Disclaimer: I own no part of LH, but the OCs are mine.
Oh my, I seem to have gone and done it again, huh? Why can't I just stop making cliffhangers like this? Oh well, it keeps you guessing, so it can't be all bad.
Chapter LV: Answered Prayers
"No," Keitaro thought. "This can't be happening. It just can't." He looked at the lifeless girl in his arms as he ran across town; Jimmy and Motoko were following close behind him. "You're going to be alright, Naru. You have to. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you." Tears were already streaming down his cheeks. "Damn it, why did I have you come out here in the first place? It's my fault this happened. IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!" Ignoring the pain in his legs, he ran up the steps to Hinata-Sou.
"Would you do that for me if I ever passed out?" Motoko asked.
"For one thing," Jimmy said. "I'd try to keep it from happening in the first place, but yeah, I would. What I can't figure out is why he's not taking her to the hospital."
"Because there are two people in there who can work wonders, remember? Sean and Shinobu can do things that are beyond modern medical science."
Keitaro somehow managed to open the front door and went into the living room, where he found a group of people watching television. However, the person he was looking for wasn't amongst them. "Where's Sean?!" he asked frantically.
"I think he's in his room," Shinobu said. Before she could say anything more, Keitaro bolted up the stairs.
"What was that all about?" Kitsune asked. "And why was he carrying Naru like he was?"
"Maybe they were practicing for their honeymoon or something," Mutsumi said, getting some strange looks for her efforts.
"I seriously doubt that," Kitsune said. "If they were, I don't think he'd be as worried as he was. Besides, Naru wasn't even moving. Something tells me something bad just happened."
"And something tells me you're right," Jimmy said from the front door.
"What happened?" Shinobu asked.
"Naru collapsed," Motoko said. "She has appeared weaker as of late. It seems her body has finally given out."
"Is she going to be alright?" Shinobu asked.
"We will find out soon enough."
"Come to think of it, why has she been less energetic lately?" Kitsune asked. Nobody seemed to have an answer.
"I guess I'll be on my way, then," Jimmy said. "Sorry your birthday turned out like this, Motoko."
"It's not your fault," Motoko said. "I'll see you later." As Jimmy walked out, Motoko looked towards the stairs. "I hope you're alright, Naru."
---
Meanwhile, Sean was sitting in his room, still recovering from what he felt was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As much as he tried, he just couldn't get the vision of various firearms being pointed at him out of his head. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to play those first-person shooters ever again," he muttered. This whole ordeal also brought to his mind memories of his fears of Wolfenstein 3D from way back when.
A knock at the door brought him back to reality--in more ways than one. "Good, a distraction." He got up and opened the door to find Keitaro there with Naru in his arms. "Hey, what's up?"
"It's Naru," Keitaro said, fear etched on his face. "You need to do something to help her, you have to!"
"Keitaro, calm down," Sean said. "Bring her in." Keitaro entered the room and carefully placed Naru on the futon. "Okay, tell me exactly what happened."
"Well, we were on our way back home when Kentaro came by. Naru removed the annoyance in her usual way, and that was about when she passed out."
"I see. I'll see what I can do for her. I must ask you to leave so I can focus better on what I'm doing." Somewhat reluctantly, Keitaro walked out, leaving Sean alone with the motionless Naru. "You should consider yourself lucky to have someone that cares so much about you," Sean said, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him. "Geez, I wanted a distraction, but not this badly. Alright, let's get down to business." He then proceeded to magically scan Naru's body to find the root of what was ailing her.
---
Shinobu poked her head around the corner and couldn't help but feel sorry for Keitaro as he sat against the wall, his knees pressed against his chest and his eyes fixed on the Sean's door opposite him. She ducked back and looked towards the crowd behind her. "Whatever's going on," she said in a hushed tone to keep Keitaro from hearing. "He's not taking it very well."
"I don't see why he would," Kitsune said. "His girlfriend is unconscious. How did you expect him to react?"
"Good point."
"How are we going to cheer him up?" Mutsumi asked.
"I could play with him for a while," Suu said.
"Suu," Kitsune said. "No offense, but the way you play, I don't think that will work."
"I'm going to talk to him," Shinobu said, walking out into the hall before anyone could say otherwise. "Keitaro?" she asked. "Are you alright?" When Keitaro didn't respond, she sat down next to him. "Don't worry. If there's anything that can be done, Sean will figure it out."
Keitaro glanced at Shinobu then turned his gaze down to the floor in front of him. "I only hope she can forgive me."
"Forgive you for what?"
"If I hadn't convinced her to go out, this never would have happened."
"Don't beat yourself up. You couldn't have known."
"She was in no condition for an outing like that. I should have known better. I should have…" Keitaro then broke down, crying into Shinobu's shoulder. "Why did this have to happen? Why?!"
Sean's door opened, getting Keitaro's attention. "Well," Sean said. "The good news is that Naru's still living." From the look on his face, it was obvious that there was bad news forthcoming. "However, her energy levels are almost nonexistent. Even Motoko wouldn't be able to sense anything from two inches away. For all intents and purposes, she's in a coma." It hurt Sean to be so upfront, but he knew that pulling punches would only make things worse.
Keitaro couldn't have looked more depressed if he tried. "Oh, is that all?" he asked sarcastically.
"Actually, no." Keitaro didn't see that response coming. "My analysis uncovered what was wrong, but not what caused it. Even now, I have no explanation as to why this happened in the first place."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Kitsune asked, making her presence known. "She's been getting weaker and weaker for the last couple months now!"
"But has she ever given a reason for it?" Sean shot back.
Kitsune backed off a bit. "Not really."
"Exactly. I don't think even she knows why all this happened."
"Is she going to be alright?" Keitaro asked.
Sean shook his head. "It's too soon to tell right now. Tell me, has Naru done anything extra lately; like school activities or anything?"
"Not that I know of."
"You see, that's what's troubling me right now. If things have been the same all this time, either something like this should never have happened at all or it should have happened sooner."
"Are you saying her body may have just shut down for no apparent reason?" Kitsune asked.
"For lack of a better way of putting it, yes." He motioned for everyone--which now included the rest of the girls, who had joined them at some point in the conversation--to enter his room.
"Do you have any ideas for how to cure Naru?" Motoko asked.
"One, but it's not a sure thing by any means. What I'm going to do is send some of my own energy into Naru's body, giving her a jump start and hopefully getting her up and around."
"That sounds simple enough," Mutsumi said.
"That's what you think. If I don't use enough energy, it won't do any good, while if I use too much… well, I really don't want to think about what would happen then."
"I have faith in you, Sean," Keitaro said.
"Let's just hope that's enough." Sean rubbed his hands together and placed them on Naru's stomach. "I'm going to need silence so I can concentrate."
"Then why did you have us come in here?" Kitsune muttered.
"Probably so we wouldn't be wondering what's going on," Shinobu whispered back.
A few moments went by and Naru began to glow. "C'mon," Keitaro thought. "You can pull through, I know you can." A few minutes went by and Naru didn't move, and Keitaro's faith began to wane. "Please, Naru, don't leave me. We've been through too much for it all to end now."
About fifteen minutes went by and the glow faded away. "That's it," Sean said with a sigh, shaking his head. "If I went on for much longer, Naru wouldn't be the only lifeless body in the room."
"You did your best, Sean," Shinobu said. "That's all we could have asked for."
"NO!" Keitaro yelled. "You can't just let Naru die like this!"
"I never said I was going to," Sean said. "I'm not going to give up that easily, but it might take me a while to come up with something else."
"Damn it!" Keitaro grabbed Sean by the shirt. "Naru's life is at stake here!"
"Don't you think I know that?! You aren't exactly helping right now!"
Keitaro quickly let go. "I-I'm sorry. It's just that this whole thing happened so suddenly, I--"
"I know this has been hard on you, but if there's a way to save her I'll figure it out."
"Oh my," Mutsumi said. "If you can't do anything, who can?"
"I don't know," Sean said. Suddenly, a light went on in his head. "On second thought, maybe I do."
"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked.
"Get back to me on that." The others looked on in wonder as he raised his hand to the side of his face in the telephone position. "I hope this gets through," he muttered as he heard dial tone. He didn't even bother dialing, opting instead to send some energy into the line to make the connection. A few moments went by and the ringing began. It rang a couple times more without anyone picking up. "Geez," he thought. "One would think that when someone calls you inside your own head, you'd--"
"Who is it and how did you do that?" A voice asked from the other line.
"Hey, it's me, Sean."
"Oh, hello, Sean. It's been a long time."
"Yeah, it has. Listen, we've got a bit of a situation here and we need your help."
"What's the problem?"
"Well, one of the girls is in a bad way right now."
"Why not get her to a hospital?"
"Let's put it this way: If I can't do anything to help, what good will getting her to a hospital do?"
"Goodness, if it's beyond your power, it must be pretty serious. I'll get there as soon as I can."
"I look forward to your arrival."
"And who was that?" Kitsune asked as Sean hung up.
"Probably the only one who can sort this whole thing out right now," Sean said.
"Is it anybody we know?" Motoko asked.
"Not exactly."
"You're going to leave Naru's fate in the hands of some stranger?!" Keitaro asked.
"She isn't a stranger to me, Keitaro, so pipe down. Trust me; I know what I'm doing."
"So how long will it take for our savior to arrive?" Kitsune asked.
"It shouldn't take too long," Sean said, looking at his watch on reflex. About a minute later, another being appeared in the room, startling almost everyone. "And there she is now. How you doin'?"
"Never better, thanks to you," the new arrival said.
Everyone just stared slack-jawed at the woman standing before them. "You gotta be kidding me," Kitsune said.
"No way…" Keitaro said, switching glances between the visitor and his girlfriend. "There's just no way."
"YAY!" Suu cheered. "Now we have two Narus to play with!"
"Not quite," Sean said. "Everyone, this is Amy, goddess of knowledge."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Amy said politely.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Amy," Sean said. "I'm sorry if I inconvenienced you or anything."
"It's no bother. You know me, I usually have my nose stuck in some book, and I needed a bit of a break from it anyway. Now, where is this ailing friend you asked me to help?" Everyone moved out of the way, and Amy's eyes grew wide when she saw Naru laying there. "She looks exactly like me," she thought. "Now all those comments Linda and Stephanie have been giving me are starting to make sense."
"Please!" Keitaro said, breaking Amy out of her thoughts. "You have to save Naru! Sean believes in you and so do I!"
Amy nodded, then knelt down next to Naru. "Alright, fill me in on her condition up to this point. How long has she been out?"
"About half an hour," Sean said. "Despite my efforts, I was unable to figure out how or why. Over the last couple months, she has been slowly weakening until… well, just look at her. I tried to send some of my own energy into her, but it didn't take."
"I see," Amy said, a look of concentration on her face. "Alright," she continued. "She's in a coma; energy loss for no apparent reason; not accepting outside energy; and all without any known reason for it. Hmm…"
"May I make a suggestion?" Motoko asked.
"Motoko, don't interrupt a goddess when she's working!" Kitsune said.
"No, it's alright," Amy said. "I'm always open to new ideas. It's kind of a job requirement, you know?" She turned to Motoko. "Go ahead."
"Well, it's just that you and Naru are identical."
"Well duh," Kitsune said. "We can see that."
"But there's more to it than that. Their energy wavelengths are exactly the same."
"I see where you're going with this," Amy said, stroking her chin. "Maybe the reason why Sean's energy didn't revive her was because it wasn't the proper frequency."
"It's definitely worth a shot," Sean said.
Amy nodded. "Cross your fingers, everyone." She held her hands out over Naru's body, which then began glowing once again.
"Please let it work this time," everyone thought at once, though it was most prevalent in Keitaro's mind, as it should be. Fortunately, it wouldn't take long for them to see results.
"Hey, look!" Keitaro said after about a minute and a half. Sure enough, Naru's hand was twitching ever so slightly. Another few seconds went by and her thought processes began anew…
"What the heck happened?" Naru thought. "Oh wait, now I remember. I was out on a date with Keitaro, Jimmy and Motoko. That creep Kentaro showed up, I punched him, then… then… the rest is all a blank. I must have overexerted myself." Slowly, she opened her eyes. "How did I get indoors?"
"Thank goodness," she heard Sean say. "For a minute there, I thought we were going to lose you."
"Where am I?"
"In your room."
"How did I get here?"
"You passed out about half an hour ago. You're lucky Keitaro got you here so quickly."
"I'm not surprised," Naru thought. Her vision focused about as well as her eyes would allow without her glasses to aid her, but it was enough to recognize those around her, including one that she probably shouldn't have seen. "Sean, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what?"
"What am I doing kneeling over myself?"
"See?" Kitsune said. "Even she's fooled by her looks."
"It's good to see you awake," Amy said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Amy, goddess of knowledge and the one who revived you."
"Thank goodness," Naru said. "For a moment there, I thought I had a twin sister I didn't know about. How did you I needed help?"
"Sean called me. It was a good thing he did, too, as there was no telling how much longer you would have lasted."
"I guess Keitaro's worrying wasn't for nothing after all," Naru thought as she started to sit up.
"Are you sure you should be getting up so quickly?" Shinobu asked.
"I'm alright now, Shinobu." Naru said, turning to face Sean. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you."
"As much as I appreciate the thought, there's someone who needs you a lot more than I do,"
"You're right." Naru looking towards Keitaro. "There is." She moved over to him and gave him a hug and a kiss. "You kept telling me to take it easy. If I had only listened, this wouldn't have happened."
"Don't be too sure." That brought everyone's attention back to Amy. "If what I've heard is true, it would have only been a matter of time before your body would have given out. What you did tonight must have just sped up the process. What I'm wondering is how did the process get started in the first place?"
"What do you saying?" Kitsune asked.
"I'm saying that there had to be some reason for Naru to lose her energy. These things don't just happen at random."
"I don't think you need to worry about it anymore," Naru said. "I feel as energetic as ever."
Amy shook her head. "If I'm right, what I did will turn out to be only a temporary solution. I need to find out the cause of all this and keep it from happening again."
"Is that really necessary?" Kitsune asked.
"Hey, I got called here to do something and I'm going to see it through to the end. Besides, I want to save him future grief."
"Thank you," Keitaro said.
"My pleasure. Now, let's get started, shall we?"
"Um, If you don't mind," Naru said. "I think we should do this somewhere a bit more comfortable."
"Sure," Amy said. "Did you have a place in mind?"
"The living room would probably be best," Motoko said.
"Lead the way."
Everyone got up and made their way downstairs. Along the way, Sean noticed that Keitaro and Naru were holding hands. It was apparent that neither of them were willing to let go any time soon. "You know," Sean semi-whispered. "Things like this should never happen to such a cute couple."
"I agree," Any said. "And it never will again if I have anything to say about it." When they reached the living room, Amy couldn't help but notice that everyone was still present. "Um, you don't all have to be here."
"Hey, it's not often that we get to see a goddess at work," Kitsune said.
"Yeah," Suu said. "The only one's we've seen before you were Linda and Stephanie."
"Well, if you're expecting anything like what those two do, you're going to be disappointed. It's sort of like comparing a librarian to Superman."
"Oh," Suu said, suddenly disinterested. "In that case, if anyone wants me, I'll be in my room." With that, she bounded off up the stairs.
"That's the last thing I need," Amy muttered.
"What did you mean by that?" Shinobu asked.
"Over the last few years, that girl has given me more work than Edison did in his lifetime. Being innovative is one thing, but she's something else altogether." Amy shook the thought of whatever freak of science will appear on her bookshelf next and got back to the matter at hand. "Alright then, Naru when did you first start feeling weaker than usual?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Naru said. "I guess it was around late August, early September. Back then, I thought I just wasn't getting enough sleep, so I didn't think too much of it."
"Hmm," Amy thought, adding this information to what she already knew in an attempt to make sense of it all. "Could it be that--no, it couldn't be, could it? As farfetched as it may sound, it's the only possible conclusion; it just seems like too much of a coincidence to be anything else." "I think I've got it," she said out loud after what felt like an eternity for everyone else in the room.
"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Kitsune said. "Tell us already."
"Okay then, pay attention; this might get a bit complicated." Amy took a deep breath and began her explanation. "Sean, remember the last time we crossed paths?"
"How could I forget?" Sean asked rhetorically.
"Yes, well, I think that may have started this whole thing."
"I'm not following you," Sean said.
"Yeah, what does him starting up your sex drive have to do with Naru losing her energy?" Kitsune asked.
"If my theory is correct, it has everything to do with it."
"I can't wait to hear this," Kitsune muttered.
"Ever since then, I've wondered why, despite Stephanie's efforts, my libido was, for lack of a better word, nonexistent for the first few millennia of my existence. Of course, I never gave it any thought back then, as I was too dedicated to my work."
"It seems like you and Naru just keep having more and more in common, doesn't it?" Mutsumi asked.
"Exactly. As Motoko pointed out, Naru and I have the same energy frequency. Now, my knowledge of such things isn't exactly encyclopedic, since it's more in the jurisdiction of Linda and Stacy.
"Who's Stacy?" Naru asked.
"Goddess of martial arts," Sean said. "You two would get along great, Motoko.""As I was saying," Amy continued. "From what I do know about the subject, it's extremely rare, if not impossible for two people to have the same wavelength."
"If that's true, then how is ours the same?" Naru asked.
"I believe the only way for it to happen is for one to give energy to the other. Sean knows first hand that it's not as easy as it sounds."
"In more ways than one," Sean muttered, remembering his past battles with Shonoko.
"The only way for someone to accept energy like you did, Naru, would be to have the same frequency as the one giving it from the very beginning. This means that I must have been sending you some of my life force since the day you were born without even knowing it. It seems that the energy that would have been spent on my libido was sent to you instead."
"And after my visit," Sean said. "Naru's lifeline got cut. Should have known this whole thing was my fault."
"Don't blame yourself," Amy said. "None of us knew about this at the time. Besides, if anybody's to blame for this, it would be my sisters, since they got you to do what you did in the first place."
"Um, that's all well and good," Naru said. "But how are going to keep my body from shutting down again?"
"Simple," Amy said. "I'll just have to reestablish a link."
"Yeah," Kitsune muttered. "Real simple."
Everyone looked on as Amy plucked one of her hairs out of her head. Motoko noticed her send some energy into the strand, causing it to stiffen. "Hold still," Amy said. "This will only hurt for a second."
"What are you--" Naru started to ask, but didn't get to finish. With a flick of her wrist, Amy sent the hair flying at Naru, hitting her right in the chest.
"What are you doing?!" Keitaro asked.
"Don't worry about it," Amy said. "See for yourself." Everyone turned their sights on Naru. Amy's hair was now sinking into her body where it had made contact, only causing her some slight discomfort. "See? She's fine; and it should stay that way for longer than a couple months this time, but if her condition deteriorates again, don't hesitate to call me."
"Thank you," Naru said. "I owe you my life."
"May our paths cross again," Amy said.
"Yeah," Sean said. "Preferably without the sense of urgency."
"Yeah," Ami said with a chuckle. She then vanished without a trace.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," Sean said. "But I've had just about enough excitement for one day."
"You said it," Naru and Keitaro said in unison.
"Man, what else can happen today?" Sean thought.
"Hey, Sean!" Suu called from the top of the stairs. "You wanna help me test some more of my inventions?"
"I just HAD to ask, didn't I?!"
End of Chapter LV
Okay, be honest with me. Did ANY of you see that coming? If you did, then you're freaking psychic. Anyway, see you next time. Please R&R!
Oh my, I seem to have gone and done it again, huh? Why can't I just stop making cliffhangers like this? Oh well, it keeps you guessing, so it can't be all bad.
Chapter LV: Answered Prayers
"No," Keitaro thought. "This can't be happening. It just can't." He looked at the lifeless girl in his arms as he ran across town; Jimmy and Motoko were following close behind him. "You're going to be alright, Naru. You have to. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you." Tears were already streaming down his cheeks. "Damn it, why did I have you come out here in the first place? It's my fault this happened. IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!" Ignoring the pain in his legs, he ran up the steps to Hinata-Sou.
"Would you do that for me if I ever passed out?" Motoko asked.
"For one thing," Jimmy said. "I'd try to keep it from happening in the first place, but yeah, I would. What I can't figure out is why he's not taking her to the hospital."
"Because there are two people in there who can work wonders, remember? Sean and Shinobu can do things that are beyond modern medical science."
Keitaro somehow managed to open the front door and went into the living room, where he found a group of people watching television. However, the person he was looking for wasn't amongst them. "Where's Sean?!" he asked frantically.
"I think he's in his room," Shinobu said. Before she could say anything more, Keitaro bolted up the stairs.
"What was that all about?" Kitsune asked. "And why was he carrying Naru like he was?"
"Maybe they were practicing for their honeymoon or something," Mutsumi said, getting some strange looks for her efforts.
"I seriously doubt that," Kitsune said. "If they were, I don't think he'd be as worried as he was. Besides, Naru wasn't even moving. Something tells me something bad just happened."
"And something tells me you're right," Jimmy said from the front door.
"What happened?" Shinobu asked.
"Naru collapsed," Motoko said. "She has appeared weaker as of late. It seems her body has finally given out."
"Is she going to be alright?" Shinobu asked.
"We will find out soon enough."
"Come to think of it, why has she been less energetic lately?" Kitsune asked. Nobody seemed to have an answer.
"I guess I'll be on my way, then," Jimmy said. "Sorry your birthday turned out like this, Motoko."
"It's not your fault," Motoko said. "I'll see you later." As Jimmy walked out, Motoko looked towards the stairs. "I hope you're alright, Naru."
---
Meanwhile, Sean was sitting in his room, still recovering from what he felt was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As much as he tried, he just couldn't get the vision of various firearms being pointed at him out of his head. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to play those first-person shooters ever again," he muttered. This whole ordeal also brought to his mind memories of his fears of Wolfenstein 3D from way back when.
A knock at the door brought him back to reality--in more ways than one. "Good, a distraction." He got up and opened the door to find Keitaro there with Naru in his arms. "Hey, what's up?"
"It's Naru," Keitaro said, fear etched on his face. "You need to do something to help her, you have to!"
"Keitaro, calm down," Sean said. "Bring her in." Keitaro entered the room and carefully placed Naru on the futon. "Okay, tell me exactly what happened."
"Well, we were on our way back home when Kentaro came by. Naru removed the annoyance in her usual way, and that was about when she passed out."
"I see. I'll see what I can do for her. I must ask you to leave so I can focus better on what I'm doing." Somewhat reluctantly, Keitaro walked out, leaving Sean alone with the motionless Naru. "You should consider yourself lucky to have someone that cares so much about you," Sean said, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him. "Geez, I wanted a distraction, but not this badly. Alright, let's get down to business." He then proceeded to magically scan Naru's body to find the root of what was ailing her.
---
Shinobu poked her head around the corner and couldn't help but feel sorry for Keitaro as he sat against the wall, his knees pressed against his chest and his eyes fixed on the Sean's door opposite him. She ducked back and looked towards the crowd behind her. "Whatever's going on," she said in a hushed tone to keep Keitaro from hearing. "He's not taking it very well."
"I don't see why he would," Kitsune said. "His girlfriend is unconscious. How did you expect him to react?"
"Good point."
"How are we going to cheer him up?" Mutsumi asked.
"I could play with him for a while," Suu said.
"Suu," Kitsune said. "No offense, but the way you play, I don't think that will work."
"I'm going to talk to him," Shinobu said, walking out into the hall before anyone could say otherwise. "Keitaro?" she asked. "Are you alright?" When Keitaro didn't respond, she sat down next to him. "Don't worry. If there's anything that can be done, Sean will figure it out."
Keitaro glanced at Shinobu then turned his gaze down to the floor in front of him. "I only hope she can forgive me."
"Forgive you for what?"
"If I hadn't convinced her to go out, this never would have happened."
"Don't beat yourself up. You couldn't have known."
"She was in no condition for an outing like that. I should have known better. I should have…" Keitaro then broke down, crying into Shinobu's shoulder. "Why did this have to happen? Why?!"
Sean's door opened, getting Keitaro's attention. "Well," Sean said. "The good news is that Naru's still living." From the look on his face, it was obvious that there was bad news forthcoming. "However, her energy levels are almost nonexistent. Even Motoko wouldn't be able to sense anything from two inches away. For all intents and purposes, she's in a coma." It hurt Sean to be so upfront, but he knew that pulling punches would only make things worse.
Keitaro couldn't have looked more depressed if he tried. "Oh, is that all?" he asked sarcastically.
"Actually, no." Keitaro didn't see that response coming. "My analysis uncovered what was wrong, but not what caused it. Even now, I have no explanation as to why this happened in the first place."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Kitsune asked, making her presence known. "She's been getting weaker and weaker for the last couple months now!"
"But has she ever given a reason for it?" Sean shot back.
Kitsune backed off a bit. "Not really."
"Exactly. I don't think even she knows why all this happened."
"Is she going to be alright?" Keitaro asked.
Sean shook his head. "It's too soon to tell right now. Tell me, has Naru done anything extra lately; like school activities or anything?"
"Not that I know of."
"You see, that's what's troubling me right now. If things have been the same all this time, either something like this should never have happened at all or it should have happened sooner."
"Are you saying her body may have just shut down for no apparent reason?" Kitsune asked.
"For lack of a better way of putting it, yes." He motioned for everyone--which now included the rest of the girls, who had joined them at some point in the conversation--to enter his room.
"Do you have any ideas for how to cure Naru?" Motoko asked.
"One, but it's not a sure thing by any means. What I'm going to do is send some of my own energy into Naru's body, giving her a jump start and hopefully getting her up and around."
"That sounds simple enough," Mutsumi said.
"That's what you think. If I don't use enough energy, it won't do any good, while if I use too much… well, I really don't want to think about what would happen then."
"I have faith in you, Sean," Keitaro said.
"Let's just hope that's enough." Sean rubbed his hands together and placed them on Naru's stomach. "I'm going to need silence so I can concentrate."
"Then why did you have us come in here?" Kitsune muttered.
"Probably so we wouldn't be wondering what's going on," Shinobu whispered back.
A few moments went by and Naru began to glow. "C'mon," Keitaro thought. "You can pull through, I know you can." A few minutes went by and Naru didn't move, and Keitaro's faith began to wane. "Please, Naru, don't leave me. We've been through too much for it all to end now."
About fifteen minutes went by and the glow faded away. "That's it," Sean said with a sigh, shaking his head. "If I went on for much longer, Naru wouldn't be the only lifeless body in the room."
"You did your best, Sean," Shinobu said. "That's all we could have asked for."
"NO!" Keitaro yelled. "You can't just let Naru die like this!"
"I never said I was going to," Sean said. "I'm not going to give up that easily, but it might take me a while to come up with something else."
"Damn it!" Keitaro grabbed Sean by the shirt. "Naru's life is at stake here!"
"Don't you think I know that?! You aren't exactly helping right now!"
Keitaro quickly let go. "I-I'm sorry. It's just that this whole thing happened so suddenly, I--"
"I know this has been hard on you, but if there's a way to save her I'll figure it out."
"Oh my," Mutsumi said. "If you can't do anything, who can?"
"I don't know," Sean said. Suddenly, a light went on in his head. "On second thought, maybe I do."
"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked.
"Get back to me on that." The others looked on in wonder as he raised his hand to the side of his face in the telephone position. "I hope this gets through," he muttered as he heard dial tone. He didn't even bother dialing, opting instead to send some energy into the line to make the connection. A few moments went by and the ringing began. It rang a couple times more without anyone picking up. "Geez," he thought. "One would think that when someone calls you inside your own head, you'd--"
"Who is it and how did you do that?" A voice asked from the other line.
"Hey, it's me, Sean."
"Oh, hello, Sean. It's been a long time."
"Yeah, it has. Listen, we've got a bit of a situation here and we need your help."
"What's the problem?"
"Well, one of the girls is in a bad way right now."
"Why not get her to a hospital?"
"Let's put it this way: If I can't do anything to help, what good will getting her to a hospital do?"
"Goodness, if it's beyond your power, it must be pretty serious. I'll get there as soon as I can."
"I look forward to your arrival."
"And who was that?" Kitsune asked as Sean hung up.
"Probably the only one who can sort this whole thing out right now," Sean said.
"Is it anybody we know?" Motoko asked.
"Not exactly."
"You're going to leave Naru's fate in the hands of some stranger?!" Keitaro asked.
"She isn't a stranger to me, Keitaro, so pipe down. Trust me; I know what I'm doing."
"So how long will it take for our savior to arrive?" Kitsune asked.
"It shouldn't take too long," Sean said, looking at his watch on reflex. About a minute later, another being appeared in the room, startling almost everyone. "And there she is now. How you doin'?"
"Never better, thanks to you," the new arrival said.
Everyone just stared slack-jawed at the woman standing before them. "You gotta be kidding me," Kitsune said.
"No way…" Keitaro said, switching glances between the visitor and his girlfriend. "There's just no way."
"YAY!" Suu cheered. "Now we have two Narus to play with!"
"Not quite," Sean said. "Everyone, this is Amy, goddess of knowledge."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Amy said politely.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Amy," Sean said. "I'm sorry if I inconvenienced you or anything."
"It's no bother. You know me, I usually have my nose stuck in some book, and I needed a bit of a break from it anyway. Now, where is this ailing friend you asked me to help?" Everyone moved out of the way, and Amy's eyes grew wide when she saw Naru laying there. "She looks exactly like me," she thought. "Now all those comments Linda and Stephanie have been giving me are starting to make sense."
"Please!" Keitaro said, breaking Amy out of her thoughts. "You have to save Naru! Sean believes in you and so do I!"
Amy nodded, then knelt down next to Naru. "Alright, fill me in on her condition up to this point. How long has she been out?"
"About half an hour," Sean said. "Despite my efforts, I was unable to figure out how or why. Over the last couple months, she has been slowly weakening until… well, just look at her. I tried to send some of my own energy into her, but it didn't take."
"I see," Amy said, a look of concentration on her face. "Alright," she continued. "She's in a coma; energy loss for no apparent reason; not accepting outside energy; and all without any known reason for it. Hmm…"
"May I make a suggestion?" Motoko asked.
"Motoko, don't interrupt a goddess when she's working!" Kitsune said.
"No, it's alright," Amy said. "I'm always open to new ideas. It's kind of a job requirement, you know?" She turned to Motoko. "Go ahead."
"Well, it's just that you and Naru are identical."
"Well duh," Kitsune said. "We can see that."
"But there's more to it than that. Their energy wavelengths are exactly the same."
"I see where you're going with this," Amy said, stroking her chin. "Maybe the reason why Sean's energy didn't revive her was because it wasn't the proper frequency."
"It's definitely worth a shot," Sean said.
Amy nodded. "Cross your fingers, everyone." She held her hands out over Naru's body, which then began glowing once again.
"Please let it work this time," everyone thought at once, though it was most prevalent in Keitaro's mind, as it should be. Fortunately, it wouldn't take long for them to see results.
"Hey, look!" Keitaro said after about a minute and a half. Sure enough, Naru's hand was twitching ever so slightly. Another few seconds went by and her thought processes began anew…
"What the heck happened?" Naru thought. "Oh wait, now I remember. I was out on a date with Keitaro, Jimmy and Motoko. That creep Kentaro showed up, I punched him, then… then… the rest is all a blank. I must have overexerted myself." Slowly, she opened her eyes. "How did I get indoors?"
"Thank goodness," she heard Sean say. "For a minute there, I thought we were going to lose you."
"Where am I?"
"In your room."
"How did I get here?"
"You passed out about half an hour ago. You're lucky Keitaro got you here so quickly."
"I'm not surprised," Naru thought. Her vision focused about as well as her eyes would allow without her glasses to aid her, but it was enough to recognize those around her, including one that she probably shouldn't have seen. "Sean, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what?"
"What am I doing kneeling over myself?"
"See?" Kitsune said. "Even she's fooled by her looks."
"It's good to see you awake," Amy said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Amy, goddess of knowledge and the one who revived you."
"Thank goodness," Naru said. "For a moment there, I thought I had a twin sister I didn't know about. How did you I needed help?"
"Sean called me. It was a good thing he did, too, as there was no telling how much longer you would have lasted."
"I guess Keitaro's worrying wasn't for nothing after all," Naru thought as she started to sit up.
"Are you sure you should be getting up so quickly?" Shinobu asked.
"I'm alright now, Shinobu." Naru said, turning to face Sean. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you."
"As much as I appreciate the thought, there's someone who needs you a lot more than I do,"
"You're right." Naru looking towards Keitaro. "There is." She moved over to him and gave him a hug and a kiss. "You kept telling me to take it easy. If I had only listened, this wouldn't have happened."
"Don't be too sure." That brought everyone's attention back to Amy. "If what I've heard is true, it would have only been a matter of time before your body would have given out. What you did tonight must have just sped up the process. What I'm wondering is how did the process get started in the first place?"
"What do you saying?" Kitsune asked.
"I'm saying that there had to be some reason for Naru to lose her energy. These things don't just happen at random."
"I don't think you need to worry about it anymore," Naru said. "I feel as energetic as ever."
Amy shook her head. "If I'm right, what I did will turn out to be only a temporary solution. I need to find out the cause of all this and keep it from happening again."
"Is that really necessary?" Kitsune asked.
"Hey, I got called here to do something and I'm going to see it through to the end. Besides, I want to save him future grief."
"Thank you," Keitaro said.
"My pleasure. Now, let's get started, shall we?"
"Um, If you don't mind," Naru said. "I think we should do this somewhere a bit more comfortable."
"Sure," Amy said. "Did you have a place in mind?"
"The living room would probably be best," Motoko said.
"Lead the way."
Everyone got up and made their way downstairs. Along the way, Sean noticed that Keitaro and Naru were holding hands. It was apparent that neither of them were willing to let go any time soon. "You know," Sean semi-whispered. "Things like this should never happen to such a cute couple."
"I agree," Any said. "And it never will again if I have anything to say about it." When they reached the living room, Amy couldn't help but notice that everyone was still present. "Um, you don't all have to be here."
"Hey, it's not often that we get to see a goddess at work," Kitsune said.
"Yeah," Suu said. "The only one's we've seen before you were Linda and Stephanie."
"Well, if you're expecting anything like what those two do, you're going to be disappointed. It's sort of like comparing a librarian to Superman."
"Oh," Suu said, suddenly disinterested. "In that case, if anyone wants me, I'll be in my room." With that, she bounded off up the stairs.
"That's the last thing I need," Amy muttered.
"What did you mean by that?" Shinobu asked.
"Over the last few years, that girl has given me more work than Edison did in his lifetime. Being innovative is one thing, but she's something else altogether." Amy shook the thought of whatever freak of science will appear on her bookshelf next and got back to the matter at hand. "Alright then, Naru when did you first start feeling weaker than usual?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Naru said. "I guess it was around late August, early September. Back then, I thought I just wasn't getting enough sleep, so I didn't think too much of it."
"Hmm," Amy thought, adding this information to what she already knew in an attempt to make sense of it all. "Could it be that--no, it couldn't be, could it? As farfetched as it may sound, it's the only possible conclusion; it just seems like too much of a coincidence to be anything else." "I think I've got it," she said out loud after what felt like an eternity for everyone else in the room.
"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Kitsune said. "Tell us already."
"Okay then, pay attention; this might get a bit complicated." Amy took a deep breath and began her explanation. "Sean, remember the last time we crossed paths?"
"How could I forget?" Sean asked rhetorically.
"Yes, well, I think that may have started this whole thing."
"I'm not following you," Sean said.
"Yeah, what does him starting up your sex drive have to do with Naru losing her energy?" Kitsune asked.
"If my theory is correct, it has everything to do with it."
"I can't wait to hear this," Kitsune muttered.
"Ever since then, I've wondered why, despite Stephanie's efforts, my libido was, for lack of a better word, nonexistent for the first few millennia of my existence. Of course, I never gave it any thought back then, as I was too dedicated to my work."
"It seems like you and Naru just keep having more and more in common, doesn't it?" Mutsumi asked.
"Exactly. As Motoko pointed out, Naru and I have the same energy frequency. Now, my knowledge of such things isn't exactly encyclopedic, since it's more in the jurisdiction of Linda and Stacy.
"Who's Stacy?" Naru asked.
"Goddess of martial arts," Sean said. "You two would get along great, Motoko.""As I was saying," Amy continued. "From what I do know about the subject, it's extremely rare, if not impossible for two people to have the same wavelength."
"If that's true, then how is ours the same?" Naru asked.
"I believe the only way for it to happen is for one to give energy to the other. Sean knows first hand that it's not as easy as it sounds."
"In more ways than one," Sean muttered, remembering his past battles with Shonoko.
"The only way for someone to accept energy like you did, Naru, would be to have the same frequency as the one giving it from the very beginning. This means that I must have been sending you some of my life force since the day you were born without even knowing it. It seems that the energy that would have been spent on my libido was sent to you instead."
"And after my visit," Sean said. "Naru's lifeline got cut. Should have known this whole thing was my fault."
"Don't blame yourself," Amy said. "None of us knew about this at the time. Besides, if anybody's to blame for this, it would be my sisters, since they got you to do what you did in the first place."
"Um, that's all well and good," Naru said. "But how are going to keep my body from shutting down again?"
"Simple," Amy said. "I'll just have to reestablish a link."
"Yeah," Kitsune muttered. "Real simple."
Everyone looked on as Amy plucked one of her hairs out of her head. Motoko noticed her send some energy into the strand, causing it to stiffen. "Hold still," Amy said. "This will only hurt for a second."
"What are you--" Naru started to ask, but didn't get to finish. With a flick of her wrist, Amy sent the hair flying at Naru, hitting her right in the chest.
"What are you doing?!" Keitaro asked.
"Don't worry about it," Amy said. "See for yourself." Everyone turned their sights on Naru. Amy's hair was now sinking into her body where it had made contact, only causing her some slight discomfort. "See? She's fine; and it should stay that way for longer than a couple months this time, but if her condition deteriorates again, don't hesitate to call me."
"Thank you," Naru said. "I owe you my life."
"May our paths cross again," Amy said.
"Yeah," Sean said. "Preferably without the sense of urgency."
"Yeah," Ami said with a chuckle. She then vanished without a trace.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," Sean said. "But I've had just about enough excitement for one day."
"You said it," Naru and Keitaro said in unison.
"Man, what else can happen today?" Sean thought.
"Hey, Sean!" Suu called from the top of the stairs. "You wanna help me test some more of my inventions?"
"I just HAD to ask, didn't I?!"
End of Chapter LV
Okay, be honest with me. Did ANY of you see that coming? If you did, then you're freaking psychic. Anyway, see you next time. Please R&R!