Whimsical Panda's note: Hello everyone! :) This is an edited and improved version of You and Me: A Devastating Collision. It's been years since I originally posted this, but due to unfortunate circumstances, I left the story hanging. But worry not, for I won't allow that to happen this time! I will not take credit of the fact that some of M. Milburne's books inspired me years ago to come up with this story, so kudos! Also, I would also like to inform you that this story will progress through a third party's point of view. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice is not mine.. And it will never be. *sigh*
Why do I put myself in these situations
I keep pushing myself even though I can't take it at all
- Whoa Oh (Me Vs. Everyone) by Forever the Sickest Kids
Chapter One: Last Resort
The young looking girl's eyes were as big as saucers by now. She clearly wasn't prepared for the most horrific explanation that has been shot to her a moment ago. Glaring in abject horror at the palest pair of sapphire eyes, it stared back as if nothing surprising just made its way. She waited for him to recoil to the endless amount of daggers her orbs has been sending for the past few minutes, but instead, she received a dull yawn. Finally breaking out, she wrinkled her forehead in an insane manner.
"What do you mean you sank his yacht?"
A petulant scowl took up residence on Youichi Sakura's eighteen year old face. He rolled his misty colored eyes as if to signify the woman's idiocy or deafness. Lazily placing his chin upon his soft palm, his arm rested itself on top of his knees while his eyes surveyed his worried sister's face, a mental smirk formed its way. He thought that her face was priceless at the moment. Though under the pretenses, he rolled his eyes. This was a serious situation after all. Well, for his sister, that is. A loud sigh escaped through his marveled lips. Straightening up, he replied in a tone with absolute boredom.
"He deserved that anyway. Big deal. Besides, he's been pretty unfair towards us, nee-chan."
The girl blinked.
"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh nooo!" she hysterically shook her head while her pony-tailed hair followed her moves. She walked back and forth in a panicked manner until she couldn't help but cover her face with her hand.
This was clearly not how she wanted to spend her Saturday morning.
Last night when she got home from her work, all she had wanted to do was sleep her way throughout the weekend. Or maybe spend some time in the park, with her favorite no-crust grilled cheese sandwich and a thermos of oolong tea while sketching her afternoon away. Her eyes lit up a bit when the idea of asking her brother to join her laced her thoughts but was soon replaced with a clouded one for she knew that he wouldn't be home on a Saturday. Youichi hated staying indoors or spending his time doing boring tasks. He even told his sister once that he'd rather spend an entire night in a haunted house than sit in the middle of the park for more than an hour. Nevertheless, as long as she would be able to spend her afternoon in peace, that would be enough.
So imagine when she woke up at 7 AM in the morning because of the noise her brother was making while he made his way inside through her bedroom window. Whenever this happens, the possibility of her brother forgetting his keys is not the reason behind his actions. She was dense, yes, but she knew her own kin well enough to know that something terribly wrong just made its way inside their humble flat along with the young lad. And she was right.
She did her best to keep her sky-rocketing emotions at bay, but unfortunately, the phrase 'keep calm and collect your thoughts' was never something she had grown herself accustomed to.
"I thought it'd please you," he stated, finally causing his sister's halt. "After all, he's the reason why the name Sakura was ruined in the business industry. It blocked almost all of our access, and the name Mikan Sakura was almost banned upon working on this so-called descent society."
"Oh Youichi, you still shouldn't have done that, you idiot!" Mikan wailed back.
"Oh sheesh, he's had his rest." he slumped his head on the couches' head rest and continued. "He's the midpoint why we're experiencing such a hard time at the moment, and you know that. I just wanted to please you by making him taste a bit of his own medicine." Youichi finished off, with the most scrumptious and casual tone ever.
"Please me? I honestly can't believe I'm actually hearing these things from you, Chii-kun! Have I taught you nothing? Nothing at all? Oh sheesh!" She buried her face once again within her hands. He finally walked over her and patted her head in a pet-like manner.
"Well, you're actually lucky because I'm telling you these things. And will you quit calling me that freaking name, you hag. I'm no longer a two-year old."
Though he's actually six years younger than his sister, it wasn't obvious. In fact, neither did it seem that they were siblings at all.
Mikan Sakura, who was really at the age of twenty-four, didn't look as if she was capable of working already. Owning an absolute pair of innocent (ignorant, as Youichi would prefer to call them) yet magnificent citrine orbs, her eyes majestically paired her auburn hair, yet it was childishly tied into a pony-tail. Her body is a definite petite package with porcelain fair skin similar to a model's own. She would've made the cut, but she lacked the height, not to mention the lady preferred to maintain a disheveled look.
Her brother, on the other hand, was her exact opposite. Youichi Sakura owned a messy bundle of cream strands paired perfectly with his misty pale eyes. He was a very handsome teenager, who towered everyone else due to his height, but rarely smiled. His skin was paler than his sister's, whilst hers was flawless, his own well-built body was usually filled with bruises and cuts. Due to his immense amount of pride, he often got himself into trouble, leaving his sister to carry on the burden he started. Despite their unchangeable differences, both loved each other dearly, seeing that they've only got one another as their family left.
"Don't worry, I've got my ways for him not to know it was me who did it. And I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind losing a property or two, seeing he's got a lot more within his pockets." he reassured her lazily, still patting her head.
"How the hell can you be so calm about this?!" she questioned her brother in a desperate whisper. He gave out a distinct shrug before he spoke.
"I told you; he won't suspect a thing." finally feeling tired and annoyed with her, he slumped back towards the couch and gave out another yawn.
"Of course he will, you arrogant little prick!" she shouted back, pulling her hair in a weird manner. She kept on shoving her arms, as if to show that she's deeply concerned about this. "You've already got a track of records, and mind you, that…that man has his ways to know who his enemies are! Haven't you thought that he's capable of sending you to prison? Remember what he did to father, and to think that he's only five years older than I am!" she made a huge stomp on the floor. "How could you been so tactless, Youichi?"
"Hm, sounds as if you're starting to be a part of his frightened brigade. Besides, I'm not going there, so shut the lectures." He taunted, those this only made the matter go from bad to worse.
"I am not afraid!" Mikan hissed, " You and I both know that his very existence suffocates me, but you really, really, really shouldn't have done that! And yes, of course you won't!" She pulled him up from his lazy position and started dragging him towards his room. He didn't argue, but couldn't help wonder whether she'd just give him another one of her "grounding" sessions. When they got inside his messy room, she let him go and went to pick something up from beneath his bed. Taking out his mountain backpack, she gave him a stern and commanding voice, which he dared not to taunt. "Pack your things. You're leaving. You'll have to go some place far from here, okay?"
For the first time since their conversation started, he finally showed her some knack of reaction; half surprised and half amused. Seeing her like this, he knew perfectly well that even if he'd give her a bag of cotton candy now, her decision wouldn't budge. She's pig-headed that way, he thought. Raking his hair, he pulled her into a tight hug, taking his sister by surprise.
"H-hey. I said pack your things and not hug me, you idiot." Mikan's voice slightly quivered, as the silence between them enveloped the room. Feeling slightly uneasy, she glanced up to him with a worried stare before a warm smile hovered its way to her lips. She pulled back from her brother's embrace and spoke within her giggles. "You're acting pretty weird, Chii-kun."
She couldn't help it. A sparkling tear fell from her eyes, but Youichi's thumb caught it in time. He half smiled at her in a light taunting manner.
"Stop crying, you're effortlessly ugly already." He made a tongue's out face which made his sister laugh. He received a playful slap on his shoulder, as he added. "I have no idea where I'm going but.. don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, got that?"
"I will. People like him… people like Natsume Hyuuga won't scare me. Now you, you take care of yourself and stop making such a fuss about things. I'll contact Nonoko's rest house in Kyuushu, so you'd better stay put."
"Yeah, fine. But remember one thing; I'm not leaving because I'm scared of him, but because I'm just obeying your almost useless command." Snatching his backpack from his sister's grip, he turned away. "That jackass won't find me."
"I will." She made her way towards his room's door but became hesitant. She stopped and made a small smile on her face, though it looked as if she was daring him in some ways. " I don't want to hear you sinking more boats either, and if I hear one more case that sounds that way, I'd be the one who'd personally hand you over to the cops."
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
"Hello?" a sweet voice answered from the line.
Her background sounded as if something was steaming from behind, and it made the Mikan smile. The typical Nonoko Ogasawara who's up to inventing various chemicals. She was a professional chemical engineer, but she chose to stay at Kyuushu a few years back to experiment what sort of chemicals or concoctions she could make out of Mother Nature's fresh galore. She missed her dearly, seeing that she's one of her best friends since Kindergarten. Shaking her thoughts off, she replied.
"Hello there Nonoko-chan!" she greeted cheerfully. You can't blame her; it's been years since they've last spoken to each other. They've been so pre-occupied about their lives that they rarely had the chance to see one another, let alone talk. There was a stifled noise, and what came next was an ear-breaking squeal.
"Mikan! Is that really you? I've been dying to hear your voice for ages!" there was a few clunking noise, and Mikan figured that she must've shoved some things out of her way. She heard the line bouncing, and she felt relieved that she felt overjoyed too, the same feelings as hers. "So, how have you been lately? Oh gosh, I'm terribly sorry if I couldn't visit you, you know, everything has been so busy and all… so, tell me. How are you?" she blabbed enthusiastically.
"I'm perfectly fine, Nonoko." Mikan reassured her between her giggles. "How about you? Have you heard from the others lately?"
"Yeah, I have. Anna's in a good state at New York, turns out she finally lived her dream of becoming a chef just like her father. Kitsy's staying here at Kyuushu for some time now. And guess what? Kitsumene and I are finally back together! Can you just believe it? I've got so much to tell you Mikan! And I'm sure you've got tons of them too! So spill, spill, spill!"
"You still haven't change." Mikan replied in an earnest tone. Her smile grew wider every second. "I'm glad that you found each other again, trust me, you'd still make a great pair." Somehow, she can' help but envy Nonoko. It's not every day that you'd find a serious guy like Kitsumene after all. They broke up back when they were still in high school, but after all these years, he still came back for her. He really is, in Mikan's opinion, one of a kind.
"How about you? Have you seen your particular someone lately?" she asked her in such a mischievous tone. This question made a great impact upon the auburn haired young girl. Her cheeks immediately flushed and she looked uneasily, checking whether her brother might've heard something.
"N-no. I… I haven't seen him in quite a while now. So…" she tensed uneasily, recalling something. She heard something fall from her brother's room and heard a faint 'ow'.
"Ooohh… I smell something fishy." Nonoko mused. She was giggling nonstop because Mikan was still so predictable, as if she was an open picture book lying on a deserted table. She knew that this wasn't the right time to talk about such things, so she casually changed the subject as she sat down on the nearest bench. "So, how're things going for you and your brother?"
"That's the exact reason why I called." Mikan began. She didn't hear Nonoko ask further questions and knew that she was listening attentively. "Youichi got himself into uhm.. some serious trouble. It's not the usual trouble a teenager would have gotten themselves into and well.. the details are kind of, you see, d-devastating. Well, I was thinking whether to, you know, send him there for a while until the situation cools down. W-will that be alright? I, I mean I know I'm asking too much and everything's just so sudden so I'm totally fine with it if you'd de-"
"Oh, of course it is! I'd love to have him here! He can also help out on picking fruits from the near fruit orchard owned by Kitsy's family! God only knows how much help is needed there, seeing their fruits have been popping out nonstop." She inquired enthusiastically. This relieved Mikan greatly, and let out an audible sigh. "So tell me, when is your butterball of a brother coming?"
Without further ado, Mikan replied. "Thank you, Nonoko-chan. I'm sorry if it's all been so sudden but, I'd prefer him to leave right now."
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
It wasn't long since Mikan drifted into a cat-nap that afternoon. After all, it's been a bizarre morning for the Sakura siblings, and one could not deny she deserved the rest. Despite having a terrific weather, she didn't proceed with her previous plans the night before. Everything was quiet, except for their cat who kept on meowing beside her bed, when the doorbell rang. She looked lazily at her bedside clock only to discover that she had just been asleep for about an hour and a half. She knew that by this time, Youichi's on board to the next boat traveling towards Kyuushu. The thought made her feel a little relieved because at least he will be out of harm's way. Yet a small frown seeped its way on her face.
Even though he was sent away because of her command, she couldn't help but regret it at some point. Despite his delinquent ways, he's still her beloved brother after all. And ever since their father's death a few years ago, the two have been inseparable. She didn't know why but something told her that they will have to deal with the loneliness of being apart for a longer period of time than expected. Lost in her thoughts, the doorbell's sound knocked her back to her consciousness. She would have to preferred to ignore whoever was impatiently ringing outside the door but it appeared as if the pursuer wouldn't stop anytime soon.
"Who the hell would want to see me today?" she asked herself, finally getting up from the comforts of her bed. She tied a pair of violet silk ribbons to a perfect knot upon her pony-tailed hair. She dashed her way out, as she heard another ring.
"This person's getting into my nerves." Mikan mumbled.
With the door finally in front of her, she hesitated to take another step forward. Her instincts urged her to back away and leave the doorknob untouched, but a part of her was yelling that she should open the door. Something didn't feel right. It might just be a delivery man, a neighbor, or another person who'll give her a few more bills to pay. She thought about those things for a second or two, but finally clearing her mind, she made swift strides forward. Her irises came to a halt, and she shut them carefully. Whoever this person is, he or she, has a great knack of emitting an aura that's making her awfully nervous. She unlocked the door, and carefully opened her eyes to see whose presence she would need to attend to. She smiled as she swung the wooden frame open.
Her smile faltered.
To her gravest dismay, she figured that the one who stood perfectly framed upon her doorstep was the last person she'd want to become hospitable with.
"Good afternoon." He started politely, though she thought she heard a bit of irritation within his tone. "I believe you're Ms. Sakura? Natsume Hyuuga." He offered his hand which was in mid-air for the mere ten seconds, and finally seeing that she wasn't up in shaking hands with him, he casually placed it back in his black slack's pocket. "Hn. I wish to talk to your brother, Youichi Sakura. Is he around?"
She couldn't help but take a step backward, for his sudden appearance was indeed extremely unexpected, which left her utterly unprepared.
"Oh no!" the girl screamed mentally.
Whimsical Panda's note: So, what do you guys think? *wink* I'll make it a point to update at least every two weeks, or hopefully less. Ja!