A/N: Hello everyone! This is the new and improved version of The Side That Is Hidden named simply Hidden. For those of you who have already read it I really really do hope that you like this version more - I sure do.

To those of you who are new: welcome! I hope you like my story ^^

Not Beta'd!

*Note: this does not mark the beginning of the weekly updates. I just thought that I'd go ahead and get out the first chapter. Weekly updates will start soon though.

Disclaimer: I'm on Fanfiction for a reason people.

OoOoO

Prologue

He was fighting non-stop: burning a man to death in one moment, slicing out another's throat with the quick slash of a knife the next.

Ruthless.

Crimson eyes watched emotionlessly from behind the cold porcelain surface of his mask as blood sprayed through the air and his enemy fell, boneless, to the floor already dead.

The fifteen year old quickly scanned his surroundings for more to fight while mentally creating an escape route. It was just his luck that he'd been sent into one of the AAO's bases just to retrieve some stupid briefcase with some obscure, unnamed item within it. How cliché was that anyway? The answer is very.

Impossible odds, stupid reason, idiotic location. It was always like this.

'I swear to kami, if I die on this stupid mission I'm coming back to haunt Persona for this!'

He was fighting his way to the only exit in the room; a single white door that gave the only light available in the dark area that was currently wide open as more and more agents of the AAO spilled into the otherwise empty room, all armed and dangerous, along with torrents of rain. The whole room rocked at a steady, nauseating pace; the result of being on a very large boat in the middle of a storm.

Lightning flashed and crackled in the background.

Natsume, case held firmly in his hand, darted past a group of three guards and sent out a wall of flames towards them the moment he was past them. Twenty more stood blocking his path and Natsume mentally cursed as blood began dribbling from between his lips and he suppressed a harsh cough. His Alice was getting to him…

'Not now!' he growled.

And in that moment of distraction one of his many opponents had managed to take out a gun and aim. And fire. And hit him in the shoulder dammit!

Cursing audibly this time Natsume bit back a scream and crumpled to his knees. The case slid out of his previously viselike grip, the arm carrying it the one that had been shot. The boat rocked and the case slid to a far wall that was away from any of the currently alive opponents. The enemy was upon him.

'Well shit,' he thought with more than a little bit of annoyance and bitterness, 'I'm going to die now, aren't I? Great. Just fucking great! Ruka is going to be so pissed, and I still haven't found Aoi. Damn you Persona this is all-'

A soft, cold chuckle interrupted his angry thoughts and Natsume looked up to see a dark figure standing over him.

"You're not a very positive boy, are you?" a melodic voice asked in a way that Natsume would have thought was amused if not for the dead tone in which the question was delivered.

'A mind reader?' Natsume thought with narrowed eyes. And come to think of it, his eyesight was starting to become slightly blurry. Due to blood loss, he assumed.

"Hmm, sort of," the person replied and cocked their head to the side. "But that's not the important thing right now… Now if you will excuse me, Kuro Neko-san, I will heal you and bring the case to headquarters myself."

The figure – a girl Nastume decided based on the voice – bent down and reached out a hand to him that was glowing a rich emerald green with the power of the Healing Alice.

Natsume jerked back in confusion.

"What the hell are you doing healing me? The enemy is still-"

"Dead, Neko-san. They have been for a while now."

"D-dead?"

The cold giggle that burst through the girls' lips sent chills down Natsume's spine. This person…

"Yes! Dead. I killed them all of course. Silly little kitten, so unobservant. Aren't you supposed to be the best? Look around yourself. It may be dark, but it should still be apparent, no?"

The crimson eyes teen didn't deign the girl with a response and instead began dragging his eyes around the room, first taking in the bodies of the people he killed himself, and then….

There was blood everywhere.

It was splattered across the walls, difficult as it was to see, as well as the floor. His once alive enemy now lay lifeless, killed in more way that one: some with slit throats, others by what looked to be spikes of ice protruding from their chests. Some… some Natsume didn't want to describe.

"When?" he asked softly, looking back up to the girl. He still couldn't see more than her outline due to the poor lighting.

She hummed.

"While you were having your internal rant, of course."

"But that was only for about twenty seconds and there were just as many people!" Natsume protested with a snarl. There was no way in hell that this chick was really saying that she killed of them on her own. Not that quickly. "You're lying!"

"Tut, tut, Kitten," the girl murmured condescendingly. "What right have you to doubt me? Besides, I had the element of surprise on my side. With them all focused on you, sending out a widespread attack was simple."

She sneered at him for a moment.

"You make such a good little distraction," she told him coolly.

"Bitch," Natsume hissed, eyesight flickering as he lost more and more blood.

Her laughter was filled with shards of ice. Natsume felt his hair stand on end.

"You insult the one who saved you? Perhaps I had been sent by Persona to check on you but really. So ungrateful… Maybe I should just let that bullet wound finish you off instead of healing you."

"You wouldn't dare."

Oh how Natsume wished he could burn the girl right then and there. If only he wasn't so weak and his Alice so shot he would-

"I would dare," came her simple reply. "Only Persona wants you alive, though I don't know why, and I am obliged to carry out his wishes. Now shut your mouth and I will heal you."

Natsume hissed at the masked girl and glared at the floor as a cool feeling washed over his shoulder and the fiery pain from the bullet wound drained away. He glanced over to see his arm healed; new and unblemished skin covering the place where he'd been wounded seconds before.

"Tch," he muttered, jerking his arm from her grasp.

"Hn," the girl responded and held out her hand towards where the case was, never removing her gaze from him. Or at least he thought so. One could never tell with those masks on after all… The case shuddered a little and flew into her hand.

Natsume frowned.

"Just how many damn Alice's do you have?"

She considered him for a moment.

"Enough," she replied simply. "And now that we're done here, go. There should be another Alice waiting here with teleportation to take you back to headquarters. I suggest you hurry. I killed the crew before I came here and this ship will sink soon."

"Give me the case first."

"Heh. No. I saved your ass, kitten, and as such I will be the one to bring this back. Now go."

The fire Alice snarled but didn't fight anymore, not really caring that much anyway. That damn thing had almost gotten him killed anyway.

"Tch. Whatever."

He rolled to a stand and began to walk towards the door, only slightly behind the girl who had begun to walk before him. He squinted his eyes in the rain and sighed deeply as he felt the water wash the old blood from his arm where the gunshot wound had bled as well as the sweat and dirt.

Outside, while stormy, there was more light and Natsume was finally able to inspect the girl who had saved him.

She stood with perfect posture and simply soaked the air with power. Her clothes were completely black and consisted of a tight fitting sleeveless turtleneck as well as gloves and bands around her elbows while her arms and wrists were covered by various silver Alice control devices. She had black leggings on and knee-high black boots that strapped up. On her right leg there was a knife and a gun attached by straps, on her back was a sheathed katana. She had long auburn hair tied back into a ponytail that was currently being weighted down by the amount of rainwater it had soaked up. Around her neck was another control device necklace.

And then there was her mask; a delicate looking creation that was white and had sakura blossoms scattered all across it in various graceful arcs and swirls. Blood trickled slowly down the porcelain surface, being washed away by the rain.

"Who are you?" he asked, curious despite himself. As obnoxious and undeniably creepy as the girl was, she was interesting.

She tilted her head slightly and Natsume just knew that she was smiling a very small, cold smile right then even though her face was covered.

"Hells Angel," she replied softly, and then without warning disappeared.

A swirl of Sakura petals was all that was left behind. The flowers were quickly swept away by the wind and rain.

Natsume slowly bent over to pick up a single pink petal that had been blown to the floor right beside him. He rubbed his fingers over the smooth petal and looked up to the raining sky.

"Hells Angel, huh? Interesting," he smirked. "Very interesting…"

Natsume let the petal go.

OoOoO

A/N: End the super long prologue of doom.

So... yeah. Let me know what you think, k? :D

Press the button~!

*wiggles fingers hypnotically*

You know you want to! ;)

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