"Miss. Sakura!! Get to your room, or you'll never recover. You have got to stop running around every time I come visit!" My doctor ordered angrily. I stuck my tongue out and scrammed towards the halls of the hospital. I just couldn't stand staying in my room so much anymore. I need to be free! The air was starting to taste bitter and sour. I had to explore a little more. How could anyone stand being in a room so long? I've been here for almost three years!

"I have a request!" I yelled back behind me as I ran with my white slippers. I was glad enough that I didn't have to wear the hospital clothes anymore. I was a regular patient here and everyone knew me, what was the point of me wearing clothes? I wasn't going to heal anytime soon. So I decided I'd cherish life to the fullest.

"What request is that?" She muttered coldly. She was getting annoyed, chasing me every time now since a month ago when she started therapy with me. I wasn't going to get better so they had assigned me a new doctor, one that could be with me always. But I just wasn't having fun with her plus she was too strict and she never smiled. She only did it for the money.

It made me so gloomy in the hospital.

"I want someone that is willing to help me at all times without complaint. I don't want someone who argues about what will help me heal. I won't heal with you nagging me to come back inside. Can't you tell that I'm unhappy there?" I frowned as I came to a dead end.

I thought I had memorized this maze of a hospital.

"Is that so, then I quit." She rolled her eyes and turned her back. My hand brushed my hair back. I didn't want her to continue to be miserable.

Even if I had fun when she cared enough to chase me.

I sighed and went back to my room. I was getting tired of the new doctors...

I didn't need doctors. I had friends and one of them I had called gramps. He reminded me of my Jicchan who died a couple of years ago. It made me happy when he asked me to call him that after I had told him my story about my family. Of course he wouldn't replace him but he would take the place of caring for me instead. He watched over me and occasionally visited me inside the hospital. He was a regular patient too. He had poor lungs and had to be watched constantly.

I decided to carefully watch over him too. He was my friend and the only one besides Ruka who rarely but surely did visited me from time to time.

Since I had only but a few friends at all, I decided to trust someone into caring for me. Gramps had come down with a failing lung and had to have surgery. He could no longer remind me of taking my pills any more. I had to have someone to watch me and take me to the mall inside the hospital.

It was a good thing that my mom had money left over for me in my bank account.

"What are you smiling about?" A voice came from behind me. I was currently placing fliers around the hospital walls. Since I couldn't go outside of the hospital, I was allowed to place them around the building instead.

It was my childhood friend, Ruka. He turned his head and stared at me with his ocean blue eyes. I always did love those eyes of his because they reminded me of the outside world. I rarely got out so it brought relief whenever I saw them.

"Ruka..." I smiled. He got a little taller since I saw him last. It made me a little sad. I recalled always having been taller than him since we were kids. He was like my little brother, but now our roles were reversed. He took care of me and encouraged me to get better. He even gets angry when I go on missions. "I missed you." I pressed my head against his chest. It made me feel better whenever he was here.

He was the only thing left from my past.

"Eh?" He blushed as he held my back carefully. "I came here a week ago. Anyways... why are you putting up fliers?"

I looked back and instantly forgot about them, "Oh yeah... I need a bodyguard or something. Like an assistant to remind me to take my pills." I grinned, rubbing the back of neck nervously.

"What? Mikan... that's too..." His eyes flooded with worry and it looked like he was going to cry.

"I know, I know... it's too risky but it's not like they're going to anything about me."

But I was wrong.

After that, I waited for any call or request. Soon, the Principal of Alice Academy came to visit me. I was writing out lyrics for a song when he had come in. I wasn't expecting him to be here but I knew he wouldn't dare attack me. He had wanted my Alices' for a long time. There was always a reason as to why he comes to me. He had killed my mother once I was born because there was no need for her. He also killed my father in the past.

"Kuonji. What are you doing here?" I closed my notebook and placed it on my table near me. I hated the man and there were times when I wanted to kill him but I couldn't bring myself to. He was a murderer and if I were to kill him... it would make me a murder too... Of course I never let him take advantage of me. But when I found out he had a little girl in custody, I had no choice but to go along with his plans. Sometimes I had to do missions for him and if it involved murdering people, I had no choice but to threaten to kill the man or steal his Alice. "What is it this time?"

"I have a request." He grinned as he glanced over my body, "My, my, my. You are looking more like your mother every day."

I hated the way he looked at me. But I remained calm and serious in front of him. I never acted like myself when he was here. I decided I would never show him anything. Because that was a sign of weakness, "Yeah, well I heard that I look like my Dad."

My comments always made him flinch.

He coughed uncomfortably, "You are searching for an assistant, am I correct?" He smiled with fake sincerity. I faked a laugh and refused to look him in the eye.

"What of it?" I didn't know why but I felt the need to be formal with him, maybe because I grew stiff with anger at the sight of him, or that it was a distraction, or a way to restrain myself from killing him. Either way, I was so angry every time I saw him but I had no choice. My mother made me promise not to kill him no matter what. She hated violence. She never believed in it.

"I was thinking maybe I should send in my right hand man."

I remember raising my brows in surprise. Did he actually think that I'd let him send in his best assassin? "Uh... no thanks." I said bitterly. "I don't think you have to send in your best man." My voice had a hint of venom when I said it but I could hardly care less about his feelings. He destroyed my own a long time ago.

"Why does it matter anyways? You don't have much time left, do you?" He smirked but I didn't say a thing. "It's that girl's older brother. How about it? I bet you'll like the kid. He's got some attitude. He kinda reminds me of you."

Who know what made motivated me, but I agreed and soon enough I found him in lobby. I didn't wear anything special or wear my contacts. In fact I might have looked like a country girl, but I did my best to disguise my usual self. I was so anxious that when I had run down towards the lobby, I ran into a tall man with dark hair.

"Ouch!" He had groaned under my weight. I rubbed my forehead. When my vision became clear, I was surprised to have run into a handsome boy. He seemed to be a bit older than me. When he focused on me, he had the most beautiful crimson eyes. I couldn't help but stare. He was sooooooooooo cute.

"Ah! I-I'm so s-sorry!!" I stuttered but he didn't seem to mind at all. He was amused by the way I was acting. I pursed my lips as I got up to help him. "H-here, I'll help you." I grabbed his hand with both of my own and tugged as hard as I could. He was heavy but I managed to pull him up. By the end of it he was smiling.

"Thanks." He said calmly, a princely aura surrounding his devilish smile. An arrow instantly hit me. He was kind and sweet. I couldn't help but keep staring at him. I hardly ever saw any boys in the hospital. I wondered who he was and what he was going here. I was about to ask him when he walked past me towards the lady behind the counter. I heard him say my name and my heart began to pounce.

I followed his back and tapped his shoulder but then something really amazing happened. His character completely changed. His was annoyed and looked at me as if I were a fly.

"Yeah? What do you want woman?"He slumped against the counter.

"Um... You said that you were looking for Sakura Mikan?" I looked down shyly, looking at the tiled floor and waited.

"Yeah?" His eye's widened in curiosity. I was hesitating to say a thing. You really can't judge appearances. People are never really like they act sometimes,"...and you said that the reason you're here is to assist her?" I mumbled. He nodded and looked back at the lady behind the counter. I felt a little angry now. He really didn't care about me...

"Yes! Are we done here now? I have to go-" He started to argue, I snapped as I gave him a glare, "What?!" He snapped.

I just about had it with this boy! "I'M SAKURA MIKAN... STUPID!!!!!" I glared. His face dropped and turned pale. It cooled me down a bit knowing that he was pretending to be someone else too. I wanted to act like a shy country girl to get him comfortable around me. I decided to forgive him and so I let myself be around him. I asked him question, I took him places. Instead of him taking care of me, I felt like I took care of him. Sometimes the Principal would ask me to go on missions and I would to them, in exchange for the Natsume's and Aoi's life. He played me, he tricked me. I can't believe I fell for his trap.

I guess it was because he said that 'the girl's older brother' was helping me. I met the girl once, I could've helped her but I had no time, instead I gave her my most precious Alice as an apology. My voice Alice. It was a voice that could protect and heal. Before I could give it away, I put some in an Alice stone and kept it with me. Although it hurt me, I really loved to sing. For her, though I promised to never sing again, I felt guilty knowing I could have saved her all along.

From the shadows, I tried to help her as much as I could. But I was physically weak, I was hospitalized for a reason of course.

In a way, I guess that's why I accepted his request to let Natsume assassinate me. I wanted him to kill me, then all that guilt could go away. He could save his sister and I could also drag my rare Alices' to my grave. I'd put them in Alice stones and bury them or something. Then no one could use them. I hated them anyways. No I just hated the power they held. I'd never hate the things my parents gave me. My Nullification Alice from my Dad. Voice and Stealing from my Mom. I cherished them and cried when I left my Voice Alice to Aoi but she needed it more. It could protect her, after all it was very powerful that it could heal and protect the user. That's why I fell ill when I handed it to her.

It's not her fault, it's mine. I was hoping that Natsume could kill me and end all this misery. I didn't have to suffer any more if he killed me. I lost everyone I cared about. I also decided to ignore my feelings for Natsume.

But when I made that mistake of singing that one time. Natsume gave me a 'get well'/Birthday present. A hair pin with a little microphone. I was so happy that he also took me to the garden and I knew that it was too late. I had fallen too much in love with him.

Maybe I also expected him not to kill me.

"Mikan? What are you thinking about?" Natsume wraps his arms around my waist, while kissing my neck as I come to the present.

"I was thinking about when I met you." I giggled. He frowned a bit. I never did tell him the truth but it's not like I needed to. It'd be sad to see his face if I told him that I wanted him to kill me. I don't think I truly expected him to kill me, I think I just wanted him to. But I also felt relieved when he confessed his love after shooting the Principal's arm.

I rubbed my belly. "Didn't expect to have a baby huh?"

He grinned. "What do you think it'll be?"

"I have a funny feeling it's going to be a boy."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. I just have a feeling, you know?"

"What should we name him then?"

"I've always wanted to name my son ---suru."

"What if it's a girl?"He questioned and I smiled.

"I don't know. It depends on her features. I was thinking Hisana, meaning scarlet, if she happens to have your eyes."

"My eyes, what about yours?"

"Natsume, your eyes are beautiful!" I argued.

"Okay. Don't add too much stress to ---suru. Oh, we could call him 'Suru' for short."

"Ooh... that's cute:)"

"Oh that reminds me, Hotaru's also pregnant huh? Isn't she due close to my date?"

"That's true... Who would have thought... Ruka and Imai."

"Natsume... she's not Imai any more. It's Nogi, Nogi!!" I rolled my eyes, but I thought it cute that he called all girls by their surname and not by name.

In our small house that we bought ourselves, we built a family and lived happily ever after.

THE END