Where The Light Enters: Intermission
"The Foolish Scientist Falls In Love"
I was chasing down the days of fear,
Chasing down a dream before it disappeared
I was aching to be somewhere near
Your voice was all I heard
I was shaking from a storm in me
Haunted by the spectres that we had to see
Yeah, I wanted to be the melody
Above the noise, above the hurt
I was young, not dumb
Just wishing to be blinded
By you, brand new
And we were pilgrims on our way
I woke up at the moment
When the miracle occurred
Heard a song that made some sense
Out of the world
Everything I ever lost
Now has been returned
In the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard
We got language so we can communicate
Religion so I can love and hate
Music so I can exaggerate my pain
And give it a name
I woke up at the moment
When the miracle occurred
I get so many things I don't deserve
All the stolen voices
Will someday be returned
The most beautiful sound I'd ever heard
-The Miracle Of Joey Ramone
By U2
Mai smiled at her reflection in the mirror.
Tonight was going to be epic...
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She pushed her way through the crowded club, clutching Masako's hand as she dragged the younger girl behind her.
Dancing around the other patrons, she spotted Ayako and waved, pushing through the crowd.
She laughed as she signaled the waiter. Two bottles of beer later, she, Masako and Ayako started cheering as Bou-San and the other band members came on stage.
The lead singer, Hibiki, strode forward, grabbing the microphone.
"Are you rockin' yet, Tokyo?" He yelled.
The crowd hollered back in response, Mai and Masako along with them.
"Norio!" She yelled, jumping up and down. "Whoaaa!"
"Before we get started, our Bassist, Norio..." Hibiki paused for a moment while the crowd cheered again.
Mai grinned.
Bou-San was popular...
"Norio has asked me to give a shout out to a certain...special lady in the crowd tonight..."
The crowd cheered again as Mai and Masako turned to a blushing Ayako.
"Ayako...this one's for you!"
Mai squealed, grabbing Ayako's hands and jumping with the beat.
Ayako was laughing and cheering...
The band started their set, and Mai lost herself in the night. She knew all the songs by heart by now, but it didn't matter.
They were good, the energy of the crowd was amazing, and for once, she let go.
Just her body, the music...and the knowledge that for once, she didn't have to hold the world up.
Just for tonight.
She threw her hands up, swaying with the beat. Beside her, Masako had finally relaxed enough to dance also.
Okay, the beer might have helped.
Screw it.
They were legal.
Suddenly a guy stumbled into Masako, nearly knocking her and Mai over. Mai managed to catch her, grateful she'd worn ankle boots instead of heels.
"Hey, watch out!" Mai said.
"Whatever, bitch..." The guy slurred and Mai considered tripping him, just a little.
Then he caught sight of Masako, and his eyes narrowed. He pushed his face into hers, and she cringed in disgust.
"Hey, you're cute...do I know you?" He reached out to touch her hair and she jerked back.
"I don't think so..." She said, edging closer to Mai.
Mai looked around. Ayako was making her way towards them, but the crowd was thick. It would be a minute or two before she'd reach them.
Naturally, there were no bouncers to be seen.
Ruefully, she glanced at her and Masako's t-shirts. The drunk obviously couldn't read.
She sighed.
She didn't want to deal with this tonight...
The guy reached for Masako again and Mai reached out to block his hand, but before she could, a hand grabbed his wrist.
"She's not available." Yasu said, the slightest edge to his usual smile. His glasses glinted in the flashing stage lights.
"Out of the way, four-eyes..." The guy said, swinging with his free hand at Yasu's face. Behind her, she heard Masako gasp.
Mai only grinned.
Yasu sidestepped the swing easily, his own grin widening. With a neat flick of his wrist, he'd managed to twist the drunk's arm up behind the man's back.
The drunk howled, dropping to his knees as Yasu increased pressure.
"Let me make it clearer." He pulled upwards on the man's arm, just a little more.
The man whimpered.
"The lady's with me. Is that a problem?"
The man shook his head frantically. "I didn't meant any harm dude. I'll leave your girl alone..."
Yasu released him, coming to stand in between the girls and the drunk.
"Yes. You will." His smile was friendly, but his eyes were dancing.
Ayako had stopped in her tracks on the other side of the man, mouth hanging open.
Mai looked behind her, at an equally stunned Masako.
"Bathroom. Now!" Mai said, dragging Masako behind her.
They burst through the bathroom door in a fit of nervous giggles.
"Okay.." Mai said, holding up her hand as she fought to catch her breath.
"I might be drunk, but Masako, that was-"
"Hot." Ayako said from the door. "Seriously, seriously hot. Like, if I wasn't dating the bassist, I'd be jumping on that hot!"
She walked over to the two younger girls. Mai giggled as Masako blushed again, covering her face.
"It really was, wasn't it?" Her voice was muffled behind her fingers.
"Masako, if you don't go out there right now and do something about this, I will never forgive you.." Mai threatened, laughing as she pushed a squeaking Masako out the door.
"Go! Use that insanely short skirt to conquer! I believe in you!" She closed the door behind Masako quickly, turning to laugh some more when she saw Ayako's grinning face.
"My god. It's finally happening!" Ayako said. "I thought we were going to have to lock them in a room together!"
"I'd already starting looking for a room." Mai said, breaking into giggles again.
"Speaking of short skirts, has Bou-San actually seen your dress yet?" Mai asked, wide eyed as she looked Ayako up and down.
Was that dress even legal?
"Well, he hasn't fallen off the stage yet, so I'm guessing he hasn't found me in the crowd." Ayako said with a confident smile.
Looking at her dress again, Mai decided that Ayako deserved every bit of that confidence.
"And you! Are those jeans painted on?" Ayako asked with her brow arched. "You might be the one to give him a heart attack tonight. You know how he can be..."
Mai shrugged, wide eyes blinking innocently. "It's just a t-shirt and jeans..."
Ayako snorted. Then she frowned. "Mai, I'm glad to see you out and having fun. But is everything okay? You've seemed a little down lately..."
Mai smiled, shaking her head. "I've just been a little tired. But tonight is going to be amazing. Now, march out there and give Bou-San a coronary. You're a Doctor. Think of the possibilities..."
Ayako laughed as she walked out of the bathroom, shaking her head.
Mai glanced at her reflection once more before leaving.
She did seem different...
Something in her eyes was just a little bit...wild.
And she absolutely was not thinking about that stupid almost-kiss between her and Naru.
And she definitely wasn't thinking about how he'd spent the last two weeks at the office acting like it hadn't happened.
She wasn't thinking about that at all.
Not even a little.
She was tired of thinking.
She pushed open the bathroom door, relishing the crush of energy that overwhelmed her.
It was the furthest thing she could imagine from that quiet moment in the Kaidou's music room, when Naru had played the piano for her.
She knew he'd hate someplace like this the way a cat hated water.
But she relished the rush and the crowd.
She let it melt into her, grabbing another bottle of beer from a circulating waiter.
She didn't want to hold the world up tonight.
She wanted to dance.
"Fancy meeting you here." A familiar voice had her turning with a smile.
Sato stood there, looking not too shabby in his own t-shirt and jeans, a bottle hanging from his own fingers.
"Sato..." She looked him up and down. "Are you sure you're old enough to be drinking that?"
Though, thinking back to the antics she and Yasu had gotten into during his "rough" phase, she probably shouldn't judge.
He tilted his head, a smirk on his lips. "Do you really care?"
She took a drink from her own bottle.
"Not tonight."
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"Read 'em and weep, boys." Mai said smugly, laying her cards down to a round of groans.
She'd warned them not to play cards with a psychic...
A loud knocking at the door had the four of them laughing loudly.
"Shit up, guys. What if it's my landlord?" Ryu asked, still laughing.
Mai jumped up. "Then I'll take him out with a charm offensive." She winked, closing the living room door behind her as she entered the entry way. Opening the front door, her jaw dropped.
Huh.
Maybe that was why her phone had kept vibrating...
"Hi...boss." She tried to keep a straight face, but failed.
He. Looked. So. Pissed.
She laughed.
"Glad to see my entire team hasn't actually died, since no one has been answering her phones." Naru ground out coldly, displeasure coloring his voice.
"Still kicking." Mai said helpfully.
"Do you know where everyone else is? We've taken a case and need to head out tomorrow." He stated. His eyes narrowed. "You've been drinking?"
"Well, Ayako is with Bou-San. I doubt they're going to answer their phones tonight. Lin is right beside you. John is probably at the church. And I'm right here!" She threw up her hands, pleased with herself.
"Why are you answering Yasu's door? Where's Masako?" Naru asked sternly.
"They...are...currently unavailable for comment." She said helpfully.
He pushed past her, into the entryway.
"Whoa!" She said, stepping in front of him, putting a hand to his chest. "Where do you think you're going?"
He glared at her. "I don't know exactly why my whole team appears to be drunk-"
"I'm pretty sure John is NOT drunk right now." She interjected helpfully.
"But," He continues on, ignoring her, "Yasu obviously needs to get this situation under control."
"Oh, no. Just stop right there." Mai's voice had taken on a manic edge. "I don't think you grasp the situation. So let me spell it out for you. My OTP is currently back in the bedroom, hopefully doing something that requires an "M" rating, and the fandom approves. Are you hearing this, Davis? The fandom APPROVES. The ship has sailed, and so help me, if you interrupt them right now, I'll cut you."
"I don't even understand what you're saying right now." Naru scowled. "What are you doing, drinking alone while they...aren't around." He finished awkwardly.
She arched a brow. "Who said I'm alone? Yasu has two roommates."
His face darkened. "And he left you alone with them while you're drunk?"
He sighed, closing his eyes as he rubbed his forehead in consternation. "Fine. I'll call them in the morning."
He grabbed her arm. "Come on, Lin and I will take you home."
She shook him off, scowling. Stalking over to the living room door, she asked "Why would I go home?"
She shoved open the living room door, revealing three young men in nothing more than their boxers and socks.
She grinned ferally. "I'm winning."
Ryu looked up. "If you want to be dealt in, it'll cost you a six pack."
She crossed her arms, smiling smugly at her boss.
"Sato?" Naru asked, brows raising.
"Hey guys.." Sato said awkwardly as he sat on Yasu's couch shirtless.
And pantless.
But hey, he still had both his socks, which was one sock more than Tamaki.
"Is he even old enough to drink?" She heard Lin murmur.
"Madoka thought it'd be good to teach me cards a few years ago." She supplied helpfully.
She saw Naru shoot Lin an accusing look, and she chuckled.
So those two did still see each other.
Fun fun fun...
"Anyway, as you can see, I have everything under control here."
Indeed. She hadn't even lost so much as a sock yet.
"I'm taking you home." Naru said flatly.
"Like hell. You don't own me, Davis." She said sweetly. "Stay and play, or I'll see you in the morning..."
She walked back to her seat, scooping up the cards. "Winner shuffles."
Naru stood there in the doorway, annoyance radiating off him. Behind him, Lin looked like he had a monster of a headache.
"Hey, Mai." Ryu said, oblivious to the room's sudden tension.
"When are you going to go out with me?"
She snorted. "When hell freezes over. Or you beat me at cards, whichever comes first."
"Deal me in." Naru said, suddenly at her side. His voice, his whole demeanor in fact, was suddenly calm. She looked at him suspiciously.
"What's the catch?" She said.
With Naru, there was ALWAYS a catch.
"No tricks. One round. I win, you let me take you home. You win, I leave and you stay." He said impassively.
"And if one of us wins, Mai goes on a date with them." Ryu crowed, gesturing at himself and the other two.
Mai and Naru completely ignored him, however.
Their gazes locked on each other, a silent battle was taking place.
"Okay." She agreed after a moment, and he smiled.
She was just tired and drunk enough to find the idea of going home appealing, but she'd be damned if she let him boss her around.
she was going to make him work for it, at least.
He was obviously going to win.
She just wasn't show how he'd do it.
Was he naturally good at cards? Would he use his powers? Perhaps he'd employ the slight of hand she'd seen him use on occasion.
Card counting? He was smart enough, but it wouldn't work with only one round...
But she had no doubt he'd win.
She just couldn't figure out why he'd bother. Did he really think she'd get so drunk she wouldn't be able to work tomorrow?
She'd been on her own too long not to have learned her own limits. Hangovers sucked, so she drank just enough to stay in the happy-tipsy range.
So what was his deal?
She dealt the round quickly, knocking back the last of her beer as she did so.
She was going home after this, might as well enjoy her last moments of freedom.
"One round, winner takes all?" Ryu said, leering at her.
She kept her face straight, but Naru didn't bother to hold his smirk.
A moment later, Ryu's voice rose incredously.
"Royal Flush?"
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Mai sang softly as she bounced down the stairs.
Naru had cheated.
He had soooo cheated. But neither she or any of the others had been able to catch him at it, and she giggled.
"You're going to fall." Naru warned behind her.
She laughed. "Then I'll just get up again."
She heard him sigh behind her.
"Oh!" She stopped suddenly.
"What now?" Naru asked.
"I left my phone upstairs..." She started to turn back, but he stopped her.
"Go downstairs and wait with Lin. It'll be faster if I get it." He said tiredly.
"Your wish is my command!" She sang, laughing as she continued forward.
She could feel Lin hovering beside her, obviously waiting for her to fall as Naru had predicted, but for once, she made it downstairs without incident.
Maybe she should drink more often...
They opened the door into the warm night air.
"What time is it?" She asked, stretching her arms up.
She was pretty tired, actually.
How annoying was it that the Narcissist has again had pretty good timing?
"Late." Lin answered simply, and she shook her head, smiling.
She settled on the top step to wait for Naru. Lin continued down the steps, stopping next to the car.
"I get the feeling Naru disapproves of my drinking..." She said idly, leaning back on her hands to study the stars. "I guess he doesn't do stuff like this, huh?"
"Noll's powers require a degree of control that doesn't allow for things like...being buzzed." The word sounded so awkward coming from Lin she laughed.
"No." She said, after a moment. "I guess not."
"Does alcohol make it harder for you to control your own powers?" Lin asked, sounding like he was genuinely curious.
She shrugged. "Bou-San warmed me years ago that it might. That's why he was the one to get me drunk the first time. He said he could handle any crazy stuff I might pull. Plus, he said I needed to learn to handle my alcohol so some guy couldn't get me drunk and take advantage of me. But usually I just get happy, and then I get sleepy."
"I...see." Lin said, sounding slightly embarrassed.
"What does your shirt say?" He asked suddenly, and she got the feeling he was trying to change the subject.
Bad choice, Lin...
She laughed again. "Boy, you really are bad at reading kanji, aren't you?"
The older man was too polite to point out to her that the lettering was positioned across her chest.
"It says 'mess with me, and the bassist breaks your legs'. More or less. He had them made special for me, Masako and Ayako to wear to his show tonight."
Thinking about it still made her laugh so hard it was hard to breath.
"But he accidentally ordered Ayako's too big. Like, way, way too big." She was gasping as tears ran down her face now.
"So..Ayako gave it to Yasu...as a joke." She was doubled up in laughter now. "And...he wore it tonight! Bou-San choked on his drink when he saw it..."
Lin stood staring at her for a moment.
Then...
He laughed.
Her eyes widened as the door opened behind her.
She turned to Naru, grinning in triumph.
"I got Lin to laugh."
Naru froze, but instead of looking at his assistant...
He just watched her.
Her smile faded.
"Naru?"
"Let's get you home." He said finally.
His voice was...different.
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Oliver stared out the window, watching the sun rise slowly.
If he'd turned his head just a little, he could see his open bedroom door, and the girl sleeping there peacefully.
She'd fallen asleep almost before the car had left it's space in front of Yasu's building. He'd expected Lin to balk when Oliver had told him to just drive them to their building, but he'd simply shot Oliver a knowing look.
He'd unlocked Oliver's door for him as he'd carried the sleeping girl inside, and then he'd gone down the hall to his own apartment.
Oliver had removed her shoes and covered her with a light blanket.
Then he'd made himself a cup of tea, and sat down on his sofa.
The tea had grown cold hours ago, but he was no closer to understanding things then when he had first sat down.
"What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"
The question had startled him.
He was well traveled. His parent had made it a point to expose him and Gene to art and music and architecture.
He'd seen numerous things that by anyone's standards would be considered beautiful.
But nothing like that had ever stirred an emotion in him so strong he could classify it as the "most beautiful".
As a scientist, he didn't prefer to classify anything using imperfect criteria such as "most" or "beautiful".
And certainly, nothing he'd ever seen had been enough to "knock his socks off" or "take his breath away".
But he'd felt things...things that had made him still inside for a moment.
He didn't think they could be classified as beautiful by any means, however.
Death was an old friend of his. His psychometry had left him with visions of pain and death from a very early age.
How many times had someone come to him, begging for help, only to have their hearts broken when he finally found the person they were looking for too late.
He'd come to dread it, the moment he would be approached by some pleading spouse or parent.
Inevitably, he'd give in, however.
It was one of the reasons he chose to keep his identity a secret here in Japan.
But rarely...every once in while...
He found the person in time.
And the relief, that sharp edged thankfulness that for once he wasn't too late, that fear that morphed into gratitude that for once he was more than just a messenger of death...
That was probably the closest thing he could have described as the "most beautiful."
The way a parent looked when the police emerged from a cave with their lost child, or the way a wife looked when her husband was found lost in the woods, injured but still ALIVE...
That had always been his true definition of beauty.
He hadn't known how to relay that to Mai, that night. And even if he had, he'd known it wasn't what she was asking.
He knew she'd understand.
She walked too close to death too often not to.
But somehow she could still look at normal, everyday things and see the beauty.
She didn't need shadows in order to differentiate light, as he seemed to.
She had looked at Ayako's happiness, and instinctively, she'd recognized it as a precious thing, something deserving of the term "most beautiful."
He wasn't like that.
Wasn't able to do that.
Until tonight.
He sometimes felt like he'd spent years of his life chasing after Mai Taniyama. She had a habit of falling down a hole and somehow saving the world while she was at it.
It was unexplainably effective, her ability to close cases.
To somehow fix things.
She terrified him, sometimes.
She was wiser than she used to be, but she still left herself so vulnerable. She was open, and it was why the spirits targeted her.
He couldn't count the number of times he'd gotten to her just before something horrible had happened.
Couldn't count the number of times that sharp edged fear had melted into bright relief.
But tonight...
Tonight, she hadn't needed saving.
He could pretend otherwise, but the truth was, he'd removed her from a situation that had made him uneasy.
Mai had been on her own for years now. She could handle herself in situations like tonight.
It had been for his own peace of mind, more than anything.
But when he'd walked out of the building, she'd been sitting there, laughing.
She looked at him, so pleased with herself, and for the first time...
Everything stopped.
He hadn't needed the fear or the worry as a counterpoint to her light.
There was no danger, no angry ghosts or vengeful spirits.
No villain to fight.
Just a girl laughing under the starlight.
"What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen."
He knew he was attracted to Mai. He'd accepted that long ago, and then promptly ignored it.
Attraction was just a biological imperative. It held no power unless he gave into it.
He also accepted that he cared for her.
That had been a little harder to recognize, mostly because it had happened quietly, when he wasn't paying attention. She reached parts of him most people didn't. Even Gene, his own twin, hadn't manage to connect that well with him.
But he accepted that humans were social creatures. They were pack animals and even someone like him, who didn't integrate well with others, was bound to encounter people who would "bond" with him.
Call it friendship or whatever, he accepted that he cared for others and was cared about in turn.
Mai had long been in this category as well.
For some, he knew, these feelings would have been termed "romantic".
But he considered himself too rational to need the trappings of romance to legitimize his needs.
He wanted her safe.
Accepted.
There were times when he enjoyed her company.
Accepted.
There was a degree of physical attraction between them.
Accepted.
But he had never even considered something as irreverant as "falling in love".
Not in relation to his own self, at least.
And until now, these...feelings, while certainly having some bearing on his actions, had never changed him in any integral way.
Until now.
Because, though he could not explain why, he was never the less certain that something, inside him somewhere, was different.
He was different.