Sleeping Beauty's little Sister.

Chapter 7

Hey guys! Sorry about not updating again like I said I might, but my brothers took me to BAM & I got 3 of the latest volumes of a manga that I adore & I read all 3 in 3 hours...like, whoops!

Haha, I'm suppose to go back on Saturday and this time, I'm getting some QuinRose, Alice in the Country of Hearts manga. (>///<) So excited!!!

Anyway, this is the only update of the day.

Please vote, and tell me in the comments section what you think. ^-^

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Gakuen Alice, they belong to the amazing Higuchi Tachibana-sama. Story inspiration of E.D.B.'s story.

There was nothing to mark the border between the kingdom of Corealis and Shimshee except a white wooden stake standing at the edge of the road. A few nail holes at the top showed where a sign had once been posted.

"If I remember correctly, we're only three or four miles from the city of Kenless, where the royal castle is located," said Natsume. "I think that's where we should start looking for Hayate."

"Uh-huh," Mikan replied.

She had mixed emotions about finding Hayate. Part of her wanted Hayate to come back, kiss her sister, and have everyone wake up; the other part of her couldn't help but say---does it have to be Hayate? If only Hotaru hadn't fallen for him!

Mikan was still thinking about how much she couldn't stand Hayate when she realized she'd been smelling something new and different for some time. "What's that?" she asked, sniffing the air.

"We're near the ocean now," said Natsume. "We should be able to see it soon."

"I've never seen the ocean," Mikan said.

"Maybe we can go down to the beach before we leave."

"I'd love that," said Mikan, "if there's time."

She had never gone sightseeing before, and wouldn't have thought of it if Natsume hadn't been with her, but having him there made the trip less of an ordeal, even when they didn't exchange a single word.

The next hill was higher than those around it. Mikan's legs began to ache by the time they reached the top, but she knew right away that the climb had been worth it. The town nestled at the foot of the hill surrounded a small port on three sides. Sailing ships rocked at their moorings while people scurried along the docks carrying heavy loads on and off ships. Pennants flew over a castle that sat at the far end of the town keeping watch over narrow streets. Just beyond the castle, a vast body of water spread of for as far as she could see, it's undulating waves rushed toward the shore and lapping at the piers that jutted out from a gravel and dirt street.

Mikan had never seen anything like it. The town itself seemed ordinary enough, but the ocean waves were almost hypnotic, and the limitless expanse was almost more than her mind could grasp. She stood there, openmouthed and barely breathing, until Natsume nudged her and said, "I've been thinking, when we get down there you should let me do the talking."

"Why?" Mikan asked, dragging her gaze from the water to Natsume. "I'm the princess. As my guard, you should just---"

"That's exactly why," Natsume replied. "You're a princess. We're in a foreign kingdom without an adequate escort to keep you safe, so it's up to me. I'll do what I can, but you'll be safer if we don't let anyone except Hayate know who you are. There's no saying what people would do if they knew the truth, so whatever you do, don't tell anyone else you're the princess. You're still dressed as a boy. Let them think that that's what you are."