"Time may change me,
but I can't trace time."
-David Bowie
Despite her lingering apprehension, Davina was in fairly high spirits as she began her venture over to the downtown district to rendezvous with Shuichi, Kazuma, and their friends. With it being a Saturday, there was already a significant number of others out and about, many of whom were headed in the same direction as her. She kept to herself, her eyes gazing idly over the suburban landscape that surrounded her as she continued onward. The colors of fall were in full bloom, painting the air with bursts of red, yellow, and soft brown. Since Autumn was undoubtedly her favorite of all the seasons, to see it covering the world around her made Davina smile to herself, appreciatively admiring the marvel of nature in all its glory.
Apart from the color provided by the changing trees, it was a rather drab looking day, punctuated by a brisk breeze and overshadowed by an ominously cloudy sky. Diminutive smatterings of sunlight attempted to poke through the thick gray haze, but with little success. In an effort to ward off the chill that raced through her as the icy wind whipped past, Davina zipped up the front of her lightweight black bomber jacket and slipped her hands into the pockets that hung at the sides. She found herself wondering if she would come to regret her outfit selection, as she had absentmindedly failed to check out the weather conditions before getting dressed for the day.
Due to the vagueness of the plans provided, she had opted to dress casual, selecting a pair of gray tartan print leggings and a simple black wide-strap tank top, accompanied by the coat she had almost decided against bringing along, but was now exceedingly grateful for. While she had eyed her favorite pair of suede boots, Davina had ultimately chosen her trusty black Converse—she knew without question that they were just the perfect amount of broken in to remain comfortable should she be on her feet walking around all day.
Once dressed, she had tamed her hair, allowing it to hang free rather than styling it, and applying her usual minimal standard of make-up. A quick examination in the full length mirror met with Davina's silent approval—she had been aiming for simplicity, and felt satisfied with her efforts. After brushing her teeth, she reached for her phone, curious to see if any further correspondence had appeared—there were updates within the group message, most of it hailing from the collective of unknown numbers, all signing their agreement to the declared place and time to meet up. Shuichi's reply of affirmation was among them, and seeing his name and knowing for certain that his presence was to follow had her smiling from ear to ear.
Davina suddenly felt compelled to message him outside of the group text, and, after a brief moment of hesitation, did just that. She didn't want to appear overly excited or pushy, so she kept it simple, finishing her short text with a smiley face emoji before hitting send. A quick glance at the time alerted her that he was just finishing up at work, so she didn't anticipate a swift response. However, a reply came through almost immediately, letting her know that he was soon to be en-route to the restaurant. Knowing that they would be face to face soon, she pushed her phone into her purse and headed for the door, not wanting to run the risk of showing up late to the destination in question.
Purposely, she kept her distance from the entrance to Yureihana Park as she made her way past, eying the yawning opening with distrust. Even in Shuichi's company the night prior, their visit into the park's expanse had been nerve-wracking, and while nothing uncouth had occurred, she still found herself less than eager to acknowledge its existence and recall the strange events connected to it. She refused to waste a single thought on such things for the moment—as it was, Davina already had far too much on her mind and her nerves were beginning to twang with concern as the time for impending social interaction with strangers grew closer and closer. Swiftly, she ventured passed and continued onward, her resolve to maintain her excitement starting to waiver slightly. Taking a deep breath, she forced those feelings back, instilling within herself a mantra that things would be fine and she was being silly.
Within less than five minutes, she breached the street that began the downtown district of Kaiden—several blocks later, her objective came into view, perched near the center of a busy strip. The wide sign that sat above the glass doors read Akaitsuru in vivid red neon, the faintly glowing kanji characters accompanied by a colorful backlit pizza slice. There was a sufficient crowd of people ambling leisurely to and from, amply enjoying the freedom afforded to them by their lack of obligations.
As Davina approached the restaurant, her attention was immediately drawn to the presence of a single female patron who stood alone just outside the entrance—it was the unique color of her hair that caught Davina's eye, a bright, powder blue hue. She couldn't help but quietly admire the odd shade, which somehow complimented the rose pink sweater dress the young woman was wearing. Since reaching her teenage years, Davina had entertained a quiet desire to dye her hair, at least in part, a crazy color, but had never followed through with such an urge—she knew her mother would disapprove, and it wasn't worth the heated argument that would inevitably follow. However, now with the distant that sat between them, perhaps she would revisit the idea.
Davina was only several yards away when a trio of other females appeared, approaching from the opposing side and walking in tandem towards the entrance. Among them was another girl with distinctively colored hair, a vivid seafoam green that immediately grabbed Davina's eye, if only for a moment. All were wielding an impressive collection of shopping bags, their arms weighing heavy with the effort of carrying their purchases. It was obvious from their mannerisms that they were familiar with the blue-haired girl, with whom they shared a warm greeting, exchanging words and friendly smiles as they walked up alongside her, lingering in the atrium.
Not wanting to interrupt their conversation, Davina decided to halt her stride and stepped off to perch in front of a nearby store window as to avoid disrupting the flow of foot traffic on the sidewalk. After freeing her phone from the confines of her purse, she realized that it was still a good fifteen minutes until noon, and wondered how she should proceed. There was no sign of Kazuma or Shuichi to speak of yet, and she felt her resolve start to slip some as she began to question if this outing was truly a good idea. She considered texting either of the parties she knew, but quickly vetoed the idea, not wanting to appear impatient.
By the time she looked up from her phone, the group of females that had been camping near the restaurant's entrance had disappeared from sight—now that the path was clear, Davina decided to head on inside and find a table to wait at until a familiar face wandered in.
The interior of Akaitsuru was deceptively spacious, something she would not have guessed given the diminutive presence of the entrance. There was plenty of seating available, despite the considerable number of patrons already present within. A collection of delicious smells filled her nose as she made her way past the counter, the distinct aroma of freshly baking bread and the heady scent of potent garlic prompting her mouth to salivate. She hadn't realized until that moment that she was actually hungry. Given that pizza was one of her favorite foods, she couldn't wait to try the cuisine, curious as to how it would differ from the standard American fare.
Carefully weaving her way through the throng, Davina claimed a single seat at a tiny table meant for two near the back corner of the pizzeria, the position affording her an open view of the entrance to keep an eye out for Kazuma or Shuichi. Shortly after perching down on the chair, she scanned the expanse of the dining room with mild curiosity, her gaze eventually coming to rest on the collective of girls she had first seen waiting by the entrance. There was something about the one with the lengthy dark hair and doe-like brown eyes that was somehow vaguely familiar to Davina—she had seen her somewhere before, she was certain of it. But for the moment, she failed to place where, which only served to further intrigue her. She withdrew her stare for fear of gaining unwanted attention from the group, but her curiosity was far from quelled.
The subtle vibration of an incoming text claimed Davina's attention—it hailed from the group message, originating from one of the unknown numbers.
'Yukina, Shizuru, Keiko, and I are here. Where r u guys?'
A soft gasp caught in Davina's throat as she read the contents, swiftly putting two and two together. She was quick to recognize the name Yukina from her previous conversations with Kazuma, and Keiko, as she now recalled, worked over at that noodle shop she had visited one evening several weeks prior. If Davina remembered correctly, she was involved with Kazuma's friend, the guy with the heavily gelled black hair. She had first encountered him while shopping for her green sundress, and although their interaction had been brief, it had lingered in the back of her mind, both awkward and amusing at turns. Davina felt her ears grow warm, recalling the way Keiko and her partner, whose name she either did not know or couldn't remember overhearing, had openly fought over planning for a wedding during her visit to the ramen shop. It had been such an uncomfortable interlude that she had gotten out of there the moment she could manage such a thing.
A dull sensation of deeply seated dread washed over her in that moment—she had no desire to get involved in drama, and was starting to wonder if she had made a mistake by agreeing to come. It was far too late to back out, however, and she was determined to see Shuichi, so she gathered her wits and took a deep breath to calm herself.
Within the very next minute, the infamous male party appeared in the foyer, dressed in worn blue jeans and a loose fit green t-shirt, his dark hair carefully styled and a small smirk playing across his lips. He had barely stepped through the door way when the blue-haired girl stood up from the table to wave him over, smiling as she did so. Two of the remaining three girls all wore similar smiles on their faces, but Keiko's was a façade all its own, not quite a scowl nor a wince, but some unpleasant amalgamation of the two. One thing was for certain: she wasn't happy to see him. He seemed entirely unfazed by her sour glare, overlooking it with considerable ease that could only hail from years of practice.
Keiko's significant other had barely claimed a seat when Kazuma appeared, grinning from ear to ear as he approached the heavily occupied table. He had barely finished his hellos to everyone when his gaze flittered over to where Davina sat alone, and his brow immediately quirked in confusion.
"Hey, Davi!" he hollered from across the dining room, waving over at her with an open hand. "Why are you hiding in the corner? Come over here and meet the gang!"
Davina fought the urge to sigh, forcing herself to smile instead as she attempted to keep her cheeks from flushing with embarrassment. She had hoped Kazuma wouldn't put her on the spot in such a way, but alas. She rose to her feet and made her way over to their table, hyper aware of the sudden close inspection she was under. Her throat grew tight and her belly did an uncomfortable flip, but she swallowed back her discomfort and attempted to willfully ignore their inquisitive stares.
"Guys, this is my friend, Davina," Kuwabara announced with an unwarranted flourish, holding his hand out in her direction as if he were presenting her in front of a studio audience. "Davi, this is Yukina, my girlfriend," he offered proudly, pointing to the demure girl with the soft green hair—Davina met her gaze, internally shocked to discover that her eyes were a shade of deep crimson. It was a striking color, but despite the stark contrast with her pastel hair, the strange combination worked well for her. She fixed Yukina with a small but friendly smile, but before she could say anything, Kazuma was onto the next person. "This is Keiko, her fiancé, Yusuke, and Botan," he continued, pointing to each party with a quick gesture of his finger. Davina glanced quickly from person to person, nodding her head in silent greeting.
"Aren't you forgetting someone, little brother?" the one girl who Kazuma had failed to place a name to spoke up, her voice tinged with a combination of mild amusement and slight annoyance as she fixed him with a mild glare. She appeared older, but not by much, and had a calm affect to her tone that Davina immediately found herself appreciating.
"Oh, yeah…that's my sister, Shizuru," he tacked on offhandedly, waving his hand in dismissal.
"It's nice to meet you, Davina," Botan quickly perked up, smiling warmly over at her. "Why don't you come sit here?" She pulled out a vacant chair alongside her, and Davina fixed her with an appreciative smile before slipping down into the seat.
"Thank you," she offered quietly, grateful for the kind gesture. "I…uhh…really love that hair color on you." It was an attempt to be friendly, and while it was far from an impressive conversation starter, it caused Botan's grin to widen considerably. Her eyes, which were not a pale shade of brown like Davina first thought, but an unusual hue of magenta, seemed to light up at the simple compliment. She opened her mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by Shizuru before the words she intended to speak could leave her lips.
"We should figure out what we want to eat so we can get this show on the road," she announced, gesturing towards the counter with a thumb. She had a direct, no nonsense air about her that Davina liked immediately.
Her comment had everyone nodding in agreement, and the next several minutes were spent perusing the small laminated menu cards that perched within a catch-all basket near the center of the table in relative quiet. Once decisions had been made, Shizuru offered to head up to place the large order, announcing that lunch was her treat for the outing.
"We're still waiting on Shuichi," Kazuma offered, prior to glancing down at his phone to check the time. "He should be here soon—just order an A-4 for him, that's what he always gets when we come here." Shizuru nodded her head in agreement, then rose to her feet, pausing for a brief moment as her gaze trailed across the table and met Davina's.
"Hey Davina, would you mind coming up there with me?" she asked casually, accompanying her request with a small smile. "I'll need help carrying the drinks over."
"O-of course," she replied, mildly surprised by the unexpected invitation, but eager to please as she rose up from her chair. Together, the pair made their way up to the counter, with Shizuru in the lead. They claimed the last space in the short line that had formed, and began the wait for their turn to be serviced.
"Sorry if I sort of put you on the spot back there," Shizuru offered softly. "You looked a little overwhelmed, so I thought a breather away from the crowd of new people couldn't hurt."
"No need to be sorry," Davina immediately replied, fairly impressed by her level of intuition. "You're entirely right—I am a bit overwhelmed. Honestly, I've been pretty much on my own for a good while now, and meeting new people is always sort of stressful."
"Trust me, I get it. I'm not a super social butterfly myself," Shizuru admitted with a mild smirk. "But it's a good group, and my little brother thinks you'll fit in just fine—he may be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he's a damn good judge of character."
A soft chuckle escaped Davina—the way Shizuru spoke of her sibling was reminiscent of her relationships with her own brothers, and she couldn't help but feel a small push of nostalgia.
"Kazuma has been very kind to me," she offered agreeably. "It certainly was sweet of him to invite me to join you guys today—I hope I'm not intruding."
"Not at all—in fact, he was all excited that you agreed to come. He said you and Shuichi hit it off pretty well after he introduced you two, so he was looking forward to you meeting everybody else," she responded firmly. The line ahead of them relocated forward, prompting them to do the same.
Shizuru's comment about Shuichi had Davina's cheeks flushing slightly with heat—she was curious just how much Kazuma was privy to about her and his companion. Shuichi certainly didn't seem like the type to gossip, or so it seemed. But thankfully, Shizuru either didn't seem to notice the reddening of her face or she was nice enough to not call any attention to it. The line moved onward once again, leaving only one person remaining between them and the counter.
"So, are you liking it here in Kaiden?" Shizuru inquired curiously. Davina was grateful for the change in subject, and once again, impressed by her perception—it was almost as if she could sense Davina's unease with the direction the conversation was currently heading in and had actively sought to avoid causing more.
"Very much—it's very different from my home in the states, but now that I've lived here for a while, it's definitely grown on me," she admitted, a small smile coming to perch at the corners of her lips. She couldn't help but picture Shuichi's face in her mind's eye when she spoke the words out loud—she hoped he would be arriving soon.
Before Shizuru could respond, the patron that was standing in front of them took his leave, and it was their turn to approach the counter and place their orders. Following a quick verbal exchange, the order was placed and the pair were handed a collection of beverages to bring back to their table and distribute. Utilizing a pair of small trays, the girls carefully carried the drinks back to their destination—all the while, Davina was praying to any higher power that would listen to keep her arms steady and to keep her awkward clumsiness at bay, if only for a few short seconds.
The venture was a success, and they made their triumphant return to their group without any spills—what was almost better than not making an ass of herself by spilling everything everywhere was the sight of Shuichi's softly smiling face now present at the table. Their eyes met briefly as Davina placed the heavy tray down on the surface, and she couldn't help the smile that formed across her own lips, or the mild shiver of anticipation that raced its way down the length of her spine at the very sight of him.
'Finally…'
. . .
Shuichi was quick to spot his friends upon his arrival to Akaitsuru—he hadn't even stepped inside of the restaurant yet, spying their familiarity through the large plate glass windows that offered an internal view to bypassing eyes. Almost immediately, he noticed two missing parties—Shizuru was absent, as well as Davina. The lack of her presence suddenly prompted a rush of disappointment to flood through him—perhaps she had cancelled at the last minute? That would certainly put a significant damper on his day.
But his impeding poor mood altered the moment he walked through the entrance doors and caught wind of her aura lingering nearby, accompanied by that of the missing Kuwabara sibling—Shuichi followed the pulse, his gaze swiftly falling upon the recognizable figure of the person he was most eager to see. She stood alongside Shizuru as they waited their turn within the line to place orders, both of their backs turned to his curious stare. He couldn't help himself as his gaze dipped low, coming to linger on the ample curve of Davina's luscious backside. The gray plaid printed leggings she wore only seemed to delightfully accentuate her already considerable curves, and he drank in the sight in silent appreciation as he quickly slipped past.
He approached the table hosting his companions, amused at the fact that none of them noticed his casual advance due to being distracted by their own lively conversation. With a swift grace, Shuichi slipped into one of the empty chairs that sat beside Botan and softly cleared his throat to announce his presence. The Grim Reaper's attention turned towards him in that instant, and she let out a happy squeal at the sight of him—of course, her reaction caught the notice of the others, and almost instantly, Shuichi was the focus of all of his friends.
"There you are! It took you long enough to get here!" Botan exclaimed, grabbing his arm and fixing it with a short squeeze as she smiled over at him.
"Hey buddy! Glad you could make it!" Kazuma offered with a wide grin that reached from ear to ear.
Yusuke simply fixed him with a quick nod, and Keiko attempted a brief smile in greeting, but it did not reach her eyes, which were quietly smoldering with obvious discontentment.
"It's nice to see you after so long, Shuichi!" Yukina said with a sweet smile, which he eagerly returned.
"My apologies for being late," he offered softly. "I got here as quickly as I could."
"It's all good—Shizuru and Davi are placing our orders, so I asked them to get you your usual. They should be back over here soon," Kazuma explained, gesturing towards the front counter. "We'll eat up and then head over to the arcade."
Before Shuichi could respond with his agreement, Davina and Shizuru were en-route back the table, carrying an impressive collective of disposable cups on circular plastic trays. It was obvious that Davina was concentrating on the task as hand, and the amount of focus she was putting into making sure her balance of the tray was maintained was almost enough to make him chuckle at the sight—he smiled instead, not wanting her to think the wrong thing if she caught him staring. It was just as well, for she noticed his presence just as she placed the tray down atop the table, meeting his eyes almost immediately. An endearing smile swiftly bloomed across her lips, which lit up her entire face in an instant, causing her hazel eyes to shine with a hypnotic glow that was almost ethereal to witness.
One thing was absolutely for sure—she was happy to see him.
Realizing that they were exactly one chair short, Shuichi rose from his current seat, gesturing for Davina to sit in his stead. She hesitated, if only for a brief second, before approaching his side and accepting the offered seat. As she relocated, he caught a whiff of her perfume, and found himself wishing he could be close enough to her to afford more than just a mere hint of that saccharine fragrance that clung to her skin. Quickly, he ventured over to a nearby table that was vacant and claimed one of the chairs that stood there. He returned with the seat in tow and placed it at the head of the table, which positioned him opposite of Yusuke, with Davina to his right and Kazuma off to his left. Shuichi found contentment with this arrangement, seeing as it permitted him to remain fairly close in proximity to her—he hoped that in doing so, it would ease her trepidation at being primarily surrounded by people she was not yet familiar with.
But much to Shuichi's surprise and silent pleasure, Davina seemed to be adjusting rather well to this group setting—as they awaited the arrival of their pizza, conversation among the group erupted, and she proved to be an active participant. It was obvious that his friends had taken a liking to her—even Yusuke cracked a smile at a joke she made. Keiko was the only one among them who remained stoic, saying very little. She occasionally shot a nasty glare in Yusuke's direction when she believed that no one was paying attention, but Shuichi was quick to notice her obvious disdain towards her fiancée. Given their penchant for fighting as of late, he wouldn't be surprised if they had gotten into a skirmish earlier that morning, and Keiko was still harboring her anger over it. While it was truly none of his business, Shuichi knew that if such a thing had unfolded, Yusuke would bring it up in conversation at some point during their time together. He only hoped it wouldn't put a damper on things, or worse, cause a scene to erupt between the pair.
Once the food arrived, the conversation came to a brief halt as everyone turned the bulk of their attention to their plates and began to eat. Shuichi eagerly devoured his margherita pizza, which was one of the pies that the Akaitsuru was best known for due to the unique flavor provided by the smoked mozzarella used in its creation. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was until the pizza was placed before him, and that first bite was heavenly. Davina, who had ordered the same, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her meal just as he was. It didn't take long for the group to eat their fill, leaving behind a collective of barren, sauce smeared plates and empty cups housing only half melted ice within their plastic confinements.
"So, what did ya think, Yukina?" Kazuma asked, leaning back in his chair and covering his mouth to suppress a small burp of satisfaction. "Pretty good, huh?"
"It was delicious," the ice apparition replied with a charming smile over at her significant other. "I'm so happy I finally got a chance to try pizza—thank you for taking me here."
"You're welcome, my sweet," he replied, beaming over at her with a wide grin, obviously proud of himself upon the reception of her accolade.
"Thanks for lunch, Shizuru," Davina chimed in softly, fixing the older Kuwabara sibling with a small nod of appreciation. Her statement prompted a similar display of gratitude from the others, including Shuichi. Shizuru smiled mildly at the acknowledgement, but was quick to alter the subject to their next destination.
"Now that everyone has stuffed their faces, let's get our asses down to the arcade," she announced with an authoritative air as she rose to her feet. Everyone was quick to follow suit, and they left the restaurant in an odd sort of line, with Davina and Shuichi bringing up the rear.
Just as they crossed the threshold to the outside, Shuichi tapped her on the shoulder, quickly catching her attention and prompting her to pause in her stride forward. She turned to look at him, her eyes growing slightly wide with surprise at the unanticipated contact.
"Everything okay?" Davina asked immediately, her entire visage swiftly molding into one of concern.
"Yes, of course," he replied, fixing her with a reassuring smile. "Just wanted to check in and see how you were faring with everything." He was curious to hear her reaction, now that she had met everyone and was starting to acclimate.
She fixed him with a genuine smile, her eyes mirroring the sentiment offered by her lips.
"I don't regret coming, if that's what you are worried about. Everyone has been nice, and this has been pretty fun, so far," she replied thoughtfully. Together, they regained their pace forward, keeping near to the group as they moved onward. "That, and that pizza was amazing—I'm almost disappointed that I didn't try it sooner."
"I'm glad to hear it," he responded with a small chuckle, feeling relieved. To hear that she was adapting to their group with ease quelled the worst of his worries. Given her playful response, Shuichi decided to make a brazen proposal, not wanting to waste an easy opportunity to request her presence for a future endeavor. "Since you enjoyed it so much, we'll have to visit there again soon…perhaps, on a date?"
Her eyes widen noticeably at his bold inquiry, and, as anticipated, her cheeks grew warm with heat, painting the flesh a soft pink. In spite of this, she fixed him with a small smile, nodding her head in swift agreement.
"I'd really like that," she said quietly, the sudden increase in her heartbeat not lost on him. Provided a positive affirmation, Shuichi's smile matched her own, finding her bashful reaction to his question endearing. It was so early into their day together, and already he felt as if he already surpassed his expectations. He openly entertained hope that even better was yet to come.
. . .
Author's Note: So, I've been writing pretty much every day, and for some delightful reason, it just keeps coming. Currently, I already have the next two and a half chapters completed, and I'm hoping to finish up the third one tonight or tomorrow. My impatience to share got the best of me, hence the quick update. There will be a great deal of filler/fluff throughout the next few installments, but hang in there, because things are about to heat up shortly (in more ways than one, heh). Just keep your fingers crossed that the creative muses continue to be so kind so I can keep this pace. As always, thank you for reading, and take care!