Volatile Solutions
Within seconds of entering the lab, Naraku grabbed a stool and carried it over to the side of the table where Jade was sitting and typing away on her laptop. He placed the stool right beside her and sat down on it, centimeters from touching her. His back faced the table so he could lean back and watch every expression on her face. Naraku pulled a little plastic bag filled with baby carrots out of his shirt pocket, crossed one leg over the other, and placed the bag on his crotch. He singled out a carrot and snatched it between his thumb and index finger. Next, he leaned forward until he was right next to Jade's ear and loudly bit a chunk of carrot off between his teeth.
"Good afternoon, Naraku." Jade chimed calmly, turning to look at him with a gentle smile as he leaned away from her. Naraku chewed the piece of carrot, his eyes locked with hers.
"Good afternoon. Carrot?" Naraku asked after swallowing the mashed carrot in his mouth. Jade glanced down at the bag of carrots sitting on his crotch, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly. Her green eyes met his.
"Sure. Thanks." Jade chirped, reaching into the bag without breaking eye contact with him. One corner of his mouth turned up, but Jade kept her hand steady as she grabbed a carrot and pulled it out, but she didn't take a bite.
"I received your note," Naraku began, propping his elbow up on the table, staring at the half-eaten carrot pinned between his fingers. Jade nodded slowly while exhaling.
"I figured." She answered candidly. Naraku plopped the other half of the carrot into his mouth and crunched down on it, leaning his head on his hand as he stared at her vacantly.
"I assume you met the new graduate student?" Naraku asked her, exhaling quietly. He saw her perk up immediately, a wide smile stretching from her lips.
"I did. He's pretty, isn't he? I think he's even prettier than you." Jade stated. Naraku pulled another carrot from the bag and clamped it between his teeth.
"He's certainly prettier than you." Naraku retorted, slicing another chunk of carrot into his mouth with his teeth.
"Oh yeah, by miles. Makes me sweat just thinking about him," Jade chirped, finally sticking the carrot into her mouth and sucking on it as suggestively as she could. Naraku chuckled, finishing his second carrot and looking away while Jade enjoyed her carrot. He turned back to her when he heard her typing, so he leaned forward again, staring at her unblinkingly. Jade tried to fight away a smile, but the harder she fought, the more she wanted to laugh.
"I hope I'm not annoying you." Naraku said in a low voice. It sent shivers down Jade's spine.
"You're not." Jade assured him, shaking her head and ignoring the fight-or-flight warnings her body was giving her.
"Good." He replied, resting his cheek against his fist, his eyes never leaving her face. Jade snickered as she began typing a response email to Bruce. She felt Naraku's hand brush hers as he struck random keys to screw up her message. She erased the mistakes, but he just typed more. When she placed her hands in her lap, he did the same with his free hand. When Jade held her hands over the keyboard teasingly, he did the same with his hand hovering between hers.
"I'm guessing you finished the extractions?" Jade asked Naraku as a defeated breath left her lungs. She decided to give up on typing the email on her laptop.
"Mmmmhmmm." He hummed, leaning even closer to her face.
"How did it go? Anything interesting?"
"A portion of the samples in the middle section had pretty high phosphorus levels, but I can't say much more because I don't know where they were taken from nor do I have a history of the area."
"Ah, so those levels could be normal for that area?"
"Precisely." Naraku answered, his lips centimeters from her ear. His breath tickled her ear and she was half-tempted to shove her shoulder into his jaw.
'This is pretty tame punishment compared to what I was expecting.' She thought with amusement.
"If I am annoying you, do let me know." Naraku said with false concern.
"Luckily for me, you have good hygiene. And you're not half-bad to look at, so I'm good." Jade retorted. Naraku leaned away from her and frowned. He plucked another carrot from the bag and bit into it. Jade glanced at him briefly before placing her hands back on her keyboard to type. Two sentences in, Naraku's fingers were lightly tapping keys once more. Jade giggled as she pulled her hands back. Naraku moved his finger across the touchpad and clicked 'send.'
"Who is receiving this?" Naraku asked with a smirk.
"Bruce." Jade replied.
"Damn. I was hoping it was someone important."
"Maybe next time." Jade cooed with a pout, patting his arm gently. Naraku pulled his arm away from her quickly, but his smirk never left his face. Jade stood up and walked to the sink, grabbing a cup and filling it with water. She flinched when an arm snaked out from behind her, snatching the cup from her hand and pulling it away. Jade looked up, watching Naraku drink the water above her head.
"Alright, what's your gimmick?" Jade asked him. Naraku finished the drink and looked down at her, placing the cup in the sink.
"I've no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah, you do."
"I read your note. You said you missed me, so I promise to never leave you alone again." Naraku explained. Jade turned around, but Naraku was standing so close to her that she couldn't walk away. Jade tried to squeeze out to the side, but Naraku placed his hands down on the sink on either side of her. He still wasn't touching her, but he was close enough. Naraku tilted his head to the side, his eyes looking down her body and then trailing back up until his eyes met hers.
"I didn't say I missed you." Jade pointed out, holding her finger up.
"You said it was quiet without me. And you so kindly apologized to me for any discomfort you caused me. That means you missed me."
"I apologized for scaring you." Jade corrected, realizing he was dancing around certain words of the note. Naraku leaned down, his smirk disappearing and his face growing serious.
"You don't scare me." He stated evenly, but Jade could taste the anger simmering just beneath his calm exterior.
'I must have struck several nerves with that little note.' Jade thought humorously. She matched his movement and leaned forward slowly, too.
"You fooled me." Jade said before making a quick biting motion towards his face. Naraku flinched and backed away from her quickly. His face had gone pale and his eyes had widened.
"You have some nerve,"
"Gotcha, bitch!" Jade laughed, pressing a hand to her stomach. Her nerves about this situation were getting the better of her, but she couldn't resist teasing him.
"You may have," Naraku began, but he stopped when Jade held up a finger.
"What I wouldn't give to have seen your face when you walked in yesterday," Jade told him. Naraku prowled towards her slowly, a small smirk pulled onto his face, but his eyes were screaming "murder." He brushed a loose strand of brown hair away from Jade's face and leaned so close she could feel his breath caress her ear.
"It was wise of you to leave before I arrived. I would have strangled you with a smile on my face." He growled softly. Jade closed her eyes, a cold wave washing over her body.
'What have I done?' Jade felt a tremble through her body, slowly looking up at him as she opened her eyes. Naraku looked back down at her quietly, expectantly. She wondered if her next sentence would be her last. But, the harder she fought it away, the more it wanted to spill from her mouth! It was as if his presence pulled everything terrible about her personality to the surface like a sadistic magnet!
"I would have laughed all the way until my last breath." Jade retorted delicately. She felt his hand grasp some of her hair, running his fingers through the brown strands gently before smirking.
"I didn't say I would kill you, my dear. That would end the fun too soon." Naraku said before walking away from her.
'What has this man done to me?' Jade swallowed her heart back into her chest, watching as he sat down at his desk and pulled a paper from one of the drawers. He grabbed a pen and began scribbling away on the paper. Jade walked back to her laptop and began typing another email, cautiously glancing at Naraku after every few words. Jade exhaled slowly when she noticed he was absorbed into the paper he was drawing on. Jade was glad she held off on the email to the local arcade in the mall. Otherwise, Naraku would have ruined it. Koga had called the other game places about holding a small tournament, but they all told him to ask the mall arcade. Once Jade heard that bit, she insisted she would take care of it at that point.
Naraku continued scribbling away at the paper, darkening the image he had created. He glanced up every so often to look at Jade and attempt to read her mood. She seemed to be completely obsessed with whatever she was working on. She was writing things down on a paper, scratching out previously written words, typing into the calculator on her phone, and lightly chewing on the end of the pen she held while staring at her screen. Naraku sighed quietly, finishing up some shading on his drawing before placing the pen down and holding the paper up to see it from a different angle. He stood up from the desk and checked his watch before walking over to the stool beside Jade, holding the paper against his chest.
"I made this for you," he chirped, handing the paper to Jade. She pinched the paper between her thumb and index finger, sliding it from his fingers slowly while looking at him with an arched eyebrow. Jade flipped the paper and observed the drawing, a controlled breath pouring from her nose while shaking her head. Naraku glanced down at the paper she was previously writing on. It was mostly numbers with dollar signs. A few days of the week were listed.
'Bills, perhaps?' he wondered.
"It's really cute, Naraku." Jade said after a moment of silence. Naraku smirked when she looked up at him. He knew she was being sarcastic. It was a cartoon drawing of him burying her alive. Unless she was into that kind of thing, which he doubted. Jade placed the drawing down and exhaled loudly once more.
"Hungry?" Naraku asked, pulling his keys from his pocket and jingling them at her. Jade frowned at him and the keys, holding her hand out skeptically.
"Why would I go anywhere with you when you keep telling me that you want to kill me?" she asked him with irritation lacing her voice. Naraku sat down on the stool beside her, resting his hands on his lap.
"Not kill you; take your breath away. Now, do you want to eat or not?" Naraku insisted, jingling his keys erratically. Jade shook her head and stared at the table.
"I can just eat for free at home."
"I'll pay."
"Fine." Jade agreed with annoyance, standing up and closing her laptop. She slipped her phone into her pocket and walked around the table on the other side to avoid scooting past Naraku. Naraku followed her out of the lab, whistling a little tune as he caught up with her.
"If you don't want to,"
"You're not going to leave me alone, let's be honest," Jade interrupted him bitterly. A small laugh erupted from Naraku's throat, but he said nothing more to her for the moment.
Naraku backed out of his usual parking space and glanced at his grumpy passenger, who was staring out the window with her arms crossed. He had the urge to pat her head, but he fought it and kept his hands glued to his steering wheel.
"Any restaurant you prefer?" Naraku asked curiously, stifling a yawn.
"Nope." Jade answered shortly.
"Alright. Any restaurant you don't care for?"
"I don't want pizza."
"Heh, duly noted."
"I shouldn't have said that," Jade sighed hopelessly. He was probably going to take her directly to her other job or worse. She closed her eyes to prevent rolling them when he snickered at her. Jade inhaled through her nose deeply in attempt to fight away her uneasiness.
'At least his car smells nice.' She thought, going with the first positive thought her mind would spit out. In fact, she realized that Naraku always smelled nice. He was always clean, dressed sharply, and smelled pleasant. Some days, the scent of mint lingered around him, and other days, he smelled like a fresh basket of apples. His car, however, just smelled clean, almost like a new car. She just wished his personality was as pleasant as he smelled.
Naraku chose a restaurant and walked inside with Jade tagging along behind him. He tried slowing his pace to let her catch up, but she didn't seem to want to be around him, despite agreeing to have lunch with him. They were led to a table by a server. Naraku held a chair out for Jade and motioned for her to take a seat so he could push it in for her. She didn't look amused, but she sat in the chair and allowed Naraku to have his moment. He sat in the chair across from her and ordered a glass of water from the server, Jade doing the same before grabbing a menu and opening it.
"You seem upset about something," Naraku said, resting both hands on the table and tapping the glossed surface with his fingers.
"I don't know how to feel about accepting lunch from a man who wants to hurt me," Jade replied, her entire head hidden behind the menu she held up.
"If I wanted to physically harm you, I would have done it by now." Naraku replied tonelessly, as if they were discussing the weather.
"But you still wanted to."
"And you haven't felt the impulse to inflict pain on me?"
"You're mad that I tagged you back. I was mad that you knocked me unconscious."
"If you had held your breath longer,"
"I'm done with this conversation." Jade interrupted sternly, lowering the menu from her face. Her expression was calm, as Naraku expected. That was why she spent so much time behind the menu.
"What should we discuss instead?" Naraku questioned, moving his arm when the server placed the glass of water beside him. Jade nodded and thanked the server, straightening her posture when she ordered her food. Naraku mimicked her movements when he ordered his food, fighting away a chuckle when he saw her heated glare aimed his way.
"What do you do when you're not making other people miserable?" Jade asked Naraku after the server walked away with their food order. Naraku took a sip of water, his expression showing the innocence of a child.
"Are you actually interested or," Naraku trailed off, tapping the surface of the table with a single finger. Jade held her face with both hands, shaking her head slowly. Naraku licked his lips at the thought of her screaming at him in public, but as soon as that daydream surfaced, Jade lowered her hands and retained a stoic expression.
"All I want to do is have a nice conversation with you,"
"While insinuating that all I do is make others miserable," Naraku added arrogantly while pointing at her.
"Because I haven't seen you do anything else and that's why I was asking."
"Then I was correct to assume that you're not interested in my other hobbies."
"Alright, I'm done. I tried." Jade breathed, crossing her arms on the table and then gently face-planting onto them, hiding her face from the world. Naraku's mouth fell open. He tried reaching across the table to stop her, but he hesitated midway and quickly pulled his hand back to his lap.
"Jade, you're making us look ridiculous," Naraku pointed out, seeing another couple across the restaurant glance in their general direction.
"You actually feel something?" Jade asked sarcastically, her voice muffled through her folded arms. Naraku's eyebrows furrowed, his lips pouting slightly as he stared at Jade's head.
'What does she want from me? Is she not interested in playing?' Naraku wondered. He crossed his arms and inhaled deeply through his nose. He debated telling her about his hobbies, wondering why she cared to know. Was she bored? Was she curious? Was she looking for something to use against him once again? Naraku shook his head slightly, realizing how ridiculous the situation became.
"I like to read. Nothing in particular. I read whatever I find interesting at the moment." He stated calmly. He watched as Jade's green eyes peered out at him from over her tanned arms.
"You draw too, right?" she inquired, finally raising her head from the table.
"Yes."
"Anything else?" Jade urged with a smile. She saw Naraku blink before looking away.
"What about you?" he countered quickly.
"Oh, well, I don't mind reading, but I rarely have time for it anymore. And I'm picky. I play video games, too." Jade explained, nervously scratching her head. She didn't expect him to give in nor ask about her. Naraku nodded and leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, tapping a slow, steady beat on the table with a single finger.
"I see." He replied forcefully, keeping his gaze on the table.
'He's an awkward mess. It's almost endearing….almost.' Jade thought with a gentle smile. This Naraku amused her more than the pissed-off Naraku she dreamed about the previous night after setting him up.
"You missed me." Naraku suddenly shot in a low voice, now making eye contact with Jade, who quickly covered her mouth and snorted loudly.
"Hahaha! Would it make you feel better if I said yes?" Jade giggled.
"No."
"Buuuuuuuullshit." Jade's smile was wide and it seemed to mock Naraku's entire existence. He cleared his throat.
"I don't care if you miss me or not, but I am intrigued as to why if you did." Naraku corrected her, taking another drink of water and keeping his posture straight and professional. Jade swung side to side in her seat fluidly while snickering. She lipped the word, "intrigued," while air-quoting it with her fingers. Naraku clenched his teeth as he watched her.
"Whatever, dude. Me admitting to it would make you warm and fuzzy on the inside." Jade argued with a wicked smile on her face.
"Are you saying you didn't miss me?" Naraku asked, deciding to avoid her statement entirely.
"No, I didn't. We could literally put a hamster in the lab and I would be okay. I just missed something else breathing oxygen in the same room as me."
"Bruce bought a guinea pig and put it in the lab for that same reason. I fed it to a snake." Naraku told her with a smile.
"Then you're forcing me to miss you, which is you admitting that you want me to miss you,"
"I….I can't make you feel anything."
"You make me feel like a natural woman," Jade sang while holding her fist in the air.
"What?"
"I'm going to refer to my previous answer of, "bullshit." I hope you don't mind." Jade stated arrogantly with a shrug and a smirk. She took a drink of water and winked at him. Naraku slowly dragged his tongue across the front of his teeth, wondering how he lost control of the conversation.
"Point out a recent interaction where I made you feel something. You cannot, because I haven't been around." Naraku said.
"You got upset when I was helping you and then right after that, you avoided the lab when I was in there. You made me feel like I did something wrong." Jade pointed out candidly.
"That wasn't my intention. You made those feelings up yourself by misinterpreting my actions." Naraku replied honestly. He avoided her for his own sake, not to make her feel bad….but he wasn't going to tell her that, especially if she ended up suffering just as he had.
"Sooooo, you were-you know what? Someday, I will have nice conversation with you." Jade exhaled while shaking her head slightly, massaging her temples lightly with her fingers.
"Never." Naraku replied with a grin.
000000
"I thought this said you things were intelligent," Naraku said to the guinea pig sitting on the floor between his legs. He had both feet pressed against the wall to keep the pig from running under the couch...again. In one hand, he held his smartphone, scrolling down a website's wall of text. In the other hand, a carrot pinched between his fingers. Naraku heard the curious chirping of the guinea pig as it crawled up his thigh in an attempt to snatch the carrot from his hand. He lifted his hand into the air and out of the rodent's reach, his eyes still scanning over the instructions carefully.
"I guess we'll start with simple commands and work our way up. If you're going to live here, it's going to be under my control." Naraku sighed as he placed his phone on the floor beside him. He scooped the guinea pig up with one hand and placed it against the wall.
"Stay." Naraku ordered sternly, holding the palm of his hand to the pig's nose. Naraku pulled his hand back, but the guinea pig chased his hand, eagerly chirping for food and attention. Naraku scooped its body up again and placed its butt at the wall.
"Stay," Naraku repeated, pressing the palm of his hand against its nose once more. When Naraku pulled his hand away, the guinea pig sat for a moment, but then it immediately shot forward and tried to snatch the carrot once more. Naraku groaned quietly, placing the guinea pig back at the wall.
"You're fast, but not smart. Let's work on that. Now, stay," Naraku pulled away slowly and saw the pig's plump body flatten slightly as it relaxed on the floor, seemingly accepting its situation. Naraku waited ten seconds before reaching forward and scratching its gray ear. The other ear was a lighter, creamier gray, like most of its body. But the one gray ear, the darker one that matched the random blotches on its body, was the one Naraku liked to scratch the most. The guinea pig didn't seem to mind, either.
"Good pig." Naraku said, holding the carrot to the pig's mouth and allowing it a single nibble. He pulled the carrot away and held it in his fist to hide the sight of it from the rodent. The guinea pig sniffed the air and looked around for its orange treat and when it realized it was nowhere nearby, it took a few small steps forward, nose held high in the air.
'Do guinea pigs have keen senses of smell?' Naraku wondered, holding both closed fists on the floor. The guinea pig waddled forward while squeaking lightly, examining his fists. The rodent chose his right fist and circled it excitedly. Naraku arched an eyebrow, turning his fist over and opening it, revealing the carrot to the pig. He expected it to just take a bite, but instead, it grabbed the carrot with its teeth and ran to the wall with its butt facing Naraku so it could eat in peace.
"Perhaps you're smarter than I thought," Naraku sighed, picking the guinea pig up with one hand. It let out a few loud squeals as it frantically wiggled its legs in hopes of escaping his grasp and returning to its meal. Naraku plucked the carrot from the floor and placed his furry hostage back down on the carpet. The guinea pig stared at him and then began grinding its teeth.
"Am I annoying you?" he asked the pig with a chuckle. The grinding noise from its teeth became louder. Naraku held the carrot in front of its nose and allowed it another bite, its irritated teeth-grinding subsiding. He leaned forward and tapped the floor, the guinea pig waddling to the spot he tapped.
"Stay." Naraku commanded, pulling his hand from its nose. The guinea pig flattened out once more and stayed in place. Naraku allowed it a few more nibbles from the carrot and scratched its ear again.
He practiced the command a few more times before the guinea pig started to waddle around and chirp impatiently. Naraku scooped it up with one hand and walked over to its cage, placing it inside and then dropping the remainder of the carrot into the food bowl, latching the cage door and walking towards his kitchen. He poured some soap into his hands, using his forearm to turn the faucet on as he scrubbed his hands. Naraku turned his head when he heard the loud vibrate of his cell phone alerting him of a message received. He turned the faucet off and shook the excess water from his hands before snatching the hand towel hanging off his oven door handle, massaging it around and through both hands before hanging it back on the handle. He turned around, striding towards his phone and bending over to grab it, his hair falling forward and creating a dark curtain around his head before he straightened his posture, his thick black hair now surrounding his head like a mane.
'Another email from Bruce,' Naraku realized, tapping the notification and sitting on the arm of his couch.
'Naraku,
I signed and turned in your paperwork for an office and it looks like all the offices of the Science Building are occupied. However, the building next to the North end of the Science Building is starting its renovations next week and it is being turned into multiple graduate student offices. One will be reserved for you. It will have a window, so maybe you can get some sun on that pale skin of yours.
Cheers,
Bruce'
"Hm," Naraku hummed, dropping his phone on the couch and standing up. He stared at his bare arms as he walked towards the sliding glass door that led to his patio. He slowly turned his arms over with a frown on his face, spreading his fingers on his hands.
"I'm not that pale." He finally said aloud. He was fair-skinned, but he wasn't a sickly pale. Naraku rolled his eyes, wondering why he was even giving Bruce's comment a thought as he walked back to his couch. His fingers slid under the sketchbook that sat on his table and lifted it into his hands as he leaned back. He pulled the pencil from the sketchbook's binding and began scribbling an image. It didn't take long for him to realize he was bored, though, so he tossed his sketchbook back onto the table and stared at his phone.
'I wonder if Jade is working tonight,' He grabbed his phone and poked the screen a few times until he reached the contact list where her workplace number was listed. He hit the button and held the phone to his ear.
"The Pizza Bar. How can I help you?" a gentle male voice asked.
"I would like to place an order for delivery," Naraku answered, tilting his head back as he closed his eyes, thinking of a name to use this time around.
"Alright, what can I get for you?"
"A small cheese pizza."
"Any breadsticks, dessert, or drinks with that?"
"No, just the pizza. Oh, and can Jade deliver this one?"
"Sure. Can I get a name?"
"Ardon. Philis Ardon." Naraku stated, making sure he pronounced every syllable clearly. He heard the man on the other end of the phone snort and then quickly recover with a cough.
"Excuse me. I uh, I sneezed. Uh, are you related to a Mr. Dixon Cider, by any chance?" the man asked, his voice being strained by what Naraku assumed was laughter riding at the back of the man's throat. Naraku held back his own laugh, impressed that the man remembered such a lame joke.
"He's my lover. We have a ritual where we make love every month or so and then call for pizza. It's my turn this time." Naraku explained.
"Aw, that's really cute. So, uh, same address as last time?" His voice was starting to ramp higher and sound more forced. Naraku smirked.
"Yes."
"Your total is eight-fifty. Cash or card?"
"Cash."
"Alright. It'll be about forty minutes."
"I cannot wait." Naraku chuckled before ending the call and holding his phone to his chest. He imagined Jade wasn't going to be nearly as amused as her coworker was.
Naraku spent the forty-minute wait tidying up his living room. His research notes and sketches were dispersed through the room, sitting on various tables, end-tables, and shelves. Naraku gathered those into separate piles before carrying the research pile to his office and the art pile to his bedroom. He folded the blanket he slept with on the couch the previous night and draped it across the back of the couch. His eyes scanned the room slowly, searching for any paper or binder out of place.
"Yes," Naraku chuckled when he heard a car door slam. He could taste Jade's irritation already. Naraku straightened his black T-shirt and fluffed his hair as he strode to his door, opening it after hearing the three harsh knocks.
"One small cheese pizza for a very funny man." Jade announced tonelessly. She arched an eyebrow when she realized his hair was pulled in front of his shoulders, almost like he prepared for her arrival. Naraku smirked as he reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans.
"Where were you today?" Naraku asked Jade curiously.
"Not in the lab, sir. Eight-fifty, please." Jade replied quickly, hoping to end this confrontation with him quickly. Naraku counted out the money in front of her, just as he did before. He took the pizza box from her hands and placed it on the small table beside his door. Naraku looked back at Jade saw her right hand and wrist were wrapped up in a supportive gauze.
"Your hand," He said, looking her in the eyes, but hers were covered by sunglasses. Jade folded her arm behind her back and exhaled sharply.
"It's fine. Have a good evening."
"Hold on, dear. I haven't given you a tip, yet." Naraku stated, making sure his deep voice was as teasing and enticing as he could make it.
"Of course." Jade inhaled deeply through her nose, turning back to him.
"And this time," Naraku began, placing two copper coins into Jade's palm, "I'll give you two whole cents as a tip and to remind me how many times I've done this to you so far."
"You spoil me, sir. Only ninety-eight more deliveries until I get a whole dollar from you." Jade replied with a tone drenched so heavily in sarcasm, Naraku thought the building would implode. He chuckled deeply, tilting his head to the side slightly.
"There is a way to receive hundreds of dollars from me if you would,"
"No, sir, I will not blow you." Jade interrupted, her tone still retaining the heavy sarcasm as she straightened the black sunglasses over her eyes.
"No, no, you silly woman. I was speaking about you becoming my lab assistant." Naraku stated with a cheeky grin. Jade's lips stretched into a smile that reflected her patience; thin and false.
"In that case, sir, you can blow me." Jade responded evenly.
"You don't have to call me, "sir." But I do like it." Naraku chirped. Jade mouthed the words, "Blow me," as slowly as she could before clearing her throat.
"I'm on the clock. I have to maintain some level of professionalism, no matter how much I dislike the customer." Jade explained with sigh.
"Heh, you don't dislike me."
"Ooh, you're right. I don't." Jade said back, her face almost showing the pain from holding back how much she wanted to scream at him. Naraku leaned forward slightly and inhaled deeply through his nose.
"The scent of anger excites me," Naraku purred as he backed away and closed his door. Jade held back the extremely powerful urge to flip his door off with both middle fingers and shout. She marched out of the building and to her car, sitting inside and gripping her steering wheel as powerfully as she could. She let go of the wheel with her injured wrist when a sharp pain rang through her arm and opened her mouth to scream. Instead, she began giggling.
'I can't hate him.' She realized in the midst of her laughing fit. He angered her, yes, but she couldn't bring herself to find something, anything, to hate about him.
000000
Jade pulled her bedroom door closed behind her, walking down the hallway to go work in the lab for a few hours. She wasn't sure if she wanted to work her full five hours or not. She spotted Sango on the couch with Kirara in her lap and waved to her.
"Off to the lab." Jade announced.
"Aw, you look cute today," Sango sang sweetly, gesturing at Jade's body.
"I do?" Jade looked down at herself skeptically, brushing off her slightly fitted jeans and blue T-shirt.
"Yeah! Your clothes look like they fit! I can see your curves."
"Oh, I better go change, then." Jade stated half-jokingly as she jerked her thumb in the direction of her room.
"No, no, no! You look nice! Casual!" Sango insisted, trying to cover up her previous use of the word, "cute."
"Okay." Jade shrugged.
"Oh, do you have to work all day in the lab?"
"I don't have to. Why?"
"Today is my day off and I didn't know if you wanted to hang out. Kagome is working late again, so we're on our own for dinner. I figured we could try to make something so she can eat when she gets home."
"Sure. Uh, let me clock in a few hours and then I'll text you when I'm on my way,"
"Oh! Wait! How about I go to the lab with you? You're allowed to have visitors, right?" Sango asked curiously, sitting forward on the couch and causing Kirara to leap to the floor and search for a less volatile spot to nap on. Jade's face twisted as her eyes seemed to scream "NOOOOOOOOO!" for her.
"How about another day? I won't be doing anything science-y today." Jade insisted as she waved her hand.
"I'm going to hold you to it! You're going to show me that lab next time, right?" Sango asked while pointing at her friend. She noticed Jade's uncertainty and decided not to press it this time.
"Sure, sure."
"Alright. You promised. Do you want me to drive you there and pick you up?"
"Hm? Why?"
"Your wrist," Sango replied as she pointed at Jade's wrapped wrist.
"I can drive. It doesn't hurt that much."
"Your doctor said to rest it, didn't he?"
"Yeah, but,"
"I'm driving you!" Sango blurted, jumping from the couch and jogging back to her room to grab her keys. She ran back into the living room and towards the door, slipping on her shoes.
"I guess you're driving me," Jade giggled, following her friend out of the apartment and locking the door. She walked to Sango's white car, waiting at the door until she heard the click of the doors being unlocked. Jade sat down and clumsily used her left hand to strap the seatbelt across her body seeing as any twisting of the wrist caused her pain. Otherwise, it felt fine. Sango turned her car on and stretched her arms over her steering wheel.
"You know you can ask me for help, right?" Sango asked Jade with a serious expression.
"Y-Yeah, but I don't really need it. So I won't ask."
"Sometimes, we don't always need it, but it is nice to have. I know you like to think you have it handled all the time, but you don't."
"Um, did I say something weird when I drank the other night orrrrr," Jade trailed off, her face twisted with confusion.
"No. Well, you kind of hit on me, but that's not too unusual. I don't know, Jade. I'm just getting this feeling from you, like I can sense your aura, and, just….I don't want you to think you have to deal with everything alone. I know you, but I don't know your life, and we live together."
"I don't want to force my life on you guys. Kagome is uneasy with weed and doesn't care for video games, and you,"
"I don't give a shit about video games, but I really enjoyed watching you play with your friends. I honestly haven't laughed that hard in-I can't even remember." Sango interrupted, pressing a hand to her chest while smiling. Jade bit her lips together and nodded slowly.
"Oh. Well, maybe I can stream with you two in the background or something," Jade suggested while staring at her lap shyly.
"I'd love that! We've already dragged you to do things we want to do. Maybe it's time we sit home, eat junk food, and watch you play for once."
"If you want to. I wouldn't mind that." Jade replied with a shrug and a smile.
"We'll have to plan the night ahead of time. Alright, let's get you to the lab," Sango announced, backing out of the parking spot and driving out of the lot.
Jade waved to Sango, watching as her friend backed out of the space and cruised out of the Science Building parking lot. A breath of relief escaped Jade's lungs when the car disappeared from her sight. Sango had unknowingly pulled up next to Naraku's car and Jade wasn't so sure he wouldn't leap out of the trunk or something obnoxious like that. She knew he wouldn't, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility with him, either.
"Fucking prick. Got me paranoid." Jade grumbled with irritation as she walked towards the double doors. She pulled her keys from her pocket as she turned into the main hallway leading down to the lab. Jade saw the door was nudged open slightly and the lights were on, so she pocketed her keys. She pulled the door open wider and saw a swish of white hair as Sesshomaru twisted around and chucked something at her. Jade quickly squatted down, the beaker soaring over her head and smashing against the wall of the hallway behind her.
"What the fuck, dude? Really?" Jade snapped heatedly, standing up and clenching her teeth. A quiet breath left Sesshomaru's mouth as he crossed his arms.
"I thought you were Naraku." Sesshomaru said nonchalantly. Jade felt her anger dissipate quickly. She couldn't quite blame him at that point.
"Surprise?" Jade replied uncertainly, shrugging dramatically.
"I suppose I should be content that it's only you," he stated dryly as he turned back to the box on the counter, sifting through its contents gently.
"Don't worry about the mess. I've got it." Jade responded bitterly, walking into the lab and towards the storage room where the broom awaited her guidance.
'I should just start calling it, "my broom," at this point.' she thought while gritting her teeth, snatching the broom and dustpan and marching back to the hallway where the broken glass lay. Jade pressed the dustpan down with her foot, carefully sweeping the bits of glass she could see into the pan. Next, she walked back and forth around the pan, looking for any shards she may have missed.
"There you are," she said under her breath after spotting a shard and trapping it with the bristles of the broom. She looked up when she saw someone turn the nearest corner. It was Naraku, dressed as sharply as usual with black slacks and a white dress shirt. He was carrying his usual lunch; a salad with no dressing. He was wearing his usual expression; a knowing smirk and eyes that pierced the soul.
"Ah, finally demoted from Lab Assistant to Lab Maid, I see." Naraku remarked.
"Ha." Jade said while shaking her head, kneeling down to grab the dustpan. Naraku walked to the door, planning to close it in Jade's face, but he quickly leaned back when he saw Sesshomaru hurl something towards him. He heard a thud and glass shattering and turned back to see the damage and laugh at Sesshomaru's failure, but instead, his eyes locked on Jade, who was staring wide-eyed at nothing, her hand pressed against her cheek as a dark red liquid gradually dribbled between her fingers.
"Excellent aim, Sesshomaru." Naraku shot as he walked towards Jade, Sesshomaru moving past him a little more quickly.
"Maybe if you were half a man and would take it like one," Sesshomaru replied calmly, kneeling in front of Jade. He reached out to move her hand from her face, but she jerked back, as if her consciousness logged back online.
"Are you," Naraku began slowly, but stopping when Jade smiled widely.
"I'm good." Jade said in a chipper manner that seemed to hiss, "Murder," to Naraku.
"If you allow me to look at it, I can see if you need stitches or not." Sesshomaru stated while slowly standing up.
"Ah, you didn't seem too worried about that possibility when you started throwing beakers at people. Why start now?" Jade asked with a laugh as her smile widened. Naraku had already taken a step back from her. If this was going to be the moment she lashed out, he wanted nothing to do with it. The young woman let out an annoyed groan before walking away to find a bathroom. Naraku and Sesshomaru watched her quietly before glancing at one another.
"I thought Bruce said she was level-headed," Sesshomaru said cynically.
"You struck her in the face with a beaker. I'm shocked she didn't slap you….and disappointed." Naraku retorted smoothly. Sesshomaru shrugged slightly, walking back into the lab to continue unpacking his boxes. Naraku almost followed him, but he stopped and looked back at the abandoned broom, dustpan, and broken glass. He quickly walked into the lab to place his salad on his desk and then marched back into the hallway, sweeping the shards of glass into the dustpan and disposing of them into the glass-disposal bin inside the lab next to the door. Naraku swiped his salad and turned back to the door.
"Going to tattle on me?" Sesshomaru asked, keeping his back turned to Naraku.
"No. I'll allow Jade to handle you in whatever way she deems necessary." Naraku chuckled as he walked out the door.
