Err. I know that my account has been dead for quite a while already. Sorry. I'm quite sure you don't want my excuses, so I shan't explain since I already explained in my profile a few months ago. By the way, I know this chapter is short.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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Chapter 6

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Natsume heaved a sigh of frustration and pushed his blankets away from his body. It was barely dawn; the sunlight had only managed to touch the fringe of his red carpet. He slipped into his bedroom slippers and walked toward the sliding doors that led to his balcony. Pale yellow curtains hung on each side of the door frame, fluttering slightly when they caught short gusts of wind from the ceiling fan.

Silently, he watched as clouds drifted about in the sky. Birds darted about in the cold morning air. Natsume pulled the sliding doors apart. Wind rushed in as soon as the slightest opening was available and stung his skin with its icy tendrils. His breath came out in small puffs of vapour.

He watched as the academy grounds came alive with animals of various shapes and sizes, darting under shrubbery and over dry leaves in search of food. He almost envied their lives – they had less to worry about; their lives were simple, almost robotic. None of them had the problems humans had to deal with.

A soft yet insistent knocking on his room door caught his attention. His eyes narrowed as he took brisk steps towards the door. Who would visit him so early in the morning? It couldn't be Persona – that man would never deign to enter a room the proper way, much less bother to knock on a door before entering.

The person behind the door turned out to be Hotaru. She was still in her nightgown, and her hair was messy, apparently uncombed. In the dimly lit corridor, Hotaru appeared pale and fragile. Her eyes were puffy, too, Natsume noticed.

"Imai," he said.

"Hyuuga." Hotaru nodded her thanks as Natsume allowed her to enter his room. Natsume watched her curiously. Turning to meet his eyes, Hotaru said, "Let's work together to find her."

She didn't tell him to whom she was referring to, but there was no need for that. Natsume understood it perfectly. He extended a hand towards her. The warmth of her smaller hand in his was comforting.

"Thank you, Hyuuga," Hotaru said. The door leading into his room clicked shut shortly thereafter.

Natsume turned to look out of his window. Three birds flew in the sky, rushing in and out of trees and out into the open sky again, chirping. He couldn't help smiling a bit.

Things were looking up after all.

….

Throughout the day, Natsume spent his time devising possible strategies to leave the Academy grounds to search for clues yet avoid catching the attention of the academy at the same time. He had wanted to skip lessons for the day, but changed his mind in case Hotaru had something to tell him. So Natsume sat through the boring classes, thinking hard.

He hardly noticed when classes ended for the day. Natsume wondered whether to let Ruka in on the secret. Ruka was reliable and definitely trustworthy, but would Hotaru need him? The blonde's alice would come in handy when it came to scouting and spying.

The classroom was already beginning to grow humid although the fan had been switched off for only five minutes. Natsume could feel beads of sweat trickle down the sides of his face. Before he made a decision to leave the room, however, Hotaru approached him and Ruka, carrying something in her arms.

"Good afternoon, Imai," Ruka said uncertainly, eyeing Natsume with a curious look as if to ask, 'What's going on here?'. Natsume shrugged and turned his attention to the object in Hotaru's arms. It was bulky and had a shiny surface, probably made of aluminium or other, more resilient metals. Other than that, Natsume could make no sense of it.

"Good afternoon," Hotaru murmured in reply. She set down the object in her arms onto the table. A head and four legs popped out of it immediately, startling Ruka and Natsume, although Natsume didn't show it. The thing, which resembled a tortoise, lowered its head and started to inspect the cracks in the table.

"What's that?" Ruka asked, intrigued by the metal tortoise. He was less than pleased when it turned around and chomped on his index finger, though.

"An item-finder," Hotaru said, ignoring Ruka's yelp of pain. "It can find anything that you've lost, as long as it is within a 50-meter range."

"What use is it to us?" Natsume said. He looked pointly at Hotaru then cocked his head in Ruka's direction.

"He can help," she answered, understanding his unasked question. "As for the tortoise…I just brought it with me because I only managed to finish it just now."

The metal tortoise turned its back on the three teenagers and stuck its neck into a hole in the table. Natsume looked at Hotaru.

"Is its searching abilities limited to objects?" he asked. They might be able to use it in the near future if it can double up as a tracking device. Hotaru eyed him calmly, understanding what he was trying to say.

"I suppose we can test that. It's only a prototype, after all."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ruka interrupted. "And what do you need my help for?"

In the blink of an eye, Ruka found himself face-to-face with Hotaru's horse-shoe glove. Hotaru loomed in front of him in the silent yet threatening manner that only she could do.

"Breathe a word about this, and you're dead, Nogi. Do you understand?"

Ruka gulped and nodded. Her message could not have been clearer. "B-but you haven't told me anything yet, so…."

"We're going to find Mikan. You are going to help us."

Ruka managed to smile even though his eyes were still trained on the deadly pair of gloves. "Sure thing, if Natsume wants me to help," he said. Beside him, Natsume shrugged and stuck his hands into his pockets.

That having been settled, Hotaru sat down on the bench opposite the boys and started telling them her plans, improvising as she went in order to include Ruka in them. She was efficient and organised, and Natsume could not help admiring her wits.

They were so caught up in their discussion that they lost track of time. Soon it was late afternoon, nearly evening. The classroom basked in an orange-red glow. The three teenagers inside didn't seem to feel the growing warmth of the classroom. If they did, they ignored it.

Later that night, Natsume twisted and turned about under his blankets. He was restless; hearing Hotaru's plans seemed to have drilled a strong resolve into him. The night was cold, too. He looked out of the window. The sky was a dull red. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

A sudden impulse made him get out of bed and go to the balcony. The wind rushed past him, penetrating his pyjamas and chilling him to the bone. The woods seemed eerie somehow. It was only nine o'clock, but it was pitch-black outside. Natsume could barely see beyond the first layer of trees.

It was pure luck that he managed to spot the figure among the trees. The silhouette was barely visible from the balcony, a small speck in a sea of darkness. Natsume didn't know why, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was watching him. His wariness sharpened and he watched the silent figure like a hawk.

Moonlight pierced through the dark, heavy clouds for a brief moment, bathing the Academy grounds in a soft glow. Suddenly, Natsume found himself staring into a pair of wide, glazed brown eyes belonging to Sakura Mikan.

She seemed surprised at his discovering her, but she recovered immediately and started to inch deeper into the woods. Her eyes never left Natsume. To him, she looked sad, yet almost reproachful.

"Mikan!" he called out, his voice hoarse from too much exposure to the bitter wind. But before he could do anything else to approach her, she had melted into the darkness as though she never was there.

Natsume stared at the spot where she had stood but a moment ago, despairing. He stood, motionless, for what seemed like a small eternity. When the cold finally got to him, he retreated back into his room and closed the sliding doors, pulling the yellow curtains together to block his view of the woods.

….

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Do tell. This chapter is currently not proof-read, so if any of you readers would like to point out my mistakes, please do so. It'll be greatly appreciated. Hehe.

Till next time:)