Happy Friday the Thirteenth!

Disclaimer: Higuchi Tachibana created Gakuen Alice. We are mere fans bowing down at her greatness.

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Two Quarters And A Heart Down
11: I Would've Liked You
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"Who's Urumi?" Sumire demanded, though not rudely.

I smiled wistfully and said, "My trainer."

"Trainer?" Ruka's brows furrowed.

I took a deep breath. It was time I told them the truth.

Once I finished explaining the Black Hole and the reason for my six years' disappearance, I looked at the floor. I wasn't really looking forward to seeing their facial expressions or hearing their pity or anger at me. Thankfully, none came. For now, anyway.

"And this blood is her betrayal?" Yuu prodded softly, confused.

I nodded slowly. I had a mouthful of explaining to do.

Narumi-sensei saved me once more. He left to inform the other headmasters about Urumi's deed and upon returning, he sensed the tension in the air and quickly chirped, "Well, this may take a while. I'll go make some tea, neh?"

And he walked through the wooden doors again. So much for him being my saviour.

Might as well get this over with, I thought miserably. While waiting for Narumi-sensei to come back, I began telling my friends about Persona's death and what happened afterwards.

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Let me tell you what happened after the ashes stopped falling.

I allowed myself to be steered to the main building by Natsume, where Aoshi-san and Narumi-sensei were discussing something in hushed voices in the headmaster's office.

Without hesitating to knock, Natsume pulled the door handle open. Narumi-sensei rounded on us, deep concern soaking his amethyst pupils. "Mikan-chan," he said soothingly, gently taking my hand and motioning for me to sit on the plush leather couch. "I heard what happened."

"Oi, Naru," Natsume drawled rudely. "Who killed him?"

I glanced at Natsume for the first time since we were at the tree. His forehead was creased with worry and his lips were smudged in an unattractive frown. I guess even Natsume was affected by Persona's death in his own way; he was one of Persona's favourite, or rather, personal, students after all. The man had been mentoring him in fighting and Alice control for half his life.

Narumi-sensei and Aoshi-san exchanged vexed glances. With all the apprehension in the air, I was practically in a room full of constipated men.

"We're still trying to solve that quandary ourselves, Hyuuga-kun," Aoshi-san said irritably. He didn't seem to like Natsume, probably because of The Boxers Incident. Natsume grunted in response.

The three of them didn't have to rack their brains any more for very long because at that moment, the door burst open and a bleeding Kokoroyomi was thrust in by none other than Persona's murderer. But we didn't know that at the time.

Narumi-sensei swiftly rushed to Koko's side, helping the abused President up and handing him a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his lips. "Tenaka," he growled. "How dare you hurt my student! Explain yourself!"

Urumi's mouth curled into an ugly sneer. "I felt the boy using his Alice to prod into my mind. He needs to learn how to respect privacy, Narumi."

"It's her!" Koko gasped, waving his arms dramatically. "That woman killed Persona!"

"What?!" Aoshi-san, Narumi-sensei, Natsume and I cried out in disbelief.

Urumi's sneer widened. "It is true, Aoshi-dono, Sakura-dono."

"How foolhardy," my father's authoritarian tone took hold of his voice, "to admit so right in front of the authorities. Do you have a death wish, Tenaka?"

"There are no authorities here, Aoshi-dono."

"I am the authority, Tenaka."

"You have no authority, Aoshi." Urumi's sadistically amused tone drastically changed into one of resolve and contempt. Her only visible eye had taken on a lethal gleam. I no longer knew this woman.

"You never had any authority, Aoshi," Urumi bulldozed. "Never. Ever since you entered this Academy as a child, your willpower has been stripped from you. Ever since you allowed yourself to set foot onto this campus, you've submitted to the bidding of the All-Seeing Eye. In fact, the whole purpose of your existence is to fulfil the role given to you by the All-Seeing Eye."

My father's face paled considerably. He sucked his cheeks in and countered Urumi's verbal wrath, though his voice didn't possess the same authority and resolve as before. "Don't liken that person as a god of sorts. He is nothing more than a human being like the rest of us. He controls no one."

Urumi laughed hollowly. "Naïve Aoshi. You're in self-denial now. Are you still upset that your precious little flower allied herself with, ah, as you call him, 'that person'?"

"If you believe that charlatan to be a god," my father defied bitterly, "then are you nothing more than a pawn for him to play with as well?"

"Yes, I acknowledge that. That is why I allowed myself to act according to his wishes. Yuka knew it, too. That's why she left you."

This strange information was coming in too fast. I didn't have time to collect my thoughts. All I could do was watch my father's quick change of expressions: from indignation to anger, to deep sorrow.

"Tell me," Aoshi-san said softly, "I knew you were aware of that person's existence but if you were going to betray the Academy anyway, why bother joining as a trainer in the first place?"

"To meet your daughter," Urumi whispered dangerously. She took a step towards me, her eye twinkling with determination.

Natsume stepped in front of me, one protective arm blocking me from view. From the corner of my eye, I watched as all colour drained from my father's already pallid face. I was confused; what the hell was going on?

"Care to elaborate, Tenaka?" Aoshi-san demanded coolly.

"I'm afraid I can't reveal any more information than I already have, Aoshi," Urumi continued in that lethal whisper of hers. Her voice sent shivers down my spine.

"Kokoroyomi!"

"Sorry, sir!" Koko cried, glancing at my father. "I-I can't read her mind. It's no use."

"I don't have any other option then," Aoshi-san whispered.

Narumi-sensei's brows furrowed and his forehead creased. "Think twice before using your Alice, Yuki! You know what'll happen if you lose control."

"I have to do it," he murmured.

My father's face turned sanguine. "Confirm my suspicions!" he boomed in a voice that resonated hauntingly throughout the vast room. Urumi's lavender eye widened in… fear? Just what kind of Alice did my father possess?

Aoshi-san undid his forest green tie and dashed towards Urumi. He swiftly and accurately cracked his tie like a whip and it wound itself around Urumi's throat. However, Aoshi-san didn't try to strangle her or anything. His brows furrowed in concentration and his emerald eyes seemed to glow in the light of the setting sun. The threads of his tie broke apart and clutched at Urumi's neck, looking very much like grotesque, bulging veins and arteries.

The nightmarish reality didn't end there.

The "veins" pierced Urumi's skin, penetrating the black turtleneck. The cloth around her neck and mouth ripped, eliciting a scream from the dark-haired freak. The "veins" looked like blood-sucking saplings as they bulged even more as they rooted themselves into her skin.

Exactly what was Aoshi-san's Alice?

Aoshi-san relaxed and he stared at Urumi's contorted face calmly. "You will hide no secrets from me," he stated. "This is my Alice: Inquisition! I wish to make a pact with you. Answer my eleven questions and you will survive this ordeal.

"First: how did Persona's death come about?"

"Last night," Urumi said in a choked, monotonous voice, "after you and your daughter left, I ambushed him with a numbing gas. I was going to stab him with a knife but he put up a difficult fight despite his temporary paralysis. Our struggle led to the edges of the forest and I trapped him between the branches. He said that he would rather kill himself than die by my hand and proceeded to remove his Alice limiters. It would be suicide to be in such close proximity to a man with an Alice such as his so I fled. By that time, all his limiters had been removed ensuing in loss of control over his own Alice. I presumed he died of that cause."

Aoshi-san nodded. One "vein" relinquished its grip from Urumi's neck and fell limp.

I glanced at Natsume, intent on finding out his reaction. However, his face concealed his emotions as he regarded the scene before us coolly. I swear I saw disbelief flickering in his crimson irises, though.

"Second question: why did you try to kill Persona?"

Urumi answered once more in that monotonous voice, "He was too loyal to the Academy. With his intelligence and abilities, he was a great asset to the Academy and a large obstacle for the Anti-Alice Organisation. The All-Seeing Eye saw him as a threat to the Organisation's advance and ordered me to annihilate him, seeing as I am the one closest to him in proximity."

Another "vein" dropped off.

"Third: why do you hate the Alice Academy?"

The sneer returned and Urumi laughed hollowly. "Oh, don't pretend you don't know, Yuki-chan." My father's shoulders tensed again and he shouted, "Answer the question!" Urumi's head snapped back and her pupils dilated. Saliva dribbled down her chin.

Her head rolled forward and her mouth opened to continue talking in that monotonous voice, "As a child, I was scorned by my peers because of my Alice. However, you can imagine my delight when the Academy took interest in me and asked me to join them. At last I was going to be among people who understood me. However, in my last year of Middle School, my classmate was accidentally killed by my Alice. My peers began alienating me and the Academy saw the accident as murder. They began using blackmail to use me for missions against the Anti-Alice Organisation."

"I remember hearing about that incident from the Middle School Division Headmaster," Aoshi-san cut in quietly. "One student got injured in the Northern Forest and he bled from his head. His classmate tried to stop the bleeding with her Alice but ended up making his arteries burst, eventually killing him."

From this, I inferred that Urumi's Alice had something to do with controlling blood.

"Anyway, continue, Tenaka."

"Yes. Ultimately, after graduation, I wasn't allowed to leave the Academy. I could not get a job as the higher-ups made sure my 'reputation' as a murderer followed me everywhere I applied. No one wants to hire a murderer."

I glanced apprehensively at my father. He was one of the three headmasters --- he must be a member of "the higher-ups".

"The Council of Directors," Aoshi-san said, noticing my discomfort. "It consists of the people who fund the Academy, large company shareholders and big-shot politicians in governments all over the world. Even we, the headmasters, have no say in their decisions. We are only allowed to look after the well-being of our students and the reputation of our school. Any shady business conducted are orders from the Council."

I nodded in understanding. At least my father wasn't one of them.

An appendage had yet to drop off so that meant Urumi's answer was still incomplete.

"I tried to rebel against the Council but I failed. A limiter was implanted inside me to prevent me from tapping into my power again in case I rebelled in the future. In the years to come, I was specially trained to be one of the eight conductors in the Black Hole project designed by the Council. Also, my younger brother was seriously injured in an accident a few months after my graduation. He fell into a comatose state. He was not an Alice but the Academy used him against me anyway. They threatened to cut the power to his life-support machine if I ever stopped working for them. Moreover, I desperately needed the money to pay for my brother's medical fees and my job at the Academy was my only source of income."

Another "vein" dropped off.

So that's why she was always desperate for money. I almost felt sorry for her. The Academy was controlling her to that extent… Persona's threats to take Ruka if Natsume ever betrayed or disobeyed the Academy now seemed so innocent compared to the Council's corrupt doings.

"Fourth: how did you come to ally yourself with the Anti-Alice Organisation?" Aoshi-san asked silkily.

I reached out for Natsume's hand and he squeezed mine in return. So many secrets were being revealed here; I felt as though we were doing something illegal. My heart was pounding hard in my chest. Sooner or later Aoshi-san was going to ask about that person and how my family was connected to him.

Answering Aoshi-san's question, Urumi said, "It was the will of the All-Seeing Eye. He told me that helping the Anti-Alice Organisation infiltrate the Academy grounds and allowing them to capture the students for corruption will bring about the downfall of the Academy faster. I could have my revenge and freedom after the Academy was destroyed. And," her eye flicked over to me (causing me to shudder), "with the Academy gone, dear little Mikan will meet her mother sooner. Meeting her mother will bring her closer to meeting the All-Seeing Eye. And that meeting will be the key to his ultimate goal."

Natsume squeezed my hand so tight I couldn't even feel pain any more; it was already numb. What the hell was going on here? What did I have to do with that person who thinks he's God? I was scared and confused.

"Fifth question," Aoshi-san's voice wavered, "how did you come to know of the All-Seeing Eye?"

An ugly grin broke out on Urumi's dismayed features.

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I took a deep breath.

I had always been talkative as a child but I don't think I ever talked this much in one go. The clock on the wall read 6:45. I'd been talking for nearly an hour now.

I glanced at my friends' utterly shocked faces. They seemed to be having a hard time digesting the information. Ruka was stroking his rabbit's fur so furiously that tufts of fur were coming off the poor creature. If Ruka didn't realise what he was doing, his poor bunny would have a rather unattractive bald spot in another ten minutes or so.

At that moment, Narumi-sensei burst through the wooden double doors, expertly carrying a tray of tea and biscuits like a seasoned waiter considering his arm had been injured by a bullet only last night. "Well, everyone," he said cheerfully in an attempt to ease the grim atmosphere in the room. "There's no place to sit here considering everything's covered in blood so how about having tea outside? It's stopped raining and there's a lovely moon out."

I nodded, thankful for the short intermission. "Yeah. I think we should go. Aoshi-san?"

My father nodded. "I know the perfect place," he said, striding out the door.

Kenta made a face and poked his temples with the tips of his fingers. "This is too much for me," he muttered. "Hey, Naru, I'll carry the biscuits for you!"

"No way, Fujimori!" Hiro snorted. "You'll only eat the biscuits before any of us can get our hands on it."

"Hey, I'm taking that as an insult, buddy. You saying I'm greedy?"

"No, Kenta. I know you binge eat when you're confused and just because you're stupid doesn't mean that you have to vent your frustration out on biscuits at our appetites' expense."

"Oi! That's no way to talk to your sempai, subordinate!"

"Whatever. I'm taller than you anyway."

"I'm still older."

"By five months."

"I-I'll carry the sugar," Ruka offered, rushing to Narumi-sensei's side.

"Um, I'll carry the milk," Yuu offered and, upon seeing Kenta and Hiro fight over the plate of biscuits, he added, "and the biscuits too."

Narumi-sensei smiled brightly. "Well, that's real helpful of you boys! Now, come along before we lose the esteemed headmaster from sight."

We followed the noisy group (actually only Kenta and Hiro were making noise while Narumi-sensei chuckled at them) out of Aoshi-san's war zone of an office.

I was truly glad that Kenta, Hiro and Narumi-sensei were around. They really lightened the atmosphere when it was at its darkest.

Actually, no. I have yet to reveal the last six questions and Urumi's answer to the fifth one. I was amazed I hadn't entered a state of shock or something of the like. I was already thinking about what I was going to do in the near future to counteract my current predicament.

We stepped out of the building and I breathed in the cool, night air. I quickly regretted that, though, as the strong, metallic scent of blood invaded my nostrils.

Aoshi-san was striding purposefully at the front of the group, with Narumi-sensei skipping along behind him, carrying the tray of tea and porcelain cups. Iinchou was worriedly trying to keep up with the older man, frantically yelling out warnings in case he spilled the warm tea or broke the cups while he himself was struggling with a pile of biscuits and a little pot of tea. Kenta and Hiro were walking with the former struggling to give the latter a noogie on the head but failing to do so because of the obvious height difference. Sumire and Koko were walking behind, talking amiably and occasionally laughing at the two teens in front of them. Natsume was walking side by side with Ruka, who was carrying a little container of sugar and balancing his bunny in his free arm, his hands tucked inside his pockets again.

That left Hotaru and I alone together at the back of the group.

I looked skyward at the waning moon. Narumi-sensei was right; it really was beautiful tonight.

I contemplated Urumi's disturbing answers. I tried not to think about what she had said about me or my parents' lives and instead focused on the bits of her past that she had revealed under the control of Aoshi-san's Alice.

If I knew about the kind of life she lived and the kind of corruption she was forced to submit to, I would've understood why she was the way she was and wouldn't have been so condescending of her. Maybe I would've taken pity on her… Would I have tried to get closer to her, to ease her pain?

Maybe.

"Mikan," Hotaru's soft voice snapped me out of my pensive mood.

"Yes, Hotaru?" I asked sweetly.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Baka," she breathed. "You've grown up, Mikan."

"What was that, Hotaru?"

"Oh, nothing."

I smiled at her.

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To be continued...

Reviews are much loved and much appreciated! (and much thought over)

This was another hard chapter to write... Only about a third of the mystery is coming together. By the way, since I guess this hasn't really been much of a "Drama" fic, I've decided to change the genre.

Oh, and I don't think this chapter's ending is a cliffhanger... or is it? Ahahahaha.

Let me tell you a little bit about the sequel to this story. From reading this, you can definitely tell that it's been much, much more than what the summary lets on. I promise you the sequel will have just as many mysteries as this.