Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters, but I wish I did x)
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Chapter 2: Destined Meeting
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Yuka Sakura
The awarding ceremony is going smoothly and in an orderly manner, as expected from the Royal Family. However, I started to take notice that aside from the noise from the said event, it was quiet.
My daughter, Mikan. To be precise.
She only does that when she is either in deep though, intently reading or she is busy on doing something. Am I just thinking too much about this quiet behavior of hers? But, how can that happen if today is her first time in this place?
And knowing her persistent, walking questionnaire nature, questions from her watchful brain should have been flying on my way. I will be knowledgably answering those, of course.
Though, none of those came ever since this event started.
Maybe she just decided to quietly observe. I mentally concluded.
"Mikan." I initiated in a lowered tone. I got to check so my uneasiness would stop nagging me.
Nothing.
"Mika—" I recurred but cut it myself when I turned my head and… I was greeted by an empty space. She's no longer standing beside me. My eyes widened in shock. Urgently, I am set to search for her. She can't be wondering in a place, can she?
Guest. Another one. Again a guest. And the list goes on. My search narrowed down that, she was not in this hall.
This is trouble.
"Oh, Mikan. Where had you gone to now.." I worriedly uttered and left my place to seek out for my daughter. This place is just too big for her.
Mikan Sakura
I drew out a long, quiet sigh and chewed my lip.
I totally regret on bravely heading back to our carriage to retrieve my small bag that had Nii-san's gift and without asking any permission from Okaa-san.
Why?
Because, who would have thought that this place is waaay too confusing? Erm.. that confused person will be me. Oh the joy.
And just then, it drowned in my head that I can actually hand it to him when we arrive home. Urgh! Why didn't I think about that earlier?
Sigh. Seriously, I don't like the situation I'm in.
I maintained to walk in all calmness that I could muster while I took note of the corridor even though it seemed futile, since it was horrifyingly and disappointingly the SAME with the ones I had passed by. I arrived in another intersection that also in the same page as the corridor. Dreadingly the same.
How big can this place be?!
I shut my eyes. I'm really, really lost!
I took a deep breath in, opened my eyes and studied the intersection. I lifted my right hand and let my pointer and middle fingers to alternately tap on my chin. Maybe I should stop taking right turns on every direction I meet. I contemplated. That was all I did on every direction.
I narrowed my eyes, crumpling my eyebrows. Go straight? ..or left?
I balanced my decisions in my head and also in my instincts. I had relied on those throughout my journey in this Palace hall. I rely on facts and think it over; unfortunately, I don't see some facts in here. Just nonliving things. Those just make me more down. I can't even ask anyone in here.
Until quiet some time, I don't know how long that was, I dropped my hand back to my side and partially twirled with a little hope now.
I'm going left.I'm sure this time.
My footsteps echoed through the empty hallway. It was lone. Lonely. I felt separated from the world I came from. It continued to echo to this hallway's end. That sounded too far away, may I add. I swallowed.
Was the direction I chose wrong again?
I hate this!
My eyes roamed ahead with my heart loudly pounding in my chest that my ears' pulses are already ringing. I clasped my clammy hands together to at least lessen my tension and nervousness. My nerve-wracking anxiety is increasing even more as I took into consideration that this place is indeed DESERTED from any life form, except for me.
I but my lower lip, in hope to get a better hold of myself.
Will I be able to get out of this endless, twisted hallway… alive?
Is that even applicable in reality?
Well, the answer is obviously a yes, for all I have seen were pillars, walls, the shiny fall and intersection. Nothing more.
Ifs and if nots came rushing in my head, making it more clouded. I'm over-reacting, I know. Blame that to my intensely, growing panic.
I met a new intersection that is split in two directions.
Right and left.
Without much deliberation, I took the left side.
I lifted my eyes that were glued on the floor up to look ahead.
My panic and that wild mix of emotions disappeared in a flash. I stopped, dead in my own tracks at the place before my very eyes. I gawk again, that I had to close my mouth as soon s I came aware of it.
Who could have expected that after this endless hallway, a courtyard or should it be a garden awaits?
I stared at it for I-don't-know-how-long before I blinked my eyes twice. Then, I left the perplexity causing place and in the beautiful garden. I'm calling it a garden now. The warmth of the sun welcomed me in, I missed that and a smile surfaced on my formerly frowning lips.
Bushes, wildflowers, green grasses continued to greet my wandering yet awestruck eyes as I faintly cared that I am still lost. Wonderful contrast of colors was showcased grandly by this huge garden.
Sad to say but fate seemed to desire that fading feeling of mine to hunt me down when I caught sight of a nearby hedge maze. It was obviously above my height, though I am far from it. How did they build… urgh! Never mind. I don't need to ponder on that.
I loudly gulped.
That place is not a great, let alone a good one, for a lost person like me. I took a conscious backward step, because if I did not move, that scary place will drag me inside with its vines, roots or any methods it had to achieve its evil motive on me.
Creepy.I fearfully thought as shivers ran up and down starting my feet to my head. My right hand's semi-curled fingers slightly leaned on my lips. I shouldn't have listened to Nii-san's stories. My imagination is going wild. Really wild.
I brought my hand down, shutting my eyes close. I mentally pushed those scary scenes at the back of my head with a little shake of it.
I turned my head to the other side and opened them again. I vented my attention to the other side of the garden which is safer on my opnion.
Out of the blue, a butterfly flew near me. A beautiful one.
Its broad, colorful wings glowed; more like it glistened because of the sun. The yellow portions of its wings added that glowing effect. It continued to glide its wings then it started to fly a little away from me that I decided to follow it with my hand raised up in attempt to catch it.
Natsume Hyuuga
I stood still in a different branch this time as I kept myself intently hidden behind this Sakura Tree's broad trunk. Waiting with all my patience for something to take place.
Not long after, I heard the room's door being closed louder for my liking. I momentarily stayed unmoving to ponder on their actions.
I grunted. Whatever. I'll think about that later.
I smirked. No more distractions. Better.
I adjusted the bag's strap that was only on my left shoulder. They should have checked this tree if they wanted to find me, yes?
Negative.
Their stupidity is what a smart person like me needed. They hadn't stopped me from sneaking out and I like to keep that record of mine clean.
Seeing that the coast is clear, I dropped myself from the branch and clamped my hands on it, to lessen my distance from the ground. The leaves idiotically rustled that left me with no other choice but to stay up here. Burning those is the best idea I have, but that will give me away.
This is very stupid. Hanging until that sound ends. Tch.
Making some good use of the time and to prolong my already shortening patience, I pushed myself to inspect the area, even though, I am well-aware that nobody will be here. I'm sure of that. The western part of this Palace is my territory, excluding this garden. It belongs to my mother and my sister, Aoi. I don't yearn to have it anyway. I'm not that desperate.
I felt more secured that came along with displeasure that an awarding ceremony is held in the grand hall.
Displeasure, because of father. He prohibited me from going there. Why forbid your son from attending that? I was willing to go there.
"You can't attend on tomorrow's event or else some of the preparations and attention will be seriously divided."
I frowned. I got my own reason for attending the ceremony. Tch. Nevermind. At least his decision made it easier for my escape's success.
When I was about to unclamp my hands, I caught sight of somebody's back at the corner of my eyes. That person was in the place I did not survey.
The Sakura Tree itself.
My frown deepened.
Great. I'll be hanging here much longer. I sarcastically yet menacingly commented. I glared at the intruder's back. The trespasser is actually a female. She is freakingly under the same shade as I am, the difference is that she in on her feet and I am not.
I keenly and resentfully watched her.
All I have seen was her stupid back and also a side view of her face. That girl needs a short reprimand of her bold act of trespassing in here and that would come along with a genius foreshadowing that she was the whole darn reason why I could not leave.
I let my eyes to follow her every move, which were a set of little steps with her hand constantly hoisted up in attempt to hold the butterfly.
When the flying insect glided to my general direction—what. That's when she saw me.
I felt myself stiffen at the sight of her smile… and was she glowing?
I blinked. My eyes are playing tricks on me.
And the next thing I knew, I hit the ground.
Unprepared.
Normal POV
Natsume groaned in annoyance as he unhooked the bag off his shoulder. He hated the fact that he fell from the tree for the first time.
As his curses flew in his mind, the branch produced the sound that he tried so hard not to attain, while the brunette was still, giving the butterfly to fly away from her.
Natsume groaned in annoyance, unhooking the bag off his shoulder. He couldn't believe that he fell from the tree for the first time. As he mentally cursed, the branch produced the sound that he tried so hard not to attain while the brunette was still, forgetting the butterfly she was tailing.
Winning over the initial shock, she reluctantly approached him. The screams in her head were all ignored and those backfired her as she froze on her tracks a foot or two from him.
At the mean time, the curses in the aggravated prince's mind continued. He glared at the rich, lush green, grassy ground that was patched by the baby pink petals from the tree that he had fallen off to. More petals descended, making him angrier. It pissed him off that those petals rubbed his mistake on his face.
But in some way, his anger reached its end as he stiffened at the sight of someone else's shoes. He forgot about the intruder he plotted to give a lecture. He was even unaware that she had walked near him. Was I that occupied that she had moved without me knowing it?
As if he didn't stiffened at the sight of her shoes, he lifted his head up and met a set of shocked hazel brown orbs.
Mikan took a deep breath in while blinking the shock off her eyes, "A-Are you hu-hurt?" her eyebrows rumpling in concern.
He narrowed his eyes without a small care to answer her. He placed a certain odd topic at the back of his head and broke their eye contact. He casually stood up, and dusted his pants off from any possible dust. He then decided to look back to the brunette.
Once his stunning, mesmerizing crimson, ruby red orbs landed on her, he immediately saw her mouth moving. Her facial expression told him that what she was gonna say won't be a good one on his part.
An idea abruptly came to his mind. He took a step but that doesn't seem to be the most intelligent thing to do. His foot hit something that resulted for him to look down, then, he discovered that he unintentionally kicked the bag.
His eyebrow twitched at the sight of the spilled contents. Speaking about timing of events. Tch.
The brunette gasped, fear creeping under her skin. She wanted to get out of the place. Immediately. Collecting all her strength to move her nailed feet, she took, to her outmost dismay, a step back and nothing came after that.
"Y-You're." She frighteningly begun, pointing an accusing finger to him.
At the tone of her voice, he stiffened again. His eyes pierced to the spilled contents. His hands turned into balls, waiting for assumption.
She swallowed a lump in her throat, blinking her eyes to lessen the emotion displayed on her eyes that is generally terror. ".. You're a thief."
Upon hearing her derived conclusion, Natsume flicked his head up. Shock cracked through his formerly emotionless façade with his eyes slightly wide. And they stayed like that for some time. A staring contest. The wind blew that made his hair sway a little whereas her auburn hair just made a little sway since it was tied tightly and that same wind caused the huge tree to rustle and also carried its pink petal. Some of those petals showered the tree's shade occupants.
He blinked, finally back from his reverie and faked a cough. He recouped his usual composure. "No, I'm not. I am very far from that lowly conclusion of yours." He defended himself, mentally crossing out his impression of her being smart. He even asked why he even thought she was and where the foreign thought came from. He left that unanswered.
Her eyes traveled down to his feet, "It is to me. I—"She stared at him again. She badly wanted to move but her body won't budge, "—I'll report you to the Palace Guards." She felt like an idiot for finishing her statement for she couldn't even move from her very spot. In addition, she hadn't spotted a single guard through the hall.
"I warn you. Don't you dare do that." He coldly ordered. The coldness of his voice made him assume that she will submit herself since his subjects does that. Submitting themselves.
"What made you think that I'll follow what you said?" She opposed, placing her hands on her hips. The traces of her earlier fear had subdued to nothing.
He frowned. That proved him wrong about her. She was then registered to the list of the people who defied him within the day; though, she was in a different case. A really different one.
Ignoring her firm stipulation, he out of the blue grabbed hold of her right wrist and started dragging her somewhere. The place was no longer safe for him and he couldn't risk the place either.
They're a good distant away from Sakura Tree when she at last broke her silence, she was finding her voice awhile ago.
"Le-Let me go!" The captured brunette stutteringly yet angrily ordered, her voice that was drenched in fear. She twisted her wrist, struggling, without an ounce of consent of their obvious strength grip.
Pissed, he ordered in authority. "Shut. Up."
Mikan brought herself to obey on what he said. Perhaps his tone made her to. Cold and Powerful. How he got those? She didn't know.
She gasped, and without more ado, she dug her heels to the ground, wounding it a little though it hardly stopped him. He never showed that what she was doing was affecting him. Her heart started to race as a bad sensation emerged in her.
The brunette didn't have to ask as to where the thief slash stranger was taking her since she saw the answer over his shoulder. The answer was invitingly and proudly there.. The Inhuman Hedged Maze.
She added more power on her heels in hope to dug them deeper in the ground. She closed her eyes with wrinkled eyebrows and forehead. A frown running on her lips. I can't go there! Her mind screamed.
Being pulled by someone was one thing she was not capable to think about.. and it was horrendous. His method defeats all of the other scenes her imagination had formulated and her brother's scary stories.
xoxoxoxoxo
Author's Note: Thank you for reading this chapter^^ I hope you like it.
Thanks for your wonderful reviews :) please tell me if ever you spot some mistakes and I'll be happy to edit them^^
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