Authors Not: Sorry for the delay, school is a bitch.
Flame of the Guardians SoulChapter Eleven
Singing Cricket
Larva was surprised that they had been able to fit everyone in the small car. But they had done it. Aira and Gina were in the front, he was just behind Gina, Ichiro and Sen-Jui was squished in the middle and Ranka was behind Aira. They drove out and he caught a glimpse of those girls from earlier watching them with sour faces. The day seemed much more pleasant that he thought.
"Well it's still early, anyone hungry?" Gina asked as she looked back at the others who nodded. Her attention then went back to Aira; "Well you're the one who's driving, where shall we take them?"
She thought for a moment, "Well I can flip a bitch and we can take them to the Singing Cricket Café in the Dancing Crain?"
"Such fancy names," Ichiro said.
Aira giggled, "Yes but the Dancing Crain is an import store, they import things from all over the world and as part of that they have a restaurant that gives wonderful gourmet food from all over the world," she stopped at a traffic light, "So we going or do you was pizza instead?"
"I'm not found of pizza," Ranka said.
Sen-Jui spoke next, "I could go either way."
"I want pizza!" Ichiro said loudly.
"I'd like the Cricket," Gina protested.
Aira looked back at Larva a smile on her face, "Your call, Max."
Larva blinked, I'll have to get used to this "Well I wouldn't mind the Singing Cricket I'm not a big pizza fan."
Aira nodded, "To the Singing Cricket Café we go!" She made a U-turn causing a car to honk its horn at her and she drove down the street. "So where is the other guy you told me about Ranka? That Nagi dude, I thought I'd meet him once I saw Max."
Ranka turned her head to Larva who said, "Well he and I had a bit of a fight before I left…"
Ranka frowned, "He shall be wonderful to deal with later on…"
Aira handed her cell phone to Gina who handed it to Ranka, "Call him and see where he is. We can pick him up."
Ranka held the phone and looked at Aira, "Can you really fit one more in here?"
Giggling she responded, "I've had twelve people and three cats in here at once, I can fit one more."
Ranka giggled, however she knew the phone wouldn't be needed, but she also knew they couldn't expose themselves just yet. Still she dialed the number to the hotel, asked the desk clerk to link them to their room and to her surprise Shiina answered.
"Hi Nagi, it's Ranka, please meet us in the lobby we have been invited to dinner with some new friends."
"I'll let him know," Shiina said before hanging up.
"He will be waiting for us," Ranka said as she handed Aira the phone back.
Taking the phone she asked, "Which hotel are you staying at?"
"The Little America," Ichiro said with his face against the window, looking out at the city.
"My mom works there!" Gina said in a happy voice.
"Cool we can talk to her about getting you out of babysitting on Samhain," Aira said.
"Samhain?" Larva asked, he knew what it was but thought he better play stupid.
"Samhain is the real name for Halloween," she smiled at him threw the mirror. And that smile threw him back, such mystery behind it he could not explain. He had seen it only a few times on Miyu.
And a smile on Miyu was a rare thing. Almost nonexistent. Again his memories took him away from the world of the now...
It was shortly after the incident with Yuma, Miyu had let her go to Larva's surprise. She was playing with one of the orbs from the trees that grew in her land. As he wrapped his arm around her he felt her lean back against him a sigh escaping her lips. She seemed troubled, "Miyu?"
"Larva… what is it in vampire blood that enables me to grow old?" She asked it so softly he barley heard her but still the question caught him off-guard.
"Why do you ask?" He looked at her threw the mask.
"I saw an elderly couple at the graveyard this afternoon. They where looking at the grave of a child, and crying. But the man said they'd be with him soon..." she looked at him, "What keeps me from aging?"
This pained him, "I do not know Miyu. I wish I did."
She looked down and then back up, "Larva what's a bitch?"
That one really took him for a loop, "Sorry?"
"One of the boys at school called me a bitch, what is a bitch?" She asked again.
"A bitch is an insult given to a woman who will not listen to a man. I think the boy was insulted by you for not doing something," he replied.
A smile came to her face, "you're right. I don't listen to boys. And you're the only man I know."
As he looked at her smiling face changed and the next thing he knew he was looking at Aira and she at him.
"Do you zone out often?" She asked.
It was then he realized that it was only them in the car, "where are the others?"
"Gina had to go to the ladies room and the others went to get Nagi," she replied.
He nodded, "Well to answer your question, no I don't zone out often. I didn't mean to."
Her smile seemed to warm, "It's alright. Everyone is prone to day dreaming."
A long moment of silence passed between them and Larva found all he was able to do was look at those emerald eyes. They entranced him more so it seemed than the golden ones he was used to seeing. It seemed for a moment that his memories would take him back again but then…
A finger suddenly appeared pointing in his face and he saw a black eyed Nagi angrily starring at him. "You ass hole!"
"You asked for it," Larva said his eyes narrowing.
Nagi was about to strike when he received a swift kick in the gut by Aira, "Listen to me boys, there will be no fighting in or around my car unless I'm the one doing the fight."
Nagi nodded as the other all came out laughing from a different conversation. And it was Gina who spoke next, "Hey Air mom gave me the parking pass, you want to park the car and meet us back here? We can walk to the Crain."
Aira nodded, "Alright," then she looked back at Larva, "Want to stay with them or hop up front?"
Larva blinked at the question but he got out of the back seat and took the front seat, not wanting to be with the others and he would take any chance he could to be with Aira. He looked over to see her smiling with the parking pass in her hand; she then started the car and drove around the corner. She slid the pass into the reader slip and took it out as she drove into the underground lot. "So what part of Europe are you from? Ranka said you two where adopted?"
Good lie, he thought, "I'm from England. I know I don't sound like it, Ranka and I where adopted at a young age and we've called Japan home for a long time but we are thinking of moving here."
"Really?" She parked the car, "Maybe I can help you guys find a house?" She looked at him.
He smiled for the first time in years, "That would be nice."
"Then I shall do that," She parked the car and turned it off. Both of them got out of the car and Larva walked over to stand beside Aira then he followed her out of the lot. As he followed her that sense of familiarity came back to him, he was following Miyu again it seemed, but he knew it was Aira. They reached the others, Nagi still steaming, at least until Gina looked at him.
She said then with a smile, "Oh come on, so he gave you a black eye at least you're still hansom and alive." Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
"You are such a flirt," Aira said under her breath. Larva agreed silently, apparently in this life Yui or rather Gina had chosen to be far more outgoing.
Gina turned to Aira and Larva, "Don't you two look cute next to one another?"
"Gina shut up."
After a few bickering words between the girls they all started their way down the busy streets of the city and after a few blocks they came to a large building with the worlds Dancing Crain Imports in bronze on the top of the building, and a sign out by the door that said, The Singing Cricket Café. So they came to the right place, Larva opened the door for everyone as Nagi stepped in the two glared at each other. "Boys," Aira's voice came in a warning tone as she shoved both boys into the front of the vast and breath-taking place.
"Wow," Ichiro said, "This is cool."
"I've never a place like this," Ranka added.
A smile grew on Aira's lips "We can look around a bit after we are finished eating the place doesn't close until ten."
"I think we should," Larva said. His eyes where drawn to the stones and bamboo that lay in a large fountain.
Their waiter lead them to a large table in the back, the place was very elegant. The chairs they sat on where made of bamboo stems and had soft silk pillows fashioned from the Middle East against the backs of the chair. The wall where mirrors lined with false ivy vines, and on each table there was a statue of some kind, the one of their table was an elephant. Even the music they played was enchanting it reminded Larva of grand parties in the savage worlds he used to conquer for his comrades in Europe.
Sen-Jui was in aw, "This place is gorgeous."
"Well the owner loves the different cultures of the world," Gina said, "Before he bought this place it was a fabric store. One of the best but now it's the biggest import store in the whole county."
"This place pulls in loads of money. Around this part of town are many dance studios for belly dancing, some for the Asian style and a few very high class and very expensive foreign restaurants who buy their table toppings and wall ornaments from this place," Aira added before taking a gulp of her water.
"I'm glade I brought money with me, I may buy a few things here," Ranka said.
The waiter came back with pen and paper, "How are to folks tonight?"
"Fin thanks," Gina said with a smile.
"Oh hi Gina, hi Aira, the usuals I'm guessing?" The waiter smiled.
Apparently they come here a lot, Larva thought.
"Yes please," The girls said.
"And how about you?" he turned to the others.
"I think," Ranka began, "I will try your crab cake salad."
"Exigent choice," the waiter said as he wrote it down.
Sen-Jui was next, "I will have the grilled chicken dinner, but is it possible to get vegetables instead of potatoes? I'm allergic."
"Of yes, I will see to that personally. Is there any kind of vegetable you would like?"
"Um," he though, "can I get carrots?"
"Yes, I'll see you get plenty," after he wrote that down he looked to Nagi.
"I would like the stake and pasts please," he said.
"And how would you like your stake?"
"Medium well."
"Okay," he wrote it down, "You sir?"
"I would like the Thai salad please," Larva, said this caused Aira to look at him surprised; he looked at her and said, "They make good salad."
She giggled as she waiter walked away and came back only moments later with the food. The only way to describe the mean was superb. Everything was perfection, especially the company of Aira. The fight over who was paying was rather fun, but in the end Aira won. And after that she and Gina took everyone to see the Dancing Crain.