Swashbuckle

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Written by: Madeleine Mason

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice

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– Chapter I –

The Beginning

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"I can't believe they're actually opening one!" a blonde girl whispered elatedly to her friend. "I mean, this is the first the academy's ever had, isn't it?"

Her friend, a dark-haired girl with a rather pointed face, giggled. "I know, isn't it so exciting? I can't wait to get in!"

Mikan Sakura narrowed her eyes at the two whispering girls seated a few tables away from her. This was a library, for goodness sake! She grit her teeth in annoyance, trying to tune out their voices desperately. She glanced hopefully at the librarian, an old woman with a large, crooked nose and glass spectacles, sitting behind an oak desk at the front. She didn't seem to hear those two giggling bimbos, though. Mikan sighed unhappily. She had an assignment to finish! An assignment from Jinno, the terror teacher himself. Wasn't that punishment enough?

Mikan flipped a page in her math exercise book and gnawed at her pencil as she read the same equation over and over. She couldn't get it. Not at all. She sighed once more and laid her head on the table. School's been a major stress inducer in the past few weeks—one more essay to write, one more equation to solve and she just thought she might blow up. The Dynamic Duo a few seats from her didn't do anything to help at all.

At this particular moment, the librarian looked up from the tome she was reading (Mikan swore she was actually reading one of those sappy romance novels behind that huge thing) and shot a suspicious look at the two girls. Their ears turned an unmistakable shade of red as they stopped talking. Mikan felt a triumphant smile make its way onto her face, reaching the corners of her eyes. After casting another skeptical look at the two, the librarian turned back to her book and the two girls sighed in relief. A few moments of wonderful silence greeted Mikan's thankful ears until:

"Oh, I don't know. I mean, everyone's going to want to go too, won't they? I wouldn't like to be stuck in line for how many hours. . ."

And there they go again.

Mikan always considered herself to be in the know of most of the going-ons in Alice Academy. Sure, she wasn't gossip-hungry like Sumire—cough, Permy, cough—but she knew what she needed to know. For instance, when Tsubasa Andou, a pleasant upperclassman Mikan was friendly with, finally had the guts to ask out long-time best friend Misaki Harada; Mikan knew before he had actually popped the question (the matter of Tsubasa asking his favorite underclassman for some pointers and that little detail that both Misaki and Tsubasa were in the Special Ability class with her didn't have anything to do with it. . . partly).

But damn did she find all this whispering annoying!

"It's going to be such fun! Oh, I hope I'll be able to make it. You know my mum never approved of those kinds of places. All noisy and crowded and whatnot. . . you would think that she'd gotten that stick out of her bum already. . ."

Her patience wearing thin, Mikan forcefully shut her book and stuffed it into her bag. She glared at the two girls who looked positively scandalized and, with her nose in the air, swept out of the library. She, however, did notice the offended look in the librarian's eyes before the heavy doors shut closed.

"Honestly! Young people these days!" Madam Lemur, the librarian, murmured to herself indignantly as she stared disapprovingly at the place where Mikan had just stood, before turning back to her book. "And just when Luke was about to propose to Joanna, too!"

--

The hall was noisy and crowded with students as Mikan made her way down to the dining hall, her shoes clicking smartly on the polished marble floor. Her eyebrows creased slightly as she caught some fragments of conversation the other students were talking about, all of which seemed to be related to one another.

"—can't wait! Wonder if Rob will take me there if I ask him to—"

"—saved a lot of rabbits for this—"

"Oh, come on! Go with me, will you?"

"What if I get lost? There'll be a lot of people there."

"Those blasted fast ones! They make me throw up."

"Ew. That's just sick."

Mikan fiddled with the strap of her bag before deliberately ignoring all these comments. She wasn't curious at all; someone was bound to tell her about all this hubbub some time or another. She couldn't possibly bother herself with this—she had too much work to finish! Speaking of which, that rather nasty assignment Jinno delegated wouldn't write itself, however much she wanted it to. Mikan tugged the adjusting strap on her bag with a little bit more force than necessary at this and scowled. Stupid Jinno should just take that assignment and shove it up his—

"I just can't wait!" a beaming girl with her hair tied in two long braids gushed, her cheeks bright and rosy as she clutched a flyer to her chest. She was speaking with her friend, another girl with slightly bushy black hair who nodded energetically at her.

Mikan knew she shouldn't have been so concerned about what the gossip was all about—goodness knows what Jinno would do if she didn't finish her assignment on time!—but she really couldn't help herself. After all, she was a very curious child. Besides, it wouldn't hurt for her to just know what they were talking about, would it? And that settled it. Mikan strode up to the girl and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," said Mikan politely, "Do you mind telling me what everyone's going on about?" The girl glanced at her for a moment before raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"You mean, you don't know?" she asked disbelievingly, staring at her with wide eyes, like a deer's caught in headlights. Mikan decided she didn't like this girl much. The girl picked at an invisible piece of lint on her clothes before handing her the colorful flyer. "Keep it. I've read it five times already, anyway." With a curt nod of her head, she walked away. Mikan bit her lip and stared at the flashy, colorful flyer.

COME ONE, COME ALL!

Come one, come all to the newly opened Alice Theme Park! Located in the middle of Central Town, students of all ages may come and have a douse of what fun really means. The grand opening of the theme park will be on August 15 at 3:00 sharp.

Try our newest rides, buy food and drink from stands near you, and watch entertainers and performers to your utmost satisfaction! Everything from ferris wheels and roller coasters to merry-go-rounds and other rides are available for everyone to experience and enjoy.

Alice-enhanced rides and games are sure to entertain students and teachers alike at the Alice Theme Park, including our newest attraction, the Dream Capsule. If you would like to know what the Dream Capsule can do, come over to the Alice Theme Park and find out for yourself! We assure you, it will be very worth the while.

All in all, the flyer looked very inviting. Mikan blinked bemusedly. A theme park? They were going to have a theme park, of all things? Without another thought, she immediately rushed down the stairs as fast as she could to her best friend's dorm and knocked on the door rapidly with her knuckle. Had Hotaru known of this? she wondered. And then she reprimanded herself sternly, remembering that this was Hotaru she was talking about. After all, Hotaru knew a lot of things, but just didn't feel like telling them to her.

'Right.' A voice in the back of her head snorted. Mikan wrinkled her nose.

'And what is that supposed to mean?' she thought indignantly. 'I'll have you know that my Hotaru doesn't tell me everything she knows only to help me learn for myself!'

'Riiight', replied the voice mockingly. 'I'm sure she does that only because she loves you and it's for your own good.'

'. . .Since when have you become so sarcastic?' Mikan thought skeptically.

'Since you started sucking your thumb. . . wait, you haven't stopped yet, have you?'

'I do not suck my thumb, you silly goose!' Mikan retorted angrily.

'And since when have you become so cheeky?'

'Since I met you. It's only survival instinct.'

'Ooh, touché.'

After a few minutes, an annoyed looking girl with short, neatly-combed black hair and purple eyes opened the door; judging by her white lab coat and goggles perched atop her head, she was in the middle of another invention. Hotaru Imai was a well-known inventor in the academy; buyers from all around the world came to request of her services, though those services did not come cheap.

Mikan beamed. "Hotaru!" she cried, throwing herself at her best friend. Hotaru immediately knew what was coming, and pulled out a small gun with a boxing glove attached to it. She shot it at Mikan relentlessly, the poor brunette glaring at her as she rubbed her aching head.

"What was that for?" she said accusingly. "I was just trying to give my best friend a hug!" Hotaru blew off steam from her handy gun and glowered at Mikan.

"What do you want?" Hotaru tucked her gun safely away in the pocket of her lab coat and crossed her arms over her chest. "If this is about Piyo eating all your Howalon, so help me, I will—" Mikan shook her head.

"No, it's not. But yes, now that you mention it, that giant chick has been eating my delicious Howalon for far too long! I swear I'll do something about that soon. . . But, no, that's not what I came to talk to you about."

Hotaru looked distinctly ruffled at having been cut off, but raised an eyebrow and gave her a scrutinizing look. "Then get on with it, I don't have all day."

"Aren't you going to let me in?" asked Mikan hopefully, jerking her head at the door. A steely glint appeared in Hotaru's eyes.

"Don't push it."

Mikan pouted and sighed. "Fine. Anyway, d'you know about this—" She looked at the flyer again. "—new theme park in Central Town?" Hotaru's eyes narrowed.

"Is that all you came to ask me about? A stupid theme park?" she asked threateningly. Mikan laughed nervously, scratching her head.

"Ah, well. . . I just wanted to see if you. . .er. . . knew a-about it. . ." Hotaru scowled at her disdainfully and lowered her goggles over her eyes.

"Yes, I do know about it, you idiot. I made half of the rides in there, after all." Hotaru rolled her eyes at Mikan's admiring expression. "Now, if you will excuse me, I'll be getting back to my invention which you so kindly interrupted." And without another word, the door slammed shut in Mikan's face. The brunette tugged on her pigtails for a minute and stared blankly at the door before she realized that their conversation was over.

She sighed, making her way down the staircase and into the dining hall. Four long tables stretched from one side to the other, leaving enough room for the many Alice-wielders to sit. She headed to her own triple star table and ate her lunch, all the while thinking of the Alice Theme Park. Now at the age of sixteen, Mikan has already reached the triple star level and is treated fairly well by her fellow peers and classmates, though Jinno's attitude towards her did not heed in the slightest. And the notion of not being able to graduate from high school without at least a triple star ranking was vital to it as well.

Mikan ate her mashed potatoes and meatloaf quietly, her mind bursting with excitement at the theme park being opened at Central Town. Mikan had never been to a theme park before—she had lived a quiet country life back with her dear grandpa in a small-town school before she had transferred to the academy. She grinned gleefully at the thought of experiencing what a theme park was like first-hand and almost spilt her glass of water. Ferris wheels, roller coasters, carousels, candy and sweets! Mikan couldn't wait till the fifteenth of August.

--

Before she knew it, an uneventful week had passed, until it was at last August the fifteenth. The weather seemed to be on Mikan's side today it seemed, as she got up from bed that morning to draw her curtains and stare out the window. The skies were a cloudless blue, a healthy breeze sweeping by now and then—all in all, the signs were good. Mikan sighed blissfully; days like these were hard to come by. The bonus was that the theme park would be opening today, as well. Mikan's face brightened visibly and she went to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she came out clean and fresh with a towel wrapped around her hair. She changed into a bright yellow sundress and combed her long brown hair in front of her mirror. It was a Saturday and she was glad she had some free time to herself. Tying her hair up in two long pigtails, she smiled at herself in the mirror. "Okay! I'm set!" Strangely, Mikan had a habit of speaking to herself.

After a last look at her clean dormitory, she exited the room and walked down to get some breakfast. The dining hall looked more alive that morning; she supposed it had something to do with the theme park opening today. Boy, was she right.

"Mikan! Over here!" a voice called. She turned to see most of her friends seated together at one table, waving at her to come join them. She threw them a warm smile and headed towards their table.

"Hey," said Nonoko, a blue-haired girl with bright blue eyes. "Morning, sunshine—"

"—the Earth says hello!" finished Anna, a girl with curly bubblegum pink hair, grinning up at her from the large newspaper she was shielded behind. "I can't believe that new theme park's opening today! See here, it's on the academy newspaper." Mikan plopped down on the seat next to her and grinned.

"A good morning to you too, Anna Banana," she said, grabbing the yellow fruit from a nearby basket and waving it in her face. Anna made a face and swatted it away with her hand.

"I prefer apples, thank you very much," retorted Anna, huffing indignantly. Misaki, an upperclassman with salmon pink hair, wrinkled her nose.

"Stop with the sexual innuendos, please," she said disgustedly. Mikan laughed.

"Wouldn't it be you, Misaki darling, going on about sexual innuendos? I swear, some fruit these days are so overrated." Mikan unpeeled her banana and took a bite. "Perfectly all right. I'm not getting all horny, as you can see."

Nonoko rolled her eyes. "Can we stop talking about 'getting horny' and 'sexual innuendos' at breakfast, please? Save me the stomach."

"Yes, mum." Mikan laughed. Nonoko rolled her eyes once more and speared a sausage with her fork. The sausage was mid-way to her mouth when two manicured palms slammed onto the table forcefully and a frustrated scream filled the air.

"Can you believe it? Can you believe it!? Jinno gave me an F! A bloody F!" Sumire Shouda (i.e. Permy) emitted another blood-curdling shriek and dramatically sat down. "I swear, the day when that man gets that stick out of his ass is the day I lose that adorable bag from Juicy Couture." Misaki raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Right. Anyway, you all wanna go to that theme park together?" she asked encouragingly, glancing at each face one at a time to perceive their reactions. Mikan nodded positively, and Anna and Nonoko squealed. Permy flipped her hair over her shoulder.

Let's take a little breather shall we? Perhaps a little introduction to the newest characters appearing in the story would be sufficient.

First, the wonder twins, Anna Umenomiya and Nonoko Ogasawara. They weren't really related, no, but they certainly could have been. Those two girls were best friends and did everything together. They looked and were completely different—actually, their similarities ended after 'feels like twins, but don't look alike, think alike, etc.' but one couldn't help but think they were related any way. Nonoko had long, straight metallic blue hair, while Anna's was curly and sugary pink. Nonoko was always the more practical and sensible of the two, while Anna was quiet, shy, a cry-baby, and tended to get her head stuck in the clouds.

Sumire Shouda, on the other hand, was a different case altogether. She was bossy, rude at times, determined, sassy, and lived to gossip. Known as 'Permy' by her friends because of her curled forest green hair, she was fierce and would not back down no matter what. She was a bit rash in making decisions and choosing boyfriends, but she had her heart in the right place. . . most of the time.

Misaki Harada, there was nothing much to say about her. She was headstrong, had a short temper, and was currently dating Tsubasa Andou, her best friend. Even when they were dating, their relationship in terms of how they acted around each other didn't change very much; she still hit him when he annoyed her and didn't have a guilty conscience whatsoever. And now, back to the story.

"Yeah, we should all go together! I'll go ask Hotaru!" chirped Mikan. Permy shook her head disbelievingly.

"What kind of best friend are you? Imai isn't going to join us, at least, for the first part of the trip." Sumire took a sip of her freshly brewed coffee and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?" asked Mikan, puzzled.

"I mean," Sumire said, drumming her fingers on the table impatiently, "she's the one getting us the free tickets, duh!" Mikan's mouth formed into a small 'oh' and she blinked a few times.

"What's up, ladies!" They looked up to see one Kokoro Yome grinning at them as he sat down beside Mikan and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Mikan rolled her eyes and shrugged it off. Koko smirked. "The Man has finally arrived and graced you with his presence." Sumire snorted.

"The Man being you? I don't think so," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder again. She shot him a nasty look. Koko grinned at her smugly.

Kokoro Yome was the academy's prankster, the joker, the one made all the smart-aleck comments that just so happened to be funny. He was also the childhood best friend of one Sumire Shouda. He calls her Permy too, sometimes Perms or Permster. Said girl hates both. He also knew exactly how to make her tick, and did not stop doing it.

"Everyone knows that men are more superior than women." He crossed his arms over his chest as all the girls glared at him. "What?" Mikan stuck her tongue out at him, rather maturely, Misaki thought.

"The lady is always more famous than the man," Mikan said, "Look at Princess Diana. Nobody cares about Charles!"

--

"How did we end up stuck with you guys again?" asked Misaki dryly as she looked at the large group gathered near the entrance of the theme park. "If I remember correctly, only Anna, Nonoko, Mikan, Perms and I were going together." Indeed, she hadn't expected additional people in their small group. And a strange crowd of people as well: Kokoro Yome, Tsubasa Andou, Natsume Hyuuga (Sumire had not been so keen on rejecting this guy from their little trip), Ruka Nogi (nor this guy either), Yuu Tobita, Kitsunume, and, surprisingly, Hayate Matsudaira. Mikan restrained a giggle; she figured Hotaru wouldn't be too happy with the turn of events.

She glanced around and noticed several things at once: one, the place was crowded, two, Natsume was giving her the 'bad sign', three, Misaki had gum stuck onto the bottom of her shoe, four, Hotaru was heading towards them, five—wait! Back it up, back it up! Was that Hotaru just now?

"Hey idiots." Yes, that was definitely Hotaru. The stoic inventor approached them and upon seeing Hayate, her hand rested firmly on the hilt of the gun in her pocket. Mikan laughed nervously.

"Hey, Hotaru! Well, we've just got some, er. . . extra people?" Mikan smiled hopefully at her and swung her arms side to side. Hotaru looked at them all and smirked.

"Free tickets, a thousand rabbits." Her eyes glinted. "Each." Mikan's jaw dropped and she stuttered helplessly.

"A th-th-thousand?" she said breathlessly, slapping her palm onto her forehead in shock. She looked up at Hotaru. "Even me?" Hotaru rolled her eyes.

"No, you idiot." Mikan beamed. "You get a discount for being my guinea pig most of the time. Three percent." Hotaru glared at them all. "Cough up the cash." Mikan groaned. Sometimes Hotaru could get a little bit too. . . money oriented. The tiny voice at the back of her head snorted again.

"This is shit. I'm outta here." Natsume strode off in the other direction, hands in his pockets as Ruka faithfully followed. Hotaru's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, no you don't, Hyuuga," she said mischievously, pulling out a strange remote shaped like a lion with a large antenna popping out of the top. She pressed the large red button in the middle of it. Immediately, a long rope sprung out of it and tied itself tightly around Natsume and Ruka, pulling them back towards the group.

"What the hell?!" said Natsume furiously, as he tried burning the ropes off. Hotaru smirked.

"That's fire-resistant Hyuuga. Not to mention alice-resistant." Hotaru smiled deviously. "Now, you won't try and run off again, won't you?" Hayate clasped his hands together and stared admiringly at the raven haired lass.

"Oh, Cool Blue Sky. . . you're so amazing. . ." He crept closer to her as Hotaru, without looking, shot at him with her baka gun. Mikan and the rest watched in awed silence.

Mikan had known Natsume for the last several years—he had a fiery temper and an even more ferocious alice. Fire seemed to fit his caliber very well, actually, thought Mikan as she watched Natsume struggle to free himself and Ruka from the tight ropes which seemed to coil itself around them like a snake the more they moved about. She had never been too fond of him, come to think of it. They had never had a decent conversation she remembered that did not involve a single insult, always fired first by the raven-haired boy. But, she didn't mind so much after all the years they had spent together. After all, Natsume couldn't help who he was, could he? And, thought Mikan wryly with a slight chuckle, he wouldn't really be Natsume anymore without his rude persona.

Ruka Nogi, on the other hand, was quite a different matter. He was the polar opposite of his best friend—polite, gentle, an animal-lover, and unfortunately, seemed to be the victim of Hotaru's ever-present picture-taking. He was all in all the 'Prince Charming' one so often dreams about, with his blond hair and bright cerulean eyes. Everyone seemed to love him—humans and animals alike. Animals more so, however. He was in the possession of the Animal Pheromone alice and Mikan thought his alice suited him perfectly.

Natsume finally stopped struggling and Hotaru dragged the two with them to the ticket booth, cutting past a long queue. "Oi!" she said, waiting for someone to let them in.

"A minute, a minute!" said a voice sullenly from inside the tiny cubicle. A small crash was heard after a minute or so, a string of curses following after. "Damn box. . . what do you wa—ooh." A tall, gangly redhead with a bad case of acne popped up from behind the glass and smiled dashingly at Hotaru. "How may I assist you, madam?" Hotaru cringed and glared at him.

"Tickets." She looked over her shoulder at the group calculatingly and turned back. The porter was smoothing his hair that never seemed to lie flat and shot her another charming smile. "14, VIP." The redhead smiled at her once more and nodded before pressing a few keys on the cashier. The cashier gave a small 'ting' before fourteen bright red tickets popped out of the small box to the side of the cashier.

"That'll be 7,000 rabbits, miss." The porter lifted an imaginary hat in salute to her and beamed as he thrust his open-faced palm in her face. Hotaru's eyes narrowed darkly and she clicked her tongue.

"You idiot," she said, enjoying the scared look on the porter's face as he gulped. "Do you know who I am? No?" She smirked. "Hotaru Imai." This named seemed to do a number for the poor man as he stuttered and quickly slid over the tickets without looking at her.

Mikan shuddered. Note to self: never ask money from Hotaru Imai. She knew her best friend was an influential person, but she never knew it was this bad. Either way, she felt strangely proud and slightly creeped out by her at the same time.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Thousand each." Hotaru crossed her arms over her chest and demanded the money. Mikan sighed and gave up a thousand rabbits, as did everyone else. After another audible sigh, Mikan followed the rest of the group through large bronze gates with the letters 'ATP' in giant gold letters fixed on the bars.

They passed through in silence, and Mikan gasped in awe and surprise as they entered the theme park. Rides of all kinds, both unknown and known, were displayed a distance away, with many little stalls and booths handling games and selling goods. Vendors sold balloons and cotton candy; mimes, well, mimed; children laughed and played. The place was colorful and loud, carnival music streaming from invisible speakers situated in various places. People strolled and browsed, screams of joy echoing from the fast, thrilling rides rang through the park joyously. Mikan never knew a place more. . . more. . .

"Bloody hell!" said Koko, his eyes as wide as saucers. After another moment of silence, the fun began. Koko, Kitsunume, and some of the other rowdy people (Mikan included) ran around the place, 'oohing' and 'ahhing' at various things—a stall selling perfume-spraying octopus toys, a sort of glowing electroball, a ride called the 'Bat Hunter' wherein swarms of bats flew in and out of, and a man doing back flips in front of an applauding audience.

"Okay!" shouted Misaki, trying to call attention to herself. "We'll meet back here in an hour, then we'll all go someplace to eat." They all nodded and hurried off to explore. Mikan stayed with Hotaru, Natsume, Ruka, Sumire, Koko, and Hayate (to Hotaru's dismay).

They wandered the park aimlessly for a while, buying some food now and then when they got hungry. Mikan tried a few rides: the 'Galaxy Spinner', a rotating vehicle that nearly made her throw up her hotdog, went inside the Fairytale Castle (Hotaru snapped a picture of Mikan's face as Cinderella and forced Natsume into being the prince), and ate some more. However, one thing really caught their attention.

A long line outside a trench with a sign marking 'The Dream Capsule' stood nearby. Mikan wondered what it was, and pointed at it. "What's that?" she asked, and they decided to try it out for themselves, due to their curiosity.

After cutting the line (Hotaru's doing), the whole group marched through the trench, which was blinking with multicolored lights. They proceeded to a large, mammoth-sized auditorium with millions of colorful egg-shaped contraptions. They group separated and each chose an egg for themselves. Mikan chose a pretty orange one, while Natsume, coincidentally, chose a red one beside her.

Strange, she thought, but pretty. She pulled open a small side drawer to her right and out popped a brown leather book and a futuristic pair of glasses that looked similar to the visor that Cyclops from X-Men wore. Mikan picked up the visor and stared at it's cool metal body and red glass in front. Then, she picked up the book and leafed through it.

Welcome to the Dream Capsule, a game in which players are inserted into a virtual world they have never before experience. Simply step into the game pod and you will be thrown into a real life scenario of magical and thrilling proportions.

Someone snorted to her right. Mikan turned to see a sneer painted right across one Natsume Hyuuga's face. He glanced at her and his smirk grew wider.

"Stupid game." Mikan's face darkened and she shot him a well-deserved glare.

"And what, may I ask, is so stupid about it?" she snapped, her brown eyes narrowing. She really didn't know what his problem was. Why was he always so. . . mean? Natsume leaned back casually into his egg as if he did it everyday and raised an eyebrow at her conspicuously.

"Well, for one, if it's got you defending it, then it must be stupid and a waste of my time," he retorted smoothly. Mikan huffed and groaned in frustration. Sometimes, Natsume was far too much trouble than he was worth. Said boy enjoyed Mikan's expression so much he decided to continue, but before he could say anything, Mikan flipped through the book a few more times.

A large map of what she presumed to be the game world was spread onto two pages. Names of countries she had never known of appeared on the papers. Glenrock, Wingardia, Shayspair, Aledor, and more. Her heart thumped erratically against her chest and she turned another page. This time, a character list was displayed onto the paper.

Character Forms

• Noble

- King

- Queen

- Soldier

- High Priest

- Members of the Jury, Law, Court

- Royal Advisers

- Nobleman/Noblewoman

- Ladies of the Court

• Pirate

- Pirate Captain

- Quarter Master

- Sailing Master

- Boatswain

- Carpenter

- Surgeon

- Master Gunner

- Mate (first mate, second mate, etc.)

- A.B.S. (able bodied sailor)

- Rigger

- Cabin Boy

- Swab/Swabbie

• Peasant

- Platinum (rich, but not a noble)

- Gold (well to do)

- Silver (normal)

- Bronze (poor)

- None (poorest of the poor)

And finally, she came to the warnings and guidelines.

Warning/Guidelines:

This game is not real, but feels every bit like it is. If you're injured, it will hurt, if you die, then you're dead (dead meaning being sent back to the real world).

Players get five lives. Each time you use up one of those lives, you are sent back to the real world temporarily and get to decide if you want to continue playing or not. If yes, then you are reassigned to another character form. For example, if you are a pirate captured by a noble, you may not end up as a pirate in your next life. Once all five lives are used, you are not able to continue playing.

The benefactors and creators of this game watch what is going on in the game through a collection of screens which show how the progress of the game is doing.

Players start at the capital of Erosis, Glenrock. The first step is to stop by the City Hall, where they go to register and receive player support. It's where they register their names and types of employment, or, in the case of a pirate, what ship they work in.

Players cannot choose what character form they will take. A special compass stationed at every City Hall tells what form they will obtain from what the players themselves are like personality-wise. This is only needed at the start of the game. However, when players lose their first life and choose to go back to the game, their character form is decided randomly.

Not all people in the game are actual characters portrayed by someone playing the game. Others, like the informants stationed at the City Hall, are extras put in the game to make it more realistic.

The City Hall is neutral ground; extras there will not side with the pirates nor the nobles alike.

Alices are rendered useless in the game; one must learn how to fend for oneself without the aid of their alice.

A guidebook is handed to each player once they enter the game, to help them know more about the country they are in and about the both important players and extras. Additional information are put into the handbook at any time, so it would be wise to check it every once in a while for new data.

Please take note: time that flows in the game is different in the real world. For example, one week in the game may only be one day in the real world.

Mikan's excitement grew and grew, until it was almost like a bubble waiting to burst. She had ignored Natsume, who was also reading the book, and made herself remember all these things inside. She supposed this was the guidebook that was mentioned in it, but she needed to learn all she could before she played the game.

Natsume watched her from the corner of his eye, smirking yet again. "Bet you'll be a peasant, rank zero," he said stoically. Mikan flinched. Peasant? Peasant? Really, was she so low as to sink to that? Sometimes, Natsume was just too much.

Nonetheless, she made herself retort back as smoothly as she could under the circumstances. "And you'll be the cabin boy on a pirate ship, won't you? How bloody wonderful." Natsume got to hand it to her, her skills at the art of backfiring had gradually improved. He snorted and ignored her wordlessly. Mikan made a face at him and flipped through more of the pages of the book. A loud female voice rang clear through speakers situated on pillars on either side of the room.

"Keep your arms and legs inside the game portal at all times, I repeat, keep your arms and legs inside the game portal at all times. Players, you may now put on your visors. The game starts in five. . . four. . . three. . ."

Mikan hastily put on the visor; her vision was immediately blackened. She couldn't see anything at all. She still heard the female voice, though.

"Two. . . one. Game start."

It was hard to tell what had happened next. Mikan had suddenly felt a firm tug somewhere in her stomach, and her eyes were blurred by a flurry of different colors. Not a sound was heard, yet she had a feeling she was screaming. She was thrown into a sort of dimension where speeding colors swept past like bullets, and she felt the blistering wind make her hair fly into her face, into her eyes. She tried to feel herself, to make sure she was still in one piece, but she found that she couldn't move a single part of her body. She was immobilized.

Was everyone experiencing the same thing too? Were they hurdling through a colorful oblivion and screaming their lungs out, yet they couldn't hear it? Mikan wasn't sure. This was a part of the game, wasn't it? At least she thought so. But, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. After a bright white flash of light, everything stopped.

She landed on firm, hard ground (butt first) and squealed out in pain. She'd never been so relieved to hear her own voice radiate in the familiar tones she'd lived with all her life. It was like the DVD that she was watching had suddenly been muted and then the volume had been suddenly turned up again, out of the blue.

Mikan rolled over on her side, rubbing soothing circles in her stomach. Get up, she told herself. Get up, you sniveling pansy! Tentatively, she got to her feet, stumbling a little and raised her eyes to look at her new surroundings.

"What the bloody hell."

I can't tell you how long I've wanted to write about something like this. I personally love genres that feature both romance and adventure. How cool is that? For me, this chapter was a bit lengthier than what I would have originally done. I don't like using Japanese honorifics in my stories, so don't expect Mikan to go all 'Natsume-kun!' every time she sees him. This is written in English, and so it will be. I think I got a little bit too caught up in all the British exclamations, though. That's what I get for reading Harry Potter too late at night...

This is my first story using this account, so please, no flaming. I hate flamers who just criticize other people's works without leaving a good reason why they flamed it and how they could improve. I mean, what's the point in doing that if not to help the writer get better? Well, enough of my ranting.

Do me a favor and review please.

—Maddie