**Hello everyone. I sincerely apologize for the late post. I truly planned on releasing this chapter on New Years Day but I just wasn't happy with it for the longest time. I am honestly extremely self-conscious about my writing and constantly think "I could have written that so much better" or "what if they don't like it/understand it?" This chapter is very important because it is meant to show the connection Mai and Naru have. Just so you know, after this chapter I don't really intend to go into any more detail about alternate realities in this story. Since the very beginning I have planned this chapter out: it was meant to shed light on some question as well as give us and the characters a better understanding as to Mai's visions she has been having and how one moment in time can make such a ripple in the world. Like I said before, I wanted to post this chapter back in January but I have been struggling internally with wondering how everyone will react. While I hope there are no disappointments, I've been working on my self-doubt and a multitude of other mental health issues and I finally came to the conclusion that I know how this story is going to turn out and I am very proud of it. I have such wonderful fans that believe in me and look forward to my story every month so here it is and thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me through the inconsistent updates. Sorry for rambling; I love you all!**
Chapter Forty
Two Days Prior
"Oliver?" the brunette asked frantically.
His intense gaze softened as he saw how lost she looked. "Mai, what happened?" he asked gently, placing a hand on her cheek.
The feeling of his hand against her face was enough to anchor her. She could feel the adrenaline ebbing away and was slowly able to catch her breath.
"I think I know why I've been having those weird dreams," she whispered.
She could see the multitude of unasked questions stirring behind his eyes, but he remained silent, choosing instead to get up from his kneeling position and pull up the extra chair in front of her.
Once he took his seat, Mai let out a long breath.
She explained in great detail what had just transpired and he watched her intently. With each word his expression hardened, yet he remained silent.
"...And that's when I woke up here," Mai finished.
Oliver was leaning forward, resting his elbows upon his knees. He stared down at his interlaced fingers for a moment, clearly digesting what he'd just heard.
"Let me get this straight," he said matter of factly. "You were in the astral realm, which you already know has its dangers, and yet you decided to follow a mysterious wisp. On top of that you decided to touch said wisp, which in turn transported you to Japan. Into your own body?"
"Yes?" she smiled sheepishly.
"You are completely certain this body you possessed was in fact yours?" Oliver pried.
"I'm positive," Mai nodded.
"'It was you, but it wasn't you?'" he asked pointedly, repeating her earlier words back to him.
Mai averted her gaze. "Yes. It was me, but our lives were different."
"Ah, yes. 'Ours'. You said you and I were-" he began.
"Married, yes," she hurriedly cut him off. "Look, Naru, I know all of this sounds ridiculous-"
"It sounds impossible," Oliver corrected, leaning back in his chair.
Mai sighed. "It's mental, I know. But I swear to you, it was real. This wasn't a vision or dream. It was real."
The man watched her calculatingly for what felt like an eternity before releasing a sigh of his own. "Mai, do you understand the implications of your words?"
"Yes," the brunette confirmed.
"If all of this is true, then that means you have inadvertently made contact with what I can only describe as an alternate reality. While theories of alternate realities have been widely debated, there has never been any evidence supporting these claims," he stated finitely.
"I know," she agreed, smiling sheepishly once again.
"Was there any other information you gathered?" he pried.
The woman shook her head. "Unfortunately not. Things became a little too much to handle and I woke myself up."
Oliver nodded slowly and steepled his fingers under his chin. Mai could tell by the far off look in his eyes that the gears in his head were turning as the scientist in him took over.
"You believe me?" she gasped in realization.
Blue eyes focused on her once again and he raised a brow in amusement. "Should I not?" he asked with a smirk. "You told me quite earnestly that you weren't lying."
"And I'm not!" she reassured, hastily leaning forward, placing her hand atop the man's knees.
Oliver glanced down at where her hands touched him with an amused smirk.
"Sorry," she squeaked, removing her hands at lightning fast speeds as a blush spread across her cheeks like wildfire. "It's just…I know that I wouldn't believe it if I were you. I sound raving mad."
"Most scientific discoveries sound mad, Mai," he countered.
The brunette couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips knowing the man sitting in front of her believed in her. "So…what do we do now?"
Oliver crossed an ankle over his knee as an excited glint sparked in his eye.
Mai took in a wavering breath and stared at the large brick building she stood in front of. The BSPR lab loomed overhead intimidatingly. A week ago she would have happily walked in, however, things were a bit different now. The butterflies in her stomach weren't because of the tests she was there to participate in that evening. On the contrary, she was actually the one who suggested doing the tests.
No. She knew why she was nervous. And the reason was just on the other side of those walls.
Her hands fisted in her skirt at the thought of all the people in that building who were counting on her. What if she couldn't do what she had done before? Would they think her a liar? The thought of possibly letting Oliver and the rest of BSPR down made her stomach churn.
After the incident on Monday, Oliver wasted no time in ringing his father to explain what had happened. The excitement in those blue eyes had Mai craving more. It was very rarely when she saw him so intrigued, and this time she happened to be the reason behind his elation. Originally, Naru had planned on continuing Mai's training the following day, hoping to find the same results. However, always eager to please, Mai had suggested conducting her training in the BSPR lab to see if they could catch anything on the Martin's equipment.
At first, Oliver didn't seem too keen on the idea. He told Mai that she need not put herself in such an uncomfortable situation so impulsively, but after Mai's full-hearted reassurance and Martin's childlike excitement, he couldn't refuse the opportunity.
Mai spent Monday happily anticipating the experiment, however, upon waking up the next day she found that her anticipation had quickly soured into apprehension. Since then, the seed of doubt grew wild and fast. Nagging thoughts grew and grew and now there she was, standing in front of the lab feeling like she had bit off more than she could chew.
Every time she closed her eyes, her mind conjured the disappointed faces of her friends. She knew she was being foolish, worrying about things that had yet to happen, but she couldn't help it. It had been so long since she felt so close to anyone, the last thing she wanted to do was let them down. Her hand tightened on her skirt, praying she would be able to make them proud.
The sound of a nearby car honking at a wayward pedestrian drew her from her inner struggle. She closed her eyes and took one last deep breath.
"You can do this, Mai," she whispered to herself.
Opening her eyes, she steeled her resolve and took a step towards the building. She pulled open the large glass door. The cold of the metal handle chilled her fingers, effectively grounding her back to reality.
Upon entering the lobby, a warm voice greeted her.
"Hello again, Miss Taniyama."
Mai quickly turned to see a familiar woman smiling at her.
"I'm not sure if you remember me," the woman began. "I'm Martin's assistant, Laurel. If you'll just follow me, I'll take you to the Davis boys."
The woman had long plaited black hair that complimented the beautiful dark tone of her skin. Atop her nose sat a pair of round glasses that highlighted her doe-like eyes.
"Oh! Thank you." Without skipping a beat, Mai quickly followed after the woman and smiled back politely. "And of course I remember you. With the amount Yasuhara talks about you it would be hard to forget," she giggled.
Laurel's cheeks reddened at Mai's words. "Oh my goodness," she mumbled embarrassedly. "Lord help me with that man."
Mai laughed again. "I've only known him for a few months, but I can tell you make him very happy."
Laurel looked down at the floor with a bashful smile as they continued down the corridor. "Thank you."
"So," Mai began nervously. "Did Martin happen to tell you what tests we're doing today?"
The older woman looked at Mai from the corner of her eye. "He did. Aside from myself and Martin, no one else in the lab knows what Dr. Davis suspects happened to you the other day. With such important information, it will be best for less people to know. I know we've only met once, but rest assured your secret is safe with me."
Unable to help but worry, Mai looked around the corridor cautiously before speaking quietly. "Is what happened to me dangerous?"
Laurel was quiet for a moment, casting her gaze forward. "...Frankly speaking, something like this has never happened before. Ever. Because of this, we don't really know what dangers you could be facing, or if there are even any dangers at all. The fact that we are keeping it on a need-to-know basis relies more on the fact that word doesn't get out to the media. Could you imagine what would happen if it was known someone had access to an alternate reality? You'd have reporters, scientists, you name it, all knocking on your door." she reasoned. "Dr. Davis stressed that any findings his father and I collect from these tests will never be released to the public. Seriously. We had to sign contracts and everything."
Mai looked at the woman with wide eyes. "Really?"
Laurel chuckled softly. "Really," she confirmed. "In fact, Dr. Davis is usually just as intrigued with conducting tests as his father is, but this time he doesn't seem as excited as he typically would be."
Mai frowned at the woman's words. "Oh."
Martin's assistant led her to a short corridor with a closed double door at the end. A bold sign was posted on the door.
Authorized Personnel Only
Laurel held her badge to a scanner on the wall. The small red light turned to green and the sound of the door unlocking echoed through the hallway. The woman pulled the handle and held it open for Mai to enter.
"Thank you," the brunette said and walked inside.
On the other side of the door was a small corridor with four doors. Mai looked at Laurel questioningly, unsure of which room was meant for her test.
The other woman smiled kindly and nodded her head towards the first door on the left. "This is the testing room you will be staying in. Martin and I will be observing you from the adjoining room."
Laurel held out her hand and opened the door to the first room.
"Are you sure that will be enough?" Oliver's voice reached Mai's ears as the door silently opened.
"Seeing as no one has ever done something like this before, I can't really answer that," a familiar voice answered. "I can add a few more for safety's sake if you'd like. But, again, no one has ever done this, so I can't even say for sure if this will help protect her."
Mai entered the room and saw Ayako standing on a chair, adhering a talisman to the wall. "Ayako?" she said out loud, curious as to why her friend was there.
Oliver and the priestess quickly turned their heads in her direction, unaware of her arrival until just then.
"Oh! You're already here!" Ayako greeted the brunette with a grin. She climbed off of the chair and made her way over to Mai, engulfing her in a hug.
"What are you doing here?" Mai asked in shock. She had only anticipated Martin, Laurel, and Naru to be there.
The older woman pulled back and nodded her head in Oliver's direction. "Boss man requested my skills in protection charms."
Mai glanced over at Oliver questioningly. "And he told you what's happening?"
"Sure did," the woman confirmed. "Don't worry. He had me sign some sort of confidentiality thing or whatnot," she said with a wave of her hand.
The man in question put down the equipment he was setting up. "We have no way to expect what will happen today so I'd rather take as many precautions as possible. I made sure to have anyone here today sign a nondisclosure agreement and they are well aware of the consequences of breaching said contract," he finished, sending a warning glance to the priestess.
Ayako rolled her eyes and waved off his attempted intimidation. "I wouldn't have signed it if I couldn't keep a secret. Really, Naru, you have to learn to trust your friends."
Mai took the opportunity to speak. "Where's Martin?"
Oliver's gaze briefly met hers before turning back to the equipment in front of him. "Father will be here shortly."
Mai tilted her head curiously, noting that Oliver seemed more irritable than usual. She quietly made her way over to him while Ayako and Laurel discussed the location of the next talisman. The dark haired man continued to assemble wires onto a large apparatus, showing no sign of acknowledgement.
Letting out a small breath, Mai gently grabbed the man's sleeve, halting his actions. "Naru," she said softly. "I don't have to do this if you don't want me to."
Putting the wires down, he turned and gave her a serious look. "You're not obligated to do this if you do not wish to."
Mai gently bit her lip, taking a moment to think about how she truly felt. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous…However, I think my curiosity is currently winning out. I want to help you and your father find out more. Truly," she finished with an honest smile.
Oliver watched her for a moment before nodding. "Very well."
Suddenly the door opened once again and Martin walked in with a wide grin. "Mai, my dear, today's the big day! Are you ready?"
The brunette chuckled. "Ready," she nodded.
"Jolly good!" the older man beamed and held up a familiar tracksuit. "You know the ropes. Now if you don't mind, could you be a dear and change into these while we finish assembling the equipment?"
Mai took the tracksuit from the man and Laurel showed her to the bathroom in order to change. By the time she arrived back in the room she was shocked to see only Oliver remained and the scent of burning incense filled the air. He was sitting in a chair at the opposite wall of the cot, writing in a notebook.
"Where are the others?" Mai asked curiously, placing her clothes down.
"They've already made their way into the observation room. Father has cameras set up throughout the room so he can keep watch without causing any distractions," he stated.
The brunette took her seat on the cot. "You're staying?"
Blue eyes looked up from the notebook in his hand. "Do you want me to leave?"
"No!" she said quickly, waving her hands dismissively in front of her. "That's not what…No, I'd like you to stay."
The man nodded, and closed the notebook. "Good. Now, lay down. We don't know how long all of this will take so the sooner we begin the better."
Mai obliged. The cot was very similar to one seen in a hospital and just as uncomfortable. It took her a moment to adjust but once she did she smiled over at Oliver. The dark haired man then stood and made his way over to her.
"Hand," he instructed calmly, to which she held out the hand closest to him. He took a heart monitor and clipped it onto the tip of her pointer finger.
Next, he pressed a button on a machine to her left. A faint hum resonated from the machine but it gradually grew fainter. Oliver grabbed four wired sensors and attached small circular pads to the ends before looking over at her hesitantly.
"These may be a bit cold," he warned. She smiled in approval and he proceeded to place two of the sensors onto her temples. The remaining two were placed just behind her ears.
Once he was done he pressed a few buttons on the machine before turning off the light and making his way back over to sit in his chair.
"Naru?" Mai asked quietly, leaning her head to the side to look at him in the dim candlelight.
He raised a brow in silent question.
"What if it doesn't work?" she wondered.
The man leaned forward onto his knees. "Then it doesn't work and we go about our day."
The brunette remained quiet and cast her eyes to the side.
Oliver frowned slightly, understanding the truth behind her worry. "You're not nervous because of any danger you may face but instead you're afraid of letting me down?" he clarified. She held his gaze but remained silent and the man leaned back in his chair. "I won't be disappointed if you are unsuccessful, Mai," he said gently and she could hear the truth in his words. "None of us will be. Just close your eyes and follow your normal training."
"...Okay," she conceded.
Reassured by his words, brown eyes drifted closed as the worries began to subside. The brunette focused on her breathing as the familiar scent of the incense relaxed her body.
Breath in.
Breath out.
She could hear the faint whirring of the machine she was attached to. Though distracting at first, the low repetitive sound soon proved helpful with it's hypnotic rhythm. As usual, Mai didn't know how long she laid there but she eventually felt the familiar weightlessness take over. It began in the tips of her fingers and toes and before long it had spread throughout the rest of her body.
Long lashes fluttered open and she slowly sat up on the cot. She let out a breath and looked down next to her. As she expected, her physical body remained laying in slumber, informing her that she was indeed astral projecting. Swinging her legs over the edge of the cot, she looked over at her boss.
Before she could say anything, Martin's voice echoed through an intercom.
"The thermal camera is picking up what looks like a faint figure. Mai, is that you?" he asked.
"Yes," she responded quickly. "I'm sitting on the cot."
"Mai? Can you hear me?" Martin asked again.
Oliver raised a brow slightly and spoke. "Yes, it's her. She said she is sitting on the cot."
"You're able to hear her, Noll?" his father questioned.
"It's faint, but yes, I can hear her," the black haired man replied.
"Hm…Let me adjust the audio and see if we can catch anything," Martin murmured half to himself. "Okay. Let's see if that made a difference. Mai can you count to ten for me? I'm going to see if the equipment will pick up your voice."
Mai chuckled but began counting nonetheless. After she finished, she was met by silence for a moment before the man's voice resonated through the intercom again.
"Unfortunately it appears the camera's can't pick up your voice, dear," Martin sighed like a dejected child with a broken toy. "Not to worry though, Noll can relay anything you have to say. Now Mai, could you please make your way to the center of the room?"
Doing as she was asked, Mai gingerly dropped her feet to the ground and made her way towards the middle of the room.
"Amazing!" Martin beamed. "We can clearly see you moving! This is the first time I have ever had the opportunity to capture visual proof of astral projection, so bear with my excitement for a moment."
The brunette couldn't help but smile at the older man's enthusiasm.
"Mai, is there any sign of the wisp you saw before?"
Brown eyes scanned the room in search of the wisp but she shook her head when she saw nothing. "I don't see it yet. Last time it took a few minutes before it arrived, though."
Oliver nodded and relayed Mai's words to his father who in turn instructed them to wait.
The minutes ticked by and the Mai began to grow restless. Five. Eight. Ten minutes…
"Naru, it's been over fifteen minutes and there's still no sign of it," she said disheartenedly.
"We can't expect it to show up each time," Oliver replied. "We may have to finish up for t-,"
The sound of the intercom turning on interrupted man's words. "Mai, think about the last time the wisp appeared and what you had been doing. Perhaps something triggered the wisp to arrive?"
Mai's eyes widened and she looked over at Oliver. Of course she remembered what she had been doing when it appeared.
"It's worth a shot. Mai, come here," Oliver summoned her. He held his hand out expectantly, palm to the ceiling.
The woman stepped closer to the man. Her hand reached out and hesitated briefly before covering his. She could feel the muscles in his hand twitch slightly as he sensed her presence. He gently curled his fingers around hers lightly enough so that his hand wouldn't pass through hers.
Mai was hyper aware of the fact that Oliver's father was watching from the other room and hoped he wouldn't misinterpret the interaction. Before she could dwell too much on the thought, a ghostly hum reached her ears. She turned her head towards the direction of the sound and saw a familiar glowing blue orb in the corner of the room. Just like last time, the orb seemed to beckon her.
"It worked! It's here," Mai giddily informed the man sitting in front of her.
She was about to let go when she felt Oliver's grasp tighten only to slip through her non-existent body. The brunette tilted her head curiously at his action.
Oliver's gaze had grown serious and his jaw was taut as if he were uneasy. His fingers curled into a fist and fell back into his lap before he closed his eyes briefly and nodded. When his eyes opened his typical stoic expression was back in place.
"Very well. Be careful."
"You know me; 'careful' is my middle name," she teased lightheartedly.
"Very funny," he remarked sarcastically with an amused smirk.
She turned back towards the wisp and took a step closer. With every step she felt as if she were being drawn in like a moth to a flame. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing to see the other reality, her other reality. It was still hard to wrap her head around that fact.
Nodding to herself, she steeled her resolved and reached her hand out to the glowing orb. Just like the previous time, the moment her fingers made contact with the wisp she was blinded by a bright light. The familiar sensation spread throughout her body as if she were being encased in ice. It was so cold yet burned like fire.
However, just like last time, the sensation vanished as quickly as it had begun.
She was surrounded by darkness and the wisp was nowhere to be seen. In the distance she could hear a faint steady banging of what sounded like a timpani drum.
Dun. Dun. Dun.
Shaking her head, she tried to ignore the sound and focus on where she was. She began to walk, hoping that maybe she would find a way out of the darkness. Nothing changed. Frowning, she picked up her pace.
Dun. Dun. Dun.
The drums continued. She bit her lip and ran even faster. Before her worry could fester into fear, muffled voices reached her ears, causing her to halt in her tracks.
"-the reason—collapsed," a man's voice ebbed in and out of the void.
Mai furrowed her brows as she tried to focus on the words.
"-ut at least we're all safe and sound and the case is closed. Now eat your dinner before it gets cold," a female voice responded.
As the voices grew clearer, the darkness began to disperse. Mai reached a hand up to rub her eyes and winced at the brightness when she opened them.
"W-What just happened?" The wavering words came out of her mouth on their own accord.
"Mai?"
The woman's eyes widened in shock when she looked up to see Oliver sitting across from her at a dining table. She quickly glanced around like a frightened cat. It took her only a second to realize they were sitting in an unfamiliar room. She held up her left hand and saw the ring on her finger.
Dun. Dun. Dun.
The chopsticks in her hand fell to the table in shock.
"Naru, it's happening again!" the worried words escaped her mouth, but again, it wasn't her that had spoken them.
"She's here again?" Oliver spoke seriously.
"Yes, but she's able to move my body this time. Last time she was only able to talk in my head."
Oliver's eyes narrowed and he stood from his chair in order to kneel in front of her and stare into her eyes intensely.
"Mai told me about you. About who you are. Care to tell me why you keep hijacking my wife?" His words were anything but kind, clearly upset about his wife's state of distress.
Dun. Dun.
Mai gasped. "I-I'm sorry! I just wanted to find out why this has been happening."
His mouth pursed into a straight line. "I've been wanting to know the same thing. Explain. Now."
A sense of shame filled her and she shrunk backwards into her chair. "I-I really don't know. It started off as dreams. I'd see the two of you and random moments of your life. I thought they were just fantasies at first but then the other day…Oliver thinks I found a way to access an alternate reality."
"Alternate reality?" The man echoed sternly. "Tell me, what is the date where you're from?"
"The date?" she echoed. "It's Wednesday, July 7th, 20XX…"
Oliver's eyes narrowed again. "It's the same day here," he stated. "Over the past couple of months Mai has been telling me she's felt as though someone has been spying on her through her own eyes, as if she were sharing her mind with someone. Up until your visit the other day I didn't know what to make of it. Her intuition tends to be top-notch. While what you say makes sense, you are asking me to believe something that is just theory and always thought of as impossible."
Dun. Dun.
"I don't know what to say," Mai defended nervously.
"Try," he ordered.
"But-"
"I'm not a very patient person. Also, I'd like my wife back. It appears that she can't communicate with me while you are. The quicker we make this, the better," he pressed.
"Let's see…" she began nervously, racking her brain. "I moved to England a few months ago and ever since I met you, I mean Oliver, my Oliver, I mean not my Oliver but the one from where I'm from…Ugh." The brunette dropped her head in her hands in frustration. The stress of everything was making her feel dizzy. "Let me start over. Once I met Oliver I started having dreams of this world. I truly don't know why. And now I've accidentally stumbled upon a way to get here so Martin and Oliver have me hooked up to some machine that measures brain activity while I -"
"My father is experimenting on you with interdimensional travel?" he asked in astonishment.
Dun…Dun…
"Gods, what is that drumming sound? And, no, he's not experimenting on me. I gave him permission to study me," Mai defended briskly, rubbing her forehead in hopes of alleviating her lightheadedness.
The man regarded her curiously for a moment before crossing his arms and staring at the floor. Mai knew that look. The Naru from her world made that same look when the gears were turning in his head if something intrigued him.
"You and your family-I mean not you, but, ugh, you know what I mean- they've been all helping me. Martin is helping me understand the science behind my abilities. Gene has been training me with controlling my dreams and astral projecting. Even Lin and Madoka-"
"Gene?" Oliver's gasped whisper caught her attention.
Mai looked at him curiously. "Yes?"
"He's helping you in your dreams?" he pressed.
"Well, he's helping me with my dreams. He can't have post-cognitive dreams like I can so whenever he's not with his fiancé he trains me," the brunette explained with a shrug.
Blue eyes stared at her with a mix of emotions. "Gene's…alive?"
"Of course he is, why do you...? Oh!" Her hands flew up to cover her mouth, understanding his reaction.
Dun…Dun…
Mai mentally cursed the relentless drumming but was grateful it was finally starting to fade. Maybe now she would be able to focus better.
Oliver watched Mai with a sunken expression. "Gene died over a decade ago."
Another wave of dizziness washed over her, but stronger this time. She shook her head, unwilling to allow it to distract her.
"A decade ago?" His words struck a chord with her. Her mind felt like she was in a fog as she tried to register the weight of his words. Brown eyes suddenly widened. "Wait! How? How did it happen?" she begged, grabbing the man's sleeve desperately.
He looked down at her in mild surprise. "Hit and run."
Dun….Dun…
Bile rose in her throat. "He died that day?" she whispered to herself.
Oliver's brow raised suspiciously. "What did you say?"
The haunting memory of the premonition she had all those years ago resurfaced in her mind. She remembered every second. Every ounce of pain as the car hit Gene's body. The agony he felt as he lay in the trunk of the car slowly dying alone.
A breath left her lips as realization struck. "That's why."
Oliver's brow twitched in irritation. "Care to explain?"
Mai looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "When I was in high school I had a dream. A premonition. In my dream it was late and I was witnessing everything through someone else's perspective. I was walking across the street when a car came out of nowhere and hit me. I felt every second of it as if that pain were my own."
She looked up at the man and noticed he was staring at her in a mixture of shock and horror.
Dun…Dun….
The world spun for a moment and Mai placed a hand to her head again. She took a deep breath and continued. "I didn't know it was a premonition at that time but it felt different than any other dream I'd ever had before. I couldn't ignore it, so I found out where it happened and I went there. And there he was. The boy wasn't paying attention and the car was coming closer, so I pushed him out of the way. I ran away before he could question anything, but he survived and that's all that mattered."
"You saved him?" he asked in shock. "How? You never had dreams before meeting me and Gene became your spirit guide."
Mai frowned. "Maybe not your Mai, but I started getting dreams after my mother passed away."
Oliver walked back to his chair in a daze and took a seat as he comprehended what she had just told him.
Dun…Dun….
The man looked up at her with wavering eyes. "He's alive," he smiled. "Is he happy?"
Mai smiled comfortingly at the man. "Very. He's getting married to a famous medium from Japan actually. Hara Masako."
Oliver's face dropped and she had to fight the urge to laugh. "He's engaged to Hara-san?"
"You know her? The Oliver in my world isn't too thrilled about it either," she giggled. "But yes. They are getting married soon. He's happy, Naru. Very happy and very much alive."
"Yes, I know her. She's part of our ridiculous group of irregulars at SPR, along with a monk, miko, and a priest." The man looked down at the ground with a genuine smile on his face. "So he's happy. I'm glad. At least there's one world where he found the happiness he deserved."
Mai smiled gently back at him.
Dun…
"Finally the drumming's starting to stop," she sighed gratefully to herself.
Oliver eyed her curiously. "That's the second time you've mentioned that. What drumming are you talking about?"
Mai tilted her head. "You can't hear that? It sounds like a drum but it's finally beginning to stop."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He opened his mouth to say something but a loud whaling echoed through the dining room. The man looked over at the baby monitor on the table.
"It appears that Gene's woken from his nap," he muttered.
Mai smiled tenderly. "You named your child after Gene?"
"There was no other name befitting enough," Oliver said as he pushed in his chair. "Now, if you don't mind. I'd like to have my wife back. I can only imagine what it must feel like going about your day to suddenly have someone uninvited pop in for a visit inside your mind."
Mai smiled sheepishly. "I'm really sorry. But I do have to admit, it was nice to get some answ-"
…..Dun….
Mai's eyes widened and she clutched her head as an overwhelming wave of dizziness washed over her. She leaned forward to brace herself on the table only to miss and crumple to the floor.
"Mai!" Oliver called out, dropping the baby monitor on the floor.
The woman blinked slowly, trying to focus on the man crouching beside her. Specks of darkness splattered her vision.
"S-Something's wrong," she stumbled.
The man suddenly went rigid. "Mai, how did you get here? Are you dreaming?"
The brunette shook her head lethargically. "N-No," she grimaced. "I followed the wisp."
"What wisp?" he asked fervently.
Mai whimpered at the sudden pain spreading throughout her body. She felt like her lungs were on fire even though she was able to breathe perfectly fine.
"Mai! What wisp?" he ordered, shaking her frame.
Her vision began to grow dark. "The one I see when I astral p-project."
Oliver's throat ran dry. "You're astral projecting right now?"
All she could manage was to nod in reply through the onslaught of sensations. Her lungs burned. Her head spun. Her eyelids felt as if they were made out of lead.
….Dun…
"Mai! Get back to your body," he demanded. "Your soul has been here for too long. I don't think that was drumming you were hearing. It was your heart. Your body is failing you," he said frantically.
"...What?" she whispered deliriously.
"Get back to your body, now!" he demanded. "You've found your answers, so there's no need to ever come back."
"But….I can't. I'm so tired," she slurred as her eyes began to drift closed.
Mai could feel her soul beginning to fade. She couldn't find the connection she felt last time in order to rouse herself from this world, but she was too tired to be frightened of the consequences.
The man looked down at her with fear in his eyes, realizing she was slipping away. He didn't know what would happen if the visiting soul were to pass away while inside his wife's body and he was unwilling to take the risks. He'd be damned if he were to lose her due to some wayward souls' curiosity.
"Forgive me, this might hurt but it's all I can think of that might help," he whispered before placing one hand on Mai's temples and the other over her heart. The brunette lay there motionless while the cries of his child continued to fill the room.
Desperately, Naru's brows furrowed as he placed all of his focus on his hands. A soft yellow light emanated from his palms, and the sound of sparks crackled around him. He could feel the hair on his body begin to rise at the electric field being created around them.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and sent a wave of electricity from his hands coursing through her body.
Nothingness.
Nothing for as far as she could see.
Confusion filled Mai's mind for the first few minutes of consciousness while she tried to piece her memories back together.
The last thing she remembered was an overwhelming sense of dizziness before everything went black. That's when the pain happened. A pain equivalent to being struck by a rogue bolt of lightning.
Next was the pressure that crashed into her in waves, as if her body had been forced through each layer of the ocean within mere seconds. The intensity of it all resulted in her loss of consciousness, and when she finally came to she found herself back in the void of darkness.
She was castaway in a sea of black. There were no wisps to light her way or make sense of which way was up in this sensory deprivation. Her body felt numb and she felt as if she had been holding her breath for days.
Mai blinked a couple of times trying to regain focus, but the perpetual nothingness remained. She hesitantly raised her hand in front of her face in vain, knowing she wouldn't be able to see it.
Where am I?
Alarm rang through her mind when her voice didn't come out. She quickly reached up to grab her throat but was dismayed to find nothing there. That was when the frigid hand of fear began to take hold.
She was surrounded by nothingness. Her body was…nowhere. She had no body. Her soul was nowhere. She was part nothingness itself.
The likelihood of finding her way back to her physical form was growing slimmer with each passing second and the concept terrified her. She thought back to her new friends; her BSPR family. She'd never see them again. The new life she strived for over a decade to achieve was now slipping through her fingers.
The unceasing weight of the notion refused to lift.
She was alone.
So alone.
That's when it happened.
There was suddenly another jolt of electricity that shot through the air, startling her.
Mere seconds later, another volt coursed through her body and the darkness around her began to bleed away. That's when she realized that she could actually feel it. She could feel again! She lifted her hands in front of her face and was beyond grateful to see the faint outline of her body again.
"-ai!"
Her breath caught at the faint voice in the distance.
"Naru?" she cried out into the void, thankful her voice was back. "Naru!"
Her body felt electric once more but this time she also felt as if she were being pulled towards something.
Dun….
Dun. Dun…
Brown eyes snapped open and Mai gasped in shock. Her lungs felt as if they were on fire and the familiar sound of the timpani resonated in her ears. This time she knew the sound came from no drum but her heartbeat instead.
The first thing she saw were a pair of cerulean eyes staring down at her wildly. The fear and desperation in his eyes as he looked down at her were heart shattering. His hand fell from her face and the other from her heart, and as he did so, residual sparks and static crackled around them. He slumped to the ground next to her in disbelief.
Still catching her breath, Mai looked around to see that she was on the floor of the BSPR test room.
"What the hell happened, Mai?!" the man bellowed, drawing her attention. "Do you know how long you were gone? First your breathing stopped, then your heart. You didn't have a pulse for over a minute! You were-" he grimaced at the thought of her lifeless body he had just been holding in his arms. "I told you to be careful!"
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably as shock continued to hold her hostage. Her heart was in overdrive from everything that had happened within the last half hour.
She looked up at the man, eyes wide. Though she herself felt equally as broken, the uncharacteristic expression Oliver wore constricted her heart and guilt gnawed at her. She quickly and clumsily scrambled to her feet and latched onto him.
Oliver winced at the sudden attack but an arm wrapped around her nonetheless while the other braced them up so they wouldn't fall.
The woman gripped his shirt until her knuckles turned white and buried her head in his chest.
"Suggoku gomen ne (I'm so sorry)," she whimpered. "Gomen ne…gomen ne..gomen ne…" she chanted hollowly like a broken record.
Oliver's arm around her shoulders tightened at the sight of the shattered woman. His hands were still slightly shaking from the remaining adrenaline coursing through his body. A sigh escaped his lips when he dropped his head so his forehead rested atop hers.
Yes, he was angry but not at her. He was mad at himself. He had a feeling it would be dangerous for her and yet he still allowed her to go through with everything. Though he was angry, he also wasn't blind enough to realize that his anger was stemming from fear.
The memory of hearing the beep of the heart monitor fade and eventually flatline made him sick to his stomach. By the time he had reached her, there was no pulse to be found. He wasted no time dragging her body to the floor in order to begin CPR. When that failed he did the first thing he could think of. He placed his hands on her heart and head and sent just the right amount of electricity through his hands that was safe for the both of them. The first two shocks were ineffective, but after the third shock he was beyond grateful to see those familiar brown eyes open. The frantic voices of his father and Ayako were white noise to him; his focus solely on the woman laying on the ground.
Squeezing his eyes tighter, he came to a decision. Yelling would do more harm than good for the both of them. Mai had done nothing wrong to warrant his sharp-tongued deflections.
His fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt.
"...Daijōbu (It's okay)," he consoled. He caught his balance and brought his other arm up to wrap around her waist. The feeling of her trembling in his arms made him want to protect her even more. "I'm here. You're okay," he soothed in Japanese.
The sound of his voice and the warmth of his embrace broke through providing some relief to the woman.
"Mai," Oliver said into her hair. "I forbid you from ever doing that again."
Her grip tightened on his shirt and she nodded.
She couldn't agree more.