A/N: Important note: in this story, Naru doesn't find his brother at the lake. Nope, not even a little piece.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Ghost Hunt, unfortunately. Maybe if I hire a good lawyer, though...
The day she tells him, it's cloudy and cold. He's angry; partly because of her, and partly because, again, his goal is nowhere near his grasp. Was it too much to bury a dead brother?Was it asking too much to find him and lay him to rest? Too much put him, his brother, and their family at peace?
Apparently.
When she tells him, they're leaning against the tree. Their conversation goes silent. She's terrified-that's obvious. It didn't take a genius like him to figure it out. But...why? What was so terrible about rejection? Couldn't people just accept "no" for an answer and move on?
He calls himself a hypocrite.
When she says, "I really, really like you", he freezes. His heart skips a few beats. Speechless, she interprets his silence and says it again.
"I really, really like you." She puzzled him. He was cold, logical, emotionless-the exact opposite of her. Everyone always loved his brother, not him. She met his brother, of course, so it would always yield the same results. They always left him for Gene.
She repeats it again.
"I really...really like you."
He doesn't believe her.
The night she tells him, the stars twinkle brightly.
He's speechless because of her, just like the countless times before, but this is different. It's new. It's exciting. It's terrifying. It's dangerous. It's wonderful.
She clams her mouth shut. She tenses. He copies her. Silence creeps between them. He can practically read her thoughts. She bites her lip. He knows she's worried-was a simple "I love you" too much, too early? They had only been together for a few months, and here she is, worrying that three words will tear it apart.
He almost laughs. Almost.
Instead, he takes her hand. Confused, she murmurs his name.
"Naru?" He intertwines their fingers together. For a moment, their eyes meet, and then their lips meet, too. It's...strange to him. For someone to choose him instead of his brother. For someone to love all his flaws, to stand by his side during his trials and triumphs. Why? Why him?
He can't bring himself to believe her.
The day she tells him, it's sunny, warm, and bright.
He's twisting the ring around his fingers. His wife has a ring, too. Despite the fact it's been years, they still look the same. Sure, their bodies have matured, but she still has her short brown hair and joyful eyes, and he still has his hair, too...and his same attitude. Albeit, it has improved. He's a bit more patient. Just a bit.
He sets aside the papers for a moment to breath. It's been raining non-stop, and since his wife insisted they spend the day outside in the sun, since it finally came out of the clouds, he complies. Sun is good for your health, anyways, and his wife's health has been poor lately. With her backaches, vomiting, and headaches, he's worried sick. He can't be blamed. The others have been worried, too-the monk, the priestess (also a couple now), the priest, the medium, his doting mother...he suppose he can't blame them when they nag her about her health, either. He returns to his papers.
When she steps onto the porch, he knows something's up. He sets the papers down and asks what's wrong. She doesn't immediately answer. Instead, she sits down next to him and takes his hand in hers. When she tells him, it doesn't register immediately. It echoes in his mind.
"I'm pregnant."
His eyes soften, he smiles, and he squeezes her hands. She squeezes back with a smile. Their lips meet again, again, and again, and then they embrace. He can't comprehend something so amazing and wonderful has happened to him.
He's too stunned to believe her.
The day she tells him, it's raining heavily.
They're out in the rain. He's on his knees. She's kneeing beside him. Their children-a boy and a girl-watch anxiously from inside their warm house.
"They found Eugene's body in a lake," she tells him after a phone call from his father minutes before. "Some siblings were fishing, and they accidentally..." She trails off. He leaves before he could hear anymore. For once, he didn't want to know the rest. He swore he put his brother's death behind him, swore that he could get over it, that he wouldn't regret anything. Regret was useless. It was pointless to fret and agonize over the actions you've made, because nothing would change them. It was always best to move on and focus on the present.
And yet...
She hugs him. They're both cold and drenched in the rain, yet he can still feel her warmth through her skin. He allows himself to cling to it. She whispers words of encouragement and love in his ear. He shakes. Trembles. Curses. Cries. Regrets. A whole range of emotions, previously contained, now spilled and left him vulnerable to the world's touch.
"It'll be alright, Naru." He looks at her face, then to his anxious children. He stands up, helps her do the same, and they walk back inside, hand in hand. His children immediately hug his legs. He bends down and hugs them, too. His wife touches his back.
"You'll be alright, Naru. You're with us," she says again. He looks at her once more with soft eyes.
And he believes her.
A/N: I...really don't have a clue as to what this is. Like, absolutely no clue. I was getting the mail one day while it was pouring, and something along the lines of, "The day she tells him, it was raining" popped into my head out of nowhere. Cue mulling over it for a day, writing it, and then confusion. And a new fic! It was nice to write something else (I've been working on a different GH story, which won't be published for a while, unfortunately), not to mention it was about time I practice with different styles of writing, too. So now that this is finally written, I can get back to my life now. Woo! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it!
