The monk knocked on the door. "Jou-chan," He was ten minutes early, before cases, usually he would be answered with the moans of the teenager within as she crawled out of bed to answer. He would make breakfast while she washed up and got ready. After ten minutes of waiting he slipped out his own key and slid it in the lock. "Jou-chan, I am coming in."
It was a hard day yesterday, he thought. Maybe she is still asleep, maybe she doesn't want to face the day. He heard a faint buzzing coming from the bedroom direction. His mind wandered as he slowly entered the room. Taking a deep breath he psyched himself out to meet with her tears.
"Jou-chan!" he called again moving toward her bedroom door. To his surprise the door was open, peaking around the corner he saw an empty bare room. Beside the futon an alarm clock blared its warning. Blaring the time in red 10 am.
The monk wandered back into the living area flabbergasted. Where was she. He wandered over to the table where there was a notebook laid across it. A single word written on the front. Sendai. While musing over the single word there was a harsh wrapping on the door.
"Mai-Chan! I brought muffins to replace the flavor of that monks horrible eggs." She knocked again as the monk opened the door.
"Horrible eggs?" he asked. "Since when have you been a connoisseur?" he stood in the doorway blocking her entrance.
"Let me through you moocher." she used her single pointer finger to push him out of her way and barged into the apartment. "Mai-chan!" she called again. The monk stayed leaning against the door notebook in hand. He flipped through a few pages finding the next ones blank and the previous with only school notes.
"Where is Mai?" Ayako asked coming back to the Monk.
"Don't know." He shrugged, "Only clue." he handed her the notepad. Then turned back into the apartment. "Her alarm clock was going off when I came in. Her futon looks slept on but not taken care of." he stated entering her bedroom again. Pressing a button he saw the alarm set for 630 am. "She left before 630." he stated Then moved to the nightstand where a jewelry box sat open with some coins in the bottom. "Do you think she had a little savings here?" he asked motioning toward the box.
Ayako approached the box and nodded. "I suggested she keep a small reserve. I gave her that box."
"Why would she leave, possibly for Sendai, before 630 in the morning with a little extra cash?"
"She doesn't have a cell or house phone," Ayako stated. "Even after I offered she wouldn't keep one."
"I offered also." the monk mentioned absently. "Why wouldn't she write anything but one word?" He paced the small room his toe hit a bag. He bent to pick it up. "Her overnight bag is still here."
"It looks like she walked out of bed, into her clothes and out of the house." Ayako commented. "I wonder if she was dreaming?"
"She has never sleep walked before." Ayako shook her head. "It would be unlikely for her to start now, and if she did," she held up the notebook. "She wouldn't write something so clearly." he looked at the careful scrawl perfectly placed I the center of each block.
"Then maybe her instincts told her something?" the monk offered. Ayako nodded her agreement. "But normally it pushes her away from danger. Is there something wrong in the apartment?"
"Why would she go so far? She doesn't have any relations there either." He stated.
"She thinks with her heart. She tries to save everybody if she thought she could help someone…"
"Time is wasting," the monk snapped. "I don't like this I am going to follow her are you coming."
Ayako took a look around the room and nodded. "Yes, but I am contacting the others to see if they know anything about Sendai."
The monk nodded as he walked out of the apartment. Ayako pulled out her phone and started dialing. While the monk locked the door behind them.
London, England
"Mori-san, please forgive the late call, I am unsure what time it is in England but Mai went missing, we just wanted to let you know, we will call with any developments." Madoka replayed the message on speaker phone to Lin.
"I missed the call about 2:30 am." She explained. "Should we tell Oliver?"
Lin studied the phone. 2:30 meant 10:30 in japan It was 5 am now which meant 1pm in Japan. He opened his laptop and pulled up several websites checking emails and news sites for any information.
Only one thing raised his attention and email from Osamu, Yasuhara. Subject: Sendai?
He clicked it open reading contents. It was succinct.
"Taniyama-san Disappeared this morning before 6:30. Her apartment was empty and only clue was the word Sendai. No clothes taken, no preparation, only a little cash taken. We believe her instincts may have led her to leave. If you have any information please forward."
Lin searched through the his contacts and information on the area. He had no more information on the area then the others. No clue why she would be there.
"Contact her back, see if there are updates. If they already found her I do not want to upset Noll." He pinched the bridge of his nose, it had been less than a week since they had arrived back. He had been hoping to take a break but there was no rest for the weary.
Madoka quickly dialed the number and held it up to her ear waiting. "Speaker phone." Lin listened while still searching the internet. If Mai sensed something he probably wouldn't find anything but he was not just an average researcher.
"Matsuzaki," the phone was answered crisply.
"Ayako, it is Madoka, any word on Mai?"
"Madoka," there was a pause and a murmur in the background. "No news, we are driving parallel to the route Mai might have taken by train. We have confirmed a girl matching her description several locations but have not caught her."
"I see." Madoka stated. "We just received your message, and one from Yasuhara. We have no information on Sendai."
"Have they noticed any earthquakes?" Lin asked not looking up from his computer screen.
"Is that Lin-san? No, I haven't noticed any earthquakes, Why?" Madoka leaned over Lin's shoulder and checked the screen he had pulled up.
"There have been a series of quakes just off the coast of japan. 70 km from the coast."
"You think she is headed toward a quake? Why would she do something like that?"
"It is the only anomaly in that area I have found. No other weather, political or social disturbances reported."
"Earthquakes are common. Japan may have been formed from an earthquake." The monk argued from the background. A horn blared somewhere.
"Watch where you are driving you crazy monk." Ayako grumbled. "Thank you for calling, we will let you know any information we find." The call ended.
Lin closed the lid to the laptop before stuffing it into a case and standing in a single well practiced movement.
"Where are you going?" Madoka asked.
"Noll should know, and make his own choices."
"He just got back 5 days ago, It is 5 am. Shouldn't you wait?" Madoka followed behind him. "let him sleep."
"Do you know when was the last time that boy slept past 5am?" Lin asked in a cool voice. Do you know when I have slept past 5am?
Madoka followed closely behind him to the south and hall which Noll kept his room. she slowed as Lin approached the door. He hesitated a second before knocking, the door opened to admit him and closed securely behind him.
Knowing she had no place in with those two men, she headed to the kitchens. The cooks and maids should be preparing for breakfast and one could bring tea and biscuits to them. they may live with out sleep, but food would keep them going.
Noll opened the door, seeing Lin he stepped to the side allowing his entrance then closed the door behind him. He walked over to his window and sat on the sill looking out. Lin laid his laptop on a side table and opened it before gazing out the window. In the pitch blackness before dawn only their reflections were revealed in the window. He hesitated, watching the reflection of his long time friend, was this just another stab of guilt? Examining to reflection he knew so well he wondered why it felt alien in this cold room.
"What is it Lin?" he asked. Pulling Lin out of his thoughts.
"Madoka got a call from Japan." He stated, pulling himself away from the window. "Mai disappeared this morning. About 5 hours ago." He turned back toward his computer, refusing to pressure his friend by watching his reaction. She disappeared before 6 am taking only a little money. No trace of foul play. She left a note with a single word. Sendai."
"Three hours from Shibuya by train, 4.5 driving." Noll stated not moving from the sill.
"They think her instincts told her to go there." Lin felt a heavy glare on his back and understood for Noll that was an obvious implication to the circumstances. "over the last 2 days there have bee a series of earthquakes off the coast of that area."
"Size." The single word a question.
"The first of note was 7.2 MW event on 9 March, with another three on the same day in excess of 6.0 MW."
"Off the coast." This time his statement was just a statement. "Tsunami, similar to one in India Possibly bigger."
"Are you sure?" Lin looked up at his friend, his boss. He seldom questioned his expertise but usually didn't like when he was right.
"Call them back," Noll pulled the laptop around to face him.
Pressing a single button he redialed Ayako. He was greeted with "Matsuzaki,"
"Matsuzaki-san," he returned the greeting. "Noll believes possible a tsunami."
"We have tsunami walls and warning systems. I doubt it could cause to much harm. Why would Mai-chan head toward the tsunami?"
"If the quakes continue at their pace the tsunami could bring waves 3 to 6m high. Tsunami walls will not be enough. Get her out of there."
"We haven't found her yet." Ayako's voice rung out slightly worried. "By our calculations she is probably an hour or two ahead of us still."
"Stop checking out every station. Drive straight through."
"But how do we know she went this way?" Noll stayed silent for a moment. "We read the note but instincts change, they aren't always clear."
"There are three major nuclear power plants in Fukushima near Sendai." Noll stated. "If there is a tsunami they will be hit."
Profanity was heard in the background and the noise of a car revving. "Monk!" they heard Ayako yelp.
"If he is right, Jou-chan is headed to the middle of disaster."
"We will crash and you will get a ticket."
"Least of my worries."
"He could be wrong," she whined.
"How often has that happened?" silence reined on that side of the call. "I am not risking him being right, again."
"We will be on a flight back in two hours." Noll stated then nodded to Lin to close the phone. "Are you coming?" he asked studying his friend, confidant, guardian.
Lin pinched the bridge of his nose, going through a list of reasons not to, but even if Mai was only missing he felt he had to return. "What are you telling you parents." Noll set his jaw hard. "Madoka knows and they just buried one son."
Noll sat on the bed and fingered the quilt. "I will talk to mother." He stood and left the room. Lin realizing a moment too late the quilt was handmade by Noll's mother when they were young. He had always kept it tucked away in the closet, Lin had almost forgotten it existed. Lin grabbed Noll's suitcase and placed several sets of clothing in it along with a book and notebook. He grabbed the map of japan and zipped up the case. On the stand under the light he spotted a familiar key, he slid that too into his pocket. As he too left the boy's room, he met Madoka.
"What is happening?"
Lin continued walking his stride long making Madoka lengthen her own to catch him. "Tsunami, Noll believes, we are headed back."
"So soon?"
"Japan…" Lin paused mid-stride. "Japan changed us," he included himself knowing it was true. "That girl means a lot and I don't think he can handle losing her also."
"You are going as his guardian again? We have others, Henderson learned Japanese, he could go." Her voice pleading.
He nodded, "His guardian, I am still bound to protect him," he paused "I owe her something more also."
Madoka stopped following him. "So it's true, you love them also?" she asked hate lacing her words. "They took my father, they took your grandparents, and they took Gene!"
"'They' took nothing. 'She' would give everything. 'She' taught me, there is no us, no them. If you hate, hate for something a person did. Don't blame everyone for something one person has done."
"If you go…"
"Don't say something we will regret," he whispered releasing her. "Come with me?" he asked. She stood still. "I will come back for you." He turned and left her there. Heading to his room to pack and prepare. He felt the strain of the promise he had made her a long time ago. 'When I come back from Japan for good, I will settle down, we can be together.' Other words entangled his thoughts. 'Protect Noll while he is Japan for me Lin.' The professors words echoed back to him. He was not free of that promise. He was still staying at the Davis' house in case Noll needed him. He was still bound although it was a binding he accepted, he wondered if he was letting another promise unravel.
Oh I wanna see you again
But I'm stuck in colder weather
Maybe tomorrow will be better
Can I call you then
Cause I'm a ramblin' man
I ain't ever gonna change
Noll padded softly to the garden. Gene loved to garden, it was a special place for him and his adopted mother. He drew a deep breath before pushing through the door. He was surrounded by roses and chrysanthemums and a dozen other flowers and trees he didn't care to name. He knew where she would be. Laying beneath the willow.
As he approached he feared she might have fallen asleep but the soft crunch of stone beneath his feet made her look up.
"Oliver," she spoke the word as though it was a question.
"Just me mother," she nodded at his words. He wondered if Gene had visited his mother like he had him. "I have to go back." His words lightly more than a whisper brought her eyes to meet his.
"What is this now dear?"
"Something happened," he hesitated, "Something will happen." he tried to clarify, words coming hard as they normally didn't. "Mai is missing. The team believes it is something related to her psychic instincts. I have to go find her."
"She seems important." His mother mused.
Noll nodded, "I can't let her disappear," he said, "I can't let her go."
"I can't lose my other son." Her words a whisper.
Noll stayed silent. He just stood there. "You know if Gene had come back you wouldn't be leaving." She said almost mystically. "It ain't fair he died to young. God knows how I miss him," she looked up to meet his eyes. "We miss him." She corrected herself. "All the hell this family had gone through. Just knowing he was gone. I wonder who he'd be today." She met his eyes and held them. "But I also wonder, who you'd be today."
"Mother," he began but she held her hand up to stall him.
"You would still rely on him for the emotional connection if you could. Whatever you are pursuing now is not scientific, but emotional." She held her arms out in invitation he obediently stepped into her hug. "Someday I want you to come home and tell me about everything." She released her hold and he walked away without hesitation. She watched him go, losing another piece of her heart.
He said I wanna see you again
But I'm stuck in colder weather
Maybe tomorrow will be better
Can I call you then
She said you're ramblin' man
You ain't ever gonna change
Got a gypsy soul to blame
And you were born for leavin'