Chapter One

Mikan

"Good Morning!"

I greeted everyone while I walked with bounce towards the Café's bar. It was always nice to start the day with a gleeful mood, like a warning that stated that you we're ready for anything to happen. It was a good summer day.

"Good Morning, Mikan! You awfully sound happy today." Tsubasa Andou replied as he beamed towards me. Tsubasa, my boss and senpai, was already at the café bar preparing the coffee beans.

I smiled and shrugged.

"Oh my! You have a secret!" Tsubasa exclaimed.

"No! I don't know it just feels like I can do just about anything today. You know those days when you wake up and open your eyes and its all sunshine and rainbows. "I explained to him.

Tsubasa laughed and patted my head. "Well, you deserve days like these kiddo."

I nodded.

"Okay! Let's start with the magic of this café." He said as he gave his attention back to the coffee beans, and turned on the coffee machine.

I chuckled and turned around and prepared the display stand for the pastries and sweets.

It had been over three years since I started working for Tsubasa, my roommate knew him and suggested that I get an interview. At first, I was really nervous because I didn't have any experience and I was new to the city life. I was a college freshman with limited resources and desperate for a job. But in the end I was hired and I earned a new friend.

The city was a jungle at first, it seemed that every corner emitted of danger and that everything was unfamiliar and new. A certain provincial-girl like me was certainly was no match but I overcome my fears and learned to fit-in with the help of new my friends. Tsubasa helped me a lot through the years, he was someone who I could trust and depend on.

I am now on my fourth year in college, I'm on my way to becoming a teacher. I always wanted to become a teacher, a teacher for small children. When I was little I remembered, Narumi, he was a teacher in our local nursery school. I was just amazed how he could make learning fun. I wanted to be just like him.

And dreams do come true because here I am almost at the finish line of my race.

It was noon already. The Café was packed with customers. It was always like these on lunch time.

I was hastily serving a customer's order into her table when I noticed a little girl across the street trying to get her nanny's attention and pointing towards the cotton candy stand next to our shop. The nanny was busy flirting with the driver.

I sputtered the coffee I was holding when I saw her took a step away from the pavement and into the street, not minding that I've cause havoc in the customer's table and might have spilled coffee into her clothes.

I run towards her. As my pace became faster I finally caught up with her. A sense of relief passed over me. Yet, only to be faced with another trouble which was a car that was coming towards us.

Everything was moving too fast.

I pushed her away with all my strength and made myself the target for the approaching car.

Screeeech.

I felt an impact on my leg and heard someone shouting. I felt myself falling. I could still hear and see, I just couldn't move. The driver of the car got out and people we're approaching. Someone was yelling for help. I saw people talking through their phone, calling for an ambulance.

I felt someone held my hand.

"Kiddo, stay with me."

Then, everything was black.

Is this heaven?

Was I ready for heaven?

Everything was soft.

I opened my eyes. It was too bright.

Slowly, I tried again.

I was tucked in a bed. I looked around and saw a room with white walls and a big window showing a view of trees and that it was morning. I glanced toward the side of my bed; a vase was filled with a wide arrangement of beautiful flowers. I certainly was not in heaven, and I was clearly alive but was just in a hospital room.

I moved my hands slowly; a finger of mine was equipped with a device, I run it towards my head. I felt a bandage covered the top of my head. I breathed. I felt a twinge of pain in my chest.

"Mikan!"

I looked up and saw Tsubasa. I was about to reply but when I opened my mouth, it was too numbed and dry.

"Tsu- wat- water ple- please." I crooked.

"Wait, I'll call a nurse." He said, his breathing unsteady, as he walked towards the side of my bed and pressed a call-button. "Kiddo! You don't how happy I am to see your beautiful eyes, twinkling again."

I placed my hands on top of his and smiled.

The door opened and a doctor accompanied with a nurse entered. The doctor was lady with a short black hair with a poker face to match her features of purple eyes. I felt like I knew her.

"I'm sure your feeling a bit thirsty, my dear. I brought something for it." The nurse said as she came to my side and aided my lips with something similar to ice cubes.

"Miss Sakura, I see you're awake. I'm Doctor Hotaru Imai, I'll just check you over for a moment." The doctor said as she walked towards my bed.

She grabbed a small flashlight and trailed it over my eyes. She checked my breathing, checked my bandages, there were also bandage over my right leg, my chest and right shoulder. She talked to the nurse as the nurse jutted down, some of the information she was giving her.

"Well, everything seems to be healing as planned. Nothing to worry about, but we'll get another CT scan order just to be sure."

"What happened to me?" I crooked in panic.

"You've been unconscious for two days now." The Doctor Imai answered. "You see when the car hit your right leg, its impact was strong enough to mess with your balance that's why you fell. The fell gave way to the bruising. You suffered a couple of bruised ribs, a tender leg and shoulder and a small bump in your head. You were fairly lucky, the driver had fast reflexes and got hold of the break just in time."

I breathed a sigh a relief. "When would I be okay again?"

"A month for the healing would suffice but you would still need to come to check-ups for the next couple of weeks. Headaches are normal but if it worsen, come see my immediately. Pain meds would be given to you in that time table to relieve some of the pain."

I nodded.

The doctor asked if I had any more questions, I answered negatively.

"Okay, I'll check you again this afternoon." She said and went towards the door. She was very abrupt and professional.

"You know, Doctor Imai, don't usually give follow up consultations after the first round in daily rounds. She usually checks her patients in the morning but never in the afternoon, she lets her inters do those things." The nurse said. "Strangely, you're the first patient to have an afternoon appointment with her. It might be because of Mr. Hyuuga"

"Mr. Hyuuga?" I asked the nurse.

"Yes, don't you know? The girl you saved was her sister." She happily told me as she checked on my IV lines.

"Tsubasa?" I turned to him slowly.

"Well, you're kind of a big hero now. Everyone's been talking about you while you we're a sleep." He replied with an uneasy smile and a shrugged. "You see, Aoi, the little cute girl you saved, is Mr. Hyuuga's sister, his like a big corporate guy, his family's rich too."

I think, I kind of need a bit of time to process those facts.

"I think, I'm tired again. Can I nap for a while?" I nervously asked them.

The nurse nodded and in tune with Tsubasa's nod.

When I woke-up, I saw a girl face beaming at me. She had a dark hair that rounded on her shoulders and piercing crimson eyes. Crimson? Is she wearing contact lens?

"Mikan! You have a visitor!" Tsubasa spoke up, I looked towards him. He gestured to the girl. "This is, Aoi, the cute little girl I told you about."

I smiled.

"Oh! Good! Just the girl I wanted to see!" I happily admitted to her and took her hand toward my own. "How are you, honey?"

She smiled and gestured an okay sign. She crouched down to grab something from a bag beside my bed on the floor. It was bear, a brown bear with black beaded eyes. She gave it to me.

I took it warmly into my hands and laid it on my lap while giving her a small giggle. I motioned her to sit on my bed again.

"Who's this little guy?" I asked her as she repositioned herself on my bed.

She didn't answer me.

It triggered in my brain then that she could be mute, mostly children were not a quiet as her. They love to talk non-stop. Okay, Mikan you can do this, think of her as one of your students.

"Hmm. Do you want me to guess his name?" I gladly hinted. "Is his name 'Mr. Bear'?"

She surprised me when she nodded and happily let out happy smile.

"Are you lending Mr. Bear to me while I'm in the hospital?"

She nodded again.

I beamed at her. I felt at ease with her like she was someone I've known for a long time. I'm thankful that I was there just in time to save her. My relationship with her in the future I'm certain would be just like my good days, full of sunshine and rainbows.

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