Swashbuckle

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Written by: Madeleine Mason

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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– Chapter II –

Into the Game

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This was definitely not Central Town, Mikan thought as she gazed at the open area in wonder. She didn't even think she was in Japan anymore. This place was different, she could feel it. The weather and climate was different, the people (she assumed they were 'extras') were different, and she basically thought she was in another world. That is true, actually, she thought to herself comprehendingly.

Mikan reminded herself that this wasn't real, no matter how damn real it seemed. The people weren't real, the entire country wasn't real. This was just a game. That's right, she thought reassuringly, a game.

She had landed on a cobble street lined with flat grey stones, worn out by time and the sun. Mikan stared at it for a moment and appreciated the detailed graphics the game creator had designed. Looking up, she breathed in the fresh air that smelled strongly of salt water and fish. It was noisy and crowded with people who didn't seem to take her sudden appearance as surprising. They moved along as if they hadn't seen her, probably busy with their own lives (They don't have lives, she reminded herself) to care.

She dusted some grime and dirt off her sundress and checked to see whether she still had her guidebook. She found it tucked firmly inside her dress pocket. How funny, she thought bemusedly. I don't remember putting it in there... Shrugging it off for the while, she flipped through it to see what she was supposed to do now. There was now a new page in the book, and it came first before all the others. As soon as she had turned to the blank page, words flashed onto it.

TO DO LIST

1. Visit City Hall

City Hall, huh? She grinned and bounced on the balls of her feet, already excited for this new task. She'd always been proved to be a defenseless little girl that couldn't take care of herself and got into too much trouble without being able to get herself out of it. Natsume had made certain that she knew this. But no, not today! Mikan Sakura is not a defenseless little weakling! Mikan set her teeth and pumped an energetic first in the air, before being promptly pummeled to the ground again.

"What the—" Mikan lay disheveled on the cold ground, with something heavy on top of her. She cringed and lay still for a moment, before throwing it off of her and onto the sidewalk. This time, however, her little scene had caused some of the townsfolk to stare. Her cheeks flushed a bright red at the whispering and disapproving stares she was getting and jumped to her feet.

A huge brown lump on the ground curled around itself and emitted a strange moan-like sound. "Damn. . ." Mikan frowned and picked up a stick on the ground. She poked it. The lump moaned again. She poked it again. The lump wiggled a little and growled. Mikan jabbed it hard in the back.

"Okay, okay, you can stop now!"

"Koko?"

Kokoro Yome ruffled his brown hair and (his goofy smile still intact) threw her a glare. Mikan gulped, half scared and half amused (how could he glare at her so dangerously while that smile was on his face?) and laughed nervously.

"Oh, it's you! What a coincidence!" She smiled at him and held out her hand. "Did we all end up here too?" He took it and pulled himself up, dusting his clothes. He sighed and shook his head.

"No," he said. "We all got dumped at different areas, I guess. But it won't really matter since we're going to the same place." He shrugged. Mikan sighed.

"We better get going then." She pulled out her handbook from her pocket and checked the map; currently, she saw from a sign nearby, she was at Glenrock Dock, a place where all the boats and ships were docked and fishermen, well, caught fish. She wrinkled her nose at the scent of a pile of fish a man was unloading from his boat and tugged on Koko's hand.

"C'mon, before I get traumatized and never eat sushi again," she said disgustedly, shivering slightly as she pulled him away from the dock and into the crowded streets of Glenrock city.

Mikan felt like a squished sardine. People kept pushing into her and yelling rude things like 'Watch it, riffraff!' and to tell the truth, she was a bit hurt. Her hand latched onto Koko's was hard to hold on to as well. Every time she passed through a particularly dense throng, she felt his hand slip a little bit and it scared her to no end that she would be stranded here in this strange world all by herself, even if it was just a game.

"Hurry up, will you!" she called, running through the streets now, avoiding and ducking obstacles and people in her way. Koko, on the other hand, wasn't as evasive. He crashed into passerby and mumbled apologies to angry townspeople, all the while trying desperately to hold onto Mikan's hand that threatened to slip off and never be held again.

Mikan didn't know how many streets or houses they had passed, nor did she have any idea where to look for the Town Hall. She stopped at a nice clear area on one block of the street and opened her map. She stared at it in confusion; it looked like a bunch squiggly lines to her. Koko had come to a halt beside her, breathing in and out like he had just run a marathon.

"That was certainly. . . invigorating. . ." he mumbled to himself as he stopped to catch his breath. Mikan didn't look at him, staring with a crease in her forehead at the map.

"Where's the City Hall?" she asked, more to herself than to Koko. Koko shrugged and looked over her shoulder at the map.

"Riiight. . ." he said, squinting as he tried to read the small print, "There." He pointed at the center of the map, which was labeled 'Glenrock City Hall' in fine print. Mikan looked rather troubled.

"Well, we know where we're supposed to go, but where are we exactly?" she said anxiously. This place was not familiar to her and it was easy to get lost, which was the last thing Mikan wanted to be. Koko frowned at the map and after a few more seconds looked up. His smile seemed to grow wider.

"Mikan—" he said, tapping her on the shoulder. She did not pay attention to him, calculating to herself about their whereabouts.

"We just passed the dock, didn't we? It's right over there, pretty close to the city hall. That means. . . if we turn a left there. . . that street. . . Oh, Good Lord, we're right in front of it!" Mikan nearly snapped the bone in her neck as she looked up from the map quickly. And indeed, in front of them was the Glenrock City Hall.

The city hall practically gleamed from head to toe. It looked very erect and professional and a bit stand-offish to boot. Polished marble posts stood on either side of the entrance and neat people wearing fancy clothes bustled in and out of it. Mikan gulped, suddenly nervous and wanting to back out of the game.

"You coming?" Koko's voice rang out in her mind like a clear bell, warning her of the time and place. It was too late to back out now, she had chosen to play and there was no other option than letting herself be killed, and she wasn't going this far to die so quickly.

She nodded briefly and the two walked into the city hall, looking very out of place in their dirty jeans, shirt, (and in Mikan's case) dress. They passed many people who looked like they just stepped out of an eighteenth century England painting; men with top hats and coats, women wearing long gowns, ruffled petticoats, and big hats with feathers and flowers in them. Mikan gazed at them openmouthed before Koko teased that a fly would shoot straight into her mouth if she left it open like that. Begrudgingly closing her jaw and shooting him a glare, they proceeded through a large open doorway leading to a room where dozens of chairs were set up. At the front of the room were people sitting behind tiny cubicles as they talked to their customers who remained on the other side while other customers waited on the chairs for their turn. Mikan and Koko took seats near the front of the third cubicle and waited in deadpanned silence.

The wait was a long one. Mikan didn't know how much time had lapsed in both the real world and in the game. She didn't have a watch and settled for counting the turquoise ceiling tiles one by one. When she finally counted them all, she started again from the beginning and only when she was counting her thirty-third tile in her fourth round, she heard a cry of, "Mikan, Koko!"

Ruka, Hayate, and Sumire were walking towards them hurriedly, looking very relieved to see them. Mikan released a sigh that she hadn't known she'd been keeping in and waved. Koko positively beamed at the sight of Sumire, looking very catty because her hair looked a right mess, Mikan supposed, from her arrival into Erosis. They approached them and took seats beside them as they chatted while waiting for their turn.

"Where did you guys end up in?" asked Ruka as he took a seat beside Hayate.

"Near Glenrock dock," said Mikan. "Koko and I arrived at the same place. Well, technically, I got there first, then he landed on me." She threw the sandy-haired boy a sour look as he laughed. She turned back to look at Ruka again curiously. "Did all three of you end up in the same place?" Hayate shook his head.

"Ruka and I landed in a spot near the outskirts of the city," he said. "We met Shouda on the way here." He gestured at Sumire, who was trying to comb her hair with manicured fingernails, and sighed. "It's such a pity my beloved Cool Blue Sky didn't catch up with us!"

"Next!" called a monotone voice from the third cubicle. Mikan grinned.

"That's me!" she announced, jumping out of her chair and hopping from one foot to the other excitedly. She approached the cubicle with a bounce in her step and beamed at the person on the other side. The person on the other side was a woman with pink hair tied back, away from her face and an apathetic expression. She wore clothes similar to a nurse's and gave Mikan a smile that didn't reach her eyes. The brunette glanced at the other stalls and it seemed that this receptionist had look-alikes in each cubicle.

"Good morning, my name is Ellie. Thank you for coming to the Glenrock City Hall. Your purpose here is?" said the pink-haired receptionist, looking at Mikan blandly.

"Um. . . to get registered?" Mikan said doubtfully, but Ellie seemed to think this reason was perfectly normal.

"Please fill out this form." Ellie handed her a sheet of parchment, quill, and ink well from a slot in the glass. Mikan picked up the quill in wonder, dipping it in the ink well and scribbling on the parchment.

Name: Mikan Sakura

Age: 15

Date of Birth: January 1

Occupation (leave unanswered until sorting):

She passed the parchment, ink, and quill back through the slot and waited while Ellie copied it into a large account book. She nodded, "Everything seems to be in check. Please follow me." She stood up from her seat inside the cubicle and lead Mikan to another room at the back.

This new room was considerably smaller than the waiting hall. It had a stack of boxes on one side, while on the other stood a small table. On the table was a glass case, and inside the glass case was a compass, the one, Mikan supposed, would decide what type of employment she would receive. Ellie walked towards the table and entered a code into a security keypad fixed onto the side of the glass case. The glass case opened and she took out the compass, handing it to Mikan.

She took this curious contraption and studied it for a moment. It looked very old and ancient, with figures and characters instead of the regular north, south, east and west. Replacing south was a golden eagle, replacing the north a black skull and two cutlasses forming an 'x' (Mikan instantly knew what this stood for), replacing the east was a badger, and replacing the west was the same golden eagle, this time wearing a crown. A tiny silver arrow pointed in the gap between the skull and the badger, and Ellie told her to hold the strange compass in her hands.

She did, and watched as the tiny arrow began to move consistently. It switched from the golden eagle with the crown to the skull and cutlasses, back and forth, back and forth. Ellie frowned, took it from her and drew a pattern on the glass with her fingertip. She handed it back to Mikan, who watched as the arrow did not stop. Ellie's frown deepened and drew the same mark again. After a few more switching between the two, it finally rested on the skull and cutlasses. Mikan gasped silently. Did this mean what she thought it meant? Was she really a pirate?

Ellie nodded. "Miss Sakura, you are a pirate captain." No, she wasn't a pirate. She was a pirate captain. How dandy. Ellie reached for one of the boxes on the other side of the room and pulled out a small, brown canvas backpack and handed it to her. "Here are all your essential items to survive in this game. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Ooh, Natsume was gonna tease her for this. . . She could already imagine what he would say in her head. "A pirate captain? You? Ha, that compass must be complete crap. You're not brave and debonair enough to be a pirate, much less the captain of a ship. I bet you don't even know how to handle a sword." Imagining the sneer painted across his face, Mikan scowled. She swore she would become the best pirate captain she could be and get that treasure if it was the last thing she would do.

She smiled gratefully at Ellie and cradled her canvas bag in her hands. "Um, where is my ship and crew?" she asked. Ellie pushed another bag into her hands and told her to take something out of it. She put her hand into the bag, a bit anxious on what was inside. She grasped quickly of the first thing her fingers felt, and pulled it out. She gazed curiously at a tiny model of a ship in her palm.

Mikan didn't know much about ships, but she knew that this one was quite a beauty. It was sleek and made of sturdy wood. It appeared heavy, though was really very light. It was painted a dark bronze with beautiful sails that looked very nearly invisible, but were still there. The sails seemed to have a gold shimmer upon it and on the bow was a fierce-looking lion.

"That is your ship. You will have to name it," said Ellie. Mikan looked at it, and tried to think of a name that fit it perfectly.

"The Liberator," she decided at last, a winning smile on her face. Ellie nodded.

"The Liberator it is," she agreed. "Your crew will be joining you tomorrow or later today. You will be staying in an inn near the docks, because tomorrow will start as your life as a pirate. You will not be able to linger for very long, since the nobles will try to capture you. Today will be your day of preparation. Someone will teach you the ways of a pirate and how to handle a sword." Mikan nodded and Ellie showed her back to the waiting room. Sumire, Ruka, and Hayate sat waiting for her on the chairs while Koko entered the waiting room in the back with another one of the receptionists from the neighboring cubicle. He flashed her a thumbs-up as he disappeared into the small room. Mikan approached the other three with a huge smile on her face.

"What did you get?" asked Sumire suspiciously, eyeing the bag in her arms. "That is free, right?" Mikan grinned.

"I don't have any cash on me right now, so this is definitely free." She sat down beside Ruka and opened her bag.

"Who did you become?" asked Ruka, looking nervous. He hoped desperately that she was someone that he could be too. It was plainly obvious how Ruka was infatuated with the brunette girl, but she still remained oblivious to his feelings. Mikan looked at him with a mischievous look in her eye.

"Peasant, duh," Sumire drawled, without bothering to look her in the eye. Mikan glared at her and stuck out her tongue. My goodness, she's just like Natsume! she thought indignantly.

"Actually, I'm not a peasant," Mikan said haughtily. Sumire mumbled something under her breath that sounded very much like 'could have fooled me' and snickered. Mikan glared at her again and continued, "I am a pirate captain." Sumire, Ruka, and Hayate stared at her in disbelief.

"Pirate captain. . .?" Ruka mumbled to himself, looking very shocked. There was no way he could be with her now. Sumire looked as if she couldn't decide on laughing at her or fainting right then and there. Hayate just looked pleasantly surprised. Mikan, satisfied upon seeing their reactions, dug into her bag.

She pulled out a heavy bag of golden coins which Ellie told her were 'Aries', the currency here in Erosis. It was meant to be start-off money before she could earn more herself. Sumire eyed this very greedily.

"Do we get one of those, too?" she asked. Mikan shrugged.

"Dunno. It may be different if you aren't a pirate." She pulled out again from her bag a golden telescope, a large map (the one in her guidebook only showed the lands and was small) that included all the islands and seas, pirate clothing, and food. She stared at her pirate clothes, which consisted of three white blouses, a red vest, two pairs of dark trousers, and a collection of undergarments. Ruka peered over her shoulder.

"Is that what you're supposed to wea—" as soon as he caught sight of her neatly folded underwear, he turned very red and turned away. Mikan giggled and stuffed her things inside her bag again.

"Next!" announced a receptionist as Koko walked out the door, a grey canvas bag in hand. Sumire stood up and sashayed her way to the cubicle, trying hard not to look nervous. Koko approached them and grinned.

"Who are you?" asked Mikan eagerly. Koko's grin grew wider as he winked at her.

"Aye, aye, Captain," he said. Mikan squealed and threw her arms around him.

"OhIcan'tbelieveit!You'reinmycrewaren'tyou?Aren'tyou?Ohmigosh!Ican'tbelieveit!Thisistooawesome!" Mikan bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, still embracing Koko. Ruka watched all this with a sinking heart, knowing that there was no possible way he would get sorted into a pirate, much less the same crew Mikan was in. Koko laughed.

"Aw, and just when I was thinking I could finally get rid of you!" he teased. Mikan crossed her arms over her chest.

"What did you just say to your captain, Yome?" she said pretending to be angry. Koko lifted his hands in defeat.

"I'm sorry, Cap'n! Don't make me walk the plank!"

This playful banter continued most of the time they were waiting for the others. In this time, Mikan had shown the ship model to Koko.

With wide eyes, he emitted a low whistle. "Wow. She's a real beaut, ain't she, Cap'n?" Mikan smiled fondly at the ship and rubbed it's already gleaming exterior with her dress.

"Aye, she is," said Mikan proudly, very glad that she was so lucky as to have picked this ship from the lot. "She's called the Liberator." Koko whistled again.

"You got a good eye for naming things, Cap'n. The Liberator." He stared at the ship in adoration. "We'll be sailing the seven seas in style with this devil, we are."

At this moment, Hotaru and Natsume had entered the city hall looking very grumpy and cross. Mikan beamed when she saw Hotaru and ran over to glomp her as usual. "Hotaru!" she squealed happily and hugged her. Hotaru rolled her eyes and pushed her away.

"Get off, stupid." She sat down beside the rest of them and crossed her legs. Natsume smirked at Mikan and whispered in her ear.

"You're a peasant, aren't you?" he said, looking amused. Mikan glared at him and poked his chest.

"No, mister. I'm a pirate captain, thank you very much!" she snapped. The raven haired boy looked very disbelieving.

"You shouldn't lie about being a peasant, you know."

"I told you! I am not a peasant!"

By this time, Ruka, Sumire, and Hayate were finished with their sorting.

"I'm a noblewoman, I am," said Sumire proudly. "It's better than being a pirate because I get to wear beautiful gowns and be waited on by my servants." The rest of the time she was very snooty. Hayate was a rank gold peasant and Ruka was a nobleman—the king to be exact. To his dismay, he was teased constantly because of this.

"It's fits you perfectly, Ruka!" exclaimed Mikan as Ruka turned a brilliant shade of red. "Though I've gotta say, I did imagine you more of a princely type." At last, it was finally Hotaru's and Natsume's turn. They both came back from the room with very good poker faces. Hotaru, she was told, was a noblewoman like Sumire. Mikan was a bit disappointed at this, she had such high hopes that her Hotaru would be a pirate, too.

"What did you get?" Mikan asked Natsume. He mouthed a profanity at her and didn't answer. Mikan snickered. "Since you don't want to tell me, I can guess that you're a rank zero peasant!" Natsume's eyes flashed dangerously before he scoffed.

"Peasant? I think not. Since you're so desperate to know, I guess I'll have to tell you. I'm a pirate captain." Mikan hated how he looked so arrogant, like he was the king of the world.

"What's the name of your ship?" she asked suspiciously, so she could keep it in mind later, in case he tried to raid her ship.

"And why, oh contraire, should I tell you?" he said smoothly, before running his hand through his hair conceitedly. Mikan glared at him.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." She wasn't so sure she should be telling him her ship's name, but her curiosity was killing her! Natsume snorted.

"I'll hear about your ship sooner or later. I don't need to be making deals with you like this. Because I will kill you, whether you like it or not." Natsume smirked dashingly as Mikan began to see red. On the contrary, she thought, she would be the one who was going to kill him.

"Kill me? Kill me? Natsume Hyuuga—" She glared at him dangerously as she poked her finger into his chest forcefully. "I will be the only one doing the killing here. You better watch your back starting tomorrow because I will personally hunt you down and tear you, piece by piece."

--

The second Mikan entered her room in the Mermaid's Medallion inn, she flopped down on her bed and stared idly at the ceiling. She'd done it. She'd just threatened Natsume Hyuuga—and it felt good. Well, partly. The other part of her wanted to scream out loud and break down, sobbing in fear. But what was done was done. Could she back out of her promise—well, threat, actually—and expect Natsume to forgive and forget? Not very likely.

And so, this is how Koko found her, staring at the ceiling looking like she just sold her soul to Satan, which was basically what she did, because deep down inside, she knew she couldn't kill Natsume Hyuuga. What in the world had possessed her to say that anyway? I'm so stupid, she moaned in her head despairingly.

"Hey," said Koko. Only she and Koko were staying in this inn, as they were the only two people in the same crew. The others were separated from them, in other inns—some near the dock for the pirates, some near the town for the peasants, and some near the castle for the nobles.

"Hi," she replied weakly, hands behind her head as she glanced at him once and resumed staring at the ceiling pitifully.

"Thinking twice about what you said to Natsume, huh?" said Koko sympathetically. Mikan grimaced. It was an amazing feat how he could still know what was on her mind even though his Alice was disabled. She sighed and turned over in her bed.

"Yes, and I'm regretting it very much," she said dryly. Koko sat down on the bed beside her.

"It's not so bad, you know," he tried encouraging her. "I mean, this guy who'll be training us in the ways of a pirate can teach you some cool kung-fu tricks and you'll be able to whip Natsume's ass!" This cheered the brunette up, at least somewhat.

But could she really do it? She knew she wasn't very strong or fast or, heck, even smart. But could she really become a decent pirate? A decent captain?

"Where is that guy anyway, Koko? When's he supposed to arrive?" she asked. Koko grinned. Suddenly, she felt a sharp whip of air blow past her and her reflexes immediately reacted. She twisted her head to one side and her hand automatically reached to capture the item in mid-flight. She looked down at what she had just caught. It was a knife, a very sharp one in fact.

A deep, rough voice emanated from the doorway. "Aye, there seems to be some hope for you yet."

--

"Don't twist so sharply, do it smoothly! SMOOTHLY, I said! Yeh look like yeh've got a stick thrust up yeh'r arse!" Dawson instructed. "And yeh'r form is too stiff, relax. Alert yeh'r senses, be aware." Mikan labored, she really did. She twisted and kicked and punched and fought and parried and clashed. She tried to do her best, but even she knew when to quit.

"I can't do it!" she breathed out between painful winces and cringes. Dawson's small, sharp blue eyes narrowed more so.

"CAN'T DO IT?" he bellowed, because for Dawson, there was no indoor voice. "Yeh can't bloody do it?! Then that means yeh don't have the guts to be a damn pirate captain! Yehr little female body can't well handle it, eh? I expected this, yeh were a weakling from the start." Dawson snorted. "Bloody can't do it." Mikan grit her teeth and tried again, tried harder.

"Aye! That's how it's done! Do it again, this time don't be so stiff, yeh sour puss! And that sword's there for a reason! Use it!" growled the old man as he parried her blows with his own sword. Richard Dawson might have been only a fifty-three year old man with wrinkles that seemed to add up to a hundred or more, but he was also an ass-kicking fifty-three year old man with wrinkles that seemed to add up to a hundred or more.

Mikan sweated heavily as she moved to dodge and block his sword's evasive tactics. It was like he was everywhere, left and then right and then. . . With a swift but powerful movement of his wrist, the sword Mikan had once been holding clattered to the ground. She was tired, sweaty, and really needed to take a bath. Dawson looked like he had just finished a session in a luxury spa.

"Yeh still need work," Dawson grunted. "That's it for today. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow." He turned his back and made to hobble out the door, before turning round and blocking a surprise attack from Mikan.

"We're not done yet," she snapped breathlessly. A wide smile spread onto Dawson's face.

"We'll see abou' that."

A few hours later, Mikan sat down for supper looking exceptionally satisfied. Koko looked at her and grinned. "What's up with you? You look like you just won a million bucks." Mikan beamed back at him.

"What really happened was so much better. I finally managed to pull one over the old man!" she announced giddily. Koko's eyes grew large.

"You mean you really did it? Gosh, that's amazing! I thought you'd never be able to do it!" he exclaimed. Mikan frowned dryly at him, then rolled her eyes.

"No time for chit chatting, lad—" said Dawson as he walked into the dining area, "—and lass," he added when he saw Mikan. "Eat to keep yeh'r strength up." He shoveled food into his mouth, trying to make a point. Mikan watched this spectacle for a few seconds before eating her own meal silently. Koko laughed and tried to imitate Dawson, spilling food all over the table.

"Now look what yeh did!" said Dawson angrily. "Yeh wasted all this 'ere good food!" He started at the food for a moment and sighed. Then he began eating again. Mikan was vaguely reminded of the quote 'the way to man's heart is through his stomach'. I guess that's true then, she thought amusedly at both Koko and her mentor.

Mikan was different now, there was no doubt about it. It was a miracle that she had changed so quickly—one moment she couldn't land a single punch and the next she could parry and attack so skillfully with a sword. She herself didn't understand it as well. But those movements just seemed so natural—twist, turn, thrust, parry, dip, slide, block. Now the prospect of defeating Natsume wasn't too impossible. Actually, she had a pretty good chance already. After all, all this training for hours on end wouldn't be for nothing.

"Pass the salt," said Koko through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. Mikan rolled her eyes and handed him the bowl of salt before standing up.

"You're done already?" Koko looked at her with wide, disbelieving eyes before stuffing a chicken leg in his mouth. Mikan blanched before nodding curtly and retreating to her room.

She bounded onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling again, a whirlwind of thoughts grazing her mind. She'd changed in this game, she knew it. How long had she been in here already? It felt like she'd lived here her whole life.

She mentally slapped herself. Don't take this too seriously, Mikan, she told herself reprimandingly. Don't get your head lost in the clouds. Reality is waiting for you out there; this is only the beginning.

Wow, this is a pretty long chapter. Not as long as the first one maybe, but long nonetheless. I don't like this chapter very much; it's a bit too fast paced for my liking. Oh well. Don't expect an update very soon. School is massacring me little by little and sucking up all of my free time. Do me a favor and review please. And don't worry, you'll see how Natsume is doing in the next chapter.

—Maddie