Summary: Usually, when girls hear "Arranged Marriage", one would normally have the notion to "Marry for Love". But in Mikan Sakura's case, in order to give her most important person the piece of mind before his afterlife, She took matters in her own hands and had herself "Arranged for Marriage". "Let's get you an Omiai"
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Higuchi Tachibana-sensei.
Terms to follow:
-Bento- (lunch box)is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine.
-Gōkon- is a group blind date, typically used to form at least some friendships between two groups that are each of a single sex.
-Miai/Omiai- ("Matchmaking", lit. "Looking at one another") A Japanese traditional custom in which unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider a possibility in marriage.
They say "Time flies when you're having fun".
How accurate that phrase may be but as of this moment, that phrase contradicts this very situation. It would have seem that time was teasing her. She values education, alright. What right person wouldn't want to get set for life ahead? But when your mind wanders off towards a different place, absorbing any information your instructor has given may be deemed as difficult.
Her eyes wander from the teacher delivering the lesson on the blackboard to the wall clock plastered above it. With a hand placed on her cheek, the other hand on the desk taps along the rhythm of the clock.
'Only 3 minutes left' her mind chants and her countdown starts. When the minute hand of the clock finally reached twelve, school chimes began to sound indicating the end of school.
"Class ends now. We'll continue tomorrow." Her teacher announced. She immediately tidied up her belongings. Before she could sprint out the door, a bubbly voice called out to her.
"Mikan-chan!" two girls came up to her, one with pink hair and the other blue.
"Nonoko-chan, Anna-chan, what is it?" She asked. The pink haired girl gave out a plastic bag full of oranges to Mikan.
"This is for your grandpa. My relatives sent a whole box of oranges and I figured to give some to you." She said with a smile.
"Thank you Anna. I'm sure grandpa would love these." She smiled back
"Sorry we can't go with you very often, Mikan. Club activities are hectic these days." The blue haired girl said
"It's perfectly fine guys! I appreciate you worrying about him as it is. You can visit any time you want when you have free time. Ah! Thanks again for the oranges Anna. I'm sorry I'm in a hurry but I have to go." She sprinted and waved at them from afar. They waved back.
He stared outside his window in a daze. Though the sky gave out a feeling of peace, his heart can't seem to shake off some sort of distress. Age had certainly caught up with him. It was definitely evident in his eyes that he was very tired. In his hand was an old picture of a couple with a toddler with them. He took his time studying the picture. Tracing his fingers on the couple's faces and then eventually staring at the toddler with big hazel eyes and hair with the shade of brown. As he stared more at the picture, his face acquainted itself with sadness.
"You youngsters had just had to go there first." He mumbled.
He closed his eyes and for a brief moment, offering a silent message. A knock on his door interrupted his trance.
"Grandpa, your lovely granddaughter has arrived!" She chirped and made her way to her grandfathers side.
"Goodness child, you are always full of energy." Her grandfather smiled weakly.
"I hear it's contagious, hope you get caught in it." She joked and her grandfather chuckled. He noticed she was carrying a plastic bag.
"What's in that bag?" he asked. She clapped her hands together.
"Ah! I almost forgot!" She took the plastic and grabbed an orange. "They're oranges, from Anna-chan. She gave me some to give to you grandpa, isn't that great? I'll peel some for you right now." She scurried off her seat and grabbed a garbage can putting the peeled orange skin on the trash.
"These will be good for your health, rich with vitamin c..." She started
"Mikan..." her grandpa began
"...I wonder if this tastes better if I juiced it..." She continued
"Mikan..." her grandpa attempted again
"...okay! The next time I come, I'll juice some for you grandpa! Now, eat this orange!" She exclaimed and turned to give him the peeled orange.
"..." he just stared at her
"Did you say something grandpa?" She blinked. Her grandfather sighed and took the peeled orange from her hands.
"Can you take me outside for a moment? I think I may need to breathe a little fresh air." he smiled
"Oh, sure." She said. She got a wheel chair and hoister her grandfather up carefully. She led them out of the room and proceeded to go to the hospital's garden
The atmosphere at the garden was serene. Mikan parked wheel chair under a the shade of a Sakura tree where there was a bench under it as well for her to sit. Her grandfather took a deep breath and allowed himself to relax for a bit. In actuality, he was preparing for a speech in his mind to grasp the starting of his sentence.
"The sun is so refreshing isn't it grandpa?" She smiled as she looked at the sky.
"..."
When she heard no response, she brought her attention towards her grandfather.
"Grandpa?"/"Mikan" She shut her mouth when her grandfather addressed her. "Yeah?" She replied
"Tell me, do you have a boyfriend?" he asked her with a straight face. I guess that was what he decided to start from. Mikan chuckled nervously
"Ahahahaha, what nonsense are you suddenly spouting out grandpa." She said
"Come on, child. It's not that often I ask about these things, so give your grandpa a bit of talk." he said. Mikan looked at her grandfather's face that really looked like he wants to know.
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" She blushed embarrassingly.
"Can't your grandpa pry a little bit to his granddaughters love life?" he asked
"No, you absolutely can't." She turned her head away. When her grandfather was silent, she took a peek at him and saw that he definitely wanted some answers. She sighed.
"...There's none at this moment, alright?" She said
"How can that be possible? Isn't this age where all you young girls usually go lovey-dovey with partners? My grandchild is too beautiful to not have boyfriend, an admirer at least! Come on child tell me the truth. Grandpa won't get mad." he said
"But I am telling you the truth grandpa. Really! I'm busy with my part-time job and studying for my scholarship, I really don't have time for a relationship right now." When she said those words, she noticed that her grandfather's face had fallen.
"What's wrong grandpa?" she said with worry and sat across her grandfather on her feet. Putting her hands on her grandfather's lap and looking up towards him.
"Mikan...I'm sorry I couldn't give a life that of a normal girl should have. Because of this old man's frail body, you have to work for your own means because my insurance isn't enough for both our livelihood..." he started.
"Grandpa don't say tha-" She got cut off
"...and now, I am even more of a burden because I got myself sick, I can't even provide you with nice clothes and pay your tuition like all the other children..." She noticed that her grandfather was sniffing. Tears suddenly formed in his eyes.
"No! It's not like that at all!" She said. Own tears forming on her eyes. She couldn't bare see her grandfather blaming himself for her misfortune. She didn't care that she couldn't live like those other kids with normal families. Even though she didn't have parents, she was content of what she had. Her grandfather was enough for her.
"Mikan -sniff-, please hear out this old man's request." He said, he cupped her granddaughters cheek
"Grandpa, please don't go sentimental on me." She replied as she held the hand on her cheek.
"I only have one wish before I die..."
"Grandpa! Stop saying things like that! You're not going to die! You only had a mild heart attack and the doctors even said that with constant rest and exercise you'll be better. You're even discharged on Wednesday!" She nearly shouted now. She didn't like where this was going. If possible, she didn't even want to hear any talk about her grandfather dying. He was her only family left. Why was he spouting out nonsense?
"Here me out child, just this once please." He pleaded
"I don't want to." She said stubbornly, her head turning away from him as tears were cascading down her cheek. Her grandfather wiped his own tears before wiping her own.
"Even if you don't want to listen, I still want to talk." He said. He coughed for a brief second causing her to turn her head with worry. "Grandpa-" her grandfather silenced her with a hand before clearing his throat. He allowed himself to breathe deeply before talking.
"Mikan, let's face reality for a moment..." She sniffled, but nodded her head and indicated that she was ready to listen. "I may have gotten lucky with my attack but anytime sooner, it may come back."
"I-" She was about to comment but he shushed her again. "Let me finish." he said sniffing,
" I have taken care of you ever since your parents died. That time, I may have the energy of middle aged man but now as years passed, I may not be the same grandpa that has taken care of you. I'm not getting any younger Mikan and what I fear the most than dying..." he paused and she waited for him to finish before spouting out any other comments.
"...is leaving this world without any assurance of your future." He braced "Grandpa, I don't want to hear anymore." She shook her head
"Therefore Mikan, I want to request something of you." he heard no response from her so he decided to continue.
"Please assure this old man that before he dies...you will find someone to take care of you." He hugged her. "Can you promise grandpa that?"
"I will grandpa. I promise." she hugged him back.
"What did you just say?" A green-haired girl with perms raised her brow at Mikan. At lunch time at school, Mikan and her friends usually have their lunch outside the school courtyard. Her friends present were namely Anna Umenomiya, Nonoko Ogasuwara, Sumire Shouda and Hotaru Imai. (We previously met Anna and Nonoko who were Mikan's classmates but Sumire and Hotaru comes from a different class."
"You heard what I just said, Permy" Mikan said popping a sausage on her mouth as she ate her bento calmly.
"I had to double-check whether I heard right, and don't call me Permy! It's just unusual for us to hear you say that you want to go to a gōkon" her friend, Sumire, said nonchalantly. In their group, Sumire has the most experience in group dates. She was the type of person to go all out in the conquest of love. If you have any questions in latest trends, fashion and relationships, Sumire was the expert in this field.
"Yeah, Mikan-chan. Why do you suddenly want to go to gōkon?" Nonoko asked
"Finally decided to join this era, eh?" Sumire chirped in.
Mikan sighed "No, it's not like that at all."
"Okay, convince me why I'm should to set you up in a group date. I know always-busy-to-date-Sakura Mikan must have some juicy details why she's in need of a boyfriend. You owe me a lot of ditched gōkons, so give me a good reason you won't back out this time. "She looked at her friends who was staring at her, minus Hotaru Imai who enjoying crab brains on her bento.
"Actually..."
Mikan explained to her friends the emotional breakdown her grandfather had on her yesterday. She seriously thought about it and knew that her grandfather was right. More than anyone in this world, Mikan loved her grandfather the most and having the thought that he might die soon disarrayed her emotions.
"I don't even care if I don't marry for love. All I care about is grandfather's smile and the peace of mind he gets before going to the afterlife, which I hope won't be too soon before I find someone." She said. Her friends gaped at her.
"Wow Mikan-chan, that's very gutsy of you. I don't know if I could ever marry without love." Anna-chan said.
"My love for my grandpa outweighs all the love those men could give out there." She said
"Your grandfather's not getting any younger Mikan, and we don't know when he will take his last breath." Hotaru started.
"Normally, when a person even considers marriage, vast amount of time is needed to get to know the person you want to marry. That's why dating was invented."
"I know that. That's why I said it's alright if it's not a marriage based on love. If I don't like him, I'd just divorce him after I send of grandpa happily."
"It may be okay for you but is it fine for the other party? How sure are you that the other party wants to marry you right away without even a spec of time getting to know you. Usually a guy wants to apprehend what he's marrying himself into." Hotaru said with a straight tone
"That may be true..." She looked down "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Well a gōkon certainly isn't what you need on your situation." Sumire said. "You'd be scaring the guy away when you mention marriage. Heck, half the guys our age aren't even into commitment!" she exclaimed.
"Then what would you guys suggest I do?" she said
"Do you really want to do this? Your youth would be such a waste settling down at this age." Sumire asked
"I've thought over it carefully..." She said with a soft tone. "For grandpa, I'd do anything. Even sacrificing my own happiness." her friends fell in silence. Hotaru got up from where she seated and came next to Mikan. She bonked her head lightly
"If that is what you decide then we'll support your decision. Idiot" She said and softly smiled at her. Her other friends came around her and hugged her as well. Well, Anna and Nonoko hugged her, Sumire patted her head. She smiled at them sincerely.
"Thanks guys. Well, now as you said, a gōkon surely isn't the path for me. So, you guys have anything in mind?" She noticed a smirk on Hotaru's lips.
"Well idiot, let's get you an Omiai"
Dun Dun Dun...
Wow, did I actually write that? Hehe, I was randomly thinking plots around my head when I came across the word Omiai. Then I said to myself, "Why don't I write a story of an arrange marriage that Mikan herself wanted to get arranged to?"
Usually, Fics with arrange marriages comes with a Mikan who is stubborn and goes out with "I'll marry for love!" notion. I'll twist mine a bit ;)
I wonder if this plot is stupid so please give me reviews if you liked this chapter or not. Then maybe I could have inspiration to write more. Thank you very much :)
P.S Tell me who you want as possible marriage candidates for our brunette. Other than Natsume. I mean, he should have atleast competition right?
Sincerely,
L.S.K