Title: Colorful Flaws
Author: Etsuko O. Daikama
Rating: T
Category: Romance/Drama
Pairing(s): (Mainly) NxM
Disclaimer: The day I become a chimera (which would be a milestone in my life) I still would not own Gakuen Alice. Dang it, I'll have goat hands then.
Summary: Natsume has amnesia and got sent to a mentally-ill hospital. The nurses try to get him to speak about his past, but how can he remember when he had amnesia? But they sent Mikan to get answers from him. Will she succeed or die like the other nurses that were appointed to him? NxM
Notes: Mikan's (includes Natsume, Hotaru, Ruka, etc.) ages; seventeen. May contain OCCness.
Chapter One -- Pitch Black: Lost and Lonely
Eleven Years Ago
"Natsume!" a voice yelled.
The boy searched for the one who was calling him. "Natsume! Natsume!!" He kept looking everywhere in the crowd and started fighting through it. He shoved through people and people shoved him back. The midnight sky was dark and clouds started to cover the moon up. Rain, unexpectedly, started pour heavily on people's heads. They desperately wished they brought an umbrella.
"Natsume!" a feminine voice called. "Natsume!"
Natsume tried to follow the sound of her voice but fell down. People accidentally kicked him in the face, giving him a nasty bruise. He slowly got up, clinging to anything so he won't fall. "Let go, kid," a scuffy man grouched and shoved his leg so the boy would let go.
He did, but only because he fell to the cold ground again.
"I refuse to board that helicopter without my son!" a voice shouted. "Natsume!! Where are you?!"
"Onii-chan!" a softer voice shouted. "Onii-chan!"
Natsume heard the voices and it sounded so near. He looked around him once again, still on the floor. "Ma'am, please get in the helicopter," an officer said. "We can't afford to lose a family in the middle of the war."
"Back off!" the woman yelled at the officer. "I'll die if it means saving my son!"
The officers tried pulling her into the helicopter, but she kept fighting back. Tears were falling down her face, but it went unnoticed because it was raining heavily.
Natsume still didn't know where the voices were coming from. But he was certain that they sounded familiar... like his family was calling out to him. He searched frantically; he wanted to see them again but couldn't find them.
He was separated from his family because he was scanned over and was noted as "toxicant." So the men who scanned him, shoved him to another area where other people were called "toxicant." But he managed to escape from the proclaimed toxicant crowd and started to searching for his family.
But why were they scanning people over and saying whether they were toxicated or not; that was unknown to everyone except the top officer who told the other men to scan people.
Many children were screaming for their parents, wanting to be with them and hoping to never be separated again. But the men refused the offer and kept pushing them back, so they won't get mixed up. Natsume heard the calls again.
"Onii-chan!"
"Natsume!"
He got up from the ground, hastily and bumped someone's leg with his head. Natsume covered his forehead with his hand and started rubbing the pain away, glancing upwards to see a man who was pushing a long-haired brunette ahead; Natsume assumed that was his wife.
But the man who bumped into Natsume stopped and crouched down to the boy's level and asked, "Are you lost, sport?"
Natsume looked at him confused; wondering why on earth was a stranger speaking to him. But instead throwing a nasty word like he usually does, he just nodded innocently.
"Looking for your family?" the older man asked. Natsume nodded once again. The young fellow saw from the corner of his crimson eye that the brunette was staring down at them, shivering slightly from the cold. "I'll help you find them."
The older man grabbed Natsume and placed him on his shoulders. "Look around and maybe you'll find them," the man stated.
Natsume followed the man's order and started searching around.
"Natsume!" a scream was heard.
The young lad looked over to his right to find a woman waving her arms to catch his attention. Natsume poked the man's forehead and caught man's attention; he pointed to the direction where his family was located.
"That's a toxicated child!" a man yelled from the scanners.
The woman near the helicopter yelled, "There's my son! We'll leave once he comes over!"
Officers started running towards Natsume's direction to capture the young toxicant child and pull him into the crowd of toxicant people. Natsume gestured the older man about the officers that was heading over to him. The older man got the message and started walking faster to his family.
The brunette lady stood there, watching the men intently. They took away someone she loved very much and locked the certain person up. No one was allowed to visit the brunette's loved one. Why? Because that loved one was toxicant with something and was unable to control it.
No one knows why the government started scanning people and separating them from their loved ones now. Maybe they found out just recently from the brunette's loved one that there was more like the toxicated child.
The older man who claimed to be "Mr. Sakura," was getting closer and closer to Natsume's family. But from a couple of yards away were five men, shoving people to get to the toxicant child. They were armed with guns in case of an emergency.
The main officer told them to take guns even if their targets were mostly children; because he said they contain something more dangerous than a gun. But that contained something was no match against the gun since it could never stop it. So the men took their weapons and headed out with them.
"Stop!" an officer said with a gun pointing at the two men.
The mother of Natsume screamed, "Don't shoot them!"
"You are to give us that toxicant child," the officer said and slowly made his move closer to the men.
"Don't touch my--" the mother was interrupted when an explosion hit the area. It was as if the explosion came from the ground and blew up, killing everyone in sight.
Natsume saw the explosion reaching near him and everything blacked out. There was no sound, no feeling, no nothing. It seemed like everything was gone. Vanished. Disappeared. No longer existing...
Hours had passed since the explosion and yet everyone around was no longer moving. Days have passed and it has been finally reported on the News that there was an explosion but no one knew what happened, what caused it or anything. They just knew there was an explosion and it may take years to rebuild the once popular area.
There was a tap... Natsume could feel it. Something soft was hitting against his face and it was causing him to wake up. His hearing was opening and he could hear a soft voice, "Wake up. I know you're alive." He then attempted at fluttering his eyelids open--succeeding, he then saw a bright light hitting against his pupils...
Present Time; Hoopu Hospital
"Koko-kun, I'm sorry if you don't like it," Mikan said. "But I'm your nurse for the day."
Kokoroyomi, Mikan's patient, had his arms crossed and looked the other way, not pleased that the fact Mikan was there. He preferred no one, really. All the nurses were either speaking to him with such a sweet voice that it made him sick. Everyone that hated him talked to him that way. He knows, because he remembered his family talking to him like that.
"So why not get started?" Mikan asked and started tapping her pencil against the clipboard that was neatly placed on her lap.
Kokoroyomi looked over at Mikan and glared at her. He finally burst, "Just leave!! I don't want anyone around me!"
Mikan sighed and figured it was a time to tease. "You know Anna-chan? The girl with pink hair and blue eyes?"
Kokoroyomi caught on yet stared at her like she grew a goat head. OK, he wouldn't be looking at her confusingly, he would be laughing if he saw her grow a goat head. He knew everyone would and she'll end up crying. That, he wouldn't mind.
"I saw you staring at her yesterday," Mikan said with a beaming smile. "Did you grow an interest in her?"
Kokoroyomi's eye twitched in annoyance. Even if he did grow an interest in the pink-haired girl, he would never admit it. Not aloud, at least.
"I could always talk to Narumi-sensei if he could assign Anna as your new nurse," Mikan said. Kokoroyomi's ears perked up and he grew a small smile at the idea. "But you have to talk to me until noon." His ears and smile faltered to their usual way.
"I know, I know," Mikan said pressing her two hands against the air, her eyes on the ceiling. "You don't want to talk to me, but the only way we could set the plan up is for you to talk to me."
"Fine," Kokoroyomi said with a small sigh and uncrossed his arms, leaning lower into his comfortable seat. "What do you want me to talk about?"
"That's more like it," Mikan said with a smile. "How about that moment when you saw your cousin die before you eyes?"
"Can we not?"
Mikan quirked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to catch the message and tapped the tip of her pitch black heels against the tiled floor. She stared at him, biting inside her cheek because he was stubbornly uncooperative!
"I refuse to speak about that incident," Kokoroyomi stated so seriously and started to glare at her again.
Mikan threw her hands in the air and stopped tapping her heels. "Fine!" Mikan shouted. "Have a nice talk with Sumire later on!"
"She's fun to tease," Kokoroyomi blurted out and unconsciously snickered about the moments he would tease her and she would get so angry that she was on edge of killing him. Sometimes she would tackle him and try to punch him but Kokoroyomi would laugh like he heard a hilarious joke.
Then he heard Mikan giggle. "Yeah, she is," Mikan said. "I personally call her Permy, but with other patients I have to call her Sumire. It feels kind of weird to say it."
"Then why call her that?" Kokoroyomi asked and caught Mikan's full attention. "Other patients have been calling her that behind her back, even other hilarious names." When he meant by 'hilarious,' he meant harsher names than 'Permy.' Names that will make Sumire cry or get all sadistic about.
Mikan was quite surprise hearing Kokoryomi talking so openly. When he entered the hospital, he refused to speak and kept glaring at people who went near him or tried to talk to him. He was seriously unfriendly and bad-tempered. He never cooperated and he still is stubbornly disobedient. But he loosen that trait and became obedient whenever he wanted to but still had his disobedient ways.
Maybe it was the help from all the workers that changed him. Or maybe because he grew a sudden interest in Anna, he opened up a bit more. Whatever it is, it was changing Kokoroyomi, piece-by-piece.
Mikan's blue wristwatch started beeping; indicating it was noon. Mikan checked the time and jotted a few things about Kokoroyomi. "I'll see you tomorrow, Koko-kun," Mikan said and walked to the door.
"Great..." Kokoroyomi muttered loud enough for Mikan to hear it, but Mikan ignored it and continued to leave the room. She locked the door once she entered the hallways so he won't escape. It was pretty common at Hoopu Hospital.
Mikan walked down the hallways and before she entered the cafeteria, she called a nurse to escort Kokoroyomi to the patients' cafeteria. It was a cafeteria where only patients and specialized nurses were allowed in. Mikan wasn't counted as a specialized nurse.
The young brunette entered the cafeteria where hired nurses and doctors ate at. They didn't get special food, just averagely-based food. Some spoiled nurses would complain about it and say that they forgot to bring in their lunch again. That was usually Sumire saying that.
Mikan looked around the cafeteria and was--shocked! She saw Sumire eating the cafeteria's food without a complaint, just a scowl on her face. She was practically stabbing her plate with her plastic fork!
Famine, Mikan walked to the kitchen to get some food that will fill her empty stomach till dinner. When she believed she had enough food, she walked over to where Sumire was sitting and talk why she was moody. She placed her red tray on the sparkly clean table and scooted her seat backwards so she could sit down.
"Why so moody, Permy?" Mikan asked and started nibbling on her food.
"I thought I told you to quit calling me that," Sumire spat.
Mikan thought for a moment, trying to reminisce their past moments when she called Sumire 'Permy.' "I don't remember," Mikan said honestly.
Sumire looked up from her plate and snarled, "Like it matters."
Mikan quirked a brow and asked, "What's the problem?"
"New patient and it's almost like he has no idea how to speak!" Sumire yelled and slammed her fork against her plate, standing up shortly afterwards. "Yeah, he's handsome-looking and all, but he's just so--ugh!"
Mikan tilted her head, her brow still quirked, trying to comprehend what Sumire was yelling. "He's so... what?" Mikan asked and brought a piece of sushi to her mouth.
"He's so uncooperative," Sumire said and pointed a finger up. "He ignores me, he's quiet and he throws the furniture at me if I try to come an inch close to him!" Now Sumire had four fingers up.
"Throws furniture at you?" Mikan questioned and leaned closer to Sumire.
Sumire placed her hand down and sat her butt on the cushioned chair. She leaned closer to Mikan adding an intense moment like she was narrating a ghost story. She whispered, "And you know what else? I think he carries a match with him or something. Because he started a fire three times."
"A fire?!" Mikan yelled but her mouth got quickly covered by Sumire's hand.
Sumire nodded and continued to whisper, "He was threatening me. He had his hands on fire and kept moving them closer to my face. It was really scary, Sakura."
Mikan gulped the lump that was stuck in her throat when she saw the fear in Sumire's eyes. She sent out a light a shudder, but she mostly blamed that on the air condition in the cafeteria. It was always cold in there for some odd reason.
"I feel sorry for his next nurse," Sumire said. "So how's Koko going for you?" Sumire placed her elbow on the table and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. She seemed she got over the incident that happened to her not too long ago.
"He's been more cooperative lately," Mikan replied. "I think he likes someone."
Sumire's eyes widened and a smile grew on her lips. Ohh, how she loved gossip. "Who?!" Sumire asked and slammed her arm against the table, causing small slapping sound to echo in the rather large cafeteria.
Mikan looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping and decided to speak, "Anna-chan."
"No way!" Sumire yelled with excitement. This is perfect! Now she's got something to use against Kokoroyomi, although I don't think the young boy would forgive or open up to Mikan again. "Now I have got to talk to him!"
The brunette laughed nervously; maybe sharing a fact wasn't a good idea. It made her feel like she was betraying Kokoroyomi by telling Sumire his secret. He might kill her the next time he sees her; she's not going to be looking forward to that.
"So who are you going to visit next, Sakura?" Sumire asked, calming down a bit.
Mikan looked at her schedule that she was assigned. It always changes for some reason; not that she's complaining or anything. She's quite fine with it, actually.
"Aoi-chan," Mikan answered. "I have to meet with her within thirty-four minutes."
Sumire looked a little sour. "She never talks and always has this dazed expression," Sumire said. "We don't even know her last name."
"Maybe she'll tell us when she starts speaking," Mikan said and pocketed her schedule into her white coat's pocket.
"Ifshe ever starts speaking," Sumire said and crossed her arms. She started tipping her chair backwards and looked at the high ceiling. "I don't even know why I settled for this job. It's dangerous and sometimes boring."
"But it's great to meet a new person and gain a new friend," Mikan said, picking her tray up and started heading towards the kitchen. Sumire walked with her shortly afterwards.
"That is, if they ever open up to you," Sumire said and rolled her eyes.
"Just be friendly with them," Mikan said and beamed a smile.
Sumire narrowed her eyes a bit. "Don't you think I tried that?" she asked and her right eye twitched.
"Well, keep being friendly, I'm sure everything will work out for you," Mikan said and placed her tray with all the other dirty trays. "I'm sure everyone here will open up eventually."
"You sure got a lot of confidence, Sakura."
Mikan giggled and nodded. She started heading out of the cafeteria with Sumire by her side. Neither of them talked, it was just their heels clanking against the tiled floor. The two walked to the office and got their clipboards, ready to write anything that will show any change or information about the patient.
The two were getting closer to Kokoroyomi's room, where Sumire next patient was at. When they reached the door, Sumire brought out her keys and unlocked the door.
"Hey Koko--" Sumire stopped when she saw a picture that Kokoroyomi was holding. "What is that?!" She pointed her index finger at it and both her brows were twitching madly while Kokoroyomi was laughing loudly and cheekily.
"It's my butt," Kokoroyomi answered. "I asked a nurse if I can scan it and show it to you."
"You disturbing little creep!" Sumire yelled and tackled him; he was too busy laughing to even notice that he got tackled.
Mikan sighed and closed the door to the room; she brought out her own keys and locked the room. She started heading towards her next patient's room, Aoi. Aoi was always on a bed and never slept. She would look at the ceiling with her usual dazed look and not say a word.
Mikan even brought food for Aoi to see if she'll eat. But the young girl didn't move at all. She continued to lie on the bed and look at the ceiling like she could never get enough of it. The small girl wouldn't even acknowledge Mikan or anything. It was almost as if she was dead.
But she was breathing and she did blink, so that showed she was still alive. Maybe not healthy, but very alive.
Eleven Years Ago; Hyuuga Resident
"Onii-chan," a young girl called and grabbed onto her older brother's sleeve. "Okaa-san and Otou-san said you gave me the most thoughtful birthday gift ever. Can you tell me what it is?"
Natsume hit the girl over the head and said, "It's a surprise, idiot. Anyway, who said I gave you a gift?"
"But you said it was a surprise, so that must mean Onii-chan gave me a gift, right?" the little girl asked with her big, crimson eyes.
Natsume rolled his eyes. "You're really annoying, Aoi," Natsume said and crossed his arms.
"I can't wait to open Onii-chan's present!" Aoi yelled and started jumping in her seat which was on the couch. "I believe Okaa-san and Otou-san when they said it was the most thoughtful gift. So I can't wait! I want to say thanks, Onii-chan. You gave me a birthday gift even when you didn't have to."
Natsume looked at her; she was beyond excited. "Don't get too excited, otherwise I'll take away that gift," Natsume said.
"Aw! Onii-chan can be so mean!" Aoi whined and stuck her bottom lip out to make a pout. Her eyes started twinkling at him and sniffed like she was crying.
Natsume just stared; was there anything to be said? "Don't think you look cute when you pout," Natsume said and flicked his index finger at her forehead. Aoi felt the hit and put her two hands on her forehead to rub the small amount of pain.
"Do you know why Otou-san and Okaa-san told us to stay in the living room?" Aoi asked and looked around to see if there was any sign of their parents.
"Yes, now be quiet," Natsume said and closed his eyes; hoping to find peace but found none when Aoi kept poking him the head. "Stop poking me."
"It's my birthday and I want you to stop being moody," Aoi said. "It's my birthday wish!" Aoi smiled and stopped poking him in the head; much to Natsume's relief.
"I thought you weren't supposed to tell your wish otherwise it won't come true," Natsume said and caught Aoi's hand that was about to smack him; although he knew it was going to be hilariously weak. But he rather just skip the weak, little smack then take it.
Aoi huffed, crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks. "Well... yeah, but it's depending on you and there's nothing for you to be moody about," Aoi said and started pouting again, making Natsume roll his crimson eyes at her.
"YukiAoi, Natsume! Come out here!" a deep voice yelled from the backyard. The two heard their names and obeyed the voice by walking outside, finding their parents with a smile on their face. Aoi gasped in surprise, seeing the party decorations and a huge frosted cake on a picnic table.
"Happy birthday, YukiAoi!" the parents cheered making Aoi smile from ear-to-ear. Aoi turned to see Natsume if he had a smile on his face, but no, he still had that emotionless look. But there was a gleam in his eye when he saw Aoi so happy; it went unnoticed to Aoi.
"Happy birthday to you," the parents sang. "Happy birthday to you, happy dear YukiAoi--"
Sirens were going off all over the village and rushing people started running out their house. An officer barged into the Hyuugas' backyard and told them to follow him, which they did. Aoi left her cake and gifts there, but Natsume took the birthday gift he was going to give her.
Natsume figured it was the worse birthday part she ever had in her four years of life.
Present; Hoopu Hospital
Mikan knocked on Aoi's door and unlocked it; she didn't want to disturb Aoi, not that she did anything. She entered the room and closed the door behind her, locking it while she was at it. Even if the patient made no move, the nurse always had to lock the door.
"Good afternoon, Aoi-chan," Mikan said, taking a cushioned chair and placing it by Aoi's bed. "How are you feeling today?" Mikan propped her clipboard up and was ready to jott anything down. But no response came; not even a movement.
Mikan placed her palm on Aoi's forehead to see if she was hot or cold. The brunette found out that the young Aoi was unusually colder today. Mikan checked the little girl's temperature and saw it at forty-two degrees, occasionally go up and down again.
"Your fever is worse today," Mikan whispered and jotted the information on the paper that was attached to the clipboard. She glanced over at the medicine she laid down yesterday and saw it untouched. "You didn't even take your medicine."
Mikan was not allowed to force it down her throat because it might go to Aoi's breathing tube. Aoi refused anything that went in or went anywhere near her mouth. Nurses have been worrying over this girl, thinking she may not survive another day.
Aoi had an unrecognized disease and carried it for numerous of years. She's only sixteen and looks like she has only skin and bones. Her face was pale and her breaths were shallow; sometimes sweat would roll from her forehead down to her chin and she'll steal some heavy breaths.
She'll show that's she in deep pain by closing her eyes tightly, taking shallow breaths like she was panting and clutch hard onto the white sheets. When nurses see this happening, they would have a special medicine and place into the girl's IV, causing her to calm down. It was a sleeping medicine and it'll take four to six hours until Aoi wakes up again. But nurses would have to check if she was still alive or not; they didn't want anything bad to happen.
"Aoi-chan, if you want to talk about something, you can go right ahead," Mikan said softly. Then she saw something different; no other nurse witnessed it. Aoi glanced at Mikan with her eyes and looked back at the ceiling. That has to count as a change!
Mikan jotted the small change and prayed silently that Aoi may speak or even take her medicine today. Just thinking about Aoi glancing at her made her excited but she has to remember they all can't change too fast. It takes time.
She should know that; she already conversed with other stubborn patients, like Kokoroyomi. Although he changed a lot quicker than the other patients she had in the past. She was shocked because he was the most violent one. But after hearing a few words from Sumire earlier, it looks like Kokoroyomi lost his tag in being the most violent.
Whoever that new patient, she was still not looking forward to. Throwing furniture?!You can't be serious. Kokoroyomi didn't go that far. He only shoved furniture at people and threatened them with a couple of words. Or threatened them with a couple of unsaid words.
"Do you have any siblings, Aoi-chan?" Mikan asked and looked up from her clipboard. She studied the girl with a dazed expression. It was stayed quiet for a moment.
"Onii-chan..." Aoi whispered and shut her eyes. She started clutching onto the blankets and began breathing in shallow breaths. Mikan knew what to do in this situation and jumped from her seats to get in the cabinets that belonged in Aoi's room. She searched for medicine and found them after she heard Aoi coughing.
Mikan placed the medicine into the girl's IV and saw a line of blood dripping from the side of Aoi's mouth. Some blood was on the white bed sheets; this was certainly a change in Aoi's life. Glancing at Mikan, saying 'Onii-chan' and then coughing up blood.
Mikan sighed and placed Aoi's hand on the side, taking the medicine carriage with her and placing it back into the cabinets. Mikan walked to her clipboard and wrote the change in Aoi's behavior on the paper. She glanced at Aoi to see her sleeping peacefully. Mikan placed the clipboard to her side and walked over to Aoi. She pulled out the girl's arm and checked her pulse; still breathing.
With that all experienced, Mikan walked to the door and unlocked it. She exited the room and entered the hallways, locking the door after she closed it. She started heading towards the main office, ready to drop off the information.
"Onii-chan..."So Aoi had an older brother? Something must have happened if that disease attacked her again right after saying calling him. Mikan felt so guilty... so sad... Aoi was like this at the age of sixteen and she has been there for three years. It must have been hard for the little girl.
Salty tears rolled down Mikan's cheeks one-by-one. She sniffed her mucus and quietly walked down the halls; making sure her bangs were covering her crying brown eyes. Her long, loose brunette hair swayed every step she took. Her fingers clenched harder on clipboard, trying not bawl in the middle of the hallways.
Mikan gulped all the lumps that were caught in throat and gulped the ones that tried to clog her breathing tube. She heard a voice that made her look up, "Ah, Mikan-chan, why so low? That's unusual of you." The young brunette saw a shoulder-length, blonde haired man with purple eyes and a giddy smile. She arrived at the main office without her noticing.
"Good afternoon, Narumi-sensei," Mikan said and sniffed again. She silently handed Narumi the information about Aoi but Narumi seemed more concern with Mikan. Her eyes were swollen and red and her slightly tinted pink cheeks were stained with tears. Something was up but he didn't know what.
Narumi took the clipboard from Mikan and tilted his head in a questioning matter. "What's wrong, Mikan-chan?" he asked politely. "Did you receive another nasty insult from Kokoro-kun? Whatever he said, you know it's not true."
Mikan shook her head indicating it was a 'no.' She rubbed her teary eyes and wiped her cheek from any stains. "It's not that sensei," Mikan said softly. "I was just thinking what Aoi-chan has been going through. She's been suffering from an unrecognized disease for three years. Do you know how hard that must be?"
The man put a palm to his chin and tapped his lips with his index finger, his purple eyes staring at the ceiling. "It is hard suffering from a disease for three years without knowing the cure since the doctors don't know what it is," Narumi said. "But for now, we have to hope for the best."
"And what's the best?" Mikan asked her eyes still looking sorrowful. The brim of her bottom eyelids were watering once again, still reminiscing about Aoi's past and the times she spent with the young girl.
Narumi tapped his chin and answered, "The best is that we'll find a cure but not through a mistake."
Mikan nodded in understanding and agreement. She prayed silently that they will find a cure for Aoi and whatever it may be, Mikan would surely take it. Because it was that lost and lonely look in Aoi's eyes that made Mikan want to do something.
She knew she couldn't change anyone, but she figured she can help change them with a smile on her face. It was decision she made years ago; help people and stay happy forever. She always wanted everyone happy even when they went through the thickest times.
"Ah, yes, Mikan-chan," Narumi called. Mikan looked at him patiently. "Tomorrow, we'll have a new nurse. You can be her guide. Be here at eight-fifteen in the morning. I was also going to assign you to see another patient, but seeing you in this condition, I think it can wait till tomorrow."
Mikan nodded and heard Narumi say one more thing, "You can have the rest of the day off. I don't want you to cry anymore."
"But sensei!" Mikan exclaimed. "I can still do my job! And I wasn't crying!" Mikan gave out a cheeky grin and stretched her arms out. "See?"
Narumi started to chuckle and waved his hand at Mikan. "Ah, Mikan-chan, you don't have to worry about anything here," Narumi said. "Just go relax at home."
"I refuse!!" Mikan yelled. Yes, she yelled at Narumi. She then realized her sudden outburst and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry Narumi-sensei, but just let me stay and work... So who's my next patient?"
Narumi looked through some files and brought out one file that was a lot thinner than the others. "Here, it's Youichi Hijiri," Narumi informed. "No nurse has seen him for a couple of days. They say he's a lot more scarier than he looks."
Mikan looked confused and grabbed the file from Narumi, studying the information about the boy. "He's ten years old and he's scary?" Mikan questioned and continued to study the information within the small file.
"The nurses implied it, but maybe you'll see him in a different way," Narumi said. "Maybe he'll be more cooperative because he hasn't had company for a couple of days. Good luck, Mikan-chan."
Mikan nodded and headed towards Room 134, Youichi's room. She had absolute confidence that she'll get something from Youichi. With a clipboard by her side, she strutted towards Youichi's room, ignoring the people around her.
Sumire then came running up to her, frustrated and annoyed. "That Koko!" she yelled. "He's been irritating me all day! Sakura!" Sumire poked Mikan's shoulder, catching her attention. "Yousaid Koko liked Anna but he said he didn't!"
Mikan quirked an eyebrow. She was certain that Kokoroyomi liked Anna; there's no way he doesn't! He was looking at the pink-haired girl for hours, but now Sumire's saying he doesn't! That makes no flippin' raccoon sense!
A quiet sighed escaped Mikan's parted lips and said, "Did he show any reaction when you said he liked Anna-chan?"
Sumire narrowed her eyes at her and yelled, "No! Not even a twinge of pink was on his face! No stuttering, no nothing!!" Sumire threw her arms in the air, as if she was saying she had enough. "How did you find out that Koko liked her? Huh??"
Sumire leaned closer and closer to Mikan, steam coming from her ears. Mikan bent her back to lower herself and replied, "I said I found him staring at her yesterday, but I think he's lying."
"To who? You or me?" Sumire asked and placed her hands on her hips. "'Cause I swear to God, if he lied to me, I'm going to kill the twerp tomorrow."
Mikan shrugged and said, "Maybe tomorrow we'll find out. It took us a while for him to open up to us. I don't think he'll open up thatmuch to us just yet." Mikan sent out a soft smile. "We'll see..."
"So, how was Aoi?" Sumire asked. She walked to the wall and leaned her body against it. "Did she still send off that lost and lonely dazed look?"
Mikan turned her head quickly and replied, "She said, 'Onii-chan' and glanced at me."
"She had an older brother?" Sumire asked and her eyes widened. "And she glanced at you?"
Mikan nodded and said, "Her eyes looked so sad. Something bad must have happened to her older brother. Maybe she'll tell me tomorrow."
"If you get to see her tomorrow," Sumire said doubtingly.
"I will!" Mikan exclaimed, her fist raised in the air. "I'll even talk to Narumi-sensei if I'm not assigned to see her tomorrow!"
Sumire shrugged her shoulders at Mikan and turned away. "Whatever you say, Sakura," with that, Sumire walked the other direction without another peep or glance. Mikan took her leave, ignoring the doubts Sumire has been throwing recently. She must be depressed or something...
Mikan hitched her clipboard closer to her chest and marched along to Youichi's room. She lost some time with him because she was rudelyinterrupted by Sumire but she threw that thought away and continued her way without a care in the world.
"Onii-chan..." Mikan remembered Aoi's word. It still stung her heart to see such an innocent girl to be hurting in such a harsh way. Mikan sighed quietly and whispered, "I hope everything goes okay with Aoi-chan. I know we'll see her better. I just know it."
A/N: Why do all my stories seem rushed?! I ought smack myself for doing things like this... I mean, the stories I used to write way back weren't rushed. Actually, they were a bit too detailed that it was boring. I guess I was telling myself to make it not so detailed that I made it rushed.
Now I should tell myself to make it boring. As in, make it long and detailed.
Pfft! This chapter wasn't as long as I wanted to be. OK, enough ranting... I hope you enjoyed this story and I'll get Natsume in the next chapter. I promise. Smack me if you don't see him in the next chapter. Yes, smack me with a metal bat. --Not now, I didn't do anything wrong. D8
- Etsuko O. Daikama