Chapter Three

The Meeting

"How do you do, gentlemen...Natsume-kun?" Luna whispered. "I knew you'd come here..."

"It's none of your business moon-girl," muttered Natsume, his eyes were piercing even in the dark, though his voice was so

low, it seemed to echo. It was full of hatred and disgust.

"Tsk...Tsk... tsk..." Luna smirked scornfully. "Little Natsume has burned down the whole school...such a tragedy..."

My heart nearly pumped off my chest as she said those horrible words. Natsume merely glared with contempt.

"Oh!" Luna said, grinning despicably. "Isn't it Natsume's faithful apprentice, Ruka...helping his master burn down the whole school and murder the whole of Alice academy, all sections at the same time, eh'!"

"Shut your mouth, Crescent!" Natsume sneered. "I didn't burn the school so buzz off."

"You're the one to talk, with such a beautiful Alice I would love to take as my own!" Luna said. "Humph...Even if it would cause me my life..." she added, grinning. "Oh dear! I forgot, my Alice sucks the life out of me too (he...he...he...)!"

I wondered what she meant by this, her eyes seemed so beautiful but disdainful. It was the sort of thing that was too beautiful to lay your eyes on because of its black beauty.

"I'll be glad to throw it away, if only it were that simple," Natsume said scornfully. He looked at Luna with much contempt and disgust.

"Such a shame, I had no idea you didn't want your beautiful Alice of destruction. Perhaps one day we might trade." Luna sneered.

I felt so useless; I was standing there in the middle of their awkward conversation, frozen.

"Trade it with you?" Natsume grunted. "Over my dead body, I'd rather die than do that."

The tension was so immense that my lips couldn't move. Anything could have happened at this point, a trap may have been set for us. May be Persona had planned it all along. I was more worried to what might happen to Natsume than to me. Our attempt to escape had backfired as Luna and Natsume continued to stall.

"Darn it!" I thought. Would she dare try to suck the soul out of natsume and I? This was a bad thing.



Natsume raised his arm, there was a flash, and the room was soon engulfed in light.

At hospital's doctor's meeting room, now turned into a teachers meeting room:

"Narumi, what have you to say about this horrid situation!" Jinno-sensei bellowed. His eyes were piercing.

All the teachers, including Sakurano and the principals of Alice Academy were gathered in front of a rounded table. They sat according to value of the person's position. Narumi sat at the middle.

"To think about the state we're in is completely absurd! ABSURD I TELL YOU!" Jinno-sensei roared. The whole room seemed to shake a little.

"We couldn't even do a thing to prevent the fire," Noda- sensei said, very thoughtfully. "I have tried many times to go back into time, but I've gotten the same result in each try!"

"What happened then?" Misaki- sensei asked, looking taken aback. "You mean ... the fire was unstoppable?"

"You know what this means, do you!" Jinno sensei Shouted. "Hello-Kitty has done it again..."

"Incongruous!" Shouted Makihara. "Why would he try to put his friends in danger? My knowledge about him is very petite, but I know he values the safety and security of his dear friends."

"Perhaps, but you do know he can lose control and when he loses control, he is very dangerous!" Serina Yamada reasoned, as she patted her crystal ball.

"So what have you to say about it?" retorted Makihara. "What have you seen through your crystal ball, then, Mrs. Witch?"

"Please, everybody, we are acting like children fighting over candy!" spluttered Narumi, looking a little wretched. "We will resolve this problem in a calm manner."

"Calm! CALM?" bellowed Jinno- sensei, his eyes looked like they were about to bulge. "Haven't you noticed that almost the WHOLE of Alice Academy has fallen?"

"If-if I may...," Fukutan- sensei began, timidly. All this time he felt like he was excluded from the conversation. "I have received word that a few of our students from the elementary school division...has...has gone missing and-"



"Great!" muttered Makihara, "another problem would make the situation calmer, won't it!"

"You use unnecessary words, Makihara-san, let the man continue...," Hī-sama gestured.

Makihara- sensei looked slightly embarrassed but also angry.

"Well, you see...," continued Fukutan- sensei. "They're all girls, besides Hyuuga and Nogi, Koizumi Luna, Shoda Sumirei, and Sakura Mikan, have gone missing...they might still be in the hospital grounds but-"

"Mikan Sakura?" exclaimed Narumi, "but I saw her!"

"Yes sir, but...," Fukutan said, shaking a little. "You see, err...she kind of went off to find Hyuuga and Nogi..."

"This is bad; make sure that no one gets out the hospital grounds!" Hi-sama ordered. "I want Sono to be protected too: his in a very delicate stage at the moment, everyone must be protected, Alice Academy is weak at the moment and the 'Zeros' might strike. Who knows this is the work of 'That person!'"

Narumi seemed to twitch by those words.

"Fukutan!" exclaimed hi-sama.

"Yes sir!?" Fukutan replied, tentatively.

"Anyone else missing or hurt?"

"Well... Sakurano Shūichi, his being treated at the moment, for some reason, he couldn't escape the fire with his instant teleportation Alice; doctors told me it was because he was weak and his body is badly burnt now, luckily one of our High school division rescued him on time," answered Fukutan.

"Who did?" Hi-sama asked.

"Imai Subaru, sir..."

Hi-sama nodded as if he were contemplating something. Then he asked:

"Ok, anymore news?"

"Well...there are a few anonymous people who have been burnt badly, but I'm afraid Persona- sensei's explanation for being absent for the meeting is because Ibaragi Nobara, the Ice Princess is being operated, she has burned her back quite badly and Persona agreed to helping out. I have no idea whether this piece of information is true but the doctors were the ones whom informed me."



Hi-sama sighed. All the teachers exchanged worried glances.

"Poor girl...," Hi-sama quietly said. "OK then, I will adjourn this meeting now, everyone, Faculty members should help through this horrible calamity and try to save as much lives as possible. We will need to send the students back to their homes for a while, considering the fact that Alice Academy needs to be rebuilt and I will not, by all means possible, close the school by this upheaval."

Everyone gasped.

"Sir!" exclaimed Narumi. "For all we know, they might runaway while we send them back!"

"True, some really hate the academy and they might make a run for it!" Serina Yamada said.

"What do you suppose we should do then?" Hi-sama asked, gallantly.

"I suggest we shelter them somewhere, the parents need not know this for they will surely put up a fight," Makihara suggested.

"Very well planned Makihara-san, but have you ever considered the price we would pay for over, maybe six thousand children, including ourselves?"

Makihara sighed, then Serina Yamada stood up and said:

"I suggest we send the children home and put on surveillance each home, that way we could make sure none of them flee."

"Yes!" Makihara said, sarcastically. "And what would we do when they find out, putting on takes time you know, they might wonder what we would be doing!" Serina shot Makihara a look of annoyance and she stifled and continued to rub her crystal ball.

"I think we should shelter the most important students of Alice Academy and send home the ones we don't think could be threats to the Academy's reputation and secret." Narumi recommended.

"Everyone raise your hands if you think this is a good idea." Hi-sama stated.

The conversation went on and on until everyone finally agreed to Narumi's idea. And so, it was decided. Sakura Mikan would be sent home, with an exception, Imai Hotaru would follow her to keep an eye over her and Yuu Tobita would be sent to a

special shelter along with Shoda Sumirei, Koizumi Luna, Nonoko Ogasawara, Anna Umenomiya, Wakako Usami, Hoshio

Hoshino, Mochiage-kun, and a few others until Alice Academy was reconstructed. Till then, teachers began to search for

Hyuuga Natsume and Nogi Ruka and Sakura Mikan, Shoda Sumirei, and Koizumi Luna.