A/N: Just got inspired! :D Don't forget to review, I don't mind anonymous review. Just tell me what you think of my story. Ok. Bye!

-xXx-

White Dress
""You will go on and meet someone else and I'll just be a chapter in your tale, but for me,
you were, you are and you always will be, the whole story."

-xXx-

After years of study Abroad, I came back to Japan to stroll around and serve the country I missed the most.

"Okay. Yeah. Thanks for the consideration; I'll start by the first day of next week right away. Yes. Thank You. Bye." After talking with my intern, I relaxed upon my sofa and thought of something good to do before I start working at the hospital next week.

Dr. Natsume Hyuuga—yep, that's me.

I decided to visit my old school just a few blocks away from here. Since it's near, I didn't bring my car with me and walked down the streets I used to walk on before.

Memories flashed and were re-new as I stroll down across a certain park. Back before I left for college, I met a girl in a white dress. I went to the playground built inside the park and walked closer to the swing and reminisced. I was on my way back home from school that day when I saw a girl in white with her head down. She looked like crying as she sat upon the swing seat. At first I didn't want to bother her, but something urged me to walk closer to her. And so I did and found myself standing beside her, ready to comfort her.

As soon as I tapped my hand on her shoulder and asked her, "What's wrong?" she held her head up and looked at me with teary eyes. Even though her eyes were all puffy and red, I can see she's beautiful. Her hair was naturally colored dark brown with a few lighter strands. It's on her waist-length and it's so smooth. Her eyes were a perfect pair of brown orbs and almond shaped. Her cheeks looked so soft and rosy while her lips were puffy and it's on a natural tint of berries. Her nose was cute but pointy and her skin was very alike to a porcelain doll.

Even though I met her 10 years ago, I can never forget how innocent and pretty she looks. For the first time in my life, I saw such beauty like hers which is so natural and simple.

"I failed my Math test." She said with a sniff, "I studied so hard all day and night for this but still—" She looked down again and she's very upset about her test.

I sat down on the free swing seat beside hers, "So what about it? Everybody fails. No one is perfect."

She wiped her tears away, "You're right."

"Of course, I'm smart."

She looked at me utterly dismayed. At first, I thought she was going to stand and leave me alone… but after out staring contest, she laughed and laughed out loud. I smiled seeing how happy see was to know that I am smart. I've just made her smile—better yet laugh.

"Oh God—" she started when she managed to calm herself for a bit, "—seriously, are you always this egoistic and conceited?"

I remained impassive, "Most of the time."

She rolled her eyes and laughed a bit again, "I can't believe your boastfulness made me this happy. It's so—so annoying but funny." What's so funny about being sure of me? She suddenly stood up and with a big smile, she looked at me, "I'm Mikan."

Mikan offered her hand; I took it before standing up and shook it. She also has a good height for a girl. Then I stated my name, "Natsume."

"Well, thank you for making me laugh Natsume. I needed that. But I'll be taking my leave here now. I need to study more and be smart like you." I smirked here, "Thanks. See you around." She cheerfully said to me.

I shrugged, "Sure." Then, she left.

-xXx-

The next morning, I decided to take the way home that passes the playground again to see if I manage to bump to her again.

I did saw Mikan but this time, she was pushing a little boy on the swing and they looked like they're having fun. I don't know but I felt like smiling when I saw her so happy. And for me, it was enough for today to see her like that. Then I left the two alone and went home.

After reminiscing about the swing, I continued strolling towards my school. Nothing much changed; it's still the same place I knew years ago, until I passed by the old waiting shed a block away from the park. This used to be the meeting place for me and my friends whenever we have a trip or something. I smiled at what I remembered more years ago, it was a one rainy day.

There was a heavy downpour while I was going home one day. It was a week after I met Mikan. I decided to stop over the waiting shed to check if my things at my backpack are okay. Even though I have an umbrella, I felt like my bag was getting wet. After checking every corner, I found them safe and dry. I decided to wear my backpack in front of me so I could make a quick run. As I was in the process of closing my bag, I saw a girl shivering at the corner of the shed. I took a good look and recognized that it's Mikan.

I went closer to her, "Uh… Mikan?" She looked up and she looked pale. I kind of panicked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and I saw a faint smile from her, "Yeah. Just a bit cold." She answered with her voice trembling, "I was killing time at the playground when it suddenly rained, good thing I saw this shed."

But she looked really pale so I touched her forehead and damn it—she's friggin' hot. "You're sick. Where do you live?"

"Outside the subdivision."

My eyes widened, outside? What the hell is she doing here to kill time yet so far from her home? Tch. I pulled her up and put her arm across my shoulder, "Look, you're really sick and your house is quite fa—no, really far from here. So just shut up and I'll bring you over to my house. Can you walk for about… 6 blocks?"

She nodded, I wore my backpack in front and we started walking but we haven't reached the hallway yet she's already falling down. We stopped over a house and I carried her at my back.

When we arrived home, I carried her over the sofa and then I rushed to my room and grabbed my big, thick shirt. Then before heading down, I went to my mom's bathroom to grab some medicine. I don't know why I am doing this. I saw her shaking when I reached the living room, I dropped the stuffs I collected on the coffee table and ran into the kitchen to grab some water.

After Mikan drank the medicine, I showed her the living room bathroom and ordered her that she has to change her clothes. She won't feel better with wet clothes. While she's on it, I ran upstairs again and grabbed the comforter I'm using at my room.

Once everything was settled at the living room, I went back to the kitchen and look something to make her eat. What do sick people usually eat?

After 1 hour, Mika woke up feeling a bit better. I made her an onion soup to warm her up. Yes, onion soup. Don't worry it's delicious. I read that recipe at one of my mangas, okay? "Feeling better?"

She nodded with a smile, "Yeah, thanks Natsume." I just shrugged as she continued eating, "I'm sorry for the bother. You must have panicked so much about what happened to me." I scowled, what made her thought of that? Then I realized, I'm still on my uniform. Oh, that.

"Do you always kill time at the park nearby?" I asked breaking the ice. She nodded as a silent answer to me. "Why?"

Mikan put her bowl down on the table, "Well, I was waiting for my mother."

I raised a brow, "What? So, should we go back there?"

She shook her head, "No it's fine. I can come back some other time, maybe tomorrow or the day after it." I frowned. I can't understand what she's saying. Before I could say something, she continued, "When I was 9 years old, my mother left my brothers and me at that park. She told us she forgot to buy something and while waiting for her, she told us we could play at the playground for a while. We also lived in this subdivision that time, although we're not that rich we can manage to pass each day without any problem. But after waiting for her for almost 7 years… she still hasn't come back. Our landlady kicked us out when I was 11, telling she can't look after us anymore. I and my brothers are now living outside independently."

"My older brother was good at crafts and stuffs, with a little help from other people; he built a small house for us to stay in. Although it's made of with light materials, it survived with us for about 5 years already."

"Now I'm studying at a public school. Though life there is much more crowded and harder than a private school student life, I can cope up with it for my brothers. My older brother is now 21 but 3 years ago, while he's working as a part time worker at a construction site, he got involved in an accident. He can't walk nor move anymore like how he used to. My baby brother is now 8, he's also attending at public school with me."

For a girl and in her situation, she's really strong. She even narrated her life story smiling at me. "Sorry for asking." That's all I can say for her. But she shook her head, "Don't be."

She continued telling stories about how her brothers failed to surprise her during her 13th birthday, how was her studies at public school, her brother's girlfriend that helped them for some time, how she enjoys swimming, why the sky is blue and a lot more of stuffs.

Despite our first topic, she's still bubbly.

"Thank you so much for making me feel better. Usually it will take me 3 days to be completely better. We can't afford to buy such medicines." I nodded in response.

I made hot chocolate drinks for us, since it's still a downpour, she still can't go home. "By the way, Natsume—" she started.

"Yeah?"

"What do you plan to take up for college?"

I stared at her face. Now that she asked me—what am I taking anyway? She's waiting for an answer from me. I shrugged and thought of something, "Medicine."

"Really?" She shrieked, "Oh my God—me too! I want to be a surgeon… or a neurologist! Oh whatever, as long as I'm a doctor. That's why I want to have high grade, since we don't have money, I want to apply for scholarship. And then I'll be the Top doctor in Japan and the whole world. Then I and my brothers would be rich."

"Sorry to disappoint you but I'll be the top doctor."

She pouted, "No way! Then… it's a war! I challenge you and I won't lose!"

I smiled at her then nodded. It's amusing how fast this girl's expressions change. After the doctor thing, she continued blabbering stuff and everything.

Until a few minutes more, Mom got home before 6pm like she usually do. And her expression when she saw me with a girl wearing my clothes—

-PRICELESS.

As soon as the rain stopped, I walked Mikan until the playground. She insisted I did too much for her. We said our goodbyes before we turn around and head in each other's home. Mom bombarded me with tons and tons of questions about Mikan. Girls are really talkative huh.

I can still clearly remember her scolding me for getting our kitchen in a mess. Well it's not a man's job to handle the kitchen, right?

From that day onward, Mikan and I started to hangout more often by the playground. Sometimes she's at my place—she even got close with my Mom. Sometimes we're at her place and I met their brothers. I studied with them and seeing how determined Mikan was about becoming a doctor—it touched my heart to pursue that dream together with her.

But 2 weeks before my graduation, Mikan never visited the playground or our house. I can't visit her either because of the things I need to accomplish for graduation. Maybe she's doing the same. So a day after my graduation, I went over their place to invite her for my victory slash despedida party.

I don't know how or why, but they moved out. More like—shooed out. Their small house was destroyed into pieces.

I tried to look for them, I even asked their nearing neighbors, but they told me they went out and haven't come back for a while.

The next day, my Mom and I moved out to Abroad.

I never saw them again.

My phone suddenly rang, I picked it up when I saw it's my intern, "What?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you Dr. Hyuuga, I know you still have a week before starting but… all the doctors here are fully loaded with work and we have an emergency now. Dr. Yukihara needs a substitute since she also got an urgent surgery. Can we request you to please look after it?" she explained briefly.

I shrugged and head back to my house, "Yeah sure. Be there in 10 minutes, I'm free anyways." She thanked me before I hung up.

I drove my way to the hospital; I met up with my intern who's patiently waiting for me at the lobby. While on the way to the patient's room, she explained the patient's state. "Mi-chan is 27 and from a rural hospital and was transferred here earlier. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 Colon cancer 8 years ago, it's odd but the doctors found out that it was caused by a rare hereditary type. Unfortunately, after 4 years of Chemo therapy, the cancer suddenly jumped into Stage 4. Their hospital isn't capable enough to handle it any longer; they can't prolong her chance of survival. The patient accepted the fact that she cannot be cured anymore and she has decided to stopped the chemo last year which is bad for her." (A/N: LOL. I don't know what I'm saying anymore. )

Shortly after her explanation, we arrived at the patient's room. I saw a bald girl in a white hospital night gown standing beside the window, my intern knocked at the open door in order to signal the patient we're here. "Mi-chan. Dr. Hyuuga is here to see how you are doing." The girl slowly turned her face towards our way and gave us a smile. Before my intern leave us alone, she informed me, "Dr. Yukihara will be joining you after the surgery she's handling." I nodded then she left.

"Are you okay to stand?" I asked as I looked at her. I could see sorrow in her eyes but she just smiled and nodded, "Yes. I need to have exercise once in a while." I gave her a disturbing look, "Doc, I'm fine. You worry too much."

We had a short interview on how she is feeling, does she feel any discomfort and stuff. She told me she's feeling great but I don't think she is and she should just rest for now, "You're pale. How can you be okay?"

She took small steps towards her bed while I guide her, "I know how I am feeling, and I am fine."

"Well I'm the doctor here and I clearly know you're not. Lie down and rest."

"Still arrogant, huh."

I ignored her and continued to check her stats—"Dr. Hyuuga." –and her medical records—"Dr. Natsume Hyuuga." –from the previous hospital she's from.

Annoyed, I grunted, "What? What do you want?" So I have a nosy person as my first patient. Maybe she's a fan girl back before, I looked at my name plate—'Dr. Hyuuga'. How did she found out my first name?

She stayed silent and smiled. She closed her eyes for a minute or two before she started to talk again without bothering to open her eyes, "So, I lost huh. I heard you're the youngest doctor to enter such famous hospital." Then she opened her eyes and looked at me, "A successful doctor at 28."

Lost? How—I don't—what is she saying?

The door opened and a nurse came in to deliver her dinner. She helped her to set up the table-over-the-bed and tried to recline the bed to support her sitting position. But the patient insisted that she'll be fine sitting up without the help of the bed. The nurse nodded and left the room. I stared at the patient and noticed she isn't that bad. Her skin looked so fair and smooth, her big brown sparkling eyes perfectly fits her puffy lip in a natural tint of berries. Although she is bald, I can perfectly tell that she's a beautiful girl.

Out of the blue, as she takes a sip from her soup, I remembered the sick Mikan who ate the soup I made for her.

My throat dried out, but I still managed to ask, "Mikan?"

She suddenly stopped eating and looked up at me. At first her mouth was gaping, and then she took a deep breath before she smiled, "You remembered. You can still remember me in this state."

I broke down next to her and take a closer look at her and no doubt, she is Mikan.

"What happened?" I asked after I found my voice.

She started to cry, "When I stopped seeing you, I was ill. I thought it's just a normal flu. But it's been a week and half and my brothers got bothered. They insisted to take me to the hospital. They borrowed money from anyone possible just to make me feel better. I told them not to bother you, you did so much for us."

"When I got discharged after another week, we found our home destroyed. We don't know what to do anymore so we went to your house to ask help. But we found out that you left for abroad a day before. We had no choice but to find a new shelter. We stayed to one place to another for almost 2 years until I got sick. From that day till now, this is my life, my home—the hospital." She stopped for a while, "I dreamt to be a doctor at a hospital, not a patient. I don't know where my brothers are anymore. I've been alone all these years. But I stayed positive, I got a few help so that I can have chemo but it's still not enough for me to get well. They told me I need surgery and we waited for help—but at my state now, it's already impossible. I lost hope when my previous hospital abandoned me and brought me here. I know I won't get well anymore."

Mikan wiped her tears to look at me, "But when I learned you are the doctor who will be attending me. I felt happy not because you'll help me cure my disease. But instead, I felt happy—your dream came true."

This girl is strong. This girl is still smiling. This girl is Mikan. And this girl is dying.

"Mikan—" I held her hand, "—I might sound freaking corny, but this dream isn't mine. I didn't want to be a doctor in the first place. But because of you—because of your determination, you motivated me into this path. So this dream that I've made come true isn't just mine. It's OURS." She smiled and began to tear again. I tried not to cry, I can't possibly break down on her situation. "Remember you challenge to become the top doctor?" she nodded.

I smiled, "I won. I won this for you."

She laughed while crying, she's crazy but happy. She squeezed my hand and wiped her tears, "Natsume—" I hummed in response, "—thank you for making this dying girl laugh again. Thank you so much."

My heart sank when she said she's a dying girl. I want to save her but—it's too late. Things will get complicated. From that moment, I decided that if I can't save her from dying, I'll make her remaining time special and unforgettable. It might not be too long but I'll make it worthy.

I kissed her forehead and let her continue eating.

This girl touched my heart and I know I love her, but I'll keep that to myself. Instead of telling her, I'll just show her through my actions. Even though things changed, I am sure and I know very well that she's still that same beautiful girl I met many years ago despite the differences of her white dress.

A/N: I forgot to tell earlier, the Dr. Yukihara over here is someone i used to confuse the readers. Dr. Yukihara is someone not important, i just wrote it so that you guys won't think that the patient is Mikan. LOL. Don't know how to explain it, sorry. Just don't mind it. It's just a nuisance. :D :D :D THANKS FOR READING! :*

~ Miss Banana Tops