A/N: Hullo and welcome! Sorry about the wait, several things hae happened since we last updated. The several things include family fights, out-of-country working, a missing co-author, Dreamy's exams, and Spycier breaking his hand when he failed epically at trying to dunk in a basketball game. His team still won though, so it's all good.
Anyways, we apologize profusely for the wait and without further ado, we give you Chapter Four!
Chance
Chapter Four
A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes.
-Mark Twain
Mai simply stared at Naru, taken aback by his unexpected comment.
SPR was back in buisness? Naru was here? Permanently?
It seemed to be too much for the pretty brunette to take in and her brain felt like it overloaded in shock. She blinked a few times, opening her mouth before deciding that speaking would be a bad idea at the moment. Finally, she just decided on nodding silently, smiling slightly at the black haired boy before her.
"That, that's great Naru. Dr. Davis." she corrected herself, not missing the microscopic widening of Naru's eyes. It seemed she still remembered his old habits after all this time. "I'm sure everyone'll be glad you're back."
Naru was silent for the longest time. Mai decided that that would be the only response she would get from him and nodded at him before walking by and continuing down the sidewalk to the shops. She paused for a moment as Naru broke his silence.
"You're not coming back?" Mai couldn't distinguish any emotion in his tone. She didn't look back to see his figure, which hadn't moved a muscle since she walked on. The brunette lowered her head a bit, bangs falling forward to shadow her eyes.
"No." she said quietly, then moved on. Out of his sight. Out of his life.
A bright flame wandered the darkness, having no definite path, no real destination. The flame turned his eyes towards the sapphire light approaching him. The flame stopped, waiting patiently for the blue to reach him, resting his orange arms on his indistinct hips, the light around its face dancing merrily.
"How's it goin' kid?" the flame asked playfully, voice filled with a peaceful kind of humor.
The blue light shimmered for a moment, its features shifting and molding into a more solid form. Within seconds, a handsome black haired boy stood before the flame, pale skin bright against the darkness.
Eugene Davis stood before the flame, smiling cheerfully.
"You ready yet?" he asked brightly, clapping his hands together. "The Council is ready to ship you out whenever you're ready!" The flame grinned, a torrent of wind starting around its base and swirling up it like a tornado. The wind and fire cleared to reveal a grinning red head with mischevious light blue eyes.
"Ready whenever you are, Gene." Fred Weasley said, just as cheerful as his companion.
It had been a while since Mai had dreamt of the supernatural. It had been even longer since she dreamt of her boss.
However, this dream was different.
This time, Gene wasn't the only person invading her mind. This time, he brought a friend. A very familiar friend. And, as delighted as she was to see her dead friend, it rather annoyed her that he came and went as he pleased. Her mind was not a dorm room for him to hang out and bring people back to.
She'd kill him again if the next person he brought was a girl.
That was something she refused to put up with.
"Gene," she growled, a tic going off in the corner of her forehead. "What's going on? Don't you dare tell me he's George's dead twin or something." Fred and Gene exchanged amused looks.
"Well, I'll tell you then!" Fred said brightly. "I'm Fred Weasley, George's dead twin!" Mai gave him a dead look.
"I hate you all." she said flatly. Then she turned abruptly and began marching off into the blackness. When she was satisfied that she was far enough away from them, she sat down and crossed her arms irritably.
Fred snickered behind her as he and Gene approached the brunette. He grinned down at her and ruffled her hair playfully.
"Calm down, Mai-chan." he said lightly, plopping down beside her, much like George did. He turned his blue eyes towards her and his grin faded into a smile. "I wish I could have met you when I was alive. I heard that you've been taking care of my twin for me. I'm grateful." Mai sighed, losing her annoyed manner.
"Why does this sort of thing always happen to me?" she groaned, rubbing her eyes with her hands. Fred's grin returned. "So what's your story?"
"Well, about a year ago, there was this guy, Voldie Snort. . ."
Ayako sat in the dimly lit resturant, tapping her fingers impatiently on the table. Her hair was pinned up elegantly, and she wore a modest dress that hugged her curves and ended at her knees. It was dark red and blended in with the warm, dark colors of the dining room. She glanced down at her silver watch and noted that her date was thirty minutes late.
She returned to tapping her fingers on the white clothed table, jumping when her phone rang quietly in her purse. She hurriedly pulled it out and flipped it open, immediately recognizing a number she hadn't seen in a while.
"Takigawa?" she asked, confused as to why he would be calling her at such a late time.
"How's it going, old lady?" the guitarist asked happily. The red head felt her eye twitch and her nails dug into the table cloth.
"Call me that again and I'll rip your face off." she growled into the small phone. Monk chuckled, a bit nervously, before pressing on.
"Are you doing anything right now?" he asked. A car horn blared on his end of the line. Ayako considered her situation before answering.
"Waiting for a jerk to show up." she replied, scoffing in disgust. "He was supposed to meet me here a half-hour ago. Why do you wanna know?"
"Oh," she wondered if the slightly disappointed tone in his voice was real or not. "No reason. It's just, my band's back in town and we just finished a show. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out or something."
Again, Ayako considered her situation. She could either sit here for the rest of the night, bored and waiting for a guy who would probably never show /or/ she could go with Monk, where she could have fun. Despite her usual choice in fancy outings with her friends, the choice was obvious.
"I'd love to." she said wryrly, smirking slightly. "Give me an adress and I'll be there in fifteen minutes." She could practically see Takigawa's grin.
Monk texted her the directions and Ayako stood up, gathering her things and walking swiftly towards the exit. On her way, she bumped into her date.
She raised a perfect eyebrow at his mussed hair and swollen lips before tapping a woman at a nearby table on the shoulder.
"Excuse me madame, but may I borrow your drink?" the woman blinked at the shrine maiden before handing her the glass of water in her hand. Ayako smiled at her and accepted it before turning back to her date. The pretty red head scowled and poured the water over his head, using her height to her advantage.
Everyone fell silent and turned to stare at the scene unraveling before them.
"Wha-" her date spluttered, utterly appalled.
"Next time you decide to blow me off like that, don't show up looking like a cheating tramp." She handed the woman back her glass and walked out of the resturant.
A/N: Well, got a little AyakoxTakigawa in there at the end. Now that Fred and Gene are in the picture and Mai's not going back to SPR, what do you think'll happen next. We're just curious about what you'd like to see in the future, so don't hesitate to leave an opinion.
Kyubi9: Thanks for Story Alerting.
jgood27: Glad you liked it! Thanks for Favoriting and Story Alerting.
Little-Vampy-June: Thanks! Naru didn't react much in this chapter, but this isn't the last you'll see of him!
10-iz4: Thanks for Story Alerting. Really? We're honored!:)
YunaNeko: Thanks!
DuncanxZoey-4-ever: Thanks for Favoriting!
Ghost of the rain: Thanks! And thanks for Favoriting!
Zaliya Lily: Thanks for Story Alerting!
Sakura Ichigo Morihiko: Yup, Mai's not leaving for SPR. She's a witch, which will be explained in detail later. Thanks for Favoriting and Alerting!