Snippet #2068125

"Kikiri, please! Would you stop scaring the guests like that?" A woman with a gentle voice swam into Tomasu's view. He had shut his eyes tight as the voice had grown horribly louder and was now peeking between his fingers at the Amazonian figure and the little bird on her finger. His heartbeat seemed out of control as he craned his neck up and tried to calm down by breathing regularly. He hadn't realised until then that he had been holding his breath. After finally being able to focus, Tomasu's mouth dropped as he gaped openly at the bird, never taking his eyes off it. Everything else seemed to pale into insignificant compared to this tiny, fiery creature. It was ethereal and majestic, and so very small, with a lovely golden plumage. Tomasu was almost hynotised by it, finally snapping back to reality as it exploded, "HUMANS?"

Tomasu closed his gaping mouth at last and frowned at the woman as she trapped the bird under a vase. He immediately made to go free it, only to be stopped by Sayo who was still fiercely holding onto his hand. He tried to twist it out, but her grip was surprisingly strong even as she concentrated on what the maid lady was telling them.

"And whatever you do, whatever you see, don't scream. Now go!" As suddenly as she had appeared, the lady was gone again, along with her feathery companion. Tomasu had an extremely strong urge to run after the bird who didn't seem too impressed at being trapped under a vase. Maybe he can come home with me... Tomasu thought ruefully. Before he could think about stepping in their direction, however, Sayo had yanked his hand causing Tomasu to stumble alongside her on the way to the elevator. She was chanting something under her breath as both he and Sena were forced into the golden elevator.

"Hey, WAIT! My bike!" Tomasu shouted but it was too late. The sliding doors shut with a soft sound as Tomasu's red bike lay abandoned in the middle of the expansive floor and they started moving smoothly upwards. "You could have waited just a little bit, Sayo!" Tomasu swiped angrily at the tears that had leaked out of his eyes at the sight of his beloved bike, but she was too busy chanting to notice. That bike had almost been a companion to him for one whole year and was his favourite possession in all the world, joining him on all his adventures around town. He vowed silently to go back and look for it after they had met this Kamaya person.

Sayo released her grip on Tomasu's hand as the elevator doors opened on the 37th floor. He was tempted to stay inside it and stood there with his arms folded across his chest as Sayo ran out towards a red and purple door. The elevator's carpet looked luxuriously soft and fluffy, and the wooden panels surrounding three sides were gleaming. Patterns could be seen in intricate grooves which had been carved out, images of the ocean and forests as well as strange creatures that Tomasu had never seen before. He glanced out at Sayo and saw her move to open the purple door.

"Hey," He called out, "I thought she said the other door." Before thinking about it, Tomasu had stepped off the elevator and it immediately shut its golden doors and left them. Tomasu looked back and said "I'll be back for my bike," as irrational as he knew it was to talk to an elevator, but he was saying it more for his own peace of mind. He walked down to where Sayo was reaching up to the purple door.

"Are you stupid?" He demanded rudely, grabbing Sayo's hand away from the door. "She said the OTHER one." He was still slightly upset at being dragged up the elevator, yet the feeling faded away as he glanced at the purple door. It was not wooden or glass or any material Tomasu could think of, it was simply purple and gorgeous. He had let go of Sayo's hand as his own drifted up to touch the door, just to see if it would sink right through or whether he would be able to touch the soft, cloudy purple door.