A/N: Totally an original fic, a spinoff of my story Pretties, with Michiko? Yeah. Her pigtails have polarbear charms, and there's a very special one…his name is Franklin and he's frickin awesome.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURIE!!
A lone polar bear wandered the streets of New York, confused and lost and a little pissed off. It had been in the zoo, happy, and about to enjoy the benefits of the zoo's 50th Anniversary party (so many people dropping so much food into his cage…mmmmm…) when the penguins had opened the doors to all the cages and let everyone out. The polar bears had been left of out the rush, because the lion had been about to choke the zebra, but the others had wandered back and allowed themselves to be caught and shipped back to Alaska, where they were now living in the wild. But this polar bear had been caught after their flight had left, and so he'd stayed behind, lost and alone in New York City. He hadn't eaten in a while, and was very near dying of hunger.
Upset, the polar bear crawled into the depths of a patch of trees in Central Park and allowed itself to lay down. Slowly, it's eyes closed. Was that footsteps? No, it couldn't have been…
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Six-year-old Michiko was alone. Her parents had had another fight, and she'd left the house in a fit. But now, she was doubting the intelligence of her actions. She'd only grabbed her winter coat, which had only ten dollars in the pocket. That, and a lint-covered cherry lollipop that tasted like cold medicine. Ick.
So now, she carefully walked along the streets, tears streaming down her face. She was alone now. She wasn't going back, she knew that. That would be too much. Suddenly, a car pulled up in front of her. She wiped her eyes as a man wound down the window.
"Daddy…?" she asked, hugging her arms close to herself. She smiled shyly. He cared! He cared! He'd come for her, he'd found her! He cared!
Then the man spoke. "Sure, you could say that…" His voice was high and irritating, but still menacing enough.
"DADDY!" Michiko screeched. She burst out into tears again as she sunk into the snow-covered street on her knees. Then she heard a click and looked up. A gun. It was aimed at her. No. No. No.
Michiko wiped her eyes and stood up. "No," she said, still crying. "Daddy! Daddy will save me. Daddy, please…" She started crying even harder.
The man snorted. "Daddy isn't going to save you. Now get in the car or else…" He cocked the gun.
One word ran through her six-year-old mind: Run. She wasn't old enough to know if he was bluffing or not, but she was old enough to sense danger in his movements.
He began opening the door, slowly and with the gun still aimed at her head. "Get in."
"NO!" she shrieked, and began to run as fast as her tiny little legs would go. She cried as she ran, somehow knowing stopping to cry was not an option. She ran into the deep, dark trees of Central Park, knowing somehow that the car couldn't follow her into the park. Finally, she dropped down and cried.
When the tears dried, she glanced up. For the first time, she noticed the quiet grumble of a snore. She sniffled one last time before she crawled towards the noise on her hands and knees. If it was a homeless person, she would beg to join him or her because she needed help. If it was an animal…Well, she wasn't sure what to do.
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The polar bear lifted its head. There was silence, except for the sound of a person. They sounded upset, from the way they were heaving. I should help, the bear thought to itself. But before it could do anything, a little girl entered the small clearing only a few feet away from the bear…
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It was an animal, of course. A large, white bear. A polar bear, she remembered her mother once telling her. It was only a cub, she realized, because it was so small and cute. It yawned at her, and she gasped with delight. She clasped her hands together and rushed towards it. Carefully, she curled up next to it and held out her hand. She wasn't sure if the bear would bite her or sniff her, but she kind of didn't care.
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The polar bear inspected her. She wore a small white skirt and looked timid as she stepped forward before she suddenly flung herself at the bear. At first, he tensed, thinking she was attaking, but then realizing he was being…hugged. The girl was whispering in his ear, holding out her hand for him to sniff. He did so, and the bear found nothing harmful about her scent. So he let her cuddle against his side. Sighing, the bear quickly realized she was falling asleep, but not before she whispered one last thing in his ear.
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"You're alone?" Michiko asked it, running her hand through its soft, white, thick fur. "I am too. That's okay. We'll be friends, okay?" She smiled through the tears that were slowly dying on her cheeks.
The bear hummed quietly, a quiet little growl that rumbled its throat. She paused, wondering if that was good or not, before she continued petting the bear.
"I think we're going to be best friends," Michiko whispered. Then she smiled.
"I'll call you Franklin."
A/N: Well. This was supposed to be more comedy, but it came out more mushy-cute. Ugh! Oh well. Happy Birthday, Laurie! Sorry I'm posting it so LATE!