Part III
Mai Taniyama opened her eyes.
A dreary grey sky awaited her gaze, an endless expanse cut short by the buildings that loomed over her. Miniscule, icy cold raindrops sprinkled her cheeks and nose. She could feel frigid water seeping through her clothes to reach her skin: she was lying in a puddle. Apparently in the middle of a crosswalk, as she could hear idling cars and the familiar chirping of the light.
London? — she thought quickly, and as she slowly became aware of the sounds and voices of the busy street around her, her heart sank. Not London. Tokyo.
Footsteps ran toward her, a shadow against the grey sky. "Are you all right?" Gloved fingers reached for her own bare hands and helped her sit up. Her eyes widened as the voice continued. "You're not hurt?"
She'd have recognized that peculiar Kansai accent anywhere and the bright, worried sky-blue eyes and golden-blonde hair confirmed his identity. "It's terribly icy, isn't it?" John Brown helped her to her feet and then fetched an umbrella from the ground (presumably hers), fumbling as he tried to straighten the broken spires. Frowning, he handed her the umbrella he had been holding over his own head instead.
"Please, take this," he said, peering anxiously at her face while remaining a polite distance. With sudden certainty Mai knew he didn't know her. He didn't remember her.
"Oh, no, I couldn't..." she protested, holding the umbrella back out to him. "I'll take the broken one, it's fine, so sorry. I couldn't take yours, that wouldn't be right."
She could see he was confused and realized he didn't completely understand her. Some key word or form of her speech wasn't yet in his learned Japanese vocabulary, or perhaps she had spoken too quickly. "It's fine," she repeated, in English. "I couldn't take your umbrella." Bowing quickly, she continued. "Thank you for your help."
Obviously startled that she spoke English, she used the opportunity to hand him back his umbrella, switching his for her broken one and hurried away quickly.
Naru, she thought, mind racing. Where am I? More importantly, where are you?
...
Going home to an empty apartment was not appealing, so instead she went to a department store and bought new tights and a skirt, a sweater and a new umbrella. Cringing as she counted the yen out of her purse, she made the purchases, both justifying to herself that it was necessary and wondering what her current finances were as she spent the money. She found a public restroom, changed into the dry clothes and went into a café. After ordering tea she specifically chose a seat that was near a heating vent, placing her damp coat across the back of the chair in such a manner that it might dry with the warm blowing air.
As she sipped her tea she tried to remember the details of the last day of her life. What had happened that Naru would again do the unthinkable and turn the world's order on its head? She assumed she must have died. Everything else up to the point was startlingly clear—but of that final day she had only the faintest recollection of the events. It had been a sunny day, perhaps, though why did that even matter? It seemed as though she had planned something special, or maybe a special event was about to take place.
Mai shook her head to herself. She couldn't be certain and had no firm memories of that day. It was like waking up and trying to remember a dream from the night before. Knowing that there had been something and yet that emptiness was all that remained. Even though she racked her brain the fog refused to lift, so she gave up. Inhaling the scent of the tea, a despondent sigh passed through her lips. She'd ordered formosa oolong without a second thought—it was something she had favored as of recently, she and Naru both. The reminder that he was not with her was painful and she tried not to think of all their quiet moments together—those occasional moments when he had said he'd always be with her, and more often the times he didn't say it but she believed it just as strongly.
He might still be in England, she thought. He might not have even come to Japan yet. John's Japanese wasn't terribly good... how long was he in Japan before I met him? Six months, maybe? Didn't he tell me once that he visited Tokyo several times before he moved here from Kyoto? So it could be months before our first case...
She sat there even after the tea was gone, contemplating the matter. When the already grey sky began to grow dimmer, signalling the imminent transition from afternoon into dusk, she left the café, grudgingly walking to the train station that would lead her back to her apartment.
She was only just entering the busy station when she saw him. Her eyes widened and she nearly stopped in her tracks the moment she saw the dark hair and elegant profile, a slim figure wearing a dark jacket and scarf. Without a second thought she immediately hurried forward. "Naru?" she breathed in disbelief.
The young man was studying the route map and turned his head when he saw her approaching. His eyes met hers.
Instantly she knew she had been mistaken. It was not Naru. It was Gene.
...
She'd tried to pass it off as a mistake, but he'd been curious—much toocurious for her liking—and insisted that he take her out for coffee. That was perhaps the most startling of all. Here she was, sitting in a quiet café with the once-deceased-but-now-quite-alive twin of her future boyfriend, and he was drinking coffee. Black without cream or sugar. She had ordered genmaicha—for some reason it had always been a calming drink for her. The way some sought chamomile for comfort, she went for brown rice tea. Though she knew she was a long way from hysteria, a soothing drink never hurt anyone in a stressful situation. He'd ordered a slice of raspberry truffle torte; she had politely declined his offer to buy her a dessert.
"You know Oliver, my brother?" He asked again, lifting the cup, familiar dark eyes observing her steadily. He had not yet spoken Japanese to her, only English. When he had first spoken to her, Mai had the fleeting thought she could both pretend it was a mistake and that she did not speak his language, but she had always been terrible at acting and somehow she just knew he could see the comprehension in her expressions, try as she might to hide it. Besides, even though he hadn't spoken a word of it, he had to speak Japanese as well, didn't he? He would simply be grilling her in a different language instead.
"Um, well, we met," she started awkwardly. "I wouldn't say I know him." It felt terrible to lie, but she didn't know what else she could say. How could she tell him the truth?
"How did you meet, then?" He raised an eyebrow. "In Tokyo?"
Inwardly she wondered if he was testing her. She could see in his sharp eyes that he didn't quite believe her but had no firm reason for disbelief, either. "No, I did a study-abroad trip to London."
He frowned, glancing down at the torte in front of him, carefully piercing the tip with his fork. He'd eaten it backwards, starting with the thick end of the wedge and approaching the point. "Aren't you a little young to go to another country by yourself?"
How old am I now, anyway? Fifteen? Sixteen? Anyway, Gene, what a question! Aren't you in Japan by yourself? Aren't you still a minor? She laughed, perhaps a bit too brightly as if to disguise to herself how bitter the lie tasted on her tongue. "I didn't go alone. It was a coordinated trip. With my school."
"That must have been fun," he said quietly. Mai found herself thrown off-balance by his sullen demeanour before realizing the nature of his displeasure with a start. He's jealous, she thought suddenly. It makes sense, doesn't it? That Naru—Oliver, I need to remember to call him Oliver—would have a friend, an acquaintance of any sort, no matter how casual I pretend it to be—that Gene doesn't know? They've always done everything together. His coming to Japan is the first time they've been apart. Of course he's jealous.
With a start she remembered something Naru had said to her many years before. I don't have any memories after my own death. It's possible we never will. How could we be alive and have memories of death?
I never met Gene while he was alive, Mai thought. Even with everything that happened, he won't remember me—he can't possibly remember me.
"Yup," she said, her mind racing despite her calm words, trying to steer the conversation away from the absent brother and trying to think of something that wasn't a lie. "I think my favorite part was seeing the pelicans. At some garden. I had never seen pelicans before! They were huge, it was amazing."
"Your English is awfully good. That must have made the trip pretty easy," he remarked, lazily dangling the fork above the empty plate. "You almost sound like a native speaker."
That's not what Naru said, the first time the topic ever came up. It was 'atrocious', 'horrible', and 'devastatingly bad', I think he said. "My mother really wanted me to be able to speak English," Mai lied. "So I had to practice at home since I was young."
"I suppose that's lucky for you." He smiled suddenly, a conniving glint in his eyes. "It looks like fate led us to each other today, doesn't it, Mai? Because you're friends with my brother I feel that I can ask you for a tremendous favour."
She tilted her head, genuinely confused by his abrupt change in demeanour. "What is it?"
"The hotel I was supposed to stay at was overbooked and I lost my reservation." He grinned at her. "So let me stay with you. I'd love to meet your mother."
...
And so, here she was, leading the way back to her apartment. Shocked and surprised, she'd only been able to utter 'Okay' before he took care of the check and cheerfully hurried them out of the restaurant. Walking on the street, her expression turned from his view, she frowned to herself, almost rolling her eyes. She had played right into his hands. Their appearance wasn't the only trait they shared—obviously Gene could be just as shrewd as Naru. Even though she resented the thought that he'd seen their meeting as something he could use to his own advantage, she was thankful his mood had brightened and he wasn't as overtly suspicious as before.
It was early spring, she realized, passing the lilac tree as they climbed the stairs to the second landing. The buds were tiny, but visible, wet and dripping from a day of cold rain. Searching her pockets and then her bag, she found the keys she was searching for and unlocked the door, entering the quiet apartment, simultaneously stepping out her wet shoes and turning on the light. She hadn't been here in years, but seeing it again was familiar and almost reassuring. It was like being in a dream of her childhood: but it was her childhood and she wasn't dreaming. Gene, behind her, gazed around the silent apartment, his expression blank.
"Your mother's not home?" He asked, looking around the room. He took off his shoes and crossed the room, picking up a picture frame that sat next to some books on the shelf. He studied the picture, turning it over in his hands. A couple with a young child: one of her only family photographs. "What about your father?"
"They both died a long time ago," Mai said simply, walking to the small range and turning on the tea kettle. She then stooped, opening the half-sized fridge and peeked inside. She winced as she saw it was all but empty. I hope I at least have something instant to share... I didn't eat very well back then. Around now. Hardly ever cooked at home, just onigiri and rice to extend a take-away meal.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice quieter, clearly regretting what he had done. "You should have stopped me. I wouldn't have..."
"No, it's okay," she shrugged and opened a cupboard, continuing her search. "Are you hungry? Do you want some instant ramen?"
"I can take you out to eat," he offered.
"No, it's okay, as long as you don't mind..." she paused, reading the cup she had pulled from the cupboard, "...miso or sukiyaki cup ramen." She turned to him, grinning as she held up the cup. "I only have two varieties."
"That's fine," he agreed. "Thank you."
"Sorry it's not much. Please, sit down, make yourself comfortable," she said, and he hung his coat next to hers on the peg by the door.
As the water heated she set the cups on the counter, ducking her head and examining the contents of the cupboard more closely. The once necessary supply of instant ramen was quite low, but that was probably for the better—she hadn't eaten ramen in years, and while it would get her by tonight, it wouldn't do for tomorrow. She then took the bag of damp clothes and took them into the part of the apartment that was partitioned off by a sliding door—her bedroom—and hung the clothes on the string above the futon she'd left out that morning before returning to the kitchen.
As she took moved about the kitchen, her guest watched her carefully from his seat at the low table of the kotatsu, drumming his fingers silently against the surface. Gene had the distinct feeling his host was lying about something, although he couldn't fathom what it could be, or why. He frowned as he pondered the question. Why would she lie about knowing his brother and how was it possible to mistake him for his twin if she hadn't actually met him? Whatever her lie was, it made him more curious than anything else—he knew with certainty there wasn't anything malicious about her and that his impulse to invite himself over had been the right thing to do.
It was a strange feeling, this feeling of jealousy. But some of the feeling stemmed from the fact that girls had always gravitated towards him in preference to the quiet and surly Noll. No exceptions. He hadn't even realized he had grown accustomed to it until now: here was an attractive, intelligent girl who was obviously disappointed that he wasn't his brother. His eyes followed her movements, watching as she transferred the meals from the cups into the ceramic bowls, pursing her lips as if critical of the packaging. Obviously, she wasn't used to eating an instant dinner, which made him wonder why there was absolutely nothing else in the kitchen.
"Here," she said, interrupting his thoughts as she set the bowls on the table and seated herself across from him at the kotatsu. "Sorry it's not much..." she repeated. "I never made it to the supermarket today."
"No, thank you, really," he said, smiling apologetically. "I guess I really am imposing on you, huh? Sorry about that."
"It's fine." Mai knew he was only saying that to be polite—something in his eyes said he wasn't truly sorry about the fact he was there. But despite her initial apprehension, she was glad Gene had come home with her. "It's nice to have company, honestly," she said genuinely. "It can be too quiet sometimes, being all by yourself." And I'm not used to being alone, she thought. Truthfully, if I was by myself I'd probably be scared by the unfamiliar noises of the apartment.
He nodded, slurping his noodles. "I've been lonely the past week on my own and I usually call my family every day. I can't imagine..." His voice trailed off.
Living without Noll, Mai thought.
"How long ago did your parents die?" Gene continued, his voice suddenly gentle.
Mai lowered her tea, averting her gaze. "My father passed away when I was eight. My mother passed on four years later."
"Have you been living on your own since then?"
"No.. I stayed with a teacher from my school for a while. It was only a couple months ago when I had to take all these comprehensive tests and they figured I was competent enough to live on my own. I still have to check in with the social services office every two weeks."
"I see." He cocked a grin. "And they're okay with you eating instant ramen for your meals?"
Mai felt her ears grow hot. It was true; no matter how she would like to deny it. She had always lied about her eating habits when they asked her. "I don't usually just eat ramen. Just... days I don't make it to the store or I'm too busy studying to cook."
Gene's eyebrows arched skeptically but he remained silent, lifting the bowl to drink the remaining broth. She continued to confuse him: was she lying, or wasn't she? It was bizarre, he was almost certain that she was telling the truth and lying simultaneously. But how was that possible, anyway?
Mai changed the subject, too uncomfortable to continue talking about herself. "Anyway, Gene, how long have you been in Japan? How have you spent your trip so far?"
"It's been about seven days already. It's been, you know, just sightseeing, really," he said vaguely. "Working on my language skills."
"Do you want to practice?" Mai asked dubiously, pausing as she lifted her bowl, finishing her own broth. They were still speaking English.
"Not especially," he grinned and turned slightly, pulling his knapsack that he had placed near his seat toward him. "I should probably call my family," Gene said, his dark hair falling over his eyes as he rummaged in the open pack and took out a mobile phone. "My mother gets worried if she doesn't hear from me by a certain time of day."
"Of course," Mai said, nodding her head toward her bedroom. "I'll be in the other room." She stood and first took their bowls from the kotatsu to the sink before retreating into her bedroom.
The separation between the two rooms was only sufficient for visual privacy and Mai knew she'd be able to hear Gene's one-sided conversation well enough, but it was a polite gesture all the same. Sitting down on her futon, she opened her schoolbag and then dumped the contents out across the surface. Glancing first at the materials she'd been studying, she opened her planner and checked the date on her phone. Saturday, 10th February 2001. She stared at the year for a moment and then shook herself. She'd already known, after all. Looking back at the planner, her face relaxed with relief. No class tomorrow and nothing scheduled for the day, and for that she was grateful.
"Hi, Mum," she could hear Gene say. His voice was somewhat muffled but otherwise quite audible. "Yeah, I'm fine, everything's fine. How're you and Dad?" He paused, listening, and when he spoke again she could hear his frown. "No, I don't want to talk to him, anyway. I don't care where he is and I don't want you to pass along a message." There was another long pause and then Gene began to describe his day's events to his mother. He had only just come back into Tokyo that morning from an extended stay in Maebashi and had spent a better part of the afternoon at the Sensoji temple. She turned her thoughts away and began to page through her homework. Seeing her English homework incomplete, she finished the rest of the questions with ease. Glancing over the first half, she noticed with a frown that she'd made several mistakes and contemplated fixing the errors for several moments. Finally deciding that it could be suspicious to have such sudden improvement, she did not to take the effort.
"Is Lin around, by any chance? Let me speak with him," Mai's ears perked up when the conversation shifted again. "Hey, Lin," Gene said cheerfully. "How are you doing?" He paused. "I was wondering if you could pass along a message to Noll for me."
Mai looked up involuntarily when Naru was mentioned again, straining to catch more of the conversation.
"I don't want to talk to him," Gene snorted in disdain, "so it's just as well that he's not there. No, don't tell him to call me back. I'll have the phone off, anyway." Mai imagined that Lin had suggested Gene speak to his brother and give him the message himself. Lin had never liked being the one to pass messages along. "Anyway, I ran into a girl who seems to know him. She mistook me for him. I just wanted him to know. That's all."
Mai frowned, wondering. There was something off about Gene's voice as he spoke of Naru. No doubt about it—the twins were arguing about something, a rift large enough between the two that Gene wasn't speaking to his brother.
"Yeah, she's letting me stay at her house," he said casually. "Don't worry, Lin, I know she's not dangerous. Trust me on this one. It's just something I know."
Mai sighed. Feeling guilty for her eavesdropping, she concentrated on her math homework until Gene's conversation with his family was over.
...
After Gene's phone call, Mai returned to the main room and ventured that if he didn't have any other plans or suggestions, she had some board games they could play. When looking over her small selection Gene immediately pulled her father's old Go set from the bottom of the stack, asking her if she knew how to play and if she could teach him. Mai was dubious but Gene's clear enthusiasm at the prospect was quick to convince her. The two spent the rest of the night over the board, Mai alternating between instructing and answering his questions about Japan until after some time Mai found herself yawning every few seconds. Noticing her yawns, Gene politely suggested they put the game away and go to sleep.
"I really appreciate you letting me stay here tonight," Gene said, watching as she moved the kotatsu out of the way, unfolding her extra futon. As embarrassed as Mai had been to only have cup ramen for her guest, she was just as thankful that her apartment was clean and she didn't feel compelled to vacuum. She took a comforter and pillow from the closet shelf and passed it to him.
"It's really no big deal," she said, smiling at him. "It's nice to have friends over. It gets lonely in a quiet apartment."
"Let me make it up to you," Gene said earnestly. "Tomorrow. I'll take you out to lunch or to a movie. Or dinner. Whatever you want to do. It'll be our date."
Mai felt a flush cross her cheeks as he said this and avoided his eyes. His friendly tone and compassionate gaze was all too familiar and almost unsettling to see. "I'll think of something fun we can do," she agreed, carefully avoiding the word 'date'. "We can do some sightseeing in Tokyo."
"We'll talk it over tomorrow morning," Gene promised, a huge yawn filling his features. "I'm tired too. Let's just go to sleep."
...
Mai awoke in the night to her mobile vibrating next to her head. Opening her eyes blearily, she groped for the phone, fumbling it open and answering as she pressed it to her ear.
"Hello?" She answered, the Japanese almost sounding foreign to her own ears after speaking English for such a long time.
"Mai. It's Lin." The voice was curt and serious, no-nonsense. As to be expected.
"Ughhh," she groaned, rising just enough to squint at the clock next to her futon. The light of the analog clock read 1:34. "What time is it there?"
"About half past four in the afternoon. I'm sorry to wake you."
"It's okay," she said, flopping back down on her back and lowering her voice to a whisper. "Is... is Naru there?"
His hesitation was obvious. "That is precisely the reason I called you."
Her half-lidded eyes snapped open wide immediately, deciphering the meaning in his serious tone. "He's not?"
"No," Lin hesitated again. "I'll be blunt. I have no idea where Naru is."
"Wait," Mai said, the realization hitting her. "You... you remember everything, don't you?"
"Yes." Lin sighed. "Up until the moment Naru took your hand and unleashed his psychic energy. The next thing I knew, it was eight o'clock in the morning, spring and not autumn, and the world has gone back seven years."
"But Naru's not there?"
"No. If it was exactly like the previous time he did this, he should have been in the same place as he was at this very instant last time, which would be here. But he's not. I'm wondering how long I should wait for him to show up before I have to tell Luella and Martin he's missing."
"Where could he be?"
The man exhaled heavily. "I can only hazard a few guesses. Either he found it necessary to leave the house this morning without telling anyone, or he wasn't here in the first place. I can't imagine how he could have left without anyone noticing. But if he wasn't here, wherever he is, that would indicate that things are not the same this time around and turns our hypothesis on its head."
Mai chewed on her lip. Naru had pursued the question of how exactly he had turned back time, sorting through what seemed like thousands of unlikely possibilities before tentatively settling on one idea, and it was shaky at best. While Naru and Lin disagreed on many parts of his elaborate theory, they both agreed that it was most probable that his psychic energy had been strong enough to create an intense gravitational field that had disrupted the space-time continuum, and had been focused and direct enough to bring him—and others—back to a specific moment. Mai, on the other hand, was content to leave it a mystery unsolved. Despite his ideas, he hadn't been able to explain to her how he could have moved time backwards but simultaneously kept their memories of the future—or as he liked to call it, their 'shared pre-cognition'. It was all complete speculation and honestly, whether it was a parallel universe or a wrinkle in time, she didn't like to think about it.
"It's not possible that... that he's not here, right?" She ventured. "That somehow he didn't make it back?"
"I wouldn't think so. If something happened to Naru, I'm certain that Gene would know. He would have felt it immediately, so we can count on the fact that he's alive and well. I just don't understand why he isn't here now. I think the worst thing that could happen is that he won't remember what happened... remember the future, as you say."
The thought created a lump in Mai's throat, which she swallowed and tried to forget. "Um. Speaking of, I don't quite understand why you remember. You didn't last time."
"It may have been my proximity to Naru when he initiated… all of this. I must have been killed by the psychic explosion. I assume Naru was as well. Perhaps that's why."
Mai had the distinct feeling that there was something Lin wasn't being truthful about. Under most circumstances she wouldn't press the man to disclose anything he wasn't comfortable with, but with the current situation she didn't want there to be any secrets between them. "What else?" She asked quietly.
His hesitation was obvious, but when he spoke she knew he was being honest. "I tried to stop him," he admitted. "That may also factor into our current state of affairs." He paused again, regret and shame unmistakable in his voice. "I'm sorry, Mai."
"It's okay," she said, though her throat had tightened as she tried to imagine the situation the two men had been in. "I'm sure you were just trying to protect him. There's no way you could have known what would happen." She paused, remembering Lin's words from several moments before. After a short silence, she spoke again. "How did I die, anyway?"
"Also in Naru's PK explosion." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Otherwise, you hadn't died yet."
"But I was about to, huh."
There was a long pause as the man deliberated whether or not to be honest. "It was only a matter of time," he finally said. "I'm sorry."
She sighed, suddenly feeling very glum and wishing Naru was by her side. "Sorry. That's not important. You know that Gene is here, right?"
"Yes. You needn't worry about whispering, Mai, I've sent a shiki to watch him and it tells me he's still fast asleep on your spare futon." He paused, several moments of pensive silence. "If Naru doesn't show up by tomorrow, I'll probably send the rest of my shiki out to see if I can find him."
She frowned. "Won't that exhaust you? First of all to have your shiki here, with Gene..."
"Perhaps, but ultimately necessary," he sighed. "I would like to find Naru and get him on a plane to Japan as quickly as possible. I'm sure you realize that the day of Gene's death is only ten days away, and quite honestly, this is a problem that I think only Naru is equipped to deal with."
"Should I just tell him the truth?"
"I don't think that would be very wise," Lin cautioned. "I'm not entirely certain he'd believe you nor do I think you could convince him to skip his appointment in Nagano."
"What if you asked him to come back to England? Or explained to Martin and Luella and have them ask him to come home?"
He sighed and she could hear him slumping in his chair. "Bringing his parents into this is not currently an option. I never was as close with Gene..." he cleared his throat and started again. "I'm not as close to Gene as I am with Naru. This is a point in time where these two brothers relied heavily on each other but not anyone else. While Naru, having lived first eight and then seven years into the future, has matured and progressed from that, no time has passed for Gene. The only one who will be able to change his mind and persuade him to change his course of action is Naru."
"Gene's trip to Japan is very precious to him," Lin continued. "He's proving to himself and those around him of his own capabilities and independence. He's thought out and carefully planned all of this. Telling him to come home and abandon his work there would certainly not go over well. It may seem counterintuitive to wait, but I do think Naru is the only one capable to deal with this situation. Naru will know what to do, not to mention he's the only one who can ameliorate the anger Gene will inevitably feel when he finds out the truth."
"What do you mean?" Mai protested. "Won't he be happy when he finds out we've returned to the past and he can avoid his own death?"
"Were you happy when you found out you had died, and what Naru did to bring you back? No, Mai, I suspect Gene is similar to you in that regard. Happiness is certainly not the first emotion he will feel. And Naru didn't do this to save Gene," Lin corrected. "He did it to save you." Mai swallowed, her mouth going dry, and he continued.
"Don't confuse him with his brother, Mai. They may look the same but Gene is irrational and flighty in ways that Naru never will be. If Gene finds out—which I have a feeling he inevitably will—that Naru has discarded their closeness and replaced that bond with you, he will take it as a complete betrayal on Naru's behalf."
"But... but that's not true," Mai whispered.
"Of course not, but that's how he will see it. Gene is only sixteen years old, Mai. He's not a rational adult like you."
She laughed bitterly. "No one has ever called me a rational adult, Lin-san."
She could hear him smile. "I won't argue the matter. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to keep an eye on him. It would probably be best to keep him close by until we can get Naru there."
"Of course," she agreed. "I'll... I'll do whatever I can."
"I'll alert you if I find Naru." Lin sighed deeply. "I should let you go back to sleep."
"One more thing," Mai said, a new thought quickly forming in her mind. "Do you think… do you think I'll have my abilities again? According to Naru's theory, coming back in time to before my so-called psychic awakening... will I retain my abilities or not? Is that the same as memories, or because I haven't been on those cases, and Gene hasn't guided me... it never happened?"
"That's a good question," he said. "Did the future events really occur or is it just a form of pre-cognition? I honestly don't have an answer. You may just have to wait and see."
"Hmm," she frowned. Suddenly realizing that she had been utterly self-absorbed in her own side of the situation and completely oblivious to Lin's, her face flushed with shame. "I'm... I'm really sorry about dragging you into this, Lin-san." She stammered. "That wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry... about Sarah-san."
"It's... it's okay." Lin said quietly and she cringed, knowing that some of the sentiment was forced. No doubt as much as she missed Naru, surely Lin was just as distraught to be apart from his wife. "I'm sure I'll be with her again someday."
"I'm sorry," Mai said again.
"It's not your fault. You have no need to apologize."
However, it did feel like it was her fault. She was the one who had died—or almost died—after all. She was, as Lin had said, the reason Naru had brought them there. "You'll meet again and things will turn out even better than last time," Mai said hopefully. "I'm... I'm sure."
"Yes. Don't worry about that, Mai. We're here now and there's nothing we can do to change that. Our task at hand is to save Gene's life."
She bit her lip. "Yeah," she agreed. "Okay."
"I won't keep you up any longer. Goodnight, Mai."
She held the phone in her hand long after their conversation, wide eyes gazing in the dark toward the ceiling. Gene. Gene. What was he doing here? And why was he angry with Naru? She knew next to nothing about Gene's visit to Japan. 'He was doing independent research, visiting psychic mediums' was the extent of her knowledge. Naru had never spoken of it and she had never asked. It was still painful for him to remember the events that led to his brother's death. When he spoke of Gene it had always been stories of their late childhood or early adolescence, and even those were rare tellings. A memory of his brother at eleven, recounting some event from when they were thirteen, or relaying a story of twins at fifteen. But nothing regarding Gene's trip to Japan.
She heard the slight sound of Gene shifting in his sleep in the other room, and she too, rolled over underneath her comforter, curling her knees toward her chest and resting her chin against the back of her hand, her fingertips tucked underneath her head. The comfort of the new position lasted only seconds. After much tossing and turning, she finally settled flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. An uneasy feeling gnawed at her insides as she wondered about Naru. Even Lin didn't know where he was. What did that mean? What if he didn't remember? She couldn't imagine seeing him, his face blank without recognition. Surely her heart would break. Letting out a long breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, she thought about Lin. He was in the same position, except he had no reason to believe that his future wife would remember him. He would have to move forward, simply hoping that things could be the same and she would love him again.
She exhaled, lighting up her phone and squinting at the bright light before dropping it beside her on the futon. More than an hour had passed since Lin first called her and she was wide awake, alert and in no position to fall back asleep. Thinking and worrying about Naru wouldn't help anything, she knew, so she slowly began to focus on her breathing instead of the man she loved. Her mind calmly wandered over the day's events. Just as had happened the first time, she had no memories from the day before she opened her eyes, partially submerged in a puddle. She had no recollection why she might have been in that particular shopping area in Ichigaya—though there was a used book and music store she had occasionally frequented and she suspected she might have been on her way there.
As she recalled the short day, the thought that was impossible to ease from her mind was the brief encounter with John. It was so bizarre to see the Australian so young! She couldn't help but remember the last time she'd seen the priest, which had been at Lin's wedding. Laughing until her sides hurt as he played the didgeridoo and laughing even harder when she remembered Naru once telling her that Lin would have a son. Imagining the boy growing up with such a toy (and the reaction it would no doubt garner from his parents) was just as funny as the serious expression on John's face. Afterwards, she had asked him when he'd learned to play. He'd shrugged in response but his eyes were glowing with fond recollection as he spoke. "I have been lucky to get to know the Aboriginal elders in my parish back home. One man makes didgeridoos and agreed to teach me. In their language, they call it a paampu."
Tears gathered in her eyes and dripped down the side of her face, trickling into her ears. She wondered if she would ever have that friendship again, and if it was selfish to think that way. It was a long time before her eyes drifted closed and she finally fell back asleep.
...
Opening his eyes slowly, Gene watched the light from the oncoming morning creep across the apartment. The window was small and covered with a thin curtain, but the approaching dawn could not be kept at bay. In the quiet room he could hear the soft cooing of a pigeon on the other side of the glass and the sounds of traffic from the street below.
As he had done countless times before, he allowed his consciousness to drift from his body and out the window. It was a trick he'd been fond of ever since he was a small child, looking for stimulation at the stifling orphanage. While his brother caused havoc and poltergeisting with his pent up frustrations, Gene had learned to dream quietly, watching the happenings of the world around him from a detached body, hovering over streets, playgrounds and schools. His caretakers had always assumed he was retarded, the way he would stare blankly at nothing for hours on end, smiling or even laughing as he watched people and animals they could not see.
It was still overcast but the rain had stopped sometime in the night to leave the streets wet and the foliage damp. It was bustling with activity outside. Following her street down to a main thoroughfare, a woman was buying flowers, informing the shopkeeper it was for her daughter's birthday. Across the corner there was a bakery, where a middle-aged couple ate pastries and drank coffee in what was presumably their Sunday morning routine. A jogger ran down the sidewalk, a light swish-swishing sound as his ankles crossed each other. A small dog barked once, a high pitched yelp from behind a gate as the man passed and was quiet.
Returning to the room, bored with the activity, Gene frowned slightly and closed his eyes, turning over thoughts in his head. He'd always been able to see things that others could not. In addition to his ability to see and speak with spirits, he'd discovered that he could see hidden things about the living as well. While he was much more cautious in this practice, it was a habit he'd secretly enjoyed: eavesdropping on dreams. Just as he was able to separate his consciousness from his body and view the world outside the walls that confined him, he could use that skill to enter another's open, unsuspecting conscious. Filled with curiosity, when he'd awoken that morning he'd done to Mai what he'd done to others before her: slipping into her dream, watching with all his senses from afar.
Her dream had been almost a simple nightmare: the ominous calls of an immense murder of crows, heard but not seen, echoing among the buildings as a young woman ran through deserted city streets. She was searching for something or running away from something—it was difficult to determine exactly which. But several things about the dream were suspicious. First, it was unmistakable that it was London she ran through frantically, which struck Gene as odd. Either the memories of her trip had been enough to bring about such a vivid dream, or London held more importance to her than he had thought. Secondly, hovering on the edge of her conscious, he was certain that on some level she knew he was there. With the exception for the times that he'd slipped into Noll's dreams, that had only happened once before. He'd only made the mistake of crossing the threshold into Lin's slumber once and had apologized profusely when he saw the man during waking hours. But Lin was a sort of extraordinary creature, with more tricks up his sleeve than he suspected any of them knew about. The fact that this ordinary girl sensed his presence was disconcerting, to say the least.
Gene opened his eyes and sat up with a yawn, scratching his head and ruffling his hair. She'd never elaborated on how she had met his brother, and the arising suspicion that this girl had latent psychic abilities made him wonder if her so-called 'school trip' had actually taken her by the British Society for Psychic Research. Why else would she have allowed him to come home with her, unless she'd somehow instinctively known, as he did, that it was a safe option? She seemed smarter than to bring a complete stranger to her empty apartment. Noll had always spent a lot more time at the BSPR office than he did; it would make sense that he would have met her there. It would also explain her hesitancy to elaborate on the meeting. But unless she attended a peculiar school, it wasn't likely that a school trip would have taken here there. Then he wondered if perhaps it hadn't been a school trip at all.
Gene rose to his feet quietly, surveying the room. It was a small apartment, perhaps only a little larger than he and his brother's bedrooms combined. The room had a pleasant, cozy feeling to it, though it was meager and perhaps a little too cramped for his liking. After all, Mai was an orphan, a student who probably didn't have a lot of time on her hands to make money, and most likely relied heavily on whatever stipend she received from social services. While the clothes she had been wearing yesterday seemed new, he'd noticed that her coat had a rip in the sleeve that had been mended and her shoes had holes forming above the soles. The blankets and futon seemed old and the curtains that covered the window were faded and obviously secondhand. The kotatsu, now leaning against the wall, was the only real piece of furniture in the room. One of the walls was almost entirely covered in shelving but was only half-filled with a variety of objects and items: a few books, magazines, pictures, knick knacks. The kitchen was but a corner of the room, and contained only the essentials, nothing frivolous. There was the closet from which she'd retrieved his futon last night, which he set about folding and replaced neatly, as well as a closet for a toilet and a separate closet for a shower. No doubt for an apartment this size the included shower was a luxury.
After he had put away the pillow and comforter, he tip-toed across the room and slid open the door which separated her bedroom from the rest of the apartment, quietly looking inside. Mai was in a deep sleep, breathing softly and evenly underneath her comforter. Evidently the nightmare that had disturbed her sleep earlier had receded; her face was peaceful and entirely undisturbed by the light from the window and the oncoming morning.
He gazed at her for several moments, wondering what the truth was behind this serenely sleeping girl. As he watched her, he noticed her lashes were long and dark against her pale skin, and how the gentle morning light rested on her cheeks and slightly parted lips. As soon as his eyes moved to her lips he immediately turned away, unsure why he had opened the door in the first place. Turning on his heel, he slid the door shut and returned the room to its privacy.
...
Gene had showered and dressed, left the apartment, bought breakfast and an English newspaper, returned and was seated at the kotatsu when Mai finally rose. He heard her moving about and dressing in her room before the door slid open tentatively.
He looked up and met her gaze, grinning and almost laughing as she peeked into the room cautiously. "Good morning!" He said cheerfully with a wide smile. "Sleep well?"
"Morning," Mai said, and flushed with embarrassment as she entered the room. "Sorry for making you wait. I didn't mean to sleep in."
"Nah, it's fine," Gene shrugged, turning his gaze back to the newspaper. "I've always been an early riser. I bought some bread and muffins. Help yourself."
"Thank you," Mai said, walking to the kitchen and turning on the hot water pot. Her back turned, Gene raised his gaze and watched her carefully. She carried herself very well, he thought. She had excellent posture and moved very confidently. Observing her in silence, he watched her as she prepared her tea. She was wearing a dress or a skirt underneath a large thick jumper. Her hair had been hastily smoothed, he noticed, and several tendrils were astray, sticking out in the back where she no doubt hadn't seen them. Eyes trailing from her head to her toes, he noticed that her stockings had several small tears and holes. As she turned back toward him, holding her cup of tea, he returned his gaze to the article before she could catch his scrutiny.
She sat down at the kotatsu and selected an apple-filled pastry, eating in silence. When she reached for a muffin, Gene spoke, folding the newspaper and setting it aside. "What should we do today, Mai? We'll do whatever you want."
Mai concentrated on peeling the paper wrapper away from the muffin, avoiding his earnest gaze. "How about the zoo?" It was the first thing that occurred to her. "The zoo is always fun. Ueno Zoo is really big, or we could go to the Sea Life Park. Either would be a lot of fun." She paused, unsure what he would think of the suggestion. "Or we could go around Tokyo," she added quickly. "There's cool temples and shrines we could visit, or um... museums and gardens, though it might be a little too early for spring flowers still."
Gene considered her in silence for a moment, then his grin widened and he nodded. "Nah, let's go to the zoo. That sounds like fun."
...
As soon as they arrived he was glad she'd suggested they visit the zoo and even more that he had agreed to the idea. It was apparent that she would enjoy this trip much more than he would. Whether she realized it or not, it was probably something she needed: he could practically see the weight lift from her shoulders. Her face lit up as they entered, hurrying toward the exhibit of Japanese animals, her smile brightening as she watched the deer and nearby cranes. Pointing and all but hopping on her toes in excitement, she turned to him with a huge smile on her face. "Look, Gene, red pandas!" Taking his arm, she led him up the path to the enclosure, her eyes alight. Watching the small mammals, vaguely listening to Mai reading the plaque aloud, he suddenly realized that she'd been somewhat despondent all morning, as if something unpleasant was on her mind. He just hadn't noticed until now.
They moved away from the red pandas and she opened her map, twiddling a loose hair around her finger. It was much warmer than the day before and she hadn't worn her coat, instead wearing a down vest and a knit cabled scarf wrapped around her neck to keep out the chill. "Where do you want to go? If we go up this way to the lions and tigers, we'll see otters and birds on the way, and we can make our way around to the sea lions, penguins, and bears..." She pointed vaguely in the direction she intended them to go and frowned. "There's an awful lot. We might have to pick some things to skip over... otherwise we won't make it to the Animals of Africa area, and I'd love to see the zebra..." She looked up at him, worried. "But I can come here anytime. What do you want to see while you're here, Gene? We'll go wherever you want."
"Mai," Gene said, grinning and closing the pamphlet in her hands. "Don't worry too much about it. Let's start this way and we'll go from there."
Her face relaxed into a smile, and widened into a grin as he took her arm and pulled her forward into the exhibits.
The morning sped by, the two enthralled by the different animals they saw. "It was so cool to see that polar bear swimming around!" Mai laughed, clapping her hands together. "The last time I went to the zoo and saw a polar bear was in the summer and it was just sleeping. They probably prefer this cooler weather. I love bears," she giggled, and Gene had to smile. It seemed as though every other animal exhibit they passed was followed by Mai's appreciative "I love penguins," or "I love lions," and even "Bats are so cool."
"Are you getting hungry?" Gene asked her. A group of children scampered past them, laughing and shrieking as their mothers called them back.
"Mm, a little bit." She said absently, gazing at a Japanese macaque. "Nihonzaru-san wa dou omoimasuka?" She asked softly in Japanese. "Is the weather nice today? Are they feeding you well? Do you miss your hot spring?"
They had walked past the macaques and approached the elephants in silence. From behind them they could hear the other exhibit of monkeys playing in their cages and the laughter of the human spectators.
"Do you think they're cold?" Mai wondered aloud.
"Dunno," Gene said. He watched the huge beast in silence before speaking again. "My brother has always liked elephants." Mai remained silent and Gene began to walk, opening the map. "Mai," he called, and she cast one last look at the elephants before hurrying to catch up with him. "Let's eat lunch. My treat."
...
They finished their tour of the zoo late in the afternoon. At Gene's request, instead of heading directly to the train station, the two began to walk through Ueno Park, talking all the while, telling stories and anecdotes. Passing the statue of Saigou Takamori, the famous samurai, Mai insisted that she take Gene's picture in front of it, flipping open her mobile phone and waving him in front of it. "Every time you pass this statue you have to get your picture taken with it. It's bad luck if you don't."
Thinking that saying 'that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard' would be a bit rude, Gene instead said, "Says who?" He looked dubious but complied, standing still as she snapped the photo.
"My friend, Michiru." Mai smiled and laughed. "I know it's strange, but one time my other friend Keiko didn't, and she lost her train pass the next day. Anyway, it's just habit, now. Every time we come by. It's kinda fun. We have all these pictures on our phones, standing in front of this statue."
Gene shrugged and pulled out his own phone. "Then I have to take your picture, too."
Mai looked sheepish in the photo, eyes bright and smiling with closed lips. As Gene pocketed the phone, Mai led him by the elbow to a vendor across the way, manoeuvring through the other pedestrians on the path. "Gene, have you ever had yaki-dango before?" Before he had time to respond, she had bought two sticks of the grilled rice dumplings, smiling as she passed one to him.
"I wish I didn't have school tomorrow," Mai sighed, gazing upward as she nibbled on the dango. The skies had cleared, the sun finally showing itself and warming the chilly, damp air. "Looks like the weather's going to get nice." Lowering her sight back to the earth, she grinned at him. "Maybe I should skip and hang out with you."
Gene laughed cheerfully, trying to hide how much he liked the thought of spending another day alone with her. It would be a good way to pass the time, to be sure, but he was hesitant to ask such a thing of her—not to mention he had his own things he needed to do in Tokyo as well. "Won't you get in trouble for stuff like that? Besides, what about your grades?"
Mai frowned, averting her gaze, thinking about the last time she had to re-do school and how slowly that final year of high school had passed. "I suppose so," she agreed reluctantly, eating the final dumpling on her stick. This time she had three years ahead of her, not just the one. At least her grades would be better this time around.
"What's your favorite class in school? English, since you're so good at it?" Gene pulled his own final dumpling off the stick with his teeth, and tossed the stick into a trash can at the side of the path.
Mai made a face, stepping behind him to throw her own stick in the bin. "Not really." She frowned, considering. "Literature, I guess. The teacher is really good. And science classes can be fun. I'm taking biology this year." She looked at him curiously. "What about you?"
Gene stretched his arms, gazing forward. "Ah, I don't know. I like history, I guess. And English. Reading. I like art and music a lot, too." He smiled apologetically. "I'm taking some time off school right now. I, well... I graduated high school two years ago and I've been taking classes at the university. Since I don't know what I want to focus on..." his voice trailed off.
Mai had to remind herself to look surprised. She had known that Gene had completed high school early, just as Naru had. "Wow, I didn't know you're a genius!" She grinned at him. "That's so cool, to be done with high school already."
"Sometimes it is."
"I guess it makes sense to take it slowly. You have plenty of time ahead of you to do all the things you want."
"Yeah," he agreed. But he thought Mai looked a little sad after she said that.
Sidestepping around some laughing high-school aged boys, Gene noticed that two in the group of four turned their gaze to Mai as she passed them. Mimicking their actions, he turned his gaze to her as well. Mai was certainly not stunning, but she was definitely cute. A satisfied smirk lifting his lips, Gene realized that to most observers he would appear to be her boyfriend.
His hands in his pockets, he vaguely wondered how he would ask Mai if he could keep staying at her apartment. After inviting himself over for the first night, it would be impolite to ask again. Instead of approaching the topic, however, he said, "I'm hungry again. Let's find a place to eat."
"If we go back to my place I can make dinner," Mai offered.
"Nah, it's too far. It'll take too long. By the time we'll get there we'll be starving." He smiled at her. "Besides, I don't want to eat cup ramen."
"I would make something," Mai protested, frowning. "I just need to pick up some groceries, but I can make nabe hotpot or something easy and tasty. It may not be four-star restaurant level but I'm not a terrible cook!"
"Nah, don't worry about it. Besides, I wanted to do something nice for you today. You already had to put up with me all day. So let's find someplace nice, whatever you want." Seeing her apprehension, he grinned winningly and took her arm. "Come on, Mai, don't worry about it. My treat."
"Really? Hmm..." she paused and grinned. "Can we get Italian? Spaghetti or something? I only ever get udon or ramen, so something a little different would be fun." Her eyes were shining.
He smiled. "You got all excited again."
"Yup," she laughed happily, skipping forward. Gene realized that over the course of the day and their conversations he'd come to be able to read her fairly well. Sometimes she acted older beyond her years, but there were times, like now, when she acted her age. After all, she was only fifteen years old. He wondered if her maturity had come from living on her own or from being an orphan. People had always told him and his brother that they were wise, mature, or 'had old eyes.' He'd never quite understood it until now. There was no other way to explain it—Mai simply did not act like a high school student most of the time.
"Then Italian it is." He laughed and winked at her, and Mai could not help but blush with his words. "This is our date, after all."
Knowing her cheeks were red and even more embarrassed for that fact, Mai averted her gaze. "I, um..."
"You already have someone you like, right?" He laughed and patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Mai, just teasing." Inwardly, however, he wondered why he had allowed this strange girl to have his friendship so easily and why he had such a strong desire to stay by her side.
...
Gene needn't have worried about asking—or convincing, if necessary—Mai if he could stay with her; as they left the restaurant Mai said, hesitatingly, "So... do you have a place to stay for the rest of your trip here? You can stay at my apartment for as long as you need to."
"You don't mind?"
"Of course not." Mai said, pulling her hat down over her ears. "I have a spare key. It's the least I can do, right?"
Gene looked slightly puzzled over her choice of words, but shrugged and let his natural smile spread across his features. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
She shrugged, ducking her head and looking at her boots. "I'm happy to help."
The restaurant was a short distance from the train station and so they walked there in the early evening, watching the street lights flicker on. They boarded the train as it arrived, squeezing between the people to find enough space for both of them to stand together. Gene grasped the handle from the ceiling with one hand, his other hand protectively resting on Mai's back. She swayed as the train began to move, her own grasp not quite as firm and he held her shoulder until she was steady.
Hasn't this already happened before? Mai thought, glancing up at Gene. He smiled at her, silently, before turning his gaze away, trained on the advertisements on the wall.
Didn't this happen, almost exactly, only with Naru?
...
Mai, never a strategist, was not tremendously fond of Go and couldn't imagine that Gene would be content to play again (and win again) with such boring company. So instead, when they returned to the apartment, she pulled out an old version of Sugoroku and set it on the kotatsu. Gene had bought juice drinks and several snacks at the corner convenience store, his purchases soon taking up the space between the edge of the table and the board game. Gene drank his juice out of the bottle; Mai poured her drink in portions into a small glass to sip on. Mai didn't remember the rules of the game exactly, but after she reviewed the instruction pamphlet she was able to describe it sufficiently. Gene caught on very quickly.
"Oh, so it's similar to backgammon," he said, and grinning, popped some wasabi peas into his mouth and they began to play.
"You don't have any homework or anything you need to be doing, right?" Gene asked, tossing the dice and after a quick assessment of the board, played his pieces accordingly.
Mai shook her head. "No, I finished all my assignments already." She rolled the dice and glanced up at him cautiously. "What are you going to do tomorrow?"
"Ah, I haven't really decided." Gene said in such a nonchalant tone that Mai had the impression he knew exactly what he wanted to do tomorrow, he just didn't want to share the information. While she wanted to be nosy, she shrugged and left it at that—the last thing she wanted was to be too persistent and annoy him as a result.
"The zoo was a lot of fun today." Gene said, watching her move her pieces intently. "I'm surprised it wasn't so crowded. It was cool to see the giant panda."
"Yeah, Ling Ling is famous. He's the zoo's biggest attraction." Mai agreed, smiling as she finished her move and passed the dice to Gene. He rolled and moved his pieces again, quickly, without hesitation.
"Oh, no, you're going to win on your next turn," she noticed with despair, her face falling.
A smug smile lifted his lips. "With any luck, yes."
After Gene won the game they did not play again. Instead they first sat, and then lay on the floor, propped up on pillows and kept warm under the kotatsu. They talked late into the night, elaborating on conversations and stories they'd shared throughout the day. Gene asked Mai about the Ring horror movies—he'd seen a poster for Ring 0 and wondered if she'd like to see it with him. Mai had shuddered slightly but agreed, confessing that she actually enjoyed ghost stories. After her confession Gene took the opportunity to tell a rather gruesome and suspenseful tale. He was a master—evidently holding some passion for ghost stories himself—building the story up just the right way and drawing her into it—literally—causing a shriek and a laugh when he grabbed her ankle at the climax of the story.
Gradually their conversation moved toward more personal subjects: Mai asked Gene about his first two years of university classes and listened with rapt attention as he disclosed details she doubted he'd told anyone besides Naru. She discovered that a large part of the reason he had decided not to take classes that term was rooted in the fact that he did not like being the youngest person in the class and the subsequent attention that was drawn to him by that fact. It surprised her to hear that he could be so self-conscious and confident at the same time, especially when his brother was nothing of the sort. Gene asked Mai about her parents and her childhood, and after hearing her stories, slowly admitted that he and his brother had been orphaned at a young age. Mai, feeling embarrassed for being so intrusive, quietly asked the questions she'd never asked Naru: asking him about the orphanage, their adoption and their relocation to England. When Gene spoke she knew he was being honest, and she felt guilty both for prying but also for never asking Naru those questions in the years she'd been with him.
"Today was fun, wasn't it?" Mai said sleepily after a long pause in their conversation.
"Yeah," Gene said, and rising just enough to see him, she could see that his eyes were closed. His breathing gradually deepened.
Too comfortable to leave the warmth of the kotatsu, Mai retrieved her phone from her pocket, setting the alarm for the following morning. Pausing as she held the device, she shifted so she was lying on her stomach as she stared at the screen of the phone. Gene, in the photo she'd captured in Ueno Park, looked too much like Naru for her liking. He looked skeptical and wasn't exactly smiling, his dark hair almost covering his eyes. Her phone wasn't able to capture the color of his gaze, but it did capture his smug, teasing expression.
She sighed, closing her eyes. There was still no word from Lin.
"Where are you?" She murmured quietly in Japanese. Closing the phone and dropping it to the side of her pillow, she let sleep overtake her.
...
Mai awoke the next morning to a persistent buzzing just under her left ear. She silenced the mobile phone quickly and sighed, dropping her head back on the pillow. She slowly sat up and nearly started when she saw she'd slept under the kotatsu with Gene.
She stood quietly and made her way to her bedroom, changing into her school uniform and gathering notebooks and folders into her school bag.
She was simultaneously making onigiri and drinking a cup of tea in the kitchen when she felt the weight of his eyes on her. She turned, cautiously meeting his gaze. He hadn't moved from where he had been sleeping, his head resting on his arm under the kotatsu blanket, toes sticking out on the other end. But he was awake now, his eyes open and calmly watching her.
"Good morning. Sorry if I woke you."
"Morning. You didn't."
She suddenly felt embarrassed to be held in his watchful gaze. She blushed, turning her head back to the rice that she was forming. "What is it?" She asked as she rolled and tossed the rice between her hands.
"Nothin'," Gene said lazily, closing his eyes.
Mai formed the last of the rice into onigiri and wrapped up her bento box, placing the extra rice balls on a plate. "There's some extra onigiri, if you want it," she called quietly. Glancing toward him she saw that his eyes were open again, his irises dark and painfully familiar.
"Is that all you're eating today?" Gene frowned at her.
"N-no, I'll trade with some friends," Mai lied, flushing and looking away from him. He was giving her a look with narrowed eyes that mirrored a look she'd seen on his brother's face so many times. She looked at her watch and panicked. "Oh, I have to go. I'll be late if I don't." She hurried toward the door, pulling on her coat and stepping into her school loafers. "Here's my extra key, you can come and go as you please..." She placed the key next to the plate of onigiri and glanced behind her once more as she opened the door, smiling gently. "I hope you have a good day, Gene."
The corners of his mouth lifted in a lop-sided grin, speaking to her in Japanese for the first time in the two days they'd spent together. "You too, Mai-chan."
...
It was a boring day at school. Mai excused herself from her friends, saying she didn't feel well, the girls giving each other anxious glances as Mai quietly, even morosely, sat at her desk, unwilling to participate with her classmates. Despite not getting quite enough sleep the night before, she was not tired in the least. She stared out the window during the lessons, half-heartedly listening to her teachers and wondering what Gene was doing on the crisp spring day. As she had suspected, the sun was out and there were only a few clouds, high in the sky. It was not a good day to be in school. With a jacket it would be a great day to go to the park or have a picnic.
Mai frowned. A picnic... For some reason it made her think of Naru. Once again she began to wonder why the two brothers were fighting. Even though she did not have good reason to believe so, her intuition told her Gene was angry because Naru had not accompanied him on his trip to Japan. It was certainly feasible that Gene had wanted to the two to take this trip together. But why Naru would have refused, she did not know and could not hazard a guess.
"Taniyama," a strict voice chastised, and she abruptly turned her gaze back to the front of the class. "Pay attention. Read the next passage, please, starting on page 37."
"Yes, sir," she said, rising to her feet and lifting her book, she began to read.
...
The day passed uneventfully until classes were finally over. Anxious to leave, Mai hurried through her cleaning duties, hardly listening to the chatter of her classmates around her. A sudden commotion caught her attention.
"Oh, look, there's a really cute boy waiting at the gate!"
"I've never seen him before, have you? Do you think he might be a transfer student?"
"I hope so! Maybe he'd be in our class!"
Mai, only vaguely interested by the stir, looked up to see three girls crowding around the window, giggling. She wasn't the only one who noticed the stir—the more they giggled, the more other students wandered over to the window to see. Mai turned her gaze out the window to the person in question. Her eyes immediately widened, recognizing the figure. "Gene?" She exclaimed without thinking. "What is he doing here?"
The girls turned toward her instantly. "You know him?" One of them accused.
Mai floundered. "Well, um, that is—"
Michiru bounced to Mai's side. "No wonder you've been so out of it today!" Her friend teased. "Why didn't you tell us you got such a cute boyfriend?"
"He's not my boyfriend," Mai said quickly, but the girls didn't seem to be listening.
"I'm so jealous," one girl sighed, while another clearly took offense at the idea.
"Where did you meet him?" She demanded. "Did he ask you out?"
Another girl skipped toward her merrily. "You said his name is Jin?" She pronounced the unfamiliar name carefully. "Is he a foreigner? He looks Japanese, though, doesn't he? Where's he from?"
"How many dates have you been on?"
"You've got the wrong idea," Mai quickly said, waving her hands in front of her face as the girls loomed over her, hungry for answers and details. At that moment her phone began to ring, and the girls immediately began to speculate that it was her boyfriend calling.
Mai managed to squeeze herself out of the crowd. Grabbing her coat and schoolbag, she ran from the room before anyone noticed her absence. Once she was a safe distance from the classroom she opened the phone. Gene had called her, and left a message saying he would wait for her at the school until she was done for the day.
Just as she was about to put the phone back in her pocket, a small beep indicated that she had a new message. Her face brightened in anticipation: it was a message from Lin. She hurried to open it, and scanning the words, her face fell.
Lin's message was a polite inquiry, asking what explanation she had given Gene on how she had met Naru. Mai, frowning as her thumbs moved quickly across the keypad, replied and gave the broad outlines of her story. Her frown deepening, she ended the message curtly by asking if he had heard from Naru.
Stuffing the phone into her pocket and hastily buttoning up her coat, she hurried out of the school toward Gene.
Gene's face brightened when he saw her and waved, calling out to her. "Mai-channn! Are you done for the day?" Mai couldn't help but cringe, knowing that the girls were probably watching from the classroom. No doubt she'd have to face rumours in the next few days.
"How are you?" Gene asked, grinning. "I was in the area so I figured I should come pick you up. Oh, and this is for you." He dropped a small plush lion into her hands. "I thought you might like it."
At the gift, Mai completely forgot about the gossiping girls. "Wow! It's so cute!" She looked up at him, grinning broadly, her eyes shining. "Thank you, Gene."
"It's nothing," he said quickly, averting his gaze. "Just something to remind you of our trip to the zoo."
"Of course," she giggled and sling her bag over her shoulder, holding the plush in the crook of her arm. "I'm starving! Let's go home. We'll stop by the store, I want to make curry tonight."
...
"What's the difference between Japanese and Indian curry, anyway?" Gene asked, peering into the bag of groceries. Mai had bought carrots, potatoes, an apple and an onion for the meal she was planning. She hadn't been able to afford it and so hadn't planned on buying any meat, but Gene had bought a piece of beef to add to their dinner as well.
"I dunno exactly," Mai said, shrugging. "But they don't taste anything the same."
"You'll let me help out, right?"
"Gene, you've already helped so much. You're carrying the groceries for me and you bought the meat. It'd be rude to ask..."
"But I'm the one imposing on you, remember?" Gene insisted, interrupting. "Besides, I want to learn how you do it. I have to learn something on this trip. I can make it for my mother when I go back to England. She'll be so proud of me. She always makes Indian curries, I can make her a Japanese one."
Mai laughed. "Okay," she agreed. "We'll do it together."
Gene shifted the bag to his right hand, and stepping closer to her, put his left arm around her. "Thank you."
Mai felt her cheeks grow hot and she averted her gaze.
Gene chuckled softly and sighed happily. "I'm really glad I met you, Mai."
Mai felt a smile grow on her own lips as well. "Me too. I'm really glad, too."
Gene watched her carefully, wondering why the only word he could think to describe her, smiling with a light blush on her cheeks, was cute. He also began to ponder about the boy that held her current affections. "Tell me about school today. Do you have homework? Maybe I can help you with that, too." He winked at her. "Just not English homework. You probably know that even better than me."
"Don't be silly," she laughed. Comfortable once more, they walked down the street together, Mai sheltered under his arm.
They were half a block from her apartment when Mai suddenly stopped in her tracks, so quickly that Gene nearly stumbled, his arm sliding from her shoulders. He turned toward her, puzzled and frowning. "Mai, what's wrong?"
Mai, eyes wide and without the capacity to speak, hoped that Gene couldn't hear the sound of her heartbeat, thumping frantically in her chest. In front of her apartment, arms crossed across his chest as he waited beneath the lilac tree, stood a mirror image of the young man by her side.
Mai tried to breathe calmly, but it was difficult as she frantically tried to comprehend the situation. Naru, what are you doing here? Why didn't Lin tell me you were here?
Gene turned his head followed her gaze. His dark eyes hardened noticeably, Mai saw, as her eyes darted between the twins.
"Gene," Naru said loudly.
Gene walked forward slowly, closing the distance between the twins. He raised his arm and clasped his brother's shoulder. "Noll," he said. His smile was thin and there was a detectable edge to his voice. "I'm glad you decided to join me. Did you change your mind?"
"No. My views on the matter are still quite firm." Naru said firmly. "But I'll help you," he said calmly, his expression lightening, "because you are my brother and this is not something you should undertake alone."
Mai stood dumbly, staring at the two brothers. The hardness in Gene's eyes seemed to soften and she had a feeling these were exactly the words Gene wanted to hear. "You shouldn't compromise your values just for me."
"I would never do such a thing." A small smirk twitched Naru's lips. "Don't get too full of yourself."
"Of course, you're the egoist, not me. How'd you find me, anyway?"
"I asked Lin to help," Naru shrugged. "He was able to locate the apartment of your new.. friend." Naru turned his gaze to Mai and she felt a tightness in her chest as he looked over her, wondering what he was going to say. "Mai Taniyama. It's nice to see you again."
"L-likewise," Mai stumbled. The lump in her throat made it near impossible to speak.
"Thank you for looking after my brother." He tilted his head politely.
"Of.. of course."
Gene turned apologetically to Mai, handing her the bag of groceries he'd been carrying. "Sorry, Mai. I was looking forward to helping you with the curry, but you'll have to go ahead and do it without me." He winked at her and gave her a tender smile. "I'll call you later, though, okay?"
Mai stood, shocked and completely still as she watched the two brothers depart. Her heart was still pounding in her chest. She sucked in her breath as Naru glanced over his shoulder, looking back at her and meeting her gaze.
He said nothing, but his eyes offered to her a silent apology. She forced a small smile and nodded to him, knowing they couldn't yet speak. As he turned his gaze away from hers the tears she'd been holding in finally spilled onto her cheeks.
...