Unmei: Thank you all for the suggestions! They really helped me in writing this I chapter. I love all you so much, even you who read but don't review. Haha, anyways, disclaimer time:

Yamato: Yo, Yamato here. charming smile (fan girls scream in the background.)

Unmei: whacks Yamato with mallet Get on with it now, or else I'm disincluding you from the story.

Yamato: Sheesh, fine. Women. Anyways, Unmei no Hana doesn't own any series of Digimon, although she would dearly wish to.

Unmei: shakes head Well, onto the story!

Of Clones and Outcasts

Chapter 5: Of Employers and Co-workers

Unmei no Hana

Previously:

Darkness soon began to envelope Mura no Yume like a blanket. Heating up a microwave dinner they found in the fridge, Hikari and Miyako had a fairly uneventful dinner for both were exhausted by their long day. Saying a quick goodnight to one another, they brushed their teeth, changed into their pajamas soon fell into a deep slumber.

The sunlight streamed through open curtains and fell upon the sleeping figure of Hikari. Groaning, she groggily got up. Looking at the unfamiliar décor of the room, memories of the events that had occurred the past few days came flooding back to her.

'I guess it really wasn't a bad dream after all…I wonder how long Miyako and I will have to stay here, that is, if we could actually leave.'

She glanced over at the clock above her doorway. It was a simple, yet cute clock with a pink rim and sakura flowers as the numbers. It read 7:23.

'I guess I had better start getting ready. Tsukagoshi-san told me that Tachikawa-san is expecting me to meet her at eight o'clock sharp. I wonder what kind of person Tachikawa-san is…'

Hikari slowly rose, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. Making her way to her dresser, she opened it, praying that whoever chose the clothing had some sense of fashion. Much to her surprise, the clothing that she was provided with her very stylish and matched her taste perfectly. Choosing a denim mini-skirt and light pink peasant top that was embellished with embroidery, Hikari made her way to the bathroom and started the shower. Letting the hot water pour down upon her, questions rushed through Hikari's head.

'I wonder if anyone's noticed that Miyako and I have disappeared. I'm sure they have seeing that we've been away for nearly two days…. I sure hope everyone's doing okay. I sure do miss all of them. Sakura, Miki, Hinata, and all the rest of them. If only they were here with us, then perhaps the future wouldn't look so grim. But, on the bright side, I guess I have no more fan boys such as Willis chasing after me, although he wasn't all that bad. A little bit on the funny side I must admit. Maybe… just maybe, I'll make tons of new friends here… I sure hope so.'

Rinsing the last of the shampoo from her hair, Hikari turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping herself in a fuzzy pink towel. Putting on her clothes, Hikari tied her hair into a ponytail and stepped out of the bathroom and entered the kitchen. Rummaging through the pantry, she took some food and ate breakfast. Glancing at her watch that had somehow survived the raid, she saw that the time was 7:45.

'Ah, I had better get going. Miyako's so lucky. Her job starts at 9 o'clock so she doesn't have to get up as early. Well, hopefully I'll be able to find the location of Tachikawa-san's bakery without too much trouble.'

Slipping on white sandals, and grabbing a purse and keys to the apartment, Hikari locked the door to the apartment and stepped out onto the streets. Looking down at the paper she had received from Kanna, she read the address: 902 Hanabira (1.) road. Much to her great fortune, she quickly spotted the road entitled Hanabira.

' 898… 900… 902! This must be it.'

Hikari stood in front of a small, quaint bakery. Peering through the display glass she saw mouth-watering treats. A menu stood in front of the bakery and a few seats and tables were set out as well. Hikari hesitated in front of the door, wondering whether she should knock or not. Finally deciding, she timidly knocked on the door before slowly opening it, peering inside. The light pink wallpaper and hardwood floors as well handcrafted tables and chair gave the bakery a cozy setting.

"Oh, you must be Hikari."

Startled, Hikari looked towards the direction of the voice. A young woman, appearing around 23 years of age, stuck her head from a door that most likely lead to the kitchen. Her long honey colored hair was in a bun and her bright hazel eyes danced with amusement. She wore a pink apron that was smattered with flour over a white dress. Wiping her hands on her apron, Mimi walked over to Hikari and bowed.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Mimi Tachikawa, owner and chef here at Junsuisa (2.) Bakery, the only bakery where you can find the most delicious desserts you'll ever taste!"

Giggling to herself, Hikari bowed as well, introducing herself to the exuberant Mimi.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Tachikawa-san. My name is Hikari Yagami."

"Mou, no need to be so formal Hikari-chan, just call me Mimi. Tachikawa-san makes me sound so old."

"If you say so Tachi, I mean Mimi-san."

The bell on the door rang as a three girls entered. The first had auburn hair tied in a spiked up ponytail and violet eyes and wore a shirt with a purple heart on it and jeans. The other had cheerful auburn hair and eyes and wore a short green dress over a bright yellow shirt. And finally the last one had light brown hair and clear blue eyes. She wore a light blue sundress. The first of them looked at Hikari sharply with critical eyes.

"Oi, Mimi, is this our new co-worker?"

"Oh, hey Ruki, Jeri. Here, let me introduce you to our newest employee."

Dragging Hikari over to the pair of girls, Mimi introduced them to each other.

"This is Ruki Makino," Mimi said pointing to the purple-eyed girl, "she may act tough, but in the inside she's a real softy." Ruki rolled her eyes at Mimi at this comment before muttering a greeting to Hikari. Next, Mimi introduced Hikari to Ruki's softer-spoken companion.

"This is Jeri Katou. One of the most lovable and innocent girls you'll ever meet." Jeri eyes shone with happiness as she enthusiastically greeted Hikari. Lastly, Mimi introduced Hikari to the final girl.

"And last, but certainly not least, this is Minami Uehara. Her father is the co-worker of my lovable fiancé." Bowing politely to the group Hikari once again introduced herself.

"Pleased to meet the both of you, my name is Hikari Yagami. I'm looking forward to working with all of you."

Glancing at the clock, Mimi realized that it was just about time for the bakery to open. Rushing back to the kitchen to finish the last of the pastries, she showed Hikari the room where she could change into her uniform. The uniform consisted of a simple black skirt and white button-up top along with a small ribbon tie and half apron over her skirt. As she was fixing her hair, Jeri walked up to her.

"Hey Hikari-chan, we're going to have so much fun together, ne?"

Smiling at Jeri, Hikari was pleased to have seemingly already made a friend. Before she could reply, Mimi announced that the store would be opening and ordered the three girls to take their places. Ruki managed the cash register while Jeri, Minami, and Hikari would serve the customers. In a relatively short amount of time, the bakery filled up, and Hikari went to work.

rewinds to 8 o'clock

Let's check how things are going with Miyako.

The birds cheerfully chirped outside Miyako's window. Bathed in the sunlight, Miyako blinked sleepily. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and saw it read 8:01. Groaning, she covered her head with her pillow and… fell back to bed.

30 minutes later

A polite knock on the door aroused Miyako from deep slumber. Grumbling to herself, she hastily put on her glasses and made her way over to the front door. Yawning, she opened it, and much to horror, saw her new employer Ken Ichijouji standing outside. He stared at her for a couple of seconds before she screamed, her face beet red, and slammed the door in his face. Bewildered he pressed his ear to the door. After about five minutes, a panting Miyako reopened the door. Her hair was still damp and her clothes, a tan skirt and purple top, were obviously hurriedly put on. Catching her breath, she let out a nervous smile.

"Uhh, hi Ichijouji-san. Out of curiosity what are you doing here?"

"I-I um, thought that I could pick you up today because you didn't know where the office was…. And please, just call me Ken"

"Oh, thank you so much, Ken-san."

Stepping out of the apartment and locking the door, Miyako followed Ken. She secretly stole glances at him until he turned around and made eye contact with her. Both of them turned beet red and quickly turned their heads away.

'I wonder why she kept on looking at me… maybe I have something on my face.'

'Arghhh, I hope he doesn't think I'm some creepy stalker now. He probably thinks I'm some freak. It's not my fault he's cute! Wait, what the heck am I saying! He's an outcast, I can't like him! It's just not possible. Stupid Miyako what in the world are you thinking.'

Miyako pounded on her head and let out a growl of frustration. Ken just stopped and stared at her for a second.

"Um… Miyako are you alright?"

Miyako turned to face him, horrified.

'Oh god, please don't tell me I just did what I think I just did.'

"Uh, eheh, nothing Ken-san."

After a few more awkward minutes, the two of them finally arrived at Ken's law firm. Stepping inside, Miyako scanned the room. It was a neat room with a reception desk in the front and two doors in the back. Some chairs were set out as well as magazines for people to keep company with as they waited for their turn. A young girl with blonde hair and purple eyes and wearing a purple skirt and white blouse, who was stationed behind the reception desk, greeted the two of them.

"Hey Ken. Is this my new co-worker?"

Ken slightly nodded. Pointing at the blonde he introduced them to one another.

"Miyako, this is Izumi Orimoto, she's your age. And Izumi, this is Miyako, err…"

"Miyako Inoue, pleased to meet you Izumi," Miyako said, seeing how Ken didn't know her last name.

"Miyako, you'll be working with Izumi as a secretary for me. You'll be my secretary while Izumi is the secretary for my co-worker. He's currently in the hospital due to a severe case of food poisoning, but he'll be back in a couple of days."

With that Ken left to his office and left Miyako and Izumi alone. Smiling brightly, Izumi began to instruct Miyako of what she would be doing.

"Mainly what we'll do is set up a schedule and direct people to the correct office when it's their turn for an appointment. Other than that, there's not much. It gets rather dull after awhile, but you get good pay and meet many new people, so I guess it makes up for the dullness."

Nodding her head, Miyako took her seat and began for a long day of work.

1. Hanabira: Err, just a random name I came up with.

2. Junsuisa: Purity. In the Japanese version, Mimi's crest was the crest of purity.

Unmei: I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I know you were probably expecting a longer chapter because it took me longer, so I'm sorry about it being rather short. I had every intention of getting it out a couple days earlier, but with orchestra rehearsals/concerts and Latin competitions (yes I'm a typical Asian nerd, what can I say) and TONS of projects, I just didn't have time. And on top of that I had to baby-sit until late last night, so I was unable to finish it yesterday. So sorry about the delay and the shortness, but I really hope that all of you will enjoy it. And, I must thank all of my awesome reviewers; I love all of you so much!

Kaydreams: I'm so glad that the confusion was fixed! Thank you for reviewing, I'm so happy you enjoy my story.

happyplacegn: Haha, I guess it's true that you can't judge a book by its cover. Thank you for always reviewing.

Lilicat93: Lol, you silly hypocrite. Well, I'm so happy you reviewed, thank you so much for doing so!

Malcolm Yuy: Lol… sci-fi? I'm not of a sci-fi fan, but I guess it's not a bad thing either. Sorry that I didn't make the chapters longer, I was really planning on doing so. Oh, and about Takeru, you'll find out soon enough why he's so cold. Thanks so much for your support!

Moppy: Oo kill…? I'll probably, well for sure, I'm going to do something with Takeru and Hikari, but… wanting to kill is kinda… violent. But, lol I'll consider it. Oh, and btw, it is yoroshiku. Dozo yoroshiku is like… odd. Dozo is like go ahead, you say it in response when someone says "itadakimasu" or "let's eat" so err… yea. But anyways thank you for reviewing!

shadowtailmon: Hmm, that a good suggestion. I think I'll try to incorporate that in my fic. Thank you for the suggestion and review!

Unmei: And one more thing! I was wondering about couples. For sure I'm doing Takeru and Kari, Miyako and Ken, Matt and Sora, but I'm not sure about the others, so please tell me what you would like for the others. Also, whom should Izumi work for? I was debating over Koji and Takuya, but I'm not quite sure which on to do, so that's why I left if a mystery. Hope you all review and tell me your choice. Till next time, ja!