A/N: This chapter took a while to write and I feel like 4,000 words is pretty long, but I hope you all enjoy :)

Everyone cheered as Natsume, Ruka, and Sumiere walked into the main hall of headquarters. Natsume and Sumiere smirked while Ruka thanked Anna, Nonoko, Koko, Yuu, and Hotaru, who were all standing beside Anna's desk. Anna took a plate of cookies out from her desk drawer, "Victory cookies! Dig in everyone!" Natsume refused to eat any, since he hated sweet things, Sumiere didn't want to gain weight, Hotaru thought cookies were unhealthy, and Koko always ate a lot for dinner, so it was up to Yuu, Ruka, and Nonoko to finish the entire plate every time while the rest opened beer and had a party. The celebration was short lived, however, when their supervisor Narumi's voice came over the intercom, calling for everyone to meet on floor five for a debrief of the mission. The group made their way to the room grumbling, ticked off about the interruption.

"Hand over the bottles, none of you are legal drinking age yet," was the first thing Narumi said when the eight entered the room. All complied except Natsume, who chugged the rest of his beer and handed it over to Narumi. "What? You said hand over the bottles," Natsume said nonchalantly.

"Hahah our Natsume is so cute! Always making funny jokes!" Narumi cooed, which brought a look of annoyance to Natsume's face while the rest of the group laughed.

"Anyways, let's go over the entire mission from start to finish. Natsume, you were in charge of infiltrating the Fidel mansion by dating the daughter Amber Fidel undercover as Nate Walker, heir of multimillionaire Katherine Walker. You were able to successfully build a map of the mansion, bug the house, wire certain phones, figure out the security system, and place trackers on Fidel's cars. Now you see why I chose you to go undercover instead of Ruka. Amber is a tough girl to deal with, right?"

He was met with a reluctant hmph.

"Okay... so Ruka, you were assigned to infiltrate Fidel's office and make a copy of all his secured files. Thanks to Hotaru's help with that and her design of their identification cards, along with Nonoko's powder, you were able to successfully retrieve all the information available and exit without notice. Sumire, you were tasked with getting to the safe and retrieving the money, which I get was not an easy one person task. You successfully took out all the guards with help from Nonoko's nerve juice and sarin gas, and transported the money out to the van thanks to Natsume's detailed system of underground tunnels and Hotaru's money magnet machine that sucked all the bills out for you. But an alarm was triggered from the gas in the air, which no one could have predicted, so don't hold that over yourself okay?"

Sumire nodded.

"Koko and Yuu planned your escape routes and course of action for the best possible outcome. Anna monitored all of you inside the mansion, and was able to hack into their system to avoid detection. Thanks to you all, we now have $371 million dollars added to our funds, and information on five other dealings Fidel has been involved in, which will be handed over to the FBI to handle."

Everyone was proud of the completion of this mission, but also extremely exhausted. They all started to leave to go to bed, but Narumi wasn't finished, "Hold your horses! I have more to discuss with you all." This was usually the end of the debrief, unless something from the mission went extremely wrong or there was news Narumi wanted to deliver.

"What's this about Narumi? I need my beauty sleep," Sumire complained as she let out a huge yawn.

Narumi looked excited, "I'll show you." He tapped a few combinations into the keyboard next to him, and the wall beside them opened up to a giant screen that displayed a room. Inside was the same layout as all recruit rooms, a white desk, dresser, mirror, and on the white bed was a girl in a white night gown. She was asleep, sprawled on her side in a fetal position, her long curly sun kissed brown hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, acting as a protective barrier between her and the outside world.

Anna gasped, "Is she a new—"

"Recruit? Yes."

"But she's so old for a new recruit," Yuu observed.

"How old is she Narumi?" Ruka asked, also curious.

"She's 17," Narumi replied.

Everyone was shocked. The oldest recruit they've ever had join was 16, and she ended up failing and being... disposed of. Usually recruits would start joining when they were around 11, and continued until they reached 19, then transferred to the FBI or CIA. They were split up into age groups to train. 11/12, the first form together, 13/14, the second form together, 15/16, the third form together, and 17/18, the fourth form together. All new recruits had to catch up with the level of training in their form in under two months. Starting from age 15, recruits were required to complete missions as a team. Their team had started off with Sumire, Koko, Anna, and Nonoko at year 11, joined by Ruka and Natsume at year 12, and Hotaru and Yuu at year 14, both of which were fast learners, and were able to keep up with their training. But this, this girl was 17? Was she some newly discovered genius?

"I know she's much older than usual recruits, but she was recommended by one of my best sources so we'll have to see how she does. She'll be training with you all starting tomorrow. I've already briefed her about the rules here, and warned her about the consequences of failing training. Be good to her," his last comment was a warning. The team didn't tolerate new members easily. It had taken Hotaru lots of blackmail and Yuu much ass kissing and favors to be finally accepted. Narumi glanced at her peaceful slumber as he shut the wall down. Good luck Mikan.

"Rise and shine Mikan!" a gentle voice rose Mikan from her sleep. She stirred, rubbing her eyes, adjusting to the bright light Serina had turned on. "Here's your schedule," Serina handed her a file. "Thank you," Mikan said softly. On the document it read:

Mikan Sakura

Age: 17 (Form 4)

6:00 AM - 7:00 AM Endurance Training: Long distance running

7:15 - 7:45 AM Breakfast

7:50 - 9:00 AM Computer Skills: Decoding

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Combat Skills: Upper body offensive

11:15 AM -11:45 AM Lunch

11:50 AM - 3:00 PM Agility training: Gymnastics

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Weapons: Shooting practice

5:15 PM - 5:45 PM Dinner

5:50 PM - 9:00 PM Free training time

"It's already 6:45 AM so just go to breakfast okay? We expect you to be on time tomorrow. Here's an alarm clock," Serina placed a small box onto the nightstand. "You know how to get to the dining hall?"

I think so... "Yes."

"Alright, I will be seeing you at agility training," Serina said as she left the room.

Serina seemed nice, Mikan thought. But she knew not to trust anyone here. What kind of place kills you if you don't succeed? I need to pass training. Failure is not an option.

Mikan got dressed in a white tank top, a black sports bra, black leggings, and black sneakers with white details. The dresser and closet in her room were full of new clothes. And the creepy thing was, everything fit her perfectly. The bras were exactly her cup and band size...

The brunette ran her fingers through her hair, deciding to go with two dutch braids. Doing her hair was her favorite part of the morning. She took it as a moment to relax, getting ready to face the day. Mikan gazed at herself in the mirror. Her hazel eyes looked dull, not to mention there were large purple bags under them. Her face was paler than usual. She desperately wished to see the sun, but she had been underground for days, with no knowing the next time she'd be able to step outside, if ever again.

Mikan stepped outside her room. The eerie click of the door seemed to have a feeling of finality to the whole situation. She walked down the dimly lit hallway. She hated how there were no colors here. Everything was either black or white, with gray to spice things up. She pressed the up button, waiting nervously as the floors on the display rose, finally reaching hers, four.

The elevator opened. Inside was a boy with spiky dirty blonde hair. He had a blank look on his face as he stared at Mikan. She walked in silently, avoiding his gaze and stood rigidly on the side farthest away from him.

"Floor?"

Wait what did he say? Mikan had been so keen on being ignored by everyone she came in contact with, she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. She felt like a bug, tiny and helpless, in danger of being squashed any moment.

The boy raised an eyebrow and repeated himself, "What floor are you going to?"

Mikan blushed furiously, "Oh! Floor seven. That's the dining hall right?"

He nodded, his dark brown eyes never leaving her face. It was almost as if he was analyzing her. She gulped. She had been warned about Gakuen's mentalist. He was the main interrogator, and was said to be so good at reading people, he could penetrate their minds with a single glance. Was this boy him? He opened his mouth to say something, but the doors opened and Mikan darted out before he could. She needed to stay away from him.

The dining hall was different than Mikan expected. Yes it was black and white, but it was loud, noisy, even rambunctious, one could say. There were energetic conversations and laughter. She had thought that everyone here would be quiet and keep to themselves. That was what orphans did.

Mikan couldn't help but notice all the looks she was getting. She figured this school had around forty, fifty kids. A newcomer like her in here was like a dolphin dropped into a shark tank. She didn't dare to look back at anyone, quickly getting in line for food. The food looked... good? A bowl of oatmeal, freshly sliced strawberries and bananas, scrambled eggs, and a glass of milk, the perfect balance of complex carbs and protein. Mikan grabbed a set of utensils and sat down at an empty table. Part of her hoped someone would sit down with her and the other part of her wanted to build a wall so no one could come near.

Mikan unwrapped her utensils and began shoveling food in, staring down at her plate when she felt someone standing in front of her. This wasn't good. She looked up. It was a girl, she couldn't have been older than 15. Her hair was cut into a blonde lob, and her muddy blue eyes were narrowed, her face in a scowl. "You must be the newbie." Mikan didn't answer. The girl flared her nostrils, sitting down next to Mikan, "I'm asking you a question." Maybe if I keep ignoring her she'll think I'm mute and go away. That wasn't the case.

"Bitch I'm asking you a question!" The girl raised her voice, slapping Mikan's tray in anger. It slide across the table, her food crashing to the floor. Now everyone's attention was on them. And the girl knew it, raising her voice so the whole room could hear, "I heard you're 17. You think you're so great huh? Joining the school so late. I've been here since I was eleven training my ass off, and you just come in here, allowed to do missions already? You think you're better than everyone else?" she asked, a look of pure hatred in her eyes. When she got no response, she started laughing hysterically, "We'll see how you do here. I bet you won't even last a week, what do you think Momiji?" she asked her red haired friend sitting at the table next to them.

Momiji snickered, "Koume, she's so frail and tiny, like a little mouse," Her beady black eyes bore into Mikan's. "We eat tiny mice like you," her lips curled as she grinned maniacally. She got up from her table, eying Mikan as if she was her next meal. Momiji resembled a viper, ready to strike at any moment. She took one of Mikan's braids in her hands, tugging on it gently, then a little harder, until she full on yanked it, pulling Mikan's head down, slamming her onto the table. "Whoops," Momiji said as she put her hands on her hips, daring Mikan to do something.

Mikan's head was ringing from the impact. Her original plan was to lie low, and avoid being noticed by anyone. Look how well that worked out. They told her she needed to blend in, and if someone did try to target her, she needed to switch to standing out, and standing up. She needed to show everyone here she had a backbone, and wouldn't be easily pushed around. Mikan got up from her table, and pushed her chair back, staring at Momiji. "I don't think I'm better than you. You know I didn't choose to come here. Do you think I was just hiding myself, waiting for the perfect time to come to show you I'm better than you? Listen to yourself. You've probably been on a mission before, shot a gun, hacked a system, whatever you all do here. It's obvious to anyone who has a brain that I don't think, and I'm not better than everyone else. Please sit back down before you get yourself in trouble, there's no fighting in the dining hall remember?" Mikan's tone was that of a mother talking to a misbehaving child. She didn't how she summoned the courage to talk back to Momiji. Something had come over her, giving her the strength to stand up to herself. It was her desire to stay here, her desire to succeed, her desire to survive.

The two girls knew when they had been beaten, shooting daggers Mikan's way before stalking out of the room. Everyone had been watching them, and Mikan didn't know if she was being too confident, but there was something new in people's stares. A look of approval, acceptance maybe? Although there were still a few lingering looks towards Mikan, most had turned their attention back to their tables. Good. Now that I've established myself as someone who won't be pushed around, hopefully no one will bother me anymore.

Mikan picked up her fallen food, scooping everything onto the tray. She began walking towards the trash before she noticed Koume and Momiji's trays, carelessly left behind. How are they going to be good agents if they can't even be good people, Mikan thought angrily, as she began scooping their food into one big pile and stacking the bowls.

"Here, let me help you with that," a boy with golden blonde hair and light blue eyes started lifting the stack of bowls onto the tray for her.

Mikan blushed, "Thank you, it's really not necessary though, I can carry everything just fine."

The boy smiled, "I'm sure you can," he said, continuing to assemble everything. Strangely, there was not a hint of sarcasm in or condescending tone to what he just said. He sounded like he genuinely wanted to help Mikan.

"Well, I guess it's okay, as long as this isn't a ploy to give me another concussion," Mikan joked.

He laughed loudly, "Nope, just a ploy to get to know you. My name's Ruka Nogi by the way."

She chuckled, "Nice to meet you, I'm Mikan Sakura."

They made their way over to the dish dispenser, dumping the leftovers into the trash and placing their trays on the rack.

"You're heading over to computer skills, right?" Ruka asked as they headed towards the elevators.

"Yeah, except I just realized I have no idea how to get there..."

"I'm going there too, I can show you?"

Mikan beamed, "Thanks Ruka-pyon!" Shoot. Why didn't she control herself better? They had said to never be overly friendly or eager. She apologized frantically, "I'm so sorry, when I said Ruka, the next thing that popped into my head was pyon, like a rabbit, not, that you remind me of one, I think it sounds good but you think it's stupid so—"

"Ruka-pyon. I like it," he grinned, telling her to not to worry about it and that she could call him that anytime.

Mikan Sakura. He could tell today would be an interesting one.

The "fight" scene from the team's point of view:

Sumiere, Hotaru, and Nonoko entered the dining hall. They got their trays and sat down at their usual table, where Ruka, Natsume, and Koko were already present. It was the table in the center. There was an unspoken rule that it was the one reserved for the seniors of the school, because you really did have to earn it. Seniority was earned, never given.

"Good morning people," Nonoko greeted, sprinkling some salt on her eggs.

"Good morning?" Sumire said incredulously, "We have a mission, stay up until 1 in the morning, and then we have to wake up for a freakin run at 6, it's a shitty morning! I look like hell," Sumire moaned.

Koko was picking at his fruit, "You don't look that bad—ow!" Sumire slapped his arm, "No one asked you!" she snapped, angrily taking a bite of oatmeal.

"Can you both quit it? it's too early for this," Natsume barely managed to sleep two hours last night, or morning. He had had those dreams again. Nightmares. They woke him up, trapped him in their cage, keeping him up till his alarm rang. He was not going to sit through another bickering session between Koko and Sumire. The two obviously wanted to be together, Natsume couldn't see why they didn't just tell each other how they felt.

"I'm going to clear my stuff," Ruka said, gathering his tray and walking away. Natsume smirked. Unlike him, Ruka solved his problems in a more non confrontational way.

"Bitch I'm asking you a question!"

The gang was suddenly made aware of the scene occurring at the table a few feet away from them. It looked like third former Koume had decided to pick a fight with the new recruit. Koume was 15 and they had heard that she went on her first mission a few days ago. Apparently she went in overconfident and almost jeopardized her entire team.

"I heard you're 17. You think you're so great huh? Joining the school so late. I've been here since I was eleven training my ass off, and you just come in here, allowed to do missions already? You think you're better than everyone else?" she asked, a look of pure hatred in her eyes. When she got no response, she started laughing hysterically, "We'll see how you do here. I bet you won't even last a week, what do you think Momiji?"

"She's just bitter," Hotaru commented, calmly sipping her milk. It was true. Koume's team said she had been furious after the debrief, muttering about how everyone else was incompetent. She had been banned from the next mission, and now she was clearly taking out her anger on newbie.

Momiji snickered, "Koume, she's so frail and tiny, like a little mouse. We eat tiny mice like you," her lips curled as she grinned maniacally. She got up from her table, eying the girl as if she was her next meal. Momiji resembled a viper, ready to strike at any moment. She took one of the girl's braids in her hands.

"This looks bad, we gotta help her," Nonoko said, starting to stand up, but Hotaru held her arm, while Natsume motioned for her to sit back down. "What are you guys doing?" Nonoko asked, confused.

"She's the newbie," Hotaru said.

"So?"

"We can't fight her battles for her," Natsume said, "She needs to prove she's worthy of being on our team. We can't have a weak link."

"I saw her in the elevator, she was so timid and—" Koko started to say, but then trailed off. She seemed to be hiding something.

"If we help her, we'll just make her seem weaker to everyone, that's the worst thing you can be here," Sumire added, "Let's just see how this plays out."

Nonoko wasn't happy, but she sat back down, silently agreeing with her teammates.

Momiji tugged on the brunette's braid gently, then a little harder, until she full on yanked it, pulling the girl's head down, slamming her onto the table. "Whoops," Momiji said as she put her hands on her hips, daring her to do something.

It seemed like the girl was not going to do anything. She had been quiet the entire time, the team wasn't sure what to make of it. Was she just going to let Momiji, a third form kick her around? Was she perhaps smart, wanting to avoid conflict and punishment? Or stupid, letting everyone's first impression of her be tainted by Koume, making her seem like a weakling?

Suddenly, the girl got up from her table, and pushed her chair back, staring at Momiji. "I don't think I'm better than you. You know I didn't choose to come here. Do you think I was just hiding myself, waiting for the perfect time to come to show you I'm better than you? Listen to yourself. You've probably been on a mission before, shot a gun, hacked a system, whatever you all do here. It's obvious to anyone who has a brain that I don't think, and I'm not better than everyone else. Please sit back down before you get yourself in trouble, there's no fighting in the dining hall remember?" her tone was that of a mother talking to a misbehaving child. Koume and Momiji knew when they had been defeated, stalking out of the hall in embarrassment.

The gang turned their attention back to the table.

"Damn," Nonoko said, slightly impressed.

"I wouldn't be so excited just yet," Natsume warned, "she may have been smart this once, but that means nothing if she can't pass training."

"She seems to have no prior fighting skills," Hotaru observed, "What she did may have seemed smart, but it's the only thing she could have done considering she had absolutely no way to defend herself. I wouldn't call her smart, just not stupid."

"It's strange seeing her personality shift so quickly," Koko said, "she seemed so gung ho about laying down low and not saying a word before. She's a hard one to figure out that's for sure."

"We'll be with her in a few minutes and the entire day," Sumire reminded, "we have all the time in the world to see what's she's really like."

"Unless she fails training," Nonoko said grimly.

The table was silent. There was the possibility. There was always the possibility of failing training. For everyone. For seven years they've trained, and they could be failed any moment. Sure they had a two month pass or fail benchmark when they first got here, but that was just a benchmark. Every moment after that, they were required to keep up or be disposed of. It kept people motivated. Who wouldn't when their life was on the line?

"Well let's hope it won't have to come to that," Natsume replied.

As the crew started clearing their table, all had one thing on their minds, will the new girl pass or fail?

Let me know what you think! Anything I could work on?

Question of the day: If you could have any super power, what would it be? (Inspired by me seeing Wonder Woman today haha)

I would have the power of healing any disease, whether that be emotional or physical.

the fangirl who lived 15: Me too! Thanks, I'm glad the pace of the action worked for you :)

Guest: Thank you! Happy you enjoyed it!

Vilchen: Hopefully you liked this chapter. I really tried to plan out their battle so I'm really happy you liked it!

Elimina Alice: Thank you so much! I love you!