Your Typical New Kid
by
Stars of Gold
Chapter 9: Saved
"That's more like it," Taiki commented, nodding at the trap in front of them. "Tranquilizer darts ready to shoot out of every direction. Motion sensitive. Clever." Natsume rolled his eyes. "Come on, be serious." Taiki nodded. "Yes, sir." Natsume sighed. "I'll do this trap. You got to beat up the spider." Taiki shrugged. "Fine by me."
Natsume snapped his fingers, and, at once, all the motion detectors were set on fire. After a few moments, they'd been melted completely. "Simple." He said, walking through the now harmless trap. Taiki followed, raising an eyebrow.
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"…How long do you think it takes till the toxin takes effect?" Mikan asked glumly.
"I don't know! It could be an hour, it could be seven years! I – don't – know!" Emi cried, throwing her hands up in the air exasperatedly.
"Well, in any case, I'm sure the Academy has something that can cure me." She said confidently. "I hope so…" Emi sighed. "I really hope so…"
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Taiki raised an eyebrow as chocolate began pouring in from beside them. "Chocolate? Must've been the idea of a younger member." He mused, stroking his chin as Natsume attempted to wade through the thick goo. "Drowning in chocolate would be the best way to go, to a kid, of course." Natsume made an annoyed noise in his throat.
"Inoue! I don't care who thought it up! Just get us out of here!" Taiki grinned sheepishly, calling over two small vines from a nearby tree. As the vines wrapped around their waists and hoisted them out, Natsume tried to calm himself down. When I say 'tried', I mean he half-succeeded, before remembering that he was only in this situation because Mikan was trapped, therefore flustering him further. By the time they were out and over the little chocolate puddle, he was even more frustrated than he was before.
"Calm down, Hyuuga. They're close." Taiki whispered as the helpful vine returned to its tree. "How do you know?"
"I hear Emi's voice." He said, listening closely. "Mikan-chan!" A voice said from above them. "Polka Dots." Natsume muttered worriedly. "They're directly above us." They looked up; and saw lots and lots of motion detectors. Taiki whistled softly. "Whoa. They're sure determined." Natsume growled. "Damn it. Heat sensors. I can't burn it." Taiki narrowed his eyes. "Then we'll have to find a place that leads up."
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"Mikan-chan, how long do you think – Mikan-chan!" Mikan had collapsed onto the cold floor with a loud thud. "Mikan-chan…" Emi checked her over, and sighed in relief when she found that her friend was perfectly fine, other than the fact that she had fainted. "Crap." She muttered as she searched the room for exits. "Damn. There's no…" She trailed off as she spotted a hole, covered up by unstable boards, in the floor. "…exits…" She dragged Mikan over to it, and began to stamp wildly and jump about. "Stupid floorboards," She panted. "Why won't it bre – AHHH!" She'd fallen through the hole.
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Taiki and Natsume ran along the corridor, searching everywhere for a stairway. Suddenly, they heard a loud stamping noise from above them. "What's that noise…?" Natsume muttered. Taiki shrugged. "Must be some AAO training thingy or something."
"OOF!" They chorused as Emi and Mikan fell through the ceiling and landed on them with a loud thud. "Ooh, thanks, Taiki, you've cushioned my fall," Emi said cheerfully, sitting on Taiki's stomach. "As much as I've fantasized about a pretty girl straddling me, I don't think now's an appropriate time…" He joked, panting slightly. Emi rolled her eyes but got off of the poor boy. Natsume was already up, checking Mikan's pulse. He let out a relieved breath as he felt her pulse, strong and steady – at the moment. "Thank God," He whispered, scooping her up in his arms.
"Come on," He said harshly. "Let's go before - " Reo stepped from the shadows and blocked their path. "- The AAO figures out we're here." He finished, sighing. "This just keeps getting more and more annoying."
"Well, well, well," Reo said, grinning evilly. "I admire your skill. However, Emi, how did you manage to get past the heat detectors when you fell?" Emi narrowed her eyes. "It's none of your business." She growled, anger coming off her in waves. Reo's lips twitched in amusement. "Oh well, it doesn't matter, really. No Mikan to nullify my attack, and no Narumi to protect you. Whatever will you do?" He asked teasingly as he began to fiddle with his earring. Emi spat out a few choice words she'd learned from Taiki. Reo shook his head, sighing.
"It seems that you know a few more foul words. Such a pity; you're such a pretty girl, I might've kept you for my own." Taiki clenched his hands into fists and growled. "I'm sure that that would tear you apart, now wouldn't it?" He asked, a malicious smirk forming on his face as he sneered and fingered Taiki's face. Emi snarled.
Natsume took the opportunity to launch a fireball at the smirking villian. The fireball hit him in the back, causing him to scream in pain. Emi immediately coated him in ice, with the exception of the burning crater in his back. For good measure, Taiki wrapped his frozen and half-burnt body in vines. "Okay, now let's move! I'm sure that other AAO members have been alerted by now." Natsume snapped, running down the hall.
People filed out into the hallway, attempting to block their way. Natsume practically grilled the people in front of him, and Emi froze them as she made her way past. Those that either of them missed, Taiki strangled with a barrage of vines. They were a killing spree, but Natsume and Taiki knew that these people had killed so many in 'accidental' mishaps, like blizzards, tsunamis and fires. Emi didn't know about this, but her friend was suffering, and she recognized a few faces. They'd killed…my…brother and sister…She thought angrily, turning them into icy statues, then spin-kicked their heads off. And she didn't even cringe.
Taiki had just gotten a brilliant idea. "Hyuuga! Emi!" Both turned, and, creating a small ball of ice around them, with an outer layer of fire, they listened to his plan.
When they finally emerged, three icy disks formed below their feet. Emi took a deep breath, then, grasping Taiki's hand, iced a path on which they slid. Natsume brought up the rear, and they slid all the way out of the AAO (Natsume and Emi burned and froze the electricity field's generators on the way out) and off they went, all the way back to Alice Academy.
As they reached the school gate, Emi, who had been struggling, had finally passed out, and all four of them fell straight from the sky and tumbled onto the ground. As Natsume alerted the school, and had them open the gates, Taiki picked Emi up and staggered, alongside Natsume, into the gates.
Unfortunately for them, it was already morning, and students were milling about, when the gates opened and the two walked in tiredly. Anna, Nonoko, Hotaru and Ruka happened to be sitting near the gate, under the shade of a tree, talking. When they saw Natsume and Taiki, who looked like they were about to faint, they immediately rushed over.
"Imai," Natsume said, looking worried. "Mikan was poisoned." A "WHAT?" sounded in unison. "Bring her to the hospital; I can't carry her anymore." He said, falling to his knees. Anna and Nonoko immediately picked Mikan up and carted her off to the school hospital. Taiki shook his head and whistled. His familiar, along with Emi's familiars came rushing.
"Master!" They yelled in unison. "Michiyo and Takumi are sorry, masters. A familiar may not help humans in that place. It is a place of evil, and there is a spell, a spell that forbids familiars to go in. We apologize." He gave a weak smile. "Apology accepted. I know that you cannot heal, am I right? 'Cause it's blazing hot. It's okay. I'll just go up to the school hospital." He smiled tiredly. "Go back to your sleep-cycle; we'll be fine." They nodded reluctantly and walked away.
Taking a deep breath, he turned to Natsume. "Can you walk?" Natsume gave a small nod. "I…I think so…" He attmpted to stand, but he failed miserably and fell back down. "I refuse to be carried." He said stubbornly. "Too bad, Hyuuga, your ankle is swollen." Taiki pointed out. "My guess, it's broken. You can't walk anymore, Hyuuga. Ruka-kun and Hotaru-san are going to help you, okay? I've to bring Emi there too."
Two hours later, all four teenagers were fast asleep. Mikan had been given several antidotes before they got the right one, but she was now recovering, sleeping in the hospital. Natsume, Taiki and Emi were sleeping in their own beds. Word had spread around campus about the two boys walking onto school grounds with the two girls in their arms. Various versions had already spread.
One was that Taiki and Natsume, bloodied, had limped in, the two girls sporting severe wounds, both unconscious.
A second was that all four had heroically strode in, tired but triumphant. But then, the girls, who had used too much energy, collapsed, and the boys scooped them up into their arms.
But the third was the most dramatic, and, of course, the most believed.
Witnesses claim that AAO members were shooting projectiles at them, even as they ran into the school gates. One claimed that he'd heard a grenade go off, even, but when the gates closed, no one could get in, nor could any missile of any kind, and there we are, Alice Academy had triumphed once again.
Life is gonna get harder for them from here. Just a sneak peek, by the way, I'm planning to end this story on the dance. You know, the one they have at the end of the Alice Festival? What's it called again? -walks away scratching head in confusion-
Reviews highly appreciated.
Stars of Gold