[Chapter 10: The Curse]
The SPR members were in the middle of celebrating when Azuka suddenly stormed inside the room. She looked as the surprised expressions, before finally setting her gaze on Naru. She pointed a finger at him and yelled, "You were supposed to marry Masako to break Namiko's curse!"
Naru stood up and instinctively placed Mai behind him before asnwering, "We'll find other ways to break the curse, if you would just explain it's means"
"No. Never! You promised! Are you going to back out now?" Azuka shouted at him.
"Azuka-san, if I marry Namiko-kun, would it be enough to break his curse?" Masako stood up and told her.
Everyone drew in a sharp breath.
"My dear, thank you for the offer. But I am sad to say that two weddings must happen. And Namiko was prophesied to marry the girl in his dreams, and that is Taniyama-san over there" Azuka explained as she glanced at Mai.
"Come with me outside for a while" she told Mai with a disturbing smile.
Mai, although reluctant, followed Azuka out the room. Azuka took Mai to her bedroom and shut the door slowly.
"You do know that I have the power to kill that Naru if you don't marry my son, right?" Azuka turned to Mai, her eyes glowing red.
"Y-you're possessed! Why are you doing this?" Mai took a tentative step back, trying to find another way out.
"Oh, why yes, I did possess her body. Seems like I'm getting what I want too"
"And what is that?"
"Why would I tell you? Of all those pesky SPR members, you are the most useless" Azuka said as she laughed, sending chills up Mai's spine.
"Don't do anything to Naru!" Mai yelled, and immediately, Azuka was right in front of her, holding her by the throat.
"Then, in exchange for that, you will marry Namiko, right?" she hissed at Mai, tightening her hold at Mai's throat.
Mai said nothing.
Azuka waved her other hand, and mist slowly started appearing beside them, showing the members of SPR back inside the room. They were all tense and waiting for her return, then suddenly, a knife appeared right behind Naru, the other members oblivious to this. And at the moment, Naru seemed frozen, and the knife embedded itself into his chest from the back. Naru dropped onto his knees, and started coughing up blood.
"No! No! Don't hurt him! Fine! I'll marry your son!" Mai yelled at her and the mist disappeared, and Azuka let her go.
"Don't worry, it was only a vision of what I can do. So it's settled then! Thank you for your cooperation, Taniyama-san. Tell one word about this and I'll kill all the SPR members" Azuka smiled brightly at her then left the room, Mai following behind.
Bou-san was speaking when they came back.
"Can't we fake it then?" Bou-san suggested.
"Weddings must never be faked" Azuka immediately countered, with John hesitantly nodding.
Everyone turned their heads at Azuka and Mai's return. Mai was looking unusually gloomy and forlorn.
"Naru, this curse must be important so-" Mai started but Naru cut her off.
"Are you saying that you want to marry Namiko?"
Mai looked at him helplessly, not knowing what else to do. They all didn't know that Naru would die once she didn't agree to the wedding. Ayako opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again after a while.
"Good thing you know your place, Taniyama-san" Azuka bitterly spat at her.
"Mai, we need to talk. Now." Naru dangerously glared at her, leaving Mai with no choice but to follow him out.
Naru ushered her inside a random empty room before locking and shutting the door behind them.
"Did you mean what you just said a while ago?" Naru started, looking her directly in the eye.
Mai didn't answer.
"Are you deaf? Answer me!"
"Well, I couldn't think of another way to help break his curse and-"
"We don't even know whether the curse she's saying is real or not!" Naru lost his temper and yelled at her. Mai wanted to tell him that she was doing this for him, but saying a word to another would only lead to the same thing: their death.
"But you agreed to it before we...got together. I don't see any difference!" Mai yelled back.
"I was planning on faking it, Mai! How can you be so blind?"
"Well, you didn't tell anyone about it! You shoud've have known how I felt when I overheard your conversation with Madoka about those two weddings!" Mai started before tears started running down her face.
"It hurt so bad, Naru" she continued in a whisper.
"I do know how you feel. What do you think I'm feeling right at this moment?" Naru turned away from her, to hide his emotions.
"I don't understand, Naru" Mai was sobbing behind him.
"You're willing to throw away our relationship just to help that Namiko guy. I don't even give a damn about him! And there you are, giving yourself away!" Naru faced her again, his cheeks red from all the anger.
"I don't know what else to do, Naru. What if his curse was real? He's the son of our client, we are obliged to help him" Mai reasoned out.
"That was supposed to be my line, isn't it? Unlike you, I actually plan on keeping you. But it seems like it doesn't work both ways" Naru said as he laughed bitterly.
Mai said nothing to this.
"If that's what you want, then I have no other choice" he continued as he left the room, leaving Mai broken and sobbing on the floor.
Azuka was the first to stand up when Naru returned to the room.
"Where's Mai?" Ayako asked him, seeing that he came back alone.
"Azuka-san, when do you plan on having the two weddings?" Naru ignored Ayako and asked Azuka.
"What?" said the SPR members in unison, including Masako and Lin.
"I'm relieved that you and Taniyama-san finally agreed to this. I have planned the two weddings next week, specifically on the same day and the same church. I already have Masako-chan's gown ready as well as Namiko's tuxedo. I will be needing Taniyama-san's and your measurement. Please just drop by my room tomorrow" and with that, Azuka left the room.
Silence filled the room. That is, until Mai entered, several minutes later, her eyes red from all the crying.
"Mai? Are you alright?" Ayako stood up and hugged the brunette. The other members followed suit, except for Naru.
"This shouldn't have happened" Madoka said as she prepared to leave the room, probably to comfront Azuka.
"Madoka, we'll think of a way to fix this, don't resort to violence" Lin grabbed her hand and made her sit back down.
"I don't know what else to do" Mai said, as she started crying again. John and Masako caressed her back gently.
"I'm sorry, Mai" Masako told her.
Mai shook her head.
"It's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself" Mai managed a tiny smile at her.
"Naru, maybe you should make an effort here" Bou-san called on to him.
"Why should I care? Mai doesn't want to be with me after all" Naru said, almost in a growl before he left the room.
[Author's Note]
Mehehehe, I bet that hurt. (Believe me, I know how it feels). And it hurts. SO BAD. (Of course not to the point of actually marrying someone, but same idea)
Please read and review! Sorry for the late update! :)))