Next chapter Mai's boys!
You caught the hearts of the Davis twins
What could Gene have meant by that? Mai wondered as she went through the all to familiar steps to make Naru's tea. Surely he didn't mean that Naru loved her! Did he?
Mai glanced at Naru. Her heart was still his, even after his rejection of her. Could Naru love her?
Nah!
"Ne, Naru, may I talk to you outside for a moment?" Mai asked, motioning slightly to the door.
"…" Naru stood and followed her.
Once outside, Mai turned to face him.
" I talked to Gene last night. He thinks the boys might be the epicenter of this 'haunting'. Whether they were the trigger or the cause, he's not sure. I know you were planning on testing a group of kids today, so maybe put Shing in with the group today, and if nothing happens, then put Yue in tomorrows group." Mai watched him carefully.
"Alright. I was actually kind of curious about it anyways. And there's only two kids left, aside from them, so I'll do them today, and the other two tomorrow if nothing happens." He said before heading back inside. Mai smiled sadly.
"I meant what I said that one day, about loving you. I really, truly love you, my handsome black narcissus." She whispered softly before following him in.
Later…
"Breath deeply. In and out, control your breathing. Breath with the light." Mai smiled as the Twins slipped into a half-conscious state, Naru's voice and the slowly flashing red light lulling them.
"Tonight, a vase is going to move. The vase will be on the table in the Base. The little vase with blue flowers is going to move off the table." Naru nodded at her, and she flipped the lights back on.
Yue yawned.
"I'm tired." He mumbled sleepily. Shing rubbed his eyes, reminding Mai that he really was just a child.
"Come on guys, let's get some lunch, kay?" Mai asked cheerfully, setting a white vase with blue flowers down. Both boys focused on the vase momentarily. The hypnotic suggestion was successful.
"Yeah."
"Okay." The boys answered, trudging tiredly after Mai to the kitchen.
The others watched them go.
"Mai will be a good mother." Bou-san said, thinking out loud.
"She will." Naru agreed, as he put the lamp away for the night.
"Ne, Naru-bou. If those boys had blue eyes, they could pass as being yours!" Bou-san said, running out of the room laughing. Naru merely continued what he was doing. He knew they could pass as his, even with green eyes. Mai's eyes were a hazel color, meaning there was a possibility, though highly unlikely, of her children having green eyes. They could pass as a family, but Mai wouldn't want a guy like him, would she?
That night…
Base…
Ting, ting, ting. The vase tapped against the wood as it moved. Meanwhile, Shing tossed and turned in his sleep.
With Naru…
Dream…
"Naru…I-I love you!" Mai said, as he walked back to the inn. He turned to look at her. Her face was as red as a tomato and she was looking at the ground. He walked back, and tipped her chin up to look at him.
"Is it me you love, or Gene?" He asked softly. He watched as her eyes grew wide before she started crying. This wasn't really happening. It had happened. He remembered it happening, but why would he dream about it?
The scene shifted. He stood outside the house his parents had in Japan. He'd only stayed there once before, but he recognized it. Two boys came running out of the back door, followed by a brown haired woman and a black haired man. Another couple waved from the porch as the family left, the man standing a foot taller than his auburn haired companion.
"Hurry up, you two!" One of the boys called as he waited for his parents. Naru followed the family as the walked through the woods to a small clearing. The woman laid out the blanket while the man helped set out the food. The couple was quite young; far too young to be the birth parents of the two ten-year-old boys with them. Naru started as he realized that the brown haired woman was none other than Mai, and that on the ring finger of her left hand was a wedding band.
He was jealous of the man. He didn't know who he was, but he was jealous; for on the man's left ring finger was a matching band. Mai was this man's wife, who ever he was. Naru tried to get a good look at the man's face, but couldn't. Who was he? Suddenly, the man turned.
The Next day…
Naru walked out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry, the mirror fogged up from his shower.
"Good morning." Lin said, as he walked into the room. "You were up earlier than usual."
Naru ignored the observation.
"Did the vase move?" He asked, buttoning up his usual black shirt.
"I haven't checked yet." Lin answered, holding the door open for his young boss before following him to the Base. The key turned in the lock.
"Good morning!" Mai's chipper voice called out as she rounded the corner behind them as she and the Irregulars came down the hall.
"Morning Noll, darling!" His mother's voice made Mai sound depressed, it was so happy.
Naru opened the door and walked in.
"So one of them is responsible." Mai said softly, as her eyes took in the sight of the vase on the floor, now in three pieces.
"It certainly looks that way." Lin said, as he wrapped his arms around Yuki. Luella sighed when he did this, earning her a weird look from Yuki.
"She's a romantic." Martin explained as Luella gazed, starry eyed, at the couple. Yuki nodded.
"I don't really want to know." She said, before walking over to the desk, Lin's hand at the small of her back the entire time.
"Wonder which one it is?" Bou-san said, sitting down.
"I'm going to say it's Shing." Mai said, passing out drinks to every one. "Just because it's in his nature to do anything to protect his brother." She sat down with her own cup of tea, sipping it gently.
"That doesn't mean it's him." Ayako pointed out, sipping her espresso.
"Maybe not. But it does make it more likely." Naru answered, opening his black notebook. Luella shook her head.
"Black. Really Noll, must it always be black?" She asked, exasperated with her youngest son.
He ignored her in favor of his tea.
Later…
"Alright, time your breathing with the light. In and out, breath deeply." Naru lowered his voice slightly. Shing sat in the chair, watching the light blink slowly on and off, his breathing getting deeper as he began to drift to sleep.
"There will be a teacup on the table in the Base room tonight. That teacup is going to move. The teacup with pink flowers is going to move."
The lights came back on and Shing blinked. Naru left Mai to take care of him while he went for a walk.
The dream he had last night was still replaying in his head.
Flashback…
Suddenly the man turned. Ice blue eyes met ice blue eyes, though only one set saw the other. Naru walked closer. He stared at the man now holding Mai's hand. It was exactly the same. The same hair, same eyes, same face, but a little older.
"Ashiteru, Naru-chan." Mai said, leaning her head against the man's-no- against his shoulder.
"I know." He said softly, kissing her hand. "I love you to."