CREDITS: Story adopted from my dear friend Katherine Kalissa Amara who has decided to quit FF for personal reasons. FYI I'll be revising the story so expect it to be slightly different.

DISCLAIMERS: Are we still doing this? LoL. You all know who created the manga/anime and if it were me, I wouldn't be on this site to begin with. LoL. XD

Enjoy!

DEDICATED to: Katherine Kalissa Amara

xoxo Lexi1989

PROBABILITY

PROLOGUE: THE DAY

"You're up early today." The voice from across the room startled her. She was still shaking off the cobwebs of slumber. The comment wasn't unwarranted though, as she was never known to be punctual.

"Weird, right?" She said with a soft smile as she stumbled to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

"I suppose it's understandable, given today is the day." She padded back to the room after her morning ritual and poured herself a cup of coffee before joining her best friend on the balcony of the expensive hotel room.

She sat down with both feet propped on the edge of the wicker chair and held up the cup of coffee, the aroma waking up her senses and the slight hint of caramel making her look forward to her first sip. She sighed in satisfaction as the taste lingered in her mouth before taking in the view before them.

The sun was slowly rising, lifting the blanket of darkness from the sky and filling it with soft hues of pinks and orange beyond the mountains. She let her mind wander to the events leading up to this day. Her wedding day.

"You're unusually quiet." There was an unexpected softness in the lavender eyes that studied her. It was a rare sight to behold for on normal days, they would be either cold and uncaring, or fierce when angry.

"I was just thinking…" She looked up at a flock of seagulls that passed by noisily before continuing. "Am I doing the right thing?" Her question was met by another question.

"Are you getting cold feet?" The soft look was gone, replaced by narrowed slits observing her every move. She fidgeted in her seat and lowered her feet on the cool tiles.

"I don't know Hotaru." She fought back the urge to cry. "I'm scared." It took just one look from her for her best friend to understand what she meant.

"Stupid. You're overreacting. He loves you." The weight of the words appeased her but just a little.

"I know, I know." She waved her hand haphazardly in the air as if trying to ward off the cloud of gloom surrounding her on what was to be her most special day.

"Then why these thoughts?"

"I don't know if I can go through with this…" She mumbled.

"Why wait until now to decide that you can't do it when we're at the last stretch? When all you have to do is sit in front of the mirror in five hours and have the make-up guy and the hair stylist do all the work for you then walk down the aisle and say your vows? Why only now?" Hotaru's voice was still calm and collected however her eyes followed Mikan's every move.

The slender brunette stood up and leaned on the balcony's railing. She closed her eyes and took in a big breath of air. She listened to the sound of the waves crashing on the sand, the faraway cries of the seagulls. From their spot on the balcony, she could see the wedding venue on the beach being prepared by staff from the hotel. She closed her eyes again, trying to dispel a different image from her mind.

She was standing in a short, plain white sundress carrying a bouquet of cherry blossoms. She let her long hair down, adorned with a makeshift veil, sewn by one of her good friends onto a plain white hairband and covered with a crown of cherry blossoms.

She had been scared of the symbolism that the cherry blossoms brought at first. They were thought to be an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life. She wasn't superstitious per se, but she was young and easily swayed. She said as much to her fiancée, days before their wedding and he had teased her for it.

"I won't ever leave you." He promised as he kissed her before leaving. They were getting married in three days and her friends had demanded they not see each other until the wedding day.

They were fresh out of college. He, a business economics major and she, an arts major. She loved to paint and had pursued his passion, while he had enrolled in preparation of taking over his father's company.

They met when they were 18. Freshmen. The morning had started off sunny, and he, being bored, took shelter on a branch of the biggest Sakura tree on campus grounds. She had just gotten off her first art class and was scouting for a quiet place where she could draw and paint. She'd wandered off the beaten path that the students were used to following and found the tree by accident. He confronted her shortly after, having been awoken by the sweet sound of her humming softly. He was still immature then, for he could not admit directly that he liked the pretty brunette girl that was humming slightly off-tune. So he would resort to teasing her, calling her names like ugly or flat-chested, to get her to notice him.

Their banter soon became the topic of their friends. Bets were wagered about if they were to end up together. Nobody could deny the chemistry both of them had. And the probability of them not ending up together was quite low. Only their respective best friends bet against them ending up together.

As time progressed, banters turned to innuendos and flirty exchanges until neither could deny how they felt for one another. He was delivering his magna cum laude speech during graduation when he finally declared his love for her, much to the dismay of his parents.

"For some, graduation is considered an end point. But for me, it is just a beginning. We've passed one stage of life and now we're ready to start another. I'm thankful to everyone, our parents, for sending us to school, our teachers, for passing on to us the valuable knowledge we have obtained in order to succeed in life. I'm thankful for my friends, who have been my companions during the late night cram sessions and I'm thankful for the opportunity to do this."

She had been hanging on to his every word and watching him where she sat. She was seated in a different section, in front of the stage with the classmates from her program. He walked towards her and knelt in front of her on one knee. The auditorium was filled with gasps and cheers as he took out a ring box from the inner pocket of his suit underneath his toga and opened it in front of her. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth as she looked at it with wide eyes.

"Mikan Sakura…Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?" His eyes were shining bright with hope and she was so stunned that she could only nod as tears of joy fell down her cheeks.

He slipped the ring on her finger, and gave out a whoop of celebration as they received claps on the back from wellwishers.

Their celebration that night was cut short when he received a call from his father. He was being asked to choose for his future. They had wanted him to marry someone well off and within their social circle and she was neither of the two. She was an orphan, raised by her grandfather, and was granted an education via a state scholarship. He chose her and they cut him off.

"We'll get through this as long as we're together Mikan." He'd said, holding her hand tightly in his and she had agreed. He was smart and cunning and she was sure he'd be able to land a job soon. They could find a small apartment to live in and eat ramen noodles while they were trying to get by. She could paint and sell the paintings to help him with the bills. There were a lot of possibilities. Their story was still starting, and she trusted him with her life.

He wanted to get married right away, so they arranged for a civil wedding.

She felt giddy and excited as she sat in the waiting room with a handful of girlfriends. He was in a separate room with his friends and they were waiting to be called. He'd insisted they not see each other until the wedding day and he stayed over at his best friends' place while she stayed with hers.

"Hotaru you owe us each ten bucks." Anna and Sumire teased the lavender eyed young woman who sat stoically on the hard courtroom bench.

"Nope. It isn't over until they say their vows." Hotaru whispered quietly, making sure that Mikan didn't hear.

She remembered standing in front of the oak doors of the courtroom office with Hotaru by her side. It was far from how she imagined her wedding to be, in all means possible, but she was going to marry the person she loved the most and that was what mattered.

As she walked into the office, veil covering her face, looking at the person she loved with all her heart waiting for her at the end of the makeshift aisle, she felt like her heart would burst. He looked dashing and grown up in his suit and tie, and as he turned to look at her he gave her the smile reserved only for her. The one that would make her knees quiver and her heart melt. Their vows were short and sweet and after an hour, sealed with a kiss, they were officially wed.

Their reception was held at a nearby pizza joint and amidst the laughter and toasts of cheap beer he held her hand throughout the whole night. He surprised her that night by blindfolding her as they got into the cab and covering her ears when he told the driver where to go. When they reached their destination, he paid the cab, and led her through a building. She knew it was a building when she heard the elevator chimes and felt the soft churning of her insides as the elevator moved. He only let go of her hand when he took out the keys from his front pocket.

"What are you doing?" She felt herself being lifted off her feet as his strong arms were placed under her knees and the other supporting her back.

"Take the blindfold off." She did as she was told and blinked under the fluorescent lights that illuminated the hallway. There were a number of doors and he was standing in front of an open one.

"I'm carrying you over the threshold of our new apartment." He grinned as she squirmed in his hold.

He didn't tell her right away but he had landed an entry level job for a corporate firm that was a rival of his father's. He had been job scouting the past three days and landed the job. He was offered a fair annual salary and a signing bonus which he used to pay for the apartment's security deposit and advance. He went and bought some basic furniture with the remainder of the money and with his friends' help, spruced the place up before the wedding day.

Needless to say, Mikan was ecstatic and had many crafty D.I.Y. ideas already running through her mind.

"This is amazing. You sly fox!" She hit him playfully on the shoulder as she walked around the small space. The apartment had one bedroom, a bathroom that had a glass encased shower, toilet and sink, a small kitchen nook with space for a small dining table and a little bit of left over space to fit in a couch and coffee table.

"We can go antiquing on the weekends when you're not working. Or go through the 5th avenue thrift shops. I can make some stuff to make this place home." Mikan declared looking at him with bright eyes.

He took the few steps to shorten the distance separating them both and wrapped his arms around her, capturing her lips with a passionate kiss.

"But first…" He murmured huskily as his hands roamed her body. She blushed profusely as he once again carried her into the bedroom to consummate their marriage.

She shivered at the thought, despite the sunlight bringing warmth to everything around her. Her cup of coffee was sitting on the small table on the balcony, getting colder by the minute and eventually forgotten.

A FEW HOURS LATER

"Mikan sit still." Sumire growled from behind the fidgeting brunette, placing her hands firmly on Mikan's shoulders to steady her.

"Anna needs to finish your hair before I can put on your make-up. We're already behind schedule!"

Mikan rolled her eyes. She rued the day she agreed to have Sumire coordinate her wedding. She'd promised Sumire back then that the day she got married, the trendy green haired vixen would get to plan everything, although Mikan and her husband-to-be would have veto powers on certain things. She recalled how overjoyed Sumire had been when she called her. Her eardrum was nearly busted due to the ear piercing shriek Sumire had let out upon learning that she would get to do Mikan's wedding.

"How are you my lovelies?" They all turned towards the familiar sing-song voice and came face to face with their former Arts Program Head Narumi L. Anju.

"Why are you here?" Sumire narrowed her eyes at the intruder.

"Because I invited him. He's walking me down the aisle." The bride-to-be was quick to defend the newcomer who smiled sheepishly.

"Mikan! I told you to tell me about this stuff ahead of time. This will cause havoc with our seating arrangements!" Sumire took on the appearance of a whiny little child complaining to her mother.

"Sumi, There's only less than fifty people on the guest list. I'm sure we can manage to scrape up an extra chair and seat Narumi-sensei at our table." Despite the fact that Sumire's patience was wearing thin, she knew it was a taboo to go against the bride's wishes on her special day. She wasn't about to break rule #1 when it comes to weddings. The bride would always get what she wanted.

She went into coordinator mode and managed to get Narumi's seating arranged. Then she went to work with Anna and Mikan's make-up. Hotaru showed up after, already dressed in her maid-of-honor's gown and donning simple make-up. They assisted Mikan with her ballgown dress before standing up to appreciate their work.

"You look gorgeous dear." Narumi placed his hand on Mikan's shoulder in a fatherly fashion. Since Mikan's grandfather had died, he had stood in his place as a father figure and guided Mikan even after she'd graduated.

"Can I have a moment alone with Narumi please?"

Sumire quickly ushered the photographer's staff, Anna and Hotaru out of the room, reminding them the ceremony would start in ten minutes and closed the door behind her.

Mikan stood staring at her reflection in the mirror. She could barely recognize herself. All she could see was a beautiful stranger with her hair in an elegant updo, wearing a gorgeous Vera Wang creation, and a veil partially covering her face. She turned towards her mentor.

Narumi looked at her with a worried frown. Mikan was a fairly easy person to read but this time, he didn't have the slightest idea of what was going on in her mind.

"Narumi, I –" He observed her with his amethyst eyes, waiting for her to continue. She started pacing and he sat on the bed, wrinkling the pristine duvet.

"I can't do this." The words came out in one short breath.

The silence was insurmountable before he began to speak. His eyes expressing he knew even before she said anything.

"Why not? That's so not like you, Mikan-chan." He said in a gentle manner.

"I can't marry him." He patted the spot on the bed beside him, gesturing for her to sit down.

"Don't you love him?"

"I do."

"But?"

"I don't know the 'but'." She said exasperatedly as she sat down.

"Is it because of 'him'?" She gave him an annoyed look and he held up his hands as if he had no choice but to ask.

"Did you really have to bring 'him' up at a time like this?" Mikan twiddled her thumbs together, a habit she had not kicked when she was nervous.

"You started it." He sighed as he looked at the forlorn bride-to-be beside him and put an arm around her.

"I'm scared." She said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"We all get scared, sweetie. Life is uncertain. Sometimes, it's happy. Sometimes, it scares the living shit out of us. It's perfectly okay to be scared. The most important thing to remember is to take the lessons out of the sour times that life deals out and be smarter the second time around."

"Am I doing the right thing, Narumi?"

"Beats me. What you deem is right for you may not be right for me or for anyone else. But my opinion and everybody else's shouldn't matter. I won't be the one living with the man who's going to be standing at the altar waiting for you. He makes you happy. He loves you. He spoils you to death. He wants you to be happy. Does being with him make you happy?" He couldn't help himself. He had to ask for her sake.

"Yes." The answer was both expected and disappointing.

"Then let's get down there and get you down the aisle, okay?" He stood up and offered her his arm. His heart was heavy, but he had made good on his promise to him.

"Okay. Thank you Narumi." He smiled as she took his arm and they proceeded to exit the room where her entourage was waiting.

"The sparrow has flown the coop, cue the pianist." Sumire murmured into her earpiece as they took their places in line and approached the beachfront.

"I'm sorry. ~N"

He stared at the text message on his phone and gulped the remainder of his Scotch on the rocks. He was sitting at the beachside bar, a few meters away from the closed off section of the beach. He wouldn't dare crash her wedding. She deserved to be happy after all that he'd done. He wasn't even supposed to be there, but he felt like he needed to be.

So much needed to be said, but he couldn't find the courage to talk to her now. He had plenty of chances in the past, but for some reason, he had strayed. And now he was paying the price.

He looked at his rival, his dark hair ruffled by the wind as he stood at the altar facing the beach with his best friend next to him. He watched as the groom-to-be eagerly awaited her arrival. The music could be heard faintly, brought about by the ocean breeze. It was a far cry from when they were married. She'd always said she wanted to get married by the beach. And she was getting what she wanted, except it wasn't he who could give her that.

He lifted his sunglasses off the bridge of his nose to get a better look at her. An ethereal vision in white. His heart was weighed down with all of his regrets.

"She's a pretty bride, ain't she?" He turned his head to find the bartender looking in the same direction he was looking at.

"That she is." He wanted to say more. That she was not only beautiful, she was also kind and she was the kind of person one would want to spend the rest of his life with. He kept silent though.

He wanted to run up the beach and go to her. But he knew he couldn't. He could only watch as she took each step farther away from him. He watched as a familiar face walked her down the red carpet laid on the sand. He could only stand and spectate as her groom took her hand and they faced the officiator of the wedding together.

He walked away as the ceremony started. His heart couldn't take it anymore. With each step, he felt a stabbing pain in his heart. Years ago, he'd never thought there would come a time that he would lose her to someone else. The probability of it then was too low.

Now, the probability of her coming back to him was zero. She was never coming back to him.

End of Prologue

So I'm ending my hiatus with a sneak peek of my new story. Well fairly new since this is adopted. Slightly different from the original story so no need to check out the original if you haven't read it.

Who's the groom to be? And who is the onlooker?

Thoughts? Reactions? Suggestions? Let me know via review!

I'll continue with my story cycle for now and insert the next chapter once I've organized my notes on Kath-chan's existing chapters.

story cycle update:

Philophobia - Secrets - Fairie Tales - Starting Over Again - The Scam

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Ja Ne!

xoxo Lexi1989