I'm sorry it took so long to get this up!! The file wouldn't upload :( So here it is anyway!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I wish I did. I wish I owned a lot of things. But I don't.
UGLY by The Exies
We are dirt we are alone
You know we're far from sober!
Look closer, are you like me?
Are you ugly?
The night was still and silent as Misaki and Tsubasa walked at a snails pace toward Misaki's house— which was more specifically a mansion. Misaki was usually scared of the night, but tonight, of yes tonight the darkness was bright. The stars lit up the sky along with the crescent moon, so beautiful Misaki was able to ignore the fact that she was freezing cold. Tsubasa surveyed her, looking quite like that cat that caught the canary.
"What's with the look on your face?" Misaki asked exasperatedly. It surprised her for a moment that she'd even noticed. He smiled brilliantly.
"Oh, nothing," he said lightly, but his taunting smile said otherwise.
"Tell me," Misaki pressed.
"Nope. Not a chance," Tsubasa said. Misaki considered punching him in the face, but the night was peaceful in chaos so she decided to keep things as…diplomatic as possible. Instead, she tried a trick that worked with most boys and had never failed her before: she cried.
Well, she didn't actually cry. Instead, she pinched herself and blinked rapidly so tears were brought to her large, pink eyes. She let out an obviously fake sniffle. It couldn't have been too fake, though, because Tsubasa fell for it. His eyes widened and he looked like he was at war with his own brain. Patiently, Misaki waited.
"OK, OK! I'll tell you! Just don't cry!" he sighed. Misaki, who chose to milk the situation for all it was worth, let out another incredibly fake sniffle.
"S-s-sure," she said daintily.
"I was thinking about how bad I wanted—" he began, but was cut off quickly when a loud slamming ricocheted around the street. Or at least that's what it sounded like. The pair jumped and all thoughts of the previous conversation were forgotten. At least they were until Tsubasa made a quick observation.
"You were only fake-crying!" he accused her sharply. Misaki snorted before dissolving into a fit of laughter.
"Miss Harada, your mother is extremely angry," a gentle voice said from the door that had been open forcefully.
"Oh. Damn it," Misaki sighed. She turned around to face the maid who had been more of a mother to the pinkette than her own would—could—ever be.
"I think I should probably make my grand escape before things get ugly," Tsubasa said with a hint of a smirk on his face. Misaki rolled her eyes.
"Really? What ever might have tipped you off?"
"Your friend is shooting me death glares," Tsubasa answer, seeming completely oblivious to her dark sarcasm. Misaki then realized he probably didn't get it because she never used it. Well, she was never sarcastic out loud. Just in her brain.
Oh man, that is sooooo not sane.
Neither is thinking in your head.
I'm thinking in my head?
Yes, hon, yes you are.
….all of you just shut up!
"But we weren't saying anything."
Misaki jumped and turned pink when she realized the last bit she'd spoken hadn't been in her head.
"Oh, well…um, yeah, you see…" the girl was lost for words.
Tsubasa laughed and walked away.
"Bye, bye," he said, still laughing as he faded in with the shadows. Misaki wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, looking extremely undignified, much to the shock—and silent joy—of her maid.
"The devil calls," Misaki said quietly and her maid stifled a laugh.
"You've had a good influence," she noted. "That boy maybe?"
"Maybe," Misaki said, deliberately avoiding the knowing smile that would no doubt be reflecting in the green eyes of her companion.
"GIRL, GET OVER HERE!"
"Well, now, the devil really does call," Misaki said with a laugh. Strange reaction, considering her mother was an inch away from coming out with a chainsaw.
Misaki followed her maid into the house, imagining how amazing it was going to look. Things had been dull before, but with her aware now, it would be spectacular.
When she gazed around, Misaki nearly jumped back out of the house.
It was ugly. No, it was hideous. Indescribably horrendous. The crystal, the carpet, the furniture, the décor. Everything that Misaki had grown up with made her want to throw up and run back outside. There was no freedom in it. It reminded her of horrible things. Things like the screaming when her parents fought and the smashing when the glass shattered on the ground in fits of fury. Glass that refused to come out of the carpet. And more screams. Yes, yes, the never ending screaming that tormented Misaki even in her dreams.
"Where have you been?"
Misaki jumped and found herself face to face with her mother.
"Hi there, Ma," she said wryly. The next thing she felt was a stinging pain. She could feel the red mark left on her cheek by the slap she'd just received. Lovely.
"Answer the question," the older woman seethed. Misaki found it to be quite impressive how someone who could design such beautiful dresses and smile so kindly for the camera could be such a damn bitch.
Raw talent, that's how.
"You know. Out. Doing, like, kid stuff," Misaki said shortly. Another slap. Ouch.
"Answer me!"
"Slapping me isn't going to get you anywhere. You should look into pacifism, Mother. I think it'd be good for your soul, along with those wrinkles that are coming along." It was to a point where the girl was all but snarling. Later on, Misaki would be extremely amused by her mother's shocked silence. Misaki had never gone so far as to comment on the cursed wrinkles before!
"You've had a bad influence," was all she said before stepping back. Misaki walked up the stairs, just as shocked as anyone else.
As Tsubasa strolled along the dark, empty streets, he let his thoughts wander to where he usually forbid them to go: the 'What If' section of his brain. First file to be brought up was the one he hated more than anything: "What If They Cared?" They, of course, being his parents.
The drinking, the being out every night, the not coming home, the bring hookers home when he did come around. He'd tried it all and—news flash—nothing had worked. It was immensely frustrating. He wondered what is was like for Misaki, to have parents who wondered where she was. She didn't have to do anything and they would freak out. For the third time in his life Tsubasa was jealous of somebody.
The first time was when he was seven and his older brother won a prize. His older brother had always been talented and always got the praise that Tsubasa craved. After that moment, he became indifferent to his parents opinions and became the world's number one slacker. The second time when he was last year and Kaname's parents hugged him after his surgery because—oh no, no, no, he didn't need to remember what had been all his fault. But wasn't that why he'd gotten the tattoo in the first place? To remember. Yes. Tsubasa paused for a moment. He looked back on the memory of when he received the news that Kaname was going to live. He also remembered quite clearly that Kaname's parents had walked over to Tsubasa and hugged him as well.
They should have beat me over the head with a crowbar, Tsubasa thought bitterly.
Now, ten years after his first taste of jealousy, Tsubasa realized just how much he needed to see Kaname. But it was three AM. Breaking in was an option, as usual. It wouldn't be the first time….
No, tomorrow. And it will be a legal visit to boot.
"If they cared, I wouldn't be me," Tsubasa muttered to himself and walked toward the house that he was technically supposed to call home. The lights were off and no one woke when he climbed the giant tree and crawled into is bedroom through the window. He could've gone through the door. But entering the threshold of hell wasn't something people enjoyed doing. Crawling through the window, however, was another matter entirely.
When Tsubasa dreamed, he dreamed of fires, crying, sirens, surgeons, and apologies.
When Misaki woke up the next morning, it was the fault of a cold rush of wind. Strange since she could've sworn she closed her window. She was exhausted and considered ditching for two reasons: the first was that she'd pissed off her trigger happy mother and didn't want to be around when the bomb went off, and secondly, it was the end of the school week, thirdly, Tsubasa was at—whoa what? Nope. No, there were only two reasons she wanted to go to school. Only two and it was going to stay that way.
Denial isn't good for you, dear.
Would you just get out of my head?
I heard denial gives you wrinkles.
Wrinkles?
Yup.
Hold up. There's two of you know?
Two what?
Voices. Duh.
Oh.
Hey, let's bug the hell out of her!
Just shut up, OK?
"Pinky, the first step to insanity is hearing voices in your head," Tsubasa said casually. Misaki bit back a scream of surprise, instead throwing the nearest book she could find at the intruder. Tsubasa skillfully dodged, making Misaki wonder how many girls had woken up to him in her room and thrown something at him. Whatever.
"What are you doing in my room?" she demanded.
"Sitting," Tsubasa said in that tone of his that made Misaki want to throw something at him. Which she did. This time, she made her mark.
"Ow…." Tsubasa mumbled and Misaki smiled looking rather satisfied.
"So what are you doing in my room?" asked Misaki, now calmed down. Hitting people with heavy objects does wonders for your mood.
"I was waiting for you," Tsubasa said with a shrug. "I just got here anyway.
"Creeper," Misaki grumbled, causing Tsubasa to laugh so hard he fell off the chair he was seated in.
"Just a little now that I think about it," he said, still laughing.
"So why did you wait for me again?" she asked feeling more and more bewildered by the second.
"It's cold and rainy outside," Tsubasa said with a shrug. Misaki rolled her eyes.
"Go somewhere else so I can get ready," she growled and Tsubasa complied, afraid of the thought of another book sent his way.
It took all of fifteen minutes before Misaki and Tsubasa were out the door, watched carefully but a set of sharp, disapproving eyes. Not that they were aware of it.
When they got to school, Misaki blinked. Tsubasa noticed her frozen form and stopped.
"You see it now, don't you," he said gently.
"Was I this…this…this…?"
"Ugly?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Misaki said, staring at the people she'd once called her friends. She watched from a distance as they tormented a small girl who Misaki didn't know. No, wait, she knew her…. Her hair was pink, like Misaki's, but that hadn't stopped her from picking on her ruthlessly. Anna. That was her name. So where was her little blue haired companion? Nonoko? Something like that.
Misaki struggled to remember why she had been so mean to the two girls. They were friends of Mikan, she remembered. But that wasn't why she was mean to them. Then it struck Misaki like a lightening bolt of horror: there was no reason. They'd done absolutely nothing to deserve it.
"You weren't that ugly, but yeah, you were pretty bad," Tsubasa said, following where Misaki's gaze went.
"I think I should atone," Misaki said thoughtfully. Before Tsubasa could put a single word it, Misaki walked up to the group of people who were slowly pushing Anna to dissolve into tears.
"Misaki!" Luna said cheerfully.
"Bitch," Misaki said shortly. Everyone froze. Misaki and Luna hadn't been close, but Misaki hadn't said anything directly offensive.
"What?" Luna asked, eyes wide open.
"You are a bitch. An ugly one, too. You're also stupid, ridiculous, and a generally horrible person. So are the rest of you. Now you should all just lay off because I've been in a particularly violent mood lately and Luna, by god I swear if you like your face the way it is—not that I understand why you would—it would be in your best interest to leave Anna alone," Misaki snapped. Silence followed her rant. Not only had Misaki just insulted someone loudly and drawn attention, she had also said something that was more than three words. Several people looked around to see if the rest of the apocalypse was following closely.
Misaki grabbed Anna's wrist and dragged the stunned girl away. Tsubasa was on the ground, roaring with hysterical laughter. Tears poured down his face and the poor boy was clutching his stomach.
"Well, now don't die there," Misaki said huffily. She released Anna with a sigh.
"T-t-t-t-thanks…." Anna stuttered.
"Look, Anna, I'm sorry I was mean to you. I really am," Misaki said tiredly, looking directly at Anna. That was also new. There always seemed to be something interesting about the ground when Misaki as speaking to someone. Anna's eyes widened considerably.
"It's fine, don't worry about it," she said quickly.
"I think you have atoned, Misaki," Tsubasa said from his place on the ground. He was still laughing and Misaki shot him a look that clearly threatened a kick in the face. The bell rang and with one last grateful smile, Anna ran off toward her class. Tsubasa slowly got up and the pair made their way to their own class.
"That felt pretty good," Misaki admitted.
"Just wait till you get into a cat fight," Tsubasa said. Misaki wondered if it was possible to laugh yourself to death. If it was, Tsubasa wasn't going to last much longer.
"Seriously?"
"Nah. You'd throw books instead of punches."
"You sure 'bout that?"
"Very."
Misaki raised and eye brow before punching Tsubasa in the stomach.
"That felt pretty good, too," she said smugly.
"There's somebody I want you to meet," Tsubasa said thoughtfully after he'd recovered from the punch.
"Who?" Misaki asked suspiciously. Before answering, Tsubasa thought hard. He could lie and not take her to see him. After all, seeing him would include an explanation, a story Tsubasa didn't enjoy reliving. But Misaki deserved to know. Tsubasa almost found himself wanting her to know. He made his choice.
"An old friend of mine," he said simply. He knew what her next words would be.
"Does this old friend have a name?"
"Kaname."
Yay! Next chapter includes sorrowful story! Prepare a box of tissues! Kidding, kidding! Not that sad. But you're all going to spend restless nights wondering what the whole story with Kaname and Tsubasa is Review!!
