Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice

'Cause they will run you down, down til the dark
Yes and they will run you down, down til you fall
And they will run you down, down til you go,
Yeah so you can't crawl no more
And way down we go

-Way Down We Go
Kaleo

"Are you actually going to drink it this time?"

Pulled out of my stupor, I looked up at the man across from me. Middle-aged, pot-bellied, and with a permanent sour look on his face. I didn't blame him; bartending in a loud night club and bar probably wasn't exactly fulfilling. Besides, despite that sour look, he was my only friend. What had become of my life that my only friend was a bartender of a loud nightclub and bar old enough to be my father was a whole other issue.

Silently, my gaze dropped back down to the short square glass on the counter. Straight whiskey, the cheapest they had. I'd never had whiskey before—it's not exactly the drink of choice for teenagers at high school parties. I wasn't even legally allowed to drink, but Gary—the bartender and my only friend—didn't know that, thanks to my very legitimate-looking fake ID.

It had become routine. Once or twice a week, when the grief got too heavy, I would make my way to the grungy nightclub where the music was loud and there were too many people for me to stand out and order a whiskey on the rocks. And then I would stare at it, sometimes until the ice had melted, and then I would go to my room at the grungy hotel across the street from the grungy nightclub and try to sleep.

I sighed and pushed the glass towards him. "All yours," I said, loud enough for him to hear me over the loud music.

He eyed me, the concern he'd adopted over the last couple of weeks hidden behind a calculating stare. "What are you doing here, kid?"

"I told you. I'm keeping a low profile. I'm on the FBI's most wanted list for defrauding thousands of people."

"Last week you were a murderer, the week before that an elusive bank robber."

"I'm a woman of many talents."

His eyes locked on something behind me. He made a face and then wandered far enough away to give me privacy but not far enough that he couldn't intervene if I needed it.

A drunk man threw his arm over my shoulders. I tensed, even though Gary's look had had me expecting it. "What's a pretty thing like you doing here by yourself?" the man slurred in my ear.

I shrugged him off, hoping my eyes communicated my disinterest. "Drinking. Alone."

"Don't you want some company?"

"No."

Either he hadn't heard me, or he was too drunk to care, because he continued to stare at me like I was about to change my mind. When I turned back to the bar, he bristled. Gary stepped in before the man could say another word, and told him to get lost unless he wanted to be kicked out.

"Thanks, Gary," I said with a smile, taking the glass of water he offered me. He started to take the whiskey, too, but left it.

"He's right, sweetheart. This isn't the place for someone like you."

I looked around at the people dancing around me, at the alcohol sloshing on the floor and the lights throbbing brightly. "This is exactly the place."

Those had been the instructions; take the fake ID and money and all the documents in the bag and disappear. Don't stay in one place too long, be in crowds as often as possible, and question everything.

Gary left me to take care of the man who'd taken a seat a few stools down from me. I recognized him from the last time I'd been here. It was hard not to, with his dark hair and angular jaw and the bands of muscles snaking down his arms. When I'd seen him here the week before, my jaw had nearly dropped, certain he'd walked straight off the cover of a magazine.

He had a forlorn look on his face, and he sat at the bar silently drinking something strong from a glass much like the one in front of me. Maybe he was drinking whiskey, too. It humored me when drunk girls stumbled up to him and tried to get his number—because, as I said, he looked like a god—and he literally did not acknowledge them at all. It was like he couldn't even see or hear them.

Gary shared a view words with Godly Man as he handed him his drink, his eyes briefly flickering to me. I snapped my gaze to the water glass in front of me before Godly Man could catch me drooling.

"Who's that?" I asked casually when Gary came back to me after pouring a couple other drinks for patrons.

He started to answer, but once again his eyes caught something behind me. This time, when he looked at me, he was somber. "You gotta do me a favour, honey."

"Anything for you, Gary." I said it sarcastically, but I kind of meant it. He really was my only friend.

He leaned across the bar. "Go back to your hotel. Take the emergency exit behind the bar. Do not look around, do not make a scene. Just get up, and walk straight out that door."

When I started to defy him because of the burning curiosity, he reached across the bar and gently grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at his gentle wrinkles and sincere concern. "I mean it, sweetheart. Straight to your room."

I frowned, sliding off the bar stool. "Alright, bossy-pants."

"One more thing," he said before I walked away. "Stay away from that whiskey. You don't need it."

I shot him a smile. "Good night, old man."

His smile made his eyes crinkle, and as I walked away, forcing myself not to look towards the main entrance of the club and trying not to panic, I wondered why he didn't do it more often.

I glanced back at the bar only briefly, for one last look at Godly Man before I left, but he was already gone, his glass still half-full on the bar. Assuming he'd been dragged off by a pretty girl after all, I shrugged it off and exited through the door Gary had directed me to.

The night was warm, and the silence of the dark alley was welcome as the door shut behind me. I walked briskly across the street and into the little hotel that was usually teeming with drunk or homeless people. Tonight, it was eerily quiet.

I took the elevator up to my floor. I didn't question Gary, mostly because I was past the point of caring. And I'd learned to stop asking questions long ago.

I pulled my key card from the pocket of my faux leather jacket, looking forward falling into the surprisingly soft bed the hotel offered. My dad must have recommended it for that purpose, since it was pretty unremarkable otherwise.

I hadn't even closed the door yet when a gloved hand clamped down over my mouth and a strong arm reeled me in against a rock solid body, shattering my dreams of a peaceful night's sleep.

Panic surged through me, and in a blind attempt at freeing myself, I lifted my legs up and pushed my feet against the closed door, hoping to knock my captor off balance. But it was like trying to move a mountain, and I soon found he didn't appreciate my attempts when a deep, husky voice whispered, "Stop struggling or I'll break your neck."

Was I terrified? Yes. Was that going to stop me from struggling? The way I saw it, I was dead either way. I stomped hard on his toes, spinning away from him when he inhaled sharply and loosened his grip. I stumbled forward, knocking a lamp off the night stand at the same time that I pulled the drawer open and found my handgun.

The man was smirking at me when I turned back around. Impressed, maybe? Or, more likely than not, amused that I'd had the gall to stomp on his foot after he threatened to break my neck and then point a gun at him

I, on the other hand, couldn't help my mouth from falling open slightly, for I found myself staring at the face of Godly Man who, if it was even possible, was even godlier in the light of the room.

"They say not to point a gun at someone if you're not prepared to shoot them," he said, his voice a deep tremor that sent chills down my spine.

Before responding, I took a few moments to decide if I'd somehow landed on the set of a movie and if I was now standing facing the lead. He fit the profile of the attractive protagonist; I knew I would drop cash to see a movie he was starring in. "Who says I'm not prepared to shoot you?" I answered when I found my voice.

"You would have done it already."

While I contemplated whether that was true, voices in the hallway brought me back to reality. I wasn't initially concerned about the other voices, in fact considering yelling for help, but a look from Godly Man and the fact that Gary had seemed familiar with this guy gave me pause.

Before I could slow my racing mind down enough to think of a plan, the phone behind me rang to life. I jumped half a foot in the air in surprise, and then glanced at Godly Man for any indication of whether or not it was a bomb or something.

"Don't answer it," he said, so of course I answered it.

"Time to go, sweetheart," Gary said on the other end of the phone. There was no music in the background, leading me to believe he was no longer at the bar. "You take care of yourself."

"Gary-" I protested, but was cut off by the click of the phone as he hung up.

Godly Man looked at the closed door, then back at me, where I stood staring at the phone in my hand with my mouth agape, trying to fend off the panic rising in my chest for a little bit longer. He pressed his finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet, and probably hoping I didn't do the opposite again.

The voices at the door passed.

"What the hell is going on?" I whispered aggressively.

Godly Man nodded at the closed door. "They're here for you. I'm here to get you out."

"And you expect me to believe the guy who threatened to break my neck two minutes ago?"

The smirk was back, and as much as it infuriated me, the fact that this man who claimed he was here to help me was not concerned by the men who were apparently out to get me gave me some measure of comfort.

"Do you have any other options?"

"I could shoot you and take my chances with them out there." He hadn't asked if I had any reasonable options.

He didn't respond, because the sound of a door busting in down the hallway drew both of our attention to the fact that we were running out of time and I had to decide how to play my cards. Someone in the room screamed, followed by an angry voice saying, "Sit down and shut up." The screaming abruptly stopped.

Pain shot through my palm, like I'd touched a hot stove, and I gasped, dropping the gun in shock. Godly Man had picked it up before I had even blinked, shoving it into the waist of his pants in a gesture that I was surprised to find was nothing short of sexy.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded, glancing at the pink spot on my palm.

"Grab your things," he ordered as he strode to the door to look out the peephole.

My things consisted of a backpack in the corner of the room, already zipped up. All that was left of my life, packed carefully into a backpack that still had room to spare.

He motioned to the closet door that was right beside the door of the room. "Hide. When they're through the door, slip past them."

"That'll never work," I protested even as he pushed me into the closet. "And then what?"

He didn't have a chance to reply. The door exploded open, sending splinters of wood flying as I sunk into the shadows of the closet, the door still open a crack, my heart lodged firmly in my throat.

Two men walked in. One was bald with a very shiny head, and one was quite short and had a malicious look on his face. Both were dressed in remarkably nice suits, and neither was one I had any inclination to confront.

"Natsume," the bald man said, apparently not surprised. "I suppose we should have expected you to be here."

Godly Man—Natsume, as it would seem—had retreated into the room.

"Looks like we're all too late," Natsume said, his voice so calm it nearly reached me. "She got a heads-up."

"You think we believe you, boy?" Baldy demanded, stepping further into the room. He was parallel to the bathroom, nothing between us but air and shadows. "Where did you put her?"

"You could just ask," Natsume replied mildly, and my heart stopped. Had he duped me? Was he cornering me?

I didn't stay to find out. I bolted, slipping past Baldy, colliding with his shoulder, and taking off at a sprint down the hall, leaving the sounds of a struggle behind me. I hadn't reached the stairwell yet when my feet were dragged out from underneath me, my face slamming into the red carpet, sending stars across my vision.

Confused, I rolled onto my back, and decided that I must have given myself brain damage as I watched the extremely long arms retract back towards the short, malicious man, dragging me with them, two hands secured firmly around my ankle. I sat up, still moving across the floor, and tried to pry the fingers from my ankle, still dazed.

Baldy flew out of the open room, knocking Go-Go Gadget Arms off balance enough that his fingers loosened, and I pried free. Natsume emerged from the room, barely breaking a sweat, and I didn't waste any time jumping to my feet.

I heard Baldy yell, "Stop running!" but didn't stop to wonder if he actually thought that would work. I threw myself through the door into the stairwell, barely stopping to register the pain that splintered through my arm, and took the stairs two at a time, swinging myself around on the railings at each landing and plummeting forward, all the while trying to articulate what I was going to do once I got out of here and trying to decide how bad my head damage was.

If I got out of here.

Two more men in black suits were waiting just outside the stairwell door in the lobby. I dodged one, but effectively stumbled right into the hands of the other.

There was no pause. There was no calm before the chaos. I heard the gunshot, and by the time I realized it was a gunshot, the man holding my arm was already collapsing to the ground beside me and screams were erupting through the lobby.

"Keep movin', honey," Gary said, fixing the gun on the other man, who had frozen in place.

I looked at Gary for help, for an explanation, but he just gave me a reassuring smile and nodded in the direction of the exit.

The door to the stairs behind me opened as I ran, and I heard more gunshots. My heart lodged in my throat, but I didn't look back. I hoped the gunshots had come from Gary's gun, but as I flew down the street, all I could picture was Gary lying in a pool of his own blood.

I didn't get far before he found me, and even though I'd half expected him to come after me, and although I was glad it was the apparent good guy that found me and not the obvious bad guys, he scared the crap out of me when he grabbed my arm while I was walking quickly down a backstreet in a shady part of the city.

"You should know better than to sneak up on a girl in a place like this," I snapped, snatching my arm back from the man that looked like a god and was apparently there to help me.

"You should know better than to hang out alone in a place like this," he countered, and I did have to acknowledge he was right.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded, and now that I wasn't focused solely on creating distance between me and the bad guys, emotion tightened my chest. I began to pace. "Why are those guys after me? Why did Gary shoot them? Is Gary-"

"Now isn't the time for a meltdown," he said. "They'll be back. And if I can find you, so can they."

He led me down several blocks and to the doors of a shabby motel that had definitely seen better days. The whole time, I debated whether or not I should get rid of him, but seeing as he hadn't killed me yet, and that he had my gun, I begrudgingly followed him into the motel.

The fat woman at the desk eyed us knowingly as he paid cash for a room for the night. I tried to set her straight, but Natsume snaked his arm around my shoulders suggestively, and I understood that the more normal we looked, the longer we'd be safe.

As soon as we were out of sight of the woman, he lifted his arm and I scampered away from him, shooting him a glare.

"You'd think you'd be a little more grateful for me saving your life," he mused, opening the door of our assigned room.

I stared at the one bed for several seconds before I caught sight of the coffee station in the corner of the room. While Natsume went to examine the window, I hurried to fill the boiler with water, and then sat on the edge of the bed waiting for it to boil.

"A little late for coffee."

"I think I hit my head," I said abruptly, wondering how I could have forgotten about Go-Go Gadget Arms. "That guy at the hotel…"

He glanced over his shoulder. "You weren't seeing things."

The water finished boiling, and I hurriedly poured myself a cup of putrid instant coffee, frustrated when I found that my hands were trembling enough to make me spill hot water on the table.

The tears came eventually. Followed by the gasping sobs. I wanted to call the hotel and ask to speak to Gary, to find out for sure if he was okay. But there had been at least four of those men, and one of him, and I knew the chances weren't good.

I focused on my breathing. Panic attacks had been a new, recent battle for me, and Gary had given me tips on how to come out of it on my own.

"Focus on the one thing you can control. Breathe in, out. Slow."

Natsume surprised me by taking my coffee mug from my shaking hands and setting it on the table before guiding me to the floor with my head between my knees.

When I came down from it, exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave. I continued to sit on the floor, leaning against the bed, suddenly feeling numb.

"Rest," Natsume said. "I'm not going to kill you in your sleep."

I cast him a sidelong glance, and then reached for my coffee mug before settling back into my huddled position on the floor. "How do I know you're the good guy?"

"If I wasn't, you'd be dead."

"They didn't want to kill me. They could have done that easily. So that doesn't mean anything."

A knock on the door caused me to start violently, sloshing coffee all over my hands. I scrambled to my feet, distancing myself from the door, tossed the last of the coffee down my throat, cringing at the taste, and then exhaled slowly.

"Let's do this," I muttered.

Natsume glanced at me, the smirk back, before approaching the door. He looked out the peephole, his hand on the gun in his waistband—super hot—and then pulled the door open.

I dropped to the floor, covering my head.

"She's dramatic," Natsume said to whoever was at the door. "And exhausted."

I lifted my head. Two men walked into the room with Natsume behind them. Only one was wearing a suit. The other was tall and blonde, dressed rather exuberantly, with a gentle smile on his face.

Suit Guy was another story. He had a very harsh expression, and his hair was slicked back with too much gel, and I guessed that the overwhelming waft of cologne came from him.

"Mikan Sakura," Suit Guy said. "We're here to take you into protective custody." I stared at him from my spot on the ground. "As per the request of your father," he added.

My eyes narrowed as I got slowly to my feet, suspicious. "My dad is dead."

Suit Guy nodded solemnly, but was interrupted before he could reply when Natsume said, "You have to go now. They'll be here any second."

The man with the soft face approached me cautiously. "My name is Narumi," he said in an unsurprisingly gentle tone. "I'm here to get you to safety, but I need you to trust me."

"I'm not really feeling overwhelmed with trust right now," I admitted.

Shouts came from down the hallway, and Natsume's expression was suddenly fierce. "Knock her out, Narumi."

Narumi opened his jacket and pulled out a small pouch. When the syringe came out, I backed as far away from him as I could, analyzing my chances of escape.

"It's just a sedative," he said gently.

"I just guzzled a coffee to stay awake. I don't want a sedative."

Surrounded by these men I didn't know, who claimed to know my father, while another imminent threat made its way towards us, I suddenly felt overwhelmed, wishing I had my father's intuition and skillset to get me out of this mess.

Natsume cursed, and before I could even register what he was doing, he was on me, pulling the gun out of his waistband, and I was falling into blackness.

A/N: Hi everyone! I have not posted on Fanfiction in a long time. I originally wrote this story for a different purpose, abandoned it, and then adapted it so that it would fit here. I figured it was written, so I may as well post it somewhere for people to read. However, because it wasn't originally written for Gakuen Alice, there are some differences you'll find in terms of alices and character relationships and such. Also, if you notice a random name here or there, it's because I changed the names from what I had originally had. I think I got them all, but may have missed a few. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this story. Planning on posting updates weekly. Feedback welcome!