Yo, homeys. ;) WAIT! Hold your fires! Gimme a little time to say my apology first why this chapter came too late. Okay? Okay. I'm sorry this chapter came too late. Done! :D
Okay, now bring out those shotguns and fire me right thru my chest! :)) Btw, thank you veeery much for your reviews. It fired me up. :')
Disclaimed.
Now I bring you…
...oOoOoOo...
Chapter Seven
Natsume Hyuuga
IT'S YOU!!!
...oOoOoOo...
Natsume came home, exhausted from running all the way back home. His effort appears to be worth it, knowing that he came home earlier than Mikan. And not only because of that fact is he very happy, but also for the fact that he got a job. A job. Yes, a job. Saying it once more—a job. He dressed quickly, and, for about a minute, turned into Natsuko.
Mikan budge in through the door. She seemed a bit disturbed, distracted, like an incident happened earlier that resulted to a very terrible consequence. But it didn't take long after she noticed Natsuko, who was staring blankly at her, with the remote on her hand.
Her facial expression delighted. "NATSUKOOO!" She leaped from her current location to the sofa where Natsuko was sitting at, her arms so wide that it reaches the ends of the East and West (if such thing exists). She gave a big, welcoming hug to Natsuko. Natsuko cringed.
"I'm so happy to find you here! You would never believe what happened today!" Mikan exclaimed.
"Oh, really? Then how much more would you believe what happened to me today?" She replied, ignoring Mikan's tight hug and diverted her gazes back at the television screen.
"Right!" Mikan exclaimed, slowly releasing the hug and standing up from the couch, "How was the job hunting?"
"It's cool. Got hired."
"Details, my dear, DETAILS." Mikan shouted from her room, as she was changing her clothes.
Natsuko grunted, or rather the inner Natsume did. She almost forgot that he's dealing with a female—the second kind of specie under Homo sapiens; the kind of which digs into unimportant details. And if wish not granted, would exclaim gibberish words that would just make your heads go uneasy. Yes, talkin' about females.
She sighed, throwing off the thought, "I got hired at a café."
"Café? Oh, reminds me!" Natsuko snapped her head to the direction of Mikan, only to find her wearing a cute, white mini skirt, pink sweat shirt and her favorite bunny slippers. "Our café is hiring new employees. I can recommend you, if you want. It would be easier. Especially now that—…"
"I'm fine with the café I'm in." Natsuko broke her sentence, not pleased if that were to continue.
Mikan blinked. "Alright. Then," She settled herself on the sofa beside Natsuko, "what's the name of the café?"
Natsuko eyebrows slightly arched, thought, and then answered, "Parasite Café…"
...oOoOoOo...
The sun shines bright, pretty usual for a beautiful Sunday morning. Mikan hurried as she dealt with her shoes. It's a Sunday, and Mikan will spend her whole day at the Café.
Meanwhile, Natsuko, who sat next to her, tapped her heels impatiently. She angrily looked at the slow poke Mikan, who seemed like wearing her left shoe in slow motion. She glanced at the clock, and back to Mikan and grunted.
"This baka's such a hag. No, even worse than that!" Natsuko thought, "If she doesn't leave NOW, I might be late at the first day of MY work!"
Natusko's actions should be very limited whenever Mikan's around. Thus, in this situation, she can't dress up as Natsume. Oh no, she can't, not until Mikan's not around.
"Natsuko, why don't we walk together to work? So that, at the same time, I get to see this 'Parasite Café' you're talking about." Mikan suggested.
Finally, she finished wearing her left shoe. Now off she SHOULD go.
"You should go ahead now, because my work's still after an hour." She answered.
"Oh," she glanced at the clock, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to wait, then."
"NO!" She exclaimed, her voice almost slipping to its original timbre. She cleared her throat. "Of course not. You can't be late. You should really get going now."
Mikan blinked, and the next thing she knew is that she's standing outside her own house. She glanced at Natsuko standing by the door.
"Bye!" She said, grinning, as she shut the door right at her nose.
...oOoOoOo…
The employees of Paradise Cafe work at their best. And looking their best is one of the factors that is obviously seen.
The females' uniform is quite complicated for having many layers of clothes. The first layer was a baby pink blouse that has a big puffy round sleeve and a collar. The next layer is a dress that is colored maroon. It cascaded down at the length of their thighs. At the chest part hangs a cute royal pink ribbon. As for their footwear, they wore maroon ballet flats. Occasionally, the females are told to wear a wristlet, a choker or even a hair band.
In contrast to that, the males' uniform looks simpler. They have baby pink inner polo, covered up with a maroon vest. They wore raven long slacks and a black leather shoes. And to finish the get up, they wore a cute little pink ribbon located at the collar of the polo.
Those clothes reflected Natsume in front of the mirror. It fits him just right. "Cheap. But it's fine." He thought after adjusting the little ribbon in different angles.
Satisfied with his reflection, he headed outside.
As soon as he revealed himself out of the restroom door, he was surprised to see billions of pairs of eyes darting towards him. He jolted, but he can't move from his place. Their stares were like pinning him on his position.
Just then, a thought played into his mind.
He met the gaze of one of the two ladies seated directly in front of him. The girl jerked and blushed at the sudden response. His deep set of ruby eyes locked the lady's pair of cerulean eyes. Then he smirked, and followed by a wink.
With that, the girl blushed furiously, and drooled. She forgot about her spoonful of ice cream—which already slipped on her lap.
"Wow! You surprisingly attracted most people on your first day." Someone interrupted. Ms. Yamamoto. "Guess I need not call the attention of everyone, then."
She paused, cleared her throat and spoke, this time addressing it to the costumers and other employees. "As we all know, our little cafe held an audition for the people who desire to have a job and enter this cafe. A lot has come. But this guy here," she deliberately pointed a finger at him, "stood out from the rest of the other applicants."
"Based on the," she hesitated quite a while. But for a mere human, it wasn't detectable, "…little interview we had, I resolved that he has a very promising skills and personality, which solely are the main characteristics that fit this cafe."
Natsume stopped the urge of dropping to the floor, roll and laugh his lungs out. Basically, he didn't have any interview.
But instead, he stayed cool. For good impressions, let's say. Although he already has so much of that. The constant drooling of these girls proved that.
...oOoOoOo…
Mikan was concentrating on removing a tiny piece of dried chocolate syrup on the table when her name was called out in a loud, piercing pitch.
"Mikan, Mikan!" cried her best friend.
Mikan looked up from the table.
"What are you doing here?" Nonoko asked.
Mikan looked at her in disbelief. "What do you mean? Am I not supposed to be here?"
"There's a new worker right over there, and everyone's gathered to see him."
Before Mikan could answer back, Nonoko grabbed her hand and dragged her.
While walking closer to the crowd, Nonoko excitingly blabbed more.
"I bet he's gorgeous." She giggled, "I guess this time God generously sent the right prince I've been waiting for!"
Mikan tried to catch up her steps. "He… He's a guy?"
Nonoko laughed. "No clue," she answered as they finally halted right behind the crowd, "But I have a strong feeling he is."
Mikan sweat dropped. How unusual this person is…
"Come on!"
Suddenly, Nonoko dragged Mikan into the crazy crowd. When Mikan thought of retreating, the jumbled crowd prevented her from doing so. She was stuck, and there was no way she could go back.
Thus, she was left with no other choice but to squeeze herself through.
It was a rough decision. People were everywhere that Mikan can't make out a way for her to go through. And every time she tries to press herself forward, people grunt and push her.
But she isn't giving up…
Ms. Yamamoto continued her speech, "We are aware of the previous waiter we had. And I dare not mention the terrifying, detestable actions he did while he was still here. I'm sure most of our loyal costumers are aware of that, yes?" She looked at those "loyal costumers" she just talked about, and they nodded in approval.
Half a way there, Mikan barely saw the person's body. It was slender, yes. And beneath those clothes show unmistakably perfect muscle formation for a guy. He's a male, indeed, just like what her friend has predicted.
"So," She clasped her hands together, "Here it is. After thinking of it thoroughly, and debating with the head cook about this, we have decided…"
She took more steps, really eager to see more of him. But a raven black hair was the only thing she was able to achieve.
She calculated for a while. There are approximately two to three rows of people blocking her freedom.
She grunted. This was it. She pressed her body firmly, determined to set herself free from the crowd. Almost there…
And finally, she has it. The victory! And the prize was seeing the whole profile of the new employer.
She marveled. He wore the same clothes as the guy workers wore around here. She made a brief confirmation of the little details she saw while she was in the crowd. Yup, he's a guy. He has that raven black hair, fair complexion and…
She jolted as she caught sight of his eyes. Pure, deep and mysterious pair of ruby orbs. And an image flashed on her mind. Natsuko.
But there was something else…
—
"Itai…" Mikan said as she whined and looked up to the guy.
Her eyes widened in deep shock. What met her gazes was a pair of dark crimson eyes. It was a pool of mysterious bloody orbs that anyone will drown into its secrecy. She stared at them for a while, absorbing the feeling she receives from those piercing glares. And then a picture paced her mind. "Natsuko." She thought as she looks at it and found it similar to Natsuko's eyes.
She gasped, jolting back to reality. "Look what you did?? This is your entire fault!!" she growled as she studied the mess on her. The eggs that she was carefully holding a while ago fell crackly on her body.
Natsume then noticed that some eggs were on his shirt, "My fault? You were the one who's blocking my way!"
"Hello?? Who even gave you the idea of running on the streets? I know that it is always in the hallways of our school we are scowled by—" she was cut off.
Natsume grunted. "I don't have time to talk to an idiot like you, polkadots."
Mikan watched him ran away, "P-Polkadots??"
Then she turned red and cried out an ear piercing shriek, "PERVERT!!!!"
—
"May I present you…"
—
Ms. Yamamoto groaned, "Ugh. What else can I do?" she rolled her eyes and went inside her office to meet the rest of the applicants as Mikan release a heavy sigh.
"Mikan!" her friend Nonoko called out, "You okay?"
She sobbed, and hugged her friend. "Is telling you that I'm almost fired enough to answer your question?"
—
Mikan's eyes widened as thoughts ran back to her.
"NASTUME HYUUGA!"
People cheered hearing his name.
It's like the cheer when the narrator finally introduces the name and homeland of the sole boxer; the cheer when the boxer finally made his supreme left hook punch that made his foe kiss the floor; and the cheer of when the boxer comes home to his country, bringing up the honor and victory of the whole nation with him.
Natsume wasn't a boxing champion. He's just probably worth cheering for.
But beyond constant cheers was a piercing scream from a girl that beats up the loud noises.
She pointed a finger on him, "IT'S YOU!!!"
...oOoOoOo…
Natsume finally came out as Natsume himself! Whoo! Like it? Hate it? Then REVIEW IT! ;)
Merry Christmas! (You see, this chapter was supposed to be posted last Christmas 2007. This file was on my "uploaded folder". But when I checked number of published chapters of Double Personality, I only found 6. And baam, I figured out this.)
REVIEW! :)