A Hero in the Making

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Summary: A hero always has the most interesting life story. N x M

Genre: General/ Romance

Pairing: Natsume H. x Mikan S.

Rating: T

Author's note: Happy Birthday to me! This is a gift to you guys for being so loving to me. So... this is somehow a preview of a future fic of mine. I hope you guys like it!

A while after my talk with mom, I was left in a daze. What good did I contribute to the world?

It's not really something a teenager usually ponders on, but if you're left to fend for you and your little sister, you'd probably have a lot of moments when you'd just stop and think of the deeper meanings in life.

The first family member we lost was my father. He was a soldier. I was six years old then. The elites that were the Alices planned to destroy the government, take over, and build a "one-world" government, but the military forces acted fast. Though succeeding in the annihilation of the Alices, in the process, lives were lost. My dad was one of them.

It never really had an impact on me because I barely remember the man, but whenever my mom talked about him, it was as if he was right beside us, alive and well. Those were the short moments that I'd miss him. Those were the times when I'd have this longing in my chest, something I never understood before, because I was too young.

Because of my father's death, I was forced to 'grow up' earlier than kids my age. Being only barely ten years old, I wasn't supposed to be an expert in doing household chores, but I somehow managed. Whenever my mom was at work and my sister and I were at home, I would mom the floor, fix the bed, clean the bathroom, and cook lunch. I would, then, help my sister with her homework if ever she had any. After doing those stuff, I had to make sure I had time to cook dinner for the three of us. I'd cook something my mom loves, then I'd wait for her near the door. As soon as she arrives, I'd give her her slippers and take her shoes to the shoe rack. I'd get her bag and walk with her to the living room. It was something I did to help her. I never really wanted her to suffer and feel pain.

I knew she never got over the fact that dad's never coming back. When she looks like she's going to break down, she would excuse herself and cry secretly. I always knew. Even if she felt that way, she would always try to make us laugh and act spunky. I wanted to tell her it's gonna be okay. Call me a mama's boy for all I care. My mother really did mean a lot to me. I rarely told her that, but I made sure she felt it.

Sadly, fate was never on our side. After my second year in middle school, my mother was diagnosed with leukemia. She fought hard for her life. For us.

Most of the money dad left us was used for mom's chemotherapy. She didn't want to undertake chemo, saying that the money dad left was for our university tuition, but Aoi and I insisted, saying we could always earn it back as soon as she's cured.

We had to be frugal in everything. It was a good thing that Aoi and I both topped our batch, because we got qualified for a full scholarship in our school. We tried to stay as optimistic as we could. Stress wasn't good for mom.

I was too young to have a part-time job, but since mom's good friend needed a hand in his tofu shop, he hired me. It didn't give much, but at least we had more money for food and daily necessities. Aoi helped every once in a while when she's not with mom in the hospital.

Mom was never a quitter. I got that quality from her. But, I guess she knew she was losing her battle. Soon, she did something physically painful for her. She hugged me. Her body ached at the slightest touch, but with all her energy, she pulled me to her, and gave me the tightest hug she could give.

She, then, said, "Help others the way you helped me and your sister, Natsume. Be a good brother. And, be a good man. You'll be a wonderful father and husband, I'm sure of it."

After talking to me, she talked to Aoi, too. She gave us a forced smile and told us she's tired and wanted to sleep now. My sister started sobbing, understanding what mom meant. She died the day after. She fought for two years.

Now, I have no one to wait for by the door. It's just me and my sister now. I guess that's life. You win some. You lose some.

Everything became a blur after her death. I was there during the wake and cremation, but it was as if I wasn't. It wouldn't sink into me that mom's gone.

Right after the cremation, my plan was to go back to school. I had baseball practice, but I'm too tired to go. An aunt of ours drove Aoi to our home a while ago, because she cried herself to sleep, so I'm on my own today.

As I waited for the train to come, I noticed this familiar girl (she was wearing my school's uniform), a few steps away from me, crying. She was staring blankly at the trail tracks, sobbing. I don't usually pry, but this girl looked awfully familiar.

Subtly, I tried peeking at her. Damn. It's Mikan Sakura. It's quite surprising for me to find out that the girl near me, crying like a little girl, is Mikan Sakura. She never cries in front of others. She always had this permanent smile plastered on her face.

I used to find her attitude extremely annoying, because she was so loud, and she acted like life's nothing but sunshine and rainbows. She was so happy it made me sick. How my perspective on her changed is a whole new different story though.

I didn't really want to meddle with this case. I just wanna go home and sleep. So, as soon as I saw the train arriving, I readied myself.

But, as if everything was in slow-motion, I saw Sakura walk 'til she reached the edge of the platform. It registered to my mind what she was planning to do, and thank the gods I have fast reflexes, because before she could even jump down the rail, I managed to drag her back.

I glared at her, and without noticing it, I screamed at her. "What the hell, Sakura! Are you trying to kill yourself? Seriously!"

She just stared at me for a while, surprised that I was even there. But then, she started crying again. She even pressed her head on my shoulder, crying more.

I, then, remembered what my mom told me.

"Help others the way you helped me and your sister, Natsume."

I, once again, stared at the girl crying on my shoulder. Maybe mother said what she said because she knew something like this was going to happen? She always had a knack for predicting things.

Maybe it's time to actually do something to help someone other than my family. Just maybe.

End of preview

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