Chapter One:
An Unexpected Encounter
oSoSoSoSoSoSo
Upon passing the first admission ceremony I, Mikan Sakura am now nearly a student of the Elite Alice Academy.
However, to be fully admitted, I understand that I have to abide with certain rules of this school, and that is... before I am to be considered a full Elitean, I am bound to pay my respects and grant the wish of each of the sons of the school's twelve lords, ...and a single distaste of even just one of the twelve, entails me to drop my application and be dismissed from Elite Alice Academy in eternity.
...
...
...
I understand the need of complying with the respectful school's requirements; therefore I am affixing my signature as a sign of consenting to EVERYTHING written on this slip.
oSoSoSoSoSoSo
---
"Dr. Hatori Sohma," Mikan slowly whispered to herself as a tall and lean man entered swiftly in the room.
"On behalf of the principal, I welcome you to the Academy, Miss Sakura," the bespectacled man named Hatori said with a flick of formality, "I am here to deliver this instruction slip to you. It'll explain the mechanics of the school's initiation."
"Wha? EH? I-initiation?"
He gave a quick nod as he handed the slip to the blank faced Mikan.
"B-but nobody in the admission said anything about an initiation-"
"Listen for I shall make this fast. At the end of the slip is a space for your mark. You are advised to read that slip to the very end before affixing your signature. Once you have agreed to all of the conditions, the initiation shall formally begin," he paused to glance at the drooling Mikan, "Excuse me, Miss?"
Mikan sat with a thunderstruck look on her face as she scanned the contents of the parchment. How could her grandfather put her into such school where an initiation of slavery has to be involved before she could officially be admitted? Bizarre thoughts whizzed in the little brunette's mind as worldly thoughts lurked wildly in her nut head.,"What would I do if they'd dare me to do something I couldn't do? Then I'd be deported back to Japan," Ruka's disapproving face flashed in her mind's eye, "That clever grandpa! He could've told me about this test!"
"Don't worry Ruka I shall become a woman no matter what and I shall never let this initiation ruin our marriage!!!" It was too late when Mikan realized she had screamed her last thoughts. Worst, she found herself atop her desk, her hand fixed with a "fight on" sign.
The dark haired teacher coughed and continued as Mikan scrambled off her seat, "The results of this initiation will be forwarded to the student body, who shall decide which class you are to belong. The sooner you get done with the task, the better classes and schedules you get"
Mikan glanced down at the scripted statements and had a sweat-drop when the shoe mark at the side of the paper reminded her of how absent-mindedly she yelled her battle cry and how unlady-like she had acted in front of a teacher. "Ruka," she thought as she picked up a pen and gently wrote..
_______Mikan Sakura__________
---
Mikan danced dreamily as the scene of her usual hobby of running along the fields with Ruka flashed in her mind. Sighing, she glanced at the copy of the contract on her hands.
"After a year, I shall be marveling at my signature, in our marriage contract..." Mikan blusehd at her silly thought as she twirled herself again along the corridor. Unfortunately, her dreamy thoughts were disturbed.
"Each prince will be perfectly recognized since the corridors may contain pictures of them. However, sham photos might confuse you. Piece of advice, each true prince has a tattoo of the school's seal found anywhere in his body. You'll only be able to attend class once you finished to the very last prince. You might as well start now." Coldly, the dark haired teacher(who didn't even formally introduce himself to her) left the room and closed the door behind him. "Godspeed." she heard him from the other side, followed by light footsteps.
"Like what you see?"
The low but husky voice woke the little brunette from her trance... after a few blinks; the image of reality slowly cleared and in her dim vision, she was face to face with a silvery haired boy who happened to be...
NAKED.
"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Mikan screamed to the top of her lungs as she lounged herself to scurry the opposite way, "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry---" but an image made her halt and dart her eyes down at his chiseled abs.
"D-d-dra," she stuttered with wide eyes.
"Go on, say it. Taylor Lautner's got nothing to say when he sees these babies. And I'm just sixteen, a year earlier huh," he stated matter of factly as he crossed his arms before his chest, as if he was used to getting scrutinized without clothes on.
"Eh?" the ever slow and idiotic Mikan (who got occupied by the black tattoo covering the skin around his navel) looked up at him and the smirk on his face made her recall the situation they were in, and again... she screamed.
---
"My Lord Grizzly, the Great Lion has arrived," Alfred stated with a slight slant of his body.
The old man, Mikan's grandfather, slowly rose from his bed and attempted to fix himself, but the guest had already welcomed himself in even before Alfred could attend to him.
"Kyouta, my dearest friend," the guest, also an old man of his late fifties, swiftly entered with a cane. The head of his cane shined with a golden lion, threatening to break free.
"Takishiro, my best friend, I have-" his sarcasm was cut by low and heavy coughs.
"My, my... you've grown quite old," The tall man sat comfortably on the sofa, shifted the weight on his cane and glanced back at the man who didn't bother vacate his bed "And quite broke, too. You haven't sent for any physician for some time. You should change your pseudonym to Meager Dog."
"I still vie you for Grand Hog. You never cease to meddle with other people's records."
The Great Lion chuckled at his friend's retort, "Not records, Lord Grizzly, but... you can't deny there are talks-"
"What brings you here?"
The interrupted man smirked, "Well let's cut to the chase. The gloomy silence of the manor tells me your little cherry blossom isn't around? You have quite responded fast to my letter, Kyouta."
"That is not cutting to the chase, Takishiro," the atmosphere between them changed a bit as Kyouta showed a grim expression, "Of everything else I have, why my granddaughter? That-is being direct."
---
:"I'm very sorry I didn't mean to see your-no, I don't mean I saw it, but well... I didn't know I had strayed into the boy's dormitory, oh but really meant to go here-no-I didn't ... well yes but that was so I can see the twelve princes and you just happened to be one of them, and I saw the dragon tattoo seal of the school and oh but first I didn't really intend to bust in the locker roomfff-!" Mikan was babbling her thoughts loudly that the "already-clothed" boy silenced her with his forefinger.
"Noisy!" he said shortly, leaned back on the sofa and turned on the flat screen TV with an expensive looking remote, "I get it, you're new here and you're under the test of finding us princes."
"Eh?"
"Hn?" he mumbled, a howalon fluff between his lips. He wasn't even looking at her.
"You're not mad?"
"I am so I won't be sharing howalons."
Mikan sat at the sofa in awe and in silence. This man was unbelievable. She had obviously just committed a mortal sin by seeing him naked, but here he was, munching a cookie and was lazily watching cartoons. And not sharing howalons was her only punishment?
"Just that? You aren't going to report me or something?"
"Are you asking me for punishment after you saw me naked?" He asked back, now looking at her.
She slowly nodded, "You must be restraining yourself since I'm a lady and you're trying to show respect. Ruka said the true way to respect a lady in cases like this is to give her punishment if she does something incorrect. That way it would be fair."
"Fine," he locked his eyes with hers and turned the TV off with the remote, "Let's take your clothes off shall we?"
In a second, he was on top of her, reaching for her first button, but Mikan hurriedly blocked his hand, "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Respecting your rights to proper punishment," he dodged her hand and made another grab which Mikan had successfully blocked again.
"This is not what I meant!"
"Well, I'm just merging what your Ruka said with what Natsume said. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You saw mine? Then show me yours."
"What? No, no way. And who's Natsume?"
"Then who's Ruka?"
Ruka's face quickly flashed in Mikan's mind. Her poor Ruka, waiting selflessly and faithfully for her. Her dreams would be shattered from this moment and she wouldn't have the face to look at him when she goes back home. Oh she couldn't bare think of how he'd react when he finds...
"The hell, Youichi," A stray nonchalant voice echoed the room, "What's so noisy?"
"Yo, Natsume," Youichi answered with both arms resting between Mikan's head, "Just teasing some girl. Hey are those howalons for me?"
It was just then when the raven haired boy noticed a figure lying limply on the sofa his roommate had just vacated, "Oh yeah? Teased her so much she fainted?"
From the door, he couldn't really see anything but the pillows, but once he took a few steps in, what he noticed made his head fume a little, "How many times should I tell you to stay away from..."
"Brunettes?" Youichi finished when his companion's voice trailed off. Oh, he was already uncovering the box of howalons, "Hey? Why're you suddenly so silent?"
Natsume froze along his tracks for a moment for he couldn't believe his eyes as they travelled along the girl's auburn locks, but when he recalled Youichi's presence, he tried to fix out his stoic face as he towered above her.
From the single sofa across him, Youichi noticed his closeness and suddenly stopped from gobbling his treat, "Oi, not too close."
Natsume grunted, "What's her name?"
"Come to think of it, I haven't asked her, yet." Funny how he asked about some girl's name. Could he be that obsessed with brunettes? Youichi thought.
"I'll shower first," Youichi said playfully after he shrugged the previous thought, "In case she wakes up, don't you dare make a move. Hyuuga, Natsume. That one's mine."
Natsume's head snapped back at him, but he was gone. Slowly, he paced to his desk at the far end of the huge room and quickly searched for something, "How?" he thought, "Why?"
His rummaging hands slowed down when he found his six-year-old wallet... little by little, he opened it and glanced down at a very old picture of three people, "Why are you here?"
Mikan.
Hello there, I hope this chapter is long enough to draw in some curious people out there... Sorry if Natsume came in a little late.
