Two-Faced Day Pt 2
"Well, that was great." I wiped my mouth with a napkin and set it by my plate. After skating, we decided to go to a small nearby cafe. The workers' expressions were pretty amusing since I don't think they usually had this many people dine at once. They mainly served soups and sandwiches but the things on the menu were delicious, like better than Subway or something; not that that was a delicacy or anything.
"Would you like to try any of our desserts?" the preppy waitress asked us.
Feliciano raised his hand. "Vanilla ice cream, please~!"
"Make that two!" Alfred called out from another table. There wasn't a table big enough to hold all nine of us so we had to split up. Yao just stared at the two distastefully.
It was too cold for ice cream for me. "Could I have the yogurt parfait?" I pointed to the order on the menu. She jotted it down and returned to the kitchen after cycling through everyone.
Francis casually placed his arm on the back of my chair. I scooted away and pointed my fork at him. "I'm still mad at you guys."
"How many times do we have to apologize, daze?" Yong Soo leaned back in his chair and glanced at me apologetically. On our way here, I had given them the silent treatment but after the meal, I'd forgotten about that. I just stuck my tongue at him. I wasn't entirely mad at them because it honestly was a bit fun, but it still wasn't nice of them to make me go through that without warning.
We had our desserts and thanked the café workers for their warm hospitality. The bus was not to come until half an hour so we decided to go check out the street fair that was around the corner. I let the guys go off on their own but in a buddy system in case one got lost or something. After pulling straws, I ended up with Arthur.
"How often does Britain have street fairs?" I looked at the random stands that were selling wooden sculptures and figurines. I felt like there was one on a monthly basis around here, maybe even more.
"I'm not quite sure. The neighborhoods hold their own every now and then." He breathed into his hands.
"I see." I rubbed my arms. It was getting colder and my jacket wasn't exactly helpful. I caught a glimpse of a stand with hot chocolate.
The Brit promptly stopped by a bench. "Stay here, love. I will be right back." He disappeared into the crowd. I guessed he went to get hot chocolate, or at least that was what I hoped.
Unsure of what to do, I decided to take the time to observe the bustling scene. Everyone was fascinated by something, whether if it was some caricature art or an advertisement for Geico. Several terriers trotted by. I smiled to myself when I saw one wearing a sweater. The things owners did to their pets.
I next saw a group of friends go by, laughing over some silly joke one had made; all their cheeks rosy and some arm in arm. From the sight of that, I wondered how everyone was doing back at the old home. I had received some Christmas and New Years cards and gifts but that was the last I really heard from them. It was mid-term finals season so I imagined that they were just busy. I did miss them though. Why did I decide to leave after forming those close bonds? Regrets. I couldn't even contact them now because I didn't have my phone with me.
"Here you go." Arthur handed me a nice, steaming cup of hot chocolate. I gratefully took it and it instantly warmed my hands. He sat down and took a sip from his. He frowned a bit. "Why does America make things too sweet?"
I just shrugged. "We like flavor? I don't know." I sipped my warm drink. American or not, this hot chocolate was delicious. "Thank you." He nodded in response.
"Mademoiselle~!" Francis and Alfred came up to me and they each took my arms. "Come with us!"
"Be careful with the drink!" Arthur called out after us. Sadly, I've already had to sacrifice it into the trashcan at that point.
The Frenchman and American led me to a random photo booth that was at one of the stands. Surprisingly, it was free so the two took up the opportunity and forced me into it with them. The timer was way too fast so I just smiled awkwardly in most of the pictures.
"Dude! You blinked in this one." Alfred handed me one of the photo strips. We made our way back to where we left Arthur, only to find a growing crowd of colorful cosplayers flock around him. There were squeals, the fangirl kind of squeals.
"That is an amazing cosplay!"
"Can I take a picture with you?"
"Hey, I asked first!"
"How come you aren't at the Hetalia meet at the park?"
I swallowed. Did she say 'Hetalia meet'? I froze when someone in a Poland cosplay looked over at us.
She gasped. "Like, look guys! More fabulous cosplayers!" At that, half of the flock made their way toward Alfred and Francis.
The two were ready to accept them with open arms but I had different plans in mind. I grabbed the guys and dragged them into a crowd near some food stands. I did not want them to bring more attention.
"There's Ivan, Belarus! You should go after him!"
"Is that Feli over there?"
"Even the Awesome Prussia is here!"
I hung my head. Why?! I turned to Alfred. "Can I use your phone real quick?" He handed it to me. I dialed Yong Soo.
"Yeoboseyo [Hello]?"
"Yong Soo! Have you been mauled by cosplayers yet?"
"'Mauled by cosplayers'? What are you talking about, daze?"
"There's apparently a Hetalia meet and everyone else is being tracked down by fangirls… And the bus is coming in like five minutes!"
"Aiyah! What is going on, aru?"
"Try to avoid them the best you can… Get to the bus stop as soon as possible!" I hung up the call and sent a mass text to the rest.
Alfred, Francis, and I snaked through the stands while avoiding any fangirls. The two units had to even pay one girl with a picture to help distract anyone else that came our way. We eventually made it to the bus stop in one piece.
I did a quick head count. Alfred, Feliciano, Yong Soo, Yao, Francis, Ivan, Arthur… I looked around. "…Where is Gilbert?" From the corner of my eyes, I saw the bus coming. A surge of panic went through me.
"What the crap, you unawesome traitors!" The Prussian was running toward us from across the street. Few straggling fans followed after him. The bus came. We bolted in and pleaded the driver to immediately close the doors. He was kind enough to comply. All nine of us sighed in relief. We unfortunately got on a full bus though so most of us had to stand.
"Are you enjoying your day so far, comrade?" Ivan asked me a little later. He was standing behind me.
I turned to face him. "Yeah, it's been pretty fun." Besides that last incident… I wondered if that Belarus cosplayer ever got to him.
He giggled. "I'm glad for you."
I smiled back. They did so much for me. I knew that I could never repay them. Not to mention, Ivan did help me get on ice skates. "Thank yo—" The bus jerked to a stop and I lost my grip on the pole. I fell over and landed on someone's lap.
"Hey, don't get too comfy."
I blushed when I saw that it was Gilbert. I immediately got back up but someone had taken my place by Ivan because their stop was coming up. All I could do was to stand by the Prussian. I thought about how much I was clinging onto him back at the skating rink. I was even more embarrassed to look at him now.
It was about eight when we finally got back home. The guys told me that they had final preparations to take care of and sent me upstairs. I sat in a bean bag chair they had in the loft. I've never really been up here since I usually just confined myself in my room. It was like a second living room or something.
I leaned back and stared out the window. It got cloudy so the moons and stars weren't there to greet me. A chill breezed into the area. I got up and closed the slightly opened window. Why would the guys leave the window open in the middle of winter?
I sat back down and picked up one of the magazines that were lying around. Then I threw it aside. I glanced at another one but I also tossed that one aside. I groaned and tossed my head back. Men. . . I heard someone coming up the stairs so I pretended to preoccupy myself with the keychain Elizabeta gave me.
"Aww~ who gave that to you?" Feliciano walked up to me. He had a large handkerchief in his hand.
I put the doll in my pocket. "I ran into Elizabeta in the morning." I smiled. "It was her birthday present for me." I then glanced up at him. "Is that supposed to be a blindfold?"
He put his hand behind his back and giggled. "No~."
I laughed as well. "You guys are so cheesy."
"What kind of cheese?" He grinned. He sat down next to me. "They told me to keep you company."
"Well, I appreciate that." I sank deeper into the bean bag chair.
He placed his head against the side of my leg. "Nana?"
My leg slightly flinched at the contact. I shifted my head to get a better look at him. "Yes?"
He looked up at me with his bright, auburn eyes. "Do you remember when we first met?"
I sat up a little. "…Why all of the sudden?" I mean I do remember. There was no way I could ever forget.
He laughed gently and rested his chin on my knee. "I don't know. I was just thinking about it today."
He was..? Our eyes met and we held our gaze for a bit. How could I forget about the time he caused me to fall off the chair or the time he made me pasta for the first time? He was a great companion; more a silly brother than a guardian that I had first assigned him to be. I did feel the most comfortable around him but—
"So what is going up here?"
I shot my head up and found Arthur standing by the stairs. I madly blushed and swung my legs away from Feliciano. "N-nothing!"
"Sure, love." He smiled cunningly. "We are ready for you." He looked at the other unit. "Will you do us the honor, Feliciano?"
The Italian got right up. "Si~!"
"We will be waiting then." The Brit made his way back downstairs.
Feliciano tied the blindfold over my eyes. He did it well because I could not see anything at all; not even the slightest light. "Ready?" he asked.
A pit of excitement was budding inside of me. "Yes."
He took my hand and carefully led me down the first set of stairs. Halfway he said he forgot something in his room and quickly went to retrieve it. I felt around for the railings of the next set of stairs. He came back down to where I was, but I also heard two other footsteps behind me. Feliciano shrieked. There were sounds of struggle. What's going on..? I felt a cool breeze. Were the others messing with him? Or were they trying to scare me?
Feliciano's cries were muffled. Something wasn't right. I pulled at the blindfold until I got the knot loosened enough to lift it over my eyes. The lights were turned out so it was too dark to really make out anything. Instincts told me to back away, and I did in time to dodge a swinging fist. I vaguely saw Feliciano get hit right across the face. He shoved back out of fear. The figure wheeled into me. My heart sank as I found no footing behind me. It felt like I was in mid-air for a split second. The figure stopped herself from falling. She had black, bob cut hair. Her angry eyes met mine.
. ..Natsumi?
Her expression then turned into one of dreadful realization.
I tumbled down the stairs.
I fell into a pit of darkness.
…
Heart monitor beeps.
Hushed voices.
Numb feeling in my head.
I couldn't move.
I gradually opened my eyes. I felt terribly weak. I ached everywhere. What had just happened..?
My vision slowly adjusted to the light. Everything was still fuzzy. I somewhat made out five guys sitting in the room.
"Man, I thought she was a goner!"
"Don't be so rude, my Prussian comrade."
"My citizens are made to be durable!"
"Aiyah, lower your voices..."
"My precious flower..."
I stared out in a daze. It almost felt like a dream. I don't even know. It might have been from my blurry vision.
A prestigious sounding doctor walked in. "How are you doing, Ms. Yukibara?"
I blinked at him. I opened my mouth. I was just at a total loss.
"Where's my mother?"
I am ready for revolting actions in the reviews… I'M ARMED!
Just kidding.
I have been waiting so long to put this plan into action. Now that it's done, I feel better BUT not completely because this is only phase one. You will be raging in the next chapter.
Don't really know what else to say except that I'm happy for the quick update. I was too excited about this and had to grasp the open opportunity. I'm done with testing (except for finals) and my classes are now simply being annoying with projects.
Summer break is just around the corner. Is it just me or does anyone else get sad toward the end of the school year? I might just be too attached to it. I feel empty without it. *nerdalert*
Anyway, as always, I love you guys and thanks for reading! ( ^w^)/
