Chapter 13: Is she DEAD or ALIVE?

Mr. Narumi has already stood up after he heard Mucho's shout. Mucho continued as he cried as if there is no tomorrow, "Oh Mikan! You can't die! You can't! Don't leave us especially Natsume!" Natsume, whose head is bowed, tilted it and said, "Idiot! The girl is not yet dead! She just fell asleep because of her sudden use of strong alice!" "Ow, hahahaha! I didn't know that! I'm sorry!", Mucho answered. On the other hand, the academy's guard picked up Persona's body away. Natsume carried Mikan on his arms (bridal style) as he said to the others, "I'm just going to bring her to her room. Just meet us there." Then Natsume walked away, leaving the others. He walked into the hallway and into Mikan's room. He laid her into her bed. He stared at her for almost some time thinking what is the agreement and why did she agree to it. After a while he said, "Thank you for saving my life…. Mikan.", then he smiled at her. He held her hair then said, "I know you'll be fine."

Meanwhile…

Hotaru said to the others, "We still have to find out what the agreement is. We just can't forget it!" Ruka nodded and said, "Yeah! But for the meantime, we should heal Mr. Narumi's wounds first." They cured their teacher's wounds for fifteen minutes then they proceed to Mikan's room.

Back to Mikan's room…

He sat in a chair and then he saw that her silver necklace with a heart shape pendant slowly comes off her neck. Natsume got it and saw that the string was cut off then said, "Maybe because of Persona's strong attack." Looking at the shiny heart shaped pendant, he noticed that it can be opened. When he opened the pendant, he saw that there was message that was carved in it. He couldn't read it, though, because it is of different language. It was written this way, "Noch verliebt in den flamecaster..." Still staring at it, he was shocked when Aoi suddenly opened the door. Hotaru and company stepped in with Mr. Narumi as Natsume hid the necklace in his pocket. Ruka then asked, "How is she?" "She's fine.", Natsume answered coldly as his wounds ache. "Guys, we still need to cure Natsume's wounds!", Ruka shouted to the others. Anna and Nonoko brought with them the bandages while Sumire brought the medicine. The three of them cured Natsume's wounds. Hotaru, on the other hand, sat beside Mikan and said to her softly, "I know that you did that for a reason. A reason that you hid from me through all these years; although, I know that this is somehow related to Natsume and… and…." Hotaru paused as she was strucked and then said, "Aoi. Can it be?"

"Guys!", shouted Hotaru to the others as they all paid attention to her, "do you remember the day that Aoi arrived in the academy? The day when Natsume finally found her sister." Anna, Nonoko and Sumire have finished curing Natsume already that's why, Natsume already stood up and went near Hotaru and so the others. "Yeah! If I am not mistaken, that was a week before our graduation, a week before we left the academy. Right, Natsume?", Ruka concluded as Natsume nodded. "That was also the time when Mr. Narumi said to us that Mikan already left the academy because of some important matters.", Yuu recalled. "Ok, Mr. Narumi! Do you know something about this agreement! Spit it out or you'll never see the sunrise again!", Sumire said angrily as she approaches her teacher like a giant. "Hehehe, relax my dear. Honestly, Mikan left a letter on that day saying that she has to leave early because of some important matters. I showed the letter to Hotaru and Ruka. She also said on the letter that if Natsume asks where she is, the words I should tell to him is…", Mr. Narumi paused when Natsume burst in and said, "Smile because you should be happy by now." The others were shock because little by little, the events are somehow being connected.

Mr. Narumi then said, "I'm glad because you still remember it. Anyway, her letter also tells that her diploma is already with her. I just don't know how she got her diploma knowing that only teachers can… Persona!" "What's up with Persona?", Mucho asked. "Can it be that Persona's the one who helped her get her diploma?", Koko said to them. "That's what I'm also thinking!", Mr. Narumi said decisively. "Yeah! Cause I just read it from your mind!", Koko suddenly said as Mucho laughs to death. "Stop your stupidity, guys! This is no time for your corny jokes! We need to solve our problem!", Anna said to them.

"By the way, before I forgot! You were holding something like a necklace when I suddenly opened the door, my dear brother!", Aoi said

"What 'something'?"

"I don't know! But I saw you hid it in your pocket!"

"You must be tired already. Go to your room and sleep."

"No! I really saw it! stop acting like you don't know anything!"

"Cause I really don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh come on, brother! I just wanna see it!"

"Stop acting like a spoiled brat!"

"I am not a spoiled brat! I just want to see it!"

Aoi forces his brother to show it as she reaches for his pocket and took it out. After doing that for the fifth time, Aoi became successful! There, she saw a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. "Hey, this looks familiar! I know I have seen it already!", Aoi asked herself. Then, Hotaru said, "It's Mikan's necklace." "Oh yeah! But how did you get it?", Aoi asked her brother as her brother sits again on his chair. "It came off her neck because of Persona's strong attack.", Natsume answered to his sister. "Really?!", Aoi demanded. "Hey! Can I see that?", Sumire said to Aoi. "It's shiny!", Sumire complimented. "Open it Sumire!", shouted Anna and Nonoko in unison. Sumire opened it and said, "There's a message but I can't seem to understand it!" Natsume, upon hearing this, ignored them and then sat facing the wall and away from Mikan. "It's a different language!", Anna said. "Let me see! Let me see!", Hotaru asked. "It's written in a German Language! I didn't know Mikan would let her necklace carved in to this kind of language!", Hotaru concluded.

"It's german! Really! I can understand german! I wanna read it!", Aoi said joyfully as she caught her brother's attention but her brother doesn't show it. "It reads this way: 'Noch verliebt in den flamecaster..'. But in our language, it says that 'Still in love with the…' " Aoi paused as Natsume's eyes grew big (although, no one sees him). "With the what?!", Sumire demanded. "Spill it out Aoi!", requested Anna. "the… the…", Aoi continued. "The what?", Hotaru asked as Aoi walks through Natsume then said, "fla-me-cas-ter…" Natsume covered his eyes by his bangs as Aoi turns back to the others who are all silent. "Does this really mean Mikan is still in love with Natsume? You should be happy with that Natsume!", Mucho asked as he broke the silence. "Well, that's what the pendant says and that is WHAT the whole academy knows from the start!", Mr. Narumi said teasingly.

Everybody smiled as Natsume is still in his position. Then he thought, "From the start? Is that pendant true? If she's still in love with me, why did she suddenly leave me? I thought she's angry with me because of my teasing but neither Hotaru knows the reason why. There must be a reason for all of this."

"Do you think this necklace has something to do with the agreement between Persona and Mikan?", Yuu said. "Maybe it does.", Koko said. "But how are we supposed to know what the agreement really is, knowing that Persona is behind all of this?" Ruka asked.

Then suddenly, someone knocked on the door and said, "Narumi! I've been looking for you! Don't you know that I've searched for all the rooms in the academy! I was alarmed by the white light!" "Who is he, Mr. Narumi?", Hotaru asked. "He is my co-teacher. His name is Mr. Yamato.", Mr. Narumi answered. Mr. Yamato has a black hair wearing blue polo and black pants and has the same height as Mr. Narumi. "I saw the white light a while ago. Where did that come from? He or she has a very strong alice!", Mr. Yamato said. "It came from our friend, Mikan who is currently resting.", Anna answered. "She must've been very tired because of the release of that strong alice.", Mr. Yamato said. The others nodded in agreement. The teacher sat beside Mr. Narumi and said, "I see you have many wounds! The guy in black and wears many rings and jewels must've done this to you! Right?" Mr. Narumi smiled as Yuu asked, "How did you know that?" "Mr. Yamato has an alice to know what happened in the past.", Mr. Narumi said. "Really! Then we can use that to know what agreement happened between Persona and Mikan!", Aoi shouted. "Can we use your alice sir?", asked Ruka. "If that is the only way for you to know what really happened to your friend.", Mr. Yamato answered. When Mr. Yamato used his alice, he saw what happened from the very start – when Mikan was still an elementary student.

After a minute, he shook his head and said, "I already know what happened but I can't explain it! Mikan's alice is blocking it!" "Oh no! what do we do now?", Mucho asked. "Why is Mikan blocking it by her own alice?", Nonoko asked. "It only means that after a long time of not using her alice, she lost her control of it.", Mr. Narumi. "But how are going to know what Mr. Yamato saw?", Ruka asked. "I know! Use my invention!", Hotaru said. She takes out a hat with many cables connecting a mini projector and another wire that's to be connected in the outlet. She placed the hat into Mr. Yamato's head then arranged the mini projector. "When I said go, use your alice already. Ok?", Hotaru said as Mr. Yamato nodded in agreement.