The Orphan
101 Dalmation x
"Sumire, wake up! We'll be late!" Sumire stirred in her bed, after hearing the voice through the door, not wanting to wake up. It had been three months since the café showdown between Sumire, Mikan and Luna, three months since Natsume confessed he was going to court Mikan and three months of Sumire getting used to this new high life. It was amazing. She had no chores, she had taken up the violin after finding one in her room (turns out it used to be Yuka's when she was a student) and was pretty good, she could have a shower before school, and she was never late. Her grades had improved and her whole attitude to life changed. She was happy, happier than she had been in a long time.
After yelling down the hall and being scolded by her mother for shouting at the door, Mikan changed tactics. She grabbed a pillow from her room and ran to Sumire's. Since her abduction three months ago she has trained relentlessly and could now creep into somewhere undetected, which was what she was doing now. Pillow in hand, Mikan got to the edge of the double bed and raised the pillow high, within seconds the same pillow came swinging down smacking the sleeping girl as Mikan yelled "WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD!"
Sumire jumped and ended up on the floor next to the bed. Sumire glared at Mikan who was doubled over in hysterics, it was while Sumire was on the floor that she had her next idea. She grabbed her own pillow off the bed and hid it behind her. Mikan was still laughing hard and hadn't noticed Sumire's movements. Sumire smirked and before Mikan could breath, Sumire grabbed her ankle and pulled. Mikan stopped laughing and let gravity do the rest. She fell with a thud and was met with a whack from a pillow and all she could hear was a grinning Sumire yelling
"THAT'S FOR WAKING ME UP AND SCARING ME!" the girls ended up laughing whilst on the floor. A few seconds later the door burst open and Izumi, Yuka, Nobara, Jeeves and Narumi came bursting in. The noise the two girls had made shook the whole house, and once the residents knew the girls were safe they let out a collective breath. Mikan and Sumire stared at the adults, flushed in their faces, pyjamas screwed up and breathing heavy, Jeeves, Nobara and Narumi left the room leaving the girls, Izumi and Yuka left.
Izumi tried hard not to laugh at the situation as did Yuka, but they needed to get the seriousness of the situation across to the two teens. Mikan saw the looks on her parents faces and slowly stood up as did Sumire. "Sorry mum, dad." Mikan answered in a small voice, pillow held in front of her, Sumire looked a little sheepish her pillow hanging from one hand. Izumi and Yuka both sighed and Izumi answered
"Don't apologise Mikan, you two were just being teenagers so you have nothing to apologise for." Yuka continued
"It's just all the noise had us all worried, by all means have your pillow fights but try not to throw each other on the floor please!" Yuka finished the sentence with a small giggle. Mikan and Sumire both grinned and watched the two adults leave the room, quietly laughing as they left. After a few minutes Mikan felt a pressure on her arm and as quick as it had arrived it left. Mikan looked at Sumire who was giving her a heated glare. Mikan used her own pillow as a shield
"Why did you wake me up!?" Sumire whined as Mikan replied
"We have school, and it's the last day before the christmas holidays! Come on get ready!" Mikan ran out of Sumire's room and back to her own as Sumire watched. She turned to the bay window and watched the sun rise. It was surreal, not three months ago she was living a Cinderella life and now she had all the time in the world. She grabbed her uniform which was hung on the door of her wardrobe and walked to the en-suite bathroom, which she still couldn't believe she had.
The bathroom had a corner bath and felt amazing after a long day at school, a walk-in shower for a quick wash in the morning, a toilet opposite the door and a sink set into a mirrored work top. She let the water run in the shower as she thought about what has happened in the last three months. She was quite shocked that her parents hadn't done anything yet, after all she was their child and not yet technically an adult, and by the law she still belonged to them unless the Yukihara's had sorted out the paper work without her knowing? But they would tell her about something so important, wouldn't they?
Mikan ran back to her room and like Sumire grabbed her uniform and headed to her en-suite. She turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up. As she waited her mind wandered to all that had happened in the last three months and how far she has come. She was no longer the weak little girl who was taken three months ago, if anyone tried taking her now were in for a shock. It had happened a few times after but nothing as bad as the first time. She turned to the sink and looked at her right arm in the mirror. Between her shoulder and elbow was a pink scar, the scar that reminded her to stay strong and to get stronger. Never again would she let that happen to her.
The room started steaming up and Mikan stepped into the shower. As she stepped into the shower her thoughts turned to school. They turned to her friends, her grades, a certain crimson eyed boy who was still courting her and Sumire's half sister Luna. Luna had tried her best to make Mikan's school life hell, from tripping her up in the hallway, to pushing her into bins, walking past and deliberately stepping on her toes and knocking her books out of her hands, even going as far as cornering Mikan in the girls toilet and trying to dunk her head in the loo, only for one of Luna's cronies to end up getting dunked. Mikan had to admit it, the girl had balls, especially to go up against Mikan, knowing how influential her family are and that her uncle was the headmaster of the high school section!
After thinking about Luna and her cronies her mind wandered back to Natsume. Mikan felt her cheeks go red and not from the steam of the shower. He had certainly kept his promise of courting her. She would get to her locker to find a note attached to the door, occasionally there was a single flower in her desk space, he would surprise her with secret spots in the gardens where they would talk and get to know one another. All in all it was quite sweet. He had asked many a time for her to go out with him, but she always rejected him. He was a looker and like Mikan's family, he was well known, it wasn't just that though, she was scared.
If she was to accept Natsume's offers he would be her first boyfriend and, call her a romantic, she wanted to save herself for her one and only. She didn't want to say yes and then a few months later break up because he was already set up to marry someone else. It would definitely break her because despite the fact she would deny it to anyone who asked her, she had feelings for the boy which were more than friendship, but she was scared.
Turning off the water and stepping out of the shower Mikan sighed. She hated being scared, but she also knew this was a different type of scared. She dried herself off, wrapped her hair in the towel and put a dressing gown on. She wiped her mirror of condensation and looked at herself. Again her thoughts wandered back to Natsume. She shook her head and mumbled to herself 'get a grip Mikan, you can't really fall in love that fast! You've been on your own for too long, that's all it is!' She slapped her cheeks and gave herself one more look in the mirror as if telling herself to get a grip. With her self-speech done she left her bathroom and proceeded to get ready for school.
Mikan put her uniform on and styled her hair in a half up half down fashion. Mikan took one more look at herself in her full length mirror and was happy with what she saw. She saw herself as plain but obviously Natsume had seen something more, what it was she may never know. Collecting her thoughts, she grabbed her bag from her door and made her way downstairs.
Upon exiting her room Mikan saw Sumire walk towards her. The two girls made it down the stairs, which had been decorated with holly and ivy all down the banisters. There were two pine trees at the end of the stairs decorated in gold and burgundy ornaments. Mikan sniffed the air and sighed. Sumire gave her a funny look before Mikan grabbed her hand and dragged her to the kitchen.
Sumire followed Mikan reluctantly to the kitchen and also sniffed the air. The air was filled with the smell of cinnamon and ginger and it felt like christmas. The girls made it to the kitchen where Sumire could see that they had made fresh ginger bread men. Mikan turned to Sumire and held a finger to her lips in telling her to keep quiet. Sumire snuck behind Mikan and the girls made their way t the fresh batch on ginger bread men. Without a word to each other the girls took one each. Still hot the girls were tossing them between their hands and chewing with their mouths open in order to cool them down quicker. In doing so the created a lot of noise
"Mikan! Sumire!" The girls froze, gingerbread men half eaten and still hot in their hands. The girls turned around to find a smirking Nobara who was covered in flour and had her arm crossed over her chest "Serves you both right! Now off you go, get to school or you'll be late!" Nobara shook her head and waved the girls off. The two teens smiled sheepishly at each other and made their way to the front door where the car was waiting for them.
Across the other side of town was Luna and her family, the pub had gone downhill. Luna having never lifted a broom in her life refused to start because Sumire had chose to live with that orphan. There were rats running around the floor, the local drunkard was still slumped in his seat from last night, pint glasses still littered the tables and the floor was sticky from god knew what. Luna sat at the bar applying her make up with a frown. It had been three months, christmas was coming up and still that orphan had gained Natsume's attention and she was thrown to the side. Luna sat at the bar fuming.
She packed her stuff and placed it behind the bar, she walked out the front door and started walking to school thinking of how she could get rid of the orphan for good. She was really starting to get on Luna's nerves, and as for Sumire well once little orphan Mikan was out of the way, Sumire would come running back to mummy and daddy! Luna stopped in the middle of the street and thought back to that day when she told her father of Sumire leaving to live with Mikan. Her mother and step father seemed to think it was only a phase Sumire was going through and she would be back soon enough. Well it had been three months now and there was still no sign of Sumire returning.
Luna started walking again and wondered what if she were to move out, or run away? Would her parents be concerned about her? Would they think it was just a phase too? Despite her hatred of both Sumire and Mikan Luna had to admit, they did lead better lives now. Sumire looked happy again and she was getting very friendly with that Koko guy. Luna wondered about her own love life. Despite her look, she had never really kissed anyone let alone wanted to sleep with anyone. Sure she worked in the bar at night but she never did anything with any of the punters. She my flirt a lot but it never went anywhere! But she doesn't even know what she wants from a partneyear 11's r. She might throw herself and Natsume, but she's not stupid, she know he's out of her league, heck his family is one of the richest next to that orphans! Which is why she would seriously stop harassing the girl, but she couldn't help it! Every time Luna sees her being happy she has to try and crush her, but like a cockroach she keeps coming back stronger and happier than before. It was infuriating!
Luna found herself at school already and pulled her shoulders back and got her head out of her thoughts and back into the real world. She was Luna Kouizumi! Queen bee of the year elevens at Gakuen Alice! Everyone looked up to her, and boys swooned before her apart from one, and he had an annoying cockroach who wouldn't leave, and she needed to get rid of her! It would be the only way to get out of that pub! Mind made up, Luna was more determined than ever to be rid of the girl, but she needed dirt, and working in the pub was the perfect place to find undesirables.