(Mina here! I'm very sorry for leaving the story hanging everyone! I'm really, really sorry. But either way, I'm thankful and grateful that you're wasting your time reading my fanfic. Arigatou, well then please enjoy!)

(Please endure the chapters with me everyone! Thank you for supporting me!)

The Forbidden Journey
By: Minatsuchan

I don't own anything

Chapter 6

"Who are you to use Mikan's image!" Natsume asked angrily, the four of them was attacking the spirit who just acted that she was the Mikan Sakura they were searching for.

"What a foolish humans!" She just chuckled as she block all the attacks that the four of them gather.

"What a rude mouth!" Narumi instantly covered up to it's back as Natsume took care of the rest as he summon a fire cat and ordered it to attack the spirit.

"It's useless! Not even one human have ever scratched me!" She scoffed as the four of them got even irritated by the spirit's talkative mouth. Especially Natsume, he was getting really impatient and tired so furiously he summoned a ring of fire that immediately cornered the spirit at the center.

"I told you it's useless!" The spirit repeated as the fire surrounding her got even hotter. And the flames got even bigger.

"As you can see, no one has ever surpass this ring of fire of mine so, instead of using your mouth why don't you prove it using your actions?" Natsume smirked as the spirit flinched.

Even though his words hit her, she didn't gave up and tried to walk through the fire that was surrounding her or you could say cornering her.

She stopped on straggling and look for a way to walk through.

"What's wrong? Giving up already?" His eyes scared her that she didn't know what to do anymore.

"Natsume! Calm down!" Iyano instructed as the flames of his ring of fire got even bigger that the spirit is about to be burn alive.

"ARGHHH!" The spirit yelled in pain as the fire touched it's body.

"What is going on here!? How come your flames can touch me?!" The spirit stated as Natsume chuckled.

"Even if you're a spirit, my flames can touch you." The spirit didn't understand his statement clearly, when Natsume suddenly raised his hand and demanded the flames to spread around her place, which means that she's gonna be roasted for real!

"Natsume! Wait- That spirit might help us finding Mikan!" Miyano hissed but it was too late, the flames already caught up it's body and slowly burning her.

She's a spirit so her body is just disappearing but the pain she was having is not a joke.

"So...You're searching for Mikan...-sama?" The four of them gasp, why did the spirit talked highly to Mikan this time? And she even added a '-sama' in the end of her name.

"Hey you! Do you know where Mikan is?" Natsume demanded as the spirit chuckled even though she's being roasted for real.

"Do you think...That after all...this..I'll be friendly to you?...Screw you...humans, you'll get...executed anyways..." *FOOSSHH* and with that the spirit turned into dust.

"Executed?" Another question was asked by Iyano. Indeed, the journey was getting out of hands. There might be other spirits wandering around.

But the most question is.

"How did the spirit knew what Mikan looks like? And why did the spirit know that were searching for Mikan Sakura?" Narumi observed. He has a point, how and why is the question here. But observing is not quite enough. They need more clues.

"Miyano-sensei, from your time travelling what's the information in this 'Tears of the temple' which the grim told us?" Natsume questioned while all of their attention went to Miyano.

"Like the grim stated, it's a grave place. But due to an barrier, more like dark barrier. People are restricted to go in there. Some people whose persistent on heading inside doesn't come out anymore. People questioned why the temple became like that, but, the more mysterious one is...why is a girl that looks a lot like Mikan standing there? In the picture the girl was wearing the Gakuen Alice's uniform." The three of them agreed.

There are too many questions that hasn't been answered yet.

And surely they know that if they found Mikan at last. She'll be the one who'll answer those questions. But first things first, they must locate the temple using the crystals that the grim gave them.

"Iyano, I think it's a good idea if you put a barrier around us so that we can move freely without hindrance." Narumi suggested as he nodded and used his barrier to command it to protect them. To put it in a simple explanation. When Iyano used his barrier, they seemed to be visible inside but in the outside, their invisible.

After the process was done, they followed the crystal to where it's leading them.

"Now that was destroyed the poser spirit, the road is clearer now. But as I calculated, it'll take three days before we can reach the temple." Miyano stated as Narumi and Natsume frowned. Their in a hurry but, there's nothing they can do about it.

The tears of the temple is a quite far from where they were standing to now.

Natsume kicked the sand in irritation, his impatient and stubborn. But that personality can't help to what problem they are facing now.

"Now, now. Natsume, I know that you're desperate to see Mikan again, but we need patience. Please calm down, we'll be there before you knew it. Just, no other spirits will interrupt." Iyano exclaimed as Natsume 'tch-ed'.

"Yeah, his right Natsume. Even us. We have tons of questions that we want to be answered but, we need Mikan to answer those questions," Narumi added.

He was able to calm down but, the sun is already setting down. And that means they need a place to stay, and for the unexpected events, they didn't bring a tent with them.

"What are we gonna do now? The sun is about to set, we need a place to warm our bodies or else we'll freeze in here." Narumi exclaimed as the three of them looked around.

"It's no use, there aren't any buildings in here since we reached the area of a desert." Miyano added.

Iyano remained quiet, he's trying to figure out that he might be useful at a time like this.

"Oh!" The three of the flinched in surprise when Iyano yelled out and even snapped his fingers.

"Guys! Were inside my barrier remember? So we can sleep inside here, don't worry the barrier is strong enough to last all night." He exclaimed as the three of them looked at each other.

"Are you sure? We might get attacked if we put our guards down." Natsume ensured as Iyano nodded.

"Yes, yes, yes. It's alright! What do you think? I studied for many years and I haven't mastered my barriers? Hah you judge the wrong person," he proudly laugh as they sweat dropped. But seriously, Natsume was right, this desert is unpredictable so they don't know what kind of spirits might appear while their unconscious.

"Haa...*sigh* you guys really don't trust me do you? Well then how about this? I'll pull all nighter and watch over the barrier and at the same time protect you three? That way you'll be comfortable sleeping right?" Iyano added.

"Yeah, that's a pretty good idea huh? Well then we'll be sleeping now," Miyano scoffed as the three of them sat properly and headed to sleep. Their in seating position becuase the barrier doesn't reach out too much and besides their in the middle of a desert.

"And oh Iyano-sensei?" Natsume opened his eyes as he summon his fire and there, a cat appeared.

"If you dare to close your eyes and sleep, this cat will burn you alive." He even smirked as he closed his eyes. While Iyano sigh unsatisfied.

"Geez, why do I have to stay all night?" he complained as he lean on his barrier and looked at the star above.

He was about to close his eyes when the cat dah right in front of him.

"Oww! Hey! Why did you scratch my face?!" He frowned as the cat turn around and seat down to guard him.

"Meow! Meow! (Don't you dare close your eyes!)"

"I don't have any idea what the heck you are saying, but rest assured I just closed my eyes and I'm not going to sleep." He pouted as he glared at the cat.

"Meoww...(really?)"

Siddenly...the air pressure change that made Iyano look around.

"What's...this feeling I'm having?" he stayed alert, looking around if someone was sensing his barrier.

Iyano looked at Natsume's cat to see if it was sensing the bad feeling too. And surprisingly the cat's furs was spiking up and so was it's tail.

From his left side, a dark fog came out heading towards his barrier, when the fog touched his barrier he felt a sharp pain! From the throb of his head, the barrier was broken! He kneeled down and held his head because of the pain he was receiving.

He was about to wake up the others when he heard footsteps coming near.

"Guys...wake..up!" He huffed as he shake the shoulders of his crew but, their not waking up!

"It's useless...No matter how many times you wake them up, they won't wake up." he flinch when he heard a voice spoke up.

"What does he/she mean?! How can-" he stop from his thoughts when he noticed the dark fog.

"so that's it! The dark fog is causing it! " he questioned that why isn't he getting affected by it?

" Don't worry, you're protected by my barrier so the dark fog doesn't affect you," when the person stepped in nearer until Iyano can see who it was.

"You're...!"

(I'm very sorry for the cliffhanger, I'm really sorry. But it's part of the thrill hehe, hope you like it! Please review and rate! I'll update ASAP!)