Whee! Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!
I decided to write a new chapter for Manipulated, because this hasn't been updated that recently. XP
She lay unconscious on a king-sized bed, her wounds bandaged firmly, and the collar Persona had placed on her lay on the table next to her.
Natsume had brought the brunette to his room, took care of her wounds, and then snuck into Persona's room for the key to the collar. He would have burned it off instead, but that would have injured Mikan, since it was around her neck. When she was speaking to him outside, the shocks still hurt her, but she held on to get her message through.
The flame caster sat in a chair near the bed. He stared at the unconscious girl for a few moments, then stood up, until he felt Mikan's hand clasp over his own.
"Don't leave me…" She whispered.
Natsume sighed and sat back down.
Sunlight, desks, chairs, and everything a room would contain became visible as Mikan's eyes slowly opened.
"…Eh?"
She couldn't remember anything for a moment, then gasped and touched her lips. She sat up and looked around the room. She found Natsume sitting in a chair beside her, his head resting on the bed, as he held her hand. She smiled softly, and removed her hand.
"Thank you…Natsume…" She whispered.
She covered him with a blanket, then quietly crept out of the room.
It was then that she noticed that she didn't feel pain anywhere, despite her wounds from last night. She smiled once again when she saw that they had been bandaged.
A tear ran down her cheek, as her hand moved away from the doorknob, and she walked down the hall, towards her own room to change her clothes.
And then she would have to see Persona.
"…Uwah?"
Mikan looked at her surroundings frantically.
"When did I get here?" She wondered out loud.
Uwah, mou, I've never gotten lost going to Persona before…was I daydreaming too much? She thought.
Clink…clink…
"Hm?"
Mikan walked forwards and turned at a corner. It revealed a wall.
Normally, a person would have just turned back, but Mikan sensed something different.
She activated a super-strength Alice, and pushed the wall in a bit. She watched as the wall moved in even more, and then turned to reveal another pathway.
"…?"
Curiosity overcame the brunette, and she walked down the pathway, closing the wall behind her.
Several torched lit the hall, and she lifted on from its holder to light the way.
How…strange…it's so…almost…prison-like…
She kept walking until she turned the corner. Mikan glanced at her surroundings every now and then. The hall seemed to be leading deeper and deeper into the school. She finally came to some steps, which she followed down.
"…Who's there?" A feminine voice said from ahead.
Mikan gasped softly. She hadn't really though of people being down here.
"M-My name i-is Mikan…Mikan Sakura…who…who are you…?" She said softly. She didn't really know what to say or the fact if she should have spoken back at all. She continued to walk forward, more slowly this time.
"My…My name is Aoi…"
As Mikan came closer, the light from the torch revealed an extremely large cage. Inside the cage was a girl, who seemed to be the same age as herself, with shoulder-length, raven colored hair and crimson eyes, very much like Natsume.
…Why is there a girl down here? She looks a lot like Natsume…Mikan thought, as she neared the girl even more.
"Why…why are you down here…Sakura…san?" Aoi said. Her voice seemed a bit afraid and weak.
As the light of the torch flickered, she could make out that Aoi's eyes seemed milky.
"Ah…well…I…got lost…and…I got curious…?" Mikan replied, unsure of what to say.
Aoi smiled.
It was warm, but lonely.
"It's been a while since I've seen another girl…or anyone at all, to be precise."
Mikan stayed silent for a moment.
She…hasn't seen anyone? She's been kept here?
"Sakura-san? Are you there?" Aoi's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Ah…yes…?"
I'm right in front of her…but she…
"I'm sorry…" Aoi apologized. "I…I'm blind. Someone's Alice caused me to lose my eyesight."
"Ah…but…Aoi-chan…why are you being kept down here?"
"Mmm…I myself am not sure why…"
Mikan cocked her head to one side.
She started to fiddle with the lock that kept the cage closed.
"…Sakura-san? What are you doing…?"
"Call me Mikan." The brunette replied. She felt comfortable around this girl, like she could be herself.
"I'm…going to get you out of here."
She heard the other girl gasp.
After a few moments, she stopped playing with the lock, and activated her strength Alice, and bent the bars so the girl could just step out.
"Let's go…Aoi-chan." Mikan said warmly.
Aoi smiled as Mikan held her hand, and they both ran out of the hallway.
She's happy, ne? That girl.
After being kept down there for who knows how long…
She'll be happy to smell the fresh air outside…
I…I'm…I'm happy, too…
The third chain has been broken.
The feeling of making someone else happy…
The smile upon the other's face and the spreading smile upon your own…
Happiness.
The warmth of a new friend.
Mikan led the girl outside. In the morning sunlight, she could now see the girl clearly.
Raven hair that stopped at the shoulders, and milky, crimson eyes. She wore a beautiful kimono of spring colors, with a red rose in her hair.
Aoi laughed freely, spinning around, enjoying the feeling of being free. Mikan smiled also, and joined Aoi in her spinning happiness.
They both stopped after a while and stood still, breathing in the cold, crisp, morning air.
The smiled disappeared from both their faces after a while, though.
"…What should I do now?" Aoi said, sitting down, as Mikan did the same. They were back-to-back, so they could lean on each other.
"…Maybe I should tell Narumi-sensei…" Mikan suggested. "But then again, I wasn't supposed to go that way, so that could lead into trouble for Aoi-chan instead…"
"…"
The wind blew lightly, and the two girls enjoyed the breeze.
"Honestly what will become of me
don't like reality
It's way too clear to me…"
Aoi started to sing. Mikan recognized the song, and joined in.
"But really life is dandy
We are what we don't see
Missed everything daydreaming
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end?
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end?
Traveling I only stop at exits
Wondering if I'll stay
Young and restless
Living this way I stress less
I want to pull away when the dream dies
The pain sets it and I don't cry
I only feel gravity and I wonder why
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
come to an end come to an…
Why do all good things come to end?
Come to an end come to an…
Why do all good things come to an end?
Well the dogs were whistling a new tune
Barking at the new moon
Hoping it would come soon so that they could
Dogs were whistling a new tune
Barking at the new moon
Hoping it would come soon so that they could
Die die die die die…
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
come to an end come to an…
Why do all good things come to end?
Come to an end come to an…
Why do all good things come to an end?
Well the dogs were barking at a new moon
Whistling a new tune
Hoping it would come soon
And the dogs were barking at the new moon
Whistling a new tune
Hoping it would come soon so that they could die…"
Natsume, who had woken up and found Mikan missing, heard the song and recognized the voice. He ran outside, to find her singing with another girl.
He wasn't the only one to hear Mikan and Aoi's song, Hotaru, Ruka, Youichi, Narumi-sensei, and a couple others had also heard the beautiful duet.
"But really, Aoi-chan…" Mikan said. Natsume's eyes widened.
Both girls hadn't seen him yet.
"I don't know, Mikan-chan…" Aoi replied, picking at the grass.
"A…"
Both girl whipped their heads around, to see a shocked Natsume. He walked towards them."Aoi…?!"
Nobody said a word, until Aoi finally spoke.
"Who…Who are you…?"
Natsume stopped walking immediately. He looked hurt, but he also looked like he had been expecting it.
"Aoi-chan…you couldn't be…?"
"…Big…Brother…?" Aoi said quietly, feeling the flame-caster's face.
"It is…it's big brother…!" She hugged Natsume, as tears ran down both their faces.
Mikan smiled as she watched the scene.
So she was related to Natsume…
"Umm…sorry to break the happy reunion here…" a man's voice came. Mikan and Natsume looked around to see Narumi, smiling nervously.
"Can everyone come to the faculty room?"
"WHAT?!" Natsume shouted.
"Just because the Headmaster thought that Aoi's Alice was dangerous, he locked her up?!"
Narumi nodded gravely.
"But it turns out that her Alice was something completely different. He didn't believe it, though, so he kept her locked up. By the way, Aoi should get sent to the Hospital so she can get her eyesight fixed."
"Ummm…" Mikan said shyly.
"But what is Aoi-chan's Alice, anyway?"
Narumi smiled.
"Her Alice is the ability to control the abilities of the sun. She can't control the sun entirely, but she can use its light to make plants grow or wither, and the like. The headmaster thought that her Alice was the ability to control the sun completely. But she should go for tests at the hospital to prove to the headmaster that she's not dangerous, so she can attend the academy."
Aoi nodded.
"I'll be able to go to the same school as Mikan-chan and Onii-chan?" She said.
Narumi smiled. "Yes…and the doctors at the hospital should be able to cure your sight problem."
Aoi smiled, a pure, bright smile, and hugged Mikan.
"Thank you, Mikan-chan! It's because you found me…!"
Mikan smiled too, and as she glanced at Natusme, she saw him smiling also.
Aren't you glad?
I am!
Aren't you happy?
I…I am!
Do you have enough courage…do beak away?
I don't.
But I'm sure, that one day, I might.
Aoi-chan has made me realize…that being locked up like a bird…
I should try to be free…
But for now…I'll have to wait…
But as another result, the fourth chain has broken.
Just being happy, just making other people happy, the feeling can be overwhelming.
But when you're truly happy, your feeling cannot be expressed in words.
The fourth chain has been broken due to the same happiness when Aoi was freed.
The immense happiness…
Somewhere…
"Yuka." The red-haired man said.
"Yes, Master Reo?"
"It's time to pay a visit."
"To where, may I ask?"
The red-haired man, Reo, smirked.
"To Alice Academy."
BLAHHHHHH!
X.X
That seriously took forever to write. X.X
My eyes hurt like hell from staring at the computer so long...
The song Aoi and Mikan were singing was "All Good Things Come to an End" by Nelly Furtado. It's a very good song. I'm not sure if that fit into the scene, but…it's one of those time where even if it doesn't fit, I just had to put it in. I actually don't get the whole meaning of the song, because there's many clever things hidden in the song and the PV, but…yeah.
Anyway
The whole Aoi-cage scene was in the actual manga. The conversation though, was made by me. Aoi actually doesn't have an Alice, and she was actually being kept there by Persona, who was giving her a remedy for her eyes. At least, that's what the manga summaries by Choco Vanilla said. I'm not entirely sure about why she was being kept there by him…but I know very little about Aoi. I really like her though…she's a good character, even if she's not a big one. If anyone knows the full story about Aoi, feel free to send me a message or include it in your review. If you have any questions, please feel free to do the same, since I'm probably forgetting things I wanted to say.
BTW, this chapter was really long...at least to me. Or maybe because of the song...X.X
I seriously have to get off the computer now. Staring at the computer for about three hours straight is not good for my eyes.
Ja…
Please review…
…
X.X