Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice is owned by Tachibana Higuchi.

Author's Notes: The beginning is my favorite part, and the rest kind of makes me wince. Oh, well. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Voices

"Life calls the tune, we dance." ― John Galsworthy

Mikan liked staring outside her window.

She really couldn't see anything other than the sky, because the window was placed high upon the wall, the thick bars on it blocking almost everything. But if she moved her head slowly, from side to side, she could piece together the clouds, the stars, the sun.

Mikan knew there were trees; sometimes she could hear animals scampering across the leaves, chirping and twittering and chittering. It didn't mean she could see them. Weren't trees supposed to tower high, to reach towards the sky with their branches? Her window wasn't that high, so why couldn't she see at least the tops of the trees? Mikan didn't know, and when she was truly bored this was something she mused on.

Occasionally, Mikan could spot a bird or two swooping across the sky, their trills happy and free. But in all of the years Mikan had been inside her empty room, nothing ever came close. She used to think that maybe an insect would buzz in, at least, but it never happened.

Fidgeting slightly on her bed, Mikan watched dust motes lazily swirl in a shaft of warm sunlight. The sky outside was a pretty blue, the first streaks of yellow slowly making themselves known. She couldn't hear any animals outside, and the leaves weren't rustling. Everything was silent, which was always a bad thing. Silence made her mind wander, made her wonder about things.

Like who she was. Who her parents were. Why she was even here, and how she could know so much without ever being taught.

Mikan sighed; she didn't want to think anymore. There was nothing to think about, she told herself, because everything was always the same. Nothing changed. Nothing ever changed. She clenched her fists on her bed, scrunching up the sheets.

She wished she had a clock. At least it would go tick, tock, tick. It would have sounded like a metronome. If she had a clock, she would end up humming along, singing along. Her gaze strayed to her left.

Her instruments were propped up against the wall, ready to make sound, but Mikan was so restless she was afraid she would break them, just for something new to do.

The silence rang in her ears. Mikan had the abrupt urge to sing, dance, scream. To stop the silence before the questions killed her. She was about to stand up when the uneven sound of thump, thud, thump reached her ears.

Something outside cracked, suddenly, and the leaves rustled loudly, as if a large animal had just burst through the trees and had snapped a branch. There was heavy panting, which didn't sound entirely like a wild dog, or any other panting animal. Mikan furrowed her eyebrows.

Snickers went in the air. Mikan froze, listening to the entirely too human, too alien sound. The snickers morphed into full out laughter, until someone gasped out, "I think, I think we're in shock."

Mikan fell off her bed.

There was a beat of silence, and then another voice hissed, "What was that?"

"We should go. Come on."

"Wait, Natsume. This looks like a house."

"It looks like a prison," one voice said flatly.

"...There might be someone in there. They could have water."

"Knock it out, Ruka. Nobody would live in a place like that."

"Still..."

Mikan blinked rapidly, and rubbed her face. It felt slack. Was she hallucinating? Had she been so bored she'd descended into madness? No one had ever come near her room. She hadn't thought anyone ever would.

"Hello. Is anyone in there?"

Mikan jumped back, eyes wide, as someone knocked on the wall beneath her window. She took a deep breath and shakily went closer to the window. "Hello?"

"There's nobody there."

"Hello," Mikan said a little louder.

"Maybe they're... Maybe they're in the bath."

Mikan frowned. "Hello?"

"I don't care, we have to hurry."

"Hey!" Mikan cupped her hands and shouted, irritated. Why were they ignoring her? Was it on purpose? Did she do something wrong? The sudden silence that ensued pounded at her ears. Maybe she did do something wrong. "Um..."

"Do you have water?"

"And bread," Mikan blurted. Her stomach lurched, but it was pleasant, in a way; she was actually talking to someone else. "Just— Just wait a second." She dove under her covers and shut her eyes to sleep.

"It's been thirty minutes."

"She said to wait. Don't go, Natsume—"

"It's been thirty minutes."

"Boost me up, then."

Natsume narrowed his eyes at his companion. "Ruka," he said, annoyed. "Let's just go."

Ruka just stared at him expectantly. "I'm thirsty."

"Or maybe she died."

"Natsume!"

Natsume glared. The back of the castle which they had escaped from had been fifteen minutes away from the edge of the forest. "The guards are probably entering the forest again. With the bloodhounds, this time."

"And I need you to boost me up," Ruka said, raising a blonde eyebrow. "I can't just call one of the giant hawks to bring me up, can I? That would give us away."

Natsume chose to continue glaring at him, although he put his hands in front of him as a step Ruka could use to lift himself up onto Natsume's shoulders. Ruka bit down a smile as he took the offered help.

Inside the room, Mikan's eyes popped open when she heard an alarming shout. She jerked up from under her blankets, swaying a bit. "Wha..?" she grumbled. She had never been woken up by anyone before. That annoyed her to the extreme, and it seemed to annoy another person too.

"Ruka... What the hell?"

"She was asleep!"

"What?"

Mikan looked around. She spotted a flash of blonde hair near her window before she heard a thump on the ground outside. "Well, she's awake now..."

Mikan's eyes flitted to the middle of her room. She smiled. The food and water! "Excuse me... I have the food ready!" she sang a bit nervously and grabbed the tray.

"Oh... Natsume, give me a boost again, please?" the boy said. Grunts followed the request and an eager face popped up at the window.

Mikan looked up. She couldn't really see him; he was too high up. "Um... How do I get it up to you?"

The boy frowned slightly. He looked at the tray. "Throw the bread up." She nodded, and did what she was told. He caught it, a little surprised at her strength to throw it all the way. "Thanks." He disappeared for a moment, and came back up. "Why aren't there doors?"

He almost laughed. Even though he was curious, he wasn't used to asking such questions to anyone but Natsume. What exactly was happening to him?

It was Mikan's turn to frown slightly. "Doors?" she echoed, an image of a swinging rectangular exit coming to her mind. "I— I don't have one."

On the other side of the wall, being stepped on by Ruka, Natsume scowled. Ruka was eerily showing his real personality to that— that stranger. Just to get a stupid loaf of bread that would probably get them thirstier. And now they're talking aboutdoors...

He angrily bit into half of the bread Ruka had given him, swallowing it. Immediately, his shoulders relaxed and his sore limbs felt at their prime. He unconsciously let out a gratified breath of air. He blinked, staring at the bread in his hand. "Ruka..." he said.

Ruka kept talking, trying to think of ways with the girl to get the water up.

"Ruka," Natsume said louder.

"What?" Ruka glanced down. He blinked, a little confused.

Natsume looked countless times better. The determined light in his scarlet eyes was brighter, and he looked rested and ready to go. "We have to get going."

Ruka chose to ignore his statement, opting instead to stare at him. "You look better. What happened?"

The only reply he got was a piece of half-eaten bread thrown at his face.

He caught it before it fell. "Natsume?"

Natsume eyed the bread. "I have a hunch that the bread made my health enhance. Now eat it and let's carry on."

"Right now?" Ruka frowned, looking at him. "We have to get her out."

Natsume widened his eyes in disbelief. "What?"

"She has no way to get out. There aren't any doors. We can't just leave her."

"That's suspicious. Why would she be in there in the first place?" Natsume scowled, wondering why Ruka even cared. "She's lying, whatever she said."

Ruka spoke to the girl again. "Eh? Do you remember how long you've been here?"

Natsume could hear a muffled voice squeak an answer at Ruka. "No..."

Natsume slit his eyes. Hmph.

"Oh... Okay, do you have any idea how to get out of here?"

Again, the answer was no.

Ruka looked at Natsume pleadingly.

Natsume looked back at him dubiously. "What do you want me to do?" he scoffed.

Ruka opened his mouth to answer, but his expression, suddenly, went blank as if it had been wiped clean. "I'm going to get off your shoulders now..." he said.

Natsume raised his eyebrows at him, but gladly held still as Ruka clambered off of him.

Once down, Ruka grabbed his head and started pacing. He glanced every then and again at Natsume, at the window. He was frowning. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Natsume echoed.

Ruka nodded, grim.

Inside the room, they heard the girl ask what was going on.

Ruka jumped back a bit. Then he turned his gaze back on his friend. "I suddenly... I don't know... got friendly with her." He looked at Natsume in blue-eyed bewilderment.

Natsume stared back. "You... couldn't control your friendliness," he stated carefully.

Ruka nodded, feeling rather stupid and confused. "Yeah."

Natsume shook his head. "Whatever. Get her out of there."

"But, we have to..." Ruka trailed off as he saw Natsume's firm gaze.

"You told her you'd get her out."

Ruka started to say something, but stopped. He smiled instead. "You're soft, you know?" Before his best friend could retort, Ruka demanded him to let him stand on his shoulders again. "Just a few more times," he said with a small smile.