I'm sorry that some of the last few chapters were sort of confusing, hopefully this chapter will clear things up slightly =)
FILE 9 - YOUR SOUL, MY SOUL - #9
"You can always ask me to perform the exchange-"
"No," the mirror image of Naru smiled gently at his brother's stubborness.
"It's about me again isn't it?"
"I'm happy to see that you've decided to visit my assistant often without even telling me."
"Is that a hint of a territorial attack, nii-chan?"
"Eugene, I do not want everyone else to find out about you yet especially Mai," Naru looked away at the small group of floating and flickering white candles besides the two brothers.
"Such a gentle light they radiate. So warm, unlike yours nii-chan... a deep and cold stretch of water but can still sparkle so kindly against the sun," Naru didn't respond but Gene knew perfectly how relaxed Naru felt near Mai's PK store having appeared there the other few times he visited.
"Thanks for taking that PK blow for me from Furitaka."
"No worries, anything for you nii-chan. And thank you for replacing me afterwards."
"That's enough cheesiness for one day, Gene," Naru continued to stare at the mesmerising candles, ignoring Gene's knowing smile.
"Why..." Gene looked back at his older brother who was now frowning, "why Mai and not me?"
"That's not jealousy I hear is it?"
"Gene, I'm being serious. All that time when I've been looking for you, trying to solve your case and you've been residing in Mai!"
"Nii-chan... you closed off from me when you found out about my death-"
"I didn't! The first thing I tried was clairvoyance!"
"Your grief, the way you buried it so deep in your heart closed the pathway for me to you," Gene placed a hand over his brother's heart.
"You've found me now anyway, I'll always be close to you."
"But only residing in Mai," Gene sighed at his brother.
"Until either you unseal the portrait of me underneath the maze or find me," Naru clenched his jaw.
Gene's smile didn't disappear as he took Naru's face between his hands, forcing his brother to look at him.
"Nii-chan, you can do that right? Isn't that your reason for coming to Japan?" Naru's eyes narrowed.
"You've told Mai."
"No... that was the 9 year-old you. I never told her anything about our past."
"Yes, that was me, disguise or no disguise."
"Were you trying to test me and Mai-san, nii-chan?"
"Mai is not the best secret keeper in the world... and one other thing."
"Yes?"
"Can you stop looking exactly like me?"
"But you're good-looking, nii-chan."
"I know, but having the exact same hair style and hair length and wearing the same clothes as me is wrong. It's almost like talking to a ghost version of myself. I'd like to think that I am alive."
"But you're the one that wants Mai-san to think that I was you. You haven't thanked me either for making her feel more attracted to you through my kindness," Gene teased.
"I'm grateful for the help but there's no need to keep up the pretence when she's currently not resident of her own body."
"You'd really like to see me in corpse form?"
"Gene!" Naru's disapproval made Gene laugh and release his brother's face.
"Sorry. You should go back now. Oh and one other thing," Gene's voice started to echo as he slowly dematerialised, "as a very wise person said; you have to think about the time and place and consider something called an atmosphere."
Naru was very tempted to draw out a small flame from Mai's candles to attack his disappearing brother with.
Gene's definitely more scary, humour-wise, than Yasuhara and Madoka! =P
I have no idea whether Naru's the older brother out of the twins but I'd like to think he is =) [thanks to a reviewer, I've been informed that Gene's older... ah well! Please view it that technically Naru is older than Gene considering Gene's stopped ageing since he died =) sorry!]
Shaari
