AN~ Alrighty, we get a new friend in this chapter. One that will play a, not very important, but memorable role. I appreciate those who have reviewed, as any writer would, and hope to continue hearing from you. That being said, I want to hear more out of you guys! Tell me your favorite parts, what made you laugh, what made you feel the most creeped out, could there be more characters . . . I really want to improve and I need your help to do that. So let me know!
Mai stared out the window of the hospital room she and Yasuhara were occupying. She had pulled up a chair to watch the people down below while Yasuhara was being stitched up by two nurses. She had called Naru a few minutes ago and told him that Yasuhara would be fine, he just needed a lot of stitches, and she herself had only needed nine. Both her knees and left hand each had three. Naru had told her they would be there to pick them up in an hour or so and in the mean time she should relax.
Mai had propped her feet up on the sill of the window and leaned back in her chair, choosing to watch the fluffy white clouds instead, while Yasuhara hissed and complained behind her. Her mind kept wandering back to the picture of Kikio and what it had been doing in Prudence's room. And then she paused in thought and realization dawned on her. They had been in Prudence's room. That would explain why there was a picture of William in a beautiful picture frame and a folded abused picture of Kikio hidden among the books on the shelf. Yasuhara had been right
"Ouch!" Yasuhara yelped from behind her and she smiled, knowing that he had had the courage to come to her rescue warmed her heart, and she decided she would have to repay his kindness somehow. Maybe she could take him out to dinner to some place in the city or something like that. She fell silent in thought and shut her eyes against the slowly sinking sun and sighed.
"Mai," Gene's voice echoed in her mind and she found him standing before her on the astral plain, a sad frown marring his face, and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't think about how that dream would have affected you," he apologized and watched her as she moved closer.
Mai had nearly forgotten about the dream. But he was right, Prudence's strife's had really affected her and had it not been for John she probably would have seen a lot more. She was thankful he had woken her when he did.
"What happened to you?" Gene questioned in surprise as Mai drew closer.
Mai paused and lifted her hands, finding that the wounds were still open and bleeding in the astral plain, despite her knowing that in reality they were already stitched and bandaged. "A mirror in Prudence's room exploded. Yasuhara took most of the damage," she explained with a shaky breath and dropped her hands to her sides and allowed her blood to trickle into the water at her feet.
Gene stared at her, aghast, before a knowing smirk overcame him and he chuckled. "Oh, Naru will just eat this up," he drawled and lifted her hands in his, examining the wounds, and smiling when they closed right before Mai's eyes. "You should milk this, Naru always hates to see a girl's tears, especially when they're in pain," he instructed with a laugh.
"Gene!" Mai admonished and smacked him in the arm which only caused the spirit to laugh in response and lean away from her hands. "Though it couldn't hurt," she mumbled thoughtfully. She should have known Gene would know how she felt about his brother, all those dreams where she had called him Naru and blushed whenever he took her hand or even so much as spoke to her. She grimaced at the embarrassment at both having mistaken him for his brother and the girlish way in which she had acted. . . Still acted, she corrected, and sighed.
"Ha!" Gene chuckled into his hand and shook his head. This is too good, his expression said, and he tried to compose himself while Mai stewed in embarrassed irritation.
"Mai."
Mai opened her eyes and took a moment to collect herself. It was disorienting to be looking at one face in a dream and then to wake up and find almost the exact same face staring back out you with a particularly more arrogant expression. Naru lifted a brow in question when she smiled at him before glancing around the hospital room in search of Yasuhara. The young man was still seated on the bed but he grinned upon making eye contact with Mai and pushed himself up. He looked a bit like human mummy hybrid with the amount of bandaging he had acquired while she was out.
"I am so glad my sacrifice managed to save the lovely face of Mai," he cried dramatically and stood to join the two by the window.
"Yasu!" Mai admonished, "I thought you were going to die, it's not funny." She pouted but it quickly turned into a wicked grin. "If only Bou-san had seen your heroics, he would have fallen in love all over again."
Yasuhara nodded solemnly before he paused upon realizing she had cracked a joke as well and laughed. "But in all seriousness, I think I'll be avoiding mirrors for a while," he added with a nervous laugh.
"Hehe," I just might do that too," she replied with a similar laugh.
The two shared a moment of silence, recalling the events of that day, before Naru stepped away to meet Lin at the door. The man had just walked into the room and glanced over Yasuhara and Mai, gave them a curt nod, and turned to Naru.
"I just pulled the car around out front before checking in with the others. Nothing has happened since we left," Lin explained in a low voice.
Mai pushed herself out of the chair with a contented sigh and attempted to brush the wrinkles out of her clothes while Yasuhara stood beside her silently. It was the first time he had ever been hurt on a case, she realized, and wondered if he would be alright. She blinked, thinking how strange it was that bodily injury was normal in their line of work, before she glanced at the man out of the corner of her eye. Yasuhara was a pretty independent and good humored person, he seemed very well rounded, and she found it hard to believe he would let something like today's events bring him down. But still, just to be safe, she would be keeping an eye on him.
"Let's go," Naru stated quietly and the two jumped to attention before following the stoic men out of the hospital. It was just as Yasuhara and Lin were climbing into the car that Naru said, "I checked in on the man from yesterday, his name is Adam, he was very disoriented but admitted that he had seen two people just before he fell."
Mai paused with her hand on the open door of the car and frowned. That was worrying news. Whoever he had seen at the top of the stairs before the accident was surely the one that was causing all the harm in the hotel. "Two people?" she questioned in confusion, her brows scrunched together.
"Yes, he said he originally spoke to a woman but thought he had seen a man by the window," Naru did not divulge anymore information as it was obvious he had about as little of an idea to their identities as Mai did. Little did he know her mind was working and had already come to her own conclusion. She bit her lip but nodded once, alerting Naru to her understanding, before she too slid into the car and shut the door behind her.
Yasuhara fell asleep on the car ride back to the mansion and Mai was half tempted to follow him but she didn't want to risk having a dream at that moment. She was getting frustrated with their lack of headway and she would have liked nothing more than to take a break from the case and explore the city. But this case was different than their usual ones. Lives were in danger and they could not afford to waste time. No matter how good the smells that spilled from the restaurants they passed were. Her stomach growled.
When they finally made it back Lin parked the car in the side lot that had been constructed next to the house and they stepped out of the car into the cold night air. Mai took a moment to admire the way her breath rose up and crystalized in front of her nose. But she was pulled away when she felt an unknown spike of fear that caused her to spin about on the spot and eye the trees that surrounded the building wearily. Whatever was out there was aware of their presence, she could feel it, and it dawned on her that the incident with the mirror was a good indicator that whatever was haunting the property wanted them gone.
But Adam had claimed to have seen two people. The knowledge that it was more than one spirit was unnerving. More spirits meant a more complicated story. More chaos. It would be a lot harder to deal with when push came to shove as they only had so many people of power on their team. Mai scanned the trees and wondered if they still had their spirits within them. Would Ayako be able to utilize them when it came down to cleansing the house?
She jumped when she felt a hand wrap around her elbow, "Come on," but she calmed upon hearing Naru's voice and she hesitantly allowed him to lead her away. Lin woke Yasuhara from his nap and helped the man out of the car and brought up the rear of their little group. With Lin behind her she found she was able to relax and she let out a relieved breath of air. The man was practically a spiritual barrier with his abilities and she was confident he would react correctly if they were to be attacked.
"This case is stressing me out," she admitted quietly to Naru, not certain what it was that made her do it, except that she had felt closer to him then than she ever had since his return. Perhaps it had to do with Gene but she didn't dwell too long on it as she was prone to do.
"I know," Naru answered back calmly and gave her elbow a reassuring squeeze.
Mai turned surprised eyes on him but he only continued to look ahead as they climbed the steps onto the large patio and shuffled inside. Once inside he released her but his hand eventually returned to the small of her back and continued to guide her through the foyer. Is he worried about me? She wondered with a blush and dropped her eyes to the floor as they walked. He had never before touched her as casually as he was just then. She assumed it had to do with his ability, thus causing him to avoid contact with others when he could, but now it was almost as if he were afraid she would disappear without his guidance. Maybe this case was stressing him out as well.
Lin helped Yasuhara to his room while Naru and Mai continued on to the base before catching up with them just as Naru opened the door and ushered Mai through.
"Welcome back!" The entire team cheered from inside and Mai smiled at her family, dinner had already been set up on one of the tables and everyone had waited to dig in for their return. They were all a bit sad to hear that Yasuhara had retired to bed but were glad that Mai was able to join them for the meal anyways.
"I'm home," she called back jokingly and moved into the room to flop onto the couch and leaned into Ayako who swamped her in a hug.
"I was so worried," she bemoaned and squished Mai in her arms. She smelled like strawberries and freshly laundered clothes. Mai could not recall her ever smelling of anything else and grinned into the woman's shirt, returning the embrace, and realized that Ayako's scent had somehow become one that meant safety and love.
Mai laughed and said, "Every things fine, I just got some more battle scars," she said through her laughter. And I'm sure I'll get more tomorrow, she thought flatly. She accepted the food Monk presented to her, a plate of pizza and salad, and promptly took a ravenous bite from it.
Nothing happened that night.
It seemed the incident with the mirror was all the spirit could manage and for that the SPR team was grateful. They wanted to enjoy their peace and quiet with good cheer and fun, glad that their friends were not seriously injured, and spent the night joking amongst each other while Lin watched over the monitors and Naru watched over his shoulder with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. The workaholic would never stop working, it would seem, as even while they partied he was pondering the information they had gathered.
But there was a moment during the night, when Luella had thrown the doors of the base open and rushed in to scoop Mai up into her arms, that Naru's stoic expression shattered and his eyes became thoughtful while he watched the two women interact. Luella was smitten with Mai, that much was obvious, and he wondered if Luella had hoped she would have a daughter one day. The smallest of smiles graced his lips as he watched Mai reassure his mother that she was quite alright, and if the way she brandished her fist was anything to go by, that she was ready to get back into the fight tomorrow. Luella laughed and brushed a strand of hair from Mai's face before pointing a finger at her and he knew from experience that she was lecturing Mai on safety and the need to think of her life before the job. He snorted and turned his eyes away, as if she would ever listen, Mai was all rash decisions and instinct.
His father was nowhere to be seen that night and he once again narrowed his eyes in thought. What was he doing?
His mind ran in circles while the others laughed and enjoyed each other's company, and discovered that he was quite tired, it had been days since he had had a full night's sleep, and the warning pangs of a headache began to make themselves known. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes against the pain with a sigh.
"Naru?"
He opened his eyes and found Mai standing in front of him, where he had been leaning against a table, and grunted. When had she moved? He lifted his gaze to the room and found that Monk and Masako had left to patrol as they had the night before and John and Ayako had retreated to their rooms to rest before their shift. He was normally quite efficient at sensing their energies, predicting their movements, and was at a bit of a loss at how they managed to slip away without his knowing.
"Why don't you sit on the couch for a bit, I'll make some tea," she offered with a hesitant smile. She was uncertain how to act around him, he concluded, and wondered when that had become abnormal. When had her rash comments and brutish behavior become normal and expected? He had been certain he was an enigma to her for as long as they had known each other but upon closer inspection it was obvious that had not been the case. She had seen through him the moment they had first made eye contact. Before that even. What had thrown her off had been Gene. She dealt with the kinder of the two and it unnerved her so much that he was so unlike the Naru of her dreams that it threw her off balance.
He stared down at her, stunned, though his expression did not show it. How perceptive she was . . . But then, why was she so uncertain now? And then he understood. She had been uncertain ever since he had returned.
Naru pushed himself away from the table and moved towards the couch wordlessly, for once grateful for how observant she was, and sat down into the cushion seat. His body ached and he let his head fall back against the back of the couch with a sigh.
Mai smiled again before setting about making some tea. Green tea, she decided, as it was obvious he needed sleep. She was certain he was too tired to complain anyways.
Luella watched her son, slightly worried, but wore a knowing smile and patted his knee once he had sunk into the couch next to her. He only grunted in response and she giggled. It had been so long since she had seen him worn out and grouchy that she found it adorable.
Mai returned a few minutes later and set the tea down on the table in front of him, as was customary, and sat down on the opposite couch. She stretched her arms and flopped back into the couch in a comedic imitation of her boss and sighed.
"Have you ever heard the saying 'Every time you sigh a bit of happiness leaves you'?" Luella asked with a smile.
Mai opened her eyes just as Naru did and watched as he leaned forward to lift the cup of tea from the table, satisfied when he had taken the first sip without comment on the distinct lack of earl grey, she turned her eyes to the woman with a smile. "I have, but did you know every time you laugh a bit of happiness comes back?"
Luella's smile widened and she chuckled, "I did not," she admitted jovially.
Mai grinned and snuggled deeper into the couch, "Laughter is the best medicine after all."
"That might explain why this one is such a grump," Luella shot back with a laugh and looked to Naru pointedly.
"Maybe," Mai responded diplomatically and shrugged. She lifted her feet onto the table and examined the ripped holes in her tights and the bandages they exposed. And wondered, if she had never healed, how many wounds she would have from her life with SPR alone. Probably hundred by now. More if she counted the ones from before she had even joined their merry little group.
Monk and Masako shuffled into the base, Monk claimed that Masako had to use the bathroom, which caused the girl to blush when Luella spotted Mai's injuries and frowned, "Do you get hurt often on cases?"
Mai had been tapping her feet together on the table but paused on hearing Luella's question, "hmmm," she hummed as she thought. The memories of the past two years flitted through her mind and caused her to smile. "I don't think so, at least, no more so than the others . . ." she trailed off and laughed embarrassedly, "Although there was this one time a shelf fell on me, I fell into a well on another case, and the one after that too, actually," she scowled at her shoes irritably. "Another time I slipped and hit my head, and I think I was pushed down the stairs once . . ."
Luella stared at Mai with wide eyes and the girl scratched her cheek in an attempt to hide her blush.
The was snort from the other couch and Mai stared wide eyed at the usually stoic man who was covering his eyes with one hand while the other arm was crossed over his stomach as he sat slouched on the couch. "You have the rottenest of luck," Naru stated blankly but his lips twitched and he snorted again. "Collectively speaking, Mai has had more accidents than all the team members combined," Naru explained quietly while he struggled to regain control.
But the damage was done. Monk and Masako, who were about to leave, stared wide eyed at the man sitting on the couch while Lin stifled his own laughter from the back of the room.
Luella's eyes widened and she turned to look at Mai as if she were going to have some kind of accident right there and then, "My goodness," she muttered and lifted a hand to her heart.
Mai chuckled nervously, "I guess it's kind of true."
"It's not kind of true, it is true, Lin has a record," Naru shot down whatever pride Mai may have had left and rubbed the bridge of his nose in fake despair.
Mai turned a glower onto the man behind her from over the back of the couch but his eyes had returned to the computer screen and studiously ignored her look.
Naru sat up again and took another sip of tea while Monk and Masako took their chance to exit the room. As soon as Monk had shut the door behind him he turned wide eyes onto Masako and let out a breath of awe, "Naru just laughed," he stated in a whisper.
Masako lifted a sleeve to her mouth and closed her eyes, "It's not so unheard of, he is human after all." She turned up her nose, a bit miffed that Mai had managed to do something she had not, even though she was no longer pursuing the man, and hmphed.
"I didn't think he was until just now," Monk admitted with a snort. "We have to wake up Yasuhara and tell him," he declared and preceded to drag the medium behind him as he hurried down the hall towards the man's room. This was definitely something Yasuhara would want to hear, even if he had been on his death bed he would have demanded it, Monk was sure of it.
"Please, Bou-san, do not drag me!" Masako cried after him.
Leulla stood from the couch where, just an hour before, she had been having a pleasant conversation with Mai about her previous experiences in the paranormal field. She had gotten to learn a lot about the girl and how much it was that she affected her son. There had been many quiet laughs shared between them and they had only noticed that Naru had fallen asleep when he had slumped onto the arm of the couch, his body no longer able to hold its upright position, and the two had shared an amazed look before giggling quietly into their hands. He had fallen asleep with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose!
Luella had gotten up to retrieve a blanket and laid it across him quietly before she reclaimed her seat and Mai picked up where they had left off, the case where Masako was possessed and had latched onto Naru, before she had settled back into the couch and pulled a pillow under her head and yawned.
"The next case was a really sad one," she muttered. And proceeded to share the story of Kenji, the little mute boy who had been left at a church by his father, and fought the tears that threatened to fall as she spoke.
Luella herself cried but she did not interrupt while Mai told her story.
Mai had fallen in unconsciousness after that and Luella had repeated the process of retrieving a blanket before she returned to her seat to read through a book she had brought with her. She had planned on staying the night to help in any way she could and if playing mother was the only thing she could do then she was satisfied.
She looked down at the two and smiled before moving over to Lin, who was watching the monitors as always, and she scowled playfully at him. "Your eyes are going to go bad," she commented and patted the man on the shoulder.
Lin shot her a kind smile in return, "One day, yes, but until then . . ."
"I know, I know," she waved him away with a sigh and glanced over at the two sleeping teens on the couch. Though she supposed they were barely teens anymore, Naru would be turning twenty soon, how time flies. "He's particularly protective of her," she observed dryly and turned her eyes back to Lin quizzically.
"He's hopelessly in love with her," Lin shot back dryly but did not shift in the slightest as he spoke.
"I knew it," Luella gasped quietly and grinned.
"When he hired her he said it was to pay him back for the camera she broke," he deadpanned and smirked when Luella laughed. "He used PK several times to impress her or cheer her up despite my warnings and he trusted her judgement from the moment they first met. It was really quite obvious . . ." Lin shrugged and sent the conspiring mother another smile before returning his eye to the screens in front of him.
"That little punk," Luella grouched and crossed her arms, "After everything they went through he still closed the office and came home for a whole year!"
Lin's eye widened before he laughed for the second time that night.
"I don't understand!"
Mai opened her eyes and found William standing in front of her, a dark expression marring his face, and watched as the man poured himself a glass of bourbon. He set the tumbler back down on the mantle in his study and set his eyes on her.
A fire blazed behind him.
"What's not to understand?" he bit back and downed the glass in one go before throwing it into the fireplace behind him. He ignored the sound of shattering glass behind him and took a threatening step towards her. "You're a filthy piece of trash I pulled off the streets. You lied to me. I spent all this time on you and for what? You can't even give me a child!" he roared.
Mai fought the tears that poured down her face and glowered at the man she had once loved for all she was worth. "You are a beast!" she cried. "There is nothing of the boy I fell in love with left in you!"
"For good reason!" William shouted. "This is a man's world, where would I be if I was still weaving daisy chains with you! In the dirt, that's where!"
"You call me filthy for my past yet here you are sleeping around with some whore you found on a midlife crisis adventure-," she was cut off before she could say more. The slap could be heard all throughout the room.
William watched in triumph as his wife fell to the floor, blood pouring from her nose and mouth with the force of his hit. "Someone like you does not even deserve to taste her name on your tongue," he whispered waspishly and reached for the table next to her, topped with several books and a vase of long dead flowers, and knocked it over onto her as if to bury for good beneath the clutter. He set his foot against the table, now toppled onto her prone figure, and shoved it for good measure. Satisfied when he heard her cry out he turned away, storming from the room, and slammed the door behind him.
The door opened moments later and she could hear someone rushing towards her, causing her to flinch away while she cried.
"Prue!"
Mai lurched into consciousness with a strangled gasp, choking, and turned to the side to spit out the mouthful of bitter blood that was suffocating her.
"Mai!"
"What's wrong with her?!"
"Someone get a towel!"
Mai heaved for air and slid off of the ouch and onto the floor, blood still pouring from her nose, and fought back the sob that was held captive in her tight chest. She pushed the hands away from her and curled in on herself, catching the blood within her hands while she sheltered her face from view behind her knees and cried. Why did Prudence have to suffer so much? It wasn't fair. William was supposed to be her knight in shining armor, he had been the only one on her side, and he had turned on her like a vicious animal. Without a second thought he had shunted the woman he loved aside for another after promising her so much. He had given her the world and then cruelly took it away and dared to call her trash!
"He's a monster," she cried and covered her eyes, heedless of the blood on her hands. How could he? How could he? How could he? "He has no right . . .!" she trailed off as a sob wracked her body and she felt comforting hands grab her shoulders. Blood dribbled from her nose and mouth, she must have bit her tongue too, she noted dully in the back of her mind. Her cheek felt tender and swollen and she had no doubt there was the beginnings of a black eye.
"Someone get her some ice."
The only calm voice in a sea of panic and Mai found herself latching onto his arms just as he held onto her shoulders. Her head fell forward and her hair hid her face from view as she heaved emotion filled breaths, in and out, in an attempt to calm herself and regain her sanity.
"Mai." He said her name in that urgent way he did whenever she was in trouble, or he was scolding her, the thought made her trembling lips quirk and she took in one last ragged breath before swallowing. Then she stuck her tongue out afterwards upon swallowing a mouthful of blood.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," she placated, though still out of breath, but did not dare to show him her blood streaked face. She could feel it drying around her eyes and chin and it made her feel sticky and gross.
"Here," she heard the Ayako say and Naru removed one of his hands to lift her face to his.
There was a collective gasp, "Oh Mai," Luella whispered and crouched down next to her son to pull her face from his grip and into her own.
Naru lifted the bag of ice and took a piece out before setting it against her cheek, "Suck on this one," he muttered.
Mai took the piece of ice from his hand obediently and stuck it into her mouth. It bit at her tongue harshly but she continued to endure while Luella tutted over her face and the rest of the team shared worried glances.
"Naru," she mumbled around the melting piece of ice, "Naru he beat her!" She cried, and felt the stinging return to her eyes, and blinked back the tears. "Just because she couldn't give him a child he turned on her. But they loved each other since they were little, I don't understand, how can anyone do that!"
Naru frowned and pulled her forward so that her head rested on his shoulder and sent a pointed look to the people crowded around behind him.
Reluctantly they dispersed, though it was quite obvious the thought of leaving Mai disgusted them, they filed out of the door and headed down to the restaurant to order breakfast. Masako was the last to leave the room and she set one last sidelong glance at the small collection of their team huddled around her on the floor before shutting the door.
"It's alright, Mai," Luella cooed and ran a hand through the girl's hair while she hid her face in Naru's shoulder. Her own were still trembling.
"No it's not, I don't understand," her voice was muffled but they could hear her just fine. "I understood them all, every case, but why this?"
Naru slid from his knees into a more comfortable sitting position and glanced over to his mother before he brought his hand up to the back of her head.
"She was the only one he had too," she continued. "How could he throw it all away and call her trash. It just doesn't make sense." She shook her head in his shoulder.
Naru brought his other hand up to rest on her back, just between her shoulders, and grimaced at the trembling he felt. Behind Mai he could so Lin crouched as well from the corner of his eye and in that moment he felt sudden clarity. Mai was the glue. It was such a simple thought to have, but in all the chaos he had never realized, just how much they all cared for her.
He let out a small laugh through is nose, just enough to ruffle her hair, and caused her to lift her face towards his curiously. "Mai," he began with the smallest of smiles, "Look how worried you've made everyone."
Mai pulled her face away to take in the image of Luella, Lin, Naru, and even Madoka who had stayed while the others left, all crouched around her wearing such despairing expressions that it made her sit straight and wipe the rest of the tears away. "I'm sorry," she apologized through a small laugh and a hiccup.
Luella laughed in relief and pulled the girl out of Naru's arms and into her own, "you're such a strong little thing," she said through her own tears.
Lin stood from where he was crouched, satisfied that Mai would be alright, and his eye turned to the man that stood behind them all with wide eyes. Martin had not moved from his spot next to the table by the window but he felt Lin's eye on him and lifted his gaze to him in disbelief. And that was when Lin knew, not only was Naru in trouble, but he was as well.
Lin closed his eyes and turned away from the man.
Together Naru and Luella pulled Mai to her feet. Her face was a mess but it looked like the swelling had gone down around her cheek and eye. Luella took charge and led the girl to the bathroom so she could get cleaned up while Naru took the towel brought earlier and mopped up whatever blood he could find on the floor.
All the while he felt his father's gaze drilling a hole through the back of his head. He sighed as he stood, shoulders straight, and eyed the now bloody towel with narrowed eyes. If they didn't wrap this case up soon he feared for Mai's life. It was obvious her abilities were expanding and if he didn't have a word with Gene then he was certain they would end up paying the ultimate price. He cracked his neck and turned to face Martin at last and was not surprised to see the man standing with his arms crossed.
"We need to talk," he stated darkly and the stoic young man gave a single curt nod before dropping the towel into the trash and following the man out of the main doors.
Lin and Madoka were left in the room alone and the usually chipper woman was biting her lip where she stood next to the seated man. "I'm worried," she admitted quietly.
Lin reached over and grasped her hand within his, giving her a reassuring squeeze, before standing and leading her out of the room and down to the restaurant where the others were eagerly awaiting some news on Mai's health.
"There now," Luella said as Mai stepped out of the bathroom, freshly showered, and clapped her hands together once before standing from the bed. "It's going to be cold out today, there's a storm coming, so why don't you wear something extra warm."
Mai smiled brightly at the woman and nodded, "Sounds like a smart thing to do, Naru will be so surprised." She laughed at the perplexed look that came over Luella's face and moved over to her suitcase, sorting through her clothes as she explained, "He always makes fun of me for being dumb because I skip so much school while working."
Luella snorted and sat in a chair while she watched the girl, "He did the same thing to Gene," she commented with a laugh.
"That doesn't surprise me," Mai muttered darkly and snorted. "Gene probably thought he was just as dumb."
"He did," Luella agreed and sighed.
Mai winced and regretted bringing Gene up but she covered it by pulling out a floral patterned long sleeved shirt and brandishing it for Luella to see. "How about this with my brown jacket?"
"Oh, that's perfect, do you have some nice jeans?" Luella asked cheerily.
"I think I have a clean pair left in here," she admitted and shuffled through the dirty clothes hopefully, "I never bring enough clothes on these things."
"Well it's hard to know how long these cases will last," Luella appeased.
"Ayako and Masako always seem to have an endless supply by the end up having, like, five bags to tote around," Mai continued with a shrug. She recalled the several moments in which the rest of the team had played rock, paper, scissors to decide who would have to help them carry their luggage and snorted. "I am a simple woman," Mai declared proudly while she aired out the jeans she had just pulled from her suitcase.
Luella smirked knowingly, "Naru prefers girls like that anyways," she said innocently.
Mai blushed and dropped the jeans onto her bed and smoothed the wrinkles in the shirt hurriedly. "Yes well, I wouldn't know anything about that," she shot back with a nervous laugh.
"Oh, I'm sure," Luella placated her jokingly and laughed when the girl gathered her clothes and hurried into the bathroom to change.
They arrived at breakfast just as the others were tucking into their meals and it was with relieved smiles that the team greeted Mai. She looked much better since she had woken that morning. Her face was clean and barely a mark remained on her cheek. She was showered and in clean clothing. And she had even regained her color.
Luella pulled a chair out for the girl, satisfied when she had been seated, before claiming the seat next to her and letting out a satisfied sigh. "Well then," she declared to the table and opened the menu in front of her, "let's get the day started, shall we?"
"Coffee sounds great," Mai admitted wistfully.
Everyone laughed in relief.
The relief was short lived, however, when Naru strode into the dining room and took the seat at the head of the table without so much as a word or glance to any of the others sitting at the table. He was shortly followed by Martin, how sat on the other side of Luella.
Instantly the mood turned tense and it became obvious the two were not currently on speaking terms. Across from Mai, Lin shut his eyes and took a sip from his own mug of coffee.
The silence lasted exactly ten minutes before someone cleared their throat and said, "So, I recently read an article about a robot who gained a sense of humor."
All eyes turned to Yasuhara, still bandaged from head to toe, but wearing his usual devilish grin.
Monk stared at him with mouth agape before snorting into his hand and closing his eyes against the accusatory glares that were turned on him.
Masako lifted a sleeve to her mouth to hide the smile.
And Lin grimaced, unable to ignore the dark aura that spilled from his charge like so much poison.
The others at the table looked on in confusion.
"Oh yeah, well I saw a mummy rise from the dead yesterday," Mai's voice broke the silence and the tension broke along with it. Ayako scoffed and Monk laughed outright.
"I once met a woman who swore up and down that she was possessed by the spirit of a kangaroo who had known the crocodile hunter," John added thoughtfully, fork poised over his plate as he recalled the event. His eyes seemed lost in the memory as he spoke so it was obvious the strange circumstances had been true. They doubted the man would lie anyways. He simply didn't have it in him.
"What the hell?" Monk blurted, "That is the most Australian thing you have ever said."
The table erupted into laughter and Martin rubbed at his face with a sigh and sent a glance down the table to his son who was smirking into his recently ordered cup of tea and smiled.
"Can we take nothing seriously?" Mai chortled and wiped at the tears of laughter in her eyes.
"I took someone seriously once," Yasuhara revealed thoughtfully and rubbed at his chin before he shuddered violently and finished, "But it only happened once. Never again."
"Lin and Naru are the only serious ones on this team and even then, half the shit Naru says is some intelligent and sarcastic comment he thinks we're too dumb to get and I am almost positive that Lin has a folder specifically just for the shit he thinks about us but never says," Monk theorized with a laugh.
Lin smirked and turned his face away from the Monk to which the rest of the table fell into a stunned silence.
"Lin, you do not!" Madoka gasped and laughed into her hands. Seconds later she snorted and left Mai in a fit of giggles because of it.
"You have no room to talk, Monk, the only thing you take seriously is your guitar," Ayako declared and waved her hand about in the air as if to brush his comments aside.
"Ouch," Yasuhara winced in sympathy at the stunned look on Monk's face.
"I can't help it that I actually have a talent," Monk shot back irritably.
"What was that, you perverted old man?" Ayako cried.
"I'm only two years older than you!"
"Now, now," John attempted to calm the bickering couple with a nervous laugh.
"They went three days without fighting, I think that's a record," Mai mumbled in awe.
"You think it was a miracle?" Yasuhara questioned with a smirk, "Naru separates them on purpose you know."
Mai lifted a finger to her chin in thought. "Ah, you're totally right," she admitted, a bit impressed as she hadn't even caught on to that fact yet, and chuckled. Naru probably had plenty of time to go over their performances while he was away. She had no doubt that he had planned it all out long before he had even set foot back in Japan.
"I don't let Mai and Masako work alone anymore either," Naru added coolly from his spot at the head of the table.
Mai blushed and sent him a scowl while Masako covered her mouth and turned her face away from both Mai and Naru peevishly.
Yasuhara chuckled, "We all knew where that was going."
After breakfast they all gathered back at base to plan out their tasks for the day. Temperatures needed to be retaken and charms needed to be made and handed out to the guests, while rooms needed to be exorcised and cleansed to the best of their abilities. It was going to be a busy day that was for certain. Once again Ayako and Lin were putting together charms at the back table while Monk and John were donning their robes for the first time on the case. Masako was partnered with Yasuhara to patrol the grounds and mark out specific locations for the priest and the monk to visit.
While everyone was preparing Naru turned to Mai and said, "Mai, take a break for the day."
"What?" she squawked in confusion while she held the thermometer and clipboard in her hands. She had been searching for a pen when he had approached her.
"Lin will take care of temperatures for the day," he added.
"But what about base?" she shot back.
"My father can handle it," Naru added in a quieter voice.
Mai stared at him in confusion, "But what am I supposed to do?" Surely he wasn't demanding her to sleep? Not with that morning's episode so fresh in her mind and on her face too for that matter.
"Go for a walk with me," he instructed and straightened his shoulders. He stared down at her while she blushed and fumbled to form a response.
"Why would you want to go for a walk?" Mai questioned, aghast, how could the workaholic narcissist that she called a boss want to do anything other than his job? Especially when Monk and John were going to be performing exorcisms on specific rooms. Anything could happen! Someone could get hurt or worse and all of a sudden Naru was indirectly asking her out on a date? Her blush increased tenfold at the thought and she quickly shook her head. No, that's not right, Naru probably had something planned. She paused and it dawned on her. Of course! That was it! Naru was enacting some kind of plan and this was his way of getting her to play her part. It made sense, after all, he had pulled similar stunts numerous times before.
"Well if you don't want to go, that's fine . . ." Naru trailed off with a quiet sigh.
"Wait, wait! I'll go!" Mai exclaimed, flustered, and fumed internally when she saw a small smirk play across his face. That jerk, she grumbled in her mind and followed him with her arms crossed as they exited the base. "Isn't it supposed to rain today?" she questioned after a few moments of silence, having recalled Luella commenting on the weather that morning, and superstitiously glanced out one of the many windows they passed wearily. She hoped it wouldn't rain.
"My mother greatly exaggerates, rain in Florida is almost a constant threat, you know it's rained twice in the past four days," Naru explained while he lifted a hand that held a small umbrella, wrapped tightly, and shook it for her to see.
"Oh," Mai clasped her hands behind her back and the tomato red blush dimmed to a light pink. She followed behind Naru and sent his back a sideways glance as they walked. She wondered what it was exactly he was thinking.
They stepped outside and traveled down the steps of the patio, once Mai's feet touched the gravel of the driveway Naru offered his arm, and she hesitantly took it with a blush. What is happening?! She had wanted to fight the blush for as long as she could but she quickly realized she was fighting a losing battle and so she let out a strangled breath of air. How often had she wished for a situation like the one she found herself in then? Yet she could not stop her stomach from twisting into knots. Something about the whole thing just seemed off, Naru had been far too comfortable with her over the past couple days, and it made no sense. When she had confessed to him he had denied it was him that she was in love with and when he returned a year later he had been just as he had before, but the second he first mentioned that case he had grown cold. But by the second day of the case he was practically suffocating her, well, for Naru it would be considered suffocating anyways.
She dropped her eyes to her boots as they walked, ignoring the rocks that she kicked up in favor of enjoying the sounds they made as they crunched across the gravel. Her eyes skittered over to Naru's black dress shoes, easily keeping pace with hers, and smiled. It may have seemed strange but she could not deny that she enjoyed it. Masako would be so jealous, after all, he had asked her to go on a walk rather than the other way around.
Mai snorted into her hand which caused Naru to quirk a brow but he made no comment.
As they walked Mai could hear several people still playing within the park, though far fewer than the day before, and lifted her eyes to scan their surroundings curiously. She always took small pleasures in watching people interact with the people around them, she liked to ponder over their lives, and figure out what kind of people they were. It was a habit she had had since she was a child and it was one of the reasons, of this she was certain, that she had been able to see through Naru's pleasant act the first time she had met him.
Naru had remained quiet as they walked, secretly enjoying the range of emotions he could see passing over Mai's face from the corner of his eye, and lifted his gaze to the clouded sky blankly. He was certain it would rain at some point during their venture but he was confident they would already be on their way back. He may be testing his luck though, he knew, but he was determined to keep Mai away from his father and the mansion for as long as he could that day. He feared she was being pulled taught between her responsibilities and moral obligations and it had been distressing to see the usually cheery girl sobbing into her hands that morning while blood poured from her nose and mouth.
At the reminded of that morning's events Naru brought a hand up to rest atop of Mai's on his arm.
Mai turned her eyes to their hands before allowing them to travel further up along Naru's arm to finally land on his face in befuddlement.
Was it even fair of him to be as close to her as he had been over the past couple days? He was certain Gene had had feelings for her at some point in the past and that at least half of the reason Mai claimed to have feelings for Naru himself was due to the actions of his twin brother. Was it morally correct for him to whisk her away while the others worked and his own brother was left unconscious floating somewhere in the astral plain until he called on him?
They continued on up the gravel path, heading towards the park exit, and passed the lake where he noted Mai's eyes lingered and she shifted, minutely, to walk more closely to him as they passed. Once they had passed through the red brick entrance they stepped out onto a small cobblestone street that was filled with people. There were several stalls set up along the blocked off streets selling various fried foods and crafty creations and hundreds of people were shuffling past them, all with drinks in their hands, despite the threat of rain.
Mai blinked in surprise, the weather must really not bother these people at all, she wondered and looked up and down the street as they crossed. Naru glanced down at her before asking lowly, "Do you want to look?"
Mai whipped her head around to look at him and she grinned, "Yes!" she agreed with a laugh and was pleased as punch when Naru nodded in return and led her to the center of the road so that she could get a good look at every stall as they passed.
It had been a long time since she had been able to attend any kind of street festival back home and she was glad to see that America had its own versions as well. While the stalls selling food and different goods and wears were great, she also noted that there were several street performers, and at the very end of the blocked off street was a small stage set up where a band was playing live. The music swelled down the street towards the two and Mai made a mental note to mention it to Monk when they returned. Maybe he could sneak out to enjoy the music after he was done.
"The concert is tomorrow," Naru stated as Mai stopped to look at a table filled with sparkling jewelry.
"Really?" she gasped and pulled her eyes away from some glittering blue stone earrings to meet her employer's gaze. "What are we going to do, Naru, what if someone goes missing?" she questioned.
Naru let out a small sigh, "I had wanted to get this case wrapped up before the event but it looks like we'll have to incorporate it into our investigation. We'll have to patrol the property throughout the day and make sure no one goes missing." He pulled her forward, forcing her to move on to the next stall, and paused as her eyes were pulled away from his face and onto the brightly colored fabrics that littered that stall. "I'll need you and Masako on full alert, if you sense anything at all you need to let us know, I'll set you up with walkie-talkies . . ." he trailed off and watched as Mai lifted a roll of fabric with wondrous eyes. The pattern was very elegant and reminiscent of those used for Japanese kimonos. Red peacock feathers and grasping, twining, sakura branches danced across the white satin.
"I can sleep if you need me to, if I ask Gene we can probably monitor the spiritual activity while I astral project, that's how I knew what all was going to happen during Yasuhara's case," she offered distractedly before returning the fabric to its rightful place and moving on.
"I don't like the idea of you projecting any more than you need to on this case," Naru muttered darkly.
Mai shot him a bewildered look before turning her face away thoughtfully, "Well, from what I have learned, there are three ways for me to project."
Naru's eyes widened, if only a fraction, and he tightened his grip on her hand once more. "Care to elaborate?" This was news to him. It was no secret that he was lacking in the spiritually sensitive field, all his power was focused in PK, while Gene had been the perfect medium.
"Well, normally what I experience is what Gene wants me to know but this can occur two ways; he and I take on rolls of the people from the past and live through the events he finds useful or we watch them as they occur through a bystander's perspective. But there is a third way I astral project and, basically, it is my soul literally just leaving my body to wander. There have been many times when I fell asleep and would end up following one of you guys around and trying to find clues on my own. . ." she trailed off thoughtfully and grinned mischievously.
Naru quirked a brow and turned a skeptical look onto his assistant, "I'll make note of that," he stated mysteriously and paused as Mai stopped at the next stall, which was an adoption center, and sighed.
Mai crouched down at the small playpen fence that surrounded several dogs and reached a hand in. Immediately the five rambunctious mutts were upon her and she laughed, wishing she had more hands to pet them all, and attempted to give each an equal amount of loving.
"Are you looking to adopt?" the woman sitting in the chair up front asked cheerily.
"Oh, no, we're just passing through," Mai answered back with an apologetic smile.
Mai made Naru wait while she spoke with the woman, curious as to how adoptions worked over in America, and was amazed when the process was explained and the woman admitted that it was pretty cheap and easy to adopt. She worked with the SPCA, which made sure all animals were spade and neutered, and were not allowed to leave until all necessary shots were given.
"That's amazing!" Mai exclaimed and dropped down to pet another dog, this one tied to the table with his leash, and laughed while he licked her face. "You're a hyper one," she commented in Japanese and chuckled when the dog whined, as if in indignation, before she stood and brushed her shirt off.
All the while Naru watched with a hand to his mouth in thought. "Excuse me, ma'am, but are these dogs trained?" he asked and moved to stand in front of the table while Mai moved on to another pen filled with puppies this time.
"They are all housebroken, some know basic commands, but the younger ones are still learning," she explained informatively and watched as Naru turned away to scan the surrounding animals.
"Are there any here who are older, maybe one that is not so hyper?" he asked, though he could not find a specific dog he would mark as older seeing as how the majority were still in their puppyhood.
"We do have a few here, though I would recommend Rocco if you were looking for a calm dog, the only problem though is that he has been returned to us several times and I am hesitant about letting him go," she explained unsurely and watched as the young man set a hand on the table and turned his cold gaze onto her curiously.
"What's wrong with him?" he asked seriously.
"Well, he's blind, most people get frustrated or creeped out by him," she answered with a sad shrug.
"It's a good thing I don't need him for his eyes then," Naru muttered thoughtfully under his breath and lifted his eyes back to the woman. "How's his temperament?"
"Oh, he's wonderful! He's great around both kids and adults, he enjoys playing with other dogs, he's just an old soul is all," she answered cheerily.
"Mai," Naru turned back to look at the brunette with an amused gleam to his eyes. "Can I trust you with a project of mine?"
"What kind of project?" she asked suspiciously and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Spiritual sensitivity in animals," he answered dryly, both finding himself irritated and amused by her suspicion.
Mai scowled, "Are you making fun of me again?"
Naru sighed and turned towards the woman at the table, "Why don't you bring him out so we can see him?"
The woman hopped off of the stool she had been sitting on excitedly and hurried to the back of the canopy where a few other crates were kept and fumbled with the locking mechanism on one of them while Naru waited patiently and Mai straightened and moved to stand next to him curiously.
"You can't be serious, Naru," she said in disbelief and watched the lady open the door to the crate and reach a hand in.
"One hundred percent," he answered back as his hand returned to his chin in thought.
"Where are we going to keep him?" she asked in awe as the dog was led up to the front say they could get a look at him.
"It's not 'we'," Naru stated dully and waved a dismissive hand in her direction, "It's you."
"He's the size of a horse, Naru! I don't think my apartment will let me have a horse!" she exclaimed as the woman brought the dog to a stop and instructed him to sit. Even while he rested on his haunches his head still reached her chest. He sniffed at her, his nose falling just below her collar bone, and he wagged his tail. Mai stared into his cloudy eyes and she fell silent. "Naru," she whined in frustration and the dog barked back excitedly but remained seated and turned his head towards Naru and the man found himself drawn into those sightless eyes that seemed to look straight at him though he had yet to speak or make any kind of sound since the dog had joined them up front.
Naru smirked from behind his hand and quirked a brow, "He'll do fine."