~ Chapter 3 ~
Exploring of the New World: Portent of Pandemonium
(15 minutes later)
"Okay … all clear."
Sakura and I made it outside awhile later, problem-free. She left a note to her parents saying she went out with a friend for the day and wouldn't be back for a while. Right now we were outside in the front yard, hiding behind a large bush of some sort. I felt Tama wriggle inside my kesa, so I put a temporary sleeping spell on him so he wouldn't get in the way. Sakura turned around and faced me.
"Can you use one of your spells to transport us to the mall?" I stared at her blankly, clearly not comprehending what a 'mall' was. She saw this and giggled.
"I'm sorry --- a mall is a huge place where a number of stores are located … so people can shop for just about all they want in one area. It's real far away from here, and I can't drive yet … I'm 15,"
Ah, I thought, that explains the age difference.
"Do you think you can, Chichiri?"
"Sure, let's go no da!" I took off my kesa and placed it on the ground, face up. I stepped over it and chunked my staff into the middle. My feet slipped into my kesa instantaneously, and I reached out and grabbed Sakura's hand and tugged her in with me.
"I hope you know where we're going!" Sakura yelled, her eyes nearly bugging out. I laughed at her face.
"Don't doubt my magical powers no da," I wagged a finger playfully at her, and we slipped through the ground and out of sight.
Not even a second later we landed, rather painfully, in the more desolate part of the ongoing parking lot. After sorting ourselves out, Sakura started to tell me things that I should and shouldn't do while inside the mall.
"Lastly: you'll have to turn into your SD form, so people will think you're a little kid. If people saw you walking around in these clothes …" Sakura shook her head violently. "It would be better if you were in your SD form. Is that okay with you?"
"It's okay with me no da, I guess I can understand the reason na no da," and with a pop I was not taller than Sakura's knee, looking as if I was about five years old. Sakura must have been pleased, because she squealed and hopped around a bit with a good-sized grin on her face.
"DA!" I gave her the 'v for victory' sign and grinned.
"Let's go! We'll get you some very fashionable clothes that'll make you fit in with everyone else … it'll be great!" She scooped me up and I sat on her shoulders and leaned on the top of her head, listening to her ramble on and on. I felt incredibly relaxed.
"I've been saving up for the longest time … and I got my paycheck just yesterday! We'll go on a shopping spree! We can get you all kinds of things --- maybe at one point I can introduce you to my parents and friends and you can move in with me! Wouldn't that be the greatest?"
I smiled again and wagged my head so my bangs flopped all over, much like a puppy would. Sakura held onto my tiny feet, and hummed as she briskly walked through the back doors.
I relaxed a bit more and rested my head on my hands, which were crisscrossed over the top of Sakura's head. I observed many people from my high position, in which most looked up at me. Some pointed and some smiled. I poked Sakura's head gently to get her attention. It worked, and she walked into an empty corner of the store.
"Sakura-chan, people are pointing no da …" Sakura just smiled at my kawaiiness, no doubt.
"No worries, they think you're cute," she ruffled my bangs a bit and smiled again. "You're hair is definitely an eye-catcher. Nothing like it around here, and it's definitely the cutest thing I've ever seen." She winked at me. I wagged my head so my bangs flopped again, and repositioned myself atop her head. Sakura walked back out into the store and made her way into a very large clothing shop. It read: 'The Gap.'
"I get practically all my clothes here … we should definitely find something for you here," Sakura said as she walked in and made a beeline for a specific clothing section. There was a huge variety to choose from, I could see.
"These are pants," she pointed to a rack. "And these are shirts," she then pointed to another rack. "You should know which is which, right?"
I looked at each one. "Hai, no da," I looked again. "I think I might need your help choosing no da."
"No problem. That's what I'm here for, right?" She set me down in a nearby cushion chair. I guessed that I should stay put, and I did, while she rooted through a shirt rack. I wriggled my feet anxiously, and watched Sakura with a keen eye. After awhile she came back with three different shirts and pants.
"Chichiri, I've got a few things for you to try on! These should look great on you … here follow me," her arms loaded, I hopped off the seat and tailed along. She stopped in front of another room, spoke to another person, and led me into a compact room with a door and a mirror. I stepped inside and immediately saw I had no reflection. This didn't surprise me, because Tamahome of the Suzaku Seishi faced this problem years and years back. She set down each piece of clothing in three separate piles, and told me if I had any problems, she was standing outside the door.
When she left I turned to my normal state, and looked over at the three piles. I picked up the first shirt, nodded at its appearance, and began to put it on.