Fears and Desires, Part 8

Fire and Water

Mai had ignored Naru's order to sleep, and had instead had joined in a game of Go, but quickly got bored as it had soon turned into and Ayako vs. Monk fight.

"Naru, what should we do now?" She asked. There was no reply from the figure in the chair. "Naru?" She went over. Naru was lying back in his chair, eyes closed. She panicked for a split second, but heard his breathing; it was steady and even. She smiled at the sleeping teenager. Sometimes I get the feeling that he isn't human, but at times like this I remember that he's only a year older than me and human. He must be pretty worn out if he's sleeping on the job. Only half an hour ago he was explaining to us how he wasn't dead, and that it wasn't his body in the body bag…

She left base and returned with a blanket which she spread over Naru. When she turned around to go back to the sofa she noticed that Monk and Ayako had finished their fight.

"Mai, where did you get a blanket from?"

"It's an inn. They have all sorts of stuff in the rooms."

They all stared at the back of Naru's chair.

"He gave us a fright earlier, didn't he?"

"When he burst into the kitchen, I was sure I was going mad or something…"

"Same. I thought I had imagined it until I realised everyone else saw it too…"

"Oh, yeah. We need to tell Ryuu, don't we? And dispose of the doll."

Mai stood up and Monk, Ayako and Yasuhara followed her. They collected the body bag, and then went about searching for Ryuu. They found him by the remains of the house. Ryuu eyed the body bag as they walked up.

"Um, Ryuu-san, do you know where we could light a big bonfire without anything dangerous happening?"

"Don't you want him properly cremated?"

"He's not dead, this is just a doll of him." Ryuu looked even more confused.

"What?"

"It wasn't his body in the wreckage. The ghost made a doll of him and put it there. Naru is alive and currently asleep." Ryuu still looked confused, but there was a spark of understanding. "We need to burn the doll of him. Where could we do that?"

"There's a place by the edge of the village where we light bonfires sometimes. There's a big pile of ash there." Mai nodded.

"Thank you. Where the children okay?"

"Yeah, all of them were unharmed."

They nodded and set off, everyone turned to watch, but for once no one followed. For that they were thankful, it would be hard to explain, though they knew they would have to some time to explain how a dead body got up and walked. They reached the clearing and started gathering wood, anything that would burn. Eventually they made the pile big enough and placed Naru's body on top. They hesitated.

"Even though I know it's not him, I can't bring myself to light it." Monk said, staring at the body.

"Can't we burn it in the body bag?" Mai asked.

"We don't want the plastic to melt all over their clearing. And it seems wrong to waste a perfectly clean body bag." Ayako explained.

"I know, but…" The others nodded.

"Maybe it would help if we said goodbye?" Yasuhara suggested, and climbed the pile. He patted un-Naru's shoulder. He climbed back down.

"Did it?"

"Sort of…" They nodded and moved up the pile. Ayako bent down and swiftly hugged him, Monk also patted his shoulder and Mai bent down and gently kissed his forehead.

"Well, then I guess…"

Monk poured petrol over the heap while Yasuhara lit it. They watched the blaze.

Naru sat up, and the warm thing covering him fell off, letting cool air bite him. What? He looked down. I'm pretty sure I didn't go to sleep with a blanket on me… Mai…

"You didn't have to be so cruel." Naru looked up. Lin was watching him carefully. There was no one else in base. He scowled. There was a pause.

"She was screaming so much she had to be sedated." He reminded him, which just made him scowl even more.

"We all thought you were dead," With that Lin turned back to his computer and carried on typing like he had never said anything. Naru didn't move. I was cruel? He thought back to when she had hugged him and he had shaken her off. Why did I say that? And then the thing about paperwork, why couldn't I just admit I was worried about her? Anybody would be, if they thought she might have died. I guess I was just tired. Naru bent down and picked the blanket up before throwing it at the empty couch, standing up to take off his coat, which he had forgotten to take off earlier.

He checked the monitors, but neither ghost seemed to be active. Masako and John he could see through the library window, and Monk, Mai, Ayako and Yasuhara were walking back from burning the body, Monk carrying an empty petrol carton. He waited, and sure enough, a few minutes later they walked into base. He noticed their furtive glances towards him.

"So now we just have to get rid of the ghosts. Which one first?" Monk asked Naru.

"The fears ghost. They are battling, and if we cleanse the wants ghost first we will be giving the fears ghost full reign. It would be much harder to get rid of him when the wants ghost is gone."

"Do we know who they are?"

"The wants ghost is a woman named Ibuke Etsumi. She lived in this village approximately 50 years ago. Due to bad luck, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up involved in a gang."

Mai remembered her dream. So it was her…

"The gang blew up some of the village, killing 7 and injuring about 20. The woman felt that it was her fault because she hadn't told the police about the gang. We know that from Mai's dream." Naru paused.

"What happened to her?" Monk asked.

"She told the police about the gang, who started arresting members. The gang leader, a man named Kataoka Waku, realised that the woman had told on them. That night he went to her house and strangled her. A few hours later, Kataoka was arrested. He died a week later. Ibuke stayed on to satisfy people's wants and make them happy to make up for not telling the police sooner."

"What about the fears ghost?"

"Most likely, Kataoka."

Everyone was silent.

"Why is he staying on then?" Mai asked.

"To spite Ibuke. He's scaring people so that Ibuke won't feel like she has made up for not telling the police earlier. He's punishing her for telling on him." Said Naru in a tone that, as usual, implied that Mai was stupid. Only Naru caught the glance from Lin, but he ignored it.

"Oh well thank you, mister I-Think-I-Know-Everything." Said Mai sarcastically.

Naru turned to look at the monitors.

"Did it burn?" He asked.

"Hm?"

"The doll. Was it destroyed?"

"Ah, well, we don't know. We didn't stay to watch it burn." Naru nodded.

"I'll go check." Naru put his coat on.

"But what if something happens? Like last time?" Mai asked.

"I doubt it. Kataoka will probably have to recharge a little before launching another attack." He quickly left before anyone else could try to stop him. He didn't actually need to check whenever it was destroyed or not, but he was glad of the time alone, away from Lin's disapproving glances. Kataoka is normally too strong to exorcise without someone getting hurt, and judging from what Ibuke told me she is getting weaker, meaning that if we don't do something soon Kataoka will have no-one opposing him. If that happens, then he could actually kill someone this time. I want to have Ibuke cleansed but we can only do that after Kataoka is gone. He noticed a few villagers staring at him as he walked past. At least some people know I'm not dead. Thank god Lin hadn't called Madoka or my parents. It would be annoying explaining it to them over the phone. I understand why he put the calls off.

In front of him there were the remains of a bonfire. There was no sign of the doll, just as he expected. He stayed there for a few more moments.

Ibuke seems to have given our wants a rest. She's probably storing her energy or focusing on someone else. She has, hopefully, stopped giving Mai her wants. I should just be glad they were things like 'sorry' and 'thank you', not anything like wanting to kiss me.

He was walking back slowly. On his left there was the lake which Masako had been dragged into, its surface completely smooth, like a mirror. Wasting some more time wouldn't hurt him. He went and squatted next to the water edge. The water was peaceful, and there was what sounded like faint birdsong coming from the trees. He looked down at the black water. You couldn't see how deep it was, but Naru knew that it would be quite deep. He could see his reflection perfectly, and he looked at it. All was still for another moment.

Then his reflection smiled at him.

Naru knew he wasn't smiling.

Lin sighed. Damn his young charge for being so stubborn, and although he was clever- he had to give Naru that- he was completely unaware of other people's feelings. Lin doubted he was aware of half of his own feelings. Such people like Naru were, sometimes it seemed the most intelligent people were the least emotionally intelligent, and Naru was no exception.

Mai was grumpy over the fact that Naru had thrown her blanket, which she had graciously put on him when he was asleep, at the sofa. She grabbed it and snuggled underneath it. Yasuhara peered at her.

"Does it smell of Naru?" He asked.

"No!" Mai yelled quickly, burying her face to hide her blush. Does it smell of him? She sniffed quietly so the others wouldn't hear her. No it doesn't… I suppose it was to be expected.

"Poor Mai-chan! She can't smell her beloved Naru!" cried Yasuhara dramatically.

"He's not my beloved!" Mai yelled, but it was muffled by the blanket.

"Ah, the woes of poor Mai-chan! To be away from her dear Naru-chan for so long!"

"He's not my dear either! He's my boss!"

"Poor Mai-chan…" Yasuhara patted the lump that was Mai.

"Go away. Tease someone else."

"But you're so easy to tease Mai-chan!"

"Go away Yasu."

"You get worked up so easily… and you get so jealous… and you blush all the time…"

"Yasu!"

"I can understand why Naru teases you all the time…"

"He thinks I'm stupid. He doesn't tease, he mocks."

"Poor, unfortunate Mai-chan! Her life is full of woes!"

"He doesn't think you're stupid." Monk said soothingly.

"Yes he does." Mai sniffed.

Lin listened to their conversation. Naru really needed to learn about emotions. He really didn't need to be so cruel to Mai. Mai had had to be sedated. Naru should realise that teasing the poor girl was one day going to send someone mad. Probably Mai. Stupid, stupid Naru. Why didn't he realise that she was just glad to see him okay? Maybe he should call Madoka and complain to her. Even Naru didn't listen to him, he might listen to her.

"No, no, I can guarantee he doesn't."

"He's such a stupid narcissistic jerk!" yelled Mai, sitting up. The others seemed glad of her mood swing from sad from angry. After she was angry she would be happy again. "He never thinks of my feelings!" Lin silently agreed with that statement.

After a few more minutes Mai was back to happy again. The blanket lay at her feet, forgotten.

"Speaking of Naru, he's taking his time, isn't he?"

Mai blanched. "You don't… don't think…"

"Lin, is he on any of the monitors?" Lin quickly checked the monitors. He hadn't been looking at them while he was thinking, and now they didn't know if Naru was okay. He could have been wrong about Kataoka; he could have attacked again…

"No. The last time he was he was walking down the street to the edge of town… half an hour ago."

"We can't lose him! We only just got him back!" cried Mai, running out. Monk, Ayako and Yasuhara quickly ran after her, but by the time they were out of the inn Mai was racing down the road.

Nothing has better happened to him, stupid jerk… why is he taking so long…? Her breath came out in gasps as she ran. She couldn't hear the others behind her.

Mai got to the bonfire, but couldn't see him, or any signs that he had been there. Some ashes blew slightly with the wind. Where is he? Which way would Naru go? I don't think he went via the high street… She ran down another street, looking frantically. She frowned when she saw the lake.

"Naru!" she shouted, running closer, but he didn't show any reaction. She stopped about a meter away from him.

He was crouching by the lake, one finger lightly touching the black surface.

"Naru…" He's not going to do anything stupid like jump in, is he?

Again he didn't respond, he was looking intently at the water. Suddenly he scowled.

"Naru, what is it?" she asked, moving closer, but she couldn't see anything special about the lake.

We're back from camping! And guess what, it was raining almost all of time. Sorry for the wait.

We just like Gene so much we had to add him as his own charcter soon! I guess he's just so likeable.
Next chapter is full of emotion and drama! It's very fun to write ^^ though we probably should be nicer to our charcters. John and Masako are still cosey in the library, researching... Yasuhara decided to take a break, and John, being the kind person that he is, offered to take his place, and Naru sent Masako with him just so she would be out from under his feet. Tbh im not surprised he doesn't like her.
And for Lin-san's fans he will be doing a lot of talking! well, for him.