Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or its characters. Higuchi Tachibana, however, does.

Yay! Another update! You will (hopefully) be pleased to know that this chapter is even longer than the last one, coz I've realized how much more fun it is to write (and read) longer chapters. I've also made the paragraphs shorter for easy reading, and next I plan on doing the same for some of the previous chapters.

And, I declare my wireless internet officially dead. Now I have to trail a 20m long bright red cord to my room and hope my mum doesn't notice...as if she wouldn't.

This chapter is dedicated to bluechibi for reviewing both of my stories and giving me awesome advice on describing with more than just sight, thanks!

Thank you very much to all the great people who reviewed:

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YAY! There's so many, I think that's the most I've gotten for a chapter :D

Thanks also to the people who favorited of alerted this story.

A Part of my World

Chapter 4

Fear

It was evening, the air was peaceful, and Mikan was tingling with a quiet excitement, her face raised contentedly towards the dark evening sky. She was sitting cross legged on the balcony overlooking the inner corona, the cool wind tickling her skin and blowing her hair around. The smell of rain still lingered in the air, along with a hint of something earthy.

Looking out over the garden below her, Mikan realized that it was more peaceful than it had ever been at the orphanage. At the orphanage there were always children shouting, crying, fighting.

There was no time to just sit and relax, if you did, people would think you were soft and target you, you always had to tread that thin line between appearing weak and appearing to be a threat. You made friends with those who didn't stand out, yet weren't too quiet. It was a change of pace to just be sitting quietly, fading into the background.

Occasionally people passed by, their bare feet thumping on the wooden floors of the balcony. Mikan just ignored them, content to watch the light slowly fade away, watching the ritual transformation of day to night.

She played with the small golden coin Hotaru gave her with the words, "I found this outside your door, I was planning on keeping it but...you can have it." Although her voice was emotionless, Mikan felt that it had saddened Hotaru to part with the valuable gold coin. Come to think of it, what was the coin? It didn't resemble any currency she had seen before. She examined it closely, it had inscribed on it;

Official Currency of AA

~1 R~

Mikan shrugged, it meant nothing to her. She continued to toss it up and down, staring off into the dark sky. She could see the lights of a plane flying in the distance, flashing bright red. It looked so small against the wide sky that seemed to go on forever...

"HI! I'm Nonoko Ogasawara, and this is Anna Umenomiya!" Mikan had been too absorbed watching the sky to notice the two girls approaching.

The girl who called herself Nonoko had Indigo blue hair which gently waved down her back. Her blue grey eyes glittered in the light coming from a nearby unit. She wore a plain, white long sleeved shirt and a plaited navy skirt with a ropey white belt, looking great despite its simplicity, or maybe because of it.

The girl next to her, Anna, had bubblegum pink hair that freely curled down to her shoulders. Her hazel eyes seemed to smile innocently at you. She wore a pale pink shirt that flared out at the bottom, and a pair of black skinny jeans, providing stunning contrast. Mikan was beginning to feel poorly dressed in her borrowed dress, she didn't even want to imagine how she would've felt had she been wearing her old clothes.

"Hi, I'm Mikan, it's nice to-"

"You're a new student aren't you! Let's be friends!" Nonoko interrupted.

Anna smiled "It's nice to meet you too, Mikan, forgive my friend for interrupting, she can get excited when it comes to new friends!" Nonoko looked confused for a second before realizing what she'd done.

"Oh, sorry! Anyway...what's your Alice?"

"Alice?" Mikan asked confusedly.

"Yeah, I hope it's a technical ability type, coz then you could be in our class!" added Anna smiling.

"What's an Alice?" The two girls froze for a second, staring at Mikan.

"Oh, an alice is...ahh, it's like a colour that suits you best! You see, mine is blue, and Anna's is pink! Get it?"

"Oh, so then, what does technical ability type mean?"

"It means your colour is one of those colours where it has a lot of..ability to do stuff, like make...other colours." Nonoko looked to Anna for help.

"So basically, if your colour is a primary colour, you're a technical ability type, because primary colours can mix to make other types!" Anna smoothly delivered, a flawless excuse, except...

"But, pink isn't a primary colour and you said that you were a technical ability type." At this Anna and Nonoko froze for a second before smiling brightly.

"What's that thing you're holding?"

"Can I see it? It looks shiny! Please?"

"Umm, sure. It's a present from a friend." Nonoko examined the gold coin.

"Are you sure this was a present?"

"Yup!"

"It can't have been, it's only worth, like, 10 cents."

"Oh...Yeah, well...that's just...I was only joking about the present thingy...yeah!" Mikan scrambled to keep what respect could be scavenged, internally cursing Hotaru. If it was only worth 10 cents why did Hotaru even bother picking it up? "Hey, what currency is this?"

"Huh? You don't know? This is the official Alice Academy currency."

"This school has its own currency?!"

"Uh huh, what you're holding there is a 1 rabbit coin. There's also a 5 rabbit coin. 10 rabbits make up a hare, which converts to roughly 1 dollar."

"Who named it such a gay name? No, let me guess, it was Narumi-sensei, wasn't it?"

"Well, no. It's a sort of tradition, from way before Naru-sensei was born."

"Aww, how boring, do you have Naru-sensei as a teacher?"

"Yup, he's our homeroom teacher! Come to think of it..." the two girls grinned at Mikan, "yours too, you're in our class! Isn't that exciting!" Mikan looked at her new friends and saw that they actually were excited, it was kind of contagious and Mikan had to control herself before she did something stupid like start a group hug.

She needn't have worried, because it was Anna who started it, shouting out "GROUP HUGG!" Before Mikan could do anything she was enveloped in arms. Anna and Nonoko smelt like freshly baked coconut cookies and some sort of expensive citrus shampoo. Mikan started to relax, and soon she was shrieking in excitement with the others. They were interrupted by an emotionless voice.

"Mikan, the staff want to see you. To explain something important."

"Huh, Imai-san! Join the group hug!" Chimed in Nonoko

"No, don't touch me, your idiocy might be contagious. Mikan, follow me." Without waiting for Mikan's response, Hotaru started off down the balcony, leaving Mikan to, again, run after her.

"Hotaru! That coin you gave me, is it really only worth 10 cents?"

"Baka, of course not." Mikan suddenly felt happy, at least she was worth more than 10 cents. Hotaru continued, "With the dollar rising against the Alice Academy currency, that coin is only worth 7.3 cents by now."

"Then why did you pick it up!" Hotaru didn't answer. By now they were outside of the upper corona, the surrounding forest looking dark and menacing in the twilight.

"Umm, Hotaru, do we have to go through the woods to get to the teachers, by any chance...?"

"Of course not, we don't have to, but you do." Hotaru again walked off, and once again Mikan chased after her.

"Please, please come with me Hotaru, I'll do anything you want, just don't make me go through those woods alone, please." Mikan had grabbed onto Hotaru's arm, begging with her eyes.

"Fine, but you will owe me." Hotaru then took what looked like a remote control out of her pocket and pressed a button. Mikan stared in awe as a part of the deck suddenly opened up revealing a brightly lit staircase leading down under the building. She cautiously followed Hotaru down.

"A series of underground tunnels were dug thousands of years ago, some reaching thousands of kilometres into the earth. Now the tunnels closer to the surface are used as an underground corridor to get from one building to another speedily, and in the case of emergencies."

Hotaru turned to a rack of silver scooter looking machines. She ran her fingers over a few, inspecting, and eventually choose one. They all looked the same to Mikan, but Hotaru seemed to care. "Get on behind me." Ordered Hotaru. Once Mikan was on, the scooter started to rise until it was just under an inch off the floor, before zooming off down the hallways.

"Hotaru, if there were these hallways, why did you tell me to go through the woods." Hotaru's eyes gleamed.

"Because this way, you owe me." Mikan decided not to say anything and instead looked down and saw a rich, burgundy carpet, promoting the image of wealth. Affixed to the high ceilings were slowly rotating crystal chandeliers, throwing light over the whole scene.

The corridors they were zooming through had cream coloured walls lined with paintings and the occasional tapestry. Although they were going too fast for Mikan to make out the contents on the paintings, she guessed that the hallways could also serve as an art gallery.

"All transport utilized in the tunnels are 100% clean, so as not to ruin the artwork with pollution. They also use new hover technology, so that carpets can still be used."

They passed some people walking through, others were zooming past on identical hover scooters, however, despite this, there wasn't even a slight draft through the corridors. Mikan was confused for a second, but forgot her puzzlement as she realized that their scooter was slowing down, coming to a stop outside another staircase leading up towards ground level.

The stairs led to a hallway, at the end of which were a set of dark oak doors. There was a sober touch to the air, as if saying that whoever was waiting behind that door would not appreciate trivialities.

"I'll wait for you here." Hotaru sat down of one of the padded chairs lined up neatly. Mikan took a deep breath and knocked. No one answered so she knocked again, and again. She was about to knock a fourth time but she saw Hotaru shake her head slightly, warning against another.

Mikan waited, her every nerve stretched taught and ready to go off. Then suddenly the door creaked open, wafting over the scent of some sort of feminine smelling floral perfume. That could only mean one person.

"Mikan-chan, did you miss your father!" Mikan only enough time to turn around and see Hotaru's reaction before being enveloped in a tight hug. She turned her head to face Hotaru with some difficulty. Hotaru had a shocked look on her face, mingling with distaste. She was mouthing something 'Your father.'

'No!' Mikan mouthed back, then in reply to Hotaru's questioning look, 'Later.' Not a second too soon, because Narumi dragged her into the room and shut the door.

After seeing Narumi, Mikan honestly expected the office to be decked out in pink, with fake butterflies pasted on the windows. Instead it was a neat modern looking office. A man was seated behind a desk. He seemed like someone with authority, despite looking in his early 20s. A name plate read:

'Principal - Kazu Yukihara'

So he was the principal. He was staring at her at her intently with his hazel eyes, she didn't know why, but those eyes reminded her of someone, someone familiar. While Mikan was trying to figure out who, the man started to speak.

"I am one of the principals of Alice Academy, Kazu Yukihara. I'm pleased to meet you, Mikan."

"Pleased to meet you too!"

"I expect you're wondering why you're here."

"Well, yes. So, why am I here?"

"Tell me, why do you think this school is called alice academy?" Mikan shot him a baffled look before replying.

"I dunno, maybe the person who founded this place was called Alice or something...?"

"Correct. Or at least indirectly. There was a girl named Alice who discovered a certain ability, leading to the founding of this school dedicated to honing that ability." By now, Mikan thought Yukihara was some sort of nutter who could only speak in metaphoric riddles.

"So then, what's the ability?" Yukihara fixed Mikan with a steady gaze.

"Tell me, do you believe in the supernatural?"

"No, what sort of question is that." Mikan was getting creeped out. It felt as if any minute now he would be declaring the existence of magic and telling her to pack her bags; she was going to Hogwarts! She stifled a giggle at the insane notion.

"What if I told you, that you had better start believing in the supernatural soon." Mikan raised her eyebrows, the man was crazy. She turned her to see how Narumi was reacting, and was surprised to see him entirely serious, she had never seen Narumi entirely serious before, ever.

She looked back at Yukihara to see, again, intently staring at her, waiting for her reaction. Mikan didn't know how to deal with the situation, so she started to laugh. At first just a slight giggle, then louder, uncontrolled laughter.

"Y-you can't be serious, right? Like, magic, you want me to believe in magic!" The two men's faces didn't change. "But there's no such thing as magic, and even if there was, then why does no one know about it? Oh yeah, because it doesn't exist!"

"Mikan, there is such a thing as, well, magic, though we prefer the term 'Alice'. You see, some people have certain gifts. Sometimes just an aptitude for a certain skill, others have an affinity with certain elements, others have skills that normal people would be unable to attain. These gifts are called Alices, and Alice Academy is a school established to educate and train those people with Alices."

"No way, I thought that this was meant to be a serious school, not some nut house! I should've realized that whatever school Narumi worked at wouldn't be serious. I bet this is an asylum and this is some test for my mental health! Well I'm normal, average, NOT CRAZY LIKE SOME PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM!" Mikan tried to push past Narumi, but he stopped her.

"Mikan, please wait, we can prove it!" Mikan stiffened as he said those words to her.

"How!? It's impossible!" She hissed back at him. She heard Yukihara snap his fingers and then watched as two men dressed in black stepped out of the shadowy corners of the rooms.

"Show her. Show her your alices." Mikan tried to tear herself from Narumi's grip, not wanting to see anymore of the madness, but she froze when she saw the lumps growing on the principal's desk.

The perfectly normal desk was starting to swell in places, the swellings reaching out until they started to resemble branches. The branches started to fork, splitting in different direction. Bark started growing and twigs started appearing. Suddenly small green buds started sprouting, unfurling leaves and turning the room green.

And then all of a sudden the ground wasn't there anymore, she was falling, her stomach doing little loops, making it feel like she was on an aeroplane during severe turbulence. The darkness was absolute, binding the struggling Mikan, forcing her flailing limbs still. She fell for what seemed like an eternity, before finally crumpling in a heap on what felt like grass.

Slowly, Mikan opened her eyes, and when she did she immediately shut them. The scene was so vibrant and bright, it hurt her eyes after so long in the dark. Squinting, Mikan again tried to open her eyes, examining her surroundings.

She was in a flower garden, but the flowers were in such impossible shades of the brightest colours. A breeze blew over Mikan's face, bringing with it the sweet smell of lavender and roses. Mikan raised her head from the grass, looking up towards the lurid blue sky, the fluffy white clouds forming shapes with outstanding accuracy. The sun shone brightly, warming her cold skin.

Mikan was taking everything in wide eyed when she felt an uncomfortable prickling at the back of her neck, as if she was being watched. She pulled herself up to a sitting position, turning her neck to see the scenery behind her.

She froze, seeing a figure standing a few metres away. It was a woman, she was dressed in a long sweeping gown, white with gold embroidery. Her long black hair was tied back in a loose plait reaching her waist. A golden circlet rested on her head, which was turned away from Mikan.

The woman's attention seemed to be taken by a bush of dark red roses, sweet smelling petals turned towards to morning sun. Her hand reached out, gently stroking the nearest bloom with a slender white finger. Mikan didn't know why, but this seemingly gentle act set her every nerve on fire.

Slowly, the woman's head tilted towards Mikan until the two were directly looking at each other. Mikan heard a rustling sound and the woman was blocked from her view by a face that had suddenly appeared just a few inches from her own.

Although Mikan could only see the lower part of it, she could tell that it was a beautiful face, pale with delicate lips a bright shade of red. The smell of lilies wafted in the air. A hand reached out, a single slim finger lifting Mikan's up until they made eye contact. Instantly, Mikan was lost in the eyes, the crimson red eyes, just like Natsume's.

For what seemed to be both a second and an eternity, the hand retreated and the person took a step back from the kneeling Mikan. With a sudden jolt of horror, Mikan realized that the woman in front of her was the same woman who she had seen earlier admiring the roses. Slowly, the woman's mouth curled upwards in a smile, but it all seemed wrong.

Mikan was frozen in fear, her mind was screaming at her to run as far as her legs could carry her, and then crawl until she was too exhausted to go any farther, but she couldn't pull her eyes away from the red ones holding her captive.

The screaming kept on getting louder and louder until Mikan couldn't stand it. She wished with her entire being for it to end, she didn't care what happened, so long as she could escape the fear that had embedded itself throughout every inch in her quivering body. So long as it would end. And then darkness again, but his time Mikan embraced it.

"What do you mean you didn't show her anything!? LOOK AT HER!"The angry principal pointed at the girl who had collapsed in Narumi's arms. She was pale as death, beads of sweat still trickling down her forehead.

"I didn't! I started the illusion off normally but something happened! It was like someone took control of my illusion!" One of the men wearing black was fervently defending himself, "It felt like someone pushed me out and then suddenly she's on the floor, screaming her head off!" Yukihara's furious look disappeared and his eyes widened.

"...But how, why... and who?"

Good? Bad? Why? Pleeease review!

Also, a question! Who is the woman in the garden? To figure this out, you should first try to figure out the identity of someone else mentioned in the chapter.

By the way, the answer is not "Natsume's (insert relative here)"

Good luck, don't worry, it's not impossible. And the first person to get it correct will win a (drumroll) CHAPTER DEDICATION!

Please read my other story, Lost and Forgotten, also a Gakuen Alice fanfic!