Mikan's Little Twin

Chapter 82: Painful goodbyes*

I sit on the floor with Mikan-Nee after witnessing us being left with Jī-chan at a young age. He appeared so happy when we were left with him.... and her.. she left us to save us...

I keep a tight grip on Mikan-Nee's hand as a million thoughts run through my head. My tears on my face have now dried, making my face feel firm and taut but I have no doubt that more tears are to come. My emotions are so strong and Mikan is my only anchor.

"Hotaru... everyone.." I hear my twin start off. Her hand tightens on mine and I know what our decision is. "I'm sorry..." Mikan-Nee apologizes. I smile at my sister, trying to give her a little bit of my strength but it seems that I'm so emotionally drained. My smile is more of a grimace as I attempt to gather my bearings.

"Thank you..." I speak to our friends... our family.

"Akako..." Hotaru's voice rings through my ears. I use all of my strength and stand up, Mikan-Nee following in suit.

'I know what we must do. I know this and yet it causes me such heartache that I'm not sure I can handle it.'

"We will leave the academy with her..." Mikan's voice trembles, "Together with that person...", tears fall from Mikan-Nee's warm brown eyes. I stare at my sister and lift our conjoined hands, she glances at me. "Together." I repeat, showing her our hands as a reminder that she isn't alone. I'm not alone. We're in this together like we always have been and how we always will be.

"We will escape to the outside world... with our mother." Mikan nods towards me. Hot droplets of salty water now wash down my face, wetting the once dry streaks again.

"Mikan..! Akako!" I feel a hand placed on my shoulder, the desperation and worry in Hotaru's voice making the burden on my heart that much more.

'I don't want to leave them. I don't. But if we stay here... our friends..!'

I screw my eyelids shut as more tears fall from my face. "I'm sorry..!" I apologize for the heartache that we must be causing some of them. 'And Mikan-nee... leaving our bestest friend and the boy whom she likes... and I will leave the boy I love...'

"If you leave the academy with her... day after day, you will be running from place to place. And you don't know when..." Noda-Sensei says. I glance at him before my eyes make their way to one of my best friends. Hotaru looks at both of us and grabs our hands, "You wouldn't be able to see everyone, even Ojī-San... despite that, you're still going, right? ... you have decided, right?" Her words cause the ache in my chest to worsen. My face heats up more as it scrunches up from my attempts to restrain my tears.

"For sure... no mater how long it takes.. we will go out and find everyone! To go and meet everyone.." Mikan-nee cries. And she speaks the truth, that will be our goal. I look at everyone around us but that proves to be challenging since I can barely see through the water in my eyes. "That's our promise to you all..." I nod and allow my tears to fall once more. If I keep it inside, I will surely break. "Promise..."

I try to stop the pain from spreading in my heart because I know that this is hard for Hotaru-Chan and Mikan-Nee, seeing as they're best friends. I too, am friends with Hotaru but I will never share the same bond that her and Mikan-nee have with one another. I will forever regret that I wasn't one of the bestest friends she could have. Still, I feel a hand caress my cheek and look up in surprise to see a distraught Hotaru. She softly smiles at the two of us, making my heart shatter for the umpteenth time.

"Don't cry, Mikan. Akako." She looks at the ground, sorrow clouding her eyes. "Everyone knew it would turn out this way."

Even though she says that, it makes me feel worse because that means that our friends were dreading this moment and were filled with such an anxiety for when it would occur.