☆A Gakuen Alice Fanfiction☆

Chapter 3: A Best Friend

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Yuki was forced out of her thoughts when she heard loud noises. What's going on? She thought, tilting her head in wonder. Then, she heard loud footsteps rushing down the hallway, and Mr. Tamura suddenly barged in through the door. He was holding in his arms a variety of medical supplies that he dropped on the bed beside her. Yuki watched silently as he knelt before her, his expression concealed by a shadow. Expertly, he started disinfecting her wounds, and she noticed his shoulders slightly shaking.

"Papa, are you okay?" Yuki wondered aloud. She waited for a few moments, but his answer never came. "Papa?" Then, she heard a loud SNIFF.

"Yuuuki-chaaan!!" Her father shouted, crying. When he looked up, she saw rivers of tears streaming down his face and snot dripping from his nose. The sight was quite comical.

Mr. Tamura was an emotional man who dearly loved his only child and tended to overreact whenever it came to his precious daughter. Yuki could only stare dumbfounded as he continued to sob while gently tending to her.

Ten minutes later, she was covered from head to toe in pink band-aids with cute animal designs. Her ankle had been bandaged tightly, and her father had thankfully stopped crying. Mr. Tamura cleared his throat, cheeks blushing from embarrassment, and told her they should join her mother at the Imais' house. Yuki looked down at her injured foot and then up at her father with a grabbing gesture. Mr. Tamura smiled warmly and bent down to pick up his adorable daughter.

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Her father princess-carried her to the Imai house and pushed open the door left ajar for them. Although only twenty minutes had passed since her mother went to talk to their neighbours, it felt much longer. Too many things had happened since Yuki woke up. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. She had always been mature, but right now, she felt too old and weary for someone her age. She desperately wished she could go back to sleep and forget everything weighing down on her shoulders. All she wanted was to be ordinary and live happily, far away from Gakuen Alice.

Mr. Tamura closed the entrance door behind them and took a few steps into the dim hallway. At the end of it was a warmly lit living room. The atmosphere was heavy, interrupted only by the crackling of the wood burning in the hearth. Facing the fireplace was Mrs. Imai, a beautiful, dark-haired woman in her thirties. She sat on the grey sofa with her legs elegantly crossed, her left hand resting on her visibly stressed-out husband's thigh. Yuki's mother was in the armchair beside them, her eyes focused on the wild dance of the orange flames. Everyone was deathly silent, seemingly lost in thought. They only came out of their trance when Yuki and her father stepped into the room. Immediately, Mr. and Mrs. Imai looked at them, their eyes widening slightly in surprise.

"Oh my, Yuki-chan, what happened to you?" gasped Mrs. Imai, her hands covering her mouth in horror. Despite having known Yuki for only two years, she considered her a daughter, and her heart ached as she took in the sight of the bandaged and tired-looking little girl.

Yuki smiled slightly in response, her eyes searching the room for her friend.

"If you're looking for Hotaru, she is probably upstairs waiting for you." Said Mr. Imai.

Yuki silently nodded. She could see how distressed everybody was, their faces paler than usual and haggard. Knowing the adults would want to discuss things between themselves, she lightly tapped her father's arm, signalling him to let her down. Once her feet touched the ground, she quickly limped away in search of her friend. As soon as she disappeared into the familiar hallway, she heard hushed voices from the living room. Slowing down, she headed for the wooden staircase leading to the rest of the house and caught sight of her best friend sitting on a step.