Restricted
A/N - Thanks to everyone who has read to this point. It's much appreciated.
"Why did you agree to keep us in the same room? I don't like roommates." Naraku growled.
"It's for tonight and tomorrow night only. I think we can tolerate each other." Jade retorted softly, tossing her suitcase onto the bed closest to the window.
"I want that bed."
"Fine." Jade snipped, dragging her suitcase off the bed and over to bed closest to the bathroom. Naraku almost changed his mind again just to spite her, but he refrained and decided to take the argument down a different road.
"We have to be ready in an hour; can you do that?" he asked condescendingly. A moment of silence rose between them. Naraku turned to her and saw her staring at him with frustrated confusion.
"You're the obsessive pretty one." she finally said, pointing at him. "I should be asking you that."
"I'm a ten even on my worst days."
"But this isn't your worst day; this is an important day for you."
"Not for you?"
"More so for you. Go get pretty and leave my ugliness to me." Jade retorted, now pointing at the bathroom. It was Naraku's turn to stare her down silently. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion when she realized he was thinking of an insult.
"Six out of ten." he said gently. He saw the red color rising in her cheeks as she held back the urge to say something heated.
"Thank you." she bit quietly. Naraku grinned cheekily, taking his clothes and brush with him into the bathroom. He shed his worn jeans and black T-shirt, slipping on his black slacks, a white tank top, and a periwinkle blue dress shirt. He paused buttoning it up when he heard rustling around in the room, but he figured Jade was taking the opportunity to change, too. He tucked his shirt in and began taming his hair, which didn't require too much attention since he had tamed it earlier that morning before boarding the plane. He pulled his hair into a high ponytail to help keep his mane in check while still allowing it to look majestic.
'This blue looks better on me than I thought.' Naraku realized, turning to examine himself from different angles.
When Naraku decided he looked perfect, he walked out of the bathroom, expecting to see an impatient and plain Jade, but instead, she was standing at the tall mirror, applying eyeliner. She had changed into a fitted light olive green dress that ended just under her knees. It covered her chest, but had no sleeves. Naraku blinked after feeling the sting of staring too intensely. Jade caught his gaze in the mirror and inhaled deeply.
"Just go ahead and get it out of your system." Jade said, almost whining.
"You look nice."
"Thanks, ass- what?" she spun around to look at him directly.
"I said you looked nice." Naraku repeated, feeling the heat rushing to his cheeks. He stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"Oh, uh," Jade looked like a lost child. "Thanks."
Naraku stared at everything but Jade as he waited for her to finish with her makeup. She wasn't taking a long time, but it felt like an eternity to him. It was only the first of many conferences he was going to attend for his thesis, but he was excited all the same. He looked down at himself. When was the last time he felt excited?
"Okay. I think this is as good as it'll get." Jade announced with a tone of defeat. Naraku stood and walked over to her, wondering why she sounded displeased. She had done a fine job of focusing on accentuating her eyes and cheekbones, which were her best features. She had kept her technique so focused and light that he almost couldn't tell she had makeup on. Her dress coupled nicely with her skin tone and her short, tan heels. The pastel colors of her appearance made her vivid green eyes look even more brilliant.
"A suggestion?" Naraku offered, eyeing her hair.
"Sure." Jade shrugged. He walked over to his suitcase and unzipped the pocket that held his hair products. Grabbing a comb and a hairpin, Naraku walked back to Jade. He slipped the thin handle of the comb along her scalp and flipped a section of her hair from the left side of her head to her right, finding an off-center part that her hair would agree with. He combed the hair into place and the slipped the hairpin in her bangs to keep the new part in place and to keep the hair out of her face.
"There," Naraku motioned toward the mirror. Jade stood in front of it and her expression lightened as her hand softly stroked her hair.
"I think that's what was bothering me. Thanks." Jade said.
"Never neglect your hair." he told her with a grin, now standing behind her. "It's your real fashion statement, not your clothes."
"Yes, Hair Daddy."
"I despise you."
Naraku tucked the protective container holding his poster under his arm, watching as Jade pointed out every marijuana dispensary she saw as they walked to the building where the conference was being held. She even took a few pictures of the dispensaries. Naraku assumed she sent them as taunts to her friends.
'It's a good thing her poster is protected.' Naraku thought wryly, watching as she picked the black cylindrical container up for a fourth time after trying to juggle it, her phone, and her excitement all at once.
"Good thing I have this," Jade chirped, tapping the container. Naraku simply shook his head and kept walking. He didn't bother trying to keep pace with Jade, who was either twenty steps ahead of him or twenty steps behind him to look at various shops. He was genuinely shocked that she wasn't cartwheeling and singing, "Wheee!"
"I assume you've never been to Colorado?" Naraku asked, though this was a first for him, too. It was on his list of places he wanted to visit, but he always found a reason to stay home and work, either at his previous jobs or in the lab.
"I have, just not since it legalized marijuana." Jade called back. "Which is weird, now that I think about it. I live in northern New Mexico. I'm only a couple hours away from the border. Or I did before moving."
"New Mexico?" Naraku repeated.
"Yep. Born and raised." Jade replied.
"I've driven through New Mexico. It was boring."
"Southern half?"
"Yes."
"There's your problem." Jade giggled.
"Hah," Naraku caught himself smiling, but he let it go.
000000
The conference reminded Jade of the video tournaments she would attend every year. The building had been a former factory, but was used by the locals for holding large events such as this one. At the south end of the building, tables were set up in rows, but with plenty of spaces between them to allow walking and standing space. Each table held two posters and for the most part, people from the same schools teamed up, including Naraku and herself. The north end of the building was saved for a long table with light foods such as deli meats, fruits, vegetables, and some sweet snacks sitting on top. The remaining space was occupied by a stage.
She had a few people approach her and listen to her describe the phosphorus and nitrogen levels of a portion of this lake. She was able to answer most questions and some she could only answer half-way, but that was better than bombing completely. Naraku had trained her well in the two weeks leading up to this event. Her last audience was two girl students who looked even younger than her and a woman, a professor, with thirty years of experience and ten of them being dedicated to the effects of agriculture on different environments, or so she said. She listened to Jade intently. The only word Jade could use to describe her was, "sharp." She was tall, thin, and wearing a casual gray suit that seemed to make her sharper along her shoulders, elbows, and knees. At the end of her explanation, the sharp lady reached out and shook her hand, gave her a business card, and told her she did a good job and that she hoped to see Jade at more conferences. Jade was not as enthusiastic about attending more of them.
Naraku, on the other hand, was thriving in this environment. Naraku spoke to almost four times the amount Jade spoke to at a time. From Jade's experience, he didn't speak much and when he did, it was to be vindictive and manipulative, but he was different here. He talked a lot and his tone was excited. If someone had a question, he had an answer. If someone suggested something, he explained why he didn't use that suggestion. He didn't insult anyone or threaten them. His chuckles were genuine, his eyes were alert and alive, and his smile was contagious.
'If he was like this all the time, I would actually consider dating him...not that he would agree to it.' Jade bit her lips together and inhaled deeply. 'Okay, he's very handsome right now, but I know better.' She wished her body would listen to her brain when it came down to these types of situations. She hoped admitting it would make it better, but it didn't. So, she turned away from him and focused on his words instead...except his deep voice was as equally attractive as the rest of him. Jade started silently reciting the horrible things he said to her over the five-month period she had been exposed to him, but she was drawn back into his world when he began explaining his process of estimating the amounts of each microbe.
'How can one human being be so smart?' Jade wondered. It was a group of twelve listening to Naraku; three she assumed were professors or experts and the rest were students. They all held curious expressions, as if Naraku was the only expert and professor. A few of them even scribbled notes into their notebooks.
"Why are they purple?" an older man asked.
"I'm not sure. Finding out why is a new goal that I've added to my overall project." Naraku answered. "At this point, the only abnormalities I've found are the high phosphorus and nitrogen levels in the lake itself." he continued, pointing at Jade's poster. She smiled and waved and choked back a groan.
'Don't send them over here. I'm going to sound so stupid after you.' she wanted to say. She hoped her eyes said enough, but it seemed Naraku had forgotten she existed.
"Everything else is normal?" the old man pressed.
"About as normal as you can expect from an anoxic, brackish lake," Naraku replied.
"Huh. I've heard of cases of microbes changing color due to their environment or exposure to different minerals. Perhaps you'll discover something later."
"I hope so." Naraku exhaled with a smile. Jade was taken aback by that. It was another rare moment of a genuine human emotion from him. He crossed his arms, listening to the group in front of him discuss possible reasons for the odd colorings. Jade looked around to make sure no one was approaching her, but the crowds were beginning to thin out.
'The more attention he draws, the less I have to speak. He's actually explaining my poster for me.' Jade reminded herself. The competitive part of her wanted to take the challenge, but she knew she had no chance against Naraku. He could make dirt sound interesting. Jade sighed away her competitive impulses.
"You're quiet." he said to her after his audience dispersed. "You need to practice speaking to people face-to-face."
"Let's see; listen to the guy with the fancy purple microscopic lifeforms or listen to the chick talking about phosphorus levels in a dead lake?"
"Also nitrogen, and it's nearly dead, not completely."
"I'm being a smart-ass."
"I am aware." he replied, smiling widely. Jade stared at him. He looked so...happy. It was a strange sight to accept; one she wished she could see more of. His eyes were lit up with excitement and his face wasn't pulled into an emotionless or sadistic expression. Naraku tilted his head; a child-like innocence flashed across his face. "What?"
"I was waiting for you to retaliate."
"I wouldn't do that to you here; there are witnesses." he said dryly as his smile morphed into a malicious grin. Jade smiled back.
"There it is."
"Don't tempt me, woman." Naraku wagged his finger at her, but he turned when he heard someone behind him call out, "Sir?" A handful of people were now standing in front of him again. Jade stifled a yawn and exhaled heavily as Naraku dove back into Science World without her.
Before too long, Jade began wiggling side-to-side in place and absentmindedly stroking her soft dress. The poster portion of the conference was coming to a close. Many people were preparing themselves for the bigger presentations that were going to begin within the hour on stage. Jade felt a hand land on her shoulder and stopped moving.
"Are you bored?" Naraku asked.
"Kind of. This isn't as bad as I thought it would be." Jade replied. She then pointed at the stage where the projector and speakers were being set up. "Will you end up doing something like that?"
"Yes. They save the stage portion for projects that are completely done. So, after I present my finalized thesis to the committee at school, I will attend another conference to present all of my findings and conclusions."
"Sweet. I keep getting cards from different professors. Is that good?" she asked, waving the five personal business cards she had received from multiple professors interested in her "work." Naraku leaned over, slipped the business cards he was given from his pocket, and spread them out between hands in a fan-like shape. He had triple the amount Jade had.
"It can be." Naraku said. "Most of the time, the professors are just advertising. The more grad students they have, the more funding they receive for their own research. It can be politically motivated, too."
"Oh." Jade sighed, lowering her cards.
"You're better off sticking with Bruce for your Master's. Then you can go elsewhere."
"Okay."
"I think we're safe to abandon our posters." he said, pointing at the other end of the room where various foods and drinks resided. Jade trotted excitedly to the table as Naraku followed with less enthusiasm. After filling their plates, they found a spot against a nearby wall away from the crowd and sat on the floor, munching away. Jade finished her food first and began to snatch grapes from Naraku's plate. He caught her wrist on the third grape and pulled it from her grip. She simply snatched another and plopped it in her mouth quickly.
"Quit eating mine." Naraku demanded.
"No." Jade replied, pulling out her phone. "Oh, Sango sent a picture of Hanger Dan,"
"Every time you call him that, I'm going to think of a different way to slowly stress you out until your heart stops beating."
"Okay, Daddy." Jade turned her phone sideways and showed Naraku the picture of his guinea pig sitting peacefully in Sango's lap. "He looks happy."
"He's a guinea pig; they have a constant look of terror on their faces." Naraku argued coolly.
"Is that why you like him?" Jade asked smugly.
"Perhaps." Naraku answered, finishing off his last piece of deli meat. He glanced at Jade, who was staring back at him. "What?"
"You didn't give me a bullshit answer. I'm shocked." Jade said back. Naraku's expression darkened.
"I won't do it again." Naraku replied evenly. He stared her down and she matched him as best as she could, but she began giggling. Naraku refrained from headbutting her. When he looked away, she laughed harder.
"Oh, Naraku, come on,"
"I didn't say anything."
"Your eyes spoke for you. I'm just teasing you, dude." Jade insisted.
"I don't like it."
"You do it to me."
"Stop me."
"Oh, well, how about you stop me?" Jade winked. "Daddy."
"I'll remember this." Naraku said as he stood up to discard his trash. He grit his teeth harder when Jade began chanting, "Daddy," while following him.
Naraku chose a chair on the outskirts of the audience and Jade sat beside him. While waiting for the first live presentation to begin, Naraku started a game of Hangman with Jade in his notebook. The word he chose was only three letters long, and Jade had guessed the letter 'E,' which was the second letter, but her next two guesses were wrong.
"How about, "L?" Jade suggested, thinking the word was, "Leg." She cursed under her breath when he wrote the letter down on the dreaded list of denial while drawing the second leg of the stick person.
"You're thinking too hard about this." Naraku said.
"It's you. I have to."
"Ah, but I already know that, so I've chosen the simpler route."
"Fucking…"S?"" Jade spat, thinking the word was, "Sex," this time. To her surprise, Naraku scribbled the letter in the third slot.
"Lucky guess. I know what you thought it was." he laughed.
"Yes." Jade chirped, tapping the remaining empty slot. He wrote the "Y" and handed the notebook to Jade. She took a moment to think of a word.
'Alright, a word Naraku wouldn't think of...friendship?'
"English." Naraku reminded her.
"I know." Jade drew four lines. She figured the word, "Glow," would get some mileage.
"E," Naraku guessed. Jade wrote the letter to the side and drew the head. "A,"
"Nope." Jade chirped, scribbling the letter down and drawing the body.
"Astonishing," Naraku announced, raising an eyebrow. "You're even terrible at drawing stick figures. How are you so good at being so terrible?"
"I don't know. How are you so good at being so horrible?"
"Practice and plenty of life experiences." he responded with a faint hint of a smile. "O,"
"Yep." Jade wrote the letter in the third slot and waited.
"F,"
"Nope."
"It's glow." he said so quickly that Jade hadn't even finished drawing a line for the arm. His deep chuckles made her shake her head while her cheeks filled with heat. She was pretty sure his chuckles would haunt her until she died. She preferred the giggles she elicited from him the night they got high together. He was pleasant then and he was pleasant when she hung out with him a couple of weeks prior.
'He has something good under all of that bitterness. I've seen it.' Jade told herself. The images of the sketched woman surfaced in her mind again. She had to have been important to him. Why else would he sketch her into his book of flowers? Her eyes found his face, which was restrained once more. Naraku the Science Enthusiast was gone and Naraku the Guarded was back. He had crossed one leg over the other and was reading something on his phone. Instantly, his body tensed up as his lips turned downward. The look in his eyes stuck a cold blade through her gut, expelling all warmth from her. 'Why is he angry?'
Once he bared his teeth in a rageful snarl, he swiftly stood and stormed off without saying a word. Jade looked around, unsure of what to do. She knew better than to attempt to console or even communicate with him, but she also knew how important the conference was to him. He had spent hours practicing his speeches to her and even more time explaining material to her so she could understand what she was talking about. Jade waited a few minutes, but Naraku had disappeared from sight.
'I guess I'll go find him.' Jade reluctantly stood from her chair, placing her notebook in her seat and Naraku's in his before going in the general direction he headed in. A few people nodded their heads at her and she nodded back. Jade knew the look on her face was drawing attention to her, but she walked fast, with a purpose, hoping it would discourage anyone from approaching her. She continued walking along the wall until she found the narrow hallway which led to the bathrooms. She stood at the men's bathroom door, listening. She could hear water running.
"Naraku," she called out, knocking on the door. Her face flushed with the heat of embarrassment. What if he wasn't in there and someone else was? What if he was in there and someone else was, too? He certainly wouldn't answer her with witnesses. Swallowing her doubts, she knocked again. "I know you're upset. I'll leave you alone after you answer me and tell me you'll be okay."
"I'm fine. Now go." he replied quickly and bitterly. Jade's mouth dropped open. He actually answered her?
"Okay." Jade sighed.
The walk back to her seat was awkward. Taking extensive notes for Naraku and herself was awkward. Sitting through two presentations for two hours with no sign from Naraku was awkward. Every time Jade typed up a text to send him, she deleted it. Naraku was not the type to accept any kind of pity, and she was the largest source of pity in his life, she suspected, so she was the last person he wanted to hear from. She understood that completely. But, she also didn't know anyone else. She wasn't familiar with the town. And whether anyone believed her or not, Naraku was occasionally fun to be around. He was a challenge. He forced her to think quickly. A part of her was looking forward to having fun with him.
Her phone vibrated. Naraku messaged her.
'Go find something to do. I'm going to be gone for a while, so leave me alone.' his message read.
"Okay." Jade whispered. She wanted to experience a dispensary, so she decided to visit the first one she saw.
000000
Jade stared at her phone; the email she had just finished typing up staring back at her. A moment ago, telling Bruce what happened with Naraku seemed like a good idea, but now it felt like one of the worst things she could do. Bruce was their professor, but Naraku despised Bruce and the power he held over him. Involving him would be like dumping gasoline on a wildfire.
'I wish he would respond to me.' Jade placed her phone face-down after deleting the email. Naraku hadn't replied to her since telling her to leave him alone. She understood him wanting to be alone, but she wanted to know he was fine, or as fine as Naraku could be. Jade suspected Naraku's default mental state involved him dancing madly on the lip of a volcano. 'Should I try my cannabis chocolate to relax? They said it's strong, though. I might not be able to function tomorrow.'
Another hour passed and the sun was nearly hidden behind the mountains. Jade had turned on the room's main lights and the lamp on the nightstand between both beds. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, writing the last portion of notes Bruce sent with her to give her the needed boost to finally catch up with the class. His O-Chem midterm was scheduled the previous day, but Bruce was going to let her take it Monday. Once she did, she was officially caught up. Even though she only had two actual classes this semester, Organic Chemistry alone was worth the workload of almost three classes.
'I'm glad Bruce is funny, otherwise we would've become alcoholics by week two.' Jade giggled, but it was a pitiful giggle. A loud bang echoed through the room and Jade jumped to her feet beside the bed, both hands pressed to her heaving chest.
"What the fu-" she breathed. The door swung open and Naraku's tall form sauntered into the room. He dropped his card key on the floor and made his way to the table next to the window. Jade saw him place a bottle on the table and from the loud clang, she assumed it was a bottle of alcohol. Naraku had both hands planted on the table, his head hung down and his face hid behind the black curtain of his long hair. He was leaned over the table almost to the point of collapsing on it.
'Great. He's hammered.' Jade realized. His chuckles made her stomach churn.
"You're quiet." Naraku said aloud. "No warm welcome?"
"I thought you didn't want me to talk to you." Jade reminded him. He finally lifted his head.
"I didn't." he agreed, taking hold of the bottle again and twisting the cap off. He took three long gulps and Jade found herself cringing. He needed to stop!
"Naraku, we still have a conference to go-"
"Not anymore!" he announced as he spun around to look at her. His smile was wide; it was almost a snarl, and his eyes were glossed over with exhaustion and rage. The perfect, powerful appearance he worked so hard to maintain was now disheveled and defeated. His shirt was halfway unbuttoned and she hoped the dark red stains splattered on his chest and sleeves were wine.
"What do you mean not anymore?" Jade asked with a frown, clasping her hands together to stop them from shaking. Suddenly, Naraku erupted into wild laughter! It made Jade jump and flinch, her fingers squeezing around each other almost to their breaking point. She had seen him angry, sleep deprived, cold; this was different. He tilted the bottle towards his mouth and dumped another round down his throat, still snickering and giggling with terrifying delight. He suppressed a couple of coughs, shaking his head.
'I need help! I don't know what to do!' Jade eyes darted to locate her phone on her bed. It was almost on the other side. She would have to almost crawl on the high-sitting bed to reach it!
"You seem preoccupied, Jade." Naraku chuckled and was now approaching her. "What's wrong?"
"I'm still confused." she admitted to him, watching him carefully. He stopped a few feet away from her.
"I'm confused, dear." he told her, poking his chest harshly and frowning at her. Jade noticed the wine he was drinking was purple, so it didn't match the stains on his shirt.
'I need to choose my words carefully.' Jade looked down briefly and lowered her hands from her chest to her abdomen, though they remained clasped.
"What happened?" she asked softly, nodding at the red spots on his right sleeve. His eyes narrowed and he stepped forward.
"You're scared of me."
"I-I'm concerned," Jade insisted, unlocking her fingers and holding her hands out to stop him from coming closer. It only seemed to encourage him. Her hands were now pressing against his stomach. It took everything in her power to lower her hands and look up at him with a straight face.
"A drink?" he asked, holding the bottle out to her. Jade shook her head and Naraku arched an eyebrow, but then he shrugged and took a drink for her. Jade grit her teeth.
"You're super lit right now. Maybe you should stop drinking." Jade suggested.
"Heh, why? Why would I? Why should I?" Naraku downed two more gulps of the wine, turned around and headed back towards the table. "My thesis is obsolete now. Everything I have worked for, everyone I have spoken to, convincing the authorities to allow these samples to cross international waters, roping you in as my assistant, hours, days, MONTHS of my life - wasted! Hahahaha, absolutely wasted! I should be wasted alongside all of it!" His wild laugh sent chills down Jade's spine. A part of her had always wanted to see him snap, to watch him get a taste of his own medicine, but now she regretted ever entertaining the thought.
"Hey, we still have to show up tomorrow anyway," Jade insisted as she approached him slowly. He grimaced, cringing as if in pain, but then he straightened his posture and chuckled.
"Think twice before touching me or reaching for the bottle," he said with a charming smile.
'Oh my God, he's broken! He's broken and I'm stuck with him in a hotel in a completely different state!' Jade stopped advancing and looked down at the floor, thinking about her next move thoroughly. She figured leaving the room was her best bet, but Naraku had stepped forward again and sighed heavily.
"I'm not going to hurt you." he told her. "I'll stop drinking."
"You do you. I'm going to grab something to eat from the lobby. Want anything?" Jade asked, turning and dodging his hand when he reached out to touch her face. She grabbed her wallet and pulled on her shoes. To her surprise, he didn't stop her. He just stood in place, staring at her and frowning.
"Why are you leaving me?" he asked with confusion.
"I just said I'm grabbing some food." Jade repeated, knowing she had a concerned expression etched onto her face now. She needed to leave before she lost her composure. "Do you want anything?" Naraku stared at her a bit longer, placing the bottle on the TV stand beside him and slowly walking to his bed.
"No. Just come back." he answered after collapsing on his back.
"Okay." Jade replied in a small voice. It wasn't like she could really go anywhere else.
Jade could not leave the room fast enough. Once she confirmed that she had her key card to open the door and retrieved her phone, she nearly flew out into the hallway. She waited for the elevator, glancing back at the door to make sure he didn't decide to follow her. The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside, tapping the button for the lobby.
'I can't really blame him for being upset if he really can't work on his thesis anymore.' Jade frowned and bit her lips together. 'He scared me, though.'
The lobby's convenient store was open all day, every day, much to Jade's delight. She truly wasn't hungry; she just needed to leave Naraku alone long enough for him to pass out. Her eyes rolled when she realized she was going to be dealing with a very sick and irritable man in the morning. She picked up a bag of potato chips, but then placed them back on the shelf. She did the same with a few candy bars and sandwiches, becoming more and more disappointed each time.
"Are you looking for something in particular?" the cashier, an older woman with graying brown hair, asked. She was short, stout; she reminded Jade of Mama. She would have given anything for Mama to have been there. She would know what to say.
"Not really. Just browsing." Jade answered.
"Just let me know, then." the woman replied, turning around to continue her cleaning.
'I'm just not as hungry as I used to be.' she thought, scratching her head. 'I also haven't smoked weed in a while, so that might have something to do with it.'
After finally deciding on a ripe green apple, Jade sat down at one of the tables inside the store. She scrolled through different sites, snickering to herself when she found funny comments. She bit off a few chunks of the apple, winced when she was slightly overwhelmed by the sourness, and then finally chewed and swallowed. She found a discussion board where people were complaining about the stupid shit customers say or do to retail/food service workers and found herself giggling profusely at quite a few comments that revealed that customers said and did the exact same shit across the world without fail.
'I miss delivering. I miss dealing with stupid customers with Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku. I miss hanging out with them behind the building.' Jade's eyes teared up suddenly. She quickly wiped them away with her sleeve, reminding herself that she would be able to go back to work soon. It was better to wait and heal than to go back and suffer. Her thumb dragged up against the screen until she found new comments she hadn't read yet. The chair across from her quickly and loudly moved, causing Jade to jump in her seat and lean back.
"You said you were coming back." Naraku said accusingly, plopping down in the chair. He rested both elbows on the table, holding his head in his hands as he stared at her tiredly.
"I'm eating." Jade huffed, locking her phone and placing it face down on the table. His eyes closed as he mulled over her answer.
"You could have brought it back to the room."
"Look," she began, holding her hand up to stop him. "You're very upset, so I'm just trying to give you some space."
"I didn't ask for space this time."
"Naraku," Jade complained, lightly pressing her hand on her forehead.
"Jade," he mocked.
"Not now, okay? If you want to self-destruct, go somewhere else. I'll be up to go to bed in about twenty minutes." Jade responded sternly, surprised that she was able to keep her voice steady. "Can you survive twenty minutes without me?" The drunken man had sat back in the chair, now staring at the floor and holding onto the seat to steady himself. His expression darkened.
"I cannot sleep." he replied gently.
"The alcohol hasn't hit you yet."
"No, you don't understand,"
"I'll compromise; silence until I finish eating." Jade responded quickly. He didn't look at her, but he nodded. Biting the apple harshly, Jade unlocked her phone to continue reading the comments, but the damage was done. Her mood was more sour than the apple and reading about stupid customers wasn't even remotely funny anymore. She sighed heavily and placed her phone face down on the table again, shaking her head as she looked away.
'To be honest, I don't know how he's conscious, let alone sitting up.' Jade admitted silently, occasionally glancing at her drunken partner. He would sway slightly, his head would nod forward, but he didn't fall. She reached the apple's core, but continued to nibble on it as much as possible. Her eyes kept falling back on the dark red stains on his light blue shirt.
"Are you scared of me now?" he asked suddenly, finally looking at her. His expression was different from his usual ones. He almost seemed worried. Jade was skeptical, but there was no use in lying. Naraku smelled blood in the water.
"Well, I'm definitely not comfortable with you right now," she replied, slowly tapping her finger on the table. She figured sugar-coating her answers was the best route to take for now.
"I won't hurt you."
"You threatened me." Jade said plainly. When she saw him frown and tilt his head to the side, she realized that he had forgotten about it entirely. A good thing or an insult? She wasn't sure.
"I have before."
"Even when you're drunk," Jade whined, quickly rising to her feet to discard her apple core. She began walking across the lobby, but she stopped and waited for him to catch up.
The trip back to their room was quiet, but Jade didn't feel any tension from Naraku anymore, which was a huge relief. She figured he had already forgotten what happened. Jade kicked her shoes off, crawled onto her bed, turned out the light, and plugged her phone in before snuggling beneath the covers. She really wanted to read more funny stories, but she didn't want to keep Naraku awake with her snorts and giggles.
"Jade," he called out quietly from his bed.
"Yeah?" she answered with a sigh.
"I don't want to sleep. Keep me awake."
"You're going to be so fucked up tomorrow."
"I'm not going tomorrow." he replied dejectedly.
"What?" Jade, held her head up. She could see his faint outline in the dim moonlight that crept from behind the partially closed curtains. He had his back turned to her. He was still wearing his dress clothes and he hadn't even bothered to remove his shoes.
"I'm not going. There is no reason to."
"We can see other people's stuff."
"Fuck them." Naraku bit back. "I am better than all of them; their projects mean nothing."
"Okay. I'll go alone." Jade replied dismissively. "You should still rest, though."
"Why do you care?" he asked, but not rudely. He sounded confused.
"I don't want you to be miserable. Is that okay?" Jade asked back. She heard the sound of fabric rubbing together as Naraku shifted his position. He remained silent.
'Does he think I hate him? I guess I've joked about it a few times. Maybe he took it to heart.' Jade rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. Her body grew heavy, her mind began to fog with sleepiness, and before she slipped away completely, she heard a loud sniffle.
Her dreams weren't terrifying anymore. She hadn't dreamt of the beach or the black water washing ashore for a while. This time, it was a sea of grass, most of the blades taller than she was, and she was running through them while giggling, listening to Aunt Rosa shouting at her to come back and Mama telling her to leave Jade alone. Her two cousins were asking Aunt Rosa if they could join her. She sat on a large boulder, playing her Gameboy quietly. A brook of water curved around the boulder, gurgling softly. It was a warm day and not a cloud was in the sky. A few beads of sweat dropped onto her Gameboy's screen, so she wiped the screen on her jeans and continued playing. The sun was directly overhead and the day was only growing warmer. The batteries in her Gameboy were going to die eventually and it was unbearably hot now. She looked around for the nearest spot of shade.
'Too warm,' Jade thought. She peeled her blankets off, but brushed against an arm...his arm! Jade blinked several times, waiting for her mind to catch up. His arm was draped over her! Naraku's body was close enough for Jade to reconsider her life choices.
"Dude, what the fuck are you doing in my bed?" she asked harshly, but he was so deep in his sleep that Jade actually checked if he was breathing before grabbing his hand and letting it fall wherever behind her. He didn't budge. She poked his chest harshly, but it didn't matter; Naraku's consciousness had ascended to the drunken astral plane.
'Note to self; only smoke weed with Naraku.' Jade slid out of her bed and decided to use his unoccupied one. She used her phone's flashlight to make sure the bed was clear of any expelled liquids before hopping into it.
"Don't leave," Naraku mumbled.
"I'm not le-"
"Kikyou," he whimpered.
'This was a terrible, awful idea,' Jade scolded herself. She was the one who suggested they both suck it up and share a room this one time and now she was the one complaining. She inhaled through her nose deeply, trying to calm her nerves. He hadn't done anything. He handled her during her meltdown, so she felt like she owed him a moment of weakness without judgment. Her thoughts drifted back to what he had just whispered. What was a kikyou? Keek-yo? It didn't sound like any words she knew in English or Spanish.
'Maybe it's Japanese. I'll have to ask Sango or Kagome.'
000000
'My head is going to explode.' Naraku winced. His stomach was roiling angrily and his entire body weighed several tons. Carefully, he opened his eyes, but even though the curtains had been closed entirely, the dim light showing through was enough to burn his eyes. He turned his head and saw a bagel on a plate, a bottle of water, and sitting on a napkin was a small square of white chocolate. There was also a note sitting beside it. He grabbed it and inhaled sharply. The movement was upsetting his stomach more.
'I'm going to the conference. The "chocolate" should help with the headache and nausea.'
"Hm." Naraku plucked the chocolate from the napkin and bit off a small chunk to test the taste first. It had a mild sweetness and it was already melting from the heat of his fingers. He ate the rest of the chocolate and closed his eyes for a moment. Then his eyes shot open.
'I'm on Jade's bed!' he realized. He checked his hands and arms, almost expecting them to have begun to rot if he had touched her. Did he touch her? Did she move to his bed? Or did she just let him touch her like she usually did?
"Whatever." he grumbled, reaching over for the bagel. He was too sick to care.
Naraku was able to sit up after twenty minutes of painstakingly chewing through half of the bagel. It was easier to drink the water than to eat, so he finished the water sooner. Pressing his hand against his throbbing stomach, he slid onto his feet and slowly shuffled to the bathroom and pressed the entire front side of his body against the cool wall. When the wave of nausea washed away, he quickly shed his clothes and stepped into the shower. The warm water began wash away the sweat his body had accumulated. He could feel the headache rinsing away with it along with the heaviness of his exhaustion. He assumed the "chocolate" had digested.
Once he finished showering, he grabbed his dirty clothes and carried them over to his suitcase. He saw the spots of red on his shirt and frowned with irritation. They had already dried; removing them was going to be a bitch.
'What are they? Wine?' he wondered. He held a spot to his nose and inhaled. Naraku quickly dropped the shirt on his bed. Blood. Striding back into the bathroom, Naraku began to inspect his body for any cuts, scrapes, or stabs. His nose and mouth had no injuries or dried blood, either. He did find a bruise on his lower back. It was turning blue, meaning it was fresh. It was about the size of a fist.
"I don't remember fighting anyone." he murmured, though he had to admit his memory of the previous day was fragmented.
'I didn't hurt Jade...did I?' he froze in place, remembering the dream he had a few weeks before. Naraku found his phone hiding in the pocket of his pants and sent her a message, asking if he touched her. Naraku decided to finish his cleaning routine while waiting for a reply. He was halfway done with drying and brushing his hair when Jade returned from the conference. She nodded a silent greeting as she walked up to him and placed a few pieces of paper on the desk in front of him. He instantly recognized her neat, dark handwriting.
"What are these?" Naraku asked, turning the dryer off.
"I went to two other presentations and took notes for you. I am your assistant." she answered, unbuttoning her light yellow blouse and tossing it onto her bed. She had a matching cami on underneath. Naraku turned back around and continued drying his hair. Jade had pulled her faded jeans and plain green T-shirt back on, now sitting cross-legged on her bed and texting on her phone. Naraku stood and clamped his towel around his waist. "Want me to leave the room?" she asked.
"You've seen me before," he answered. Jade huffed and toppled over on her side with her back facing him. "You're not interested?"
"I was hoping you would be quieter."
"You fed me marijuana. There is no hope." Naraku chuckled.
"Speaking of, did it help?"
"Yes." he replied, buckling his belt. He pulled a light lilac dress shirt over his tank top, but he left it unbuttoned as he strolled over to Jade. "Did I do anything to you last night?"
"You annoyed me." Jade said dryly, looking up at him calmly.
"No, in bed."
"You annoyed me."
"You're not helping. Did you read my text?"
"You had your arm over me. So I switched beds. No big deal." Jade explained uncaringly. "I did get your text. You did touch me, but not in a bad way, if that's what you're wondering."
"I don't-"
"You were fucked up, I understand." she interrupted. "I'm cool. I won't tell anyone."
"It was that bad?"
"I'm going to record myself telling the story of you cuddling me and upload it to YouTube."
"I will drop it." Naraku insisted quickly. She slowly nodded at him with a tight-lipped smirk. Naraku crossed his arms and looked away.
"That purple is a good color on you."
"It's lilac."
"I'm not only going to tell the story and upload it, but I'm going to tell everyone your name."
"Th- I respect your opinion on my appearance." Naraku said begrudgingly.
"Haha, good enough." Jade giggled, sitting up. His eyes met hers.
"What do you want?"
"Huh?"
"You're holding it over my head, so what do you want from me?"
"Nothing, really. Just don't play mind games with me and I won't with you." Jade retorted. "And learn to take a compliment." Naraku rolled his eyes as he walked over to his bed and crawled on top of it, planting his face into a pillow.
'I should slap her.' he thought bitterly, but he grit his teeth as his chest tightened. He exhaled forcefully. 'I don't want to.'
"Hey, did you get in a fight or something? What were those stains on your shirt?" Jade asked as she stood up from her bed. Naraku was glad his face was smashed into the pillow.
"Wine." he answered, his voice muffled.
"But you weren't drinking red wine when you came back last night."
"I imagine I drank more than that before I returned."
"You don't remember?"
"Would you?" Naraku retorted, lifting his head and turning to look at her. "I started off drinking red wine; I remember that much."
"Makes sense. I think I'm going to go check out some stores." Jade announced, grabbing her wallet and pocketing her phone. Naraku waited for her to leave before slipping into his shoes and following her. He stepped onto the elevator with her and looked away when she smiled up at him.
'She's mocking me. There is no way she's enjoying my company.'
"Oh, come on. I'm not going to tell anyone." she insisted. "Quit pouting."
"I'm not pouting."
"Stooooooop." Jade begged dryly. Naraku turned his head to glare at her and then poked her on the side of the head sharply. She flinched and held her hand to the spot. "Every time you react like that, I'm going to assume I'm right."
'You are.' Naraku smirked at her.
Naraku's sunglasses did little to negate the daylight from burning his sensitive, hungover eyes, but he dealt with it by closing his eyes and staying behind Jade. He had her pace memorized and would occasionally open an eye to make sure he wasn't going to run into anything. Jade had her hands stuffed into her pockets, staring at each little shop they passed, hoping to spot something interesting.
He followed her into every store she wanted to visit, found the darkest part of the store to hover in to wait for her to finish browsing. She asked him twice why he decided to go with her, but he didn't quite know why himself. Was the marijuana chocolate making things seem like good ideas? Had the rage he felt from learning about his de-authorization from his project, his brain-child, been so great that it burned away some of his inhibitors? Was Jade just that pleasant?
"Do you want a drink?" she asked him, pointing to a local snack shop promoting their homemade lemonades, teas, and coffees. He nodded and followed her into the shop. They both ordered tea; Jade with oolong and Naraku with mint tea. Before Naraku could pull out his wallet, Jade paid for both, turning and handing him his cup.
"You didn't have to."
"I wanted to." she replied. He motioned for her to take the lead while sipping the tea. His eyebrows rose. The tea actually tasted good. It was warm, smooth, and the mint wasn't overpowering the taste of the green tea. The shop owners must have had a great amount of experience with brewing. "Damn. This tastes awesome." Jade quipped, taking a longer drink from her cup after choosing a table to enjoy their drinks with. Naraku sat across from her and nodded.
"Indeed. I wish we had something similar back home." Naraku agreed, but he silently scolded himself. Why was he being pleasant now? He was pissed!
'But not at her. She didn't do anything.' he told himself. He imagined he tormented her enough the previous night.
"So, you didn't really explain what happened. You just said you're not allowed to work on your thesis anymore."
"That's essentially it." Naraku said quickly. "They have ordered me to send everything back to them."
"Did they say why? It's your thesis; how can they say you're not allowed to work on it?"
"It's restricted, so they agreed to let me count and extract everything I could. They also agreed to fund me since I was performing processes they haven't done yet. Or, I'm guessing, they could not, for whatever reason. They did not tell me why they're ruining me; just that they're ruining me."
"Oh." Jade took a long drink, her brows furrowed together. Naraku could tell she was thinking of what to say.
'She feels bad for me? Why? There is nothing about me to sympathize with.'
"Is there anything I can do?" she finally asked after a few moments of silence. Naraku shook his head and she nodded. "What now? Can you not get your degree anymore?"
"I can. To earn my degree without a thesis, I need to take a few extra classes. Without a thesis, I cannot even hope to be accepted into the Ph.D program I want."
"There aren't other programs?"
"I don't settle." Naraku told her.
"Assholes. The least they could have done was give you a reason." Jade grumbled while pouting.
"That is the least of my worries. They pulled my funding, which paid a chunk of my bills. I had to quit my job for this."
"I'm sorry, dude." Jade's hand reached for his arm, but she pulled it back quickly.
"Why? It isn't your problem." Naraku remarked, ignoring what she tried to do.
"You're so predictable." Jade giggled. "I feel bad for you."
"Is that why you're laughing?"
"I'm laughing at your inability to accept my sympathy."
"I don't need your sympathy."
"Okaaaaay." she sang uncertainly.
"That reminds me, have you heard anything more about the crystals on your muscle tears?" Naraku asked, taking a drink.
"How did the thesis stuff remind you of-"
"Sympathy." Naraku interrupted her sharply. He had developed a bad habit of forgetting how keen she was on sensing his bullshit.
"Oh, uh, they're dissolving now, or they were when they checked me a few days ago. All of my tests are still normal." she answered with a smile. Naraku could tell she was relieved. He was, too. He hadn't made many foolish mistakes like that in his life, but when he did, they ended horribly.
'But this one is different; this one had a good outcome.' Naraku told himself, stirring the remainder of his mint tea with his straw. His eyes closed when he felt the nausea stirring in his stomach again.
When they finished their drinks, Jade decided she had browsed enough and was ready to return to the hotel. She mentioned wanting to play a game with a friend and enjoy a piece of her white chocolate, especially since it appeared to help Naraku with his severe hangover. He was pleasantly surprised with the chocolate, too. He still felt exhausted, but he could function.
"You want to play?" Jade asked him as she placed her laptop on the table.
"No." Naraku crawled onto his bed and sandwiched his head between two pillows to block out the light. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, focusing on the clicking of Jade's mouse and the tapping of her keys. The sounds were quick, rhythmic, and Jade spoke in a low voice about, "spotting three of them," and, "I need to make more armor." She giggled and snorted, but did so quietly. She clicked more, tapped more, and muttered, "Get fucked." A sigh, more clicking, and discussion of flanking the other team instead of meeting them head-on. Another giggle; it dragged on. Something exceptionally funny must have happened.
"Did you lose?" Naraku asked.
"Lose what, Naraku? I said I was lost, not that I lost something." she replied sweetly, but it wasn't Jade. Her voice was soft, filled with inflections; this one was spoken softly, but the voice was iron-strong.
"You shouldn't be here." Naraku told her, feeling a chill wrack his body.
"I know that. I'm lost." the voice responded. "Will you show me the way back home or are you going to mock me?"
"I've shown you the way before."
"So you will mock me,"
"I will do both." Naraku opened his eyes. A sea of green grass stretched out before him and he sat under a tree; one of many that created the border between the forest and the meadow. Standing beside him was a slender girl with long black hair contrasting against her pale skin. She wore simple light jeans and a pale yellow shirt. Naraku's heart stalled. "Kikyou,"
"Yes? Did you think I was someone else?" she asked with a smirk as she placed a hand on her hip. Naraku began to push himself up, but he stopped when Kikyou offered her other hand. Without a second thought, he took her hand and let her pull him to his feet.
"How is it you can find me, but not your house?"
"Are you implying something?" Kikyou pulled her long hair into a ponytail.
"I am implying that it's unlikely that you cannot find your house, which sits on a hill, but you can find me sitting in the middle of nowhere."
"You're always around this area. Once I'm in the forest, I know my way to this place, but not back to the trail. I get turned around too easily."
"Buy a compass." Naraku ordered dryly, now weaving between trees to find the trail.
"Finding you is free." Kikyou grinned when Naraku looked over his shoulder at her. Heat rose in his cheeks. "I assume you scored the highest on the test today."
"Of course. Too bad there isn't a class on yokai nonsense; you would be one of the highest scores." Naraku remarked, jumping down from a small ledge. Kikyou walked a few more steps to the left to descend gently.
"One?" she repeated curiously.
"I would still be the top student, but you would be decent competition."
"I see." Kikyou said, her tone laced with amusement. She walked past Naraku, who turned to grab her. His foot connected with something hard and Naraku hit the ground before he could realize what happened. He pushed himself up and looked around. He was alone.
"Kikyou," Naraku called out. Only the wind answered him. His eyes darted back and forth as he looked around. He ran around several trees, calling her name, but he received no answer from her. Turning on his heel, he ran back towards the grassy field. The wind appeared to urge him to run faster, blowing harder against his back. "Kikyou!" he shouted, bursting from the trees and and into the open field. He slowed to a jog, then to a walk, and then he stopped completely. No one. The sky had darkened and thunder rumbled in the distance.
"I'm alone." Naraku said aloud, looking down. "It's what I wanted anyway." The wind began to blast him, whipping his hair around his face wildly. He was content until she showed up! Everything was calm! The meadow was quiet!
'If it's what I wanted, then why I do I feel so miserable?' he asked himself. 'Why does my chest hurt so much whenever I think about her? Why do I feel so weak?' He sank to his knees, holding his head with both hands. It felt like knives were stabbing his chest! His breathing was erratic and no matter what he tried, what he told himself, it would not calm down. 'Why did she have to die?'
"I didn't die, Naraku." she said. Naraku stopped moving and breathing when he felt her hand rest on his back, right over his scar. "I'm right here."
"You're dead." Naraku finally said, still not moving.
"I don't have to be if I don't want to be," Kikyou replied firmly. "If you don't want me to be,"
"That makes no sense! You are dead!" Naraku shouted, rearing up and gasping. Kikyou's skin was a charred mess; a cruel mix of red and black. Her silky black hair had mostly singed away, leaving a bloodied scalp with spots of bone. He pushed away from her and fell onto his back, his chest heaving with shock. His arms and legs no longer responded to his commands.
"I don't have to be." she repeated despite no longer having lips. She stood and began walking towards him. "Are you frightened of me?" Naraku squeezed his eyes shut.
"You're not real, you're not real, you're not real!" he chanted between desperate breaths. Her hands grasped his shoulders jarringly. He could feel the heat emanating from her cooked body.
"Are you going to leave me again?"
"Stop!" He heard her gasp and opened his eyes, recognizing the green ones staring back at him, wide with surprise.
"You were screaming in your sleep." Jade said in a small voice, her hands pulled to her chest. Naraku blinked a few more times before realizing his hands were clamped around her shoulders powerfully. He slowly pulled his hands away from her.
"You startled me." he told her, unable to look at her anymore.
"O-Okay. Was it really that bad of a dream?"
"I don't remember." he lied.
"Do you need some water? Food?"
"No. Go back to your game." he reclined onto his back slowly, now staring at the ceiling. He didn't feel her move off his bed for a few moments. He fought away the urge to look at her. He caught a glimpse of her when she finally stood and walked back to her laptop. A breath of relief left him when he heard her clicking away once more.
'She is dead. I saw her body.' he told himself. He wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort or guilt himself anymore. No matter how much he wished it to be a dream, Kikyou was dead. Nothing would change that. He felt his body start to sink into the bed. His eyes wouldn't open when he tried. 'I don't want to go back there. Wake up.'
"Come back, Naraku. I'm all alone." she called to him. Naraku shot up in bed, inhaling sharply and panting.
"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you shouldn't drink anymore...ever." Jade suggested skeptically, her expression showing a mix of concern and frustration.
"I'm fine." he said shakily, knowing he didn't sound the least bit convincing.
"If you talk about it, you might feel better." she suggested. His face must have had a terrible expression on it, because when he looked at her, she whispered an apology at him as she looked back at her laptop screen.
"Talking about it would change nothing, Jade." Naraku finally said as he stood up. He slipped his shoes on and walked out of the room.
Naraku walked into the lobby, hoping the brightly lit and noisy area would wake him up. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his gut. His body shuddered and he quickly strode to the couch of the lounge area before he lost his control. When his body connected with the cushion, he fell over on his side and closed his eyes. The feeling in his gut was the nausea returning in full force.
'Inhale through your nose and exhale from your mouth,' Naraku coached himself. He inhaled slowly, gently pressing his hand against the top of his abdomen. He was glad the couch was cold to counter the heat of his skin, but he knew it wouldn't last long. He wanted to take his dress shirt off, but any movement was going to cause him to vomit. His eyes were closed, so he tried to focus and listen to anything to keep his mind occupied.
"It should be sunny throughout today and the rest of the week, but the overnight temperatures will begin dropping, so make sure your jackets are ready in the evenings." the woman on TV stated. He assumed she was the weatherperson. She bantered with an anchor, a man with a smooth, perfect voice, who began his segment on local news updates. A woman's life was saved by a good samaritan who knew CPR, a thief was finally caught after two weeks on the run, and the ACS conference he and Jade attended was also a highlight, though he used the word, "silicone," when he should have used, "silicon," something that usually drove Naraku mad, but he couldn't be angry. He couldn't be upset. He certainly couldn't be happy. He learned his lesson about being happy the previous day. The anchor went on to talk about a fight that broke out at a local bar the previous night. Several men were involved, but only two were apprehended; the others had fled. Naraku smirked at that. He even snorted quietly. Jade's worried face flashed in his mind. His lips turned downward. She was scared of him now.
'Will she stop talking to me when we return home?' he wondered. It was the perfect storm for such a thing to happen. He no longer had anything to work on with her; just teaching the lab. She could shut him out almost entirely. Naraku felt his body give up and he lost consciousness.
