Mikan saw an old man sitting behind his table. He must be over sixty or something…
His silver hair glistened from the lights of the grand chandelier. Fine lines were clearly visible as he smiled at Mikan. Despite the old man's age, he was still fit and formidable.
"Ah finally you're here," the old man spoke. "I'm Alessandro Hasegawa. Please have a seat."
The purple-eyed lad nudged Mikan when she didn't budge. "Mikan?"
"H-Hai… G-Gomenasai…" She whispered and walked towards Mr. Hasegawa.
"Konbanwa, I'm Mikan Sakura. Please to meet you, sir."
"Si. I've been expecting you since Mr. Narumi told me about you," he nodded and signaled the purple-eyed boy to come forth. "You've already met this guy. But nonetheless, this is Mizu Suijin, one of the special-star students here. During missions he is the Dark Phantom of the Arcangelion."
"Huh? M-Missions? A-Arcangelion?"
"Right. And those three are also part of the group." He continued pointing to the three boys at the door.
"We brought your luggage," the blonde boy carried Mikan's things on the room.
"A-Arigatou…" Mikan thanked the boy.
The boy with silver hair, on the other hand, nodded at her and made curtsey. He doesn't speak much, Mikan thought.
"Yo!" The red-haired boy suddenly stood beside Mikan and placed his arm over her shoulder.
"Alex…" It was the silver-haired boy… His voice was low but it sent shivers from Alex's back. He removed his arm from Mikan's shoulder and made at peace sign at the boy.
Alex smiled at Mikan. "Sorry for causing you such troub—" the red-haired boy suddenly stop and winced in pain.
"Oh no! You're hurt!" Mikan shrieked when she saw blood stains on his shirt. "I'm so sorry—"
"Don't worry, I can fix that," the little boy suddenly spoke at the door and walked towards Alex. He moved his hand above the wound and healed it. He smiled at Mikan then run towards Mr. Hasegawa. "Granpa!"
"Ah Natsume! How's my grandchild?" the old man let the little sat on his lap.
Natsume?! Mikan barely contain her gasp. Pain crossed her heart when she remembered the boy with red orbs. Of all names that can be given to a boy, why that name?
All where caught at the little boy's cheerfulness except for Mizu who was intently watching Mikan's expressions. Could it be?
"Now, now, children… We have settle things out first." Mr. Hasegawa turned to Mizu. "Well, Mizu? How did Mikan do in the test?"
"Now wait just a minute!" Mikan exclaimed. "What test? And what is this Archy Lion? And this secret agent stuff? Can somebody explain what the heck's going on?"
"Hold you're horses, Mikan." Mizu calmed the brunette. "Here take a seat." The boy took Mikan to the couch.
"Let me explain," Mr. Hasegawa cleared his throat. "First of all, it's Arcangelion not Archy Lion." Everyone's sweat, except Mikan, dropped.
"Ms. Mikan Sakura, these boys may look like just ordinary students with Alices but you're looking at the academy's top secret agents. They all belong to Arcangelion. It is a group of secret agents who do missions for the academy. They are also bound to protect the students here from people with dark intentions." Mr. Hasegawa explained.
"And aside from the academy's principal, I'm also the Arcangelion's commander. But the group calls me Granpa. Now let me start with Mizu. He's the Dark Phantom. He has the Alice of Water. The blondie here is Alex. He's the Deathstalker and possesses the Alice of Shockwaves. The Glock he's holding is sort of ability control device. He also uses that to aim perfectly at his targets."
Mikan saw Alex held his palms together and bowed at her as if telling her: "I'm so sorry for using my Alice on you". She smiled at the boy and gestured that it was okay.
"Beside Alex is Yuri," the old guy continued. "He's the dashing Knightcrawler or KC for short. He has the Alice of Agility. He can move as fast as the speed of light."
Dashing? You said it. Everyone's so good-looking! Am I in Mount Olympus or something? I bet Mr. Hasegawa's handsome to during his teens, Mikan thought as she saw the resemblance on little Natsume.
"The one standing over there at the corner is Andrei, the Silverfox. Sometimes, we call him plain "Silver". He's the whiz kid, the brain of the group."
"He doesn't talk much, does he?" Mikan whispered.
The old man chuckled. "Si. But I think that will be changed from now on."
Mikan was about to ask something but she held her tongue when Mr. Hasegawa spoke. "Now everyone, I want to here your comments about Ms. Mikan."
Mizu cleared his throat. "I saw Mikan's determination and how she act in pits of danger. She clearly proved that she's worthy to be here. She even caught the hearts of these three heartthrobs even if they haven't showed it yet."
The purple-eyed boy looked at the three lads. "I never thought you would easily get their hearts. Those three are very popular here with the girls. But I really don't get it why they refuse to date those pretty girls out there especially Andrei."
"Because you're a womanizer unlike us," Andrei replied nonchalantly.
"Look, I'm just being friendly with my fans." Mizu made himself looked innocent.
"Friendly, my foot!" Yuri smirked. "You've dated most of the female students here!"
"Not really, Yuri." Mizu replied and then turned to Alex. "You've been also dating a certain girl in the somatic type, don't you?" He grinned as Alex blushed.
"Come to think of it, I haven't dated that cute girl yet." Mizu teased.
Alex aimed his Glock at the purple-eyed boy. "Cielos! I'm just kidding, amigo!" Mizu raised his hands.
"Now, now children, calm down," Mr. Hasegawa tried to contain his laughs. Whether others may find his boys aloof or playboy, he knew one thing is for sure: the knights of Arcangelion will risk their lives especially when a girl is involved.
The old man cleared his throat. "I need to hear the other's comments about Mikan."
"She's in!" Alex and Yuri replied in unison. Andrei raised his thumb in reply.
"So it's settled then," Mr. Hasegawa nodded. "Ms. Mikan Sakura, you proved that you're worthy to be a student in Spain branch. Moreover, the academy needs a spirited and determined student to protect the students. So from hereon, you will be trained together with these boys as secret agents. Mizu will be your partner on your missions."
It took seconds before Mr. Hasegawa's words penetrated Mikan's thick skull. "EHHH?!!" Mikan stood as she exclaimed. "I will become what?!"
"¡Calma, señorita!" the little boy giggled. "Granpa said you'll become one of us."
"Us? Y-you mean you're also a m-member of this group?" Mikan asked wide-eyed.
"Yup! I'm Natsume, also called The Healer. I'm the medical specialist of the group though I'm not much of a fighter." the little boy pouted. "I don't go on missions like they do. Granpa said I'm still too young. I can only go out and be on their missions when one of them is hurt which I rarely do since they usually finish their missions without a scratch."
"Go out? How?" Mikan asked in bewilderment.
"Well, you see aside from the Alice of Healing, I also possess the Alice of Teleportation." The little boy replied.
"I see… B-but t-this is so s-sudden. I mean being a member of this group," Mikan shook her head. "I was sent here to study and enhance my Alice. I don't think I can do--"
"You'll do just fine," Mizu coaxed her.
"Uhmm… Do I also get a nickname or something?" The brunette grinned.
"Oh that? Hmm… Let me see…" Mizu thought for a moment. The others did the same thing.
"Oh crap! I can't think of a name that suits you." Alex muttered.
"Same here," Yuri added.
"Well anyway, I guess I'll have that name soon. Whatever that name is," Mikan replied with sparkle in her eyes.
It only took Mikan less than a year to learn everything that had to be learned as a secret agent. From a crack shot to a black belter. During missions, Mikan and Mizu maimed all their enemies. She can evade her enemy's attacks with her swiftness.
Her missions were usually done at night so she was trained to move from the darkness with ease and strike her opponent before they could notice her.
Her enemies compared Mikan to phantasm at night. Her ability to move from the darkness like the wind was exceptional. Thus, from these perspectives, she earned the named Nightwind.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
The members of Arcangelion indulged their selves in sports and other activities to enhance their extraordinary skills as well as their Alices. Little Natsume was an exemption since he was still too young. He's one of the bright students who still preferred to play with children his age. He's still a kid after all.
Yuri, the Knightcrawler, is one of the members of the varsity in basketball. He uses his agility and flexibility through his steals and fastbreaks. He wore a specialized wristbands and weights on his legs to limit his power.
Alex, the American-Japanese lad, a.k.a. Deathstalker, is expert in shooting. He would never miss a strand of hair even in a semi-dark room. At the age of fourteen, he won two consecutive years of being the champion in archery and rifle shooting. He taught Mikan how to be a sharpshooter during her training.
Andrei, the fifteen-year old silent-type and the eldest member of the group, is a computer whiz. He could crack codes in less than a minute. He became a member of the technical group as a software developer. He designed computer scripts with specialized codes which were used in protecting the academy's secret files and database. As the Silverfox, he was the guy behind the successful missions of the Arcangelion. He possessed the Alice of Levitation and Alice of Electricity but barely used the latter. He became Mikan's big brother during her training.
Mizu, the Dark Phantom was a charmer. He and Mikan were in track and field team. He was also Mikan's partner during their missions. He taught Mikan all kinds of martial arts. He might be a happy-go-lucky type but he becomes serious when he's on missions.
These four handsome lads protected Mikan like their little sister. Anyone who messes with their princess gets a taste of their wrath.
END OF FLASHBACK
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
By the way, I haven't asked Mizu why he called me Rinako when he first saw me, Mikan stretched from the couch. I almost totally forgot about that…I'll let Mizu sleep a little longer. I'll ask about that later. Darn, where did Hotaru and Ruka have gone to? Oh well, better take a walk to the forest.
She combed her hair and tied it in pigtails. I miss this hairstyle, she grinned at herself. She grabbed her jacket and walked towards the door.
The forest is still the same. She walked further inside the forest until she saw her secret place and gasped at the scene. The bayou! This place never failed to surprise me. It's breathtaking as the day I first saw it!
Mikan immediately removed her sandals and jacket then ran towards the bayou and knelt beside it. She saw the crystal clear water as she bent to see her reflection. She removed her pigtails and let her hair loose. Then picked a wildflower and placed it in her ear. Now you look like a water nymph, the brunette told herself and smiled at her reflection.
Suddenly Mikan sat still and frown at the sight that caught her attention. She leaned over closer to the water and stared herself particularly to that part of her chest. It's been years but till now she still doesn't know what to feel or think whenever she sees that thing.
Oh her left chest, just a little over her breast was the mark of the black cat. Tattooed on her fair skin was a flame azalea in its fullest bloom. Below the flower was the initials N.H.
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FLASHBACK
"No! Don't go there!" Mikan shouted while holding Natsume's arm.
"You idiot! Let go of me!" Natsume yelled. "You'll end us both dead! I told you not to come here!"
"No! I won't! Even if your missions are not against your principles, you're still risking you're life!" Mikan persisted. "I don't want… you… to get hurt… again…" She sobbed. "I don't understand why you have to indulge yourself in these situations."
For a fleeting moment, a faint emotion crossed Black Cat's eyes. Then it turned again to its coldest stare. "Then you leave me no choice," Natsume's voice was cold and dangerous.
He pushed and pinned Mikan to the ground. "You might use your Nullification Alice on me. If I'm right, this will help me hold back your Alice."
Mikan's eyes grew wide when the boy unbuttoned her blouse exposing a portion of her chest. Again, she saw the coldness in the boy's red orbs and something akin to pain and indecisiveness.
"W-what are you doing?" She asked nervously. Natsume remained silent. He moved closer to Mikan. "This will teach you not to interfere on my missions again." Then the boy filled the space between them and covered Mikan's surprised mouth with his.
Mikan, unable to move with Natsume's hasty action, was filled with sudden rush of emotions she barely recognized. Her heart pumped hard as if her chest's going to explode. She couldn't think straight.
Suddenly, Mikan felt a prick of pain on her soft skin. She gasped and tried to break lose but Natsume won't even bulge. The pain was getting unbearable. It felt like her skin's burning.
All Mikan cries were contained as Natsume never let go of her mouth. And when she couldn't take any more of the pain, she fainted.
When Mikan woke up, she saw Hotaru's worried face. She was already in her room. "Natsume brought you here. He didn't say anything though I really don't get what's with her face. I seldom see the Black Cat with emotions," the genius inventor said then unbuttoned Mikan's blouse and stared at the tattoo, still drenched with fresh blood.
"H-hotaru… Don't tell anyone about this," Mikan said, her throat still sore from crying.
"You better tell me everything or I'll hunt that Natsume down!" Hotaru said in low voice but her eyes were in flames. The brunette remained silent. "Speak!" Hotaru yelled.
Mikan sighed. She was still in pain but knowing Hotaru, she wouldn't get a decent sleep unless she answered all Hotaru's questions.
A week after the incident, Mikan flew to Spain for her training.
END OF FLASHBACK
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Mikan stare at her tattoo again. Her wounds were already healed for the past years but for some reason, the blood from the tattoo didn't even lose its color. It formed the color of the flame azalea… flaming red.
Unconsciously, Mikan touched her lips. H-He kissed me… That was my first kiss, the girl thought. She closed her eyes. If we were in different situation when he did that, it would have been a very romantic and wonderful memory. She remembered Natsume's firm lips.
Mikan's eyes flew open when she realized what see was thinking. Darn it! Why the heck did I remember that? She felt heat rose from her cheeks. She quickly took her clothes off and hurriedly jumped on the water and made a huge splash.
"Ah now that's better," the girl said when she emerged from the water. "Good thing this place is in the farthest part of the forest. I doubt it if the other students know this place."
She floated and stared at the sky. I'll tell Hotaru about this place later, she told herself and went under water.
Suddenly, Mikan, with her trained senses, felt that she wasn't alone anymore… that someone was watching her. And when she emerged from the water and looked up, she saw that familiar pair of ruby eyes. "Natsume!"
The raven-haired boy majestically stood at one of the rock. "First you invaded my room and now my private place… You will pay…" Natsume uttered and grinned… a devilish one…
TRANSLATIONS:
¡Estas bromeando! - You must be joking!
¡Hasta luego! - See you later.
¡Lo siento! - I'm sorry.
¿Como esta usted? - How are you?
No hablado Español. - I don't speak Spanish.
¡Que tenga suerte! - Good luck!
¡Ayudeme, por favor! - Please help me!
No se asuste. - Don't be scared.
Alas! I've finished this chapter. Any comments? Violent reactions? Hehehe… Anyway, what does Natsume meant when he said the words "You will pay?" And with Natsume's devilish grin? Uh-oh… What's he thinking? And who's Rinako? Find out on the next chapter – The Revelation.