Chapter 5: The Truth behind His Hatred

It was Sunday and Mikan had to do her part-time job in the café. Today, it wasn't as busy as usual though. Thus, she hoped to finish her work early in the afternoon to pay a visit to Hotaru. They hadn't the chance to talk to each other properly yet, after what happened the day before. After Ruka and Hyuuga had left, Hotaru had insisted that Mikan needed to rest and arranged for a taxi. She had told Mikan to take a day off and relax in the morning so that they could meet in the afternoon.

However, Mikan felt good enough to go to work so there was no reason for her to skip work. Not that she needed the money urgently since her journalist mother gained enough for both of them. Nevertheless, she wanted to put some money aside since nobody knew what the future would bring.

In any case, Mikan really wanted to talk to Hotaru as soon as possible. She had a strange feeling since yesterday and it began when she met Hyuuga for the first time. Mikan had still no memory of what had happened during their confrontation at the station. But she remembered quite well, what had happened at the hospital: That Hyuuga had somehownoticedthat she wasn't feeling good enough to leave the hospital in her former condition. There were so many questions starting with 'How?' or 'Why?' in her head, which Hotaru also couldn't answer in all likelihood. Anyway, Mikan just needed to shake them off immediately in order to get a wink of sleep at night.

"Seriously, what's up with this guy?" she thought. First, he fooled his friend Shouda and changed flights at the very last moment. And now, this same person would worry about Mikan, a girl who he had never met before? Thinking about him caused her pains in her head again, thus she decided to concentrate on her job for the moment and talk to Hotaru about him later.

Mikan sighed for the hundredth time that day and wanted to bring some dishes away. Suddenly, she bumped into her running co-worker and almost dropped the plates in her hand. But she managed to barely catch them in an artistic way and turned to the other girl. "Watch out, Anna! I can't cover for you a second time this week." shrieked Mikan, surprised and in great efforts to keep her balance. Anna Umenomiya was not only Mikan's schoolmate, but also her colleague. Other than Mikan, Anna was not only just a waitress at the café but she also helped in the kitchen with her first-rate cooking skills. One day, she would become an excellent cook. That's what Mikan believed devoutly.

Anna relieved her of the plates in her hands and put them aside. She had a wide grin on her face and a light blush on her cheeks. Plus, she trembled so much that Mikan thought the girl would explode or take off like a rocket at any moment. Mikan already had a good guess on what was happening.

"Mikan, hurry up! You have to see that!" whispered the over-excited Anna.

"See what? You see that I have to finish my work. I'd like to leave earlier today, you know?" answered Mikan, who was tired und completely uninterested.

"Come on, only a few minutes." insisted Anna. "And you won't regret it. Have a look at him and you'll see what I mean." She pulled at Mikan's arm and dragged her behind the sales counter. "Look, it's the table number one."

Mikan could almost see hearts in the girl's eyes. Probably, she had seen another half-cute, half-macho guy and fell in love with him at first sight. It was always the same disappointment for her though: five minutes later, his girlfriend would arrive, leaving a broken-hearted Anna behind. Jeez, why would girls at her age like to have a boyfriend that much? Fortunately, Hotaru wasn't nuts about men as the other girls.

Actually, Mikan wanted to get over it quickly and address herself to her task. When she looked at the first table in the corner, she realized what Anna meant. Table number one was occupied by a young man with dark hair and sunglasses. Even from that distance, she could tell that he was pretty attractive by only looking briefly at him.

"Uh, it's a raven-haired and light tanned this time. Weren't you interested in brunettes?" blinked Mikan teasingly.

Anna sighed. "No, I gave up on them. You can't find any single brunette or blonde nowadays."

"What about Ruka? Isn't he good enough for you?" proposed Mikan, only half-serious.

"Are you kidding me?" laughed Anna. "Everybody knows that Ruka Nogi has only eyes for you."

Mikan reddened at this. "S-stop talking non-sense. Ruka and I are only good friends." she whispered angrily.

Anna rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. That's not our problem right now. Let's take care of the sweetheart there before a random girl spots him." She darted her eyes on the young man at the corner again. Since he was sitting alone there for a while, Anna estimated that she hit the mark this time. "Here is the plan, Mikan. Additionally to the coffee he ordered, you'll bring him one of my special cupcakes. After trying it, he'll like it sooo much that he'll ask for the person who made it. That's how we'll get to know each other and he'll fall in love with me. Very simple and clever."

To be honest, Mikan liked the plan. Anna's cooking was brilliant after all and she could impress everyone with it. Mikan really wanted to support her friend but she might profit from this opportunity, too. "If I help you out and your plan goes well, will you do my work for an hour and let me go earlier?"

Anna thought for a moment. "Sure, that wouldn't be a problem for me. I'll even bake you your favourite cake if he asks for a date. Deal?"

Without a second thought, Mikan agreed. "All right, leave it to me."

The two girls returned to the kitchen. Anna handed a plate with an espresso and a cupcake over to Mikan. "Good luck and don't get hypnotized when you look him in the eyes." advised Anna. Then, she rushed to the bathroom to prepare herself for the introduction with 'her prince'.

Mikan was stunned. She didn't know what Anna meant with her last comment and started walking towards table number one. On her way, she thought that the plan was still awkward. It'd be much better if Anna talked directly to the guy, right? Mikan wondered if he really would fall for the trick with the cake. It reminded her of a fairy tail, as if they were trying to entrap Hansel with sweeties. However, it wasn't up to her to judge the plan. In order to help her friend, she needed to do her best and wait table number one.

Standing only a few steps away from the table, Mikan had a closer look at the customer. Now, she could absolutely understand Anna's behaviour from before. This guy was just handsome with his light, smooth and perfect tan and a strong formed jaw. She could only see that much of his face but it was enough to fascinate a girl. Wandering her gaze downwards, she saw his skin-tight T-shirt pointing his well-trained body and… "Stop, stop, stop! Stop observing him!" Mikan murmured to herself and shook her head. If she continued gaping at him that way, she would fall for Anna's future boyfriend. At worst, she wouldn't be able to control herself as if it happened in front of Hyuuga yesterday.

Suddenly, she stood rooted to the ground and stiffened right there. Why was she thinking of Hyuuga right now? Before she started from scratch about yesterday's incidents anew, Mikan blew off the thought of Hyuuga and went to the customer.

"Sorry for the wait, Sir. Here is your order." She smiled gently and put the espresso and the plate with the heart-shaped cupcake on the table. "Just let me know if you'd like anything else, Sir."

She turned away and was about to go when she felt a strong grip on her left wrist, followed by a firm command. "Wait."

Her eyes opened wide as Mikan couldn't believe what she just heard. "This voice…It couldn't be…" Turning slowly towards the customer, she just hoped that she was wrong. "M-may I help you, Sir?"

The customer removed his sunglasses and revealed his crimson eyes. Disappointing to Mikan, it was Hyuuga, who looked quite unimpressed and commented dryly: "If it isn't Ruka's stubborn friend."

The word 'stubborn' reminded her of yesterday's distressing situation at the hospital when Ruka and Hotaru entered her room. Mikan wanted to repress that scene until she resolved the misunderstanding and told Hotaru the truth. More importantly, Hyuuga called her 'stubborn girl' again, which she detested to such an extent. "Don't call me that way. I also have a name, you know?"

Hyuuga arched a brow. "And your name was…?"

It finally sunk in! She was accusing him for not knowing her name, but neither did Mikan introduce herself yet, nor did she thank him for his help back then. She was quite uncomfortable with the current situation and blushed deeply. "I-…I'm sorry about…"

He let go of her and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't force yourself. It's not that I need to know your name here and now."

Mikan conceded in that point to him. After all, she was the waitress and he was her customer. It's not that they needed to be chit-chatty during her work, right? She wanted to sort her work out from her private life, therefore she treated each guest equally. In her opinion, keeping the distance between a customer and herself was the only way to success in gastronomy.

There was a low grunt from the sales counter and Mikan heard somebody quietly coughing. She could see Anna, who was waiting impatiently for her great entrance, from the corner of her eye. Mikan was so carried away by him that she almost forgot about her mission: pairing Anna off with Hyuuga. Then again, now that she knew the identity of the customer, she didn't like the idea of Hyuuga being Anna's future boyfriend as a little while ago. She had just… a weird feeling. The thought of Anna and Hyuuga holding hands caused her a pain in the stomach.

Nonetheless, Mikan promised her friend Anna that she'd help her out, even if she somehow regretted it now. Anyway, it was too late to feel remorse now and she had to play along. "Sir, what else can I do for you?" She intentionally avoided eye contact in order to 'not being hypnotized' a second time.

Hyuuga twitched his brow and looked a little bit irritated by the way she addressed him so formal. He turned his gaze to the sweetie on the table and asked: "What's that?"

'A cake, can't you see it?' was what Mikan liked to say but for Anna's sake, she had to stay calm. "It's a speciality of our café, Sir: a strawberry-cupcake filled with vanilla cream."

"I didn't order this." he said, quite annoyed.

Mikan tried to ignore his displeased mood and smiled. "I know Sir, but this one's on the house. Enjoy your meal."

"No."

She couldn't believe what she just heard. Arching a brow, she tried hard to keep her smiling face. "P-pardon?"

"I hate strawberries. You can take it back." he replied simply.

"What?" Mikan couldn't contain herself anymore. She gritted her teeth and tried to keep her voice as low as possible. "You didn't even taste it once. I can't just take a served meal back and bring it to the next customer!"

"Then, you'll eat it."

"No, thanks." she replied quickly. "It's not our job to bear the guests company."

"You mistake something, Miss. I didn't ask you, I told you to eat it." he repeated.

Mikan lost her head and looked him in the eyes. "Who are you to command me just as you please! Being a customer doesn't mean that I must do anything to entertain you!"

Hyuuga took the cake and stood up. "Fine with me. I have to dispose of it myself then. Where is the bin?"

He really meant it. Mikan could tell this by just looking him in his eyes. It was the same serious expression as in the hospital yesterday. Back then, when he had asked her about his name, came dangerously close to her and… 'No, not that scene again!' She shook her head to dispel the images out of her head.

It was a case of the biter bit for Mikan. She snatched the cupcake from his hand and sat down in fury, as red as a tomato. "I'm only doing this for the delicious cake!" Actually, she also wanted to avoid an embarrassing position as in the hospital room last time. 'Never again. Not in front of Anna…' she thought.

The triumphant Hyuuga sat down opposite her with a smug expression. "Good girl." he commented, which made Mikan livid with rage.

Furiously, she took a huge bit of the cake to get over with this as soon as possible. But the more she chewed on it, the more relaxed her features. Her counterpart noticed the sudden change of her mood, too. "Tch, what are you, a child who gets happy with some candies?"

Mikan took her time and swallowed the morsel carefully. She explained enthusiastically: "It's not just a candy, it's Anna's cupcake. It can work miracles. Take a bite and you'll forget about all of your worries."

"Who said that I had any worries anyway?" he said thoughtfully, observing her from the corner of his eye.

"That's not the point, Hyuuga. Just have a try and you'll understand what I mean." she insisted.

"Haven't I already told you that I hate strawberries?" he reminded her.

"I don't believe that. Nobody can hate strawberries unless they haven't ever tried them once. Come on, I'll even feed you. So be a good boy and open your mouth…" Mikan leaned on her elbows on the table and stretched her arm to Hyuuga's direction. The latter looked at the small piece of cake in front of him and hesitated for a second. Then, he reached for her hand, leaned forward and took a small bite without losing eye contact with the girl opposite. Her blush deepened and took a tone of cute red.

When she felt the warmth of his hand on hers, her heart started beating rapidly and she slowly pulled back. Her hand started trembling along with her whole body so that she had to put the cake on the table and rested her hands on her lap under the table. She began to rub her hands nervously. "S-so, how is it?" was the only thing she could bring out at the moment.

After swallowing hard, he turned away and sulked. "It's not bad after all…"

Mikan's head snapped at his words. His words echoed in her head as if she had already heard them somewhere else. She hesitated for a second before asking: "Um… could you repeat that, please?"

"Hm?" Hyuuga looked at her with a puzzled expression and repeated. "The cake, it's not bad after all."

Both of them stayed silent for a few seconds. While Mikan was sitting there in deep thoughts, Hyuuga observed her without cease. Her sudden calmness seemed to make him uneasy so he opened his mouth say something.

As Mikan sensed this, she came back to reality and interrupted him. "Y-you like the cake? I can introduce the person who baked them to you. Just wait a moment…" With that said, she stood up and ran towards the kitchen. She perceived that Hyuuga also stoop up and called after her, but she ignored him. For the moment, her mind told her to leave that place instantly and calm down. Primarily, her only intent was to introduce him to Anna, wasn't it? Now that she completed her task, there was no reason for Mikan to stay there any longer. However, she still had a weird feeling about leaving him without saying another word.

When she arrived at the kitchen, Anna was already waiting for her. "Mikan, why did it take so long? Don't tell me that he already left."

Mikan panted heavily and pointed a finger at the hall. As she caught her breath, she explained: "No…he's waiting…for you…"

Anna's face took a worried expression. "Mikan, are you all right?" she wondered.

"Yes…don't worry about me. I'll be leaving now. The rest is up to you." replied Mikan and went to the staff room.

"Mikan?" called Anna doubtfully.

Mikan spun on her heels and winked. "Good luck!" After that, she disappeared from Anna's sight. When she got to the staff room, the first thing she did was to check her mails. The only thing she received was a text message from Hotaru, which said 'Mikan, I've got some important errands to run. We'll talk at school tomorrow. See you.'

"Oh no, what now?" Mikan's disappointment could be read on her face. She was looking forward to talk to Hotaru this afternoon. Nevertheless, Hotaru wouldn't cancel their meeting without having a reason. So, Mikan had to wait another day to talk to her friend. After changing her clothes, she started back for home.

"So it was really Sakura after all…" stated Ruka, looking out of the window.

Natsume took his cup of coffee and went out on the balcony. Since his hotel room was on the 20th floor, he could see a beautiful panorama of the town. "I still have no striking proof, but it has a lot to commend it. For example, the way how she's chuffed about candies…"

"But…" Ruka joined his friend to go for a blow. "Thinking about what you have told me about her, there are many aspects that contradict."

"I know. That's why I'll wait a little bit longer. There are too many things out of place here. And I'm not leaving until I find out the truth." Natsume ran a hand down his face and sighed.

"It's the migraines again, right? Didn't you eat properly today?" asked a worried Ruka.

"Not really." was Natsume's sole response.

Ruka looked at the cup in his hand. "You need to take care of yourself, Natsume. You won't get fit by only sipping that stuff in you. I'll fetch us some pudding." He went back into the room. Before he left, Ruka looked back at Natsume and asked: "Chocolate or strawberry?"

"I hate strawberries." murmured Natsume, wrinkling his nose.

"Sure, we both know why you hate them, right?" Ruka waved a hand and set off. "Actually, the red ones are quite tasty, but it's been your fault for feeding Aoi with them and eating the sour, pale ones yourself for her sake. Hence, you detest them now, right?"

When Ruka closed the door, Natsume was left behind in deep thoughts. "Not only for Aoi's sake…"

Next chapter: The Truth behind His Eyes