Beneath the Lilac Tree

by archangelBBQ

"Been there, done that." It's been many years, but Mai and Naru finally meet again. Or has it? Moving forward this time, Naru is determined to change the past, even if he cannot predict how it will shape their future. Together the twins, Mai, and Lin will create SPR from scratch, though things are certain to be much different this time around.

16. Part XVI

Eternal apologies as always, and thank you for sticking with me.

---

Part XVI

He opens his eyes to the dream and finds himself looking out from this vantage point on that halfway no-man's land, living or dead, that place in-between inhabited by all the poor souls that can't find the will to move on. Here, he finds himself looking toward the world of the living.

There is a gentle, glimmering point of light in front of him and he can't help himself, he is drawn toward it. Toward her. He has tethered himself to her as surely as he is bound to his twin brother. It's not the first time she's dreamed of him without visions and residual feelings from a case for him to borrow, but this is their first meeting since she's discovered the truth—the truth of the two faces, the one in her dreams and another in the waking realm. This she's known for years, even if it was only a few weeks ago. And now she knows how his brother truly feels about her. This, she's only learned in a matter of days.

"Gene!" There is undeniable joy in her voice as she sees him, lighting up her face when she runs toward him. She throws her arms around his neck and he holds her tight, lifting her off her feet as he swings her around. It's been such a long time since he's been this close to another person in the spiritual realm, and it seems like it's been ages since he's seen Mai—he can't help himself, he pulls her close to him and buries his face in the crook of her neck, wishing he could smell her shampoo. But there is no scent here; he knows he should consider himself lucky for even being able to touch her. He releases her from his arms and gazes at her, trying to smile even though somehow he feels a little broken inside.

They walk side-by-side in silence for some time before he begins to fidget. They may as well be standing still; there are no landmarks around them in the darkness, only white spots of drifting light. "Don't you have questions for me?" He finally asks her quietly.

"Questions?" She looks up at him, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She turns her face forward again, nodding slightly, knowingly. "You mean, like why you're still here? Or why you never told me I was wrong when I thought you were Naru?" Another question remains unspoken but it echoes in his mind all the same. Why didn't I ever see you again, after the lake?

A wistful smile tugs at her features. "It doesn't matter. You don't need to answer anything, Gene." She slows her pace and gazes upwards, watching the lights as they drift aimlessly around them. There is a sadness and resignation in her eyes, an acceptance and an understanding she did not have the last time he saw her face-to-face. "You probably have questions for me, though."

He halts in his tracks and tries to cover the abrupt stop by lifting his chin, following her gaze to look upwards. There is no end to this sky and no end to the lights that drift from one side to the other. "No," he finally says, returning his gaze forward, unwilling to meet her eyes. "I don't have any questions for you, either."

They stand there in silence. "I missed you," Mai suddenly whispers ruefully, looking away. "I mean, I—" she bites her lower lip nervously. "I always regretted the fact that I never knew you, Gene. I always thought you were your brother and that was cruel of me."

"Cruel," he repeats in disbelief, and lifts his hand to cover the incredulous look on his face. "No, Mai. Never. Never cruel."

Her eyebrows knit together and he can see she's fighting back tears. "I..." her voice trails off and she shakes her head. "I'm just... sorry. I wish I had known you for you. And it's been so long since I've seen you—"

"Two weeks, Mai."

She looks at him carefully, trying to decipher if he means what he says. "Yes," she finally agrees, resignation clear in her voice. "It feels like a long time, but it's only been two weeks," she agrees sullenly, her voice dropping as she averts her gaze.

In some ways, he wants to reassure her, to agree with her because he knows what she means. Two weeks since he last saw her at the lake, but years and years somehow stuffed in between. But he doesn't want to tell her because he also feels responsible: after all, he could have pushed his brother to see her, surely—he could have made sure, somehow, that they'd meet again, and least of all, if he was anything of a guardian spirit to her, he should have been there and warned her about the danger that waited for her behind that door. He should have stopped her before it was too late. He doesn't want to tell her that after Noll heard what had happened, after he'd heard what happened, how he's left his brother's side to search for her, hoping he'd find her before she crossed over. If that were even possible, one spirit searching for another in the sea between death and whatever may lay on the other side.

But he doesn't say anything. It's all in the past, and the past is always behind them.

"Do you know when you're going to London?" He asks instead.

"No, not yet."

"You will, won't you?"

"Yes." She nods. "I will. Sometime after graduation. So maybe the end of March. Or maybe that's cutting it too close—maybe I won't be ready by then, not yet. So April, I guess."

He smiles. "You'd better enjoy the rest of your summer vacation while it's still here."

"Yeah." She grins, gazing up at the endless, dark sky, and Gene watches her in return. In some ways she's an adolescent, in others she's an adult, and most of the time—like now—she seems to be caught between the two. "It was Masako's birthday last week. She was away, filming or something, and there's a festival on Saturday's so we're going out with Bou-san and John and Ayako. I invited Yasuhara, too, but it sounds like he has other plans and won't be able to make it. Anyway, it should be fun." The same wistful smile from before tugs on her lips. "We've been through too much together to let our friendship drift away just like that," she murmurs, as if to herself.

He doesn't know what to say and so he doesn't say anything, but he wonders if Mai's friends can someday become Noll's friends, too.

She looks up at him questioningly. "Will I... will I see you again here? Or do you have to stay in England, close to Naru? And then... will I see you there?"

He knows what she's asking, but even he doesn't know the answer to that. And the probable answer isn't one she would like, and so it isn't one he'd like to tell her. Instead, he laughs a little. "Aren't you going to tell me I'd better pass on before I become an evil spirit?"

She sticks her lower lip out in a pout and he suddenly finds her more endearing and more adorable than ever before. "You could never be an evil spirit, Gene."

"No," he laughs. "Not when I have you guys to look after. I'm not that irresponsible."

"I don't need—" Mai begins but her voice trails off as she thinks twice about her statement. With a smile he leans forward toward her, kissing her cheek gently. She is not cold, as he knows he must be, and he takes a step back with an apologetic smile. He watches the deep blush that floods across her cheeks but otherwise her expression is impossible to read. She gazes up at him solemnly, calmly—brown eyes unblinking and unwavering, refusing to break his gaze.

"Maybe I shouldn't have done that," he murmurs softly. A kiss on the cheek may be friendly and platonic but he doesn't know if this one was, and he doesn't know what Mai will think of it. Noll, after all, kissed her cheek before he kissed her on the lips, and he wonders for a fraction of a second what a kiss with Mai would be like—

—and abandons the thought, pushing it to the furthest reaches of his mind where he will never, never think of it again. He knows he loves her, yes, and he is fiercely protective of her. Aside from that, however, he truly doesn't know what it is he feels for her. Whether it's his own feelings or simply those passed along the telepathic link that still binds him to his twin, he doesn't know. All he knows for certain: he isn't jealous. What is there to be jealous for? He's dead and his brother is alive. He's truly happy for him, for them. He'd do anything for his brother and if his brother has chosen her, then he'd do anything for the two of them.

Mai doesn't answer him, only gazing up at him with this strange, unreadable look on her face. Slowly, she reaches forward and takes his hand, squeezing his fingers. If he closes his eyes he can imagine it's his mother's—even though she never held his hand like this. As a child he'd liked to imagine the ghost of his birth mother, watching him even though he'd never once seen her spirit.

"You should wake up," he finally says, and with the words he finds his throat suddenly tight with the reminder that he really is all alone. Alone despite the ties to these two points of light in the world of the living.

"My alarm will probably go off soon," she agrees quietly, but she doesn't let go of his hand. He grips it tightly. He wants her to stay with him, wants her to pull him out of this loneliness—but even he knows this is just wishful thinking.

"I don't think you should remember this dream."

"Gene—" she begins, but he shakes his head and forces a smile, pulling his hand away from hers.

"Wake up, Mai," he tells her. "Don't look back. Forget all of this."

Somehow, he knows that she will. Alone again, he stares up at the floating lights and wonders if this feeling in his chest would go away if he could let himself cry.

He follows her until the weekend, hovering close enough that he can watch her but not too much that her instincts can pick up his presence. He has to be even more careful once they arrive at the festival, as Hara Masako, the medium, is there—but he's slipped beyond her notice before, and in the excitement and the bustling of the crowds he doesn't think it'll be difficult to escape her again. Hara pretends that she needs to be persuaded to share a stick of cotton candy with Mai, but it's obvious to all that she's pleased, and even more touched when Mai gives her a small birthday gift. He watches as Mai and the Catholic priest catch a goldfish together, the man laughing brightly with twinkling sky-blue eyes. Without his robes and clerical collar, the man is simply a foreigner now in his casual polo shirt and slacks, having a good time out with his friends. The miko and the monk are laughing and bickering over something, and when Mai attempts to placate the two they agree to comply as if the routine is some sort of inside joke held between them. They are all surprised when their once co-worker Yasuhara shows up with a new girlfriend on his arm—not surprised about the girlfriend, it seems, but rather that he made it to their gathering at all.

Of all things, it is the fortune-telling booth that Mai wants to spend her money on. If she could see him he would scoff at her and tell her not to waste her time, but Mai wants to do it and all her companions see it as good fun.

"You know they're just paid to tell you that you're going to succeed, find what you're searching for or meet the man of your dreams, or whatever," the monk teases her with a laugh.

"I know," Mai says. A mischievous, pleased look lights up her face in a glow as he says the man of your dreams. She hasn't told them what happened last weekend, the weekend his brother did the improbable and took her across the country so he could tell her how he felt when they returned. "So what? Maybe I want to hear that."

"Knowing it's just some person trying to rip you off and going for it anyway?" The self-proclaimed priestess clicks her teeth.

Monk laughs and ruffles her hair even as he nudges her toward the booth. "That's strange, Jou-chan, real strange." She squirms and waves them away. The others wait but he follows her inside the tent, hovering behind as she walks slowly, her eyesight adjusting to the dim lighting.

It is a woman who is seated in front of the fortune-telling table, an old woman in some kind of costume that looks halfway between that miko's Shinto dress and some traditional Korean garments. The woman squints as she looks up at Mai. Then her eyes widen and drift over Mai's shoulder, behind her. Directly at him. She sees him. When no one, no one at all, should have been able to.

"Here for your fortune," she asks quietly, and her head suddenly dips and lolls to one side. Mai looks alarmed and takes a quick step forward, but she's unsure if this is real—as he knows it to be—or if it's only part of the act. The woman mumbles under her breath and her head snaps straight forward again, but instead of looking at Mai, she looks at the spirit behind her.

"A man that is not a man—immense and dangerous," the woman exhales a rattling breath. Mai looks worried but mostly she seems confused, knowing this was not how this was supposed to go. "You're sorely mistaken if you think things will be different this time. To continue as you do now will only bring danger to the people you cherish. You should know this. Trust your instincts. Stay away from her."

"Her?" Mai echoes aloud. "Who?" But the woman ignores her.

"Retreat and hope it does not see him. You must stay away from her for his sake. The world will burn when he finds him."

"He?" Mai can't stop herself from blurting. "His sake? Not... Naru?"

"And you, child," the woman suddenly says, addressing Mai. He doesn't know if Mai realizes the woman is now talking to her. For some reason, he hopes she doesn't. Hopes she will forget this fortune, a fortune that only reinforces what he already instinctually knows.

"You'd better be ready to run."

...

When Gene woke to the dim morning light he was still on his brother's bed, laying diagonally across the mattress with the comforter haphazardly pulled up over his shoulders. He pushed himself up slowly, blinking at his surroundings with bewilderment before remembering what had happened. Waking up in the night and knowing Mai needed Noll; telling his brother to go to her.

He pressed his hand to his forehead and slid off the bed, shuffling toward the door and then down the hall toward the kitchen. He tensed when he heard voices coming from his destination, not expecting anyone else to be awake.

"Thanks for the coffee," he heard Sarah's voice murmur.

"Not at all. Can I get you anything else?" Lin's low voice said.

"No, this is fine for now, thank you." There was a pause. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course, anything."

"Yesterday, Masako Hara, she told me—"

If he'd been thinking clearly he probably would have stopped in the hall before they saw him, to wait and listen to the conversation that was about to unfold, but Sarah fell silent as soon as Gene came through the doorway. She and Lin were sitting at the table, drinking tea and coffee.

"You're up early," Gene muttered at Lin as he crossed the room.

Sarah flushed pink and looked at her cup, but Lin regarded him evenly. "What's wrong, Gene?" He asked quietly.

Gene ignored him as he filled a glass at the tap and drank it. "How long have you been up?" He didn't wait for an answer before walking over to the window, peering at the overcast sky. "It stopped raining," he muttered. He turned when he heard the front door open, knowing it was his brother.

Lin frowned when Naru came into the kitchen. "Where were you?" He asked, eyes going between the twins, though neither made a motion to speak.

"Thank you for the coffee," Sarah suddenly, rising to her feet and taking her cup to the sink. "I think I'll take a quick shower before Martin and Luella get up." She dipped her head as she excused herself, smiling slightly as she met Lin's gaze.

After she had left, Lin spoke again. "What happened?" He asked, frowning as he glanced between the brothers.

Naru exhaled wearily and sat down at the table. "Mai had a nightmare. Did you see it?" Gene shook his head and he sighed again. "She doesn't remember it, either."

Lin considered the two before speaking. "You're certain it wasn't just a normal dream?" He cautioned. "Martin and Luella's arrival has been pretty stressful for her—"

"It wasn't normal," Gene interrupted. "It definitely wasn't normal."

Naru pursed his lips, tapping his fingers noiselessly against the table. "Could it have been related to the potential client in Etajima?" He asked. "You've had dreams about upcoming cases even before arriving at the site, it doesn't seem improbable that Mai might as well—"

"No," Gene shook his head. "It wasn't that. It was different." He suddenly shuddered, a tremor running through his body as he strained to remember. The dream itself didn't carry any weight for him but Mai's terror had been real, seeping into his subconscious. It wasn't an ordinary nightmare. "Something.. bigger."

Naru frowned. "Related to the disturbance on the spiritual plane Lin told us about a few days ago?"

The older twin hesitated. "Maybe. Yeah. I think so."

Lin considered Gene quietly for several moments and then nodded. He straightened his shoulders. "I'm going to find out when my grandmother plans on coming here," he finally said quietly. "She may not know exactly what it was that the shiki felt, but no doubt she knows more than I. I also have a feeling she won't talk about it but in person. How much time do we have, Gene?"

"Time for what?" Naru asked, eyebrows lowering.

"At least a couple months," Gene responded automatically.

"How do you know this?" His brother demanded.

Gene shook his head. "It's just.. just a feeling."

Naru pressed his lips tightly together, eyes moving between the other two. "It's the butterfly effect again, isn't it," he finally said, his gaze stopping to rest on his brother's.

"Butterfly effect?" Lin echoed.

"A butterfly in Brazil causes a tornado in Texas," Gene whispered, closing his eyes and passing his hand across his forehead.

"None of this happened before," Naru said, frowning. "Not the first time and not the second. Whatever this disturbance in the spiritual plane may be, it's related to the circumstances of this second time."

"Or coming back to this time instead of the other," Gene added quietly.

Naru nodded. "Yes. Whatever we did, it was different—"

"What you did," Gene muttered, opening his eyes. "I might have helped you focus it, Noll—might have, if I could even do that from the other side—but it was your PK. Your psychic energy. I wasn't there. Not really."

"What did you do?"

All three suddenly turned. None of them had heard Martin enter the kitchen through the doorway behind them.

"What did you use your PK for, Oliver?" Martin repeated. When his sons remained silent he turned his gaze to Lin. "Lin?" He demanded.

"What's going on?" Luella asked, appearing behind her husband, slowing in her footsteps when she saw the looks on her son's faces. The stony-faced and reluctant expression of Noll and the abashed look of Gene as if he'd been caught with his hand in the biscuit jar, only much, much worse. She turned her gaze from her sons toward the familiar, carefully controlled look on Lin's features. The blank look that was almost too expressionless, the look that said the man was done talking, no matter what her husband might say. She'd seen this look on her sons—Noll in particular—and Luella wondered sometimes if Lin had learned this expression from him, or if it was the other way around.

"Eugene, Oliver, so help me," Martin said slowly. "I trust you to communicate with me. Do not betray my trust." His hazel eyes narrowed when he met Naru's hard expression. "Noll, having a secret girlfriend is one thing. Endangering your own life by using your PK without your brother to relieve the burden on your body is quite another. And not once, but multiple times? I thought you understood the consequences."

Luella inhaled sharply, covering her mouth with her hands. "Noll," she managed, her voice barely a whisper.

Martin released a shuddering breath, and it became evident that he was shaking slightly. Not in anger, Gene realized, but with relief. "You could have died," he whispered fiercely. "For what? What could possibly be that important?"

We should tell them, Noll.

Absolutely not.

It's not fair to keep this a secret from them.

It's not fair to burden them with it, either.

We have to tell them, Noll.

There was a finality in Gene's thought that his brother could not argue with. Naru's shoulders suddenly slumped as he exhaled quietly in defeat. "Let's sit down in the living room," he finally said, rising to his feet and motioning toward the other room. "This is going to take a while."

...

Mai lay awake on her futon, staring at the ceiling.

She'd felt better when she awoke. A little unsettled perhaps, but Naru's presence next to her on the futon comforted her. The terrors of the nightmare still lurked at the edges of her mind though they seemed distant as she lay there, listening to the sound of his even breathing with his warm shoulder against her own. Now she was anxious again, and had been ever since he'd left her side that morning. She began to slow her breathing and moved her eyes around her dim bedroom, focusing on the familiar objects. Her school uniform, hanging in the open closet. The wooden bird ornament, suspended on a string against the window. Her parents' old board games, stacked in the corner. Lin had mentioned this technique once in passing as a way for grounding oneself and focusing the mind, and she'd found it particularly useful.

She kept her breathing even as she returned her thoughts to the dream. Running? What had she been doing, and where had she been? The harder she tried to remember, the further away it seemed to be and she couldn't help but frown, biting her lip in frustration. There was something else, too—something besides the nightmare she was forgetting. Something important.

A movement caught her eye and she sat up, eyes narrowing before relaxing. "Oh, it's you," she exhaled. "You startled me, Aahil."

The spirit, standing in her doorway, dipped his head in apology. "I didn't mean to surprise you. I was just looking in to see if you were awake."

"Yup." Mai said bitterly, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Wide awake."

Aahil considered her before speaking. "He's worried about you."

She frowned. "Lin-san?"

The spirit didn't answer and took a step into the room, lowering himself into a cross-legged position in a fluid motion. He sat very straight, the same way Lin did, Mai noticed. "I don't suppose you'd like to discuss your dream with me."

"I don't remember my dream," Mai said, her lips twitching.

"No, but you know how you feel about it right now," Aahil said patiently.

"Oh." Mai suddenly had the impression that she was being addressed as a child, and she looked at her hands, embarrassed. "I know it's hard to quantify emotions," she began slowly, "but I don't think I've ever been so scared before."

"Not even when you stared death in the face?" The spirit asked softly. "Within Urado's mansion?"

Mai shook her head, trembling. The spirit was staring at her, his dark brown eyes penetrating and probing, and she suddenly felt very naked as he examined her aura. "What do you see?"

"Nothing," the shiki said abruptly, and the prying feeling vanished. "Nothing at all, actually. Just that you've been frightened."

Mai turned her head and looked out the window. It was still early, though the sky wouldn't light much beyond the muted gray, thick with falling rain. "You must be very old," she said suddenly.

The spirit smiled, a broad smile without showing his teeth. "Some would say that."

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

He nodded and swept his hand out before him in an amiable gesture. "Certainly."

She bit her lip, watching him cautiously. "Were you always a spirit like this? I mean..." her voice trailed off, not knowing how to ask.

"In servitude," he finished for her. "Bound to a living master. Is that what you're asking?"

"Um, yes," she said awkwardly. "I guess so."

The spirit gazed at her for several moments before dipping his head in a nod. "Yes. Since my natural life. It may surprise you to hear, but I was once a living person. Quite a long time ago."

It wasn't a surprise; Lin had mentioned this fact to her before and it was because of this that she was so curious. "Naru has always told me that spirits can't linger among the living without becoming tainted with the anger and fear from the living. That over time, all spirits will become corrupted. But because you were.. bound to a master, is that why you aren't?"

"Aren't what? A corrupt spirit?" Aahil smiled apologetically. "What makes you think I'm not, Taniyama-san?"

She was quick to reply. "Clearly you're not."

He laughed lightly, shaking his head. "If you say so."

"Can I ask you how you died?"

"Quite honestly, I don't remember, though I know I was killed by another man. Poisoned, perhaps. He wasn't the type to use a blade."

Mai frowned. "Does it bother you that you don't remember?"

He shook his head again, slowly. "No. Not anymore," he said finally. A quizzical look came over her face and he continued before she could ask. "It was a long time ago, but I'll be frank. The man who killed me—the man who first enslaved me—he found his own fitting punishment in the end. My revenge had been fulfilled as much as it ever could and his bones have long since turned to dust."

Her frown remained steady on her lips. "Was that Thibault Bertin?"

Aahil hesitated again, his face darkening with displeasure. "No. That man came later—and he did not get even a fraction of what he deserved." He rose to his feet, glancing through the window as if watching something far away, something invisible to Mai's eyes. "I'll take my leave now, unless you have any other questions."

Mai shook her head and watched the spirit disappear. She lay back down on the futon, watching the lamp sway above her in a sudden breeze. If she were Naru or Gene, she thought, she would know the questions she wanted to ask and the answers she needed to figure out. But she wasn't like them, she didn't think the way they did, and she didn't know yet.

Mai closed her eyes.

...

Lin remained in the kitchen to make tea while the others went to the living room and it was then that Sarah appeared, emerging from the hall. Fresh from the bath, her cheeks were rosy and her damp hair was tied up loosely with a clip. She glanced into the living room, meeting the twin's gaze briefly before her eyes passed over the backs of Martin and Luella's heads as she assessed the situation. She then turned her head to meet Lin's gaze, the man holding a teapot in one hand and five stacked cups perfectly balanced in the other.

"Er, Sarah," Lin said, shifting on his feet slightly. "Can I get you a cup of tea?"

"No, thank you. Actually, I'm going to call my family," she said, fully aware that the four in the living room were most likely listening to her every word. Gene exhaled silently in relief, once again immensely grateful that Martin had asked Sarah to accompany them instead of Madoka. Madoka would have immediately asked what was wrong and would not have left the family alone of her own accord.

"I.. just wanted to let you know that I won't join you for a while yet," Sarah continued. "I'll be in the other room. I won't disturb you."

"Certainly. We'll let you know when it's time for breakfast." Lin's lips twitched in a strange smile, though Gene was the only one to see it as Sarah had already turned and was beginning to retreat down the hall.

Lin brought the tea to the living room, passing the teacups around though no one made to drink the beverage. Gene found himself wishing Mai was there, if only so that her presence would relax his brother somewhat. Noll was tense and he could just faintly feel the headache in his brother's mind as if it were his own.

"It's true that we've kept some things from you since I came to Japan. Gene and I both." Naru started after Lin sat down. He sighed and rubbed his temple with his fingertips. He lifted his eyes to meet his parents', watching their expressions.

"Why did you come to Japan so suddenly, Noll?" Luella asked quietly. "It wasn't the truth, was it, when Lin told us you knew Gene could be in trouble. You could have told us if you'd changed your mind, we'd have understood..." Her voice trailed off, eyebrows knitting together when she saw the quiet, resolute expression on her son's face. Something about it seemed much too mature, even for such a precocious sixteen year old adolescent boy.

"No," Naru exhaled, shaking his head. "Lin wasn't lying, though he understated the trouble that awaited Gene. I didn't want to alarm you but I knew his life was in danger. My coming to Japan—that's where this begins." He paused, reaching toward his brother. Are you sure, he asked. Because if we tell them, there's no going back.

I'm absolutely sure, Gene reassured him through their telepathy.

"Gene did die, once. I couldn't let that happen again." Naru said simply. "I needed to prevent his death. I needed to see him again after being separated."

Martin and Luella stared at him, speechless, the color draining from their mother's cheeks.

"But not only me," Gene said quietly.

"No," Naru agreed. "I also wanted to return to the woman I loved," he finished reluctantly. "I thought I would lose myself if I lost either of them again."

Martin and Luella remained silent for some time before their mother spoke. "You mean.. Mai?" She asked softly. Naru nodded and she glanced at her husband nervously. "What happened to her?"

"Noll, what you're saying..." Martin began, but didn't seem to know how to continue.

"I know it sounds absurd," Naru said, meeting his parents' eyes honestly. "It is completely unbelievable, which is why we didn't tell you. To put it very simply, Gene could have died if I hadn't come to intervene. He would have died, had things gone the same way they once did."

"I did die," Gene muttered. "That's the beginning, really."

"What do you mean?" Luella managed, her voice just above a whisper. Martin looked like he was about to say something but Naru held up his hand.

"Just listen first to what we have to say, please." He glanced at his brother, who gave him a short, affirmative nod. "It would have been about two weeks ago, when I witnessed his death in England."

"In actuality it was years and years. Please bear that in mind." Gene added softly.

"He was killed and his body was hidden in a lake," Naru continued, his voice catching slightly, and Gene winced to hear him speak so plainly. Luella gasped and Martin paled, gripping Luella's hand. "Where, though, we had no idea. I came to Japan. I had to find him." He nodded toward Lin. "I did not come alone. Lin accompanied me. We opened a satellite office of BSPR so we could search for his body. The search for him took over a year, almost a year and a half." Martin looked at Lin, bewildered, but the tall man's facial expression did not change.

"I met Mai during this time. She worked for us at SPR—Shibuya Psychic Research, as we were not publicly affiliated with BSPR." A small smile twitched at his lips. "For reasons I still do not completely understand, she remained by my side. Eventually, I realized she was important to me." He paused again, hesitating for only a moment before continuing. "But she was killed by a burglar who broke into her apartment, years after I'd found Gene's body and returned to England. I never came back." He whet his lips, frowning slightly as he saw the astounded and flabbergasted looks on his parents' faces. They aren't going to believe us, he suddenly thought toward his brother.

Try anyway, Gene said, sounding resigned. There's nothing we can do but try. If anyone can, you can explain it to them.

"When Mai died, I decided I had to change something." Naru struggled for words, suddenly not knowing what to say. Seeing his twin's blank look, Gene spoke quietly.

"Noll killed himself with his PK," Gene said bluntly, his brother's expression both relieved and grateful as he spoke for him. "Purposefully—but also not purposefully, if that makes any sense. He would have died if he hadn't succeeded. He created a wormhole or some rift in the fabric of space and time or something, something that allowed him to come back to the day that he first said goodbye to Mai."

"You're talking about time travel?" Martin asked incredulously, balanced precariously between parental worry and a scientist's inquisitiveness. Neither of the twins had any reason to believe it was more likely to swing to one side or the other.

"Yes." Gene nodded. "To change her future. So that if nothing else, she wouldn't die on that day in her apartment, eight years later." When Noll nodded at him, he continued. "Noll was important to Mai, too. When she graduated high school, she came to England for university to be with him."

Martin looked baffled. "But what..."

Gene shot him a sharp look that caused his father's words to falter. "Mai stayed with you for years, you loved her like she was your own daughter. If anyone can understand what my death did to Noll, it's you. You were so incredibly relieved he could smile again, but at the same time you knew he would never stop grieving me. The only reason he ever wore anything besides mourning clothes was because he didn't want to be a constant reminder that you had lost one of your sons."

A smile twitched the corners of Gene's lips and his severe expression relaxed into one of contentment. "But Noll was happy with Mai. I know he wouldn't say she was a replacement for me, but that doesn't mean she was any less important." His eyebrows furrowed together, his face suddenly pained. "You can imagine how devastated he was when an accident left her paralyzed and in a permanent coma. She was too badly injured to survive. It was only a matter of time before she died. So Noll did it again, only this time, he went back even further."

"You used your PK again? To turn back time?" Martin asked, his voice lowering. "Noll, how could you be so bloody reckless? What if you had killed yourself in the process—"

"Yes," Naru interrupted. "It was a foolish and a reckless gamble. Perhaps it was the stupidest thing I have ever done. I had utter confidence in myself, and yet I am ashamed to say I was prepared to die. At that moment it didn't matter if I succeeded or not because I thought I'd lost everything I held dear. I was being very selfish." He glanced sideways at Lin, his face suddenly pained. "At any rate," he continued, sounding resigned. "We came back to this time when Gene was still alive, and I had to save his life at all costs."

Martin gazed at his son with intense scrutiny neither of the twins had seen before. "Which is why you suddenly ran away. You realized what was about to—what could happen?"

Naru nodded shortly. "I had to come to Japan as soon as possible. I couldn't ask your permission because you were most likely to say no. I didn't want to go against your word, but I would have. There is nothing you could have done that would have stopped me from coming here."

Martin frowned, troubled eyes moving between his sons before stopping to rest on Naru's alone. "You're telling us you used your PK to turn back time—first, to save Mai's life, and then again, to save Mai's life and Gene's."

"Yes," Naru said unblinkingly. "Though I would have only done it once if I could."

"And you both have memories of these... alternate timelines?" Martin asked carefully, propping his glasses up above his forehead, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. "Gene, you would have been..." his voice trailed off and he couldn't continue, unable to voice himself what they'd just told him.

"Yes," Gene said quietly. "I was dead. I remained on the spiritual plane. I never passed over."

At this Luella began to cry softly. Martin gripped Luella's hand tightly, his other arm reaching around her shoulders comfortingly. "And you have memories of.. of being there?" He asked tightly.

"I didn't at first. After Noll told me, I began to remember what I'd seen."

Martin was clearly overwhelmed, his face contorted between varying degrees of disbelief and a hope to believe what his sons were telling him. It was impossible, yes—not that they hadn't witnessed the impossible before. However, to believe meant to accept the fact that his son had once died. He'd failed the most important of his duties as a parent and yet he remembered nothing of it whatsoever.

He doesn't believe us, Gene thought with hopeless resignation, glancing anxiously at his brother. He probably thinks I had a dream or a vision and you witnessed it through psychometry—

He just doesn't understand, Naru's thoughts interrupted. Gene could see his brother's determination to explain in his eyes. Not yet. You said it yourself. We have to try.

At that moment Lin cleared his throat, gazing at Martin and Luella earnestly. "I was in the hospital with Noll when he caused the PK explosion that ultimately brought us back to this time. I remember this second alternate future that Noll speaks of. I know it sounds impossible and unbelievable, but I sincerely believe it is more than simply shared precognition. One of my spirit familiars also acknowledges this bizarre overlap in time. Mai, as well, remembers both of these alternate futures. You can ask her to corroborate this story when you see her."

Martin nodded slowly and turned his eyes back to his sons. His blatant disbelief was clearly waning, but underneath his composure the man was deeply shaken. "Did you tell us? The first time you did this with your PK?"

Naru visibly hesitated. "No," he admitted. "I did not. I told Lin and no one else."

Martin's face tightened. "Were you going to tell us this time?"

Naru paused again, his eyes moving to his mother's hunched figure. "Perhaps eventually." This was almost certainly a lie. He had never intended to tell them. He exhaled. "I didn't tell you before because I didn't know how to explain. And I didn't want to get your hopes up. It's not something we can test in the lab."

Martin frowned. "I'm sure you had a hypothesis. What was it?"

"PK without restraint," Naru started slowly, "Without concern for my body, it seems probable that my psychic energy was strong enough to disrupt the normal passage of time. In the past we've discussed how one's psychic energy directly effects the energy of their surrounding environment. Everything of our being effects the magnetic and gravitational fields that surround us." He paused to whet his lips and Martin nodded, encouraging him to continue. "When I released my psychic energy in its entirety, it was so destructive that the energy surrounding me fluctuated violently and collapsed."

"Like the creation of a psychic energy black hole," Gene said quietly.

Naru nodded. "Yes. That isn't a terrible analogy." he paused, again, hesitating. "From what I remember, I encouraged this collapse. I put all of myself and all of my energy into the vacuum. With my psychic energy falling in on itself, I pulled in all the energy from around me."

"You don't remember." Martin frowned.

"Not exactly," Naru admitted. "I don't have a very good recollection of what happened. Though I remember the second time a little better than the first." He rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. "If only because that was seven years ago. Unfortunately, the notes I wrote immediately following the events are non-existent now, as well as any subsequent research. There are, of course, many ideas and speculations around time travel, ranging from crackpot ideas and conspiracy theories to the utterly scientific, and in trying to come up with a suitable explanation I looked at all of them. We spent countless days trying to come up with a simple speculation we could not test." He gave Lin a wry smile, giving credit where credit was due. "Lin helped me, of course. It was too much to undertake alone, and it took many years."

"A massive amount of psychic energy being released and collapsing in on itself," Martin mused quietly, tapping his fingers against his chin. "Its weight pulling in any and all surrounding energy, disrupting the normal flow of time."

"Despite any of my ideas on the how," Naru continued, frowning, "there is no convincing explanation I could come up with to explain our shared precognition. Or however you want to describe our memories of that future. While still subject to the fallibility of the human mind, our memories coincide much too perfectly to be a simple corroboration."

"Moving between parallel or overlapping universes?" Martin mused.

"Unlikely, where are the people we replaced when we came here?"

"Our physical bodies didn't leave that time, only our consciousness," Gene pointed out. "Or Noll wouldn't be sixteen and I'd still be a corpse."

"Eugene!" Luella exclaimed suddenly, her son referring to himself as a corpse too much for her to bear. "How can you say that?"

"Well, it's true!" He protested guiltily.

"Whatever you did, it certainly wasn't time travel the way people generally think of it," Martin mused, taking off his thin glasses and rubbing at his forehead with his other hand. "You didn't transport your bodies or anything tangible from one place in time to another. If anything, it's like pressing rewind on your cassette player." He frowned, tapping the glasses against his thigh. "The curious thing is why only certain people remember the original playback."

"I didn't remember at first." Gene said quietly. "Noll told me and I..." his voice trailed off. There was no way he could tell his father how he'd looked inside Mai's mind, tell him how she'd fainted at the onslaught. "It took several days for me to remember," he continued. "Even then, my memories of the time that passed while I was dead are a bit patchy."

The room was silent. "You remember the plane of the dead?" His father finally asked, torn between curiosity and trepidation.

"Martin," Luella cautioned, her voice rising.

"Let's not talk about this right now," Naru said tiredly. You're going to have to satisfy Martin's curiosity later, Gene. This is making Luella upset.

Gene looked back toward his adopted mother. Her head was turned and she gazed steadfastly at a blank spot on the wall with eyes that were watery with unshed tears. Her fingers were trembling, balled into tight fists at her side. Rising to his feet, crossed the short distance between them and crouched by her side, taking her hands in his own. "I'm sorry, Mum."

Luella closed her eyes and began to cry. "No, I'm sorry, Gene," she whispered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "You have no idea how sorry I am."

Gene sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Ne pleures pas," he comforted her softly, knowing it would not stop the tears but hoping it would. "Je suis ici avec tu," he reassured her, taking her hand again with his own, hoping the warmth of his fingers could convince her completely. "Je vais bien, ne pleures pas."

"Je sais, Gene." She opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "Je suis désolée que ta mère est une telle idiote."

It was comforting to hear his brother speak French to their mother, and Naru couldn't help but exhale in relief when she responded in kind. The two had always chattered away in the foreign tongue together, whether around the house or when she took them into London or up to Cambridge to visit their father, for fun or for errands. Naturally, Gene had always loved playing the part of a tourist. As they'd grown older and entered their teenaged years, Gene spoke French less casually—perhaps because he knew Martin's grasp of the language was not as firm as their mother's—but whenever Luella was angry or upset his twin had tried to either placate or cheer her up by offering his sweet smile and a sincere "Je t'aime, maman."

Naru looked away. He'd never been able to do the same. How many times in the past the thought had come to him that the wrong twin had died—but it turned out the right one had survived, if only so that he could return their son to them.

"I always enjoyed the idea of a good wrinkle in time," Martin finally said, a wan smile crossing his lips and a brightness lighting his eyes. Naru relaxed when he saw it. He knew that look, a look that showed Martin's initial disbelief had been replaced by his curiosity. "Though in the traditional sense you would traverse such a thing with your physical bodies, but it's not unreasonable to say that your bodies were left behind to allow your mind and consciousness to travel freely—yes, perhaps you were able to merge your psychic energy with your current selves which gives you the recollection of and memories from this future. How, of course, you could achieve such a thing is truly the question at hand—"

"I think it's time for breakfast," Luella suddenly said, interrupting before her husband could speculate further. She wiped at her eyes one last time and rose to her feet. "The tea's gone cold, I'm sure Sarah's about to join us—" At the mention of Sarah, Gene shot Lin a questioning glance but Lin returned the look with a very slight shake of his head. "—and we'll be expecting Mai, no doubt, at any time," she continued. "I think we should continue this train of thought later. After breakfast, perhaps, when we have some food in our bellies."

Martin sighed and rubbed his temples with his fingers, the momentum of his thoughts lost with the interruption. "I suppose you're right. Quite right."

"When's Mai coming?" Gene asked.

"I believe she'll be here shortly," Naru said quietly, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was nearly seven o'clock. He'd woken her when he'd left before six and she'd told him she'd meet them on the hour.

"Will you call her?" Luella asked.

"That's not necessary." Naru said. A slight twitch of visible thought moved across Martin's face, but Naru saw no reason to elaborate. He wasn't going to tell them he'd slept half the night on Mai's futon.

Luella nodded again and picked up her cold tea to bring it to the kitchen. "Then we'd better get started."

...

The elevator doors slid open with a ding and Mai stepped out into the hallway. After yesterday, she'd resolved to take the lift less often—but this morning she was exhausted and had settled by telling herself she'd take the stairs next time.

She could see a faint line of illumination under the door and knocked, hoping Naru or Gene or at least Lin would open the door. Instead, when the door swung open it was Luella standing behind it. The woman had a strange expression on her face that Mai attributed to surprise. Perhaps Luella hadn't remembered she was coming?

"G-good morning, Mrs Davis," Mai ventured, clearing her throat slightly and trying to put on a cheerful smile.

Luella gazed at her for one moment, a multitude of different emotions running across her face before she suddenly swept down and pulled Mai into a warm embrace, so quickly she was in her arms before Mai could even register what was happening. "Oh, Mai," she murmured, hugging her tightly. Behind her, Naru stepped into the room. From over Luella's shoulder, Mai looked at him, panicked and confused by the woman's unexpected behavior.

Luella released her gently and Mai looked up at the older woman nervously, meeting her gaze for a moment before falling back to Naru's as he spoke. "We told them," he said quietly, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the wall.

"Told—" Mai began, bewildered. The meaning of his words dawned on her a second later. "Oh. Oh." She looked back at Luella, meeting the woman's pale blue eyes. "I'm.. I'm so sorry, Mrs Davis, I really am—"

"No," Luella interrupted softly, shaking her head and taking Mai's shoulders in her hands. "You don't need to apologize for anything, Mai. If anything, we should apologize to you." She laughed weakly. "I just wish we could remember the way you do." She patted her gently on the back, stepping aside. "Anyway. We'll talk later. Do come in. How about a cuppa?"

"Oh, um, yes please," Mai said, taking off her coat. Naru crossed the room, then, taking the article from her and hanging it on the rack as Mai bent down to untie the laces of her shoes. A smirk flickered across his face as he watched her. Mai would usually just kick off her shoes, but they both knew it Luella disliked to see her family members slip out of their footwear without loosening the shoelaces.

"We've got tea and coffee—so whatever suits your preference," Luella said. "Lin also ran out to get some orange juice so if you'd rather—"

"Tea's fine, thank you, Mrs. Davis."

"Please," Luella said kindly and led Mai into the kitchen, Naru close behind the two. "Call me Luella, dear."

Martin, Lin and Gene were sitting in the kitchen, and the three turned to face her as she entered. Sarah was nowhere to be seen but that, Mai supposed, made sense—even if they told Martin and Luella the truth, she didn't think they would go ahead and tell Sarah unless absolutely necessary. Vaguely, she wondered how it had all happened. Her eyes met Gene's and he gave her a steady look which seemed to promise they'd explain later.

Mai hesitated when she saw their eyes on her, especially Martin's, but she smiled nervously and dipped her head in greeting. "Good morning," she said.

"Good morning, Mai," Martin said, smiling slightly as he rose to his feet and pulled out a chair for her to sit. He seemed a bit tired, Mai thought—understandably so, from what he'd just learned. "Thank you for joining us. Please, sit down."

"Thank you for having me," Mai replied awkwardly as she sat down. Naru took the seat next to her, picking up a half-drunk cup of tea. The table was just a bit too small for seven people, but they'd managed to put the right number of place settings along with all the cups of tea and coffee and glasses of juice. There was a plate with several slices of toast, a bowl of fruit, another covered bowl that Mai had a feeling had scrambled eggs inside, as there was a bottle of ketchup and Gene always ate his eggs with tomato sauce, as well as a couple jars of jam. There were three more chairs at the table this morning so they could all sit. Mai noticed the additions immediately and gave Lin a questioning glance, having a feeling he'd probably had to go out to buy them the evening before.

Instead of joining them at the table, Luella crossed the room to make another pot of tea. "Anyone else for some more tea?"

"I'll have a cup, Lu," Martin said.

"Hungry, Mai? Help yourself to some toast and eggs." Gene said, uncovering the bowl. "Everything's still hot, we made this last batch of toast right before you got here."

"Thank you," Mai said, reaching for the toast. She smiled her thanks as Luella set a full teacup down next to her hand.

"Should I make some coffee while I'm at it? Gene?" Luella asked, bringing the pot to the table and refilling Martin's and Naru's cups. She seemed to be afraid of sitting idle.

"Oh, I'll do it," Gene said, hopping to his feet. "Sarah's probably finishing up her phone call as we speak, I'm sure she'd like some coffee too."

Luella reluctantly sat down on the other side of Mai, picking up her own cup. "Looks like a rainy day," she mused, gazing out the window. "I'll have to buy an umbrella, I didn't think to bring one."

"You can borrow ours, mother," Naru said dryly. Luella smiled and her face relaxed, though whether from the sentiment or simply because her son called her mother, it was hard to tell. "I don't think Gene would mind wearing his rain slicker," he continued.

"What's that supposed to mean," Gene teased, picking up the kettle and pouring the boiling water into the press. "If that's supposed to be some sort of barb, Noll, I don't get it."

"Merely stating the facts," Naru said blandly. "You wouldn't, would you?"

"Well—" Gene frowned, crossing his arms across his chest. "Not exactly."

"Then there you have it." Naru reached forward, taking the last slice of toast from the plate.

"Put some more toast on while you're up, Gene," Luella asked absently.

"Yeah, yeah." Crossing the kitchen, he took more bread from the cupboard and put several slices into the toaster oven.

"Might be a good day to go to the Science Museum or one of the art museums," Martin offered, though he seemed to be thinking of anything but.

"Something inside," Luella agreed. She turned when Sarah entered the room. "Oh, good morning, Sarah! How's your mother?" She said quickly, her voice straining to be natural.

"She's well, thank you," Sarah said, smiling and taking the empty seat. If she noticed the tense atmosphere that surrounded Martin and Luella, she didn't show it. "Apologies to keep you waiting."

"We weren't," Gene laughed, bringing her a cup of a coffee. "We were just discussing what to do on a rainy day today. I'd like to go to the Science Museum myself. They have dinosaurs there, right?" He glanced at Mai for confirmation, who simultaneously nodded and shrugged.

"I'll drop you off at Ueno Park," Lin said quietly, picking up his tea. "I'll keep the office open today."

"We can close early," Gene said, peering first into the toaster oven and turning his gaze to his brother. "Right, Noll? Lin shouldn't have to stay there by himself all day."

"I see no reason why that would be necessary," Naru agreed quietly.

"Actually," Sarah hesitated briefly, "I have a bit of work I'd like to finish this morning, so I'll skip the museum and stay at the office as well, if that's no problem."

"Of course," Lin said. "No problem at all."

Mai glanced from Naru to Martin and Luella. Naru looked thoughtful, while both Martin and Luella seemed relieved, if only for a moment. Evidently when Luella said they'd talk later she meant it—and if Sarah didn't know, having the morning without her would make it that much easier to discuss.

...

Lin left the table first, excusing himself to the shower. Martin and Luella stayed for a little while longer, talking about their plans for the day. Lin would drive them to Ueno Park where they would visit the Tokyo National Nature and Science Museum in the morning. Throughout the discussion, Luella assured Sarah she could put off the paperwork her husband had given her and join them if she liked, but Sarah smiled genuinely and shook her head, saying she'd rather complete the work first and relax for the remainder of the trip. Lin and Sarah would close the office early and the group would reconvene after lunch. In the afternoon they would visit the Metropolitan Art Museum and depending on the weather, would walk around the gardens and the pond, either before or after.

Luella got up when she heard Lin was done with the shower and Martin followed her, asking his sons to clean up so they could leave as soon as everyone was ready.

"Of course, of course," Gene said, though he made no effort to move from his chair. Naru gave him an exasperated look and stood, collecting the plates and carrying them to the sink.

"Ah, wait, Naru, I'll help," Mai said, hurriedly biting into her half-eaten toast. "I'm almost done."

His lips twitched in a smirk but he shook his head. "Just finish your breakfast, Mai."

Sarah and Mai finished eating their breakfasts while Gene sipped his coffee and Naru rinsed the cups and plates. Mai watched him, trying not to smile. There was something very endearing about watching him perform the household tasks. Unbeknownst to her, Gene had turned his gaze upon her, suddenly frowning and biting his lip, his eyebrows narrowing in thought.

"Um, Eugene," Sarah began, breaking the silence. "May I ask you something?"

Gene's pensive frown vanished as he looked up to meet her gaze. "Sure, what is it?"

"Miss Hara said she saw a spirit behind me," she began slowly, glancing sideways at Mai and at Naru across the room, both who had turned to look at her. She looked embarrassed and looked down at her empty plate, picking up her coffee. "Did you... did you see anything?"

Gene paused, considering his words, though he did not break his gaze from hers. "Yes," he admitted slowly. "But I didn't want to say anything in case knowing it was there made you nervous. I could see that it's not dangerous. It's only watching. It only wants to protect you."

"Is it here again now?"

He glanced behind her, meeting the silent, stoic gaze of the shiki he now knew was called Kit-wai. "No," he lied. "Just yesterday," he said. He met his brother's gaze, who lifted an eyebrow skeptically before turning back to his task of putting the rinsed dishes into the dishwasher.

Mai looked over her shoulder slowly, looking toward where Gene's gaze had flickered. It had been so slight she'd nearly missed it, but she had a feeling the spirit was there still, even if she couldn't see it. She couldn't stop herself from frowning and wondering why Gene was lying about it.

Sarah's face relaxed and she smiled at Gene. "Thank you for telling me."

Gene shrugged slightly and reached forward, taking the jam jars and replacing the lids, one at a time. "Sorry I didn't say anything yesterday. I just didn't want you to worry about it."

"I understand," Sarah said, and Mai averted her gaze. Her smile was so genuine, she couldn't possibly suspect that Gene was lying to her. Mai stood abruptly, stacking her plate with Sarah's and taking them across the room to the sink. Naru raised an eyebrow at her, watching her in silence as she rinsed the dishes and stacked them into the machine. All of a sudden she felt guilty and very uncomfortable. She didn't want Sarah to see the emotions on her face. She'd promised Lin she wouldn't say anything, she wouldn't interfere—and yet every fiber in her being was desperately urging her to say something, anything. But she'd given her word and would keep it, no matter how difficult it proved to be. She just hoped Lin would tell Sarah how he felt about her—and sooner, rather than later.

...

They left the apartment not long after that. It was a noticeably different drive than the day before, quiet but for the sound of the wipers across the windshield as it drizzled. Next to Mai in the back seat, Naru crossed his arms across his chest as he gazed forward, glancing her way as she leaned against him and rested her hand on his thigh.

The traffic lights, through the rain, reflected red on the droplets on the windshield. She strained to keep her eyes open, fighting the way the quiet and rhythmic sounds of the car lulled her to close her eyes as well. In the seats in front of them, between Luella and Sarah, Gene was silent as well and had no remarks on the drive as he had the day before. She wished he would speak, if only for a source of stimulation in the bleak atmosphere on such a dreary day.

"Just close your eyes, Mai," Naru suddenly murmured beside her, so soft amongst the noise of the car she could barely hear him. Even Sarah, she knew, wouldn't be able to hear him, and the woman was sitting directly in front of him.

She opened her mouth to protest silently as she met his gaze. He shook his head and took her hand, placing his other hand on top of it and clasping it tightly within his own. "Close your eyes," he repeated, his voice just above a murmur. "There'll be plenty of time for you to struggle to keep awake later." His lips curled in an amused smirk. "Even I think going to museums with Gene and Martin can be exhausting."

She smiled and tentatively leaned her head against his shoulder, gazing at his hands. He shifted in his seat to provide a better pillow and sleepiness washed over her, pulling her eyes closed. She was vaguely aware of the sound of the car, the swish-swish of the windshield wipers and the pattering of the rain, and most of all, the feel of Naru's hands, holding her own. She slowed her breathing, the way Lin had taught her, and her mind began to drift.

Blue skies, so dazzlingly blue, and the white clouds that stretch to the horizon are so bright it hurts to look at them. She stands on an unpaved road beneath it all, listening to the breeze that rustles the tall grasses and behind them, the leaves of the shrubs that obscure her view on either side of the road. She can't help but smile as she lifts her chin into the warmth. She looks behind her, shading her eyes and searching for the others, but they're nowhere to be seen. The smile slips from her face as a dark cloud billows across the sky, dust stinging her eyes and a wind whipping her clothes around her body. She stares, her body beginning to tremble before she sees, and then she begins to run, running straight into the wind, toward the clouds—

Mai jerked her head upright when the sounds of the car around her stopped. The vehicle was waiting in a line to park, the car making a soft click click clicking sound that was mimicked in the flashing turning lights in the cars in front of them. In the front seat, Lin and Martin were speaking quietly, but even without the sounds of the car in motion it was hard to hear them.

Naru was still holding her hand, but as the passengers shifted, he slowly released her and removed his hands from hers. "We're here," he said quietly. Mai straightened in her seat and Lin pulled the car into the next passenger drop-off.

Martin stepped out of the passenger side, opening his umbrella, and then held the door for Sarah, who climbed back in after she, Gene, and Luella came out of the back. Gene was quick to open a second umbrella and hold it for his mother, pulling the hood of his raincoat up over his head. Mai followed, hopping out of the car and splashing lightly as she opened her own umbrella and held it up to shield the raindrops as Naru exited the van last. He slid the back door shut and gave a nod to Lin, and his parents both lifted their hands in a parting wave.

"Look at that, nine o'clock exactly," Martin said with a satisfied smile as they entered the building. They shook their umbrellas outside the doors and wiped their feet on the mats.

Mai inhaled deeply as they passed through the second set of doors into the museum. There was something about entering a climate-controlled museum, something about leaving the noise and the humidity of the world behind. It wasn't something she'd always enjoyed, but over time she'd grown to appreciate it. It hadn't been long since she'd been in a museum—the last one she'd visited had been with Naru for his birthday, and she was lucky the day fell on a Saturday or they wouldn't have gone at all. Naru had always disliked his birthday, Luella had once told her, and since Gene's death he'd loathed it. Over time, however, he'd become more tolerant of his family's recognition of the date. Every year, Luella would inevitably bake a cake and Naru would sit through a birthday dinner with his family, but that last year it had been different. Mai hadn't mentioned his birthday as they went out alone for breakfast at a café, nor when they went to the Natural History Museum together, or after lunch when they visited Gene's grave.

Mai bit her lip and glanced at the brothers, standing side-by-side, and recalled the conversation she and Naru had, before they left the cemetery. How Naru had stared at the grave for a long time before asking, quietly, You would tell me if you ever saw him, wouldn't you? Of course, she'd replied. He passed on when you found his body, Naru, I'm sure of it. And he had nodded tersely but something in his face didn't agree.

"I'll take care of the tickets," Gene said. He gave his brother a brief, pointed look before turning and approaching the ticket counter, Martin and Luella following close behind. Naru remained motionless, standing in the open space of the atrium and Mai stayed next to him.

"What was that?" Mai asked him, biting her lip. "What's wrong?"

He turned toward her, his eyes searching her face. "Gene," he paused slightly, "said it seemed like you were dreaming. In the car."

She frowned and shook her head. "I didn't even fall asleep, Naru."

Naru gazed at her for several moments before finally nodding. "As you say," he said, walking forward to join the others.

"Come on, then," Gene said with a smile, beckoning them forward, and the five entered the museum.

...

They'd driven to Shibuya in silence, the van making its way into the streets of Dogenzaka. Turning onto the boulevard in front of the office building, Lin manoeuvred the vehicle to the curb and parked the car. He turned off the windshield wipers and the engine, though he left the key in the ignition, the battery running, to keep the fan on. Slowly, he unbuckled his seatbelt, but otherwise made no move to leave the car. Sarah gave him a questioning glance and unclasped her seatbelt as well, though she remained seated.

"You wanted to ask me something," Lin finally said, turning his head toward her. "This morning. Before Gene interrupted."

Sarah nodded in acknowledgement, clearing her throat. "Well, I..." Her voice trailed off as she faltered and she looked down at her hands.

"Shall we go inside?" He asked, motioning toward the building.

She paused, raising her gaze but only slightly. "Is it okay if we stay here? I don't mind."

"Of course," Lin said, without hesitation.

She relaxed slightly, Lin's silence seemingly encouraging her to continue and she lifted her gaze slowly to meet his eyes. "Yesterday, Masako Hara said there was a spirit behind me. Watching me," she began. She lowered her gaze again to her hands in her lap, her fingers clenched nervously against her palms. Slowly, she relaxed them, smoothing out the fabric of her skirt. "So I asked Eugene." She looked up again, then, to see his reaction to her words. "He said it was only there to protect me. It's—it's your spirit familiar, isn't it? Your shiki?"

Lin grimaced slightly. "Yes," he said honestly.

"Koujo," Sarah said softly, her face pained, "please tell me Oliver didn't ask you to do that."

Lin shook his head slowly. "No," he said. "He didn't." He exhaled and his visible eye widened in sudden realization. "You called me Koujo," he whispered. "You remember me."

Sarah's shoulders slumped in relief. "You remember me, too?" She let out a shaky, relieved breath, wiping away the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes. "Oh, Koujo, this whole time, I didn't know what to do. I thought I'd gone mad."

He moved closer to her in an instant, cradling her cheeks with his hands. "Oh, Sarah," he whispered, eyebrows furrowing apologetically. "I'm sorry. I just... I didn't think you'd remember. I only thought I remembered because I was there, with Naru, when he—"

She shook her head quickly, interrupting him with a small smile as she reached out to caress his face. "It's okay, Koujo." She laughed quietly, leaning her forehead against his. "As long as you're here with me now and I know I'm not absolutely crazy. You're still such a difficult man to read. I couldn't tell what you were thinking. Sometimes I thought surely—and the rest of the time I thought maybe you were just really suspicious of me."

His face twisted in a wince. "I'm sorry. I wasn't sure I wanted you to know how I felt if you didn't remember."

Sarah laughed again, ruefully. "Me, too. These past few weeks, I was trying to think how I could possibly call you and ask you to confirm if it was true or not, but I didn't want to ruin my chances with you in the future in case you didn't."

"You should have looked at me," Lin whispered, shaking his head. "I know you say you won't do it without consent, Sarah, but I am your husband and you always deserve to know." He sighed softly, taking her hand in his own and holding it tightly, tracing his thumb over her knuckles. "You always have my permission. I have nothing to hide from you."

She smiled tightly. "Even if I had, it wouldn't have done any good. You know I don't trust what I see."

They sat in silence for some time, listening to the sound of the light rain around them. "So it was Oliver who did this?" Sarah ventured. "He turned back time to save Gene's life?"

Lin frowned slightly, the movement of his fingers against her own slowing until it stopped. "No. Saving Gene's life was sort of an... unintended side effect. It sounds tremendously callous, but Naru did this to save Mai's life, not Gene's."

"What happened?" Sarah asked, an anxious and bewildered look coming over her features.

He gazed at her seriously. "There was a car accident in front of BSPR. You don't remember anything about it?" She shook her head and he exhaled a sigh. "Mai was there. She was one of the pedestrians who was hit. She was fatally injured."

Sarah inhaled sharply, tightening her grip on his hand. "Oh, god. Then Oliver..."

Lin nodded and closed his eyes. "It's not the first time he's done this," he finally said quietly. "Or the first time Mai would have died."

"What?!" Sarah's eyes widened in surprise. "Then..."

"So he told me, though I don't have any memories of that time. Originally, after we found Gene's body and returned to England, neither Naru nor Mai ever contacted the other again." Lin said quietly. "Eight years later and Mai was killed, so Naru turned time around. I don't know exactly what happened, the day he returned. It was the day before we were to depart for London. In the midst of packing up the office, he suddenly stated he had some urgent business to attend to and left, asking me to delay our flight. I presume at that point he must have gone to meet her." He exhaled quietly and shook his head. "Either way, that was when things began to change for them, even though this is all we remember. Mai came to London for university, to BSPR..." he gestured vaguely with his free hand. "The rest we know."

"You remember everything, don't you," Sarah whispered. "Like Oliver picked you up from that time and set you back down in this one. As if that yesterday before you came here was..."

"October 23rd, 2009." Lin said quietly. "Yes."

"I wish I did." Sarah bit her lip, frowning and watching the raindrops patter against the glass. "It's patchy about a lot of things. My memory, I mean. That's why I thought, at first, that it was a dream. Because at first all I could remember was you. Us being together." She paused, eyes suddenly unfocused as she gazed forward. "But nothing else, nothing concrete. It was really strange. I can't exactly pinpoint when that tomorrow from October 23rd actually was. Sometime in the middle of last month." She looked to him for an answer.

"February 10th," he supplied with a nod.

"That seems right. At first I thought I'd just remembered a dream, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. That it went on for days made me think I was having recurring dreams, but," her eyebrows lowered and she pursed her lips. "I've never had dreams like that before. And then one day, I'd just gotten off the phone with my mother for her muesli bread recipe when I realized I knew the recipe by heart. It just came to me out of the blue. I'd memorized it because it was one of your favorites." She sighed and closed her eyes, struggling with her thoughts. Lin waited patiently, his hands gripping hers encouragingly.

"When I realized I knew the recipe, another memory came to me suddenly. That I was taking it out of the oven when you called me urgently. I was at home, I'd taken a day off work because... because we were going to take a trip..." her voice trailed off and she opened her eyes, looking at him questioningly.

"We were going to go to Portsmouth for the weekend." Lin nodded, lips pressed together in a thin line. "I was supposed to be home around lunchtime. The accident happened just as I was leaving. I called you after it happened. You came to the hospital."

"I was there?"

He nodded again tensely. "You'd.. gone to pay the meter for me." His voice was tight. "It was just when the doctor said we could see her. When Naru saw Mai, when he heard she couldn't survive.." his voice trailed off and he shook his head slightly, clearing his throat. "You must've been within the range of Naru's PK explosion. Either it was much larger than we'd thought previously, or you were on your way back to meet us."

Sarah frowned. "Does that mean that anyone who was there would remember?"

"No, I don't think that's possible. With everyone in the hospital—with that many people affected, certainly BSPR would have heard something about this."

She nodded uncertainly. "Maybe because I have psychic abilities, then? That would explain why you remember better than I," she said thoughtfully. "Your psychic abilities are much stronger than mine—"

"You know how I feel about that," Lin interrupted quietly, frowning. "Our abilities are different, only different. I can't do what you do. I think it's more likely that I was with Naru when he released his PK. I would have received the full brunt of the blast."

Sarah nodded dubiously. "Maybe," she said. She tapped her finger slowly against her chin. "Is it.. is it possible that we remember because Oliver wanted us to remember?" Lin looked surprised, and she continued hurriedly. "I mean, it was his psychic energy. He did all this."

"Yes," Lin said slowly, recalling what the twins had said that morning. "But it's possible he had help." He shook his head. "Unless he remembers—or if Gene remembers—there's no way we'll know for certain." He lifted his gaze to hers and reverted to the previous topic. "What happened after you remembered that?"

"After that..." She nodded slightly as she began again. "The feeling behind the memories was stronger than ever before. Even though a minute before I didn't allow myself to think I knew you, that I was completely mad because of course we hadn't even been properly introduced." She smiled at him weakly. "I'm sorry, Koujo. I probably should have said something sooner, but I didn't know if you remembered me," she said quietly. "I thought it might be some kind of precognition that we could end up together. Until we came here. When I saw Mai and Oliver together, I knew there had to be more to it than that. But I..." her voice trailed off and she bit her lip, eyebrows knitting together. "It's not only that I didn't know how to ask you. I..."

Seeing her torn expression he squeezed her hands gently in his own. "What's wrong?"

"You'll hate me," she whispered, pulling her hands out of his to cover her face. "When I realized... I wasn't pregnant anymore, Koujo, I was relieved. So, so relieved. I was afraid to have that baby. It's not that I was lying about anything. I do want to have a family together, so very much. I've always wanted it so very badly. But when I became pregnant, all these new fears and anxieties began to surface. I'm terrible with children and I don't know anything about babies—"

"Neither do I," Lin told her quietly, a smile twitching at his lips as he took her hands in his own, holding her cheeks gently. "But we've got plenty of time to learn, don't we?"

"I was just so scared," she whispered, avoiding his gaze. "I kept thinking about that day at the library, you were waiting for me and saw that toddler wander away from his parents. He walked out the front door and would have wandered into the street if you hadn't stopped him, Koujo. Only a second's inattention—" she stopped herself and took a deep breath, shaking her head. "I know sometimes I worry too much, but... I didn't think I was ready. I was so relieved we could wait a little longer."

"We can wait," Lin told her quietly, taking her shoulders in his hands and pulling her as close to him as their seats in the front of the car would allow. "As long as you need."

"Not that it's even an issue anymore," she murmured. "I'm not pregnant anymore and we're not even married yet."

A small smile cracked his lips into a grin. "I don't think your mother would approve of you having a child out of wedlock."

Sarah giggled, even as tears formed in her eyes. "My dad would probably have a heart attack, but if he survived he'd get over it. Mum would just disown me."

Lin tightened his grip around her body. "I don't think she'd do that."

Sarah slid out of his arms and gazed at him solemnly. Reaching toward him, she ran her fingertips over his cheek and traced his jaw, slowly pushing the strands of black hair away from his hidden eye. In return, Lin leaned forward and kissed her.

"What do we do now, Koujo?" She whispered when they parted, opening her eyes slowly.

He smiled at her. "Perhaps we should get married again?"

She laughed lightly and kissed him again, though her features were worried. "I'm not concerned about that, Koujo. We could get married tomorrow or we could wait another five years, it doesn't matter to me. What I mean is..." she stroked his hair at the back of his neck. "There's no way Martin would transfer me to the SPR office here, seeming as he doesn't even want to keep the office open. It's obvious they're both hoping Eugene will want to come back to England as soon as possible. But I have money saved up, I can quit—"

"I can't let you sacrifice your job for me," Lin frowned.

"Well, it wouldn't exactly be for you," she countered. "It would be for us. I can leave my job and you can't, it's as simple as that."

"Still, I don't think you should quit BSPR." He exhaled and shifted in his seat, gazing at the rivulets of water, running down the glass. "I don't know how long we'll be here," he admitted quietly. "Naru intends to come back to Tokyo after he's finished at Cambridge. But how long will we stay here after that? Until Mai graduates high school? Perhaps, instead of going to England, Mai will go to university here, in which case they'll stay. Perhaps they'll convince Martin to keep this SPR Japan branch office open long-term. At that point, I think it would be safe to say that it wouldn't be a problem for you to be transferred to this office."

"Oliver and Eugene wouldn't be minors at that point, either," Sarah said softly. "Martin can't ask you to chaperone them any longer. But you've always worked with Oliver. Would you stay here if he did?"

Lin pursed his lips together. "I can't say," he said slowly, shaking his head. "Two years is a long time. We may have lived this before but ultimately those memories are only that. Averting Gene's death was only the first deviation between these two times—or perhaps it began when Naru came to Japan, or when Mai met Gene that first day. We can't assume everything will just go forward the way it did before. For good or ill, we can't help but change the future away from what we knew." His jaw tightened. "I can only hope it is for the better. So far, Naru's turnaround has prevented two lives from being lost—first Gene's, and then that girl who approached us, believing herself to be haunted by her twin sister." His lips twitched in a slight smile. "Gene would say three lives have been saved, as the woman who killed him eventually committed suicide. But I am not as idealistic as he, and from what he told me I suspect she did not simply kill herself out of guilt over his death."

Wordlessly, Sarah took his hand in her own as he continued.

"That doesn't, of course, include those who would die at Urado's mansion this summer, or the two who would die at the Yoshimi inn next year. And the events will only continue to spiral outwards. Naru and Gene mentioned a butterfly effect. Something to the effect of something minute and miniscule causing catastrophic events. Have you heard of this?"

"It does seem familiar," Sarah said thoughtfully. "That changing the flight of a butterfly could cause a hurricane, or something like that."

Lin nodded grimly. "Yes. Something is happening—or something happened, due to Naru turning time around." He exhaled and pressed his lips together. "Just a few days ago there was some kind of tremor on the spiritual plane. I don't know what to make of it. My shiki felt it, and I can only guess who else across the world noticed as well. My grandmother certainly did and is planning a trip here to see me about it."

Sarah paled slightly. "Then it's really serious," she whispered.

He hesitated. "Probably, yes," he admitted. "Though I can't say with certainty if it would affect us, and I definitely can't say if it's dangerous. A disturbance may be only that. It may not necessarily be good or bad."

"What do you think happened?"

He paused again, reluctant to voice his suspicions. "Such a thing could be attributed to something entering or exiting the spiritual plane," he said quietly. "But I really can't say. Not until I actually speak to my grandmother."

He looked back down at her hand, held gently by his own. "I don't want you to worry," he told her firmly. "Not until we know." Lin squeezed her hand gently, turning it over and tracing his fingers against her palm beneath her thumb. "Your scar's gone," he finally said quietly, tracing a small line gently with his index finger along her right hand. "I never knew your hand without that scar."

She smiled weakly as she watched his fingers against her own. "I had gotten rather used to that scar," she murmured. "And now it's gone without a trace."

A small, wistful smile spread across his features and he reached over with his other hand to turn the key in the ignition, shutting the car completely off. "Let's go inside. Technically the office is supposed to be open, though I doubt anyone will come in today."

"I do have some work to do," Sarah admitted ruefully. "It wasn't just a ruse."

"I admit, I was curious about that." His lips twitched in a smile as he stepped out of the car into the light rain, hurrying around to the passenger side and taking her hand as he helped her from the vehicle. "Anything I could help you with?"

She laughed and they hurried toward the steps, shielding their faces from the drizzle. "Unfortunately not, Koujo, and I may have exaggerated a bit. I doubt it'll even take an hour." She grimaced slightly, smiling sheepishly. "I just hope Martin doesn't get a poor impression of me, that I needed two days to read through those reports and finish that research."

"He won't," Lin reassured her. "Martin always thought very fondly of you."

"He did, did he," Sarah said wistfully, slowing as they reached the covered stairs and began to climb. "I suppose it's for the best, then, that I don't remember." She sighed and shook her head. "Poor Mai. She's in the most difficult position. I can't even imagine what she's going through, with Martin and Luella not remembering her."

"Yes," Lin said quietly. His lips lifted out of his frown and into a small smile. "Though I admit I haven't been as worried about them as I was concerned with you."

She smiled, a smile that was both mischievous and pleased. "You knew I'd fall in love with you again, even if I didn't remember, right?"

"That was the plan, yes."

She laughed lightly as she took his left hand, holding it as he unlocked the door with his right, following him into the office. As the door swung shut behind them, she rose to her toes and reached up her arms, pulling him gently toward her lips.

...

The five walked together through the cool stillness of the museum, a quiet procession meandering through the exhibits. Martin led the group with Gene close behind, Mai and Naru walked side by side at rear of the group. Gene spoke, alternating between English to his father, the two discussing the exhibits, and French to his mother which Mai couldn't even hazard a guess if they were talking about the museum or something else entirely. She couldn't help but smile as they spoke, as Gene was clearly somewhat out of practice and Luella offered him patient corrections. The museum wasn't devoid of other patrons by any means, though the other visitors seemed to all be either couples or people by themselves, and the halls were lacking in other families or school groups.

Mai glanced at Naru, relieved to see that he was relaxed again. He'd been quite tense when they first arrived but she did not want to press him about it in front of his parents. In fact, the whole family seemed very comfortable in the museum, and Mai couldn't help but think it was most likely a favorite pastime among the four. Though Naru might claim that Gene and Martin were exhausting in a museum, she knew he would be content to spend the entire day in the place, reading every single plaque in contemplative silence.

Catching her watching him, he gave her a quizzical look but she shook her head silently in return and offered him a smile. Turning her gaze forward, she her lower lip, trying not to laugh as she watched Gene and Luella. While she couldn't understand what they were saying, it made her happy to see them together.

"Si le poisson va, ce serait jeudi matin," Gene said with a grin, glancing over his shoulder at his brother. "Tu es d'accord?"

"Don't ask me," Naru said flatly.

"Tu n'es pas sympa, Noll," Gene complained.

"And I have never pretended otherwise," Naru answered.

"You can hardly blame him, Gene, you're not making any sense," Luella laughed. "Que dis-tu? Pourquoi jeudi? Pourquoi le poisson? What are you trying to say?"

"Nevermind. It's nothing," he laughed. Grinning, he hooked his arm in hers, tugging her forward. "Absolument rien."

Entering a hall filled with the stuffed figures of large mammals, the group lapsed into silence again. Martin stopped in the center of the room, lifting his eyes upwards as he considered the looming animal figures. "Perhaps it's time for morning tea," he said absently. He turned slightly to meet Mai's gaze. "We were hoping, actually," Martin said, and paused, clearing his throat. "That you could tell us what you remember."

"Yes," Mai said, feeling her heart quicken as Martin studied her. She'd been expecting this, sort of. After Luella had said they'd want to talk about the matter later, she'd had a feeling this would be the question they'd ask.

"Shall we go downstairs, to the museum café?" Gene asked.

"I think that would be a good idea," Martin agreed.

Fifteen minutes later they were seated in the café around a round table. Naru and Gene sat on either side of Mai, who sat with her hands clasped together on the table. On her left, Naru sat very straight, but underneath the table, out of sight, his hand rested reassuringly on her thigh. On Mai's right, Gene slouched with his arm resting casually on the back of his chair.

"I've been thinking about... what you said." Martin began slowly, reaching for his tea and holding the cup between his fingers. "About Noll using his PK to return you to this time, of course. It's all rather.. unbelievable, for lack of a better word," he continued, lifting the cup to take a sip. "Not that we don't believe what Noll and Gene told us. I believe you. But certainly, someone without any background at BSPR, or someone who had never met Noll or Gene and didn't trust their capabilities would have a hard time believing all of this."

"It does fall a little bit outside the ordinary realm of the supernatural," Gene agreed.

Martin nodded at his son. "Yes. Many of my colleagues at BSPR would scoff at such a story and dismiss it as only that."

Naru frowned and glanced at Gene, his grip on Mai's leg tightening. "You're not planning on sharing this with anyone else at BSPR, are you?"

"Absolutely not," Martin affirmed, and Naru relaxed slightly.

"Good." He gave a terse nod. "We would be happy to prepare a formal report, Martin, but only on the condition that it would never even enter the BSPR building—"

"I don't think that's necessary," Luella began, glancing at her husband before turning her gaze back to Mai. "We don't need a report from you about your experiences, Mai. This falls outside of BSPR. We'd just like to talk to you about what happened." She smiled gently. "We'd just like to hear your side of the story."

Mai nodded, her ears reddening to have the attention of the group focused on herself. "Right," she said, clearing her throat. "It's just, where to begin?" She laughed nervously and folded her fingers tightly together to prevent herself from fidgeting. "I suppose I should say that I don't remember the future events of the first time around very well. I mean," she paused, struggling with her thoughts, aware that she wasn't articulating herself very well. "When I met Naru that day, that day he turned time around, the first time, I had a hard time believing him, too. The future felt like a dream."

Martin nodded slowly and pressed his fingers together beneath his chin thoughtfully. "Noll was in Japan, then. That's right—" he glanced at Gene. "You said he went back to the day he said goodbye."

"Yes," Naru said simply, Gene nodding in agreement. "July 26th, 2002. Our flight back to England was the following day."

It was the first concrete date Martin and Luella had heard, and both sat quietly as the distant date sank in. "You were there, Gene?" Luella asked quietly.

"Er, yes," Gene hesitated, not quite wanting to admit again he had been dead at the time. He did not want to make Luella cry again, and certainly not in public.

"Sorry," Martin said, looking back to Mai and smiling slightly, though she thought his face seemed pained. "Forgive the interruption. I'm only beginning to grasp all of this."

Mai shook her head quickly, her hands sliding out of their interlocked position as she waved them reassuringly. "No, no." She took a breath and glanced to Naru at her left for encouragement. "That future always seemed a bit fuzzy to me. I never could remember it very well. But the second time was the other way around. The future we'd lived felt real, and being here again felt strange, like I was dreaming of the past."

Martin considered her in silence for several moments, and she squirmed slightly as he gazed at her. "Then you remember your time in England rather well," he said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Mai admitted, blushing in embarrassment.

"What do you remember, Mai?" Luella asked gently. "Can you just tell us something, anything?"

Mai hesitated. Beneath the table, Naru squeezed her leg gently to reassure her. "I remember the day I came to England for the first time. How you met me at the airport, with Naru," she began nervously, her voice quieter than only moments before. Taking a deep breath, she continued and her voice was calm and steady. "I was so nervous. I didn't know if Naru told you that we were together or not. I mean," she exhaled a short, quiet laugh, embarrassed to be discussing their relationship. "I guess I didn't even really know if we were together. And I didn't know what that meant."

Mai cleared her throat and continued. "And I was worried that my English wouldn't be good enough. But you were so kind to me, right from the beginning. I remember how you made ginger biscuits the afternoon when I came home with you," she said, her eyes meeting Luella's. "I remember how you told me about your childhood in Wales. And how your grandfather was a pilot and would take you flying in his plane, just the two of you. How you thought you would be a pilot when you grew up, but everything changed when your family moved to Sri Lanka."

Both Martin and Luella looked surprised to hear her say this, and Mai plunged forward. "You would take me into London to the Japanese market on Brewer Street when I was feeling homesick, Luella," she continued, a wistful smile growing slowly on her lips as she spoke. "And you would buy me koala cookies and hazelnut Yan Yan for Naru, but he would never eat them. Inevitably Madoka would find them sitting around, when she stopped by, and she would eat them. She loved them. I think you knew, and that's why you bought that kind."

"What do you remember of us?" Martin asked quietly, his voice strained. "If you lived with us for years you must have come to know us quite well."

"Yes," Mai admitted, and turned her eyes to meet Martin's. She bit her lip, her expression both somehow wistful and apologetic. The nervousness in her stomach intensified but she managed to continue in a steady voice. "I have a lot of happy memories with you. I know your favorite food, the stuffed rolls Luella would make for Friday night dinners. That you listen to Debussy when you're stressed about something and want to relax, or when you're thinking and want to be left alone." A strange smile quirked across her lips. "I learned never to bother you in your library those times. Beethoven or Mozart meant that I could come in, though. It was your easy-listening music. You introduced me to classical music. Sunday afternoons, you would invite me to join you and Naru in your library to listen to something. Naru would read and you would do the hardest sudoku in the paper. I thought they were impossible, but you could always complete it." She tilted her head and her smile widened at the memory. "You let me pick the music, a couple of times, but after I heard Grieg's Peer Gynt suites I never wanted to listen to anything else, and Naru wouldn't let me choose anymore after we heard it for the third week in a row."

Luella had taken her husband's hand in her own, holding it tightly. "What about me?" she asked, her voice hushed.

Mai's eyes softened and she smiled kindly at the woman. "I remember how you told me your favorite wine is the La Planceliére rosé, how you had it on your honeymoon in France. I bought it for you for your birthday last year. You saved it for a weekend that Martin, Naru and Lin were away at a conference, and you invited Madoka and.. and some of your other friends and me over for a ladies' night to drink it with you." Mai was careful not to include Sarah in the group of women, knowing there could be implications to admit she had known her in the future. She didn't want to give anything away, even to Martin and Luella if that could somehow jeopardize Sarah's future with Lin. "You made bruschetta and we listened to The Beatles on the porch, and Madoka got take-away from that Nepalese restaurant you like so much." She looked at her hands. "But I should probably stop, huh."

Gene shifted in his chair, placing his hand gently on her shoulder. "That's enough for now, Mai," he said softly.

Mai suddenly bowed forward to the couple, pressing her hands flat against the table. "I apologize for knowing these things about you when we've only just met," she began, her eyes gazing steadfast at the tablecloth in determination. "Please.. please forgive me for knowing things about you I shouldn't, when you know nothing of me in return. Please let me make your acquaintance all over again."

Martin and Luella were shocked by her declaration. Even Gene looked surprised at her words, though Naru remained completely expressionless.

"Oh, love," Luella suddenly said, reaching in front of Gene and placing her hand over Mai's. "Of course. You don't need to apologize to us. You're not to blame for.." she paused as if she didn't know what to say, "whatever's happened. No one is." Mai lifted her gaze tentatively and Luella smiled warmly. "I'm sorry we don't remember anything about you, Mai. You're clearly a very important person to our family." Her smile turned apologetic. "I hope you'll be patient with us as we get to know you for a second time."

...

It had stopped raining, Mai noticed, as they finished their tea in the museum café. It seemed a bit silly, to go from morning tea straight to lunch, but Luella and Gene agreed it was time for a meal. Martin and Naru did not seem inclined to disagree, which was agreement enough for Gene.

"Let's just get ramen or something easy upstairs," he said as he stretched his arms over his head, a wide yawn overtaking his lips. "Let's eat outside. I saw there's heaters on the covered veranda."

"What time did we say we'd meet up with Lin and Sarah?" Luella asked as she glanced at her watch. "About one-thirty, wasn't it?" She frowned slightly. "I do hope they're not terribly bored at the office."

"Lin and Sarah both said they had work to do," Martin remarked absently.

"Yes, well..." Luella's frown deepened. "I had a feeling Sarah was just trying to be polite, to give us some room. But," she conceded, "I don't know her well enough to gauge if that's what she did." She shook her head. "Poor girl, to be dropped in on all of this. She'll think we're all acting so terribly strangely."

"It might just be for the best," Gene muttered to himself, and both adults looked at him quizzically.

"What do you mean by that?" Luella asked. She paused, pursing her lips as she glanced between Mai and Naru. "Did you know Sarah in the future?" She frowned slightly when she saw the three teenagers' reticent expressions. Mai averted her gaze and looked at the tea in her hands, but could not bring herself to lift the cup to her lips.

"Mai and I had come to know her quite well," Naru finally said carefully, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair. "I think it would be better if we tried to carry on as if this revelation never happened. Obviously we can't pretend nothing out of the ordinary has occurred, but that particular future—whatever it was and whatever it contained—is gone. You should never have to wonder if you shouldn't say something because we might've already heard it before."

"Quite right," Martin agreed. He rested his hand against his chin, tapping it thoughtfully with his index finger. "It is, as you say. That future of that alternate timeline, whatever it is, is no more." He frowned suddenly, as if suddenly realizing something.

"Martin?" Luella asked.

"The Prime Minister's house," he finally said. "The reason you went there with such urgency—am I right to assume it was because of something you witnessed from before?"

Naru nodded curtly. "Yes."

Luella paled. "It wasn't a case, was it?" They didn't contradict her and she looked quickly to Martin. Naru and Gene knew that look well, the look that she wanted to blame her husband for allowing her children to do something she didn't approve of, even if the man didn't even remember giving his permission.

Mai felt her stomach tighten at the aghast look on Luella's face and the darkening expression on Martin's. "It wasn't only us," she blurted. "There were three other teams there to investigate as well."

"It didn't end well, did it?" Martin asked.

"Two people died while we were there." Naru exhaled and leaned his hand against his forehead. "We almost lost one of our own team members there as well."

Martin nodded slowly, sighing. "I understand, now, why you did what you did. Going there now, before all of that happened—that was the only rational course of action."

"It must have been awful," Luella said quietly.

"Yes," Naru conceded. He glanced at his brother, a strange look passing over his features. "But it never happened."

Only in our memories. Mai bit her lip, remembering the panic she'd felt when Masako disappeared. Memories or hallucinations, whatever they may be.

...

They left the café only to go to the restaurant upstairs. It was clear that Martin still had questions for Naru, so the two opted to sit outside at the table while Gene, Luella and Mai went inside to order.

"I understand that Martin's curious," Luella murmured. "But I don't know if I want to hear all the answers to his questions." She sighed as Gene slipped his arm through hers. "Things that never actually happened on one hand, but on the other..." She shook her head slightly and leaned her cheek against Gene's head, reaching up to smooth his hair. "Now I know why Noll didn't want to tell us."

Gene was quiet for several moments before he spoke. "Do you regret knowing?"

"Not in the slightest." She smiled at him warmly. "Just because it isn't easy doesn't mean it isn't right."

Mai stuffed her hands in her pockets, looking away as Luella ran her hand through Gene's hair. It wasn't the public affection that made her uncomfortable, but rather, the difference in how she treated her sons—Gene now and Naru then. Naru never would have taken Luella's arm, in public or otherwise, and she never would have stroked his hair like this.

She felt a little confused and disoriented after admitted to knowing things that didn't happen, knowing things she shouldn't. Everything seemed even more jumbled together; the past and the future. She hadn't felt this way in weeks, since those first few days when she felt like she'd fallen into—or out of—a dream. Mai pulled her hand out of her pocket and rubbed at her forehead. I must be tired. That's all.

"Any recommendations?" Luella asked, and Mai snapped her head forward as she realized they'd been standing in front of the menu for some time. "Mai, do you feel all right?"

"Yeah, sorry," Mai said quickly. "I, um. Just kind of spaced out for a second."

Gene gave a sidelong glance toward Mai, his eyebrows furrowing. "Mind ordering for me?" He asked suddenly. "I'm going to find the loo," he said, and with a wave of his hand he began to meander away. "I'll have the shoyu ramen, with extra pork, okay? And half an egg."

"Okay," Mai called absently, still scanning the menu.

"That looks good," Luella agreed, looking at the picture.

"It says they specialize in shoyu ramen," Mai said, folding her arms across her chest and tipping her head back and forth as she considered. Martin had asked Luella to order for him but Naru hadn't said anything in particular. "Naru will probably want that, too. They have a vegetarian option. I guess—to be honest, that's probably what I'll order, too."

Luella smiled. "Why don't we all get that? It's their specialty, after all."

"Do you want any extra toppings?" Mai asked.

"Whatever you think is best. I'll have the vegetarian, too—but Martin'll take meat."

"Five shoyu ramen, please," Mai asked the man behind the counter. "Two regular, three vegetarian. One extra pork, two eggs, and some pickled mustard greens, please."

"Coming right up," the man said, smiling his thanks as she paid.

"Shouldn't be too long, but it'll be a few minutes," Mai said, walking over to the condiments, set out along the counter, and began to spoon some bright-red pickled ginger into a small bowl. "We can go sit back down, or—"

Luella shook her head. "This is fine." She glanced at her hesitantly. "Mai," she began, "do you mind if I ask.. why you call him Naru?"

Mai flushed, realizing she probably should have started calling him Noll long ago; she should have dropped the silly nickname when she first came to London all those years ago. But she'd thought of him as Naru for just as long. When she'd asked him about it he'd simply shrugged, smirking a little in that nonchalant way of his and saying he didn't mind. She also liked the fact that she had a special name for him and she liked to think that he liked it, too.

"Well," she started lamely. "By coincidence, it's the Japanese pronunciation of Noll." Her blush brightened and she lowered her gaze. "I've always called him Naru. Before I knew what his real name was. It became his nickname when I first met him, because I thought he was such a na-ru-cissist. I was wrong, though," she said, and her voice dropped below a whisper. "Dead wrong."

Luella began to giggle. "Oh, Mai, honey," she laughed, suddenly reaching over to squeeze her arm gently. "I have to admit, in some way I'm absolutely relieved," she said softly. Mai blushed again, not knowing how to respond. A warm, easy smile spread across Luella's lips and she patted Mai's cheek with her hand. "Oliver has never once shown interest in other people beyond his own brother," she started ruefully. "Even Lin and Madoka—he tolerated his instructors at first but only just. Meanwhile, Gene was making friends and pining after girls." She shook her head. "I imagine I must have been a bit anxious, during those years before you two started dating. That first time that I don't remember."

Mai looked at her hands, still not knowing what to say.

Luella glanced outside, through the window where Martin and Naru were seated on the veranda, talking calmly. "Mai, may I ask you something directly?"

"Of course, anything, anything at all," Mai said, startled.

The woman turned her pale blue eyes back to Mai, gazing at her seriously. "Don't give me that nervous expression," she said, smiling. "It's nothing to be nervous about—I think. I was just wondering if you'd tell me why Sarah's future has you and Noll so nervous." Mai bit her lip and looked at the floor.

"I'm not... I'm not supposed to say anything about it," she finally managed quietly. "I told him I wouldn't say anything."

Luella frowned. "I don't know her very well. I'd met her at BSPR over the past few months but this is the first time I've come to know her beyond simple small talk. The thought of something happening to her..." Her eyebrows knit together. "Did something happen? She isn't going to... she didn't die, is she?" She whispered.

"No," Mai interrupted quickly, shaking her head vehemently. "Nothing like that."

Luella pursed her lips, watching her carefully. "It's Lin, isn't it?" She finally said quietly. "That explains a lot."

Mai winced and looked away, wondering how she had given it away so easily. "Please don't say anything," she whispered. "I promised Lin-san I wouldn't interfere."

The older woman exhaled heavily. "I won't," she said simply. "Don't worry. I won't."

...

"So this is the second time you've opened this SPR branch office," Martin said. "Though it's only been three and a half weeks, is it much the same as last time?"

"No," Naru began slowly, "though it may be too early to tell. This time we opened the office about a month earlier. However, we've done everything much the same. I assume the same clients will approach us again—with the exception of the Prime Minister, of course." He, Gene, and Lin had agreed there was no reason to mention the Yoshimi case to either Martin or Luella, now or at any discernible time in the future.

Martin nodded thoughtfully. "Then the case you did with the girl and her sister did not happen before."

"Correct."

His father frowned, rubbing at his chin with his hand. "I see." His eyes narrowed slightly as he thought. "The potential investigator you met yesterday," he began again. "Would I be right to assume it's one of your former colleagues?"

Naru raised his eyebrows, surprised, but nodded with satisfaction. "Osamu Yasuhara is one of the better researchers I've known. I look forward to the opportunity of working with him again." He paused thoughtfully. "His personality is a bit like Gene's. I'm sure they'll only encourage the worst in each other. Lin will have to be sure to keep them in line." Martin chuckled and Naru continued. "The monk who came yesterday, as well. He was a part of the regular assembly of independent exorcists, mediums and researchers with whom I worked."

"A coincidence?"

"Completely."

Martin nodded again. "Yesterday you asked why Madoka didn't come with us. You wouldn't have worked this case with her? I don't suppose the name Edmund Walker rings any bells?"

Naru shook his head. "No."

Martin looked disappointed. "I see." He glanced back toward the doors, where Mai, Gene and Luella were returning, all three holding a tray filled with bowls and cups.

Naru slowly released the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. It was a lie, that he didn't recognize the name or remember the case. He did remember—he remembered quite well, actually, as he and Lin had both reviewed that case file with Madoka somewhat recently. But he didn't want to set a precedent; his memory wasn't infallible and the last thing he wanted was Martin to rely on him as a kind of omnipotent seer.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Luella said, offering her husband a steaming bowl.

"Not at all. Worth the wait, it looks delicious."

"Let's eat," Gene said playfully in Japanese, snapping his chopsticks apart. He cast a sidelong glance at his brother. You lied to Martin?

It's nothing, Naru responded shortly.

You don't want Madoka to complete the case easily, do you? You could just tell them to... he gestured his free hand in the air vaguely ..whatever, I know you could point her team in the right direction. Didn't Martin say she was doing the investigation with Fitzroy and Banks? Neither of them are experienced investigators.

Naru's lips twitched, realizing that Mai was glancing between them questioningly. The one thing I recall for certain is that it's neither a vengeful nor dangerous spirit, he told him. Madoka will be fine, no matter how inexperienced Fitzroy and Banks are.

Gene snorted, poking at his meat with his chopsticks. Wouldn't kill you to help them out, though, would it?

Naru frowned. I'm not being intentionally callous, Gene, but to be honest, I don't really want her to have too much free time on her hands to start asking Luella questions.

She's bound to ask questions, Noll.

I know, but the longer we put it off, the better, and the more likely Luella won't tell her.

...

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Through lunch, Luella actively kept the conversation away from time-travel and past lives, whether spent among the living or the dead. The family rendezvoused with Lin and Sarah at the art museum, though they did not spend much time there, instead opting to enjoy the afternoon outside. The rain had stopped, the skies had cleared, and it had turned into a beautiful day.

They took their dinner at a small but lively restaurant in Ueno. With Sarah present in the afternoon, Martin and Luella were careful not to mention anything that might expose the day's revelations. It was a relief not to talk about it, Mai thought, but she caught Martin and Luella's awkward glances more than once. She couldn't tell what was more painful, them knowing or not.

They returned to the apartment after dinner. This time Mai did not part ways but was instead invited to join them. It was a quiet evening in the sitting room with books and magazines until Martin and Luella retired themselves to the bedroom.

"I'll make some tea," Mai said, rising to her feet and crossing the room to the kitchen.

"Good idea," Gene said, tossing down his book and hopping gracefully to his feet in a fluid motion. "Anyone want something to snack on? I'll get out some biscuits."

Naru raised an eyebrow as he closed his book carefully. "Don't tell me you're still hungry."

"Well, only a little," his brother justified teasingly. "We're still growing boys, Noll, don't forget."

Naru shrugged and picked up Gene's discarded book, stacking it with his own on the coffee table, and rose to his feet, following the other two to the kitchen. He had just sat down at the kitchen table when Lin and Sarah came through the door together, though neither moved to sit down. Sarah looked determinedly nervous though Lin's expression was resolutely blank. Naru leaned back in his chair and rested his elbow on the table, already knowing what Lin was about to say.

Lin cleared his throat into his hand. "Sarah remembers. Not everything, it would seem, and not to the extent that we remember, but she does remember certain things."

Gene's eyes widened as he stopped, his arms held aloft in mid-air, reaching for the package of biscuits in the cupboard. Mai had been measuring loose-leaf tea into a strainer and she dropped the measuring spoon. It clattered on the counter, scattering tea leaves as it fell.

"You remember?" She whispered. "Us, and... Lin-san, right?"

Sarah blushed, twisting her hands together nervously. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything before. I asked Koujo when we went to the office today. We weren't sure we should tell Martin and Luella, if that would complicate anything. So we didn't want to say anything until now."

"Oh, Sarah!" Mai exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend's neck, laughing and tears of relief forming in her eyes. "I'm so glad you remember," she whispered. "Thank goodness."

Sarah returned the embrace somewhat awkwardly, though she looked happy. "I'm sorry, Mai. I should have said something yesterday. I just.. didn't know how."

"Mn-nn," Mai released her and stepped back, shaking her head forcefully. "I wouldn't have said anything either, if I had been in your position." She laughed again, grinning and rubbing her neck self-consciously. "That's such a relief. I was so worried."

Gene's mouth was still agape and he closed it quickly. "Will you get married again? I mean—sometime soon?"

Lin glanced at Sarah and the two both shook their heads. "Not for a while," Lin said. "We haven't exactly decided what we're going to do, or even if we're going to tell everyone we're together."

Naru glanced at his brother and frowned, wondering why he was so surprised. He'd predicted this, hadn't he? "You mean at BSPR."

"Right." Lin pulled out a chair for Sarah at the table and then sat down next to her. "We thought we might not tell anyone outside of you and our families while we're apart. That there's no real reason to tell people we're together until we're both in the same place. "

Seeing Mai's alarmed look, Sarah added, "I'll return to England with Martin and Luella. We've talked it over and decided I won't leave my job to stay here with Koujo." She glanced at him, lips twitching in what seemed a bitter smile. "At least, not yet."

"That's ridiculous—" Mai said, raising her voice. Naru gave her a stern look and she quieted. "I mean, now that Martin knows, wouldn't he let you stay?" she protested softly.

Lin shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's office politics, Mai. We can't ask Martin to do that."

Mai frowned stubbornly as she set the porcelain teapot on the table top and took her seat. "Screw office politics. I don't see why—"

"I've only been there for a few months," Sarah interrupted calmly. She smiled at Mai, though Mai did not think the smile was happy at all, but resigned instead. "Dr Davis would never send a new staff member to an overseas office, even if I had proved myself to be indispensable to it. Which I haven't. I speak Japanese and nothing more. Why me and not Madoka? And if Dr Davis did transfer me to work here and anybody at the office hears I'm also in a relationship with Koujo—no." She cut herself off and shook her head. "I don't want that to happen."

"It could get ugly." Lin agreed quietly. "We all know Ulrich Stevens can be a bit..." His voice trailed off as he decided against saying something impolite. "If he learned I used my influence to have Sarah come here—and that's a better-case scenario of the kinds of assumptions he'd make—he'd undoubtedly clamour for an internal investigation. No matter the outcome, that would be bad for all of us." He sighed and made a slight gesture toward them with his hand. "So for the time being, we're asking for your discretion."

"Will you tell Martin and Luella?" Naru asked. Sarah and Lin both hesitated as they glanced at one another.

Gene met his brother's gaze as he sat down, setting a package of biscuits in the center of the table. "As far as they're concerned, you really could be meeting for the first time—"

"Um." Mai said in a small voice, blushing with embarrassment. "I, um.. Luella sort of guessed."

Naru and Gene stared at her incredulously before Gene began to laugh. "Never underestimate her," he chortled, "never underestimate Luella."

"You've got to be kidding," Sarah mumbled, covering her cheeks with her hands. "Luella knows?"

"But she had no idea that you might remember, Sarah," Mai said quickly. "Only Lin-san. So..."

Lin looked amused and relaxed back into his chair, setting his arm across the back of Sarah's seat. Despite the fact they were discussing that he and his—wife? girlfriend? partner? Mai didn't know how to think of her—would be separating soon, it was, Mai thought, quite honestly the most relaxed he'd looked since he'd come to Japan three weeks ago. "That's fine. Ultimately, Sarah, it's up to you whether or not you want to tell Martin and Luella that you remember any of our future. Whatever you're comfortable with. You don't have to decide immediately, but I'd rather it be here, before you return to England, so we can tell them together."

"I don't know," Sarah said, her eyebrows furrowing nervously. "I really don't."

"If I may," Naru started slowly. He cleared his throat and folded his arms across his chest. "I'm probably the last person you want any sort of advice from," he said quietly, "but I advise against it. Because you work so closely under Martin, Sarah, he's bound to ask you questions about the future." He tipped his head. "Questions about cases you worked before. Questions about potential clients. All questions you may or may not remember the answers to. There's no reason to put yourself through that. Not only for your own sake, but his as well. I recommend not telling them."

Sarah glanced around the table. "It makes sense," she agreed slowly. "I hate lying—but I really don't remember very much of what happened at all." She looked at Lin and smiled shyly. "Certainly not boring case details."

Lin nodded thoughtfully but said nothing.

The tea steeped, Mai began to pour it into the teacups. Sarah, next to her, took the cups as they were filled and passed them around the table.

"I'd like to ask you some questions tomorrow," Naru said to Sarah, eyes moving between hers and Lin's. "Why you remember might offer some clues to what happened and why any of us remember anything at all."

"Of course," Sarah said simply. "Anything at all."

Naru's gaze remained steady on Lin. "This also brings the issue to light of whether or not we should anticipate anyone else remembering. And if we should—if we even could—do anything about that possibility."

Mai bit her lip. "Do you think... other people remembering can be related to the tremor on the spiritual plane your shiki felt?"

Lin frowned. "I really can't say, Mai." He shook his head and took a sip of his tea. "Unless those people approached us—through BSPR or other means, whatever that may be—we have no way of knowing if someone possesses memories of that future time."

Gene picked up his cup and considered it as he spoke. "Lin, you have suspicions, don't you? About the disturbance on the spiritual plane."

"Yes," Lin agreed, setting his teacup down on the table again, "but they are only that. Suspicions without any evidence behind it."

"Tell me," Naru said.

Lin hesitated. "Such a thing could be something entering—or leaving—the spiritual plane."

Mai frowned. "Why would that cause a tremor? Aren't.." she faltered slightly. "Aren't people passing through the spiritual plane all the time?"

He nodded. "Yes. Imagine, just for a second, the audio readings from a microphone."

"Okay," Gene said dubiously.

"Even when it's seemingly quiet there's a slight background noise. The readings are slight, but they are there. But speak aloud and it would be immediately noticeable on the readings. There is always spiritual activity on the spiritual plane. Slight, but noticeable if you were to look closely enough. That's the background noise. But if something larger were to exit or enter—the sound would jump. There would be a spike in the readings."

"Larger?" Mai repeated, a chill suddenly running down her spine.

Lin nodded and looked at Gene. "I thought of it after what you said this morning. That Mai's dream was not of the potential client but something bigger. Not necessarily good or bad, of course, but simply that something with strong psychic energy passed through the spiritual plane. This is only one possible explanation, of course. My grandmother is much more knowledgeable on this subject and I don't know what she suspects. The fact that she won't be here for several more weeks seems to me that it's neither urgent nor dangerous."

It is dangerous, Mai thought and looked at her hands, clasped around the cup of tea in front of her. I know it is. I wouldn't have had that nightmare if it weren't dangerous. But she remained silent, not sure if she could trust what her instincts were telling her.

The five sat in silence, finishing their tea while Gene snacked on the biscuits. Lin looked at his watch, exhaling and rising to his feet. "Thank you for the tea, Mai. I'm going to retire."

The others stood. "I'll clean up," Gene said, giving his brother a firm look before glancing at Mai. "You ought to go home, Mai," he said. The stern look on his face vanished as if it had never been there, his eyes lighting up with a teasing grin. "You have school tomorrow, after all."

"Don't remind me," Mai groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"I'll walk you home," Naru said, leading her into the other room.

Gene took the teacups to the sink, pushing up his sleeves as he turned on the water. Mai and Noll had left; he had heard the front door close. In the living room, Lin and Sarah were talking quietly and he couldn't stop himself from eavesdropping.

"You'll stay with me tonight? There's no reason for you not to sleep in your own bed."

"If.. if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind." Her voice softened. "I can't sleep well without you by my side."

"I'll make sure to get up before Martin and Luella. We really don't have to tell them if you don't want to."

Gene rubbed at his forehead with the back of his soapy hand, draining the wash water and rinsing the cups quickly, two at a time. Shutting off the water, he dried his hands on a towel and turned out the kitchen light, heading into the living room. Sarah and Lin stood near the hall. They held each other's hand, but they let go of each other's as soon as Gene entered the room.

"I'll get the light," Gene said absently, walking over to the window. "I might wait up for Noll."

Lin nodded. "Then goodnight, Gene."

"Wait," Gene said, turning quickly. "Sarah... do you mind if I ask you something?"

She nodded, motioning for Lin to go ahead, and the taller man disappeared down the hall and into his bedroom. "What is it?" She asked, keeping her voice low as she walked across the room.

Gene's eyes and lips narrowed thoughtfully before he spoke. "Yesterday I asked you to look at me—with your other eye, with your ability. Yesterday you said no. Knowing now that Lin knows—and knowing now that Martin and Luella know—does that change your answer?"

Sarah gazed at him evenly. "Why do you want to know what I might see, Eugene? What does it matter?"

His lips twitched in a bitter smile, his voice dropping. "I guess I was hoping you'd see something in me I'm not sure I have. I was hoping my true nature would be better than I think it is." He shrugged and turned back toward the window. "Whatever. It doesn't matter."

Sarah stood resolutely despite the dismissal and folded her arms loosely together. "I told you that I don't fully trust what I see," she told him quietly. "I'm sorry, Eugene, but what would be the point?"

He turned his head back toward her, eyes narrowed. "Then lie to me, Sarah," he said, his voice low. "Tell me something you don't see."

Sarah said nothing, unfazed by his reply and dropping her arms to her sides. She was not a large woman, Gene suddenly thought. While she was taller than Mai, she was similar in stature with an average build. Standing next to Lin, without shoes to adjust her height, she looked positively small. But standing here, now, she seemed larger than before. She stood firm, her chin lifted as she regarded him. Like Mai, he realized, Sarah held an inner strength that was usually hidden away—but at a time like this it appeared. Of course, he couldn't help but think to himself. Lin wouldn't have fallen in love with this woman otherwise.

"I will not lie to you." Sarah said firmly. "I refuse to lie." Slowly, she raised her right hand to her face. The back of her hand flat against her cheek and her palm faced outwards toward him, her eye hidden behind her index and middle finger.

He wasn't expecting to see anything, but as she covered her right eye the left suddenly seemed clouded with red. Alarmed, he started to move toward her, thinking it was blood, but she held up her left hand to stop him.

He stared as the red faded. The color of her eye had changed—it was dark, almost entirely black—when he realized it was because the pupil was so dilated it reached the edge of her iris. Sarah gazed at him like this for only a moment before she dropped her hand.

"Well?" Gene asked hoarsely. Even though the moment had only lasted seconds, he felt strangely unsettled.

"I see that you love Mai and Oliver more than anything," she said softly. "You're not lying to yourself when you say you'll do anything for them. If you want to know what I think your true nature is, then it's a very selfless one."

He stood dumbfounded, unsure what to say. Was that what he wanted to hear?

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Eugene." She dipped her head and turned, disappearing silently down the hall.

...

"You don't agree," Naru said suddenly, breaking the quietness between them as they walked down the dark, silent street toward Mai's home.

Mai's chin jerked up quickly, his voice pulling her out of her thoughts. "Agree with what?"

"What Lin said."

Mai exhaled and pushed her hands deeper into her pockets. "I don't know what to think, Naru. And I don't even remember my dream."

"You were sobbing," Naru said flatly, but when she looked at him she could see his jaw was tight. The yellow light of the street lamp glinted off his eyes as they narrowed in anger. "You were terrified. Whatever that nightmare alludes to, it's more than a mass of psychic energy passing through the spiritual plane," he bit out. "Lin doesn't understand."

"Just because I had a bad dream doesn't mean there's something dangerous," she protested feebly, not entirely sure why she was defending Lin when she knew she thought otherwise. It made her anxious to see Naru angry and she wanted nothing more than to reassure him.

"No, it doesn't mean it's dangerous," he said darkly. "There are plenty of plausible reasons why you should dream something so horrifying without it being dangerous. But we don't know. What we do know is that your visions should be taken seriously. Therefore we should be cautious, and even more so if you can't remember what you saw in the dream."

Mai bit her lip and looked at the pavement. "What if my dreams shouldn't be taken seriously, Naru?"

He exhaled noisily through his nose. "You know my answer to that."

Their conversation stilled as they crossed the street, passing beneath the stunted lilac tree as they entered her front gate.

"Besides," he said, his voice losing the harsh edge it had held only moments before, "what does caution cost us?"

"But how do we even be cautious?" Mai said with frustration, digging her key out of her pocket and gesturing vaguely with her other hand. "What can we possibly do to prepare for something when we have no idea what it is? Whatever my dream is trying to tell me, or warn me about, or prepare me for—I don't know because I don't remember it."

"We continue as we are now," he said calmly. "You continue your qigong training with Lin. We can't help it if Lin's grandmother is stubborn enough not to discuss the tremor on the spiritual plane until she can see him in person. Gene and I won't be complacent, either. I'll do as much research as I can while I'm in England. You and Gene have had overlapping dreams before—" An annoyed look flickered across his face as he spoke. "—so it's entirely possible Gene might have dreams that could provide more information."

She sighed and shook her head. "Yeah. What else can we do?" She sighed again, softer, as she unlocked the door, her voice dropping with the breath of air. "I wish you weren't going so far away, Naru."

They stood there on the doorstep, her hand resting unmoving upon the latch. "Will you.. will you come inside?" She asked tentatively.

One side of his mouth lifted in a slight smirk. "I shouldn't. Or I won't leave."

She laughed softly and reached up to hug him tightly. They remained in the embrace as the wind picked up, rustling the hedges and shrubs that separated Mai's house from her neighbor's. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder as she held him.

Mai slowly released him from her arms, opening her eyes and raising them to his face. The only light around them came from the clouds above, thick and white as they raced across the night sky. His face was so shadowed, his eyes so dark she couldn't see any colour in the irises.

"It probably wouldn't do for me to skip school tomorrow, huh," she murmured, taking his hands in her own.

"No," he agreed quietly. "Probably not."

She exhaled and blew her bangs silently away from her eyes. "Only three months, huh," she said softly, almost as if to herself.

"Only three months," he repeated, gazing at her steadily.

They stood in silence again until Mai felt her cheeks turn pink. "What are you thinking? I get nervous when you stare at me like that."

He gave her a slight, apologetic smile. "Nothing much." When she waited expectantly, his gaze softened and he tilted his head. "Just that it's strange. Strange to think we've spent nearly all of the last six years together."

Mai swallowed. "Yeah," she murmured, and smiled, pressing her lips together. "It is a little strange, when you put it like that. Here I am, only fifteen, but sometimes I feel like I'm already twenty-four."

"Thirty-two," he corrected absently.

She smiled and laughed weakly. "I don't think I ever feel thirty-two years old, Naru."

"Is that right?" He smirked. "Does that must make me an older man, then?"

She giggled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "You've always been older than me. That'll never change."

"Not nine years older," he retorted, and smiled as she kissed his other cheek.

"Goodnight, Naru."

"Goodnight, Mai."

She opened the door and stepped inside, but he reached out and touched her elbow as she moved away from him. She stopped and turned to face him with a startled expression on her face. "Naru?" She asked carefully.

"Call me if you have any dreams tonight," he said softly. "Please."

"I will," she promised. "Of course I will."

He gazed at her for a second before pulling her gently toward him, back over the threshold of the doorstep and outside. He took her shoulders in his hands and kissed her, brushing his lips against hers gently before taking her mouth sweetly, passionately, hungrily. He held her tightly in the darkness, shielding her body from the cold wind with his own.

Above them, the clouds parted just enough for the waning moon to illuminate the clouds, glowing bright and silver in the stormy night.

...

---

notes from the writer:

HUGE thanks to Meepyonnee for helping me figure out what I'm trying to say and how to say it, and to furiouskittenn for her input and support for all the (seemingly unnecessary) French language conversations. Both of you have lent me your time and your ears when I didn't deserve either and I cannot thank you enough. Meepyonnee also just published this really beautiful and lovely story called 'The Unheeded Line' - I implore you to check it out, you won't be disappointed. I cried ... I seriously cried, and I am a terrible cold-hearted woman.

French translations: (I swear there is a method to my madness.)

Ne pleures pas, Je suis ici avec tu, Je vais bien, ne pleures pas. (Don't cry; I'm here with you, I'm fine, don't cry.)

Je sais, Je suis désolée que ta mère est une telle idiote. (I know. I'm sorry your mother is such a fool.)

Je t'aime, maman. (Love you, mother.)
Si le poisson va, ce serait jeudi matin, tu es d'accord? (If the fish goes, it will be Thursday. Don't you agree?) (yes, it is supposed to be nonsense.)
Tu n'es pas sympa. (You're not any fun)
Que dis-tu? Pourquoi jeudi? Pourquoi le poisson? (What are you saying? Why Thursday? Why a fish?)
Absolument rien. (Nothing at all.)

Thanks everyone always for your reviews! It means so much to me to hear from you. Please continue to spoil me with your feedback. Until next time!