Naru walked down another hallway, his head shifting from right to left searching the open areas for a particular person. Mai had been avoiding him for the past few days, and after they had been practically inseparable since she got back, it was fairly out of character. His shoes tapped against the hardwood floors as he continued his pursuit. Where could she have gone? It wasn't like their house was very expansive. Of course, it wasn't small either.
A figure approached him from the end of the hall and it only took him a second to realize it was his mother.
"Noll," She said smiling at him, her arms full of books. Earlier that day, she was getting stressed out not being able to dig up enough damning evidence on Dr. Thorn. As odd as it was, cleaning always made her feel better, so she took it upon herself to reorganize the library. The irritated look on his face drew her attention back to him after glancing away. "What's wrong?"
"Have you seen Mai anywhere?" He crossed his arms as he watched his mother bite her cheek in concentration.
"Not recently, but the last time I saw her she was in the library with me." She adjusted the books in her arms. "She wanted to help me alphabetize the shelves, but I told her no." His mother said with a smile.
"Why didn't you let her?" Naru said tilting his head slightly. "You know how she gets when she feels like she's a burden, even though that's never the case, the idiot."
Luella smirked at the brief conversation her son was having with himself. "Well, for one, she's pregnant and shouldn't be anywhere near the ladder we have on the shelves or falling books." She shifted her feet again and Naru grabbed a few off the top allowing her to relax. "For another, she hasn't been herself lately. I thought if she wasn't distracted she could face what is bothering her."
"Unfortunately, I think I know exactly what is on her mind and I think she is hiding." He placed the books back on the pile and moved past his mother and further down the hall. "I intend to find her before dinner."
His mother watched him leave and shrugged her shoulders before walking back to the library to finish her task.
Naru nudged the door to the last room on the right open with his foot after hearing some shuffling. The noise that had led him in the room stopped abruptly and he sighed knowing full well Mai was somewhere in the room. He had rarely been inside the room after he and Gene stopped having tutoring sessions in the house. When they were growing up, Luella and Martin wanted to give them the best life they could, and both decided to add tutoring to the boys' curriculum to study subjects outside of that taught by the school systems.
"Mai," He said shaking his head and peering around the room. "Can we talk?"
He heard a sniff and his heart hurt at the thought of her crying by herself.
"Mai?" Deciding he wasn't getting anywhere; he pushed the door shut and began walking around the room. "Come out here."
He began to walk past a wooden table and was going to take another step but noticed a shadow being cast across the floor. Sighing, he straightened back in front of the table and bracing his hands on the rim crouched down to stare at a teary-eyed Mai. She looked surprised when he moved so suddenly, but it disappeared quickly and was replaced by apprehension. He eyed her with a level of concern.
"Mai, why are you sitting under a table?" He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer, but he humored her anyway. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"
"Do you know how long I've been avoiding you?" She said in a quip to be funny. She used the back of her hands to wipe at her eyes while she continued to talk to him. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"
Naru glared at her and reached a hand in to wrap around her upper arm and began pulling her out from under the desk. She watched him in surprise and immediately began jerking back under. She wasn't very strong, and Naru found himself watching her feebly fight against his grip.
"Mai, get out here." He said sighing. It wasn't clear what she was upset about, but Naru never was an expert at reading human emotions.
She glared at him. "Just let me go, Naru!" The hand that was not connected to the arm that he held curled into a fist and she lightly hit his hand in an attempt to remove it from her.
"Not," He pulled her closer. "Until," And closer. "You tell me what is going on with you." He finished finally gathering the girl into his chest. He had now sat down, Mai sitting in-between his legs and curled into him.
He felt her body shake, but she hid her face in his neck. His arms encased her body and Mai welcomed the warmth that he offered.
"How are you so calm?" She finally said after a moment passed. He could feel her start to cry again as a bit of wetness rolled down the side of his neck. "I just feel alone in all this and I don't see how you can be so at ease!"
Naru laid his head down over hers. "Calm about what, Mai? I am trying to remain calm but to be honest, I am just as scared as you are, if not more." He shifted slightly as she began to quiet and listen to him. "We just got you back and have yet to locate that bastard and I-"
He stopped when he heard a chuckle escape Mai's lip. "Not about him!" She said pushing back to look at Naru, a smile overcoming her face but quickly disappearing when what she wanted to talk about rose to her conscious mind. "We are going to be parents." Mai watched his face shift slightly. "That's why I've been so worried. You don't seem to be bothered either way, but I don't want to drag you into anything that we aren't ready for, and I don't know what to do." She got progressively more upset as she spoke.
He would have rolled his eyes if she wasn't right in front of him. She would likely hit him. He cupped her face, staring at her intensely. "Mai, you are not dragging me into anything. I realize what exactly parenting entails and I am confident that we are going to be just fine." He pressed their foreheads together and nuzzled her a bit. "Or rather, I am confident that I will be fine. You might find some way to klutz it up somehow." He grunted at Mai's small fist connected to his stomach and they both chuckled.
"So, you aren't worried?"
"Of course I am," He said honestly. "But I have you, my father and mother, and your parents to help us if we need the advice or support. We can do this, it's almost illogical to think otherwise." Mai chuckled again at his language but wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "And you," He continued, his hand coming up to round on her head and fingers in her hair. "You are going to be amazing. There is not one other person I can think of that would be a better mother than you."
A sob broke through her lips and she tightened her hands around him.
So, this was why she was so erratic the past few days? Naru couldn't help but sigh and rest his head on hers.
"You're an idiot." He said finally. Mai shoved him backward but this time he saw it coming and drug her with him. They stayed there for a few extra minutes, wrapped in each other's arms, and content with their current exhibition.
Martin finally found the two of them after a half hour. Naru was laying out on the couch in the room with a, again, sleeping Mai. She was laid out right by him, one arm wrapped around Naru's torso and the other around her midsection in a comforting hug.
Naru looked up from the laptop he was scrolling through and watched his father open the door and quietly shut it. He began to shift his body to sit up but Martin held up a hand in objection.
"Don't worry about it," He said sitting in the chair across from the two. "I take it the conversation went well?"
The younger man eyed his father and nodded. "She was anxious about being a parent."
Martin chuckled but nodded and shot a look to the sleeping girl beside his son. "That's understandable," He looked up to the skylight on the ceiling of the room. "Your mother and I were terrified to be parents."
Naru's eyebrow rose. "You were?" It was strange to think that his father was remotely scared of anything and his mother was a natural parent.
"Oh, my yes." His father continued. "Your mother was excited and, though she didn't show it outwardly, was afraid of not being a good mom to the two of you. It took her a long time to finally establish a steady ground to feel comfortable to parent you guys."
He watched his son look to the side in thought. It was a weird feeling to know that his children were already starting families of their own, regardless of the unexpected nature of the event. Martin might say he was too young to be a grandfather and Oliver was too young to be a father. But in all honesty, he was looking forward to being a grandparent and Luella's excitement was contagious.
"I found that talking to children as if they were less intelligent was always a terrible idea and often, it was hard to establish rapport with them." His father said shrugging his shoulders. "So, I never did with you two. At first, your mother thought it was cruel, but when we learned about your high intelligent levels, it worked out." He laughed at the memory. "And then, when you two started becoming more independent, your mother clung to the baby clothes that we had for you guys in the dresser and got upset anytime I even mentioned you boys going to school."
Naru allowed a smirk to form and he took a glance at Mai's sleeping face. He briefly wondered how he would be as a father. Almost by association, he also began thinking about the worry that he wouldn't be a good father.
"There it is!" Martin snickered. "That is the same stare I had when we were just getting used to the idea of having kids."
Naru looked at him in puzzlement. "Did you and mother think about having kids before adopting?"
"Yes and no," His father leaned back in the chair. "We had talked about it a few times, but we didn't have a plan. So, when we were visiting Japan to consult on a case, we met the two of you and we were immediately attached. Trust me," Martin said. "As soon as that baby is born, you are not going to feel like you do now and you'll know exactly what to do."
A small smile was cast on his father and the older man smiled back. It was then that Naru noticed the small stack of papers that his father had in his grasp.
"What are those?"
"Ah," Martin sat up at attention. "That is why I was coming to get you. The authorities have tracked down Dr. Stone and have brought him in for questioning. They have only been at it for a short time now, but it was a good bit of news."
Naru nodded his head. "It is, but that doesn't exactly solve the problem." He shifted slightly, repositioning Mai. "If that group is trying to pin everything on him, they are still active. While the original intention of the group was to create some powerful individual to achieve some unreachable goal, some likely members are too invested in other notions."
"I thought as much," Martin said eyeing his son. "Which is why we have another guest downstairs who showed up about 20 minutes ago and has been waiting to speak to you and Mai."
Hi there! Sorry, this was late, but I am happy I got it up now! I saw a lot of the comments stating that they would like this story to be a series, and I thank you for your responses! I am currently going to be brainstorming a future plot for the next installment of this series! However, we still have this one to get through! So, stick around!
Cheers!