“Get off me.” Something underneath me moved, but I pay no heed to it. I disregarded it as a result of my erratic sleeping last night; I must be hallucinating. “Get off me,” It repeated. Yep, I think I’m hearing things. “Get the hell off me!”
I hissed in pain as a well-placed kick connected with my calf. My eyes started to water, blurring my vision. I rolled to the side, trying to get away from whatever had tried to attack me. Crimson eyes peered down at me without even a slight indication of concern.
“You’re crying? Did even it hurt that much?”
“Would you like to try getting kicked?” I made out the words through gritted teeth. The pain had faded slightly, allowing me to get off the bed.
“Pass,” he said nonchalantly, making his way over the bathroom. “You’re going to be late if you stay on the floor.”
“Whose fault is that, exactly?”
“Don’t try to pin the blame on me. You were the one who slept on me.”
“So you decided to kick me? That hard?” I asked incredulously.
“It got the job done. You woke up.”
Turning away from Natsume and his insufferable attitude, I grabbed my school uniform and started to dress. There was no point in arguing back-and-forth with him anymore. I entered the bathroom just as my roommate came out.
We were both done soon, and just as we left the raven haired youth’s room, a figure came whizzing past us on a scooter. “That was Imai-san, wasn’t it?” I asked, directing my question at nobody in particular. I had just managed to make out her purple eyes and short black hair before she left my line of sight.
“Natsume…and Kai.” Ruka made his way over once he saw us. Together, we made our way to classes. I noted that whenever the blonde was around, Natsume and I tend to have fewer arguments. I guess it was just that the he had a soothing effect on both of us.
By the time we reached the class, all the students had already settled into their seats. We were late, and Narumi didn’t seem too pleased, but he let us off all the same.
~*~*~*~
Narumi walked up to me just as the class ended. “Kai-kun, how are you settling in?”
“I told you not to call me that, didn’t I?”
“Sorry, sorry, my bad, Kissu me-kun.”
“That’s disgusting,” I spat out, revolted at the play on my name. “Why haven’t you been arrested yet?”
“You’re so cold. Just answer my question, Kai.”
I tried to ignore the snickers that came from behind my back, courtesy of Perm-head and her gang. “There are a few problems.”
“Go ahead.” He motioned for me to continue.
“To start, I’m short on clothes.” Since I only had two sets in my possession, I thought I’d mention it to Narumi.
“A trip to Central Town’s coming up in a few weeks. You can get clothes there. For now, you can wear Natsume’s.”
“Where will I get the money to purchase all these?”
“Get him to split his allowance with you?” The pheromone Alice user suggested.
“I refuse to be so reliant on him. Don’t make him compensate for your lack of organization,” I said sharply, piqued at having to be so dependent on my crimson eyed enemy.
“Your arrival wasn’t exactly expected though…” The blonde teacher mumbled and I ignored it.
Really, this conversation was going nowhere and I wanted to end it soon. “I think I’ll manage.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell this sensei more?”
“Go die, pervert.” My words came out more scathing than I intended; I hoped the teacher wouldn't be too hurt.
“Ahaha." His face was still one of his usual cheerfulness, "If you need any help, don't hesitate to tell me, okay? Your stubbornness will lead you into trouble." Narumi gently ruffled my hair before leaving. The act felt warm, and the minute his hand left my head the familiar coldness replaced it.
...that damn Pheromone Alice bastard better not be using it on me.
~*~*~*~
Jinno-sensei’s class was boring as usual. Natsume and Ruka were inconspicuously sharing ear buds, and Perm-Head and her gang—Natsume and Ruka’s fan club—were lying low. Most of the class had their heads buried in their books, studying like they were supposed to. My eyes quickly scanned to room for Hotaru Imai’s figure. She was seated at one of the back tables, assembling something deftly.
“New student, you have the audacity not to listen in my class?"
Ugh, it’s Jinno. Again. “I am listening.”
“Then answer the question on the board.”
“You already wrote the solution to it…” The answer was on the board, written only a minute ago.
“Ahem.” He coughed slightly and turned back to continue teaching.
Needless to say, the math teacher didn’t bother me for the rest of the lesson.
“Natsume isn’t with you?” I had managed to catch Ruka in the cafeteria on our lunch break. Seeing him without his crimson eyed friend was a rare sight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them part in the daylight hours.
“He had something to do,” He replied carefully, not letting any additional information slip.
“I see. We haven’t talked much before, have we?”
“I guess not.”
“What type of person is Natsume?” My curiosity finally got the better of me, and I decided to ask.
Ruka shifted uncomfortably where he stood, “He’s misunderstood.”
“That’s because he’s so ill-tempered, isn’t it?” I suggested. The blonde youth seemed to take offense on behalf of his friend.
“You don’t understand him! He’s been through a lot. The academy forces him to—”
“Ruka!” Natsume’s voice warned.
“When did you get here?” I asked, having not noticed his arrival at all.
“I’m sorry. I said too much…” Ruka directed his mumbled apology to his raven haired friend.
“Hah… What’s done is done. There’s nothing we can do about it now. Ruka, wait for me in the classroom. I want to talk to Kai in private.
“What do you want with me?” I enquired just as I was sure Ruka had left.
“What did you say to him?” My partner’s voice was kept low and controlled but threatening.
“Nothing much.” Apparently my noncommittal answer wasn’t going to satisfy him.
“Did you force him to tell you anything?”
“No.” Well, I’m not exactly lying.
“If I find out that you used Ruka to gain information about me, I won’t hesitate to seriously injure you.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t hold so much interest in you as to use Ruka.”
“So you’d use him for other reasons?”
“It’d be pretty annoying to piss you off while I’ll living with you, so no.”
He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Tch, I can’t deal with you.”
“That makes the two of us,” I shot back, and his lips quirked into a half-smirk.
The tension in the air was now gone, the resumption of movement in the cafeteria proving it--Somewhere along the way students had stopped to listen in.
“I think we should head back; it’s almost time for our next class.” Natsume was the type of person to skip class, so I didn’t expect him to take my advice.
“Mph.”
“What? You’re actually coming?” “Or just can’t leave Ruka alone?” My tone was teasing, and It obviously didn’t go down well with the fire Alice user.
“Shut up,” he snapped back, making me grin.
“Heh.”
~*~*~*~
The rest of today’s classes and dinner passed without a hitch, and I was glad to be able to return to my…Natsume’s room. One thing I liked about his living space was the bathroom. It was large and had options other than to shower. I opted for a bath today, wanting to just soak in a tub of warm water.
I raided his bathroom for bath additives and found a strawberry scented bubble bath mixture. I quickly poked my head through the doorway to make a remark. “Strawberry scented? Niiice.”
This made Natsume look up from his manga.
“Just take your bath already.” His voice gave no indication that he was even slightly fazed at my remark on his choice of bath scents. “Hurry up. I want to take a shower.”
“I’m using the bath, so the shower’s free,” I informed him.
“You’re telling me to wash at the same time as you?”
“What’s the big deal? It saves time.”
“Whatever.” He got up to go wash nonetheless.
I soaked in the sweet smelling water with delight. It’s been a long time since I had last taken a bath. On the opposite end of the room, the sound of running water had a lulling effect. I slept terribly last night and the effects have just started to kick in. Combined with the scent and warmth of the water, I started to nod off, my body catching up on the sleep I lost last night. I dozed for what felt like under a minute before I was woken up.
“Don’t sleep in the bath, idiot.” Was he done already?
“Mmm.” Was my sleepy reply.
“I’ll burn you if you don’t wake up.”
“Alright! I’m up, I’m up.” I wasn’t exactly eager at the prospect of getting burned, so I quickly got out of the tub, being sure to throw a glare at the figure getting dressed. “Have any spare clothes? I need to borrow them.” The fact that I didn’t have any clothes slipped had my mind.
“Get your own clothes.”
“Sure, if you want me sleeping naked on the same bed as you for a few weeks,” I retorted.
“Tch.”
I knew I had won.
Both of us were settled in bed after completing our nighttime routines. I yawned. It wouldn’t do any good to stay up too late. “Natsume…goodnight.” I mumbled just before I fell asleep, not intending for him to hear.
“Night.” I heard him whisper just before I was out. I heard him turn to face me. Or maybe that part was just a dream. Either way, at that point, I was too tired to care.