Hello, this is my new story 'Goodbye is definitely the hardest word.' I hope you enjoy it and please comment, I would really appreciate it. Thank you :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of the characters involved.

"Mikan?" A soft voice called from the other side of the door. The young girl was just adding the finishing touches to her dress before she was interrupted. Her bedroom door creaked open and a smile lit up her face as she noticed her two friends walk in. It took a lot of effort for Mikan not to burst out into tears right then and there. To everyone else the ball that was occurring tonight was supposed to be a happy occasion but not for Mikan. The ball was the last time that the high school division would be with the school; it was a way to send them off happy. Mikan didn't want any of her friends to leave, they had become like family to her and now it was time for them to start their own lives in the real world.

Mikan tried to take her mind of the matter by looking at what her best friend, Hotaru was wearing. She wore a lilac silk, dress that fell to just below her knees which brought the amethyst out in her eyes. Her black heels held a purple flower on the front, coordinating with her dress. Mikan's eyes travelled down Hotaru's arm as she noticed the exquisite, white rose corsage that was wrapped around her wrist. Despite herself, Mikan found a smile form on her lips as she glanced up at the now blushing Yuu. The two of them had been dating for a while and it seemed to be going great for them both. Hotaru was usually hostile towards people but she seemed to open up to him and Mikan was glad that her best friend had found someone she trusted with her whole heart. Even Yuu had dressed up for the occasion, wearing a simple black tux with an exact replica of Hotaru's rose sticking out of his pocket. He didn't look very comfortable with what he was wearing but he didn't want to be disrespectful by wearing something casual.

Hotaru noticed how her friend's eyes didn't hold any gleam when she looked at them like they usually did. She understood that tonight would be a very hard time for Mikan and she would do whatever she could to support her. For weeks she has called this night a ball and said how spectacular it would be but she never once called it by its real name, 'the leavers due'. Hotaru knew that Mikan would lose many friends because of this but there was one person she would miss the most, Tsubasa-senpai. Mikan has always looked up to him and he was one of the very first people to actually be kind to Mikan and help her out. Hotaru knew that her friend viewed him as a big brother and would miss him terribly. Indeed, tonight would be very hard on Mikan.

"We came to see if you are ready," Yuu whispered, still a bit unsure of whether that was the sort of question he should be asking. Mikan was thankful that he had interrupted her inner rambling and gave him a gentle smile. She turned back to her full length mirror and heaved a sigh. Mikan tugged at the midnight blue material that hugged around her curves perfectly and fumbled with the curls that hung around her face. She wanted any excuse she could find to not attend but there was simply no reason for her not to.

"You two should go on ahead, I will be there soon." Mikan looked at her two friends through the mirror and gave them a slight nod. Expecting them both to depart, Mikan continued to play with her hair trying to fix it in the right position when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her frail body. The young girl's hazel eyes widened in surprise as she saw her best friends head leant on her shoulder. It was a very rare occasion that Hotaru showed compassion; it was usually in situations where Mikan was incredibly upset much like today.

"I know you are hurting deep inside Mikan but everything is going to be okay, I promise." Mikan stared at herself in the mirror and witnessed a glistening tear trickle down her cheek. Before she could lift her hand to wipe it away more tears filled her eyes and were flowing freely down her face, splashing onto Hotaru's hands that instinctively held on tighter. Mikan turned around in her friends embrace and flung her own arms around Hotaru, crying into her shoulder. Hotaru didn't say anymore because she knew that Mikan needed to get it out of her system.

After a few moments, Mikan's crying quietened down into mere sobs and hiccups as she pulled her head away from Hotaru. Her best friend noticed how smudged her make up now was and led her to a stool where she began dabbing on some more foundation. Mikan didn't protest and just sat there staring into space, trying to control her breathing. She knew she was acting like a cry baby but she couldn't help herself. Mikan understood that it would be much harder for the people who were leaving; going out into the world on their own while she still attended Alice Academy. She wasn't the one who had to make a living on her own and find a place to stay, they were.

"There." Hotaru gestured at the mirror and Mikan noticed that her makeup had been reapplied but not just that, she looked like a completely different person. It shocked Mikan that Hotaru was this skilled when it came to basic things like makeup but she was a perfectionist. Her cheeks looked flushed and the black eye liner around her eyes made the hazel in her eyes shine brightly. Mikan's lips were plump and red, something that she could not have accomplished by herself.

"Now, for the finishing touch." Hotaru picked up a single red rose that was strapped to a bracelet. That was the corsage that Tsubasa-senpai had given her to wear especially tonight. Mikan had debated with herself for many days in whether she should wear it or not because she knew it would just upset her more than she already was. The young girl was surprised that she didn't pull away when Hotaru lifted her arm and placed the corsage around her wrist. It seemed to look even more beautiful around her wrist than it did on her dressing table, how Mikan had no idea but it seemed to come to life when she wore it.

"There, now you are definitely ready for tonight." Hotaru placed her hands on Mikan's shoulders and she felt a beaming smile grace her features. Before the midnight blue dress had seemed to match her depressed mood perfectly but now it seemed to glow in the light. Her black patent leather high heels had a cute little diamante bow sewn on the back that showed her childish side. Even though she was now sixteen years old, she still sometimes felt like the ten year old girl who had first come to the academy. Mikan also noticed that her curls were know tied into a velvet blue bow that matched her dress exactly but a few curls still managed to escape. Overall she looked ready to go to the dance, she had no excuses left. Mikan inhaled a deep breath and smoothed her dress out in an attempt to calm herself down.

"I think I'm ready," Mikan breathed and Hotaru gave her a slight smile before she turned around to Yuu who was still stood there feeling slightly uncomfortable. When he noticed that we were both ready he cleared his throat and shyly offered Hotaru his arm. Mikan even saw a slight blush rise in Hotaru's cheeks as she threaded her arm through his and she began to feel warm inside as she watched the two of them. Hotaru and Yuu headed towards the door but when she noticed that Mikan wasn't following them she turned her head slightly to look behind her.

"Come on baka, you don't want to be late, do you?" Mikan glanced at the clock and noticed it was already 7:55; they only had five minutes left to be there on time. The young girl yelped in surprise as she ran after her two friends. Mikan ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her and remembered almost immediately that her purse was still inside. She groaned internally as she fumbled with the door handle and felt the glare of Hotaru boring into her back.

"You two should just go on ahead; I've left my purse in my room so I will just catch up to you." Mikan knew that Hotaru was about to argue with her but she sent her a look that showed her she would be there as soon as possible. Muttering under her breath, Hotaru marched away with a very confused Yuu stumbling after her. Mikan turned the handle to her bedroom a few more times before it finally gave way and she fell onto the floor of her room. Grumbling, she kicked the door closed with her foot before standing up and brushing herself down. Mikan always had troubles with the lock on the door and that was part of the reason she never risked locking it. She was no longer a 'no-star' but she had never left her room in the attic because it had become a part of her life here at Alice Academy. Over the past few years, Mikan had excelled to a 'triple' star so she was allowed to restyle her room and make it more stylish.

Mikan eyed her black purse on the bed and grabbed it without a second thought before racing towards the door. After a few failed attempts of opening the door she slumped against the wood until she felt the carpet beneath her. There was no way the door was going to open any time tonight and Mikan knew that. She considered the possibilities of ramming it down but then she would have no door for privacy. Defeated, Mikan stared out of the window at the stars in the night sky and wondered what was happening at the dance. If only she could find a way out of her room and just like that it seemed to hit her, through the window.

Mikan sprung to her feet and hung her head out of the window. Beneath her room was another room with a balcony, maybe if she explained the situation she could cut through their bedroom. Mikan didn't hesitate with her plan and quickly stripped the sheet from her mattress and from her pillows before tying them together. With one end she tied it to the post of her bed and hung the rest out of her window. It wasn't that long and Mikan registered that she would have to jump quite a bit of the way but she was willing to do anything. She peeled her heels off her feet and threw them onto the balcony below followed closely after by her purse.

Mikan wrapped her hands around the white material and stood on the edge of her windowsill, ready to descend. A wave of nausea wafted over her at how high up she was but she tried to focus on moving her feet down the wall. The end of the sheet was coming closer and Mikan gulped when she thought of having to jump the rest of the way. The time finally came and Mikan regretted this plan of hers already but there was no way she could climb back up now.

A bang sounded from somewhere below and scared Mikan which caused her to lose her grip on the material and fall rather awkwardly onto the stone balcony. The young girl let out a groan of protest as she made impact with the hard stone. Stars clouded her vision and she tried her best to shake them. Mikan stumbled to her feet and used the balcony wall to balance herself. Her hazel eyes wandered up to where the white sheet swung lightly in the night's breeze. It made her feel sick that she had just jumped from that height and managed not to damage herself too much.

Pushing that aside Mikan dragged herself to her feet and walked rather shakily to the patio doors. Mikan placed a hand on the handle and was startled to find that it was open already. Cautiously, she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her but not before grabbing her shoes and purse off the balcony. The room was fairly dark and the only light to be seen was from the table lamp and the light that filtered from the bathroom. Mikan felt like this was a bad decision to have come here and wished she could be back in her room. The young girl had no idea whose room she was in but there wasn't anyone in sight.

"Hello," Mikan whispered but when she didn't get a reply she figured they had already gone down to the dance. Instead of leaving straight away like she should have done, she was side tracked by the photos on the mystery person's dressing table. Curious by this, Mikan tip toed over to it just in case there was actually someone still in the room.

Mikan lifted the first photo of two people who were probably the kid's parents by the looks of it. In a way they both looked oddly familiar, as though she had seen them before but she couldn't possibly have. The only children's parent's she has ever met from the Academy was Hotaru's and that was only because they had known each other before they had attended Alice Academy. The two of them looked extremely happy and looked clearly in love with each other. The man in the photo had his black hair swept to one side and was laughing as he looked directly into the camera. His arms were wrapped around the woman next to him while her hands held onto his. The woman's long brunette hair blew in the wind as her eyes were creased with age but were still shining brightly. The thing that really intrigued Mikan to the picture wasn't the happiness that radiated from it but the crimson eyes of the woman. They looked oddly recognizable and it sent a cold shiver up her spine as she stared into them. Having seen enough Mikan placed the photo back onto the table before moving onto the next one.

Her hand seemed to hesitate before picking this one up, she felt like she was invading someone's privacy. Still she couldn't hold herself back as she stared down at the two young children in the photograph. Mikan could tell straight away that the two were siblings by the resemblance. The young girl was presumably laughing at something that her brother had said while his arm was wrapped around her shoulder trying to keep a straight face but clearly failing. Mikan could see that the young boy loved his sister and would do anything for her; even a photo could portray that. She was once again lost in the crimson eyes of the two children but one more than the other. Mikan was positive that she had seen those crimson eyes before but the ones she had seen were usually withdrawn and held secrets, not shining and full of life.

A loud thud came from the bathroom, knocking Mikan out of her trance and causing her to drop the photograph in shock. She fumbled around in the only light she had and placed the photo back where it belonged. Even though she had a reason for being in the room she still felt like an intruder and couldn't control how fast her heart was beating. Mikan heard another bang in the bathroom and knew that there was somebody definitely left in the room. Instead of running straight for the door like she should have done in the first place she stayed where she was, her feet were bolted for the floor and even if she wanted to make a dash for it, there was no way she possibly could.

Another crash made Mikan flinch involuntarily and take a step back. She knew that at any minute the person who lived in this bedroom would come walking out and see her but she couldn't seem to do anything to make sure that didn't happen. The door to the bathroom creaked open and before Mikan could see who it was she felt herself falling backwards and the light diminishing from the room. The young girl rubbed the back of her head and cursed under her breath. Her feet were tangled in the wire of the table lamp and during her fall she pulled it off its stand, shattering the bulb in the process. Mikan struggled to get her feet free but as soon as they were she felt herself being lifted from the floor by her neck, causing her to drop her purse and shoes on the floor. She gasped for air as she was slammed into the wall behind her and groaned as the pain shot through her body.

How many times more times am I going to hurt myself tonight, she mentally thought.

The grip on her throat tightened and she was beginning to run out of oxygen which caused her to panic more. She clawed at the hand around her throat and wished that her Alice would work on physical violence but it had no effect. This didn't stop Mikan from trying to flail her legs around, trying to get a good shot at the person who was doing this to her. This just caused the mystery person to press up against her so she couldn't move, making any effort to escape futile.

"Who the hell are you?" the voice growled and she could identify that it was definitely male. Mikan had no idea how he expected her to answer his question with him restricting her air supply but he didn't seem to expect her too as he clicked his fingers. The room immediately brightened as a light formed above his fingers, no not a light, a flame. Mikan's eyes widened as she realised who it was and it confirmed her assumptions when she was met by a pair of crimson eyes. Those crimson eyes were something she could never forget.

"Natsume?"

Hope you liked it and please leave comments or any ideas you have. I will try and get the next chapter up shortly but I have a lot of exams coming up so I am sorry if I don't upload fast enough.

Thanks for reading :)