Sorry for the delayed update. I've been busy with other obligations.

Someone PM'd me to ask that I put some information on my OCs and their Alices, so readers know more about them, so here I go, in order of appearance (I think).

Urumi Tenaka – Mikan's trainer on the Black Hole. Her Alice is Blood Control; she can control her own blood as well as someone else's, as long as it's outside the body. She can craft blood into her own weapons. Mikan really hates Urumi, so, since she narrates this story, she doesn't elaborate too much on Urumi's abilities because she couldn't care less.

Yuki Aoshi – Mikan's biological father. His Alice is Inquisition. By physically restraining his victim, he can extract truths from him or her. There is more information on this Alice in previous chapters.

Kenta Fujimori – One of the three survivors from the Black Hole. He's one year older than Mikan and Hiro, and his Alice is Intangibility. Items can go through him, and he can make people intangible upon contact as well.

Hiro Hayasaka – Another survivor from the Black Hole. He's the same age as Mikan and his Alice is Ice. I think this kind of Alice can be used in many ways unique to the wielder, and if you want to know how Hiro uses his Alice, read this chapter.

The All-Seeing Eye – The main villain of this story, but he hasn't made a physical appearance yet. His real identity will be revealed in this chapter.

Hajime Aka – Persona's second-in-command. He's the head honcho of the Black Hole operation. While writing this chapter, I regretted giving him such a Japanese name. I thought it would be better to give him a cool nickname like Persona, but I realised that his last name "Aka" (Japanese for pink or red) can also stand for "Also Known As". I thought it was cool enough, so I left it be. His Alice is pretty simple, actually. Read on to find out.

I decided to twist the events around at the last minute. This chapter is dedicated to the GARCA Staff simply for making an otaku's dream into reality (: (and I'm not just talking about myself).

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Two Quarters And A Heart Down
18: The Devil's Advocate
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Those cold, mocking mauve eyes framed by thick locks of smoke-grey hair… The wrinkle on the pasty face caused by that infuriating smirk… And the deep scar on his forehead, cutting through his left eyebrow… The scar caused by none other than Kenta Fujimori so many years ago.

Hajime Aka's face was not one that I had expected to ever see again. He was Kenta's trainer, as well as Persona's second-in-command. Being Persona's top dog, Aka was the trainer-in-charge of the Black Hole project, as his "master" was constantly busy with Academy affairs.

And, like Persona and Urumi, a body part of Aka's was hidden. However, it wasn't his face. It was his right hand.

Layers of red cloth were wound tightly round his right fist, resembling a scarlet stump of a limb. Rumours were that in the past, Aka was one of Persona's "students" in the Academy. When one night, he disobeyed his sensei by skipping a mission to spend time with his girlfriend, a hot-blooded (and not to mention younger) Persona turned Aka's right hand into ashes as punishment. Needless to say, Aka never disobeyed Persona again.

I clenched my fist tightly; so tight I couldn't feel my arm anymore. I gazed steadily at Aka's mauve eyes, which were twinkling with cynicism, as though he was just daring me to try and kill him. Like he killed Kenta.

Being Persona's faithful lapdog from childhood to adulthood, I could scarcely imagine what horrible torture techniques and fighting skills Aka had to throw at me. Worse, I didn't even know Aka's Alice, and the power I felt emanating from him escaped my ability to identify it. What could this man do? What did Persona see in him, to appoint him as his direct subordinate?

I mean, Persona wasn't the devil incarnate – it was Aka. Persona was worse; he was the very creature from which the devil spawned.

Aka's lips twitched downwards suddenly. Frowning, he sang out, "Do you really intend to kill me, Sakura-san?" Despite his cold eyes and the scowl on his young face, his voice was happy-sounding. However, it was devoid of sincerity.

"Ahou," I roared. "How could you kill Kenta, your own student? Bastard!"

The tight-lipped frown stretched into a sordid smile. In the same sing-song voice, he reprimanded me, "Ara, ara, Sakura-san. It's not very pleasant to hear such a lovely young lady speak such foul language. Oh, and by the way…"

Before I could blink, Aka dipped low and dashed towards me in god-speed. Instinctively, I thrust out my right elbow to injure him. However, he caught me by the wrist and spun me around to face him.

His right arm wrapped around me, digging into the small of my back. His cold hand cupped my cheek, his thumb tipping my chin to face him. I tried to break free from his hold, but he was too strong. Aka leaned in close to face until I could feel his warm breath (I expected it to be as icy as his touch) on my lips.

"It's been a long time since I last saw you, Sakura-san," he said huskily. "How long has it been? Two, no, three months? You've grown into quite a woman." I could feel his mauve eyes rove around my body hungrily. I shuddered involuntarily, which, to my horror, seemed to arouse him even more. "It's been far too long since I tasted the soft flesh of a woman." He dipped his head low into my neck, and his warm tongue grazed the delicate flesh.

"Hentai!" I screamed, digging my knees into whatever part of Aka I could harm. I was horrified and disgusted beyond words --- this man, no, this demon killed one of my best friends and he dared deny my right to combat and instead violate me? Unbidden tears sprung to the corners of my eyes, and I bit my lower lip to stop it from quivering.

Suddenly, Aka's left hand grasped my thigh and pushed me downwards into the dirt. He did not relinquish his hold on me.

"Let go! Let go!" I screamed, thrashing in his arms. His cold teeth grazed my neck, and I never felt a stronger desire to kill a man before. However, I was helpless in the demon's grasp.

A blast of ice caught Aka by surprise, hitting his side and pushing him off of me. I swiftly got up and ran to Hiro's side, smiling at him gratefully.

Hiro smiled back at me weakly. His hand was still bleeding, but he had managed to get Aka's bullet out. His uninjured hand was spread open, trembling in the direction of Aka. Hiro's famous ice snake was protruding from his hand and was coiled around the villain.

"Do it now, Mikan!" Hiro commanded. "I don't have much energy left to spare."

"Hai." I detached myself from the Ice Alice's side and leapt into the air, readying my elbow for a head strike. "Graaaaaah!"

Aka glared at me malevolently. "I'm not as weak as you think, maggots!" His eyes widened and I suddenly found myself afloat in mid-air. I panicked, forgetting for a split-second to activate my Nullifying Alice.

"Can't… hold out… any… longer…" Hiro wheezed as he collapsed. The ice snake imprisoning Aka immediately defrosted.

I activated my Alice, and landed deftly on the now wet ground. "Was… was that your Alice?" I mumbled unsurely, raising my fists and gazing at Aka cautiously.

Slowly, Aka stood up and smirked at me. His mutilated right hand was tucked into his pants pocket, while his left was outstretched. "Indeed," he sang once more. "Gravitation. I can make things light or heavy at will." He looked at me sadly, his cold eyes softening for an instant. "But now that you've activated your Nullifying powers, I can't use my lovely Alice on you again, can I?"

His lips stretched into a sordid smile. "Melee it is, then."

In the same god-speed movement, Aka strafed towards me, his left hand poised to claw my guts out. My fists immediately moved down to my abdomen to block his blow, but the weasel feigned his aim and his talons were right in front of my face. I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact.

But it never came.

I opened one eye wearily, and found a firewall --- literally --- shielding me from the demon. Wait a minute… fire?

"Hn. Don't touch her, old man."

"Natsume!" I cried happily, gazing up at the figure, perched precariously on the nearest tree branch.

Aka recoiled from the scorching heat. "Ara, ara, Kuro Neko-chan. I'm not that old. I'm only twenty-six."

Natsume leapt gracefully from the tree, landing squarely in front of me. He didn't look at me.

"You," he said, nodding at Aka. "How did you escape from the interrogation?"

Aka's left hand flew to his chin, stroking it pensively. "I've been itching for a good fight. If the two of you can beat me, I'll tell you something good. I consider it a fair exchange."

"We accept," Natsume drawled, waving a hand impatiently.

A vein throbbed in my temple. "Oy, oy! Wait a minute there! Don't go deciding things on your own!"

"Shut up and get ready, Polka-dots," Natsume hissed, parrying Aka's punch.

"There wasn't any signal," I grumbled, glaring at him before kicking Aka in the gut. He recoiled from the contact and leapt backwards. He propelled from a tree and dove at Natsume.

"Baka youjo," the Fire Alice drawled, "you should always be ready for combat. You never know when the enemy is going to show up. Just as I thought – even six years of intensive training couldn't penetrate your thick head." He got ready to leap out of harm's way.

"Excuse me!" I snarled, stomping in front of him and catching Aka's head mere inches before it rammed into Natsume's gut. "I just found out my boyfriend only likes me because I kiss good and my friends have just been seriously hurt by this clown, who tried to rape me, by the way –" I gave Aka's head a squeeze, ignoring the man's splutters "- and I'm very emotional right now! You expect me to be as indifferent as you, Mr Unfeeling? I'm a very sensitive woman, you know!" I swung my leg toward him.

Natsume sweated. "Polka-dots, we're supposed to be fighting Aka here, not each other."

"Shut up!" I shrieked, squeezing… the air? I looked down to find that Aka's head was no longer trapped in my clamp. "Eh?"

The sickening sound of breaking wood filled the air, and we whipped around wildly to find Aka standing with his legs spread wide and his arms outstretched. Two monstrously huge trees were being uprooted from the ground.

"I hate being ignored!" Aka boomed, sending a tree flying in my direction. Natsume aimed a jet of fire at it before tackling me to the ground. The burning tree soared over our heads before landing behind the fountain with a sickening crunch.

"What are you, a girl?" I scoffed at Aka. The man ignored me and threw another tree in our direction.

I broke away from Natsume's grasp and leapt onto the speeding tree. I dashed across the trunk and landed in front of Aka. It was my turn to catch him by surprise. Time for a little stress-relief!

I threw multiple punches into his gut, and sent a swift kick to his head. He staggered backwards slightly before shaking his head and retaliating. I barely managed to block his blows, but that didn't mean that I wasn't hurt. My forearms were aching and bruised from blocking his punches. Man, this guy was tough.

Where was Natsume when you needed him?

I glanced around and saw him seated against one of Aka's trees, his hands propped behind his head and his crimson eyes watching my fight amusedly.

"Nani?" I cried indignantly, failing to fend off Aka's uppercut to my chin. I spluttered and fell to the ground. I wiped blood off my chin.

"Ara, your partner doesn't want to help you, Sakura-san?" Aka smiled at me. "Too bad, eh? I was planning on having some fun with you before taking you to see my master. I guess we have to say goodbye now."

He raised his left fist high into the air. I glared at Natsume, willing him to get up and help me. However, he remained unmoving, but his eyes seemed to be focused on something. What was it?

I followed the "path" of his gaze and found it…

"Period," Natsume drawled, pointing at my exposed underwear.

I screamed so loud birds flew into the air.

In a rage, I hit the nearest thing with strength that would have impressed the strongest man in the world.

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"You knocked him out," Natsume said simply, squatting beside Aka's prone body and prodding his cheek with a stick. His cheek was covered with a glowing red handprint.

"Oy, hentai," I snarled, standing in front of him with my arms on my hips. "I checked. You made it up."

"What did I make up?"

I blushed. "You know what I mean."

Natsume shrugged indifferently. "It worked, didn't it? Your rage-induced adrenaline gave you enough strength to knock him out."

I crossed my arms and huffed. "Is that your idea of reverse psychology?" I glared at him.

"Nnnn…."

Natsume and I looked in the direction of the noise to find Hiro stirring, cradling his head. I rushed to his side, squealing happily. "Hiroooooo! I'm so glad you're alive!"

Hiro blushed slightly, flashing a small smile. "Me too, Mi-chan." His expression darkened. "We couldn't save Kenta."

My blissful state immediately dissipated, dissolving into an angry and melancholic emotion. I let go of Hiro and clasped my hands in my lap. My bangs hid my expression from view.

"Mi-chan?" Hiro said sadly, touching my shoulder gingerly.

I got up slowly and walked to the fountain. I plopped my legs, one at a time, into the water and walked, watching the reverberating ripples.

"Kenta…" I whispered, kneeling beside the body. "Gomen…" Tears started falling again. "Gomen!" I shrieked, burying my face into his cold chest and sobbing hysterically.

"Itai… Do you have to yell so loud, Mikan? I'm injured, not deaf."

"Eh?" I looked up to find Kenta sitting up and grinning at me. "EHHHH?"

"Kenta!" Hiro gasped, jumping into the fountain. Natsume followed.

"Y-y-y-you're alive?" I said unsurely, tears still making dirty streaks on my cheeks.

Kenta's smile faltered. "Did you want me to die?"

"No!" I shrieked. "I'm happy that you're alive, really. But… didn't the bullet kill you?"

Kenta scratched his head. "Yeah, well, it went inside my body and I kind of passed out. I thought I was a goner for sure, but I heard some yelling," I blushed at this, "and realised that I wasn't dead yet. I tried using my Alice, and the bullet fell through."

He fished around in the pond and produced a small, metallic object. "See? Here it is."

Hiro and I were dumbfounded; we were staring at him with gaping mouths and eyes as big as one of Hotaru's video discs. I was the first to fall out of the stupor.

I whacked Kenta on his head. "Ow! What was that for?"

I glared at him. "Stupid! You made me worry about you for no reason! I hate you!" I punched him in the face, causing him to fall backwards in the fountain. "Just stay dead, moron."

Hiro regarded my actions in silence. With a loud splash, Kenta got up and grunted indignantly. "Oy, you might just kill me for good if you keep doing that!"

I sniffed. "I'm sorry." My lower lip trembled. "I don't really want to see you dead." I hiccupped. "You're one of my best friends! How could I say such a wicked thing? I'm such a bad person!" I buried my face into my hands.

"H-hey… It's okay…" Kenta rubbed my back in an attempt to calm me down.

Natsume nudged Hiro. "She's been so moody today."

"Hmm," Hiro said thoughtfully. "My mom acted the same way when she was pregnant."

"Mikan's pregnant?" Kenta looked incredulous. "You're to blame, Blackie! I'll kill you!" He glowered at Natsume, who glared right back.

"Hn. I didn't do anything."

"Hiroooo-kuuun! What's wrong with Mikan if she's not pregnant?"

Hiro's lips twisted into an enigmatic smile. "I think it's called PMS."

"Ew."

"Oh, that's right," I said, snapping my head up. My eyes were wide with realisation. "I almost forgot!"

"To take your medication?" Natsume mumbled. I ignored him.

"Aka!" I said, wagging my forefinger for emphasis.

"Oh," the three boys concurred, slapping their fists into their palms.

We splashed out of the fountain and knelt around Aka's prone body. I lifted him by his shirt and slapped his face a few times. His eyes fluttered open and I let go of him.

"So, I lost," he said, running his good hand through his greasy hair.

"We had a deal," I reminded him. "A fair exchange, you said."

"Indeed." He sat up a little straighter. "I am a follower of the All-Seeing Eye."

I raised an eyebrow. "I kind of gathered that, when you said that you were going to take me to your master."

"You were being interrogated in a secure confinement," Hiro said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "How did you get out?"

"My master let me out." Aka smiled.

"Eh? How? I personally nullified that place, so his black smoke couldn't penetrate it!" I cried.

"Do you know who is in charge of the interrogation, Sakura-san?"

"I heard that it's the same person in charge of the Urumi search party," Kenta interjected.

"So that means that the Elementary Division Headmaster is in charge of the interrogation?" I wondered to where this was leading.

"Yes." Aka's smile widened. "I was released with his permission. I can tell you that the Headmaster is not a follower of the All-Seeing Eye." His mauve orbs twinkled at me expectantly. "My master predicted my defeat," he murmured thoughtfully.

Realisation dawned on me, and on Natsume too, it seemed, for he asked, "If you're loyal to the All-Seeing Eye, then why are you telling us this?"

"Simply because my master wanted you to know his real identity."

"Why?"

Aka's smile widened. "Unravelling my master's plan is part of the fun. If I tell you, then it won't be fun anymore."

Kenta frowned. "You know, I've always found Aka a bit loony in the head, and I really don't get what he's trying to say."

Natsume scoffed. I looked Kenta in the eye and told him.

"The real identity of the All-Seeing Eye is Aki Seta, the Alice Academy Elementary Division Headmaster."

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To be continued…

Yeah, I know it's a bit "extra" to put in the All-Seeing Eye's identity towards the end of this story. However, the purpose of revealing that it's the Headmaster will cause more chaos in the sequel, so the follow-up plot has more depth to it.

Merry Christmas, folks! I'll try and update before New Year's.

This story is coming to an end with the next chapter… But there will be an epilogue after it (: I'll work on the sequel once my 2007 class schedules have been confirmed.

Oh, and do drop by the Gakuen Alice Readers' Choice Awards website (the link is on my profile) sometime, yeah? Nominations/secondings will end on December 31.

Oh, and this story has been nominated and seconded for the genre of Suspense, so do vote in January (: However, since there are no other nominees for the Suspense category, this story might be relocated to Romance (the second genre) or Drama (based on the events).