Haha! My first Gakuen Alice fic! I know I shouldn't be doing this because I have two other fics that I haven't updated for about two months, but I just couldn't resist the temptation. I hope you don't think it's corny. On with the fic!

Note: They are on the last year of middle school, around 15 years of age, I guess.

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"It's done!"

Mikan jumped from her chair and did a little victory dance around her room. Glancing at her bedside clock, she stopped with a gasp.

"Oh, no! It's midnight! I'm sure to be late tomorrow!"

But the gloomy clouds hanging about her immediately dispersed when she looked at the gaily wrapped box on her study table.

"Oh, well. At least I finished it! I hope Hotaru likes the gift I'm going to give her for her birthday!" she said gleefully, talking to herself.

With a silly grin, Mikan recalled Hotaru telling her, "If you're thinking of giving me a gift for my birthday, you might as well give me cash. I'm sure you can't give me something I would really like." in a flat unemotional voice, as was the norm.

Mikan sat in a corner and sulked, great waterfall tears streaming from her eyes. Yuu tried his best to pacify her ("Hotaru doesn't really mean that!") while Hotaru stood beside him, contradicting everything he said ("Of course I meant it.").

After about a minute of this, Mikan jumped up and yelled "I got it!" great blinking light bulbs flashing about her head, unfortunately hitting Sumire as she tried to pass by. Mikan immediately ran from the classroom, Kokoroyomi and Ana flattening themselves against the wall lest they be ran over by Mikan's enthusiastic race to the door.

"Mikan! Get back here!" Sumire yelled at the clouds Mikan left behind, a big bump throbbing on the side of her head. "She's not listening." Hotaru murmured, while Yuu called out urgently, "Class isn't over yet, Mikan!"

Mikan winced as she remembered the blistering lecture Mr. Jinno gave her about the evils of cutting classes, the frog on his shoulder croaking in accompaniment with every scathing word. Even though Mr. Jinno wasn't in charge of their class anymore, he still gleefully anticipated every blunder she made just to scold her. And, being Mikan, blunders just seem to love her.

She shook her head to clear it of bad memories. Picking up the box, she danced around her room again, chanting "Hurray hurray for me!" It was still a week to go before Hotaru's birthday, but because Mikan was so excited about the gift, she had finished it way before the deadline, which was very unusual or her.

"I wonder what Hotaru will say when she gets my special handmade gift?" she giggled.

Her revelry stopped when she glanced out the window and saw…where was that light coming from?

Mikan stood motionless as she continued to watch the bluish white light that was coming from a spot in the middle of the Northern Forest. It seemed almost magical, flashing brightly then glowing softly at odd intervals.

A sudden thought made her race to her bed and hide under the covers. A ghost! Now I really won't get some sleep!

"But wait…" she said out loud, rising from the bed. "Maybe it's some kind of Alice…"

The realization made Mikan sigh with relief. "That's right! It's an Alice! And I'm going to investigate!"

Armed with a jacket and a flashlight, Mikan bravely charged through the forest, muttering "I'm no scared," and "It's just an Alice," as she tried to ignore the odd noises coming from the bushes and trees.

"If I remember correctly, the light was just around…there!" she exclaimed as she ran towards the light that peeked through the thick tree trunks. What she saw there made her stop in awe.

It was a lake, and on it…

"Oh, my! He's dancing on the lake!"

A person with short white hair was gliding on the surface of the water, his moves graceful and gentle and serene. His eyes were closed, so engrossed was he in his fluid dance. He leaped and jumped, and Mikan thought he was flying before stepping gently back on the lake, his arms moving in perfect coordination.

The lake itself didn't look like a lake; it was glowing, emitting the same bluish white light she had seen from her window.

"You are…" Mikan said in an awed whisper "…so beautiful."

The lake dancer finished his dance, pausing in a final pose. Mikan could finally breathe properly. She clapped her hands delightedly, and then saw his eyes open in surprise.

"You were -- wait!" Mikan exclaimed as, with a startled look, the dancer ran to the thick foliage of the forest. She automatically ran after him, unfortunately forgetting the lakes' presence. She stumbled, and then fell headfirst into the lake with a splash.

"Oh, darn it!" she yelled, causing some birds to fly from their roost. After a few inhale-exhales, Mikan looked at the direction the lake dancer ran to.

"Who was he?"

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