Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice. All rights and privileges to this brilliant and wonderful Manga belong to Tachibana Higuchi-sensei. So please don't sue me…
Inevitable Destiny
Chapter One: Boy Meets Cripple
"Do you believe in Destiny?"
Every now and then we could always encounter such question, it might sound quite childish but I know there are some people out there who positively believe in it. Not out of curiosity or out of boredom they would just simply believe and hoping for it to be true, maybe for self-satisfaction or self-comfort and maybe just genuinely believing.
The morning sky was quite refreshing to look at, drinking tea or maybe coffee under the vast calm sky would make you feel peaceful and calm and somehow it could also make your day a refreshing start but some would also prefer to do a different routine just like a certain brunette. She was fond of watering the flowers in her balcony watering it with so much delight even the flowers could feel the love of the person who was watering them.
"Mikan, it's time to go." A woman's voice called out, it was loud enough to reach the balcony and quite gentle enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy.
"Okay! I'll be right there in few minutes Mom." Her voice sounded a little sore but you could still recognize the gentleness from it.
"Okay dear, but don't rush just take your time." Her mother said with a worried tone, soon after Mikan was already at her sight she walked hurriedly towards her.
Her mother's action made her frown, "Mom, please I can manage and I'm already used to it already, being on a wheelchair is indeed not easy but hey it doesn't sound so bad I guess I was destined to be on a wheelchair for the rest of my life and it doesn't really bothers me that much." She said with a sweet smile flashed across her face but sadly her trembling voice betrayed her and soon after a couple of teardrops began to fall nonstop.
"Oh honey, please don't say such thing I'm sure that you can walk again so you need to properly attend the rehabilitation program regularly just as the doctor suggested you to do." Yuka tightly hug her daughter who was having a very rough time coping up with her new lifestyle.
Mikan kept on sobbing, she couldn't help it but feel depress and terrified about her new lifestyle. "No matter how much I try to distract myself, no matter what I do, no matter how I try to convince myself that everything would be okay and everything would go back to normal, no matter how I try to think positively. Reality was always one step behind me tapping me on the shoulder and making me look back at it, like it was telling me to stop dreaming and face it that I would never be able to walk again."
"Mikan listen to me, I know that you are in a very difficult situation right now but if you set your heart on a single goal and having a strong will you can walk forward be it on a wheelchair or not everything is up to you on how you face this. Do you understand me Mikan?" Yuka was also trying very hard to cope with Mikan's situation.
But Yuka's words weren't enough, it didn't reach her, Mikan's expression was very transparent and readable she wasn't intending to hide it in the first place. She looked up at the mother and spoke. "You don't need to comfort me and I know myself very well and I'm already convince that the day for me to walk again will never come it will only be a big and silly dream for me."
Yuka frowned on how Mikan was being so negative and making her situation much worse that it's already is and how she manage to give up so easily without having a fight. "Mikan this isn't like you at all, please Mikan help yourself." Yuka pleaded.
"I'm sorry Mom, this was supposed to be a wonderful day but it seems like I have already ruined it before it even started." She muttered with a depressing tone.
"Come on, we should get going since we are almost late and Dr. Hyuuga won't be pleased." Yuka said with a smile.
When they entered the Doctor's Clinic, a man in his mid 30's welcomed them with a genuine smile. "Oh, and here I thought that he wouldn't be pleased but by the looks of it he is very much pleased." Mikan grunted that only Yuka could hear.
Yuka lightly smacked her on the head. "Be polite." She hissed while wearing a smile.
Mikan rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Gee, what a wicked mother."
"Perky as always aren't you Mikan-chan." Dr. Hyuuga chuckled, amused at the bickering sight of her and her mother.
Mikan looked up and flashed a sweet smile. "Thank You for your kind and sarcastic statement as always Dr. Hyuuga."
"You stupid daughter and here I thought that you need some emotional support, that's why I was going easy on you but seeing you so full of yourself I couldn't help but smack your head." Yuka this time was going full force and smacked Mikan on the head.
"That hurts! Who said that I need that emotional support crap? I was half-awake this morning and said those crappy and cheesy lines for my amusement on how you will react. I'm completely fine with or without your help Thank You very much." Mikan blurted with sarcasm.
"So you were only making fun of my seriousness? What a rude daughter; who doesn't appreciate her mother's love." Yuka sighed.
"Mikan-chan, I can see that you and my son have quite a resemblance. I bet both of you could get along very well with each other." Dr. Hyuuga joked; he was fascinated by her expression that could easily change from one expression to the other.
"Doctor, you're saying something gross." Mikan blurted.
"Well, anyway Yuka-san about Mikan-chan condition I would like to talk to you in private so let's have a little chat in my office and Mikan-chan if you want to wander around I could approve of that staying here in the clinic might get a little bit boring." Dr. Hyuuga smiled.
"What the hell was I here for then?" Mikan scowled.
Dr. Hyuuga chuckled, "Oh, you're just here to amuse me." Mikan could hear the assistant nurse and her mother laughing; she pouted and left the clinic with embarrassment.
Mikan kept swearing and cursing in the hallway; frustrated that she was humiliated not aware that there was a person in front of her, clumsy as she was she didn't notice that she have accelerated the speed of her wheelchair and bumped unto the poor soul who might be enduring the pain right now.
Snapping back into reality her face paled and she panicked, "Oh my! I'm so sorry I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?"
He glared at her, she gulped. "Do I look like alright? You're not only crippled but you're also blind at the same time."
A vein popped, "Oh my. Sorry for being a cripple and blind at least I'm not like you who are physically fine yet walk like a godforsaken snail. Next time if you see a cripple on the hallway better walk fast or else she'll bumped to you again." She grunted and went away.
"Oi, where do you think you're going?"
Mikan stopped, looking at the person by the corner of her eyes. "Away from here at least." She hissed and left.
"Yuka-san, I just receive the result of Mikan-chan's x-ray yesterday the broken bones have already healed." Dr. Hyuuga paused.
Yuka's face lightens up, hearing the good news. "Then Dr. Hyuuga will she be able to walk again anytime soon?" her face was full of delight, very pleased that her daughter's suffering will be gone soon.
"But…"
Yuka's face turned pale, something was telling her that there was still more and it wouldn't be a good one. Her intuition was telling her that this would definitely change hers and her daughter's life forever; she kept quite preparing to hear the worst news.
Dr. Hyuuga was observing Yuka's expression, waiting for the right moment to proceed soon he got the hint Yuka was giving, her expression what telling him that she's already prepared for the worst scenario. "Very well, about Mikan-chan's condition…"
Behind the close door Mikan was left speechless, frozen on her tracks; she wanted to get away from there but her hands barely moved an inch, her strength was suddenly drain unable to push the controller, she was like an empty vessel sitting there motionless waiting for a miracle to happen.
The next thing she notice was that she was slowly moving away from the place she wanted to leave, she wanted to know the person that had help her escape from that place. When she looked up a pair of crimson eyes was also looking down at her. She notice him right away, he was the rude person she bumped earlier.
"I don't need your pity." She mumbled.
"Hn, I'm just moving you away because you're blocking the door way." He retorted.
She glared at him but gave up; she was thankful that he helped her move away but pissed because he was still as rude as ever. "Thanks anyway I owe you one."
They took quite a long stroll and made a detour in the nearby park, he left her under the tree shade where he thought she would be comfortable in, and there was also a vacant bench for his convenient, before he took a seat he went to a nearby vending machine and bought a can of juice and cola, returning to her side he handed her the juice.
"Bringing me here – you sure have enough free time, don't you have anything else to do?" Mikan raised a brow, looking at the man sitting beside her.
Sipping the soda from the can he looked at her from the corner of his eyes, "Can't you at least be thankful that I brought you here?" he scowled.
Mikan frowned, "You took me away by your own free will so I don't need to thank you."
"Tch, what a spoiled heiress." He grunted.
Mikan flinch being cautious because he was a stranger yet he knew that she was an heiress, "Who are you?" she hissed.
He looked at her with amusement, "Aren't you aware that you're like a celebrity? Three weeks ago you were all over the news be it in Magazine, Newspaper, and Radio and also on TV "Saving a little boy from being hit by a truck the brave heiress jumps out and took the blow" it was like that."
"Oh, so it was like that." Mikan mumbled.
"So, are you regretting it now?" he asked, curious.
"Hmm? Why would I be regretting in saving the little boy's life?" she raised a brow, puzzled. He blinks awestruck; he wasn't expecting that kind of answer from her. He already visualize that she would probably wept and start regretting but no she was a tough one.
Mikan chuckled, "Everything happened so fast yet I was able to think through about what will happen to me and it didn't matter at all, honestly I do feel bad about my situation right now but I would absolutely feel a hundred times worst if I only watch that kid die before my eyes." She stated. "I hope that kid is doing well."
"Seeing you get hit instead of him? That kid is probably blaming himself right now." He spoke.
Looking at the clear blue sky, Mikan sighed.
"Well, I hope that's not the case." He couldn't think of any nice thing to say or ways to comfort her, he just silently watch her. "– earlier I hear my mother and the Doctor talked about my condition and honestly I was quite surprise not because I heard them talk that I couldn't walk anymore it was because that was the very first time I heard my mother said something very amusing and it touch my heart it even drained all my strength away from me, mother really know best." Droplets of tear came falling out.
"My daughter already knew that she couldn't walk again and she already accepted that it was her fate to be bound on wheelchair for the rest of her life. I also knew that but I was still hoping for a miracle to happen but Mikan she was already fine with it and I couldn't accept it because she was already contented with it, accepting it like a mature grown up woman, it was like I'm seeing my daughter grew up so fast in just a single day and it frustrates me."
Mikan smiled, "I could still remember what Mom told the Doctor, I bet that stupid doctor was left speechless."
"Calling a Doctor stupid doesn't really fit the picture." He raised a brow, looking at her with expressionless gaze.
"Well it doesn't really matter." She chuckled.
He shook his head, "You're hopeless."
"We've been talking for almost an hour but I still haven't got your name." Mikan asks, looking at him with curious eyes.
"Just call me Natsume." Natsume mumbled.
Mikan beamed a sweet smile, "Oh, nice to meet you Natsume and you can call me Mikan."
To Be Continued…
