I do not own Gakuen Alice at all.

Reviews are much appreciated.

Npov

As soon as the day was over, I went with Ruka to our usual meeting place under the tree near our dorms. I was telling him what I thought about our new 'classmate'.

"She just seems kind of fishy, don't you think?"

Ruka doesn't know what I'm talking about apparently because he looks confused.

"I don't understand what you mean. She just looks like a very friendly person, that's all. I mean, she never stopped smiling at all, even during the lecture."

"That's what I mean. She wasn't just smiling, she was smiling way too much. And her smile just seemed strained, especially after I got done talking with her."

Yeah, when I was talking to her, near the end, I could tell very well that her smile was there by sheer force of will. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was up with her.

"I don't know, but since she is going to be your partner, maybe you should try to get to know her some more. It wouldn't hurt, and who knows? You could get some real information on her."

I thought about that. It does seem a good way to get to the real secrets about her. And it gave me a challenge. I love challenges.

"Alright, but you'll have to help me. I can't do this on my own. And two people getting info is a whole lot easier than just me doing it. What do you say?"

Please say yes. I really needed him if I was going to get her to admit something.

"I'm your friend aren't I? I'm glad to help. Let's try and find her."

"Alright. Thank you Ruka. I appreciate your help."

We got up and, it seemed like fate, she was walking to her dorm in front of us. It was weird, but it seemed like her face was downcast when it was all bright and joyful this morning. We walked up to her and called her.

"Mikan, are you okay?"

I knew she wasn't, but she might talk about it. I was hoping anyways. Instead, to my disappointment, she smiled brightly and wiped away the last of sorrow on her face.

"Hi partner, hi person-I-don't-know."

She was looking at Ruka. I forgot that she was only introduced to me, her partner. They didn't get to the intros of the whole class yet.

"Oh, his name is Ruka and I'm pretty sure you do know my name, right?"

She should know my name. I was the only person she knew here, other than Narumi and he's a teacher, so he doesn't count. She continued to smile.

"Yeah, you're Natsume. And hello Ruka. My name is Mikan Sakura, but I'm sure you know that already."

I looked over at Ruka and what I saw surprised even me. He was actually smiling. It wasn't fake either. It was genuine.

"Yeah, you k-kind of introduced y-yourself in class."

I felt my eyes widening. He was stuttering, which he never does. I looked back at Mikan and she looked surprised as well. She blinked a few times, then regained her composure.

"Uh-huh. So what do you guys want? I need to settle into my dorm, then I need to do something so it has to be quick."

I opened my mouth to respond, then shut it. I didn't know what I should ask her that wouldn't seem weird. Then I thought of something that everyone wonders about here at school.

"We were wondering what your Alice was."

I knew I must have surprised Ruka, so I kept my gaze on Mikan. She didn't seem to be too fazed by my question, so she responded almost immediately.

"I have the nullification Alice which means that I can neutralize other Alices. I can also teleport, so I have two Alices. What are yours?"

"I have the fire Alice and Ruka has the animal pheromone Alice, which means he can attract animals to him."

"Oh those sound interesting."

She looked at me interestingly for a moment. She smiled and waved at us.

"Well, I have to go. I really need to get this done. Have fun."

With that, she started to walk to her dorm. She didn't turn around even once. I looked and faced Ruka.

"So now do you believe me?"

Ruka still hadn't regained his total composure. I don't know what happened, but I didn't like it.

"Well, I still t-think she's nice, but s-something seems off."

"Yep, and we're going to find out what it is."

I smiled slightly as we walked back to our dorms. It was getting late. And I was going to crack her, no matter what it took.