"Do we open it?" Yasuhara whispered. They heard another, more urgent knock.
"I'll do it," Gene said quietly. "If it's Masako, she'll expect me."
"What should I do?"
"Put the rope back around your middle, so it looks like you're tied up. Just in case," Gene said and waited until Yasuhara had held the ropes against his torso in a convincing manner.
"Stand away from the door," Yasuhara advised. "She might attack…"
"I doubt it," Gene replied sceptically. But nevertheless, he stood slightly to one side and reached for the door handle. "Ready?"
"Yup."
Gene opened the door and peered around it. Yasuhara could not quite see who it is, but he saw Gene's body relax.
"Noll!"
Yasuhara sighed and dropped the ropes as Noll entered the apartment and Gene shut the door behind him.
Where's the witch? Explain, Noll demanded mentally. Gene immediately sprung into a mental explanation that he shared with Yasuhara so they were all on the same page. Noll stood and listened.
"Where's Mai? And is John alright?"
"John is stuck in the cave, but otherwise fine," Noll replied. "Mai is fine." He looked away.
Yasuhara nodded at this and looked to Gene, but Gene was staring incredulously at Noll. Yasuhara frowned; unsure of whether or not some communication was going on unheard by him.
Then Gene's jaw dropped.
"What…?" Yasuhara mumbled.
"He likes her!" Gene said. He looked from his brother – who was pointedly ignoring him – to Yasuhara and back again. His mouth was opening and closing like a goldfish.
"Who? Mai?" Yasuhara asked, still frowning. "Really?"
"Yes!" Gene cried happily.
"We need to sort-" Noll began, attempting to brush past his brother's intrusion into his mind, but Gene interrupted.
"Oh my little baby brother is all grown up!"
Gene threw himself on Noll and wrapped his arms around this twin's torso.
"Get-"
"You're going to get yourself a girlfriend and soon have eggs and have little Nolls and little Mais swimming around everywhere!" Gene gushed and pinched Noll's cheek. Noll attempted again to push Gene away, but Gene only held on tighter and completed his overly touchy feely show of affection with a big fat wet sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"You're disgusting," Noll said as he finally got Gene off of him. Yasuhara had watched the display with an amused grin, which turned to laughter as Gene turned and smiled at him.
But the laughter died as Noll bent over double and groaned in pain.
"I found you at last," Masako said quietly as she knelt down. "It was easier than expected, after so long."
Behind her a dog barked, but she did not look around.
"I'm not sorry to say your plan failed. It might've taken a few hundred years, but I think you always knew it would fail," Masako went on. "Though perhaps as you are not about, you don't care as much."
She stared down at the ground in silence for a few moments.
"I think I overdid it a little. But no one was seriously hurt. I think being in that cave for so long got to me. I was lonely. But you knew that, didn't you Hideo?"
She waited, as if expecting a reply.
"You were wrong. Death would have been kinder. You only prolonged the inevitable."
She waited again.
"Women have gotten prettier Hideo. All those years ago, I would have been the cream of the crop, but now… Now I think I might be only average. If you were here, you'd tease me about getting jealous."
She sighed.
"And rightly so. I guess I have a few curses to revoke…"
She blushed slightly and raised a hand to hide it.
"I spent a long time in that cave planning how best to curse your descendants," she continued. "But you didn't have any. Does this mean your words to me were true? I hope so."
She sighed again.
"Of course I have to deal with a few humans. But I am not long for this world, so I may as well go out with a bang…"
She stood up and stared down at the grave.
"I am glad I got to speak to you again, perhaps I will see you soon."
"Well crap," Yasuhara said as he blinked stupidly down at Noll.
"You could have perhaps mentioned the conditions of your human-hood to us," Gene said conversationally. Noll flapped his tail impatiently and glared at his brother.
"Could we deal with the issue at hand?" he said, indicating his lower half.
Yasuhara raised a hand to his mouth as he thought.
"Wheelchair," he said finally. "We need a wheelchair."
"Can you get one?" Gene asked.
Yasuhara screwed up his face.
"Maybe?" He walked to the door and began putting on his shoes. "I have an idea, wait here and I'll be back as soon as I can."
He almost ran out the door and the two twins watched him go.
So Mai, huh?
Was that really necessary?
Entirely, Gene thought with a grin. So she's more appealing with a tail huh?
Noll did not reply and Gene laughed.
Yasuhara returned half an hour later, wheelchair in tow.
"Where did you get that?" Gene asked.
Yasuhara winced slightly at the question.
"Well, I know this girl doing an internship type thing at the hospital and she might have the slightest crush on me and I might've used that and…" he trailed off guiltily.
"You despicable person," Gene teased. "Here, help me with Noll."
Noll allowed the two men to lift him into the chair and then Yasuhara ran to Mai's room in search of a suitable blanket.
They spent a long time trying to tuck Noll's long blue tail in a manner that did not look suspicious.
"That'll have to do," Gene said finally. "We better get going before Masako turns back up."
Noll allowed Gene to push him to the door and out onto the landing.
"Uh, Yasuhara? There's no lift…" Gene muttered as Yasuhara locked up. Noll sighed in exasperation.
"Damn."
Stupid human, Lin thought. The young woman felt tiny in his hands as he dragged her to the surface. Noll owes me.
He broke the surface and checked for boats, but the coast was clear. Sighing, he began squeezing the human's torso, forcing the water from her lungs.
Is she okay? Madoka's voice pushed itself into his mind.
Lin did not reply, but continued at his work.
She needs air, Madoka thought as she appeared by Lin's side. Let me.
She pinched Mai's nose and clamped her mouth over Mai's. Lin watched her blow air into Mai's lungs.
Does she have a pulse?
Madoka continued breathing into Mai's mouth as Lin checked.
Are we too late…?
Noll refused to speak as soon as the man on the platform began talking to him in that overly kind tone used often by those interacting with the disabled. He refused to accept the pity.
Gene and Yasuhara dealt with the man swiftly and before long they were on the train and speeding back towards the beach.
We're going to have to wait until nightfall for you to return to the sea, so no one sees you, Yasuhara projected to the twins.
Noll scowled and looked out of the window.
What are we going to do about John? Gene asked as he shifted the rucksack they had put together for the exorcist on his back. I mean this stuff will only last so long…
Well, we broke the spells we were under, we'll just have to find a way to break his too, Yasuhara replied confidently.
Your spells were weak though, Noll interjected. What if…
Mai's spell is also as weak? Gene finished.
She'll be fine, Yasuhara thought, unable to accept the horror of the alternative.
They spent the afternoon on the coast, waiting for sundown. Yasuhara bought him and Gene ice creams and Noll a cup of tea. They sat together, staring at the sea, occasionally making a comment or two.
Eventually, the sun slipped below the horizon and they ventured onto the beach. Gene carried Noll into the sea while Yasuhara hid the wheelchair behind a few rocks so they could hopefully return it later.
We'll meet you on the other side, Gene told his brother. He and Yasuhara began clambering over the rocks in a very one-sided race against Noll to the little cove.
Sure enough, Noll was waiting on the other side. Yasuhara ran towards the cave with the intention of giving the prepared rucksack to John so that he could eat and change clothes.
"I'm so glad you are alright!" John greeted him.
"Of course I'm alright. Gene is with us, everyone is okay. We managed to break a few spells that Masako put on us, so I'm confident we can break yours too!"
"Do you have any food? I'm starving!"
Yasuhara pulled some onigiri from the rucksack and gave them to John who took them hungrily. He waited in the mouth of the cave as the priest ate.
"So what's the plan?" John asked finally as he wiped a few stray grains of rice from his lips.
"We're making it up as we go alone," Yasuhara admitted, giving John a shaky smile.
Noll sat on the beach, Gene standing a few metres behind him. Both twins looked out to sea.
You can't hear her either, can you? Gene asked.
No, Noll admitted. Normally she is louder than any other human but…
She'll be fine, Gene said and he hoped, desperately, that he was right.
Author's note: I'm so evil. Dragging out Mai's death... Ah well... Now do I stay up late and finish this chapter or do I sleep? Tough decisions...
I might stay up... I reckon the last chapter might be the last...
Thank you to everyone that told me about your Japanese learning adventures! We have such a mix on this website! When I get back to Manchester, I am going to start on that idea more seriously! I know whatever I manage to write (hopefully with some of you guy's help!) will not be the most riveting read, but will at least be good practice (at first for hiragana and katakana - yay! but later for kanji too!).
Please review :)