Aspiring Fires

Chapter 1: The First Meeting

If Mikan had to pick her absolute favorite place in the whole wide world, it would be her school's nurse's office. Okay, maybe a hospital would be in first place. There was nothing like the strong scent of iodoform disinfectant specific to the two places. It made everything seem super clean and fresh.

Hehehe, that's a really strange thing to like, Mikan thought to herself, and accidentally chuckled out loud. A deeper chuckle sounded from behind her, and she whirled into the air.

Behind her were two guys she recognized from her homeroom class. One had fiery red, gelled hair that reminded her of a hedgehog, and the other had neon pink hair and looked rather nervous. The two were a strange, sort-of punk duo, and although the younger kid with the red hair (Leon..?) constantly picked on her, the other guy seemed more subdued. He wouldn't meet her eye, but he constantly glanced at the exit.

"Heyyy, well if it isn't that junior chick who fell this morning! Yo Souda, do you remember what color panties she's wearing?"

Mikan felt her palms begin to sweat and she clutched the trolley behind her, averting the boys' gaze. Not again. Not here. This was supposed to be her safe place.

"Uhh, yeah, they were lace black ones. I'm not really into girls like that, but you totally do porn magazines, right?" The pink haired one seemed a little more comfortable and took a step forward. Mikan shuffled back, but she was already pressed against the front of the trolley. Maybe if she stalled them, a nurse would come in and rescue her? (She knew all of the nurses had left already, which is why she had come after school to fix up her knee. And maybe take a few bandages. And maybe to avoid walking home. Anyways.)

"I-I really don't do that sort of stuff!" She squeaked. Neither of the boys seemed deterred.

"Nah, if you don't do porn, you must get laid a lot! I'm only a freshman here, so tell me, who in this school have you fucked?" Leon continued.

"I-I-I'm not like t-that! Please stop!" Oh no, the tears were coming. This is where they would definitely make fun of her at best, or take advantage at worst.

A new, high-pitched voice sounded out as clear as a bell.

"Can you, like, stop trying to get pussy for five minutes? I haven't been in this school for more than four days and everyone here is a horndog, I swear!"

Just when Mikan felt a tear slip down her cheek, she turned to face the...most beautiful girl she'd ever seen. The guys seemed to be just as astonished, and fled the room like dogs with tails in-between their legs. Not without Leon giving a quick catcall and Souda's laughter echoing down the hallway.

The girl stood in front of Mikan, but she was too intimidated to look past her waist. Her skirt was high, higher than the dress code allowed, but Mikan doubted that anyone had said anything. Her boots were shiny and probably more expensive than anything Mikan ever owned in her lifetime.

"I know standing hunched over in front of a trolley is a super exciting hobby, but the pile of papers I need is on the trolley. So you kind of need to move."

Mikan jumped out of the way, so quickly that she stumbled and fell onto the floor. The girl didn't seem to care about Mikan's fall and stepped in front of the trolley, placing a bright yellow sheet of paper in a basket. Mikan looked up and gasped. She had to be a model. No other girl in the school had such heavy makeup or perfectly styled hair. I mean, not that the makeup looked bad, in fact, it just accentuated all of her gorgeous features, and her hair looked as if it was as soft as cotton-

Mikan's thoughts short-circuited as the girl bent over and clutched Mikan's hands in her own.

"Oh. My gosh. How did I not recognize you?! You're Mikan Tsumiki, aren't you?"

Mikan nodded dumbly.

"You, are like, my savior! My internet hero in black lace panties and a school uniform! See, I have really terrible scoliosis. As well as other sicknesses that make life a living hell. But I found your medical blog on tumblr, and I practiced those scoliosis treatment techniques until my back hurt less! What a coincidence, isn't it?" The other girl stared intensely at Mikan. She was powerless under that intense blue stare.

The girl leaped back, releasing Mikan's hands. She cupped her face and twirled around the room.

"You! Have! No! Idea! How! Excited! I! Am! To! See! You! You're even prettier in person! Oh, B-T-W, my name is Junko Enoshima. But you can call me whatever."

The quick one-sided conversation was making Mikan's head start to throb. She thought the girl had called her pretty, or even complimented her more than once, but she wasn't so sure with how fast everything was happening.

"J-Junko! If it's okay if I call you that? I, uh, I'm so happy I was able to help! I didn't really think anyone looked at my blog, ever." Mikan stuttered out, rising to her feet.

"Yeah! Anyways, since you're like, a magician with medical shit, you should come over my house tomorrow and help me with my scoliosis techniques. See if I'm doing anything wrong! My annoying brat of a sister should be out tomorrow, and don't worry about meeting my parents. Here's my phone number!" Junko pulled out a slip of paper from her shirt pocket and dropped it into Mikan's hands. Maybe if Mikan had time to think, she would've questioned why Junko had her number written down beforehand, or why Junko was in the nurse's office at this time. But all that occupied her mind was that she was going over Junko Enoshima's house tomorrow. Alone.

Without another word, Junko left the office as quickly as she had come and Mikan was left wondering if any of that really happened. The only evidence was the piece of paper, and the deep marks Junko's nails had dug into her hands.