Karin-chan: Okay, I feel like updating so here I am
Karin-chan: Okay, I feel like updating so here I am!
Natsume: (sweat drops) you feel like it?
Karin-chan: yeah, I usually don't do anything when I don't feel like it
Natsume: so in other words, you're LAZY
Karin-chan: Am not! … okay, yeah, I am…
Disclaimer: I… don't… own… sniffle… Gakuen Alice!! Sobs because of my loss.
Added Note: erm… sorry everyone, but I messed up Yuka's name in the last chapter. It's actually "Azumi Yuka" not "Akemi Yuka". Don't know where I got the "ke" part from. Anyway, I want wanted to clear that up for you guys. Again, sorry.
Replies to the Reviewers from Chapter 2:
AnimeLoverXXX- it's good to know that you like this fic. Thanks for requesting on who Mikan should meet first.
Midnight-Moonlight-Gal- Thanks for the compliment.
Sherea- thanks for answering my request. Yes, Mikan does rock, that smart sneaky chibi.
Niceladysakura- if you read the manga chapters 35-42 in the Gakuen Alice manga, you'd know who Miharu Kanbu is, but to save you the trouble, he's part of the AAO being the superior to Yuka's group. He also has the Stone Alice transforming anything/anyone to stone.
Animecrazyy- thanks for requesting. You're the first one who voted for Natsume first. He needs some love too.
Gakuenalicelover- Sorry about the delay. Hope you like this chapter.
AFanOfGakuenAlice- Sorry I took so long. Computer problems.
GAL- I feel really bad about making you wait. I hope you like this chapter. You're the second one to request Natsume.
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Sui Generis
Chapter Three
Silence
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The darkness engulfed Mikan as she descended into the cold stone passageway. She had never been here before in her life, nor had she known about this mystifying monotonous stairwell.
Kyon meowed as if to say he didn't like this place. Mikan just patted him on the head and continued on without a glance back. She knew that she could always turn back. That she could just forget about everything she had seen and forget about those two boys.
Consequently, she knew that no matter how hard she would try, she would never be able to repress her desire to know, to discover, to explore. Her curiosity always got the better side of her rather than her rational judgment.
After what seemed like an eternity in that dark solitude, Mikan felt her feet touch the floor of the stone stairway. With a smile of relief, she proceeded forward not at all having a clue on to where she was going. Nonetheless, Kyon could see in the dark and guided his master through the pitch-black stone hallway. He meowed certain ways as to alert her on danger and caution.
Mikan followed her cat's line of direction as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Mind you it wasn't that great, but at least she could somewhat prevent herself from walking straight into a wall. She unconsciously winced as she recalled that time at Christmas when a drunken Uncle Reo ran straight into a wall when she was five. Mama said no more egg nog for him ever again.
Kyon's meow drew her from her reminiscing when they stood in front of a wooden door. Mikan reached up and pushed it open revealing a medieval dungeon chamber with cells lined up on each side across from each other in the stone hallway. There had to be at least fourteen in all with seven on each side.
While Kyon inched back in fear, Mikan pursued forward forcing the scaredy cat to follow his master. Everything was dark but Mikan's eyes made out the empty cells one by one. Her expression dropped as it morphed into a look of disappointment. It then became a look of frustration.
"Argh! Why is Kami-sama getting my hopes up like that only to crush them into oblivion!?" she cried out in outrage. She kicked one on the metal bars in her anger, but that only caused her pain. She let out a yelp of pain and held her foot. She hopped around a couple of times as she hissed out in pain. Kyon let out a meow of concern as he looked upon his master in her painful state. He then sweat dropped when he heard her begin a string of curses that she overheard from her uncles.
Suddenly, Mikan stopped her foul-mouthing and froze as she heard a slight sound of movement. She looked around in an effort to catch any sign of life besides her and Kyon with difficulty.
Her eyes stopped as they came across the last cell in the room. There sat a silhouette of someone in the shadows. She squinted to try and see more. It appears the person occupying the cell was just woken up by her shouting of words not meant for her Mama's ears.
A few seconds passed before Mikan's face broke into a grin and raced over to where the cell was. She apologized to Kami-sama and thanked him in her head for her find. Her excited face peered through the bars as her small hands clutched them tightly in a fruitless effort to contain her enthusiasm.
"Hey there!" she greeted in a loud whisper. She didn't want to scare them with another shout or have another risk of someone else hearing her. "What's your name?" she asked grinning at him. Judging by the size of the figure, she knew it was one of her playmates. Her thoughts about where was the other one were pushed in the back of her mind as her happiness at finally meeting one of them overcame it.
She didn't receive an answer. That caused her to raise an eyebrow in confusion. She was sure they had heard her. She then decided to try again.
"Hello?" she called out softly. "Can you hear me?" she asked to be sure. If he couldn't hear her then she would have to talk in a normal tone to make sure he would.
Still no reply. This caused Mikan to furrow her brow. Why wasn't he answering her? Was he trying to ignore her? Her eyes searched around to see if she could find something that would get his attention. Kyon sat across the narrow stone hallway against the cell across from the one she was standing at.
Abruptly, Mikan's eyes stopped when she caught sight of a plate with a small piece of stale bread and a glass of water. Her eyebrow knitted in confusion as question marks floated above her head. She was very clueless as to why stale bread and a glass of water was doing here unless…
"Is that your dinner?" she asked with shock. She could never just be satisfied with just that as a meal. She was a little girl with a big appetite, which her mother was grateful for because she finished all her vegetables.
Her brain clicked with an idea and she grinned at them again.
"You must be hungry. Don't worry; I'll go get you something good to eat. I know I would hate to just have bread and water. Just ask my mama and she'll say the same thing" she told him and backed away from the steel bars and walked over to Kyon.
"You watch over him, okay Kyon? No hiding like some scaredy cat, ne?" she said as she gazed upon her cat with suspicion that he might do just that as soon as she left. Kyon let out a protesting meow as to show his master he did not like being left down here without her. Mikan just rolled her eyes and scratched behind his ear.
"I'll be right back. I just want you to keep Onii-chan company while I'm gone, okay?" she asked him. He gave off a meow of defeat showing that he understood but he didn't approve. Mikan smiled at him and rose to her feet. "Good, I'll be right back" she said and raced towards the wooden door and left.
She was careful to make her way back up the stairs. Once she was back in the hallway that held the door leading to the stone staircase, she began her trek to the kitchens memorizing the path as she did so. She would need to come back after all. And she didn't want her cat to have a seizure if she took too long.
When she came into the kitchens, she climbed up on the counter to reach the cabinets and retrieved the Fruit Loops box. She then got an empty bowl and some milk. Once she was done filling the bowl up with cereal and pouring the milk in, she got a spoon and took some fruit from the basket in the middle of the island (A/N: in case no one knows what that is, it's like a high table in the middle of the kitchen with cabinets and sometimes a mini sink or mini stove. You usually put food there for a buffet at parties and special occasions). With her mission accomplished, Mikan raced back towards the doorway and traveled down the staircase careful not to spill/drop anything.
She had to push the wooden door open with her hip to get where her probably panicking cat and playmate were. Her eyes blinked twice when she saw that said panicking cat was not where she left him.
"Kyon?" she called out in a whisper. She walked forward looking around. A meow answered her when she arrived at the cell where her playmate was. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw her cat inside next to her playmate. When she found her voice, she said
"Kyon, you little devil! So you could slip through bars, you fat lazy cat!" her tone was appalled that her cat had been faking not being able to slip through small places to assist with her pranks because of his overweight. "No more extra fish for you, mister" she would've wagged a finger at him if they weren't full at the moment.
Kyon meowed in protest, but Mikan didn't pay him heed. Instead, she directed her attention to the human in the cell. She gave him a wry smile.
"Gomen nasai, Onii-chan. Kyon can be a scaredy cat at times, but if he's in here, he must like you. That's a rare feat since Kyon can be a pest with others besides me" she explained. She didn't get an answer, but she still continued. "I brought you some food. Sorry it isn't much though. I didn't want to take the risk of waking the others if I cooked something"
Her smile disappeared as if she had just realized something. There wasn't really a way to give him the food since the bars weren't wide enough for her to slip the bowl of cereal in without spilling it. And she didn't think that an apple and a banana would be enough for him to eat if he was only eating stale bread.
"Oh shoot" she muttered. "I feel dumb right now" she said to herself. This is what must be what Uncle Ishimori calls a stupid moment. She wanted to bang her head against something for her idiocy.
Kyon's meow caught her awareness. He sat staring at her through the bars at her feet. He appeared to be gesturing to something. Mikan looked at him in confusion while she tried to decipher her cat's signs.
"What're you getting at, Kyon?" Mikan asked. She felt dizzy from all the confusion swarming around her head. "I have no idea on what you're saying" she told him sheepishly.
A scratch to her leg made her hiss in pain and move away.
"What was that for? That hurt, Kyon" she told him. She moved again and this time she heard a distinct jingle from her pocket. You could practically see the light bulb go off in her head as it clicked.
"Oohhh…" she drawled in understanding. She adjusted her load of food and retrieved the keys that she stole from Uncle Shiki earlier. Her chocolate brown eyes averted to the cell door. "Now I feel even dumber" she said to herself and went over to it.
After a couple of tries in searching for the correct key, Mikan had successfully opened the cell door that separated her from her playmate and cat. She walked in not bothering to shut the door behind her.
Her face was in the form of a grin in satisfaction. Mikan approached to boy that was two years older than her and sat down. Kyon had gone back to the boy's side and purred as he scratched behind one of his ears.
Mikan ignored her cat's purring as she placed the bowl and fruit on a plate she snagged from the china closet in between them.
"I hope you like Fruit Loops" she said with a shy smile. "They're my favorite kind of cereal so I thought I would share it with you" she told him.
Now that she was close enough, Mikan could see that it was the blonde boy from the warehouse. His dim blue eyes didn't look at her. Instead, they chose to look at her cat. Mikan noticed this and grinned.
"Onii-chan," she spoke, "Do you have any pets? You're really good with animals" she told him in admiration. She didn't receive a response, but she could tell that he was relaxing to her presence a little.
"His name is Kyon" she said. "We're partners. He's been with me since I was six years old. I think Mama noticed that I was lonely and got me a pet to keep me company. We've been inseparable ever since. He even comes with me to my lessons which my sensei doesn't like, but oh well" Mikan explained as she smiled fond of the memory of the first time she had taken Kyon to one of her lessons. Her first teacher was allergic to cats apparently.
"What are your teachers like, Onii-chan?" Mikan asked. "Are they noisy? Or maybe they're mean like this one teacher in a book I read called Harry Potter? Are they really nice?" she asked with a hint of eagerness. She was curious to know if a regular school was like her experience with teachers was.
Still no reply. This caused her smile to drop. She knew he was listening, but he just wouldn't talk to her. Maybe he didn't like her.
"Um… what about friends? Onii-chan surely has friends" she suggested out meekly. Her heart pounded in desire for the answer. Out of all the things she wanted to know, this was the biggest. She wanted to know what it was like to have friends. To play and interact with others. To have someone to talk to that could answer back. To have someone to keep secrets with. It wasn't like she wasn't satisfied with Kyon, but it would be nice to have a companion who could understand her and give her comfort besides licking her face.
He seemed to have tensed up in anger making Mikan look down ashamed at herself. The other boy here must be his friend. Where was he anyway? Mikan didn't dare to ask in fear of making him madder.
Without a word, she stood up and gathered Kyon who gave a quiet meow in objection and question. She went back to the door and shut it. She didn't look at him as she stood outside the cell door.
"You better eat that. It would be a shame for food to go to waste" she said in a sorrowful whisper. With that, Mikan walked out of the dungeons and back up to the base with her head down in disappointment.
She never saw him hesitantly taking the food and eating it quietly.
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Karin-chan: Okay, third chapter done! Sorry it took so long to update this. First it was the computer problems and then it was the obsession with Narnia, but now I have come to work on this story. I'm sorry I made you all wait.
Natsume: You made us wait for that? That was horrible!
Karin-chan: Shut up! You're just mad that you weren't in it yet!
Natsume: Was not! (Lights fire in his palm)
Karin-chan: Yes you were (takes out marshmallows and a stick and starts roasting marshmallows with Natsume's flames)
Natsume: Don't use my flames to give yourself food!
Karin-chan: But I was making smores for us. Writing builds up an appetite, you know.
Natsume:… what kind of chocolate did you get?
Karin-chan: Hershey's Milk Chocolate. Why?
Natsume: …Fine, I'll let you cook your smores, but I get some.
Karin-chan: Oh, you're a Hershey's fan! That will please the fangirls
Natsume: Shut up and give me a smore before I burn you to a crisp.
See ya next time!
