By My Side, In My Heart
By Saltwater Romance

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Dedicated: To those who know someone who fought in war. Veteran's Day might have past, but it's never too late to honor your heroes. I love you daddy.

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They all called him crazy. They called him a fool.

He had the looks that would make any straight man standing next to him envious. He had the grades anyone would die for with a solid 4.0 GPA, even though he wasn't the one who finished at the top of his class. He was captain of the varsity soccer team, leading them to State Championships time and time again since starting as left forward in Freshmen year.

Universities from all over came to visit him. They offered him scholarships. They offered a spot to play on their soccer team. Anything, and everything he had at the tip of his reach.

But what did he do instead? He went off to join the Marines as it was a family tradition for all of the men.

She could remember the glazed look he had in his eyes the day that she found out. She could recollect everything as everyone did when it came to an event that had potential to affect the rest of their lives.

She had pretended to flick the invisible lint off of her clothes and looked straight forward so he wouldn't see the forming tears in her eyes. When the lump lodged deep in her throat made it bearable to talk again, she turned around to give him a strained smile. He had sighed, entwined his hand in hers. Just like that, she threw herself into the crook of his neck with sobs. She tried to hit him, but her fists were futile. She called him an idiot who was going to waste his life away. She spat out disdainful phrases in hysteria. But he understood and offered her the only thing that he could- silence. The day was ending in bold crimson. Just like their friendship.

With a forlorn smile, she often wondered to herself how much of their said 'friendship' was really a friendship. It wasn't until long journeys within memory lane and ten years later did she realize that they didn't have a clear cut, outright said place in each other's lives. To say that they were friends was a bit of an understatement. And to say that they were lovers was going overboard.

During their prom, they had gone with each other. He had even worn wisteria blue for her and got a matching corsage to boot. 'Strictly friends' they promised each other. Yet during the after party, everyone mercilessly teased them until even a tinge of rose appeared on his face. He declared that he was done with all of that bull, and semi-dragged her up to an emptied bedroom. They heard loud cheers from outside the bedroom. He accused them of being idiots. She laughed along because she knew that days like this would probably never happen again for a long period of time. From there, they had a mindless banter with neither of their hearts really into it. When 3 o'clock struck, they were found sleeping with one another. His face was buried in the field of her auburn. Her cheek was nuzzled in the crook of his neck with his strong arm supporting the small of her back.

Beknownst to them, everyone saw. And no one could forget.

And even before then, they had been each other's first kiss since they were late bloomers. 'Just to get it over with' they swore an oath to each other.

He would always be the one who took her shopping when she got the sudden urge to, and she was the only one really allowed to be with him. He would always bring her home if it got dark, and she would always get them lost in New York. He was always the biggest dork to her, while she was the ball of erratic energy to him. Not a lot of people could comprehend their relationship, but the few that did knew it was gradual puppy love, but it stayed just that much to the dismay of the betting pools.

During their ten years apart, she received a grand total of one letter from him, while his best friend received ten. His younger sister received fifty. And even her lavender eyed best friend accumulated two. He had left her with one concise line from him: Missing your stupid loud voice. Merry Christmas, Sakura.

She was fuming. She thought that he was better than a man who referred to one of his best friends by their last names after years and years of knowing one another. His sister chuckled. His best friend patted her sympathetically, saying that he probably had his reasons. While, her best friend simple rolled her eyes.

The first time she braved herself to visit the Sakura tree that they'd always climb in their youth, she was half-expected the Marine to jump out of the tree yelling, "Surprise! The last two years have been a big prank on you!" But nothing of that nature occurred. She sat at the base of the trunk staring out to the bold crimson sky just like the one in the memory that engulfed her.

His younger sister found her the following half hour later. She was invited to sit with the older girl as the two of them reminisced about the Marine. They laughed, they cried, but at least their hearts lightened up. They spoke of the fears of losing him, and how they were scared of receiving mail or that phone call that would be followed by a funeral.

To this day, she couldn't go on more than four dates with another man without sub-consciously comparing him to the one she lost. The victim wouldn't be tall enough. Athletic enough. Witty enough. Too talkative. Too sarcastic. Maybe too tall. Or sometimes, their eyes wouldn't shine in direct rays of gold like the way his did. Even if she never had a tangible relationship with the one every man dared to contend with, she still held all of her suitors to his standard.

The next ten years was almost like a whirl to her. Most of the days, she spent alone in her dorm, studying to become a kindergarten teacher. Seldom, she went to parties and found a fellow. She easily became the top of her undergraduate college without the competitions of Natsume and Hotaru. That decade passed slowly to her, yet she could barely recalled the events that happened during the course of those years.

She felt a tug on her skirt. She peered at the little boy that she was babysitting over the summer. He had the face of an angel, inheriting it from his father. But the shock of ebony hair and lavender eyes came from his mother. He was sucking on his thumb, "Auntie Mikan? When's mommy and daddy coming back?"

She laughed whimsically as she poked the tip of his nose good-naturedly, "Not for another day, sweetie. It's for their anniversary!"

His face screwed up in thought as she brought the young boy into her lap, "What's an anni… aniversoree?"

"It's when two people spend a day or two with each other celebrating their love," Mikan replied easily, knowing that the boy would understand an extensive amount of vocabulary. His mother was a genius, and that alone would rub off on him.

"Why doesn't Auntie Mikan go on… an… aniversoree?" he smiled in self-satisfaction of pronouncing the word right.

"Cause Auntie Mikan doesn't have anyone who loves her," she smiled sadly. A little detail that the boy hadn't picked up on.

"I love Auntie Mikan!" he shouted happily, "I love Auntie Mikan verrrryyyy much!"

"So do I," a little girl yawn sleepily from the babysitter's right, awaking from her short-lived nap. Her emerald eyes were a strong reminder of who her father was. As her petite stature and sweet demeanor mirrored her mother's from when she was a girl. Aoi and Youichi usually dropped her off from 9-3 until the two of them got off from work.

"Well Auntie Mikan loves both of you equally," she smiled down at her friends' children. The two of them were precious in every single aspect. She hoped that they would stay that way when they reached the full height of adolescence, "Why don't we all go on an anniversary?"

"Yay! I want strawberry shortcake! And pizza! And soda!" the little boy cheered in triumph. Mikan knew that the two of them were going to learn what an anniversary was when they grow up, but until then, they could always pretend, right? No harm? Wrong. The two of them skipped around, holding hands, and announcing that they were going on an 'anniversary.' She wanted to slap herself and sigh, but she was lagging behind them. All of the adults gave her bemused looks. All she could do was throw her shoulders up in the air and chased after the kids.

"Cheeky kids you've got there," a husky male voice rumbled from above Mikan, who still hadn't caught up to skipping two individuals, "Reminds you of us, doesn't it? Only I was much cooler and had to be dragged for you to do something like that for me."

He successfully jumped off from a thick branch of the familiar Sakura tree with a smirk displayed on his face. Unlike the last time that they saw each other ten years ago, his relaxed polo shirt and jeans were replaced with the official dressed blues of a Marine. His face was covered with a five o'clock shadow. His eyes were twinkling. He looked rugged. Sexier from what she remembered. She froze with her hand covering her open mouth and her eyes glittering. Blood was rushing in her ears, but she fought to hear what else he had to say.

He approached her with exaggeratedly small steps and a face full of emotion that she couldn't decipher, "I heard that there was a damsel in distress that needed saving."

He paused to consider what he should say next, taking his time knowing that the woman in front of him was well-past speechless, "I might not be the perfect knight in shining armor, but I can be your hero in navy."

"You dolt!" she finally cried, launching herself into his arms, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well," he joked amiably, "I expected a much different welcome home."

"Shut up," she requested looking at him straight in the eyes. She stood on her tippy-toes, entwining her arms together around his neck as to draw him closer to him. His parted lips allowed shallow breaths as their lips touched each other gently. With her eyes fluttered closed, she felt like she was flying with her hero.

His arm locked around the small of her back. Their innocent kiss became a fight of breathless desire. They craved for each other's touch.

"Auntie Mikan!" the little girl giggled.

The couple immediately broke apart. Mikan touched her swollen lips with her fingers, "Yes?"

"I wanna go on our aniversoree!" the little boy complained.

"Oh," Natsume looked down at the woman with his eyebrow arched, "I see."

"Oh shut up," she giggled. She laced her fingers through his; a perfect fit. The four of them settled for a picnic together, almost like a real family that she'd love to have with the man who finally joined her side.

-.-.-.-

"What happened to your arm?"

"Oh. Now you noticed."

"What happened?"

"Sakura. It's broken and in a cast. Stop poking my right shoulder as if I lost it in war."

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Fin.

Author's Sidenote:

Review s'il vous plait!