Through the Garden Gates
It was a wonderful sunny day. She could feel the warmth given by the sun through her almost translucent skin as she walked through the seemed to be never-ending road. She could see some children laughing and playing. Some people biking, some others preferred hiking. It was certainly a very good morning to start your day that way.
She turned around the corner and was surprised to see a pathway that she never passed before. She thought she knew all pathways, but this one proved her otherwise. Curious, she decided to walk on that road.
All houses are surprisingly beautifully built. The ones found on their street are just plain, and nothing compared to the ones found here. They seemed to have been designed by the same architect. Almost all houses have some resemblance to each other, whether it's the structure of the terraces, or the structure of the windows. Besides those, all have the same theme. They seemed to have been built by the earlier times, yet still giving an aura of modernism. All houses are either of Gothic or Baroque Architecture.
She always loved the antique. And just a chance of being able to see these houses was like a bonus to her.
But even with the similarity, a single house stood out from the rest. Not only it was the tallest, but it also seemed to be the oldest of them all. The house is enigmatic in her eyes. It has a black, tall gate which still lets you see what's inside, and beside it was a wall covered with vines. All she could see is green. She couldn't even see the stone beneath all of it.
With that musing, she reached out her hand to touch the wall, and found herself hearing some creaking.
She had entered a new place, hidden behind the walls of that illusive and magnificent looking house.
It was breathtaking. Flowers of different kinds are seen everywhere.--Honeysuckles, Tulips, Freesias, Azaleas, Hyacinths, Wisterias, and Magnolias. There's a small pond found beneath a bridge. It was like a painting--colorful and detailed. And soon, she found herself captured by the enchanting beauty.
Little did she know, there was someone observing her, hiding beneath the shadows.
--
She has grown attached to the place that she found herself visiting everyday, after school. There, she found serenity and bliss that she never experienced at her house—it could never be called a home. Never.
She did all her home works there. Sitting beneath a sycamore tree that was planted near magnolias, she was able have some concentration and soon, all of her tasks are finished. And she noticed, it was already dusk.
"Damn! Time flies so fast, I haven't cooked dinner yet! My dad will definitely kill me this time for not being able to." And so she hurried, she grabbed her bag and ran.
As soon as she was out of sight, the man that has been observing her all this time showed up and sat beneath the tree that she had sat before she left.
And he saw a rectangular card with a lace. He picked it up and observed it.
"Sakura Mikan."
And as he said that name, he found his lips curving up a little, involuntarily.
--
She decided to go to that place again. For right now, what she would like was only some fresh air and a tranquil atmosphere that will soothe her senses. It is now five in the afternoon, and the warmth of the sun didn't reflect her mood at the moment. She is frustrated—at herself, at the lamppost, at the bench, at her neighbor's cat that purrs so loud, at the dog that barks and fights with the said cat, at the rock she's stepping on, at the fruitless tree, at everything. Her mother and she underwent a fight again. What the reason was, she forgot, but she was sure it's just a small one. That's the problem with the relationship with her mother. They always fight over the small things and end up making it bigger. She didn't know why she ended up being frustrated at her surroundings too, maybe because she was really on a bad mood, who knows? Who cares?
But as she entered the place, she found herself relaxing a bit. And this time, she decided to walk around the place.
"Hey." A male voice called. Panicking, she started to think of excuses and lies of why she was there.
"I-I'm sorry! I-I-" she was lost in words; she didn't know what to say. Saying she was nervous right now was certainly an understatement.
"The flowers are beautiful right?"
"Wha—yes, they are beautiful. Very beautiful." She was confused—of why did the man in front of her was not angry she was here, of why he is trying to converse and befriend her, and of why she was responding to him.
Soon, there were already beneath the sycamore tree around magnolias. When did they get there, she didn't know. All that she know was she was here, talking to a complete stranger who makes her feel like he's an old friend of hers.
"Hm. So you are studying at Gakuen Alice too?" she asked.
"Yes."
There was a pregnant pause between the two. She didn't know what to say now because he was always the one opening a topic. Then she remembered—she didn't know his name yet, and haven't apologized to her trespassing yet.
"Hm. Mister—
"Natsume."
"Natsume, I-I am sorry for trespassing, I—"
"Don't mention it. I don't mind."
And with that statement, she found her eyes softening up a bit.
"Oh! It's already quarter to six, I have to hurry and go home! I'm sorry Mister Natsume, I have to go."
"It's okay, Miss Mikan."
"H-How?"
"Here." As if answering her question, he handed her the school ID that she left the day before."
"Oh. Thank you, I thought I lost it somewhere else."
She was nearing the gate. She was already about to close the door when.
"Miss Mikan."
"Hm?"
"Will you…come back again tomorrow?"
"Sure."
And the door closed.
The lad found his lips curving up a bit at that reply.
And on the other hand, the lass at the other side, has found herself smiling—a genuine smile that has somehow been able to return to her features again.
"Run where you'll be safe, through the garden gates, to the shelter of magnolias. There's not much time, the blush in the sky begins to fade."
--
A/N: The excerpt is from the lyrics of the song magnolia by the hush sound. :D The plot is somewhat cliche i know, and i apologize. Sorry.