me: Here's another one shot. :)
natsume: The torture never ends.
hotaru: Heartbroken Confession does not own Gakuen Alice.
--The Alias--
In the "underworld" of all alices, all members of it have a second name, an alias. Most of the names were meant to bring intimidation and fear of some sort.
Like the Kuro Neko, the black cat, a symbol of bad luck to come your way. The Ice Princess, the ruthless and cold soldier with no hesitation to send you to your deathbed, and given the ironic name of princess.
Then there's Sakura Mikan, given (cursed with, as she would say) the name Pink Jackal.
Oh yes, scary.
..x..x..x..x..x..x..
Sakura Mikan stared incredulously at the thing that Natsume had placed in her hand. Her, Natsume, and Nobara were at the Mocha Bean, a popular cafe in Central Town with an outdoor section. She blinked; quirking a brow.
"What's this supposed to be?" She questioned.
Natsume stared at it for a moment before shrugging.
Nobara Ibaragi leaned forward to steal a glimpse of it.
"I believe it's a jackal," she replied, taking a sip from her mocha latte.
"Persona told you to give this to me?"
"Mhm." Natsume nodded, stealing her ice coffee and taking a sip.
"Huh. Do I get a sick nasty name?" She grinned. "Something cool like the Kuro Neko? Or the Ice Princess?"
Natsume looked at her and smirked. Mikan's grin fell immediately.
"Oh, no, don't tell me--"
"He said I get to choose."
--x--
"The Tinkling Jackal." Mikan stated.
Natsume smirked, "Well, you always wear that thing." Natsume pointed to the necklace that Andou Tsubasa had given her 3 years ago for her birthday. "It's so annoying, ringing all the time. Why not the Tinkling Jackal?"
Mikan twitched, the picture of a dog peeing on a fire hydrant popping up in her head.
"I find it quite suitable." Natsume folded his hands over the desk.
If it had not been for the presence of their homeroom class (witnesses!) Mikan just might've killed the raven haired pretty boy on the spot.
"Oh yes, because pissing dogs are so intimidating." Mikan rolled her eyes.
"Who knows? Maybe they'll run in fear that you'll try to 'go' on them."
"Rethink it." Mikan glared at the boy, slamming her hands on the table.
"No. Besides, I'll be sure to tell them that you're potty trained." Natsume replied stubbornly.
"Natsume!"
"Polka-dots."
The two engaged in a glaring contest before Mikan stormed off aggravated to whine to Hotaru.
Nogi Ruka, who had bore witness to their little spat, sighed. "Natsume, does it really still piss you off that Sakura wears the necklace Andou gave her?"
Natsume glared at the boy. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Ruka rolled his eyes. "You're being immature."
"You're being a stupid head." Natsume mumbled.
"A stupid head? Honestly." Ruka sighed again when the boy didn't respond.
"Hey, Mikan was upset that a certain someone not only didn't get her a present, but was m.i.a. the entire day on her birthday. Andou just wanted to make her feel better by buying her the necklace that she was looking at with a certain someone." Ruka reminded him.
Natsume frowned, he had been in the hospital with severe injuries and fatigue due to his alice. Not that any of them knew that (they just all thought he was being mean and bailed) and not that any of them would ever need to know.
"I'll rethink it then. Jeez, sometimes I swear that Imai turned my best friend into a nagging mother."
Ruka grinned. "You're a wonderful son."
"Shove it."
--x--
"Natsume..." Mikan growled with menace.
"Yes?" Natsume replied with fake innocence.
"The polka-dotted jackal?!" She cried, her arms flailing in exaggeration.
"Ah, isn't it genius?" Natsume replied.
"If the new definition of genius is abhoringly idiotic! What will people think when they hear that name?" Mikan yelled. She stood in a pose, as if imitating an AAO member.
" 'Look! That's the Polka Dotted Jackal!' 'Oh my god! It must be a puppy with chicken pox!' 'Oh, I'm so scared I might pee my pants' 'Let's run!' " Natsume stared at the girl as if she were crazy when she ended her little skit.
"As horrid your acting skills are, you're in my way," Natsume pointed to the food line for lunch, his empty tray in his left hand.
"Rethink it again!" Mikan screamed, putting her hands defiantly on her hips.
"Okay, how about the strawberry patterned jackal?"
It took 45 minutes and a half destroyed cafeteria to convince Hyuuga Natsume to rethink his decision.
--x--
"Oh, this is just getting old." Mikan glared, shaking her head.
"I think you should like this one. The Flatland Jackal, quick as the wind and of the flatlands." Natsume grinned knowingly.
"Yes, because they won't know what happened that day of the Alice Festival, you little closet pervert!" Mikan screamed, swinging her fist in an attempt to take out a tooth.
Natsume easily dodged the attack. "Good, it'll just be between us, no one will know."
"Yes, except maybe the 100 plus people that witnessed it?!" Mikan reminded him, this time successfully whacking Natsume in the face.
To add to the destruction of the cafeteria, Natsume walked back to his dorm room with a black eye and a bloody nose that day.
--x--
Sakura Mikan was absolutely furious when Natsume called her up and told her to go to Mocha Bean at 9 in the morning. Not only was it a Sunday, the perfect time to catch up on beauty sleep (Natsume's reply when she told him that started with a "as much as you need it..."), she did not feel like hearing any stupid ideas at the ungodly hour.
Mikan had arrived at the Mocha Bean to find Natsume sitting at one of the outdoor booths, sipping on a strawberry smoothie; his head resting tilted on his left hand; his eyes distant. This made her sigh, how amazing he looked when he wasn't being annoying. And yes, she just sounded like a total fangirl.
Pulling down the grey hood of her hoodie, she took a seat across from the crimson eyed boy and placed down the Jackal mask (she had brought it just in case) on the table.
"What now?" Mikan asked, imitating Natsume by placing her head in her hands.
"I'm out." Natsume mumbled.
"Of what?" Mikan questioned, slightly confused.
"Ideas, you idiot." Natsume frowned.
"I'm not an idiot! And I'm sure you have something else stupid in your mind. Like, the Tangerine Jackal, or the No Star Jackal, or maybe the Panda Jackal."
"Maybe the Froggy Jackal." Natsume snorted in response.
Mikan rolled her eyes. "I won't even ask when you saw those, cause I threw out that pair when I was 12."
"That was the year I missed your birthday." Natsume thought out loud.
Mikan lowered her head at his comment, her bangs falling in her eyes. An uncomfortable silence formed.
"You know, you should really tell people when you're not feeling well. I was worried sick about you." Mikan muttered.
Natsume's eyes widened in surprise, she knew?
"I'm not that stupid you know, I knew you were in the hospital, but Ruka told me not to go. That it would just worry you and worsen your condition."
"Ruka knew too?" Natsume scoffed bitterly.
"How many times have you been to the hospital since then?" Mikan asked, her eyes filled with worry; the alias topic completely forgotten.
"None of your business." Natsume looked away.
"But it is my business!" Mikan slammed her hand against her thighs. "I'm worried sick about you half the time! What if we lose you? We'd miss you, you big stupid head!" Mikan got up, ready to storm off when Natsume grabbed her by the wrist; dragging her into him.
Her body rammed against the table, knocking over the strawberry smoothie.
Mikan's eyes widened in utter shock. Hyuuga Natsume was.. hugging her. Out and out embracing.
Wow. That won't be forgotten any time soon.
"Sorry." Natsume whispered.
And as the two stayed in that position, even for a little longer, they completely forgot about the alias and the Jackal mask that was being stained pink by the smoothie.
Because they were lost in their own world. Even if they had to come out of it eventually, just a little bit longer. Just a little bit longer, and they'd be alright.
--x--
The Next Day
"So, what did you two come up with?" Persona asked the two standing in front of them.
"Huh?" Mikan asked.
"Your alias." Mikan scratched her head and fake laughed.
"About that..."
"The Pink Jackal." Natsume replied with a defiant smirk.
"Pink?" Persona wondered.
Natsume held up the now pink mask and nodded.
"Pink."
--x--
Two Years Later.
"Akira, that's the Pink Jackal." An AAO member said to another, pointing at the girl as she knocked out one of their comrades.
The other man, a.k.a Akira, snickered. "Pink? The academy is pretty pathetic to send a little barbie like that out here."
"Barbie?" The Pink Jackal twitched, popping up behind them. The two felons froze with fear.
"Er... I mean--" Too late. They both fell to the ground in a daze.
A tall boy with the mask of a black cat landed next to her.
"Natsume.." Mikan started.
"Yes, Ms. Pink Barbie?"
"Die."
That was the day that one of the AAO's most important bases was sent into oblivion.
--The End--
me: I was so bored. :)
Koko: Please review!