Thanks for all the support! 3
…..
Slowly I woke up, groggy from another terrible night's sleep. It was Sunday and both the bakery and the office were closed. After our most recent case and my long hospital stay, it was a relief to not have to go anywhere or do anything. I lounged in bed blinking at the lazy sun shining into my bedroom. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, but I was too tired and too frustrated to enjoy it.
After waking up in the hospital, the doctors kept me for another week completing tests and asking me questions. I passed their examinations with flying colors, which according to Ayako, was a medical miracle. By the time that week was over, I wanted to be left alone. After being poked and questioned by dozens of doctors and nurses, I was ready to leave the hospital and never return. Knowing my luck though, that was wishful thinking.
After being released I lived with Ayako and Monk for two weeks. They wanted to make sure I was alright and I found it both endearing and irritating how much they doted on me. At least they weren't trying to run constant CT scans and psychological exams on me. They barely left me alone, but every minute was filled with joy. I think that was exactly what I needed after what happened. After two weeks, I came back to my apartment because they went to the United States to open a hospital built and run under Ayako's family. Ayako was in charge of the grand opening and would be there for a month making sure the hospital started running smoothly. I knew Monk wanted to be with her so I insisted he go. He offered to stay behind but with a clean bill of health there was nothing to worry about. For as much as they fight, they never want to be apart from each other for too long, so I all but packed his bag for him.
I've been back in my apartment for a week now, and it has been absolutely awful. I came back on Sunday, and as my first day back, it had been relaxing; full of quiet and the familiar comforts of home. But apparently it wasn't as comfortable as I thought. When night fell, I was terrified. I was alone, which hadn't happened since I had woken up. The quiet turned into unbearable silence and the comfort became nerve wracking. I had tried to fall asleep but the thought of falling into the inky black darkness like before continued to startle me awake as I started to doze. After hours of being unable to sleep I finally threw in the towel and started to clean my apartment. By evening the next day, I had cleaned every surface, dusted every shelf, and reorganized my entire apartment. I was exhausted by the time I took a relaxing bath. I finally laid in bed ready to sleep, but my body suddenly tensed, as if ready for fight or flight. I still couldn't bring myself to sleep.
By Wednesday, I still hadn't slept. I had a few moments where I fell asleep for an hour or so, but suddenly I would startle myself awake, scared and unsure of where I was and frantic.
I was dead on my feet, barely functioning. I had tried everything! Meditation and mantras, tea, exercising - nothing. I even tried sleeping with all of the lights on in hopes of tricking my brain into thinking I wasn't in the darkness. When that didn't work, I decided to start drinking coffee to help keep myself awake.
I helped Mr. Satori in the bakery even though he chided me on working after being in the hospital for so long. I was glad for the distraction though. I helped him test new recipes, complete inventory and made sure that the bakery's finances were up to date. I even completed my own finances and after a few paychecks from SPR, I was able to pay off the remainder of my school expenses. I purchased all of my textbooks for the upcoming semester, which would be starting in 1 month. Summer break was almost over, and I had spent a majority of it in a coma. Part of me was excited to go back to school but another part was dreading my upcoming classes which I knew were going to be difficult. I started reviewing some of my psychology material and I was able to occupy many nighttime hours with studying. Drinking coffee and keeping busy was working for the most part and I felt pretty smart.
Until Naru called.
He called Wednesday afternoon and told me to be in the office tomorrow and Friday. The files had piled up over the weeks and he needed them taken care of. I tried to sleep Wednesday night, and succeeded in sleeping maybe 3 or 4 hours in total, but I was still bone tired. Fortunately Naru didn't ask about my exhaustion, or my bad attitude. He asked for tea many times but I was too tired to argue and put up my usual fuss about being his tea slave. I caught myself dozing a few times but I startled awake. A few times I fell asleep at my desk. Naru never said anything about it, so I assumed he didn't come out of his office and see me sleeping.
When all the files were sorted on Friday I still had an hour or so left of the work day, but instead, I left. I didn't tell Naru I was leaving either, which thinking back on was probably not smart to do. But it's been two days and he never said anything so he hopefully didn't even notice my early departure.
I rolled over and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was a little past 9am but I had nothing planned for today so I closed my eyes and started reviewing my psychology theories by memory.
No sooner had I closed my eyes, my phone started vibrating. Monk and Ayako bought me a brand new phone before they left, because my other one had been smashed during the fan incident at the club. I groaned and reached out to see who was calling me.
Naru. Crap.
I unlocked the phone and answered the phone with an unpleasant voice.
"Yes?"
"I'm going to text you an address, and I need you to be here in an hour."
"What!? Naru! It's Sunday!"
"Consider this punishment for leaving early on Friday without my permission. Or would you rather I dock your pay for the next few weeks?"
"Naru, that's not fair! I was done with everything!"
"As your employer, I have the right to call you into work last minute. It's in the contract. You will be at the address within the next hour, and if you're not, I will dock your pay for every minute you are late. I suggest you get out of bed and get a move on."
The call disconnected and I stared at the screen incredulously.
Seriously?!
I threw back the covers and made my way to the bathroom to get ready. I wasn't in a good mood when I woke up and it certainly wasn't any better now. While I was brushing my teeth, Naru's text came through with an address. He also reminded me that I had 1 hour.
I glared into the mirror, and started plotting how to ruin his tea.
...
I arrived at the address with a few minutes to spare. It was fairly close to the office so it wasn't too hard to find. But I was confused. It was a luxury apartment building. If it was a new case, Naru would have said so, so why am I here? Is this Naru's apartment?
My face immediately flushed red at the thought. I slapped my cheeks and headed in. The lobby seemed high class; it was decorated with a simple and elegant taste. The elevators were behind a security desk, with a security guard who eyed me as I walked in the building.
"Um, hi. My boss told me to come to this address…"
The security guard looked at me, "What's your name?"
"Mai Taniyama."
"Yes, Ms. Taniyama. Dr. Davis cleared your name with us about an hour ago. Use the elevators behind me and you'll be going to the top floor, apartment 10."
"Oh, okay. Thank you."
I went to the elevator and went up to the top floor as instructed. The elevator opened up into a large hallway lined with apartments. I followed the numbered doors until I reached apartment 10. I knocked on the door and waited.
After a moment or two I heard the lock click and the door swung open to reveal Naru.
"You're late."
I was only late by 2 minutes and I was going to retort, when I stopped and took him in.
Naru was dressed in a black shirt and jeans. Jeans! Seeing him in something other than a dress shirt and slacks really threw me through a loop and all I could do was stare. The tshirt clung to his muscles, which had been practically nonexistent under his dress shirt and suit jacket. Finally I noticed his hair, which was mussed and very un-Naru like.
"I know I look good Mai, but it's rude to stare."
My gaze finally met his eyes, and I could feel my face burn. He looked amused and annoyed at the same time.
"I wasn't staring! I was just caught off guard. I wasn't expecting you to be so… casual?"
He rolled his eyes and walked back into the apartment. He left the door open and I assumed he wanted me to follow him. I closed the door behind me and took off my shoes. I followed after Naru and took in the bare apartment.
"Naru?"
"In here."
I followed the voice down the hallway, and tentatively stepped into a bedroom. Naru once again surprised me by sitting on the floor, next to what looked like an unassembled baby crib. It took a moment for me to put two and two together.
"Naru, is this Lin's apartment?"
Naru sighed in annoyance. "Yes, Mai."
"Okay, so what are we doing here?"
"Lin and Madoka will be coming back to Japan with the baby in a few days. Madoka has tasked me with setting up the apartment, because apparently I distracted Lin from doing it by making him go on a case."
I practically jumped up and down from excitement, my exhaustion completely forgotten. I was so excited to see Madoka and meet Liliana in person. It would also be nice to have Lin back in the office.
"That is great! I can't wait to see them! But Naru, why am I here?"
Again, without looking at me, Naru handed me a piece of paper. I grabbed it and started to read. It was the directions for the crib. Suddenly I remembered that Naru isn't good at reading Kanji. A smile spread across my face.
"Naru, do you need my help?"
Naru pinched the bridge of his nose. "What I need, Mai, is my employee to stop wasting time. I don't pay you to stand there, so start telling me how to put this together. I don't have all day."
I grinned at Naru's round-about way of asking for help. His personality would never allow him to outright ask, so the fact that he called me made my heart swell. My stomach fluttered with butterflies, as I witnessed this rare moment. I tried to hide my grin as I came and sat down next to Naru.
"Okay, step 1…"
...
A few hours had passed, and I stretched and yawned. I paused for a moment to take in the amount of work we had done. The crib was complete along with the changing table and shelving units. We had put away the supplies that Madoka ordered such as diapers, bottles, and toys. We also built and arranged some of Lin's other furniture such as bookcases, tables, and chairs. Naru wasn't kidding about Lin not unpacking anything. I guess he had been living out of boxes for the most part since arriving in Japan.
My thoughts were interrupted when my stomach growled. I blushed and glanced over at Naru. He sighed and looked at the time. It was roughly 3 in the afternoon and we had missed lunch. In my case I had missed both breakfast and lunch, since Naru called me out of the blue.
"Let's take a break and eat."
I nodded my head and followed Naru out to the kitchen. He rummaged through the fridge and sighed. He grabbed a set of keys off the counter and headed towards the front door.
"If you don't hurry up I'm leaving you behind."
I followed him out the door and down the hall. We stopped a few doors down and Naru inserted the key into the lock.
"Is this your apartment? Why are we here?"
"Yes, this is my apartment. Lin barely had any food in the fridge, and what he did have was expired. I have food in my apartment."
"Oh, okay."
I said okay, but the butterflies in my stomach had returned and at full force. I'm going inside Naru's apartment!
I tried to calm myself as I slowly followed him into the apartment. The layout was similar to Lin's, but Naru already had all of his furniture and possessions inside. I scanned the room and thought that it suited Naru. It was simple and clean. The furniture was all dark wood or cloth and it contrasted well with the light walls. The bookshelves were stacked with books and there were files scattered across the coffee table in the living room. Other than the files, everything was meticulously in its place and perfect.
I stood just outside the kitchen area and watched as Naru rummaged around the kitchen.
"Do you like omelettes?"
I had been so busy watching him that I had almost missed the question. "Oh, um, yeah. I do."
"Do you want any meat, cheese, or vegetables in it?"
"Um… do you have cheese and tomatoes?"
"I do. Anything else?"
"No, just that will be fine."
He nodded and went about cooking. I watched him for another minute but turned away so he didn't catch me staring. Being in Naru's apartment was… very intimate by Naru standards. He never shared personal information about himself so being in his personal space, I was afraid to overstep my welcome. I was too nervous to sit down, so instead I settled on looking at the books on his bookshelf in the living room.
"Wow! How is it possible to have this many books in your apartment and still have so many at the office?"
"Because I actually read and study. I'm a researcher. It's part of my job." If Naru was the kind of person to say 'duh' he definitely would have said it at the end of that sentence. I rolled my eyes and continued to scan the shelves. A majority of the books were in english, which fortunately I now know. I never would have managed in the United States without learning it.
"Food's ready."
I looked up to see Naru plating the omelettes and I made my way to the dining table. "Do you mind if I make some tea?"
"Tea is in the cabinet by the fridge and there's a water kettle on the stove."
I busied myself by making tea, and once I finished, I joined Naru at the table where he set our plates. We ate in silence, and when we were done, I turned to Naru. "That was delicious! I didn't know you could cook."
"Lin and I would often take turns cooking when we lived together. I've gotten better at it, but I don't enjoy it. Now that I live by myself I try to cook rather than ordering delivery. I usually make one meal in bulk. That way I don't have to cook more than once every few days."
"Wait, so you eat the same thing multiple times a day, multiple days in a row?"
"I usually only eat once, maybe twice a day. So no, not really." "Naru! That is so unhealthy! You need to be eating various things, and not just one meal a day! You need to make healthy habits and choices."
Naru rolled his eyes and took our empty plates to the sink. "You sound like my mother and Madoka." "Well, considering that two very smart women have told you the same thing, don't you think that the idea has some merit?"
"Hmm." He made a noncommittal noise and I figured that was all I was getting out of him. "So are we going back to Lin's apartment?"
"He and Madoka have a few boxes of personal belongings, but he told me not to bother with those. Other than that, I think everything they wanted done is finished."
"Okay. We'll I guess I'll head home then." "Actually, there is something else we need to do. But first, tea." I grabbed our empty cups and headed towards the kitchen. "So what else do we need to do, if we're done in Lin's apartment?" Naru walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa. He shuffled his papers on the table. He didn't respond to my question and immediately, my instincts were telling me that we needed to talk about something serious. I finished the tea and brought the cups out to the sofa. I sat on the sofa with Naru and started to sip my tea. Neither of us said anything for a few moments, but Naru eventually broke the silence.
"I have come to a decision, and I think it is in the best interest of everyone, if we temporarily close the office to the public for a while. I haven't been taking cases so it's not like we are suddenly backing out of a case."
I stared at Naru, not sure what he meant. "You aren't leaving Japan again, are you?"
"No, I have no plans to leave at the moment. Considering that we haven't had Lin for a while, you and I have shouldered a lot of work. If we continue to go on cases without him, you and I will be drowning in administrative work, and investigative work as well. I do not plan on having him return to the office until he and Madoka are ready. I want the two of them to have time together to adjust to a new home and a child."
I smiled at Naru. I can tell he has put a lot of thought into this and he wants the best for them.
"With that being said, if an emergency case comes up and I think the team can handle it, I'll take it. But Mai, you won't be going on any cases for the time being. Not until we learn more about your powers."
"Wait, what? Naru! Why would you sideline me like that?"
"I've been thinking about this Mai, and considering the last case and witnessing your soul convergence with Reika and your long hospital visit, I think it's for the best. We don't know what we're walking into when we take on a dangerous case, and your ability is so unpredictable and dangerous, that if faced against a strong, violent spirit; I don't know if I, or anyone else on the team would be able to help you. Next time you could end up in the hospital and never wake up. As my employee you are my responsibility, and if anything happens to anyone on my team because of my lack of judgement and my failure as a leader, it could be a fatal mistake. If you were to have another soul convergence dream and that spirit died, what would happen to you? What if another spirit like Reika takes over your body and extinguishes your soul or uses your memories against you and the team? We don't know much about this ability and so far you have little control. We need to research and learn about your abilities. I cannot not, in good conscience, allow you to go on cases. Instead, I want to continue with our testing. I understand that you may find this unreasonable, but I am only considering the safety of everyone."
I could feel my anger rising, ready to pick apart his argument, but it suddenly deflated. I knew he was being rational. He was only considering the safety of everyone, as any leader of their team should. As much as I disliked his decision, he was the boss. What if I did have another soul convergence? Did I really want to confront the darkness so soon after escaping it? What if something happened and I was stuck there forever?
"Okay, fine."
I felt so exhausted at that moment. I rubbed my eyes trying to banish the sleep. Even if I wanted to put up a fight, I didn't have the energy for it.
"Back to the topic of healthy habits, only an idiot would lecture someone while also refusing to have good habits of their own, such as sleeping."
I turned on Naru, wide eyed. "How did you know I wasn't sleeping?" He signed; something he's been doing a lot of lately. "Mai, clearly you're exhausted. You're more irritable than usual, you're constantly spacing out and in the office I had to continuously say your name before you would hear me. I saw you sleeping at your desk. If those signs weren't enough, your physical appearance is becoming haggard and the dark circles under your eyes are prominent."
I rubbed my face, as if I could wipe away all the exhaustion and worry. "Mai, why aren't you sleeping?"
Not sure how much I wanted to share with Naru, I paused before answering. "I was sleeping fine up until I went back to my apartment. With Ayako and Monk around I slept soundly, but now… now, I can't sleep." I hoped that was enough to tame his curiosity, but apparently not.
"Have you talked to them?" "We've texted and called each other but I haven't mentioned the situation if that's what you mean. Ayako has enough to worry about with the hospital and I told Monk to go with her, and I don't want to make either of them feel guilty for leaving, especially since they have been doing everything they can to make sure I'm alright." "What about the others? Have you talked to anyone else this week?"
"I briefly talked to Masako, but she was busy moving Yasu into her place. I didn't want to take up any of their time since they were moving and needed time together, that wouldn't be fair. I've been trying to contact John but he hasn't responded to any of my calls or texts. I'm actually starting to worry about him. It's unlike him to be gone for so long without contact." Naru watched me, as if analyzing my movements and my words. "Does this lack of sleep have anything to do with your time in the hospital and our most recent case?"
I froze in my seat and refused to look at him. I'm not ready. I can't talk about it yet; it's too raw and terrifying to put into words.
After a few moments of silence he sighed. "Mai, I know you're being evasive. When I asked you in the hospital about what happened, I knew you lied to me, but I wasn't going to push you given the circumstances. I can tell you're hesitant. But you need to realize that you eventually have to talk to someone. If not for your own peace of mind, but for our research. Whatever happened is important to learning more about your powers and how to control them. We need to learn as much as possible about your abilities, and whatever secret you're holding to, could be important."
I nodded in understanding, trying to find my words. "I just… I can't…." I took a deep breath and started over. "Thank you Naru. I appreciate you not pushing me with questions. I just can't talk about it yet. It's too personal and honestly thinking about it terrifies me. It may just be ridiculous on my part, but I can't sleep because of it, but I'm not ready to talk about it."
He nodded, and my body released tension I didn't even know it had. "Very well. Is there anything I can do?" I paused and thought for a moment. I slept fine when I knew someone was nearby, but now my problem was being alone.
"Well, um…" I paused and thought better of what I was going to ask. "Nevermind." I brushed off nonexistent dirt from my shorts and I suddenly found the floor very fascinating. Naru sighed. "Whatever it is Mai, ask." I looked down at my lap and could feel my face burning. "Well, I noticed that I slept just fine at Ayako and Monk's place. I think it was because I knew someone was right there… um… could I possibly… since you're here… take a nap, before I go home?" The moment the question left my mouth I suddenly wanted to backpedal. "Nevermind, it's stupid. I'll just go home, sorry to bother you." I stood up but Naru grabbed my wrist pulling me back down onto the couch.
"Sleep."
I looked at him, confused. "But won't I be bothering you? I don't want to impose, it's so stupid." Naru rolled his eyes and stood up. "Do you want to sleep on the couch or in a bed?" If he hadn't seen my blush before, I'm sure it was very obvious now. My voice rose an octave and answered, "Oh, um… the couch is fine." He smirked, stood up, and disappeared into one of the rooms down the hallway. I fanned my face quietly and hoped it cooled by the time he returned. I decided to make another cup of tea to calm my nerves. A few minutes later he returned with a pillow and a blanket, along with a few files and a laptop. I returned to the living room with new cups of tea, and took the pillow and blanket from him. We sat on the couch and sipped our tea in silence. When I finished mine I curled up with the blanket and tried to relax.
"Are you working?" "Yes, I have a few files to read through and take notes on." "And you're not going to leave, right?" Naru signed with annoyance from the other end of the couch. "Go to sleep, idiot." I stuck my tongue out at him for calling me an idiot and I snuggled down into the blanket. Almost instantly my body relaxed into the cushions. I could hear Naru sifting through paperwork and typing on his laptop.
A week with little sleep suddenly hit me and I was almost dizzy with exhaustion. Just like in the hospital, I fell asleep listening to the steady rhythm of Naru typing on his computer.
….
AWWW! HOW CUTE =^.^=
Thanks all! Please R&R!
-Jen
