Unspoken Words
Sesshomaru waited a moment before opening the laboratory door. It was finally accessible after being quarantined and cleaned for a few days due to possible contamination from Naraku's sediment samples. He paused when he heard the sound of glass clinking, the stream of water jetting from the faucet, and...Jade's voice?
'But, she is in New Mexico.' He inserted his key and pushed open the door, finding Naraku working on some sort of clear mixture. He glanced up and met Sesshomaru's gaze for a moment before returning to his work.
"No, no, no, no...shit!" Jade's voice echoed again. It was coming from Naraku's black laptop. "I totally deserved that."
'I don't even know where to start.' Sesshomaru realized. Naraku was no longer acting erratically, he wasn't even attempting to antagonize him for once, and he was listening to a recording of Jade? Doing what?
"I see you're feeling better." Sesshomaru began. He wasn't sure if that was the best first move to make in this chess-like conversation he was going to engage Naraku in, but the other moves seemed even worse.
Naraku lifted his head from the book he was reading notes from and met Sesshomaru's gaze once again. "If you want to fight, just say so."
"I don't, actually."
"Then why are you speaking to me?"
"Because I don't trust you when you're quiet."
"You never trust me."
"Especially when you're quiet," Sesshomaru reiterated, now approaching the table. He could now hear other voices coming from Naraku's laptop and the sound of gunfire and explosions alongside them.
"Fuck me. I don't remember Legendary being this difficult." a soft male voice groaned.
"To be fair, we haven't played in months." Jade interjected. "Did I just get killed by somebody's airborne corpse?"
Sesshomaru pointed at the laptop. "I didn't take you for that hardcore of a stalker."
"Jade has a hobby; they are public videos." Naraku answered, picking up a glass rod and stirring the clear liquid with his right hand as he steadily poured white powder into it.
"So, when she isn't here, you watch videos of her?" Sesshomaru asked with genuine curiosity. It appeared to touch a nerve because Naraku's entire body went rigid. He harshly tapped a key on his laptop and the video stopped playing. Then, he returned to his gentle stirring.
'He is actively avoiding a confrontation from me.' Sesshomaru concluded. He would have took that as a sign of maturity if it had been anyone other than Naraku.
"Is there a reason you're here?" Naraku finally asked after exhaling, still stirring to make sure the powder dissolved completely.
"No, but seeing as you're here, I suppose I'll take the opportunity to ask you what is going on?"
"With?"
'You irritating, argumentative prick.'
"Your health, Jade's health - is it something I should be concerned with?"
"You are the last person who needs to be concerned with me." Naraku replied, pausing to stare at Sesshomaru again. "And Jade."
"Someone needs to be concerned for her because you surely aren't."
A grin tore open Naraku's lips. "Grown attached to her, have we?"
"I like her. She's funny." Sesshomaru admitted with a shrug. "Does Jade know about you? Your past?" he quizzed, taking pleasure in watching the grin melt from Naraku's face. "If she knew what you've done, I wonder, would she still speak to you?"
"She knows me well enough."
"She hasn't asked about your family? You haven't told her about Kikyou?"
The smirk that pulled on Naraku's lips was anything but happy. "I will give you a fair warning and then anything that happens next is on you; stop talking. All you know is whatever Kagura told you when your dick wasn't in her mouth, which was rare, and we both know she's a little biased when it comes to the subject of me."
"Not without good reason,"
The glass rod in Naraku's hand snapped in half and his hand trembled slightly from how tightly he held his fist together. "Stop. Talking."
"Why are-"
"Oh, you're both here and not murdering each other!" Bruce announced loudly as he marched into the room hurriedly. "We have a problem."
"Naraku's still alive." Sesshomaru stated dryly. He slightly regretted saying it when Eric walked past him to join Bruce at the table.
"Yeah, well," Bruce exhaled heavily. All eyes rested on Naraku, who was still clenching the broken glass rod in his hand. Blood had dripped onto the table through his gloved fingers.
"My apologies. I didn't realize that was on my To-Do List for the laboratory chores. I'll get right to it." Naraku replied calmly, keeping his gaze locked with Sesshomaru's. Sesshomaru could see him seething just under his skin. Had Bruce and Eric not walked in, Sesshomaru would have been in a fight for his life.
"You, uh, broke the rod." Bruce pointed out.
"I am aware." Naraku bit back. His eyes never left Sesshomaru's and he never blinked. It actually made Sesshomaru's skin crawl.
'Something is...wrong. I don't know how, but he isn't acting right.'
"I will not tolerate anyone speaking that way to any of my students. Both of you owe Naraku an apology." Eric interjected coldly, pointing at Bruce and Sesshomaru. "Naraku has been here all morning being quiet and minding his own business."
"That's fair. Sorry, Naraku." Bruce sighed.
"I can taste your sincerity from over here." Naraku lowered his fist and looked away. "I don't care to hear false apologies."
"Alright, then," Eric nodded, crossing his arms tightly. "I received an alarming call this morning from Jade's grandmother. She told me that Jade is in the hospital again."
"When was she hospitalized?" Sesshomaru asked, keeping his eyes on Naraku. The man had tossed the broken rod and gloves into the biohazard trash before washing his hands and examining his injured one for shards of glass.
"Two days ago." Eric answered. "She's stable, but it seems like it's similar to last time from what her grandmother described."
"Naraku, didn't you hear him?" Bruce sounded every bit as concerned as Sesshomaru felt.
"I already knew." Naraku responded, keeping his back to everyone and squeezing a piece of paper towel into a ball to help stop the bleeding in his palm.
"What the fu- why didn't you tell us?" Bruce shouted angrily.
"Because I don't owe any of you anything!" Naraku shouted back as he whipped around. "You've made it quite clear that anything less than my death displeases you, which is fine, but don't expect me to fill you in on details if I don't think it's necessary!"
"Naraku, I've done nothing unfair to you. The only reason we feel it's necessary to know is because it's possible she has been exposed to something from one of our labs." Eric explained calmly.
"I sent them a list of chemicals that she has been exposed to and I also explained the environment my samples came from."
Eric nodded. "Oh, well, that's good. Thank you for doing that."
Naraku's mouth opened, but he quickly closed it and nodded while staring at the floor.
'Is that why he was acting erratically the other day? He was worried?' Sesshomaru remembered Naraku's expression and worried seemed to fit. 'He knows more. He has to.'
"Sesshomaru, she's been helping you with your samples too, right?" Bruce asked.
"Yes. I will make a list of what she has done and give it to you."
"Good. I'll go over the chores log with you, Eric, and we can start pulling whatever she touched and see if there's anything we can test for."
"I just hope it isn't heavy metal poison. If it is, there isn't much we can do." Eric replied while shaking his head.
"It's an answer."
"It isn't good enough and if she dies or slips into a coma and never comes out of it, your answer won't mean shit." Eric said, looking at Bruce tiredly. "As a parent, I would burn this school to the ground if this was happening to my child, especially a second time."
"She will come back." Naraku said, closing his laptop and scooping it under his arm.
"You don't know that for sure." Eric argued calmly as Naraku walked to the door.
"Yes, I do."
"You bastard," Sesshomaru growled in a low voice. He swiftly walked out of the lab and caught up with Naraku. "What did you do to her?"
Naraku shot him a cold glare. "What are you talking about?"
"You know more than you're letting on!" Sesshomaru snapped, pointing at the black-haired man furiously. "You've done something! There is no way in Hell that you're innocent in all of this!"
"You know what?" Naraku slipped his laptop into his right hand, backhanding Sesshomaru's hand away from him with his left. He followed up by planting his hand in the middle of Sesshomaru's chest...and Sesshomaru stumbled back into the wall with more force than he was expecting. "I've tolerated enough of your bullshit today. I am NOT in the mood for this."
"Why not? Because you're guilty?"
"Hey! Are you two fighting?" Eric barked, now marching towards them heatedly with Bruce beside him.
Naraku's hand lowered and he exhaled. "No." Then, he turned and walked away again.
"Do not follow him!" Eric ordered, pointing at Bruce and then Sesshomaru.
"You two aren't worth this anymore." Bruce whined while rubbing his face.
'It...hurts.' Sesshomaru gently rubbed the spot where Naraku shoved him. It wasn't even a shove - he barely put any effort into it - but it felt like he punched Sesshomaru in the chest regardless.
000000
While fully reclined on his couch, Naraku rolled and twisted the dark orb between his fingers carefully. The cuts on his palm and fingertips were nearly healed, which was a faster healing rate than Jade's body. Multiple thoughts flooded his head; Sesshomaru attempting to involve himself, Eric actually defending him, waiting on responses from any of his new sponsors, Bruce being Bruce. He was actively avoiding one particular thought and whenever her name almost surfaced in his mind, he pushed it away with anything else ranging from the color of his ceiling to the chomping noises of the nearby-feasting guinea pig.
'I wonder what Kikyou would think of me now.' Naraku closed his eyes, allowing her face to appear in his mind. 'She would think Jade is funny.'
Jade! That name! Her face! Her laugh! He squeezed his eyes shut, summoning more thoughts. The mere thought of her made his body ache so much that he wanted to die.
'What I wouldn't give to have you back, Kikyou.' He clenched the orb in his hand tightly.
"Take me back there." Naraku said aloud. "You've done it before. Take me back to Kikyou."
The orb did nothing. Naraku entertained the idea of throwing it, but he knew that would accomplish nothing. So, he continued to do nothing. His eyes focused on his ceiling with annoyance.
'Without my degrees, my scholarships, my grants...I'm nothing.' He prided himself on being intelligent and resourceful, but when he took away the science, and anyone who gave him their time, what was he? There was nothing else he had accomplished. If he died, that would have made many people happy, as opposed to sad. Jade would probably be the only one to show up to his funeral...if he didn't attend hers, first.
"Let her live." he said, squeezing the orb gently. "Please, let her live."
Again, nothing happened. Nothing...which was what he was at the moment. With a sigh, he re-positioned himself on his couch, laying on his side.
'Well, you were right, Mother. I've become nothing.' He knew this revelation would have made her happy if she had been alive. The son she never wanted and only kept out of fear from persecution from the townspeople was nothing, just like she wanted. It would have been the first and only time he ever did something that pleased her. He could almost hear Kikyou shouting at him for giving into his mother's mistakes.
'No. I'm not nothing. I can't be. There must be something.'
Naraku stood and walked to his office and towards the closet, opening it swiftly. He grabbed the string hanging from the ceiling and tugged, shining light within the closet. Inside, various scientific items and boxes filled with items from his childhood. Naraku reached up and grasped a box, pulling it down from the shelf. Tugging the string again and stepping back, Naraku closed the closet door and sat down on the floor. He popped the lid off and stared down. Inside were various items that Kikyou gave to him, except for her diary, which he stole.
'Kikyou,' He gently plucked a folded piece of paper from the top. His name was written in her handwriting on the front. The folds were perfect; every triangle created by the creases was identical.
'Dear Emotionally-Constipated Friend,
I debated asking you this to your face, but I know you well enough. So, when you can, read this in private and write whatever sarcastic response you want and stick it in my locker or my hair or whatever makes you feel like you don't feel anything.
I am officially asking you to go to the school dance with me. I know you're probably thinking that I didn't ask; I demanded, and you're right. I demand you go to the dance with me. You owe me.
In all seriousness, you are more than my friend and even though it pains you to admit it, I know you feel the same. We are both outcasts, despite being so different. We do work well together, even if no one else sees it. I think you're fine just the way you are. And tell your sister to shove it.
Your honest soulmate,
Kikyou
P.S. - Seriously, you're going with me.'
When he reached the end, he realized he was smiling from ear to ear. He remembered smiling exactly the same way the first time he read it. Carefully, he folded the paper back into the same form she diligently shaped it into when she wrote it.
Then, he reached into the box and pulled a small, sky-blue notebook out. Her diary was something her parents knew nothing about and Naraku vowed to keep it that way. He stole it to preserve her family's memory of her. If they ever found out about even a quarter of what she did with him, they would have disowned her, even in death. Using a single finger, Naraku opened it to a random page.
'It's official - I finished the annoying art project. I know I shouldn't have procrastinated, but I don't like being told how to express myself.
Of course, Naraku's painting looks like he stole it from an art museum and knowing him, that's entirely possible. I shouldn't say that, though; he works hard on his talents.
Anyway, I currently have a fan lightly blowing on my painting to help dry it faster. It's a bridge with two children hanging over the side to get a better look. It's supposed to be Naraku and I when we were younger, but I'm not going to tell him that. He did suggest I name the painting, "Mona Lisa 2." I told him he was weird and I would think about it.
I finally tried papaya today. It was alright. I definitely prefer mangos.'
Naraku knew the painting she wrote about. He also knew it was supposed to be them as children, but again, it was one of the many things Naraku never told her.
'I like gym class. I don't know why most of the other girls complain about it. I'm not a fan of volleyball, but tennis is fun. I met a girl from a class under me named Miyoko. She asked to be my tennis partner and I said yes. She should be on the school's tennis team. Her backhand is fast.
Of course, there isn't a dull day when Naraku is conscious enough to do something about it. I've known him for years and even I can't predict him accurately. What's most frustrating is that he's extremely talented, but he uses his talents for horrible things.
He gave another great example of that duality today. Most of the boys decided to play dodgeball and a portion of the girls decided to watch, myself included.
He was able to dodge most throws that knocked out other boys and more than once, he turned the tides of a match. So, naturally, the other team was getting frustrated that this one guy with the long, wavy hair was ruining them. I was shocked that Naraku wasn't mouthing off at them, but he probably figured his moves were enough.
One boy - Taisuke - who I think is a class ahead of Naraku and is on the school's soccer team - voiced his frustrations the loudest and made a huge mistake. He called Naraku gay, but used a slur that I refuse to repeat or write. I saw Naraku grin and turn away. The boys who have grown up with him seemed shocked that he was letting it go.
They should know better by now. I could tell he was waiting for something during the next match. He was dodging, but he wasn't catching and throwing. Just waiting.
Then it happened. Naraku ran to the front, caught a ball with a single hand, jumped and tucked and performed an awesome sideways flip...and slammed the ball into Taisuke's face while he was crouched and waiting, and landed on his feet neatly. It all happened in three seconds. Taisuke was watching someone else. He didn't see it coming until Naraku was midair.
Naraku hurled it with such force that it knocked Taisuke onto his back, blooded his nose and lips, and sent the ball flying over the fence. He claimed it was an accident and no one could prove otherwise. It happened so fast and while everyone was watching others. That's why he was laying low during the match; no one wants to watch someone doing nothing.
It was a beautiful display of patience, cunning, and athleticism...and cruelty. I wish he wouldn't do things like that.
I got to take Kaede to the park after school today. That's where I am as I write this. Her birthday is next week, so I'm trying to pry gift ideas out of her. She isn't boring, just dry, and I'm not sure what she's interested in. I think my parents' focus on me has sucked joy from her. I hope she doesn't hate me for it when we're older.'
'I vaguely remember that incident.' Naraku scratched his cheek as he thought about it, but the scene wasn't coming to him. He turned to another page and when he saw the balloons she had drawn in the top margin, he grinned, knowing exactly what the entry was about.
'It's Kaede's eighth birthday today! I think she's excited. She's hard to read sometimes. She's incredibly smart, though. Definitely smarter than me. I wish my parents would see that.
I hope she likes the keychain I bought for her.
That damn Naraku! I can't believe him sometimes! He shows up to Kaede's party after telling me he wouldn't and he's holding balloons. Entirely innocent, right?
NO.
They were filled with hydrogen air! Where does he find this stuff? He sets the balloons up, lights the end of a stick on fire, and begins this show of dancing and explosions! He did tell the children to step back, but it's a birthday party! For a child! With children! Exploding balloons aren't safe! My parents are livid and they are upset with me for inviting him.
It was kind of neat, though. I'm not going to tell him that because it will encourage him. But it was neat.'
'She changed her mind.' Naraku remembered, frowning. 'She told me she enjoyed it and asked me to do it for her birthday party. I should have told her no.' He closed his eyes for a moment, fighting back tears. 'I should have performed a different experiment! Of all the times I agreed to do something for someone, it had to be then!' Opening his eyes, he flipped a couple of pages.
'I had another bad day. The most frustrating part is that nothing bad really happened. My body aches, my head is pounding, and my stomach is constantly churning - I can't tell if it's because of the stress or if these caused the stress. I have all the skills necessary to achieve whatever goals I set in life, except the social skills, I guess. I don't have a flamboyant personality, I don't gossip, and I dress modestly both in and out of school. No one really talks to me because they want to; just when they have to. Everyone is intimidated by me before even giving me a chance. Intimidation begets resentment, says my father. I think he might be right.
Everyone is intimidated except Naraku. He's never been put off by me. He's never told me I'm too cold. He's never looked at me like I was just a piece of meat to conquer. And that's why I like him. No one seems to understand that. He doesn't expect perfection out of me like my parents do. He doesn't leave and then act like he doesn't know me. He treats me better than most and then they wonder why I like him. Yes, he's an ass, he's rude, and he has done plenty of things I don't like or agree with, but right now, he's the one sitting with me in my room because he saw I was upset. He claimed he thought I said I wanted to study, but he didn't bring any books. He knows exactly what he's doing. He's asleep on my bed now. I think I'll leave him be.
Tomorrow is a new day, though. I've noticed that these feelings come and go, so I just have to wait them out. That is a huge sign of depression, but my parents would never accept that. I have no other choice but to wait them out. I suppose I do have suicide, but that wouldn't accomplish anything. Not today, I guess.'
Naraku lingered on that page, staring at her neat, crisp handwriting. Kikyou and he spent more time bantering with one another than sharing feelings, not that it never happened. The few times it did, Naraku had never felt more important. He never would have guessed that Kikyou was depressed or even gave a fleeting thought to suicide. It made him feel sick.
'There was that one night she was very happy with me. Surely she wrote about it.' He flipped through the pages, scanning the dates to find the one. Despite having it for years, he had only read a few passages from her diary before before. Why the sudden need? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was to feel important again? 'Found it.' The first line made him snort slightly.
'Gods, if my parents ever find this, I will never be allowed to leave my room again, but I have no one to talk to. I will have to find a clever way to hide my diary. I've learned plenty from Naraku. If he would use his talents for good, he would probably make a lot of money. Speaking of Naraku...
We had sex last night. Made love? Fucked? I don't think it was the last one. Neither of us had done it before, but Naraku, being the most studious person on the planet, has read books on the subject. Why? I don't know. I don't know if he enjoyed it. He's difficult to read sometimes. I'm afraid to ask. Plus, he's still asleep as I write this next to him.
We're currently on a school trip. We're taking a tour of the new museum they built in Tokyo. Boys and girls are supposed to be separated in the hotel rooms, but I know he and I weren't the only ones breaking the rules. We didn't plan on this happening.
Anyway, we were talking about our favorite parts of the museum. I liked the religious stuff, which was sprinkled throughout each exhibit. I bought a book that has gathered and documented yokai myths from all across the country. Naraku was more interested in the art and technology exhibits. I didn't see him buy anything, but that doesn't rule out stealing.
We started joking around, then we started talking about our dreams and goals. I want to be someone who actually helps and heals others. I mentioned psychology and he mocked me, which means I should do it in his twisted language. Naraku wants to be a chemist, possibly a biochemist, and not only that, he wants to be revered as the best. I told him he didn't have to prove himself to anyone, but he insists it's what he wants.
We kissed just to try it out. He said it was terrible, which doesn't surprise me. He hates being touched in general. But I don't know why he agreed to sex. I hope he wasn't doing it just to make me feel better or anything. I would feel terrible if he did.
I actually liked it. I had no idea what I was doing, so I'm glad he took control. He asked me if I wanted him to call me a pet name during it and I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. I still can't. I had to keep reassuring him that I was laughing because he was being funny and not because he was doing anything wrong. Something tells me I'm going to have to keep reassuring him until I die. I admit it did hurt a little at first, but I've heard that's common. And he was very sweet. I know he would hiss at me and burst into flames if I ever told him that. Maybe I will someday when he can handle it.
Overall, the trip has been fun. The museum is a beautiful piece of work. I plan on visiting it again. I know Naraku is. I think I'll buy him a souvenir and hide it at the bottom of his bag so he can't argue with me about it.'
'I was fine with it, but I never did tell her. I assumed she knew because we had sex again a few times after that day.' He was feeling dumber every second. 'She said I was sweet? Me?' Trying not to gag or cringe out of respect for her, Naraku closed the diary. He sought it out to make himself feel better - important - but now he regretted not saying more to her, as if he needed more regret stacked onto the mountain of regret he had felt for almost ten years. 'If I had said more, she wouldn't have been there that day. I wouldn't be here.'
"It should have been me." he grumbled, placing the diary back in the box. He saw a familiar item and plucked it from the box.
'I remember this.' Naraku held the small pouch in the palm of his hand. It was a royal purple color and tied around it to keep it shut was a white ribbon with kanji spelling out, "Good luck," on it in black thread. 'She made it for me when I was taking my placement exams.' He rolled it from one hand to the other, hearing a rattling noise within it. Kikyou told him to never open it or else it wouldn't work. She also told him she couldn't tell him what was inside because it would negate the charm's effect. It drove him mad, but he never opened it.
Naraku held it up in front of his face, pinching the lip between his index finger and thumb. 'So much wasn't said.'
For a moment, he sat on the floor, staring at nothing with the charm gripped in his hand. He tried to conjure thoughts, but they wouldn't appear. His other hand reached over and grabbed the diary again, pulling it back into his lap. He began flipping through it once more, searching for another date. He didn't remember the exact date he was thinking of, but he could guess closely. There was no guarantee she wrote about it, but something told him she did because he had never seen her so upset before, and it was because of him.
When he did find the entry, he could tell she was angry from her handwriting. It was hurried and dark from the pressure she used when she wrote it.
'I am at a loss for words. I've been friends with Naraku since we were little and his mother has always been nice to me. Even his sister, as annoying as she can be, has usually been fine with me. I really couldn't grasp what his issue was with his mother. How could he be so indifferent and careless when she is so nice?
She isn't nice. Not to him. She is a horrible, awful woman. I get it now. I get why he never really wanted me to go over to his place while his mother was home. He knew I would get upset over it.
He doesn't exist to her. She does the bare minimum so she legally won't get in trouble. The worst part? It's entirely normal to him. When I pointed it out, he just stared back at me and said he always wondered why my parents spoke so much to me, and then said it must have been a girl thing because his mother spoke to Kagura, and cared more for her, and I'm a girl, so that must be it. I'm shocked my pen hasn't snapped as I write this.
There are no pictures of him in the house - just ones of his mother and Kagura. When he and his mother were in the same room, they were physically aware of one another, but that's it. It's like they were both a piece of furniture to each other.
It only got worse. She left to go shop for groceries, so it was just the two of us. I asked him if she ever spoke to him and he said it had been a few weeks, possibly months, since she last said anything to him and it was over doing dishes! Weeks! Months! I asked him when she last hugged him.
"Oh, never." He said it so casually. It made me so sad. When he saw me tearing up, he said he wouldn't accept one from her anyway, as if that made it better! A mother should hug her children!
When I asked him if she ever told him why she treated him the way she did, he said it was probably because he was an asshole. I told him that infants and young children can't be assholes and he looked me directly in the eyes and said, "I was. That's why she named me Naraku." I thought it was just a nickname that he chose for himself a long time ago and that everyone went with. How could I be so stupid? It was all in front of me the whole time! His own mother named him after a place of despair and torture! She should be named Naraku, not him!
And he believes her. He completely bought into that identity. That bitch has an amazing, brilliant son, possibly one of the smartest in the country, if not the world, and she treats him like furniture while showering his sister with love and attention right in front of him. Even if he wasn't those things, he is still her child.
I told him how unacceptable this all was and he shrugged. When I started telling him how he deserved to be loved, and hugged, and appreciated, I saw him cringe and he looked like he was in pain. He told me to stop. I used to think he did it out of embarrassment, but no. She has fucked him up so much that any affection shown towards him physically hurts him.
I don't think I've ever been this upset in my life. He won't speak to me of it after this. He will pretend it didn't happen. If I press the issue, he'll ignore me. What can I do? I wish he could see himself through my eyes. My words won't get through to him, unfortunately.'
Over and over, he reread the last two sentences. He tried to ignore the trembling of his hands, but all he could think of was her thoughts of him - ones he never knew existed! He knew she cared for him, but he never dreamed she cared as much as he cared for her. He actually meant a great deal to her...and no one else.
His breath caught in his throat and he squeezed his eyes shut. "I miss you."
'Make it stop. Make it stop. Make the pain in my chest stop. Make the tears stop. Make it all stop.' he chanted in his head as his breathing quickened. Kikyou was too kind and caring. Jade was too kind and caring.
"I don't deserve anything! Make it stop!" Naraku cried out, clutching at his chest.
From his pocket, a warmth began to radiate and soon, his breathing slowed down. The pain in his chest disappeared. The tears stopped flowing. He felt fine, energized, like he had just finished breakfast after a good night's rest. It was something he felt before whenever he held the orb. This was the first time it actually responded to him to help him, though.
It didn't matter. The orb didn't matter. His thesis didn't matter. His future didn't matter. He - Naraku Saitou - didn't matter. His gaze rested on the diary in his lap.
'And now, I might not have a chance to say anything to Jade, either.' He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, groaning with frustration. 'How am I so smart and so stupid at the same time?'
A few minutes passed before he moved again. He placed her diary back into the box, but kept the good-luck charm. Naraku sifted through the other items and found a small stack of pictures of them together. He was looking away or frowning with annoyance in most of them. There was a series of photos, taken when they were in a photo booth together. His face went from frowning, to shocked, to him pressing back against the inside of the booth and in each one, Kikyou's smile grew wider until she was noticeably laughing. She had touched his leg, forcing him to make any other expression besides a frown because he refused to smile. Then, he found one taken when they attended the school dance together.
He was smiling with her.
