Sadz:I finally got around to making a Gakuen Alice fan-fiction!

Natsume:Loser…

Sadz:in time, you shall learn to not question my authority…

Mikan:Yay, story time!

Hotaru:Baka…

Sadz:Uh… ok… anyways, disclaimer!

Tsubasa:Yosh! Sadz doesn't own anything besides the story and ideas!

Sadz:Isn't Tsubasa just awesome… Anyways! Onward to my awesome story adventure!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

(A/N: … or just a random comment)

A Servant's Duty

Chapter 1:Boy?

Mikan hummed a new tune her father taught her just this morning and smiled brightly up at the clear blue sky. Everything was nice and dandy in the Alice Kingdom, as the Haru (spring) season burst with colors in full bloom.

Why this place is called the Alice Kingdom, you might ask yourself? It isn't because the first queen was named Alice- it's merely a coincidence- it's because most of the people residing in it have a special ability called an Alice. Mikan has one as well. Her Alice is nullification, like her father. She also has another Alice which steals other people's Alice, but she keeps that one a secret. The only other person who knows about that is her father.

Right now Mikan's dad, Yukihara Izumi, is out at work so she decided to take a little stroll. She looked down at the beautiful and exotic looking flowers. 'Daddy was saying he was having some money problems since he can't attain a stable job, so maybe I could sell flowers in town to help him out!'Mikan thought cheerily as she smiled triumphantly to herself. 'Everyone loves flowers! Who wouldn't want to buy a beautiful flower?'

As she walked by the dirt road pathway by the lake, she saw the bank coated with rocks on the boundary of the river. She smiled cheerily and jump up on it. She tried balancing herself and walked on the rocks, keeping her arms out to balance herself so she wouldn't either fall into the river or fall on her own butt on the grass.

A gentle breeze passed by as she took in the exotically bone tingling and freshly feeling air. Suddenly a butterfly whizzed by her and as it started leading her on the rock path. With a determined look, she started to walk faster on the rock boundary and tried to keep up with the butterfly.

"What are you doing, little girl? That's dangerous," an old man fishing by the river stated as Mikan first looked confusedly at him, and then smiled happily. She jumped off the rock ledge and sat next to the fishing old man.

"Sorry Jii-Chan and good afternoon! Did you catch any pretty fishes?" Mikan asked, trying to be polite and friendly like her nature, as she started bouncing with energy next to the Jii-Chan (Grandpa, old man).

"Jii-Chan…?" he asked confusedly as Mikan looked at him equally confused as well.

"You're not a Jii-Chan? Demo, you look like an old man to me…" Mikan stated as she rubbed her head and examined him closer. No matter how you looked at him, he was just a simple old man in a Yukata and a straw hat with a fishing pole and a bucket to put the fish in, if he catches one that is. All of a sudden, the old man started laughing heartily as Mikan looked even more confusedly at him.

"You're a nice little girl, and I am a Jii-Chan, but I don't have any grandchildren so no one has ever called me that before…"

"Oh! Ok! Then I'll call you Jii-Chan now!" Mikan stated happily as the old fisherman patted her head. Suddenly, the line of the fishing pole started tugging, begging for the fisherman's attention. As they looked at the fishing pole, they saw a nice big fish jump out the surface with the fishing line in his mouth. The sunrays reflected and glistened on the wet rainbow colored scales as Mikan was hypnotized by the alluring feeling pulling her toward the fish. Then, all at once, it disappeared into the lake again. The old man and Mikan looked at each other first and then started pulling the fishing pole.

"Easy now, easy!" the old man stated.

"The pretty fish is getting away!" Mikan called out with a panic as she tugged the fishing pole as hard as she could. After a few minutes of struggling, they finally won against the multi shaded fish as it ended up in the bucket. Mikan poked her head on the rim of the bucket and looked at the fish in awe. It was beautiful, and even if there was no sun, the colors of its scales danced against the water in the bucket. She giggled at the fish as it looked up at her. The fish suddenly spat a trail of water at her as she fell back on her bum.

"Meanie!" Mikan cried as tears threatened to pour out at the edge of her eyes.

"Don't be like that, he's just a bit sour that he was taken from him home…" the old man stated as Mikan looked toward the lake.

"His home…? What are you going to do with the pretty fish, Jii-Chan? Are you going to take him farther away from his home…?"

"… How about this… you can keep him, if you want…" the old man stated as Mikan's face lightened up like a Christmas tree.

"Really? Can I, really?" Mikan asked as the old man nodded. "Yay!"

"So what do you want to name him…?" the old man asked as Mikan started to look like she was deep in concentration, like it took all the forces of the universe to figure out a name for the beautiful fish.

"I got it, his name will be Blue!" Mikan stated as the old man looked amusedly at her.

"Why Blue?"

"'Cuz he has more blue scales then the other colors, and his home is glittering blue water, so I thought it would be a good idea!" Mikan stated with a heartwarming smile.

"How old are you…?"

"Eight!" Mikan stated without hesitation as the old man examined her a bit further.

"Really? So you're almost the same age as the eldest son of the Hyuuga family…?" the old man asked as Mikan smiled up innocently at him.

"I didn't know that…" Mikan admitted. The Hyuuga family was the rulers of this area of the Alice Kingdom. The King and Queen were blessed with two children, a healthy son around the same age as her and a daughter who is currently about four years old.

"Anyways, have fun with Blue, and I hope to see you again. I owe you for helping me catch that fish!" the old man stated with a smile. Before Mikan could go back home, the old man stopped her. "Ah, wait! What's your name?"

"Yukihara Mikan!" Mikan stated as she ran off home, swinging her bucket at her side as she hummed the same tune from before.

As Mikan reached home, she saw her father coming toward the house as well with a solemn expression.

"Daddy!" Mikan cried out happily as she jumped up at her father. Immediately his expression twisted into one of cheery as he caught his daughter and twirled her around in circles. She laughed and giggled until he finally set her down on her feet and they went inside their house. "Your home early today daddy!"

"Yeah, well…" Izumi started as he took out a bowl of pudding from the small fridge and two spoons. He handed one to Mikan and started digging in himself. "How was your day today?" he asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I was walking around by the lake and met a nice Jii-Chan today!" Mikan stated excitedly as Izumi sighed, relieved that his daughter was easily distracted. "We caught a fish today and he gave it to me! I named him Blue! He's a really pretty fishy!" Mikan stated as she displayed her fish to her father. Izumi looked into the bucket and awed at the fish.

"Pretty!" Izumi stated as Mikan giggled.

"I know, right! Now stop trying to change the subject and tell me what happened today!" Mikan stated with a pout as Izumi pouted back. His daughter was smarter than he thought.

"I kind of, sort of, got… fired again…"

"Ah! Again? That's not good daddy!" Mikan stated.

"Its ok sweetheart, daddy will find a new job and one with a better pay at that!" Izumi stated with a determined look in his eyes. Mikan shared his enthusiasm as they made weird victory poses for a little while together.

Night fell as Izumi tucked his little bundle of happiness into the bed covers and kissed her forehead.

"Daddy… what are we going to do now…?" Mikan asked as Izumi just shrugged with a smile.

"I'll think of something," he stated simply.

"Should I sell flowers in town, so we can get money…?"

"Its ok baby, its daddy's job to make our life easier…" Izumi stated as he smile affectionately down at her.

"Can you tell me about mommy again…?" Mikan asked with a small blush as Izumi brightened up at her.

"Your mommy is the most beautiful woman your daddy ever met. She looks exactly like Mikan!" Izumi stated, touching her nose with his finger as she giggled at him. "She's the princess of the Azumi royal family, where your uncle is the general of. Remember I told you about my older brother Kazu-Chi…?" When Mikan nodded enthusiastically, he chuckled and went on. "But alas, we were like Romeo and Juliet, except for the dying part. Mommy was a beautiful princess and daddy was a peasant, but that didn't stop us from loving each other. For a little while, mommy ran away with daddy, and then we had you Mikan!" Izumi stated, tickling her. When he stopped and she finally calmed down, he tried to conclude his story since it was getting late. "But mommy couldn't stay with daddy, so mommy went back to the Azumi Palace and daddy took Mikan and started his own new life with you in the Hyuuga region!" Izumi stated proudly. "Banzai!"

"Banzai!" Mikan yelled out as Izumi calmed her down back to lying in bed. "What was mama's name…?"

"Azumi Yuka…" Izumi stated and then patted her milk chocolate colored locks. "Now, it's time to sleep butterfly… Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are…" Izumi started singing lowly as Mikan's eyelids suddenly felt heavy. "Up, above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are…"

As Mikan slept, he smiled to himself; he got in the covers himself and pulled on the sheets with her. Half asleep, Mikan hugged her father as warmth radiated into her from him, smiling contently at the blissful feeling.

The next day Mikan went out for a walk near the lake again as her father went job hunting for the third time that month. Mikan was eight and dense, but she wasn't that stupid. She needed to do whatever she could to help her dad, and that meant making money somehow. Question was, how? She is only eight…

"Mikan-Chan… is that you…? It's nice to see you again!" the old fisherman stated with a smile as Mikan gave him a sad smile, trying to be polite, but the fisherman saw through her big brown innocent eyes. "How's Blue…?"

"I fed him nicely, don't worry Jii-Chan!" Mikan stated, but the sad smile didn't falter.

"What's wrong, child…?"

"Jii-Chan… My daddy said he was having trouble with money and is trying so hard with his jobs, but I know it's not going well…" Mikan stated, sitting down on the dew coated grass as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"I see…" the old man stated, giving the little girl most of his attention and a small piece of it to the thin fishing pole in his hands.

"I want to help daddy since he works so hard for me, but I'm only eight… what can I do…?" Mikan looked away from the old man and down the slope of the grass and flowers on the side of the long dirt road, then at the butterfly that fluttered in the wind. "Jii-Chan… will I be able to make a lot of money by picking flowers and selling them in the town…? Will that be helpful to daddy…?"

"Not that much, just a cent for each flower you sell…" the old man stated as Mikan sighed annoyingly.

"Really? That's not good, I'll have to sell a hundred billion flowers to help daddy then!" Mikan stated, throwing her hands into the air for emphasis.

"Your dad is very lucky to have a kind hearted and caring daughter like you…" the old man stated with a smile that touched his eyes as Mikan looked happily at him.

"He says that too! Daddy loves Mikan so~ much, and Mikan loves daddy so~ much too!"

"I'm sure you two will think of something…" the old man soothed as Mikan shrugged.

"I don't know what to do, and I'm all out of ideas… maybe I could sell Blue in the town and get a lot of money for him, since he's so pretty like a rainbow…"

"Don't sell Blue, he's yours to keep!" the old man tried to reason.

"Demo… daddy and I need the money more…"

"… How about I get your daddy a job…?" the old man asked as Mikan's eyes lightened up.

"As a fisherman?" Mikan asked as the old man laughed and patted her head.

"No, not as a fisherman, but I can give him a good job…" the old man stated, getting up as Mikan followed suit. "And I know a way to let you be able to help your daddy as well…"

"Really, really, really, really? Can you really do that? Yay!" Mikan stated loudly and started running around in circles on the grass. The old man started laughing lightly as he took Mikan's hand. (Don't worry, he isn't a pedophile)

"Yes, really, but you have to show me where you live first…" the old man stated as Mikan showed him the way. As they reached the small house, Izumi was already there making spaghetti for Mikan.

"Mikan, I got lunch ready!" Izumi stated as he saw Mikan brought someone along with her. "Guest…?"

"I'm sorry for the intrusion…" the old man stated, tipping his straw hat. "I am Sakura Kenta, and I am aware that you are in need of a job…" Izumi looked at Mikan confusedly as she smiled up at him.

"I see…" Izumi asked a bit cautiously.

"I know the owner of the orphanage in town that was asking for more help, with a room to live in. I see how much your daughter adored you, and I thought you might be good with taking care of other kids. You will be able to live there and eat regular meals, and get paid nicely each month…" Kenta stated as Izumi and Mikan looked happily at each other and then started jumping in excitement.

"Yay, daddy is going to have a nice job!" Mikan stated.

"We can live nicely and you will have other kids to play with!" Izumi stated as they hugged each other happily until Kenta cleared his throat, gaining both of their attentions.

"Actually I had… other arrangements for Mikan…" Kenta stated as Izumi hugged his daughter tightly in a protecting embrace.

"What do you mean…?" he asked.

"Are you going to make me a fisherman too?" Mikan asked in disbelieve.

"No, and I have to say my real occupation isn't fishing…" Kenta admitted.

"You're not a fisherman…?" Izumi and Mikan asked with big surprised eyes.

"No, I'm actually the head butler of the Hyuuga Palace, and I was thinking of taking Mikan in to work there as well. I know it will be a hard decision, but servants are paid handsomely there and I'll make sure to keep her safe there…" Kenta stated as Izumi's eyes widened.

"Eh? You want me to work as a servant in the castle?" Mikan asked a bit excitedly, not fully realizing that's he would be separated from her loving father.

"There have been strange rumors going on about the Hyuuga palace; I don't think I would want anything to happen to Mikan while she's there, but I don't remember what they were about…" Izumi stated as he picked Mikan up and hugged her to his chest as she clutched on to his shirt.

"Oh, it's nothing. Though the rumors are true, it is nothing serious for you to worry about, but it is the hard part about keeping Mikan there. The thing is, the Hyuuga family only allows male servants to work there, since the last maid there almost attacked the king…" Kenta stated, blushing a bit at the meaning as Izumi and Mikan looked confusedly at him.

"A maid tried to kill the king?" Izumi asked loudly as Mikan gasped as Kenta blushed more.

"Uh… yeah, let's go with that. Don't worry, I will supervise Mikan and make sure nothing will happen to her. And I will be the one who approve of the servants and keep a watchful eye on them, so nothing can go wrong!"

"… Wouldn't that mean Mikan will have to disguise herself as a male…?" Izumi asked as Kenta nodded.

"Boy?" Mikan asked, trying to imagine herself as such, pondering for a moment on the possibility.

"Mikan… can you do that…?" Izumi asked, a bit worriedly.

"If it's for daddy, Mikan can do anything!" Mikan stated happily as Izumi kissed her cheek and then pulled her shirt up, making weird farting noises resulting in Mikan laugh uncontrollably.

"Then it is decided…" Kenta stated. "Shall we sit down and talk this in detail…?" Izumi nodded as they sat in the living room.

The next day, Mikan was wearing white shorts, a blue shirt; her hair was cut short and wore a cap over it. She had a backpack full of her stuff and Blue in a small fish ball. She looked up at her father sadly, getting the drift that she can't luxuriously be with him every moment of her life.

"Daddy…" Mikan stated, tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry baby, we'll see each other ever once a week. Now, you are a boy and boys don't cry…" Izumi stated as Mikan nodded her head vigorously. "Here! Daddy got you a present!" Izumi stated as he pulled out a bear from behind him. "Tada!" he stated excitedly, displaying it to her as her face brightened up.

"A teddy bear!" Mikan stated excitedly, putting Blue's fish ball down and then hugged it tightly.

"His name is Mr. Bear; I bought him yesterday from a sorcerer. He doesn't talk, but he has a soul in him. So he can move and has emotions and will be able to take care of you since daddy can't…"

"Mr. Bear is so cool, I love him! Thank you daddy!" Mikan stated, hugging her dad as Kenta came up to the loving parent and child.

"It's time to go now, Mikan…" Kenta stated as Izumi gave his daughter one last hug before she took Kenta's hand and walking away on the side of the dirt road. Mikan looked back as her father who was waving good-bye to her as she waved back to him; a tear going down her face.

"Don't worry; you're going to like it at the castle. I'm going to turn you into the perfect butler, and there might be bumps and hardship along the way, but you're a strong girl and I know you can handle anything…" Kenta stated as Mikan smiled up at him, but her tears were still running down her face freely.

"Don't worry, I will do my best!"

Sadz:Yay I got the first chapter down!

Natsume:Are you retarded, I wasn't even in here.

Koko:None of us were Natsume!

Hotaru:Indeed…

Ruka:Uh, it's ok, Sadz is working hard on it!

Aoi:We~

Natsume:Are you really related to me…?

Mikan:We~

Mochu:I guess Natsume attracts these kinds around him!

Sadz:You will all come eventually, so calm down! Please R&R and keep reading! Thanks for reading till the end!

To Be Continued!

The name bestowed
Upon our little girl
His own secret code
His entire world
What befalls these two
We may never know
For if you double their troubles
Only tighter their bond will grow