Last time: Mai now realized Gene and Naru are separate people. Though she had a hard time accepting Naru's feelings as real, she did allow him to bring her back. Now with Mai waking up, let us watch as she tries to put her life back together with the help of her SPR family.
A/N: I'd like to take a moment and say Thank You! To everyone who has been reading Soul Bound on and AO3. Your follows, favorites and subscriptions mean a lot to both Koujinbutsu and I. Also each and every comment and review gives both of us so much joy to read. We hope you'll enjoy this new part of Soul Bound as much as the first part! We plan for this story to have some angst and fluff...hopefully more fluff than angst. Koujinbutsu and I are more than a little ready to share some better times with you. We hope you will enjoy it!
-Spirit_Weaver
Though we want to share some better times, sometimes they must come while dredging through the muck and mire first. We're not completely out of the muck yet. In fact, this is rather the beginning of the journey, but we'll get there. Thanks for the reviews. They truly bolster our spirits.
-Koujinbutsu
Coming Back to Life - Part 1: Awakening
August 4: Mid-morning…
Mai's hospital room…
Mai thought she'd heard Aria joyfully exclaim, "You did it! I can feel her! She's waking up," but the words quickly lost their importance because of how rapidly she was becoming aware of just how much her body hurt! She gasped at the fire of pain that seemed to roar to life throughout sections of her body, but more so in her lower half, but she shied away from thinking about why it hurt so badly. Her brow furrowed as she tried to pry open her eyes, but found that she couldn't. It was like they were glued shut. She was, however, able to feel a pair of hands surrounding one of hers, clasping it tightly. After struggling to open her eyes once more, a panic began to rise in her.
Seeming to sense Mai's distress, Aria soothed, "There's no need to worry, Mai, you're safe here. I'll help you." Mai felt a warm, damp cloth being gently wiped over each of her eyes, first one and then the other. When the cloth was pulled away the second time, she heard Aria gently coo, "There you go, dear one."
This time, when she tried opening her eyes, she succeeded. The first thing she saw was the pair of hands clutching hers. Her eyes traced the hands to their black clad arms, back to the torso they belonged to and upwards, eventually meeting a pair of worried, blue eyes. A sigh of a whisper escaped Mai's lips, "Naru." As a small smile lifted the corners of her lips, she was rewarded with one of his genuine smiles. It warmed and chased away the worry from his midnight-blue orbs, and made her heart flutter.
Next to him, Aria smiled. Her own relief at listening to her pseudo-sister quietly greet Naru made her feel like she'd stepped into a beam of sunlight. The least she could do to repay Naru for Mai's return was to try and return the favor and allow him a moment of privacy with her now that he knew they were a soul bound couple. Aria murmured, "I'll be right back," and quickly retreated towards the room's door. She would inform Ayako and, eventually, the rest of the SPR crew-certain that everyone would be relieved that Mai was now awake and talking, but she knew that once she did tell them, the group would likely invade the room and bombard it with so much commotion that the couple would probably get no more time alone for the remainder of visiting hours.
As the door shut, Naru stood from the chair he'd been occupying, still studying Mai's beautiful brown eyes. In his desire to be close to her, he carefully sat down directly next to her on the bed, painfully aware of her wounds and trying his best not to rub against them. He ached to hold her even closer, and wished he had the courage or permission to do so. It had been one thing to do it in her mindscape, it was something else entirely to do so physically, especially after everything that had happened. "I'm so glad to see you awake, Mai," he said, his voice full of relief. "How are you feeling?"
Mai tried to clear her sore throat to respond, but her voice came out scratchy and raw, "I wish I could say that I didn't hurt all over, but I do," she managed to get out past the dryness of her abused throat. She gave him a pained smile.
He looked down at their joined hands and then away, his brow furrowing and his jaw clenching before his troubled gaze returned to her face. She was surprised when an apology fell from his lips, "I'm so sorry we didn't get to you soon enough."
She waved her free hand in dismissal-mostly because she still didn't want to think in any depth about why he was apologizing. "I'm sure you did what you could." She looked down and away, though she did feel a degree of wonder at the fact that they'd found her and freed her, there was also a degree of shame because she'd been seen in that state and guilt that she'd gotten into the situation in the first place and that they'd had to rescue her. Mai's thoughts jumped back to her earlier doubts. "I'm kind of surprised you found me at all."
Naru's voice dropped in pitch as he quietly vowed. "There's no way I would have stopped looking for you." He kept one of his hands holding hers while he used the other to lift her chin.
Looking into his eyes, Mai had to wonder if she was actually back in reality. Naru had never acted this way except in her dreams or on the astral plane, but, even now, when she couldn't deny her own physical pain, it was too hard to believe his words were real. She tried to reason, I have to be hallucinating or something. Maybe my dream Naru...Gene, she questioningly corrected herself, has come here somehow?
Seeing the doubt in her face, he pulled his hand away from her chin and slipped it into his pocket. After retrieving the key, he pressed it into her unoccupied hand. "I saw and felt what happened. I never would have let you stay in that kind of hell."
Pulling her hand from his, Mai focused on the item in her hand and recognized it, "My lucky key," she tried to exclaim, but it came out more like a hoarse whisper. She jerked her head back up, "Why do you have this?"
"I found it in your apartment and used psychometry on it," he admitted, picturing the concerning state of her apartment in his mind.
She'd learned about psychometry in the case they'd run into Urado, the labyrinth house, when the fake Dr. Davis had refused to use it to find the missing assistants. She'd been told, then, that the real Dr. Davis could use it to help find people, but she never knew Naru also had the ability. The thought made her recall another. If our visit in Limbo was true, and Naru is Oliver Davis...that means...he's the same Dr. Oliver Davis we watched those men try to impersonate?...but that's impossible...isn't it? Is Naru even old enough to have a doctorate? She looked back up at Naru, and the question that tumbled from her lips was, "You used psychometry to find me?"
The troubled look that encompassed his face as he looked away told an entirely different story. "Psychometry doesn't make things that easy," he admitted. "I could only see what was happening to you; what you were feeling and thinking. The only other things I could see were the items and people in your immediate vicinity. I saw the attack in your apartment, and the room they left you in, but nothing in between. You must have blacked out...It was Miss McLoughlin who found where you were taken. She had a vision about you being at the client's run down hospital. We simply took his case when he came in and left to come find you as soon as we could."
When she stayed silent, trying to process everything, he resumed, the words pouring from his lips. "During our drive to that place, Miss McLoughlin was suddenly able to feel your despair. I had to look when she said you wanted to die." His left hand tightened around hers and his right hand tightened into a fist at his side. He looked like he was about to break down in tears. "I felt so sick and angry when I felt what they were doing to you. I wanted to go find you immediately, but I couldn't. All thanks to our client, I couldn't...at least that's what I'd thought while we were setting up base, but," He looked down at his lap, and with regret coating his next words he declared, "I should have come to find you immediately."
He looked back at her with tears glistening in his eyes. "I thought they'd leave you alone after they left you the first time," his words trailed off and his look of sorrow brought Mai's hand up to his cheek. She wiped away the tears that had started to flow, but he grabbed the hand against his cheek and held it still. "But you were attacked again...I was so sure they'd leave you alone...Your emotions, I could feel them even without using your key. When they grew increasingly troubled and confusing, I couldn't help but look again," his words choked up. "I'm so sorry. We might have been able to prevent it from happening again if we'd looked for you immediately."
Mai didn't know how to process everything he'd just told her, but he'd never shown her so much emotion or vulnerability. His own guilt and pain were hard to miss and, without thinking about her actions, she leaned forward and pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her and held her as tight as their positions would allow. "I thought I lost you when your emotions stopped," he whispered into her ear, repeating the words with so much raw emotion as he clung to her that Mai didn't feel like she could or should say anything and the two held onto each other until he could calm down once more.
Eventually, with a raspy voice, Mai replied, "I'm sorry too."
She felt him shake his head against her. "There's no need for you to apologize. It's better that you got away from him even if you had to flee so deep inside your own mind. You were completely unresponsive...it was like you were in a coma."
Mai was shocked with the information. "How long have I been out?"
"Only two days," was his answer. "Matsuzaki-san wanted to do a thorough examination before I tried to bring you back and it took me the rest of that day and most of today...as well as a lot of patience on Miss McLoughlin's part, to learn how to find you."
Mai's mouth perked up at the edges, trying to imagine Naru actually having something he had a hard time with and how Aria would have dealt with the whole affair. It started sinking in, then, that maybe she really hadn't been imagining the whole thing on the astral plane, "So you really did come talk to me?"
He nodded and she could feel him smile against her neck before he pulled away to look her in the eyes, "I was shocked to find Gene with you. I'm extremely glad Gene and I no longer need to hide our identities from you. I wanted to tell you first because I just could not lie to you anymore, I care too much about you and I want you to be able to trust me."
Mai looked at him wide eyed. "I'm just glad you felt you could trust me with your secret," she admitted.
Naru smiled one of his genuine smiles. "I'm happy you took it so well, and, just so you know, I don't want you to have to keep my secret from those you care about. If I'm not mistaken, Aria went to let them know you are awake and with us once again." He paused, watching Mai's expression. "I hope the rest of the team takes it as well as you have because I'm planning on telling them once they all arrive."
Mai's eyes widened and her heart swelled with strong feelings of love and acceptance. Even if her throat hadn't been sore, she would be having a difficult time forming words, but she felt like she had to say, "I have to admit, I'm having trouble processing everyth-" That was all Mai got out before a coughing fit overtook her.
Naru backed away in concern. "Do you want me to go get Matsuzaki-san?"
Shaking her head, she admitted, "I'm just really thirsty because," After she finished a short coughing fit, she added, "my throat is sore."
Naru stroked her check gently, his face screwed up in concern, "I'll go get you some ice water, and see what's keeping Matsuzaki-san. Just rest. I'll be right back, my love."
Mai's heart thrilled within her at his words, I didn't dream it then, he did say he loved me! The phrase hit her harder. He loves me, she thought as she felt her face flush, no doubt bright red.
Seeing her blush, Naru smirked, brushing away the last remains of his tears. "I'll be just outside. Call if you need me." With that he stood and let go of her hand. He didn't want her to keep trying to talk with her throat being so dry and damaged, so without saying anything more, he walked towards the exit, but before he passed the privacy curtain, he hesitated and looked back at her. "I'm glad you decided to come back with me," he admitted with a quick smile. When Mai returned the smile, he turned and walked out.
Earlier, in the hallway outside Mai's room...
As she came out of the room, Aria found Ayako at the nurses' station talking on the phone, and took a guess at who she was talking with. In the end, Aria had narrowed it down to the woman's parents or another medical professional she was well acquainted with. Either way, it regarded Mai's case. Aria waited patiently as Ayako finished her call, looked up, and acknowledged the darker skinned woman. When she did, a smile broke out on Aria's face. "Naru did it! Mai is awake and talking! She's in pain, though."
"Okay, I'll get her some pills right away," Ayako said, getting ready to go see her patient.
"Wait," Aria admonished her. "I...I have a feeling that they need some time alone together first. Would you mind giving them just a few moments alone before heading in?"
Ayako gave a hesitant smile and nodded. "I'm glad she's awake and I'll give them some time, but," she looked around and came closer to Aria and lowered her voice so that only Aria would hear, "I need to insert her IUD soon. The longer we wait, the higher the chance she might," her voice took on an angry tone as she gritted her teeth, " get pregnant by those monsters." Her expression changed to one of concern. "I still need to discuss it with Mai before I can insert it. I hope she'll let me, it really is the best option."
Aria nodded and quietly replied, "I don't know if our species are compatible enough to make her pregnant or not. They weren't human despite how they looked, but I agree she should use it. It's better to be safe, rather than sorry later on, especially if it turns out the DNA is compatible."
"My thoughts exactly," Ayako agreed. "I just hope we aren't too late."
"I'm going to go tell the others in the waiting room, but I'll go the long route, like through the gift shop or something. After all, once everyone finds out she's awake, no one will be leaving them alone for at least the rest of the day."
"Alright, I'll finish up this paper work," Ayako waved the entire folder now packed with Mai's medical information (which was quickly becoming a decent sized clutch of papers) to emphasize her point, "while you go get everyone. Then we can all go in and see Mai." Ayako said as she straightened the newest stack of papers on the counter and laid open the folder to begin the process of reading over the results of Mai's tests and filling out the rest of her paperwork.
Aria smiled and waved to Ayako as she walked away. The entire SPR crew had practically set up camp in this floor's waiting room late the previous evening and again this morning, so her destination would be hard to miss once she arrived. She only hoped that she was walking slow enough to give the young couple enough time alone.
At the counter outside Mai's room…
Ayako was almost done going through her paperwork when she heard someone clear his throat. Looking up, she saw Naru standing in the hallway. She frowned as she noticed his red, puffy eyes. "Is everything okay? Has something happened to Mai," she questioned, wondering what had happened in just the handful of minutes she'd been working on the paperwork. In truth, however, the couple had spoken for almost twenty minutes since the time Aria left.
Naru sighed, "No, she's awake and in decent spirits for the most part, but her throat is sore enough that talking has started giving her coughing fits. I think she could use some ice water...and...couldn't you have let her wake up pain free?"
Ayako pursed her lips at Naru. "She's already on a decent sized dose, Naru. In all actuality, she shouldn't be in pain right now, but I've gotten her something for her pain." she held up a pair of individually packaged pills that she'd acquired since she'd spoken to Aria. "Maybe she'll do better with a different kind." Ayako mumbled to herself and flagged down one of the other nurses. She quickly asked the girl for a large cup of water, heavy on the ice chips and turned back to Naru, who seemed to be having a hard time standing still. "If you want to go with the nurse to see where she gets the water and ice, you'll be able to get it for yourself next time. It might be quicker than just waiting around."
"I'll wait here," he answered determinedly "I promised Mai that I would be here if she needed anything."
Ayako hummed at his determination and glanced down at the stack of remaining papers. "If you're sure...while we wait, I'll try to finish all this...I'm almost through." With that, she returned to her paperwork.
In the shadows near the door to Mai's room, a man stood watching the interfering doctor and the brat from SPR. He watched the boy move closer to the doctor, lowering his voice and shifting his position in such a way that it turned him away from the older man. The boy seemed thoroughly distracted in his whispered conversation, and so did the woman, despite the fact that her eyes remained fixated on her paperwork even when she responded to the boy. Now is my chance to talk to that girl alone. Keeping his eyes on the two, he began to close the distance between himself and the girl's door and his mind returned to the bigger issue. They certainly have been keeping a close eye on her this whole time. Why are they going to such lengths for a stranger they found in my building, he wondered suspiciously before arriving at his destination. He slid through the door the boy had left slightly ajar and into the girl's room. As soon as he was in, he quietly shut and locked the door behind him.
In Mai's room…
Mai had not noticed the man entering her private room. She was laying back on the inclined bed with her eyes closed and, even though she was in a tremendous amount of pain, she had a small smile on her face, still relishing the fact that her crush had admitted that he returned her feelings. She was lost in the thoughts surrounding him and her awakening.
Ishikawa-san felt his lips curl into a sneer as he snuck a peek at the smiling, very much awake, teen girl. He knew that the lady who was parading around as a doctor had been lying to him about the girl being in a coma. He continued looking over Mai. Despite the bruising on her wrists and whatever was on her neck, she was smiling and he knew better than to believe she was a victim when she could smile like that. Her expression only solidified in his mind that she was a devious liar and an attention seeker, and he was convinced that he mustn't underestimate her. If I don't deal with her devious intentions, whatever stunt she's trying to pull could cost the company too much. She could, potentially, get me fired, especially if she begins spouting her story to the media...The thought only strengthened his resolve. I have to ensure her silence by any means necessary. Stepping out from behind the curtain that had hidden him from her and the rest of the room, he spoke up, "Hello, Taniyama-san, my name is Ishikawa, Riku. I represent the owners of the building you were found in. For an orphan, especially one with no guardian, you certainly are a difficult person to get a private audience with."
Upon suddenly being addressed, Mai jumped, her eyes growing large to take in the stranger that stood in her room. Her smile quickly melted away and she tried to speak. "What do you want," she managed to ask in a shaky, rough voice. Her dry and damaged throat rebelled and forced her to start coughing again. As her coughing calmed, she took in his appearance: His salt and pepper black hair was neatly trimmed and combed over, his sharp grey eyes seemed to pierce right through her just as they did his spectacles and his smile was almost stern. The intensity of his gaze frightened her.
"Oh, I don't want much Taniyama-san. The paranormal investigators I hired to inspect and cleanse the building, said they found you in an incubus nest...or so they claimed." his eyes roved around her body, making her feel self-conscious as he circled to the far side of her bed. "From what I can see, though, it doesn't look like you are injured much at all. Nevertheless, I've been sent here with an offer to cover your hospital expenses, since you were injured in a building my company manages. However, in return, we do ask that you refrain from mentioning anything of your experiences to the public. We all have reputations we wish to protect, after all." His smile, probably meant to be reassuring, was anything but.
Something in his eyes scared her and his references to the building she was found in, left images, feelings, and sensations ghosting through her mind. His smile reminded her distantly of a different smile that left Mai's heart racing. Hearing the effect her anxiety was having on the machine monitoring her heart rate only made the situation worse. The mysterious older man could hear it as well, and she watched as his eyes focused on the monitor and his creepy smile stretched even further. The small movement only made her more nervous, and she began glancing towards the curtain hiding the door, hoping Naru would return soon. Until he did, she'd have to try to deal with the man herself.
Swallowing, she tried to focus only on the man's words, attempting to block out the unwanted thoughts and sensations skirting the edges of her mind. It sounded like he wanted to buy her silence, but she couldn't understand why, exactly. Who in their right mind would say anything about what happened in that place? Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she caught a glimpse of white tile, but when she glanced at the wall, they were smooth and simply painted. And what does this guy imagine I would say to the 'public' anyway? If I said anything about an incubus, a sliver of memory flashed in her mind's eye of the monster grinning above her before she slammed the memory closed, people would only think I was crazy. If I said anything about what he did, more sensations surfaced leaving her feeling sick, I could be ostracized or maybe worse. The man's eerie smile, and the sickness and unease she felt, left her feeling unsure that "gaining her silence" was all the man was after.
"Not going to answer? Does the cat have your tongue, young lady," he asked. In his frustration, his voice lowered, sounding more threatening, "or, perhaps, a certain paranormal group?" When she looked at him in concern, he added, "For a company that found you in a random hospital, they've been keeping really close tabs on you and they've been trying really hard to keep you away from me. Did they hire you to do something? Who put you up to this?"
By "paranormal group" he had to be referring to SPR and they had hired her, but she got the feeling that mentioning her job would only make matters worse. The second question left her confused. "Who put me up to what, exactly?" Mai asked, not hiding the confusion from her features.
"Don't play coy with me. I'm talking about this whole charade! You being in here at all has got to be just some silly stunt. The worst 'injury' I can see are those love bites on your neck, but who's to say your boyfriend didn't put them there." Taking a closer look, he added, "Either that or it's some sort of make-up job and a terrible one at that," he ground out, anger making its way into his voice as he reached towards her neck, intent on checking out the bruises himself.
Fear gripped Mai's heart in earnest as she saw his hand reaching towards her neck. The only thing she could manage to do was pull away and scream, "NARU," for all she was worth.
"Quiet, you stupid girl," the older man growled at her as his hand clamped down on her mouth. His eyes focused on where he knew the doorway to be. Not even a second later, the sound of someone shoving the door against the door jam in their attempt to enter, caused the older man to curse under his breath.
They could hear Naru's voice through the door. "Mai! What's wrong? Why is the door locked!? Matsuzaki-san!"
Returning his gaze to Mai's wide eyes, Ishikawa-san quietly seethed, "All I want to know is who's trying to get me fired. I'll make sure you are compensated for telling me." He leaned in close. "Isn't that why you're doing this? For the money?" When she made no peep of protest, he dropped his voice and added, "You know, that makes you no better than a common whore, but if that's what you want, I'll pay you, myself, in cash-just like I would any other whore."
His words and the fact that he'd trapped her head against the pillow when he'd silenced her, were quickly reviving feelings of shock, dread, disgust, and fear as well as a feeling of nausea within her. The mix was beginning to swell, nearly pushing her to her breaking point. It all seemed to recede momentarily when Mai realized that, this time, she wasn't trapped like she had been in the white tiled room. Determination welled up within her. He's old and nowhere near as strong as those monsters were. I should be able to get away. Naru is just on the other side of the door, no matter what this guy does, Naru will be able to stop him. I just need to get to him. Even as she thought it, she tried to hold onto hope that the man wouldn't do something worse if it turned out she couldn't get away.
She managed to shove him off and moved to try to bolt, but almost as soon as she threw the blankets off of her bruised and torn legs, he caught a hold of her wrist and pulled her back. She felt another flash of disgust flow through her with the capture of her wrist. She'd opened her mouth to yell when he clamped his other hand over it and pulled her close. She couldn't help but notice that he had an unpleasant, greasy smell mixed with a cocktail of smells that reminded her of stale beer and cardboard. It only served to push her further over the edge. Everything she'd done to keep her panic from completely taking over failed and, reflexively, despite her pain, she started blindly fighting to get away from him in a panic that made her feel like she'd been pulled back into the white tiled room. This time, she wasn't bound, but her mind was so consumed with adrenaline that she couldn't find any relief or hope in the fact.
As she fought him, he fought to hold on tight to her and muttered loudly in his equally agitated state, "You're overreacting! What I saw can't be real. Incubus' aren't real. It had to be some kind of movie prop and the blood had to be fake too." His grip slackened ever so slightly before he added, "There was way too much blood in that stairwell." He tightened his grip once again and shook her in his need to get her to understand. "I need you to be my witness!"
They both heard the door slam into the wall loudly and looked up as Mai's angry doctor flung the curtain aside and stepped into the room. Ayako's eyes focused on the man that now held Mai in a hostage-like position. Ayako's voice came out cold, angry and sharp, as she rushed forward, "Remove your hands from my patient, Ishikawa-san." Naru had followed her in, keeping only a step or two behind Ayako. His eyes narrowed as he took in the scene Ishikawa-san was creating. The tears in Mai's eyes and the fear he felt through their link angered him.
"I need to talk to her," Ishikawa-san insisted.
"She can't answer if you cover her mouth," Ayako pointed out angrily. "The reason I refused you entry before is because she was still unresponsive in a coma-like state. The same state we found her in at your building. She just came out of it not even a half hour ago. I haven't even gotten the chance to talk with her yet!" Gesturing to Mai, she continued, "Even so, it's obvious that your actions are confusing and upsetting her. I'll have you know that it was trauma that caused her to go into that unresponsive state in the first place-trauma that probably started in a similar fashion to the way you're threatening her now. I'll repeat myself one last time, remove your hands from my patient, Ishikawa-san."
When the older man hesitated to comply still, Naru demanded, "Matsuzaki-sensei has asked you to remove your hands, Ishikawa-san. Do it now."
After a brief pause, Ayako added, "Unless you let her go, I'll call security. On top of that, I'll pull some strings to make sure you're banned from this hospital."
As he walked to the opposite side of Mai's bed from the man, in a deadly calm voice, Naru added, "And I'll sue you." He took a hold of Mai's outstretched hand, his glare never leaving Ishikawa-san's face.
Ishikawa-san looked at their clasped hands. As the older man removed his own hands from the girl, he sneered at the boy in front of him.
Suddenly freed from the stranger's grasp, Mai fled to the other side of the bed and clung onto Naru and let out the sob she'd been unable to express while her mouth was trapped under the man's hand. She hid her face against Naru's chest as her body trembled in fear and shock as well as with the force of her sobs.
The action seemed to confirm something for the older man and his face set into a frown. With absolutely no hesitation, he angrily stated, "You're all in this together, trying to pull some kind of fast one on me. I bet you set up everything that happened in the old hospital building." He pointed accusingly at Mai. "You planted this girl to ruin me! What I want to know is who's paying you to do this!?"
The hospital lobby…
Lin stood near the main entrance. Madoka Mori had sent him a text to let him know their true bosses, Martin and Luella Davis, had caught a taxi to the hospital. He was now waiting for them to arrive. A sigh left him as he considered the kinds of questions at least two of the three would inundate him with-probably just as soon as they walked through the nearby main doors. Lin had no doubt that Martin would take things in stride. He only hoped that he and Naru were ready for Luella and Madoka, who would be less willing to let either man take a breath before swarming them with questions.
Lin shifted his stance and dropped his eyes to the floor as he suddenly started feeling an abnormal amount of worry and righteous indignation rise within him. For the life of him he could not figure out what was prompting the feelings. It wasn't like he held any contempt or fear towards Luella or Madoka; he certainly wasn't afraid of them.
A frown marred Lin's face by the time he heard his bubbly co-worker shout, "Lin! We're here!" Madoka practically bounced up to him, grinning all the while, but her happy demeanor quickly faltered upon noting his frown. "What's got you in such a bad mood," she asked, backing off slightly.
"Apart from Mai being catatonic and Naru ready to bite everyone's heads off because he's been failing to pull her out of it? Nothing much," he replied, trying to smooth his face and ignore the foreign emotions welling up within him.
Luella Davis came up to him laying a hand on his arm, worry clearly written on her kind face, "Lin, where is my son," she asked.
Lin's face softened and relaxed, a small smile forming on his lips. "Currently, Naru," he stressed, "is trying, once again, to bring Taniyama-san back. Miss McLoughlin is with him, attempting to instruct him in how to do so."
"Wait," Madoka interrupted, "You don't mean that paranormal researcher that writes the articles Naru is obsessed with, do you?"
He nodded, but resumed his words by saying, "Hopefully, Taniyama-san will be awake by the time we arrive at her room."
Luella relaxed a bit at his words and gave him a kind smile, "Please, lead us to my son, I miss him terribly."
Lin nodded and extended a quick greeting to Martin before he led them off down the long hallway to the elevator. The walk left them in a companionable silence until Madoka broke it by asking, in her preppy high energy way, "So did Naru actually admit to liking Mai or is he just playing a joke on us, to get our hopes up?"
Lin rolled his eyes at the question, "You should know Naru can't joke to save his life, Madoka." A bit annoyed at the woman, Lin hit the elevator call button with a bit more force than necessary.
"Wait," Madoka said, grasping a hold of his shoulder. "He's serious about liking Mai? That's almost harder to take in than him trying to tell a joke. He's never really shown an interest in girls, unless it was to extract some kind of information from them."
Lin shook his head. "He specifically called Martin and Luella to tell them about Taniyama-san. When was the last time he called home about anything? Plus," he paused to look at his bosses, "it's a little more serious than merely liking her." The elevator doors opened, and they stepped into the elevator. Wanting to continue the conversation in private, Lin waited for the doors to close before continuing. "Do you remember my family's saying, 'Soul meets soul when eye meets eye?'" He paused, looking around the three, and watched as only two heads nodded in response. "As it turns out, Taniyama-san is an awakening empath. I believe that very early in their relationship a soul bond formed between Naru and Mai. He's always been able to zero in on Mai when she's in trouble and this last case was no different. However, this time Taniyama-san almost died-at least that's what it felt like to him. She was completely unresponsive when we found her.
"I truly feared that she had in fact died and that we were looking at a very bad situation for Naru." At the blank and confused expressions around him, he explained, "Understand that, usually, when one half of a soul bound pair dies, the other follows into death shortly after. There was one point not long after we found her where, with the way he was lashing out with his PK, he seemed like a demon going on a rampage." Lin took a deep cleansing breath. "I thought for sure that he was trying to commit suicide. He even held me to the wall with his PK so I wouldn't be able to stop him."
"But something or someone did stop him in the end, right," Luella prompted, as something cold wrapped itself around her heart.
Lin nodded. "We were lucky to have Miss McLoughlin and her father join us. They were able to reassure Naru, and the rest of us, that Mai was still alive and that Naru would be able to help her come out of her despair."
The cold feeling that had wrapped itself around Luella's heart transformed into fear and worry that reflected on her face before she confronted the man, "Lin, you said he used his PK! Is he okay?"
Lin nodded and calmly explained, "Miss McLoughlin's father, Victor, did something that stabilized Naru after he collapsed."
"Lin," Madoka shrilled, "You didn't mention he'd collapsed! I thought you said he was with Mai in her room. He should be recovering in his own room!"
"He is well enough to be with Taniyama-san," Lin defended, "After Victor helped Naru, he got to the point where he was able to walk out of the case site under his own power. Although he was weak at first, he seems to have completely recovered now." As an afterthought he added, "Victor also mentioned he could teach Naru a different way to control his PK that won't cause him to collapse when he uses his gifts."
"He didn't mention that part either," Luella said in frustration, "Shouldn't that have been something he'd want to report to us first?"
"Frankly I was rather surprised he voluntarily decided to call you at all. The fact that he decided to call you and tell you about Taniyama-san so quickly is rather surprising. Usually important decisions such as this take him much longer." As Lin pondered over the situation, his face went serious. After pressing the button for Mai's floor and starting the elevator on its ascent, he suggested, "In all actuality, I think it was the fact that he nearly lost Taniyama-san that necessitated the decision for him."
Martin cupped his chin in a hand, in thought, "Tell me, if they are soul bound as you say, what exactly does that mean for their future?"
Taking on a slightly more serious expression, Lin continued, "So far, they've been able to function just fine, separately. However, in our last case, it became more obvious that they'd formed a connection, one that cannot be broken, except by death. In all likelihood I'd say there's a good chance Naru will be making his decisions based on what will be best for Taniyama-san rather than what is best for him, at least for a while. After the assault she suffered, be prepared for the fact Naru will not want to leave Taniyama-san's side. In fact, I don't think you'll be able to pry him away from her even if you had a crow bar," Lin confided.
When the door opened, Luella was the first to step into the hallway, still fretting. "Though I freely admit I want to take him home with me right now, we probably shouldn't try to force anything at this point." Luella paced back and forth in the small corridor. "I would rather keep my son than lose him because we push too hard for what we think might be best. Let's get to know Taniyama-san and see how we can help. That might be the best thing we can do in this situation." Martin nodded when she looked to him for a response.
When nothing more was said on the subject, Lin led them on. It wasn't long until they caught wind of what sounded like an argument somewhere in the halls ahead. After a couple more turns, they caught sight of a group of people gathered around one of the doors ahead, Mai's door. It didn't take long for Lin to understand the root of the commotion when he heard who was causing the ruckus: their last client, Ishikawa-san. Who chose that moment to yell, "YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF FRAUDS! STOP LYING TO ME!"
Dun dah dun… Cliffhanger time. Got to love those Cliffies! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and we will see you next time, hopefully with a bit more fluff!
~Spirit_Weaver
