"That went well." Gene said dryly. No one said anything. He saw that Naru was staring at him with something akin to shock on his face. Not that he could blame him. It wasn't everyday that your dead brother walked into a room, or he hoped it wasn't everyday. He would be slightly worried if it always happened to his brother.
"Who the hell are you?" Naru hissed. Gene sighed inwardly. He shouldn't be surprised. After all there was a black entity that was roaming about that could very well act as though it were him. Although he was quiet sure that he was himself.
"Eugene Davis." he told him. Naru narrowed his eyes at the man that was standing before him. He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to check on Mai where Madoka and Elaine were trying to bring her back to consciousness but he wasn't going to take his eyes off of him. He still wasn't sure what was going on.
"Really? Am I supposed to just believe you?" Naru hissed angrily as his brain refused to believe what was standing in front of him. There was no way that his brother was back. He had seen the body, he had felt the car drive over his brother. He had seen what happened to his brother and couldn't believe what was standing in front of him. It had to be a trick.
'Yes.' Naru took a step back, feeling as though he had just been slapped. 'Do you believe me now? I'm not trying to trick you, Noll.'
'It can't be. How?' Naru sent back. He watched Gene shrug his shoulders before looking over at Mai. Naru frowned before moving into his brother's line of sigh. 'Just because you have me convinced that you know how to communicate with me doesn't mean that I trust you.'
'Understandable. But I still have to talk to Mai. She won't know how to control her dreams now that I won't be there to help her.' Gene sent him back. Naru narrowed his eyes as he continued to block Gene's sight.
'I still don't trust you. Stay away from Mai.' he sent back angrily as he refrained from snarling at Gene. He wasn't sure why he was so angry. Normally he should have been stunned, maybe even happy that he had a chance to talk to his brother. But now he didn't want his brother anywhere near Mai. At all.
"Understood. But I still have to talk to her." Gene said before he turned towards Lin who cleared his throat. Gene could see that Lin was hesitant at his sudden appearance but obviously thought he could trust him. Gene could see it in the Chinese man's eyes and he smiled at it.
"I think it may be best if you stayed in the base with us while Noll talks to Mai." Lin suggested. Naru nodded before going over to the couch and scooping the unconscious Mai up before walking passed Gene without looking at him.
"He's in denial." Gene said. Madoka raised an eyebrow and the younger boy chuckled. It was a rather stupid statement, he had to admit that.
"You can't really blame him." a soft voice whispered. He turned towards the blonde haired girl that had been helping Madoka taking care of Mai. Gene realized this had to be the Elaine that Mai had told him about. She was rather pretty and innocent looking, she didn't seem to belong in the house.
"The brother that he had thought that he had lost suddenly came back to him. He doesn't know how to handle it. We just have to give him time and I believe that Mai is the one can help him accept the fact the fastest." Elaine finished and Madoka nodded with a smile on her face.
"Right!"
"Mm." Mai's eyes cracked open before opening the whole way. She realized that she was no longer in the base but in Naru's bedroom. She sat up and rubbed her head.
"What am I doing in here? The last thing I remember...Gene!" Mai gasped before she looked up and saw that Naru was sitting on the bed beside her. She tilted her head curiously. How was he taking the fact that Gene was...somehow back? "Naru?" she whispered. He looked at her and sighed.
"Gene's back." he said. She nodded and watched as he stood up and realized that he was tense. She wondered what was wrong. In all her time of knowing him she had never seen him so tense, even when he was angry at someone.
"Aren't you glad?" she asked brightly. She forced herself not to flinch back when he turned to look at her with dead eyes. She wondered what was going through his mind. Wasn't he happy that Gene was back? He got a chance to talk to him again and see him again and actually touch him.
"I suppose I should be." he admitted. She watched as he began to walk towards the door. "If you wish to go speak with him, you're more than welcome. It shouldn't surprise me."
"What? What do you mean?!" she cried as she climbed off the bed as he opened the door. He looked over his shoulder and Mai felt her eyes widen at the sad glint that was in his eyes. What was wrong with him? He never had that look in his eyes, after all he was Naru.
"Gene's the one that never screwed up." he whispered before the door closed behind him. Mai felt her eyes widen before tears began to well. He hadn't. She fell onto the bed as she realized that he had. He had let her go.
"Naru!!" she screamed before burying her head into her pillow as she couldn't help the sobs escaping her throat. She felt as though her heart was breaking. She had thought that they were happy together. She had been sure that she had him convinced that it wasn't Gene that she loved. Apparently she had been wrong.
Soon all of her tears were spent and she just lay on the bed listlessly, not wanting to move. She didn't move as the door open and didn't jump as she felt a cool hand touch her back. She glanced up and saw Elaine smiling down at her gently before the ghost looked out the window near the bed.
"You want to hear a story?" she asked. Mai hiccupped in response but didn't answer. Apparently Elaine took it as a go ahead.
"I had just been betrothed to Mark. I was very upset. But I accepted it. I didn't want to but I did. After three months Mark didn't understand that I wasn't angry at him but at my parents. He tried to break the betrothal after he saw me with the chef one day. He thought I was in love with the chef and was trying to step aside.
"I only realized how much I cared for Mark until he almost left my life. I stayed back not wanting to say anything until one day he came to me. He told me that he wanted to step aside for my sake but that he was selfish. That he couldn't let me go and I told him the same thing.
"Let him have some space. He'll realize his mistake." Elaine said. Mai sat up and rubbed her eyes. They both looked up as the door opened again and Madoka entered the bedroom and sat down on the other side of Mai and rubbed the girl's back.
"He is an idiot." Madoka said. Mai managed a wet smile before she looked at Madoka curiously.
"Did you and Lin ever fight?" she asked softly. Madoka laughed at the question and Mai was glad to hear the sound. Though she could still see the pain from the miscarriage in the older woman's eyes she knew that the woman was trying to move on. Which was what she needed.
"Many times. I think the fight that I thought had really destroyed us was the one he and I had over me moving to Japan for my Junior Year in high school. He didn't want me to go, because he despised Japan. I yelled at him and told him that he couldn't tell me what to do and that I was going whether he liked it or not.
"It was horrible but eventually he realized that I was going, no matter what he said and he finally stopped complaining about it. He bought me a cell phone and asked that I call every weekend. I did and we got through it.
"Every couple has their rough patch." Madoka finished. Mai nodded before hugging the older woman tightly and Madoka patted her back. Mai pulled back and bit her lip.
"Is it the real Gene?" she asked. Madoka nodded.
"Yep. Lin was questioning him and everything. It's Gene and he's solid. I hugged him and everything. We don't know how but that's how it is. Lin is doing research and Deshi is helping him." Madoka said. Mai gave a soft sigh before running a hand through her hair.
"I'm not sure how to react." she admitted softly before they all looked up as they heard a yell.
"ELAINE!! ELAINE!!" the voice called. Elaine looked at the other two woman before the door to the bedroom burst open and Elaine's eyes went wide and the other two gasped as they saw Wei standing there, wild eyed and holding a gun.
"I killed you once. I won't let you come back!!" he snarled. Mai felt her eyes widen as the man pointed the gun at Elaine.
"Wei, no!!" Madoka cried and Mai felt her eyes widen as he pulled the trigger.
"NARU!!! HELP!!!"
"Have you found anything?" Naru asked as he and Gene stood over Lin's shoulder. He hadn't told Gene or Lin about what had happened between him and Mai although he had asked the girls to check on her.
"Nope!" Deshi said from his father's lap. Naru looked at his brother who shrugged his shoulders.
"I told you, I don't know how this happened! I woke up on the steps and came up here! That's all I know!" Gene defended himself and Naru sighed. He looked back at the computer screen wondering if he could find an answer somewhere. There had to be an explanation. He knew that. He just had to find it.
"I can keep looking. Deshi is very good at researching." Lin smiled at his son and the two year old laughed in delight.
"Right. Gene, you help him as well. Maybe something will pop out at you." Naru told his twin. Gene nodded before he turned to look for a chair. He never got a chance to pull it up.
"NARU!!! HELP!!!" they all shared looks. They knew that voice. It was Mai that was screaming. They all froze as they waited for something else to happen. They didn't have to wait long. Seconds later there was a loud bang.
"That was a gunshot!" Gene cried before they all ran out of the base towards Naru's room.
"WEI!!" Lin snarled as he saw the man standing at the door. He ran after the other man, both disappearing down the hall.
"What's going on?" Gene asked as he and Naru entered the room.
"Wei came in...and shot at me. Madoka jumped in front of me!" Elaine cried from the floor.
"MOMMY!"
I'm sorry for the delay and the short chapter. I'm trying to make this story move and it doesn't seem to want to. And I'm preoccupied just a little bit by a new show, but I won't give up!! The updates may take a little bit longer, but they will come!
My favorite answer for my last question: As for Naru's reaction...I think that he'll be flabbergasted for a bit...then maybe touch his brother (you know, as in movies when a lover comes back, the person touches them to make sure they're real)...then might be in a denial sort of state, perhaps not allowing Gene to get near Mai because he's afraid of Gene getting too close to her (the love triangle) or he might still think it's the black entity using Gene's form to get close to everyone so it can hurt someone... This comes from ahunmaster and the dedication goes to ahunmaster!
The new question for this chapter. Like last time I will post my favorite answer and the chapter will be dedicated to the person that gave it. So make sure to leave a name!
Do you think Wei was aiming at Elaine or Madoka? And why?
Have fun and be imaginative! It's half the fun!
