A/N: Again, thnk yu so much for the numerous reviews. Sorry for the late update, kinda got busy with school and stuff.

Disclaimer: Don't own GA okay!

Previously…

However, Hotaru wondered. With all this going on, throughout all this ruckus. Something wasn't right. Something was missing… he always appeared whenever Natsume was involved. He always meddled in Natsume's affairs.

"Where's Persona?"

Eyelids fluttered as consciousness finally started to dawn on her. Her hands instinctively covered her eyes from the brightness beyond her lids. 'too damn bright. Hey! Who turned the lights on?' , but then awareness of the passing night's happenings rushed though her like a wave of ice cold water rousing her from drowsiness. She immediately sat up, which she found was a mistake because a torrent of vertigo hit her full force.

"Argh! What lame drug did they let me take? I feel like I was partying for the whole week."

"Oh! you're awake." Came a small voice from one corner of the room. Mikan looked up to see a girl with short black hair and black eyes, wearing a black dress with a white apron.

"Uhhh…" was all Mikan could say.

The girl smiled in return. "I'm sorry that I woke you up Miss but I needed to clean the room. Oh! and I should tell the Professor that you're awake." With that the girl spun on her heels and darted for the door.

"Wait! Where am I? And who is this Professor?"

The girl just stopped half-way through the door and glanced back to answer. " You will be meeting him this morning and it wouldn't be proper for me to answer your questions. Good day Miss and I will be back to bring you to him." She closed the door behind her.

Mikan shrunk back on the bed. "Just great. I'm in god knows where, with god knows who, and with god knows what they want from me." After sighing out loud, Mikan raised her head and looked around her.

She was on an elaborately carved four-poster bed, her eyes wandered through the rest of the room. There were pieces of furniture strewn around with the same motif of carvings with the bed. There was a desk with a computer on one side and two doors on one wall. To her left was a gigantic window that stretched from floor to ceiling covered with an almost translucent curtain and bordered with thick red velvet curtains.

"Wow." She imagined that this would what Natsume's room most probably look like.'Natsume… I wonder how he's doing. Hotaru too…'

Mikan was suddenly feeling melancholic from remembering her friends. Friends that she guessed she wouldn't be seeing for a long time. Another long sigh and she was brought out from her musings when there was a fast rap at the door.

Before Mikan could answer, the door burst open to reveal a tall woman with long blond wavy hair tied into a half ponytail. She was wearing a lab coat over a silk red dress shirt and a black skirt. She was beautiful, and she was… panting???

She looked like she ran all the way to her room in haste from wherever she came from. She cleared her throat and gracefully walked toward a stunned Mikan.

"A-ano…" Mikan was a able to squeak out before the beautiful woman lunged at her. "Eeeep!"

"Oh! you are just so kawaii! I would have never thought Sergio would bring back such a lovely girl!" she was rubbing her cheek against Mikan's so hard that she was thinking she was starting to get blisters.

"E-eto…"

Before Mikan could utter out another protest, they both heard someone clear their throat at the door. It was the girl with the short black hair Mikan saw earlier. With further inspection one could see dark liquid dripping from her hair down to her once pristine white apron. "Aya-sama the professor would like to see our guest at his study. And please Aya-sama would you please refrain from running through the halls with your coffee cup."

Two pairs of eyes slowly went to one of the tall woman's hands. There they saw a porcelain cup though empty of its contents. Mikan sweat dropped, while the girl at the door looked like she was about to pop a vein.

"Ahh… Gomen Maria-chan but the moment you said our guest was awake, I just had to see her." For emphasis, the woman squeezed Mikan tightly until she was about to turn blue.

"Aya-sama… please let our guest go. You're squeezing her to death!"

"Oh!" came a reply. "I'm so sorry, I just got a little excited."

Mikan started to gulp large amounts of air once she was released from the other woman's death grip. She thoughtfully declared that getting this woman excited would be very deadly… for her.

As fast as she came, the tall woman was at the door and waving goodbye to Mikan.

"A-ano…" Mikan tried to speak.

"You should get dressed quickly Miss. Your clothes and luggage are all in your dresser and I would be waiting outside to take you to the Professor."

She was about to turn around to leave when Mikan asked her a question.

"Uhm… Where's the dresser?" Mikan sweat dropped. This place confused her and she didn't want to stumble unto more weird people while she looked for clothes.

With a soft sigh the woman in black, started to walk toward double doors on the other side of the room. "this is your bath and dresser Miss. Shall you need anything else, I would be outside your door." Without hearing a response from Mikan she twirled around and headed for the door and closed it behind her.

Without a second thought, Mikan stood from her bed and headed for the double doors that lead to her bathroom and dresser.

"Whoa!" the bathroom was huge. To her right was a walk-in closet with mounds of clothes neatly stacked. She could recognize her own clothes folded in with the rest of them.

To her front were three steps leading down to a huge bath tub designed with white marble and outlined with gold linings. To her left was a huge mirror with a desk below it with brushes, ribbons and perfume on top. Overall, the room was lavish and it made Mikan think.

"Why am I here again?"

After taking a hot shower and putting on decent clothes. Mikan brushed her hair up to their trademark ponytails then left the room.

As sure as her word, the woman in black was standing just to the side of her door, luckily avoiding impact with Mikan as she rushed through the door.

"Hn. If you may follow me Miss, the Professor wishes to see you in his study."

"Okay." Mikan flashed her a bright smile then they started walking.

After going through long hallways and descending a flight of stairs, Mikan was lead to a room with magnificently carved double doors. The woman opened and signaled Mikan to come in.

With unsure steps, Mikan went through the threshold and found herself in a room filled with books on shelves that covered the walls. Chairs and tables were arranged in the middle of the room, a fireplace on one side and huge windows on the other.

Mikan was still busy admiring the room and its contents when she heard a noise come from her right side. She noticed that there was another set of doors precariously set in between shelves of books that one could easily miss. She saw movement beyond the doors and decided to take a look.

As she was about to push one of the doors farther to open it, a low voice startled her from her thoughts.

"You may take a seat Miss Sakura."

"Ha-hai!" she nearly stumbled and hit the small table in the middle of the room before settling down on a chair infront of a large wooden desk.

As soon as she was seated, Mikan let out a breath of relief, and heard a low chuckle from across the table. Mikan looked up to see a man in his fifties with dark brown hair and aquamarine eyes. His face was angular and strong with full lips that curled at the ends to show a grin. His chin was rested on long entwined fingers in front of him.

The grin turned into a smile when Mikan realized she was staring. "Im sorry. I didn't mean to stare." Mikan blushed. Great! I just made a fool out of myself.

"It is quite alright Miss Sakura." He smiled back at her.

He stood up from his seat and gracefully bowed before Mikan. "I am Leartes Thames. Master and owner of this manor, and I am very happy to have the honor of having you as a guest Miss Sakura." Then he smiled warmly at her.

Snapping out of her daze and abruptly standing up and bowing in response to introduce herself, Mikan was then instructed to take her seat.

"Was your room to your taste Miss Sakura?"

"Hai. Mister Thames."

He chuckled again. "You may call me Professor. Everybody does."

"Oh! Alright."

"Do you know why you are here Miss Mikan Sakura?"

At the sound of her full name, Mikan's head snapped up, but then shyly focused her eyes on an object to her right. Partly, she knew why she was here. She was a danger to the academy and that was why they sent her away.

The sad look on her face was not unnoticed by the man on the other side of the table. "That may not be the whole truth Miss Sakura."

"Then what is?" a sad retreated voice answered back.

"You were sent here to be protected, to be trained, and to be useful."

"Useful?"

"Hai. Miss Sakura, I was given a report about you and your alices. I could help you control them and use them to your advantage. I have often done favors for the academy in this fashion and I assure you that you are not the first to be sent here. We will train you in exchange for protecting the ideals of the Academy."

"You mean you want me to be the Academy's lackey?! Just like what you're doing to natsume?!"

"Not at all Miss Sakura. When I said to protect the academy, I meant that you will be able to be a guardian of special children with alices that are coveted by men for their own intentions."

"You just made it sound nice."

"Not at all Miss Sakura. I made it sound that it has a purpose. Your alice could be used to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Although, in your part it would require massive sacrifices and pains. What do you say Miss Sakura? Would you accept?"

Mikan was busy thinking. She thought about her last encounter with the AAO, how they wanted to capture her and Natsume and how they injured other students of Alice Academy. The image of Hotaru and Ruka getting hurt for protecting her. Her heart ached from the thought that she couldn't help or even protect those important to her, and here she was being offered a way to turn that around. To be able to prevent a relapse to what happened to her friends. To be useful. To have a purpose. She made her decision; she will no longer stand in the sidelines and watch those dear to her get hurt. That was no longer an option. She has to learn to take a stand.

With resolve in her voice, Mikan replied that she accepts.

"I'm delighted Miss Sakura that you have seen the light in our actions."

"Yeah. So how does this go? I mean how do I start? Oh! and please don't call me Miss Sakura, you can call me Mikan."

"But I merely wanted you to hear your own name, before you change it."

"Change it?! You mean change my name?! Why?!"

"This place is a secret among alices as well as its inhabitants. We couldn't let anyone outside the circle of secrecy to stumble upon the fact that a certain Mikan Sakura, a powerful alice user and hunted by the AAO around the world is residing here."

"Uhmm… Well that does make sense… So what will you be naming me?"

"Oh, but the pleasure is yours to choose your name Miss Sakura."

Mikan was again in a deep thought. Change her name? but how could she even think of that? Her name was who she was. Then a realization hit her. She was not going to be who she was before. She was going to change, she had her purpose now and changing her name was just one of the consequences of her upcoming duty. Right, she shouldn't hesitate and she should put all her heart into this.

Now for a name. Hmmm… Mikan Sakura… Mira? No. Saka? No… Hmmm… Oh! I got it! For her new life there is an end to another. The beginning is an end and the and is a beginning.

Leartes looked at the beautiful face that contorted in concentration in front of him. A while ago she looked confused, even looked sad, but then that changed into a firm and determined look. He smiled on how easily she showed her emotions, how she was so innocent to trust, and how she felt resolute. He almost felt sad that that innocence of hers could be replaced by grief, of wariness, which often comes to those who held a heavy burden of duty, forced to rid of emotions and forced to follow logic rather than feelings. If only he could preserve her innocence, her bright smile…

He was brought out of his musings when Mikan spoke. Her voice sounded musical to him. It was soothing and calming. He would most likely enjoy her company…

"I-I have thought of a name for myself Professor."

Leartes nodded for Mikan to continue.

"My name… my name is Mi-Mis… Misaku Kara."

"It is a beautiful name, Kara…"

"Arigato."

At the Academy

Natsume was once again brought to his hospital room, unconscious from the massive release of his powers. He managed to burn down a large part of the Academy forest.

Two people stood by his bedside. Two people who felt the same loss as Natsume.

Ruka fell to his knees. His fatigue getting into him as well as his previous injuries. He rested his forehead at the soft mattress of Natsume's bed and sighed softly. "How are we possibly going to keep him under control now?"

He knew that Mikan was why Natsume stopped being so cold, knew Mikan was why Natsume stepped out of the dark, knew Mikan was the reason why Natsume still wanted to live, knew that Mikan was the purpose behind everything Natsume did.

A warm hand gently found its way on top of Ruka's head. It comforted him. At least he was not alone…

"We just have to cover for her until she gets back Nogi."

AN: Sorry again for the late update. hope this chapter satisfies you. mwah