Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or the characters related to it.

"I'm Mikan Sakura! What's your name?" Three-year old Mikan reached her hand out as a sign of courtesy and respect – so she was taught by her mother.

A young five-year old lad stared at her with his crimson eyes. He was in shock as to how anyone could be this happy or in his terms, airheaded. "You're too loud, airhead."

"Airhead? What does that mean? And you still haven't answered my question!" She continued to follow him everywhere. Every minute, her curiosity rose higher and higher as she continued to watch this raven-haired boy.

He was getting ticked off by her presence and no matter how mean he got, she remained persistent. "Leave me alone, stupid head."

She placed her small hands on her hips and she was getting frustrated. "You have to be nicer, you know! You won't get friends if you maintain that attitude of yours."

He smirked at her words and at how vocal she could get. Trying to sound smart, eh?

He sat on his chair and looked away. He couldn't really comprehend what this little girl was trying to do. The thought that maybe she was out to annoy him for the rest of his preschool year entered his mind, but he was quite certain that she wasn't. He tried everything he could think of to shake her off, but nothing seemed to work. So he resorted to ignoring her. This better work.

She sat on the yellow chair beside him, which annoyed him even more. She observed him from head to toe like he was a specimen under a laboratory telescope. She pointed and screamed, "Natsume! So that's your name!"

He was shocked and he chose to believe that she was not psychic. He traced where her fingers pointed and realized that his identification card stuck out of his pockets. He pushed it back in out of frustration. This girl is really getting in my nerves.

"How can you be so moody? Lighten up, Natsume! Here!" She handed the young lad a pack of Oreos that she picked out from her pink lunchbox. "This is my favorite, so you better be grateful that I am sacrificing this for you!"

"Oreo?" He raised his eyebrow at the smiling brunette. "You like this stuff? It's too sweet."

The little girl folded her arms and puffed. "They're really good, you know?" She turned her head away when a spark in her eyes formed. "You know what I eat that with?" She was ecstatic as she wanted her new found friend to guess.

"Strawberries." He pointed at the bottom half of Mikan and she slapped his hand.

"You're not supposed to look at that! It's not proper for boys to look at girls' underwear! And besides, the only underwear you should see is the owner of the one you're going to marry!"

He laughed at what she said. He could not understand this girl, but she certainly has amused him so far. "Then I guess I'm just going to have to marry you."

"Anyway," she trailed off, "I eat it with peanut butter!" Her little hands held a jar of peanut butter that baffled the young boy. The last statement didn't even register in her brain, or maybe she did not hear it at all.

He was amazed at the persistence and stubbornness of this girl. "Peanut butter?"

She exclaimed at the glimpse of hope that he could be interested. She opened the pack of Oreos and took one and dipped the black cookie. She handed the Oreo that had streaks of brown that mixed with the white cream filling to him.

He nervously took the cookie and stared at it. He thought of how weird it looked and he couldn't trust the word of this little brunette. He closed his eyes and bit the cookie. He was shocked at how good it tasted. Natsume was never a fan of sweet food but the peanut butter added the salty taste that he was always fond of. He chewed on it and found himself smiling.

"You like it, don't you?" She peered in closer and this made little Natsume blush a bit.

He looked away and gobbled what was left of the cookie in his hand. "Hn."

She giggled and smiled. "We'll be friends for a long time, Natsume! I just know it!" And with that, her short legs ran outside of the classroom and he was left there with the opened pack of Oreos and the jar of peanut butter.

"Mikan Sakura, huh?" And with that he ate the remaining cookies and dipped them in peanut butter.

~Present time~

The school bell rung for the second time. It was already dismissal and Natsume checked his wrist watch. "Where is that girl?"

Fifteen years have passed and Natsume and Mikan became the best of friends. The way they interacted and treated each other has stayed the same but, nonetheless, they grew fond of each other and learned to open up to one another.

He was tapping his foot and he crossed his arms. He grew impatient as the second hand of his wrist watch moved a minute. He pulled his cellular phone out of his pocket and dialed her number. The phone rang and Mikan didn't pick her phone up. He attempted a few more times and finally gave up.

To: Mikan

How long are you going to make me wait? You have a phone for a reason, and you don't even pick it up when someone's calling you. I'm going back to the apartment ahead of you. Don't forget, I have the key today.

He clicked the sent button and tried to wait for a few more minutes. He reached his limits and made his way back to their apartment.

"Why do you and Natsume live together again?" Yellow hair and blue eyes, that's what made Ruka Nogi stood out. He attended the same grade school with Mikan and Natsume, and he was always amused by the friendship that they have.

"My parents went back to the countryside due to my father's constant asthma attacks. The doctor said that it might be because of the city, which I highly doubt! At first, I was living with the Hyuuga's until Natsume decided that he wanted to try living on his own! Aunt Kaoru didn't want Natsume living by himself, so she told him that I have to be with him if he wants to push through with it."

Ruka was quite astonished at the idea of them in one apartment, but he knew nothing would happen. "Do Natsume's parents pay for it?"

"No way! We both have our part-time jobs. I found it such a hassle, but I eventually loved the work." She was having fun talking to Ruka when she finally heard her phone beep. She opened her phone and found six missed calls from Natsume and a message from him. She started to panic. "Oh no! I'm screwed. I'm sorry, Ruka. I have to go!"

She ran as fast as she could, wishing she would make it on time. She looked at her wrist watch – quarter to five. "I can still make it."

She stopped in front of a three-storey structure that was painted with white and blue. She panted and tried to catch her breath. After a few seconds she dashed up the stairs until she reached the third floor and saw her twenty-year old best friend locking the door. She instantly ran to him and tackled him. She grabbed the key and stood up, breathing heavily.

"Aren't you lucky today?" Natsume stood up and brushed off the dirt that came from the floor. "And I think I recall that we agreed to meet in front of the school gates when the first bell rings." He crossed his arms and his eyes were focused on hers.

Mikan tried to answer but she couldn't after all the running that she did. She pleaded with her eyes and this, she knew, Natsume could not resist.

Natsume sighed and pushed the key through the key hole and opened the door. He slid the key in his pocket and glared at her. "I'm going to go to the grocery after work, so I'll probably be back at nine o'clock. Call me if you're going to go home any earlier than that."

She nodded and entered their apartment. Before she could close the door, Natsume blocked the door with his arm. Mikan saw the muscle cuts in his arms and were dazed by it. She remembered that Natsume had been consistently going to the gym since they started high school. Her eyes darted to his hands, up his arms, and finally his eyes. His bright crimson eyes snapped her back from her daydreaming. "Put your phone on general mode, would you? You're wasting the money that was used to buy that phone of yours."

She giggled because she knew how her best friend would get worried every time she didn't pick up her phone when he called her. "I will. And sorry for causing you trouble."

He removed his hands and was about to walk away when she wrapped her arms around him. She was making sure that they were okay. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her forehead. He could smell the shampoo that smelled like strawberries, which he liked. "See you later." They let go and Natsume left for work.

She closed the door and sighed. Her stomach growled and she rubbed it to calm it down. She headed towards the kitchen and saw that there was an open jar of peanut butter on the kitchen counter. Her eyes widened. "Oh no, he didn't."

She opened the refrigerator door and discovered that the last pack of Oreo that she has been saving was gone. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialed Natsume's number. When he picked it up, she freaked out.

"Nastume! I don't believe this! You ate the last pack! I was saving that!"

She heard him smirk from the other line. "It's not my fault. I was hungry. And if you had remembered to walk home with me, you could've eaten it first."

"Really? You're going to use that on me?" Mikan was fed up.

She was about to say something when Natsume interrupted her. "Look. Let's talk about this later. I have to work." He put the phone down and she got very upset.

She stormed in her room and changed into her uniform for work. She was still mad as she tightened the ribbon of her uniform and the laces of her boots. She looked into the mirror and saw the jar of peanut butter. "How irresponsible," she said to herself as she closed the jar and put it back in the refrigerator.

She left the apartment and walked to the maid café where she worked.

She got to work and saw her dark-haired friend was already working. "Hotaru!" She hugged her but she didn't respond back.

"Why are you late? You're lucky that the manager isn't here." She and Natsume were alike when it comes to reprimanding her of her time management problems.

"I'm sorry," she slumped her head over her shoulders, "I got into another fight with Natsume."

Hotaru raised her eyebrow at Mikan. "What was it about?"

"Oreo and peanut butter." Mikan said it with such distress, as if her whole life revolved around it.

Hotaru wanted to laugh, but she saw that her friend was in that much stress. "You'll resolve it. I know how much Natsume hates it when you fight."

"I guess." Mikan sighed but she didn't want to dwell on it. "It doesn't matter! I have some work to do." She rushed in the kitchen to get some work done.

Eight-thirty – Mikan's watch revealed to her that she had to go back home. She changed into her casual clothes and put her uniform in her paper bag. "Hotaru, I have to get going. Natsume might freak out on me again."

Hotaru nodded and smirked. "If I didn't know any better, you two seem like a married couple."

"Nonsense. Natsume can never look at me in that way. We grew up together! Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow." She walked out of the café and made her way back to the apartment.

When she reached the apartment, she saw that the door was slightly open. This was Natsume's way of showing that he was already home. She, then, remembered that Natsume ate her Oreo and that she still mad at him for it. She entered the apartment and looked at Natsume who was watching the television.

"I'm still mad at you, you know?" She placed her hands on her hips, which have gotten wider as they grew up.

He stared at her and realized how she has grown. "Come here." He gestured as he pat the space beside him.

"No." She walked away and she opened the door of her room.

"Mikan." She stopped when she heard her name. She knew that Natsume was serious and she couldn't say no to him.

She sat beside him and looked away. "What is it?" She was exasperated and she thought that her mood could not get any worse.

Natsume laid a roll of Oreos and her lap. Her eyes widened and she was astounded. "I bought you some. I know it's your favorite."

She smiled and leaned on his shoulder. "Thanks, Natsume. I appreciate it."

He turned off the television and poked her waist. "Go get the peanut butter. I want to eat some too."

She just laughed and walked to the kitchen. She grabbed the peanut butter and went back to the couch. The two shared the Oreo and dipped it in the peanut butter. It was Mikan's favorite food and it was her favorite thing to do with Natsume. He, too, has come to treat Oreo and peanut butter as his favorite.

As they continued to eat and talk, Natsume lied down on Mikan's lap. She was used to this because this would always happen whenever they had moments like this.

Natsume saw some peanut butter and oreo bits on the side of Mikan's lips. "You're such a sloppy eater." He raised himself and removed the mess on Mikan's face with his lips. The side of their lips touched and she blushed because it was too unexpected, even for her. "What? Can you blame me if I like it that much?"

She raised her eyebrows and jokingly answered him. "The food or the idea of kissing me?" She laughed at the improbable idea.

But Natsume's answer surprised her again. "Both." He looked so serious that she could not react properly. He smirked and asked her. "Do you like it?"

Mikan's cheeks became redder and she could not stop it from happening. "Like what?" She bit from her cookie as a way to distract herself.

Natsume's face became closer and he was teasing her. You could tell how much fun he was having. "You tell me." He kissed her, but Mikan did not retaliate. She responded to his kiss, which caught Natsume off guard but it did not last for a long time.

Natsume broke the kiss, as if he was waiting for Mikan's answer. She looked away and answered, "Oreo and peanut butter."

He smirked at the girl he loved and knew how embarrassed she was to admit. "I like it too."

She smiled and out of impulse, she kissed him. Natsume was surprised but he kissed her back.

When Mikan broke the kiss, he laughed. "I love…" He trailed off as he saw that Mikan's face was redder than before. But he didn't need to say it and they both knew what was running in their minds. He smirked and kissed her again.

Author's Note:

This was just a random one that I thought of. It probably came from my cravings of Oreo and peanut butter. Believe me, it tastes good! Try it if you haven't.

Hope you like this one! :) Reviews are much appreciated.

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~dancedaze