Hey! Sorry if this chapter's a little short, but enjoy it anyways please! And thanks to everyone who reviewed, it means so much!

"I don't believe a word of that crap!" Mikan shouted angrily, turning away from the man in front of her. He was supposedly the Principle of this so-call 'school', but there was no way Mikan was falling for that crap.

Sighing, Principle Kuonji rubbed his head. "You're annoying voice hasn't stopped screaming since the moment you stepped in here. What will it take to convince you that you have an Alice?"

Mikan flinched at the man's raised voice, but didn't back down. "There's no reason I should suddenly believe that kids like me have special powers!"

Principle Kuonji widened his eyes suddenly. "Do you really think that I would put up with hundreds of kids like you for no reason? Believe me, I want nothing more than to shut every last one of you into a cell! But, due to multiple reasons, I have to take care of your education and well being. Now I don't want to hear another word - I didn't spend so much time getting you here just for you to close your ears to everything I say."

Shocked into silence, Mikan abruptly closed her gaping mouth. Still glaring, Principle Kuonji knocked loudly on his desk. Mikan was surprised when suddenly to men grabbed her arms, one on each side. She surprised her gentle personality by spitting at the Principle, but her immense hatred and frustration overtook her. She furiously kicked her feet, letting out a scream, but to no avail. Hopelessly struggling, she was dragged out of the office, where Principle Kuonji only raised his eyebrow, as though mocking her.

"Sakura-san, your uniform is hanging up in the closet. Once you're dressed, please follow me to your classroom."

Rubbing her eyes, the still-sleepy Mikan just stared blankly at the maid standing in front of her, who was sweating nervously. Of course rumors had spread about the new girl, by the students who had happened to be in the same hallway at the time, as well as those who passed by the two men dragging the furious girl to the dormitory.

Choosing not to respond, Mikan slammed the door in the poor girl's face.

Once she was away from prying eyes, Mikan collapsed once more. She wasn't sure how long she could keep up this tough charade-she really was a gentle person. But as much as she hated to act so harsh, it was all she could do. If she allowed her true personality to show, then of course she would eventually become attached to this place. Eyes narrowing, she walked over to the closet and looked for the uniform.

A few minutes later, she opened her door and stepped out. The maid was still waiting there, and she smiled when she saw her charge. "Alright, I'll show you to your classroom now, miss."
Mikan managed not to smile back, just walked behind the maid. The walk to the classroom took a few minutes, during which neither said a word. Once they reached the door, the maid bowed and left, without speaking.

Taking a deep breath, Mikan sighed and opened the door.

Inside, the sun shining through the windows was so bright that it took a minute for her to see what was inside. Students were sitting at desks, staring in wonder at her, and a blonde haired man was walking towards her. His eyes were purple, and his ears were pierced. If he wasn't a teacher, and Mikan wasn't so polite, she would have immediately called him gay.

"Ah, I see… You must be our new student, right?"

Not responding, Mikan just looked around the room. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Narumi. You're Mikan-chan, right?" The man beamed at Mikan, who couldn't help feeling bad for ignoring him. However, she had other matters to think about. There was no doubting now that she really was at a school, but that still didn't explain why she was there. The students here didn't look extraordinary or anything. A finger tapping her shoulder caused her to turn and meet the eyes of this 'Narumi' guy.

"If you're looking for a seat, there's one in the back of the room. Is that alright? Or should I make someone move so you can sit up front…"

Leaning in, Mikan whispered in his ear. "Listen up, I'm only cooperating right now because I have no idea what's going on. But for you own good, don't fool yourself into thinking I want to be here."

Narumi gave her a gentle smile. "I'm aware of your situation, Mikan-chan. But for your own good, don't fool yourself into thinking that this is just a nightmare. Make the most of this, and I guarantee you'll find yourself astounded by the results."

Raising his voice, he pointed towards the back, his voice back to it's former cheerfulness. "Alrighty then, you can sit back there, okay?"

Holding back a growl, Mikan silently walked to the back where he had pointed. As he said, there was only one open seat. Well… Three, to be exact. The entire bench was open, so she slid sullenly into the one closest to the window.

For hours she sat there, completely ignoring everyone, even though the boys and girls were still giving her stares. What, was it really that odd to see a new student? Not that she was admitting to being a student, but it would certainly look like that from someone else's point of view. Groaning, Mikan laid her head on her arms. After a while the bell rang for lunch, and Mikan managed to follow the crowd to the lunch room.

Before she could even make it to a seat, a boy walked up to her. He had short hair and glasses, and Mikan could see he was timid. He tapped her on the shoulder and Mikan gave him a side glance. He stood taller than her, but she was short so that didn't count. Either way, he didn't seem very manly.

"Yeah?"

"Er… I was just wondering… Since you're a new student… Do you need help getting your lunch?"

Raising an eyebrow, Mikan looked away. No friends here, remember that Mikan. Forcing a scoff, she turned away. "Don't mock me, okay?"

Sweating, the boy was about to walk away, but he turned back for a moment. "My name's Yuu Tobita…" he trailed off when Mikan just stalked away.

"What did she say?"

Yuu looked down. "She kind of gave me the cold shoulder, but at least I managed to tell her my name in case she needs help."

A girl with green hair scoffed. "You're too nice for your own good, Yuu. I saw her walk away without listening-she obviously thinks she's too good for us! And all during class, she just dozed off."

A pink haired girl quickly covered the other girl's mouth. "Hush, Sumire! That's not nice, I'm sure she's just nervous. After all, we were lucky to have all come here at the same time. She doesn't know anyone though…"

Another girl nodded. "That's right. Me and Anna came here together, and Sumire, didn't you show up with that gang of Koko and the others?"

Sumire nodded sullenly. "I suppose you're right… But still, I don't like her. And did you see? She gets to sit next to those two, and I'll bet she's so ignorant that she doesn't even realize what an honor it is!"

Sighing, the other three just shook their heads. "Sumire, you need to get over your creepy obsession." Yuu told her firmly.

Chuckling, Sumire just gazed dreamily at the wall. "I can't help it! They're like a refreshing summer breeze, after being stuck in here for so long with nothing else to do. Oh and speaking of which, do you guys know why they weren't here today?"

Yuu frowned. "Natsume's been away for a while, which is probably why Ruka didn't show up today. Must be worried about him."

Sumire pouted. "Those two are always ditching class! What are they going to do if they get held back a year? Aww, I would't be able to sneak glances at them during class, especially Natsume."

Yuu and the two girl's shared glances. "You're not very secretive you know… I can't help but wonder if you're part of the reason they don't show up…" was what they were all thinking.

Mikan had chosen a seat way in the back of the large lunch room, where nobody else was sitting. All by herself, she studied the students. They were happily eating their food, joking around and stuff… Some were even hurriedly finishing their homework. Confused, Mikan closed her eyes. She just couldn't make sense of all this! She couldn't forget what the Principal had said about Alices, and a part of her wanted to believe it. However, that would mean she had a special power herself, and that was just impossible. Shaking her head, Mikan opened her eyes.

Wait a minute, this was perfect! Seize the opportunity, that's what Jii-chan always used to say! Sliding against the wall, Mikan did her best to make it out of the room without being seen. And even if she was, it's not like she was committing a crime or anything. Well, not that they knew of.

Outside, Mikan checked the hallways. Clear. Letting out a sigh of relief, she peered into the empty classrooms on either side of the hallway. After a long search, Mikan finally found one that seemed okay. The window led outside to the back, where nobody would be able to see her if she hid behind the trees.

Eyes shining with determination and fury, Mikan opened one of the windows, wincing as it squeaked. Carefully placing one leg out the window, she glanced behind. Thank goodness there was no one arou-no! This had to be a joke! A man wearing glasses was staring at her in shock. Letting out a yelp of distress, Mikan hurriedly jumped out the window and ran like her life depended on it. it did, actually.

"Of course… Of course there just has to be a teacher in the one room I pick!" Mikan mumbled as she ran furiously towards the tall wall that she could see in the distance. Crap, this place was huge! She could hear shouts coming from the school, and ran even faster. The trees were thankfully starting to get thicker, and she headed for a patch of trees that she could probably climb up.

Suddenly, before she could even think, something landed right in front of her with a thud, and she crashed into it, falling over in the process. "Ouch…" she mumbled, rubbing her head. Angry at whatever she had somehow run into, Mikan lifted her head, and found herself glaring into…

Red eyes.

Eyes wide, Mikan stared in shock at the person in front of her. It was the same black hair, the same red eyes… No doubt about, this was that guy shooting fire out of his hands back home. Shooting to her feet Mikan glanced to the sides. Trees surrounded her and blocked the path - there was no way to escape unless she either ran back to the school or got past him. Since the first obviously wasn't an option, Mikan peered around the man to behind him. Before she could react, he had moved forward and looked own at her, eyes calm.

"What do you think you're doing, little girl?"

Mikan couldn't help but realize how painfully close to this guy's chest she was. Lifting her chin, she replied defiantly, staring into his eyes. "I'm obviously trying to get out of here, idiot. And I'm not a little girl!"

His face still calm, the man just grabbed her wrist. "You're not the one to be calling someone an idiot. What makes you think it's that easy to escape?"

Pulling against his firm grip, Mikan spat at him. "I never said I thought it was easy, but nothing good in life ever comes easily, so I'm gonna take what I can get. Now let me go!"

Not responding, the man just started walking back towards the school, pulling her along with him. "No way! I'm not going back! Let me go, you jerk!"

Her captor glared at her. "Shut it, moron. If you think this is bad, just imagine what would have happened if I let those guys from the Academy catch you. Keep this up, and I really will let them catch you."

Groaning, Mikan panted and strained against his hold. What was with this guy? What gave him the right to talk like this? Mumbling under her breath, she attempted to slip her hand out, but to no use. "Geez, what's your problem, anyways? Is it like your job or something to be a complete jerk? Because that's what you are, you know."

Ignoring her rant, the raven haired man just dragged her away. Once they reached the building, Mikan stopped struggling. Tons of guys in official looking black suits were running around, or talking on the phone. When they caught sight of Mikan being towed along by the young man, they hurried over. One of them laughed. "Well, will you look at what the cat dragged in!"

Two of them wasted no time in grabbing Mikan roughly and dragging her inside the building. Mikan cast one last glare at the man at fault, who just smirked. Eyes wide, Mikan indignantly looked away. Did that stuck up jerk just smirk at her? What the heck! Was he really happy to ruin her entire life?

Before she could think beyond that, she was once more brought to the Principal's office. Glaring at him, Mikan stiffly lifted her chin and refused to look at him.

"I hear you tried running away, eh? And on your first day, too. So what do you think I should do about that?"

Still refusing to look down, Mikan didn't reply. Principal Kuonji gave a chuckle, that made her shiver. "I have no idea why you would want to run away-" Mikan scoffed at this. "-but whatever the reason, I can't just let this slide. From now on you'll be surrounded by my men at all times."

Mikan looked at him fiercely. "Like that'll stop me."

Kuonji sighed. "Don't think lightly of this Academy, you impudent brat. Once you realize that there really is no escape, I promise you that you'll regret making a fool of yourself."

Growling, Mikan walked out the door and slammed it shut, not wanting to grace that jerk with her presence anymore. Once outside, she was met by two stern looking men, who simply stood there. Realizing that this must be what Kuonji meant, Mikan rolled her eyes and stalked over to the classroom, followed by the two men.

"I told you to make the most of this, so you run away?" Narumi scolded Mikan, before pointing to her seat. Sighing, Mikan took her seat once more. Now she was definitely being stared at, because this time around she had to serious looking guys standing next to her.

Mikan hadn't planned on paying attention to anything, but this time she couldn't ignore the fact that right now she was sitting next to two people. Looking up, she was about to snap at them for staring at her, but then she saw who the one next to her was.

"You!"

How was it? Did Natsume live up to your expectations? I'm new to this kind of Natsume so just wait for them to interact a bit more, and I'll make sure he gets the credit he deserves :P

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