Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice; if I did, I would sue for the continuation of the anime series.
Bickering With an Attitude
"Natsume, Natsume wake up."
Bundled warmly inside her bathrobe, Mikan leaned over the couch. One hand held on to the towel wrapped around her hair, and one hand rested on her currently snoring-through-his-nose friend's shoulder. Shaking him gently, she whispered, "Wake up, you lazy bum."
Natsume's eyes peeled open. Blinking away the sleep, his lips settled into a temporary scowl. "For the love of gods, can't I get any peace?"
Mikan snorted as she toweled her hair. "No. You started it."
Natsume bellowed in displeasure. "Enlighten me."
The brunette straightened, only to lean over and purposely wring water into her friend's lap. Ignoring his annoyed glare, she pretended to tap her nose, thinking. "Oh I dunno, maybe you woke me up at goddamn three in the morning?"
"Oh right, that. Just remembered." Natsume pushed his warm blanket to the side, stood up, and stretched slowly. Blinking slowly, he flexed his biceps and arched his right brow.
Mikan rolled her eyes, draping her towel across her neck. Clapping slowly, she nodded dramatically. "Nice show, buddy. Nice show."
Fully awake now, Natsume whistled through his nose. "You think I don't know that?"
"Nah, you just need constant reassuring," Mikan called behind her shoulder. Tripping up the stairs, she disappeared.
"Point made."
Freshly showered and in a pleasant mood, the girl dropped her towel on her bed and allowed her bathrobe to fall to the floor. Glasses in one hand, she shivered and stood in front of her closet. Gazing at the mountain of unwashed clothes sitting in one corner, she shrugged and bent to inspect suitable garments to wear. Digging through the pile, she hummed in contentment as she settled on what seemed like one of Natsume's maroon-colored Nike sweatshirts and a pair of ivory khaki slacks.
"Eh, they smell alright," she muttered to herself.
Snatching a pair of undergarments from a drawer, she tossed them onto the bed. A knock sounded at the door.
"One moment!" she grunted, tugging the underwear up her legs. As she was slipping her sports bra over her wet hair, an unwelcome intruder glided in.
"Morning, love."
Not the least bit unfazed, Mikan frowned. "I'm not even dressed yet, you idiot."
"Well, I need a towel. Going to take a shower." Without another word, he snagged the semi-wet towel from Mikan's bed. He glanced at his friend's half-naked body and wiggled his eyebrows. "Someone put on some weight," he observed lazily.
Ignoring his comment, the brunette combed through her hair before standing with her hands on her hips. "That's my towel."
"I'm using it."
"Whatever." Throwing a loose tank top across her body, she shoved Natsume out the door. "If you don't stop ogling," she scoffed, "We will be late."
"I wasn't ogling. Why would I ogle you?"
"Because you are a hormonal teenager who loves porn."
"But only certain types of porn, mind you," he corrected.
Sighing in exasperation, she slammed the door in his face and continued dressing. "If you aren't finished showering within ten minutes, I'm leaving without you!" she called.
"Not a chance, Polka. Not a chance."
Fifteen minutes and a scrawled-out note for her parents later, the bickering duo was out the door. Half-frozen bagel in one hand and a paper cup of steaming coffee in the other, Mikan offered her friend a bite.
"I'm not touching your saliva."
The brunette rolled her eyes behind her glasses. "As if. You'll be hungry halfway through classes. Have a bite."
"Your saliva is contaminated. If I get hungry, I'll be taking your lunch."
"No way José."
"Yes way."
Mikan shoved her friend onto the grass and continued walking, her nose in the air. Readjusting the straps of her convertible backpack, she took a sip of the steaming hot liquid and continued marching. Ignoring the protests from her dark-haired companion, the brunette quickened her pace.
"Jesus, slow down."
"No."
Snatching the bagel from Mikan's hand, Natsume smirked. Taking a bite, he chewed slowly, watching the girl's annoyed figure as she slowly made her way through the fallen leaves.
Catching up in several long strides, he reached out. "Here."
"Why thank you," the brunette bit out forcefully. Snatching the half-eaten bagel, she shoved her paper cup into his hands. "Black and one sugar, just as you like it."
"I actually like two sugars, but—," he began.
"Save it, genius. Too much sugar will ruin your teeth."
"Hey, I have perfect teeth."
"You had braces for three years."
"Says whom?"
"Says that fucking brilliant smile you have. Happy?" she growled.
"Very."
"You're ruining my good mood, you know?"
"My intent precisely."
Soon enough, almost too soon, the duo reached the school grounds.
Surrey Borough Alice Secondary School was a branch of the Alice Academies founded in Japan and expanded in the American territories. There were two levels of education before students were given an opportunity to enter the secluded but extremely respected Alice Universities across the globe; Alice University's headquarters and origins lay in the hundreds of miles of secretive land in Northern Tokyo, Japan. Since its founding in the 1700s, the school had slowly spread overseas and came to establish elementary and secondary education.
As Natsume and Mikan stepped through the looming iron-wrought gates, they entered the throng of students milling about. From children as young as twelve to high school seniors, the lower grades were clustered in small groups, chattering excitedly in their respective red uniforms.
Walking side by side, the pair nodded greetings to the youngsters and was soon joined by a silent figure in black.
The duo nodded silently at the newcomer; only for the comfortable silence to disperse when Mikan nudged the wordless figure beside her.
"Hotaru, are you going off on a murder spree?"
"A murder spree might fair me well, actually." There was a soft tinkle behind her reserved voice as she spoke. Two summers ago, Hotaru Imai had transferred to New Jersey from the Alice Academy in Tokyo. Her violet eyes apathetic, she saw much and spoke little. Fair skinned, dark-haired, and watchful, the distantly mysterious aura radiating from her kept most students at bay.
"Grouchy today?"
Natsume interjected, "Imai is the epitome of attitude." Tossing the paper cup into a nearby trash can, he nodded in approval when it dropped into its proper place.
The brunette elbowed her moody male friend and adjusted her olive beanie just as the morning bell rung. "Cut her some slack, emo," she murmured.
"She is the emo one here," Natsume muttered.
"You may abandon your childish act now, Hyuuga. It's getting old."
"I agree, you are getting old."
Chewing her lip, Mikan sidled to the side, interjecting her friends' prattle. "Guys, uh, I'll be off to class. See you next period?"
Natsume nodded, glaring at "See you, Polka."
Pushing the raven-headed grumbler away, Hotaru nodded curtly, "See you in Physics, birdbrain."
Snarky Holophrasis
November 15th, 2015
A/N: I truly appreciate the Follows and Favorites I have received. Thank you. Lexi, a personal thank you for the reviews. The story is about to truly begin.
