The Pendant
A Larva/Miyu story
All characters do not belong to me, with the exceptional of a few original, minor characters, but I do claim the rights to the story.
"What the bloody hell; are you mocking me?" the blonde raged as she pointed a finger towards Larva. Her face twisted with red-hot anger, she raised her hand, as if intending to slap the man. "Whoa," the person cried, holding up his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean it, Lilith, it's just that you're not my type-" his voice trailed off as he noticed the woman's outraged look. "You...you beast!" she shrieked and suddenly, went into a trance. He stared at her in bewilderment.
"You okay, Lilith?" he asked hesitantly as he took a step towards her. She was as still as a statue.
He shrugged, brushed back his hair and turned to walk away. Oh well, there was always someone who'll discover her state sooner or later. No use staying around here.
Instantly his whole body seemed to freeze. "Wha.." his eyes widened in confusion. Lilith appeared before him, a triumphant smirk on her face. "Not so arrogant now, huh?"
Miyu Yamano woke up with a start, sweating all over. Blinking heavily, she glanced around her bedroom and saw it was still dark. Waking up in the middle of the night? Quite unusual. She wiped her forehead and tried to fall asleep again when she felt someone's gaze on her.
"Couldn't sleep, huh?"
She shook her head no. She wondered about her ability to speak normally, but hey, who could blame her? It's not everyday when you have a mysterious Adonis at your every command. Unbelievably, that valuable piece of information still hasn't sunk in yet.
"Hey, how old are you?"
Surprised but curious, Miyu turned to Larva, who was lying comfortably on the floor. She had hunted down something for the guy to sleep in, since she sure as hell won't be sharing her bed with him, and located a wrinkled sleeping bag that collected dust from under her bed. Thankfully, Larva didn't seem to object. "Sixteen. Why?"
His answer made her nearly throttled him. "And you still don't have a husband of your own? I find that hard to believe, given the way you look. Pretty much abnormal, if you asked me." He faced her then, smiling in amusement. "And don't think that I would want to propose to you, my dear. You're too young, almost young enough to be my little sister."
Miyu was so annoyed; she almost couldn't breathe.
"I admit, I had my designs on you the first time we met, but I thought about it...well...it just wasn't appropriate. So don't be too disappointed; I'm sure there are many knights in shining armor just waiting for the right time to sweep you off your feet," Larva continued nonchalantly, unaware of the dark cloud above Miyu's head. "Now, Carlua, yes, now she's a suitable candidate for my affections...you might even say...I was infatuated with her...and still am."
"Who's Carlua?" she asked, inching further and further away from him, wishing glares could burn holes.
He waved a hand. "A lady I know," he said, his mouth turning upwards. Beautiful, blond and sexy, what more could a man want? His attention snapped back to her. "I don't quite understand," he frowned. "Even the ugliest wench back in the Flaire would get herself a man at the tender age of sixteen, now why can't you?"
Miyu lost it completely.
"For your information, marriage at sixteen is considered highly unusual. It means either I'm pregnant, or temporarily insane. It arouses curiosity; I'm still in school, for crying out loud and...and... it's not right," she finished lamely.
"Impossible!"
Miyu thought quickly, wanting the conversation to be over. It was certainly transparent, but it was worth a try.
"Oh my god, you smell," she covered her nose with her hand to prove her point. Now that she thought about it, he really did smell funny. Ugh, sour milk. She wondered how long had it been since he took a shower. Probably a month or so. Miyu's eyes widened. A month? There was no way she was going to keep a garbage bag in her room!
"I beg your pardon," he replied indignantly.
Miyu got up from her bed and grabbed his arm, dragging him to the bathroom. She did a quick check to make sure no embarrassing items were found and, satisfied, she pushed him in. "Get showered."
"It's four in the morning! Oh all right."
"Okay, this blue tap indicates cold water. This red tap? Hot water. If you want to use it, turn it. If you want to turn off the shower, you turn it back. Do you understand?" Miyu said to him, as if he was an idiot. Shooting her an irritated glance, he nodded. Miyu shut the door behind her and made her way towards the bed and jumped with a start when she heard Larva's agonizing cry. "What the bloody hell!!"
Did she mention that he had to turn both taps on to stay neutral?
"I'm sorry," Miyu amended moments later when Larva came out with a towel around his waist. Deciding or not whether to strangle her for being the cause of his being practically an icicle, he said instead," What am I going to wear?" She thought for a minute, and then walked out of the room. She entered her parents' empty bedroom and dug into her mom's closet. After all, the woman did love to wear loose clothes that were three sizes too big. That was one of the weird things Miyu adored about her mom.
"Where is this place?"
She thought her heart would jump out of her chest. "Don't scare me like that," she exclaimed, trying to calm her heartbeat. One, two, three... there. "You're lucky my mom's sleeping in the other room." Silence. Shrugging, she turned back to her search.
She took out a pair of old-looking jeans, examined them and wrinkled her nose. Tossing it back in, she searched through the whole closet until she finally settled on a comfortable pair of old sweats. Larva caught them as she threw and motioned for her to look away. He swung his towel around his shoulders and put the sweats on. A little tight, but that'll do. What strange garments... incredibly strange. Larva had never seen it before.
"I'm done," he said later.
She turned around and was bewildered to see Larva so close to her, to have his arms around her then.
"This feels comfy."
She was confused. "What?" she managed.
"Hmm... just an urge, I guess. Me and my brother used to do this all the time, hugging each other before we doze off. Of course, we quit doing that at the age of twelve..."
"So basically, this is just an excuse to... well, do this?" Miyu gestured wildly with her arms.
His lips curled into an amused smile. It was so easy to discomfort the girl. "Precisely."
"What are you doing out here, Carlua?"
Carlua glanced behind her shoulder. Hours had passed since she last saw Larva. Her worries had worsened. "Oh, I'm just thinking, that's all," she replied calmly, forcing a small smile. Though Garline knew what she was feeling, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he joined her at the balcony outside Carlua's room, breathing in fresh air. He took in the breathtaking view of the garden and smiled. They didn't say anything for a few minutes until he broke the comfortable silence.
"You know, I used to run around the garden during childhood. It was a pretty memorable time for me," he smiled when he saw that he had Carlua's complete attention. "Oh? Why is that?" she asked curiously.
"I used to think I was a fairy prince, you know…that I could wave my magic wand and fly around," he blushed. Carlua's laughter could be heard miles away. "I know it was pretty girlish of me, but I was only seven at that time. Mother thought I was crazy," he chuckled at the memory. "And then I discarded the idea."
"What made you do it?"
"Well, I told my friends I could fly around, so when they dared me to, I couldn't, no matter how hard I try. It was so humiliating, but I just smiled and bared the teases and the laughter. They won't let me live it down until I was fourteen."
"That long? What made them stop?"
Garline grinned slyly. "Well, you know how I matured into one of the best-looking men you've ever laid eyes on…now, don't deny it, because it's written all over your face," he teased. "Anyway, it was pretty lame of me, but I threatened to charm their girlfriends away if they won't stop...and so on, so on."
Carlua put her arms around Garline's shoulders. "You know, you are just so funny," she grinned. "If I weren't heads over heels in love with Larva, I'd chase you anytime." She laughed. He faked a cry. "But that's my loss, isn't it? It just isn't fair that you saw Larva first. Ahh, but no matter. I could get any woman I want, you know," he finished triumphantly. "You're not the only fish in the sea."
Why don't I show you what kind of fish I can be?"
"You know, if my charming Geraldine would ever hear you say that, she would come after you with a cleaver in her hands?"
"Oh yeah, I know." She pulled away, that distant look returning to her face again. Garline knew she was thinking about Larva, and he chose not to comment on it this time. The woman did really love his brother. Silence fell between them again. Placing a hand on her slim shoulder, he tried to comfort her. "It's going to be all right; don't worry about it. Larva will come back to you. To us. I know it was selfish of me to say this, but I hope it isn't too soon. I'm rather enjoying this peace and quiet around here." That last bit of sentence had Carlua burst into laughter. Hugging him, she thanked him for cheering her up.
"It's no problem. Just remember I'm always available if you want to talk." Kissing her on the forehead, he turned and walked out of the room, ignoring the hint of uneasiness in his stomach. He shut the door behind him. The last thing he wanted was to be attracted to his brother's conquests.
'I should have known, Miyu thought, gritting her teeth as she paced back and forth. She felt like pulling every strand of her hair out, or better yet, Larva's fine hair. It was weeks ago when she was given a beautiful pendant by her sister, which was how her encounter with Larva came to be. He was at times arrogant and self-absorbed but fatherly at rare moments, warning her against the lustful nature of man, even admitting he had a hard time restraining himself from touching her (that was a long time ago) and as she had promised, Miyu had shown him around Tokyo and introduced him to all her friends. They had agreed that she was extremely lucky to have such a startlingly handsome relative. She had even shown him all the interesting places that were worth visiting. And now, he was off somewhere and Miyu could only hope he hadn't gotten into any trouble.
She frowned then. Was that a woman's voice she heard? She opened her bedroom door and peeked below.
"Oh Larva, you are just too amusing!"
"Really now, you are just too much." His laughter could definitely be heard.
She walked out of her bedroom and headed down the stairs. Her relief for Larva was short-lived when she saw a curvaceous redhead attached to him. How many times had it been now? Thirty-three? But before she had a chance to say anything, the redhead noticed her, went still, examined her -- and went to a rampage.
"Larva, who is she? Don't tell me you... you tricked me! You said I was the only one for you!" she gasped, her eyes flashing. Damn if she had to share her man!
"I didn't exactly say that...uh..."
There was a long silence.
"You even forgot my name??"
The redhead could be seen banging her fists against the closed door outside the Yamano residence.
"What is it with you ladies," Larva said out loud as he leaned against the door, oblivious to the redhead's screams. He and Miyu both waited for what may have seemed like eternity until eventually the cries subsided. Miyu glanced through the window and sighed in relief when there was no sign of the crazed psycho he brought home on her doorstep. "Larva...could you please...you know...make sure my mom's not around to find you here the next time you bring some other girl over?" she questioned weakly. The last thing she wanted was for her mom to discover total strangers doing who-knew-what in her home.
Though irritation was clearly written on his face, he fought to keep his voice casual. "I am not some sort of a crazed pervert, you know. I am a man of dignity, of honor and I will remain faithful to my beloved."
"Now wouldn't that be convenient, swearing your undying love to every girl you meet." Her thoughts went back to the redhead.
"She was just a woman I had a good time talking to," he said loudly, noting the look on her face. Did he mention it was easy to read her face? "I didn't ask for her to come. She merely tagged along." He raised an eyebrow, his eyes suddenly bright. "Did I detect jealousy? How interesting..." he said thoughtfully, eyeing her.
Miyu held on to the doorknob for support, her face turning red then white. It was times like this when she couldn't control her emotions; when there was this weird churning in her stomach that she couldn't identify. Whatever it was, she detested it. It made her feel vulnerable. "I'm not even going to answer that. " She walked up the stairs as calmly as she could and entered her room. Larva chuckled, his lips twitching in amusement. "Dear girl..." He headed his way up towards Miyu's bedroom and found her sitting on her bed staring intensely at the pendant she was swinging in front of her. Just then, the telephone rang.
"Hello?" Miyu said when she picked up the receiver.
"Greetings, my Lady. Is this the Yamano residence?"
"Yes, who's on the line?"
"Ahh, it doesn't really matter, my Lady. But you can tell Lord Larva that Queen Ranka requests his presence in the Fairy Bless in two days. He has until fourteen days. Lord Garline and Lady Carlua are going to be there as well."
There was another long silence.
Miyu tried not to collapse from the shock. "Wait, wait, wait a minute... what? Larva? Queen Ranka? Who are you? Fairy Bless? What is going on?"
The person laughed cheerfully from the other line. "You need not concern yourself in the matter, my Lady. Wait...I just received a message," the person cackled. "Your presence is also mandatory, my Lady. And Fairy Bless is a name Queen Ranka gave her country. A bit strange, I know. But you'll get used to the name. Good day." The line went dead. Miyu slowly turned her gaze towards a curious Larva. "A Queen Ranka wants you and me in the Fairy Bless. We have up to two weeks, and I'm still trying to take in everything." A cursed pendant, a man who would follow you until the ends of time, a weird man calling her from who-knows-where. Welcome to Miyu's world.
"Oh. It's about time Mother called me," he laughed. "And I was getting used to this place. Well, are you ready?" Larva glanced at the pendant she was gripping tightly.
Miyu immediately stood up and walked over to him. "How did you... I mean, what is the connection between you and this pendant?"
She could see he was taken aback by her question. 'Seriously, I have to know, she thought determinedly. She placed the pendant back around her neck and glanced expectantly at him. "It's so strange. I touch the pendant, and you appear out of thin air. Things like that do not happen. But I did touch it, and you did appear in my room. I had no choice but to well... to believe it."
Larva just kept staring at her. "I'll tell you everything once we reach Fairy Bless," he said finally.
His blue eyes were cool.
"Eliminate yourself from this land forever."
Larva pushed the words away.
"The Queen wants me in the castle?" Carlua squeaked. She dramatically placed her hand on her forehead and staggered on her feet. "This is not happening." Her servant dropped the brush she was using for Carlua's blond hair and reacted instinctively, holding out her hands to keep her from falling. She would rather face Lilith with both hands tied around her back than face Queen Ranka in person. The last time Carlua made an appearance in the Fairy Bless, the Queen had made her use her magic to slay dragons that were invading the castle, by herself, much to the people's amusement. She was almost killed. One moment Queen Ranka was surprisingly nice to her, the next moment she was unbelievably mean.
Life was so unfair.
"Tell the Queen I'm not feeling well," she muttered. Her eyes went wide as she gaped at herself for the first time in the huge mirror in front of her. "Amazing... I look great! Thanks."
"No one refuses Queen Ranka, my Lady. It is unheard of."
Carlua made one last try. "Tell her I ran off with Garline to an island with exotic fruits and our love to keep us alive," she murmured desperately.
"I was informed the master and his brother are also going to be there."
Carlua's eyes brightened. "Well, why didn't you tell me earlier? It sure makes things easier with Larva there," she stopped, confused then. Larva? Larva was going to be there? Carlua could feel herself smiling stupidly, and she stifled it, praying her servant didn't notice. 'Larva's coming back. I'm sure he is, she thought, convinced. We'll have wine together... no, better not. She did drink an awful lot of wine last night. Come to think of it, she didn't remember much about last night except for a huge hangover when she woke up this morning. She shrugged it off.
"All right! That settles it. When's the day?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"I can't wait!" She did a little dance around the room, much to her servant's dismay. "My Lady, your hair..." Carlua ignored her. She was going to see Larva again, finally, after all those weeks.