By Your Side Chapter 2, a gakuen alice fanfic

Title: BY YOUR SIDE

Summary : (AU) Natsume & Mikan are childhood bestfriends. He constantly flirts with girls and she's used to it… but when it's the other way around, it bothers the hell out of him…and Prom's coming up too… How will things work out? (NXM) Rated T for the Language

Genre: Romance/General

GlyNchaN:

Hi again! Wow, I wasn't expecting people to actually like that story since it was just a spur of the moment thing…

I'm telling you guys that I'm writing this for my own entertainment pleasure so this is just to satisfy my craving for a NXM fic… Hehe… Anyway, Thanks for those who reviewed my work!!!

I'm happy to share this story with you guys…

Sorry for the delay in the second chapter!

Oh right… If there are any mistakes... just tell me so I can edit it then we can all enjoy the story better..

Anyway,rated T for the language… lots of curses here… I'm warning you.

DISCLAIMER : I don't own Gakuen Alice or any of the characters. All rights belong to Higuchi Tachibana.

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CHAPTER TWO

Natsume's POV

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"That's not the right way to make a paper boat." A little girl in pigtails said in a-matter-of-fact tone. She took my paper and began folding it up in her 'proper' way. "It's like this…"

"Who said you could use my paper?" I pulled her annoying pigtails and she started to cry. 'What a crybaby.'

"NATSUME!" The teacher went straight at me and pinched my ear for picking on my classmate. "You shouldn't do that to a girl!"

"Ouch! Fine I won't do it anymore!" I promised her. She then scolded me but I ignored her and glanced at the bothersome girl who had a smug look on her face. 'What's with her?' The girl narrowed her eyes and was laughing silently. 'It was all an act?!' I gripped her hair again and tugged hard.

"We must all be nice to one another, treating each other as if we're brothers and sisters-" The girl's wailing interrupted what the teacher was saying and I noticed her anger flared up. "Natsume! Stop pulling her hair!"

"Well, this is how I treat my sister anyway." I told her cheekily, with the girl crying loudly in the background as I kept tugging her pigtails.

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"Damn it." I grumbled as the loud ringing woke me up from my dream. I could still remember how I used to pick on Mikan as I kid. But right now, I could care less about it… since I had to yell at the person who was calling me at this hour.

It was the brink of dawn. I could feel my eyes were glued shut. I had a hard time sleeping last night... although I couldn't remember why. I reached out to my mobile phone on my bedside table and placed it firmly to my ear. "Mikan, you'd better have a good reason for calling this early."

"Good Morning, Natsume!" The familiar shrill voice replied back. My head started to ache at the sound of her voice.

"You're the only one stupid enough to bother me this early in the morning." I said through a yawn and tried to shift myself to a better position. I hate it when she does this… I'm certainly in no mood to hear her babble about something trivial.

"Sorry about that... anyway, I'm too excited!" I heard her squeal like a pig. "I'm gonna fix myself up and I'm sure some guy will ask me out!"

My eyes instantly dazed open the word 'guy'. Now I know why I had a hard time sleeping last night. She's becoming boy crazy. Damn Prom. Why does she have to get so worked up about it? It's just a silly dance. My eyes narrowed as I remembered Koko being her 'reserved' date.

"Natsume?" I heard her call out since I wasn't saying anything. "Don't you dare sleep on me!" She warned as my ears started to ring at her high pitched voice.

"Hang up. I'm gonna call you." I told her sternly and ended the call. I sat up and felt another yawn come up. Stupid girl. I don't know how I was able to put up with her all these years.

My fingers dialed her number. She quickly answered it with her usual cheery tone. "Hello!" My lips curved up for a small smile. Sometimes, her cheerfulness can be contagious.

"Just send me a message if you want me to call you. I'm sure you don't have enough money to pay your bill if you keep on calling me." I told her and I heard her moan in protest. It's a typical Mikan reaction.

"You make it sound like I can't afford it." From the sound of her voice, she's probably pouting right now.

"Yeah, you can't."

"I soo can! How can you even say tha-" I withdrew the phone a few inches away my ear. Even at that distance, I could hear her whine and gripe at me.

One… Two… Three… I counted a few seconds before placing it back to my ear. "Are you done now?"

She started to speak and made frustrated noises at the same time. It took me while before I could understand what she was trying to say. "You are such a jerk, Natsume!" She screamed at me.

"So what else is new?"

"Oh, forget it! You're ruining this day for me…" She inhaled deeply then began to converse with me once more. "Are you gonna listen to me or not?"

"Do I have a choice?" I uttered dryly.

"You're hopeless..." She paused for a few seconds before changing the topic. "Anyway, what do you think should I wear? Do you think I should wear heels or flats?" She continued on. "How about a skirt? Or should I go for jeans? I might be overdressed it I were to wear-"

"Mikan!" I cried out her name in frustration. "Are you kidding me??" What was she thinking asking a guy these kinds of questions?

"Oh, was it tacky? Should I wear a full dress then? A pink one? And what about make-up?" She asked hopefully.

"You woke me up for this?!" I felt the blood gush to my head.

"Geez, Natsume… You're overreacting. I'm only asking you about clothes-"

-click-

Sure it wasn't the brightest thing to do, but you can't blame me for that. Tossing my phone aside, I sighed and sprawled back in bed. I barely slept last night and she wakes me up this early just to ask me that? That idiot.

I'm pretty sure she'll call back and yell at me for hanging up. Realizing this, I quickly grabbed my phone and turned it off. Another yawn escaped my lips as I pulled up my covers hoping to drift back to sleep… Sadly, I couldn't.

I frowned at the thought of Mikan chasing after guys. Is she that desperate? What the hell did Koko tell her? What's so important in finding a date? So what if she hasn't gone out with anyone but me? Does she have to make it sound so embarrassing? I shook my head and tried to organize my thoughts… suddenly remembering the dream I just had.

Although we argue most of the time, I've grown to care for her as a brother would…

A brotherly reaction?

Must be… I turned to my side and buried my face under a pillow. "This explains the sudden overprotectiveness." I murmured as I forced myself to sleep.

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Even at school, my eyelids felt so heavy. This is what I get from not having enough rest… and I blame Mikan for this. I dragged my feet to class and slumped on my chair. I was always in top shape. Now, after that short walk, my body's too exhausted. Maybe I should drink some coffee later.

I leaned my elbow on the table and suppressed a yawn. Forcing my eyes to open normally, I noticed the guy beside me kept on staring.

"Wow. You look like crap." His voice greeted me, making me turn my head to see his face. It was my close friend, Ruka. He gave me a light pat on my back. "What's eating you?" He asked with a smile.

"You just had to ask." I groaned, laying my head on the table. I swear if I see that girl today, I'll give her a piece of my mind.

"I assume it has something to do with Mikan?" Ruka guessed. I turned my head towards him and looked amused. This guy can read me like an open book. That is to be expected if you've known the guy since you were in diapers.

"She called me at six in the morning just to ask about clothes and make-up. Can you believe that?" I couldn't contain myself any longer.

"Seriously?" He said in disbelief and added, "So what did you tell her?"

"Nothing. I hung up on her." I ran my fingers through my uncombed hair and scowled. "Try and call me at six? She should be thankful that I even answered her stupid call."

I'm always in a bad mood if I don't get enough sleep. He noticed this and didn't proceed with his questions. However, a certain girl didn't give a damn about it. She entered the room and scanned around, looking for me. As her eyes found me, her eyebrow suddenly twitched.

"Hyuga." She called my name in her usual cold manner. I was expecting her to storm right at me any minute now. "You owe me big time."

"Shut up, Imai." I didn't dare look at her stoic face. "It's not my fault." Ruka stared at us, confused, and listened to her lash at me.

"Not your fault?" She finally gave me a fierce look. "Your friend woke me up just to ask about clothes." I smirked when she mentioned about the girl pestering her. It was predictable of Mikan to switch to her female friend after our conversation was cut short.

"That makes two of us."

"You hung up on her so she called me instead." Hotaru nagged at me.

"Like I said, not my fault."

"She's your friend so that makes you responsible."

"Stop it you too…" Ruka interrupted earning a glare from both of us. Anyhow, our conversation was bound to be interrupted in one way or another.

"NATSUME!" Koko yelled, waving his arms. "Have you seen Mikan??" We all shifted our gaze to the cheery guy by the door.

I flinched at the thought of Koko looking for her. I never did like that guy. "Why do you ask?" I asked him with an eyebrow slightly raised.

"She looks HOT." After hearing him say that, I definitely wasn't amused as he was.

"Really?" Ruka asked. I glanced at him who looked excited to see Mikan. I hated every minute of it.

"C'mon. She just went to the bathroom to freshen up." Koko motioned us to follow him. Ruka and Hotaru seemed interested and tailed behind him. I slowly stood up and decided to tag along.

'Freshen up?' It was like a foreign word to me. Since when did Mikan freshen up? Shaking my head, I marched towards Koko and the others to see that idiotic girl.

"Wow, you look nice." I heard Ruka compliment her looks. She was wearing a tube top with a black mini skirt and a coat to go with it. This is the first time I've seen her like this… and I am not pleased.

"Yeah, I didn't know you look good in a skirt." Koko smiled. I glowered in their direction and walked closer. I'm not used to hear men compliment Mikan's looks.

"You look stupid." I told her as I pulled the end of her ponytail. "You did take off the pigtails but tying it up like this doesn't make a difference."

She gave me an angry look and stuck her tongue out. "Koko and Ruka told me I look great and that's what matters!"

"As I recall, the words they used were 'nice' and 'good'. Not 'great'. Don't exaggerate."

"You're so mean… can't you be supportive?" She asked hopefully.

"Do you even know me?" She frowned at my sarcastic remark. "And what's with that tube top? You're flat-chested… is it even gonna hold?"

"What?! I AM NOT FLAT-CHESTED!" She protested.

"I've seen guys who have bigger breasts than you."

"Hey!! That's a foul thing to say!" She shoved me aside and walked away. "And by the way, I'm still mad at you for hanging up on me!!"

"Who's stupid enough to call me at six in the morning?" I snapped at her while running to her side.

We haven't noticed that Koko and the others slowly went back to their classes. They didn't bother telling us since we were too busy squabbling like kids. I followed Mikan but she kept pacing up deliberately trying to lose me. I smiled cockily at the thought of her outrunning me. That's rich.

"Are you going to ignore me all day?" I asked her placing a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from walking away.

"There's a price." I arched an eyebrow… but of course, I knew what she wanted.

"Fine. I'll treat you to some cake."

"Whoo!!" She threw her hands up and rejoiced. We're 18 now and she's still acting like a kid. How childish of her to forgive me so quickly for just some cake. I couldn't help but smile inwardly.

"I'll treat you before we go home." I told her but her smile suddenly faded.

"Umm… How about tomorrow?" She suggested. There was something strange in her actions.

"Tomorrow? Why?"

"Well… I have a…" She said sheepishly and whispered a word that I barely heard… my eyes widened at what she said.

"A DATE??" I exclaimed as my eyebrows lowered. How can she have a date already? "With who??"

"With Patrick." She smiled awkwardly. "He's really a nice guy…"

"Patrick Chase!?" She nodded. "That dumb jock?"

"He's not dumb… He's quite a gentleman."

I rolled my eyes. "Hold on." I scratched my head frustratingly. "You said yes to a guy you just met for a couple of minutes??"

"I kinda know him from being an athlete and popular so…"

"Don't you know he's a womanizer?" My blood started to boil at a dangerous level. Of all people, why did it have to be that bastard??

"And you aren't?" She asked slyly.

"Hitting on girls and being hit on girls are two different things." I pointed out. It wasn't my fault that girls chase after me.

"Well, I already said yes… so I can't possibly cancel it."

"How about the guy that I'll be setting you up with?" I quickly made up a lie.

"Oh, right! I forgot! Who is he?" She asked curiously. Thank God she's easily fell for it.

"Well..." I dug through my head, thinking of a name. "Chris!" I declared. "His name is Chris… and I planned on you two to go out tonight."

"Tonight? On short notice?"

"Yeah." I insisted. "You were planning to do the same thing with that Chase guy… Why not him? He's a lot nicer."

"Does he like food?"

"Definitely loves cakes."

"Video games?"

"RPG."

"Comic books?"

"Manga." I saw a smile crept up her face. "Well?"

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The bell rang and took me off guard. I heard Mikan curse softly saying that she doesn't want to be late for class. I still studied her face for any signs of approval. She noticed this and quickly turned to me and smiled.

"Sure! Tell him to meet me at lunch then!" She waved goodbye to me and ran towards her class. I nodded in return and walked to the direction of my classroom.

I didn't know if I should be happy or be worried at the fact that I just made the whole date thing up. I stood there, aghast at what I just said. How the hell am I supposed to find a guy named Chris… who likes cakes, RPG games and manga?? I walked towards my class and was lost in my thoughts. There has to be some way to fix this…

I asked myself where I could find decent guys in this school. Besides me, Ruka and... nope, just us… Aside from the two of us, there's no more civilized… smart… respectable men out there. Where the hell can I find someone to be Mikan's date??

"See ya later, Chris." A voice said goodbye to his friend. My head jerked up upon hearing the name 'Chris'. I quickly made my way towards the voice, pushing a few people out of my way.

I saw him heading for my classroom. Without thinking, I hastily grabbed his wrist and called his name. "Chris?" I asked dumbly.

"Do I know you?" He answered with a question looking at me oddly.

I ignored his words and stared at his features. I knew that it was a creepy thing to do but I didn't care. I stared at him from head to toe, and then back up again. He had messy dark brown hair with green eyes. His body wasn't too scrawny but he's got build… not too tall either.

"Excuse me?" He pulled his wrist from my grasp and watched me strangely. I can't blame him for that.

"You'll do." I said bluntly. 'Here goes nothing.' I said to myself silently. "How would you like to go out on a date?"

I saw how his eyebrow hunched up. "With you? I'd rather not. I'm straight." He turned his back on me and went on his way. Do I look like I'm gay? I contained myself from being rude to him. I do need him after all. I just hate clever remarks.

"That's not what I meant. I asked you if you'd like to go out on a date… with a girl." I repeated, waiting hopefully for his reply.

"Sorry, I don't take blind dates."

"She's pretty…" I bit my tongue for having said that. However, He still didn't look at me.

"You're wasting your time." It appears that he doesn't have any intention of going out on dates.

I took a deep breath. I guess I need to make the offer more appealing. For some reason, I feel that Mikan's gonna kill me if she finds out about this. 'Sorry Mikan.' I apologized to her silently, even if she can't hear me.

"How about this… I'll pay you."

With that, I saw him stop at his tracks and turned his head at me. "Seriously?"

"Name your price."

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TO BE CONTINUED…

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Omigodomigodomigodomigod!!! I can't believe I made it like this… Natsume's paying a guy to take Mikan out?? She'll definitely throw a fit if she finds out!! What'll happen next?? Next chapter comes in Mikan's POV

Was the writing sucky? I'm bad at writing at times… I can't choose the correct words… Anyway, Why not take your time to review my work?