Mai's Point of View:
The day we lost her killed us.
Naru and Martin had left with Angel to go to the BSPR building for a few tests. Angel's powers were getting stronger and we'd come to England for the more advanced equipment, although the two Davis men were talking about making SPR in Japan in to a permanent branch of the SPR corporation, we still hadn't finalized any plans.
Angel didn't complain even though I know that the tests could be painful. Naru hated doing tests on her, he especially knew how PK therapy could hurt. He often came home feeling horrible about himself and coddling her until she fell asleep.
"Have you found out what gender it is?" Luella asks me, sitting across from me at the table.
I grin at her, rubbing my hand over my swollen tummy, "They are both boys."
Luella squeals, "Twins?!"
I nod happily, "Naru couldn't believe it when the nurse told us. Apparently, twins were supposed to skip a generation in his family."
Luella laughs, "Well maybe you're just—" She stops, a strangled look making it's way over her face.
Every muscle in my body tenses as I stand quickly, "Luella?" She places a hand over her heart, making a strangled sound, and then her eyes roll to the back of her head and she falls out the chair. I shriek, "Luella!"
•
"A heart attack?" I whisper, feeling the anguish swirl around us all as Martin stands in front of us with a grief stricken face and tears in his eyes.
Martin nods, a tear dropping down his face, "One of her major arteries had been clogging up for a while and she was scheduled for surgery in a week. She didn't want to tell you two because it wasn't supposed to clog that fast. She was supposed to be okay, she was supposed to—" he cuts himself off, and then Martin, the man that I idolize and practically worship, plops down in to the nearest chair and sobs.
I look over at Naru through a blurry gaze to see his eyes cold and broken. I reach over and turn his face to me. He looks at me with a faraway look in his eyes, and I give him a pitiful smile, tears dripping down my face, "It's okay."
The dam breaks and tears fall down his face.
Angel stands next to me in her pretty black dress. She's clinging to my pant leg as she watches her daddy make his way up to the podium next to the beautiful white casket.
Luella is as perfect as I've ever seen her. She has her favorite white sundress on and she's holding a bouquet of baby blue lillies. Her favorite white heels make her legs seem endless and her nails are panted an impeccable baby blue color.
Martin stands next to me, his black suit forcing him to be handsome, even as tears streak down his face. A blue lilly is hanging out of his suit pocket as he waits for Naru to give the eulogy he'd written.
The night Luella had died, Naru and I had gone back to the Davis' in complete silence. I remember thanking The Lord that Hannah had offered to babysit Angel for the night. She'd even watched our daughter when the two men had rushed to the hospital. Naru had dressed for bed robotically and was done, laying down, and staring at the ceiling in less that five minutes. I took more time. I threw on some clothes, but what took the most time was making him some tea.
I'd walked in the room and said in my 'no-none-sense' voice that I use with Angel, "Sit up." He looked at me with dead blue eyes, and sat up. I handed him the cup of tea and he'd drank it in small sips, constantly staring down at the cup in his hands. The entire time I just sat in front of him. He finished the cup sooner than I'd expected and he'd handed it back to me. After bringing it back to the kitchen, I walked back in to the room to find him still sitting up. I'd laid down next to him, gentle grabbing his hand and pulling him to me. He'd crawled to me, laying his head over my chest. Then I felt them. His tears made my shirt wet, but I didn't care. I'd just kept running my fingers through his hair and staring at the ceiling.
I think that's the only reason he's able to go up now with out completely falling apart. To everyone, he's perfectly poised and graceful, but to me, he's barely hanging on by a thread.
Naru looks out over everyone before beginning. It's a small funeral. Only those closest to the Davis family were invited. Elliot and Kerry both sit next to Martin as they grieve for the loss of their daughter.
"Luella Davis was a woman of many plans." Naru's deep voice is even deeper with his grief, "When I first saw her, I was twelve. A rebelliant and angry child as compared to my much more pleasant brother. She met me first. She'd accidentally ran in to me as she was searching through the orphanage for her husband. She'd apologized but I'd called her an old hag and told her to watch where she was going." A few 'oh's' can be heard as we all know Luella wouldn't stand for that type of disrespect. "I have never seen a woman go from apologetic to angry so quickly. She hit me on the side of my head and demanded that I apologized. I was baffled, but I apologized, nonetheless.
"A few days later, she was back. She somehow managed to find me while I was playing the piano. She told me that I played beautifully. Then she asked me why I was in the orphanage and I couldn't answer her. I didn't know. She was about to say something else when my brother popped up. He was friendly and mannered. I remember her saying, 'You two look so much alike, yet you're separate people. That's not something you find now-a-days in twins.'
"The next thing Gene and I knew, we were adopted by this Luella Davis who demanded I called her 'mother'. I refused until I found out both her and Martin knew about my powers. They knew I was dangerous and they still chose to adopt me. I suppose that was the moment she became my mother.
"Over the course of the next few years, I'd say Luella beat manners in to me. She kept me in school and forced me to be polite, even though I honestly didn't want to. Up until I was sixteen, she was my mother, but we weren't as close as Gene and her were.
"When I was sixteen, I wanted to graduate early. She'd been the one to convince my father. She silently cheered me on as I went to college and got my degrees. I can honestly say that my mother is the driving force behind all of my success. It's not because I'm just smart or because I'm ambitious. Luella pushed me to be the best person that I could be. She's my mother, and I love her. I don't know where I would be if she hadn't found me." Everyone is silent as he walks off stage and back to us. Angel reaches for him and he picks her up.
The entire funeral goes on with plenty of people going up and saying a few words. It's near the end that Angel pulls on Martin's pant leg. He looks down at her and she says in her tiny five year old voice, "Can I say something, grandpa?"
He clears his throat, "If you want to."
Angel makes her way towards the podium. Everyone watches silently as she climbs on to a chair and stands in front of the mic. Angel smiles at everyone, "Hello, I'm Angel." A few people say hello as my adorable child smiles innocently, "I'm not exactly sure what's going on. Mommy says that grandma is going with Uncle Gene in heaven, but I'm not exactly sure where that is. Everyone looks really sad, so I wanted to tell all of you that grandma came see me last night."
A collective gasp is heard and I take a panicked step forward to go grab her, but Martin grabs my shoulder. I look back at him to see his head shake, so I settle back next to Naru, who grabs my hand.
Angel continues as if nothing happened, "She was sitting on the edge of my bed, she looked really sad but she was still smiling at me. I said, 'Grandma, what are you doing here? Daddy and mommy and grandpa and everyone else at SPR really misses you and wants you to come back from heaven.' She said, 'I really want to, sweetpea, but it's my time to go now, alright?' She kissed me on my head," Angel rubs her forehead as if she could still feel it, "And then she said, 'Tell everyone that I love them.' So I'm telling all of you now. Grandma loves all of us. She wouldn't want us to be sad and cry just because she's gone away for a while." Angel smiles once more at the crowd before climbing down and making her way back to me.
I bend, opening my arms for her to throw herself at me. I feel tears make it's way down my face and I look up to see almost everyone crying, but all of them have little smiles on their face.
"Good job." I tell her. She pulls away from our hug to smile at me, before hugging me again.
I look over to see Martin walking towards Luella's coffin. He bends and kisses Luella's cheek, "I love you too, darling." Naru's arms wrap around Angel and I; he folds us in to his embrace and we both rest our heads on to his wide chest. I close my eyes and sniffle.
"Mai-chan!" A voice says. I turn to see a sixteen-year old Aiko Uto making her way across my lawn with her little sister in her arms. Uto-san and Christine wave to us as they drive away. The two of them had gotten married not long after the twins were born.
Speaking of which, I turn to see my two sons climbing all over Monk. Hiroki Adam and Hitoshi Christian were born in the spring. At two years old, they were just beginning to walk and are following their older sister everywhere, much to Angel's annoyance.
Even if Hiroki meant 'abundant strength' and Hitoshi meant 'even-tempered', I don't believe Angel cared. They annoy the hell out of her, much to me and their father's amusement.
"Adam! Christian! Get off of Monk!" I shout half heartedly, standing and grinning when Aiko reaches me. I hold my arms out for the baby and she giggles, handing me the child.
"Hiro-chan! Hito-chan!" Aiko yells, waving at them. The two of them grin when they see her and begin running towards us.
They are both like carbon copies of Naru with his black hair and pale skin. Although they have my eyes and my spirit, they still both have his intelligence and quiet demeanor. The twins tackle Aiko's legs, which makes her fall. I laugh, rocking the small child in my arms.
Currently, Naru and I are throwing a small family party in honor of my birthday. I'm twenty-nine today, which Naru keeps picking saying it's one step closer to thirty. When I tell him he's already pass thirty, he just smirks and agrees with me in that irritating way of his that makes me seem right but wrong at the same time.
Monk and Ayako are both sitting on our lawn chairs with magazines. Monk's reading material is about rock-n-roll bands whiles Ayako's is about fashion. Some things never change with those two. They continue to bicker and Ayako hits him with a rolled up magazine.
Yasu is laughing with John as Shuto picks up his newly adopted daughter and spins her around. Haru chases after them waving his hands and yelling about how she's only three and they're getting closer to the water.
"You're so annoying!" Another familiar voice says. I turn again to see my seven-year old daughter stumble out of the house in her school uniform. She turns back to glare as Gin saunters out of the house in his own school uniform.
Gin laughs, sounds so much like his mother but looking so much like his father, "I'm alright with being annoying. Are you alright with being ugly?" Then he reaches up and yanks one of her pigtails. Angel starts yelling at him.
Naru barely glances at them as he makes his way to me. I grin up at him and he bends to kiss my lips, "Father says happy birthday. He'd come if he wasn't so busy gathering all of the paperwork for Madoka and Lin."
I nod, understanding.
Martin had decided not long after Luella died that he couldn't run the company efficiently any longer, so after bringing JSPR up to it's full potential, he's going to switch of BSPR over to Madoka and Lin's care. Naru and I are already running the one in Japan, and Martin says they're the only other people he can trust to take care of his and Luella's life's work.
"I swear, those two are going to give me an aneurism." Madoka comments, coming closer to us as Lin exits the house.
I laugh, "When do you think Angel's going to realize that Gin just has a crush on her?"
"Considering how long it took you to realize Noll loved you? Probably forever." Madoka grins when I sputter in outrage, throwing the nearest thing at her while rocking the small child in my arms.
Later that day, we're all in the dining room eating. I stand, waiting for everyone to get quiet, while I smile at them all. I grin, "So, I have some big news." They all wait while I pause for dramatic effect, "I'm pregnant!" Everyone cheers together. Naru stands and wraps his arms around me, spinning me around with a laugh.
I stand next to Naru as we all listen to the man say a few words next to Martin's casket. Martin died at the age of sixty-seven. Old age. He went in his sleep.
I turn to see Angel crying in to a handkerchief. Gin is in the row behind her, staring at her with a look of apprehension on his face. He hadn't seen Angel since she went off for college in France when she turned seventeen. She graduated early (much like her father) and is now majoring in the culinary arts. At twenty-one years old, Angel is gorgeous and confident in herself. She's so much like her father, and yet so much like me. When Gin had first saw her earlier today, he'd frozen next to Madoka and couldn't answer her when she'd said hello. Of course Angel had thought he was just ignoring her and called him an idiot.
Adam and Christian are on my right. Both of them are obnoxiously handsome at seventeen years old, with my eyes shining bright as they both fight not to cry. Their tuxedo's force them to be even more handsome, even though I could tell they're fighting not to break down. The two of them both exhibited the same sign of powers that Naru and Gene had, only they weren't nearly as powerful. They could telepathically communicate and also exhibited my intuition. Which is good. The instincts get them out of a lot of trouble since they seem to always find themselves in it.
They both graduated at the same time, with Christian going off to a professional musical college and Adam going off to a tattoo artist apprenticeship. While Christian let his hair grow in to a thick blackness that he often just brushed out of his face, Adam keeps his hair short to show off the tattoos cover his neck. I know Adam has tattoos all over his body, but I really for care. He's just my son. I don't care what he looks like.
A hand grabs my own and I look to see my fifteen year old daughter wiping her nose. Tsukiko Luella is a brilliant child with impeccable senses for others feelings and a knack for figuring things out much faster than normal. She's also blind. She was born with a tumor behind her eyes that once removed completely took away her sight. She was only a child at the time, so she doesn't remember ever having her sight. Her sightseeing dog, Leo, really loves her and is probably the sweetest German shepherd anyone could ask for. Everyone who meets her adores her. Angel and Lu-Lu talk on the phone constantly. Christian plays songs for her on the many instruments that he owns and Adam protects her like no other.
Naru reaches for my hand and my gaze finally shifts to him. At forty-five, Naru is sporting a peppered hair style and a handsomely aged face. He is still the most handsome man I've ever seen, no matter how old he gets.
I lean my head against his shoulder and listen to the rest of the eulogies.
"He's so annoying!" Angel shouts, plopping down next to me on the couch. I look over to see her eyes buzzing with anger and unbridled tears.
Martin's funeral was about six months ago. Angel decided it would be best to take some time off and repeat the year for school. Naru fully supported her, much to my surprise. He'd even given her a job at JSPR as my assistant. I'd never had an assistant before, so it was a new concept for me to not have to file away the cases or take ALL of the clients intel down.
What Angel didn't know, however, was that Gin works at JSPR underneath Naru as his apprentice. One day Gin would own JSPR and Naru would be retired, as much as that idea bewildered me.
"Gin?" I ask.
And she groans, "Yes! He's such a jerk! Anytime I ask him something, he just smirks at me and makes me feel like an idiot. And who drinks THAT much coffee?! Anytime I talk to him he's always telling me to go get coffee or to do this or that. Ugh! I hate him!"
I can't stop the grin from pulling on my face, "But you think he's cute anyway, don't you?"
Angel blushes red and looks at me with angry embarrassment, "Mom!"
I can't help from laughing.
"What's so funny?" A voice says. I turn to Aiko strolling in the room with Haru and Shuto by her side. At twenty-eight, Aiko is gorgeous and a huge knock out with the twins, who like to flirt with her. Christian gets all bashful while Adam oozes his father's charm.
I grin, "Angel has a crush on Gin."
Haru smiles, "I knew it!" Shuto laughs when Angel shrieks in outrage. I once again can't keep from laughing.
Naru's Point of View:
Ayako and Monk died together. At the age of fifty-three and fifty-seven, they'd been hit sideways on the freeway in Monk's old car.
Mai took it hard. I'd stood next to her at the funeral like she'd done for me when my parents died. I don't know how to comfort people. I never really had to learn or figure it out. Mai was normally such a strong woman that really only cried in front of me.
Angel stands next to her, offering kind words and the gentle smile so much like her mother's. Lu-Lu is next to her with Leo, clinging to Mai's arm in a show of helpfulness. Even my two sons tried to help. Christian with all his awkwardness and shy nature tried to calm his sobbing mother down. Adam with his tattoos and joking physique tried to have her smile. Haru and Shuto both gave her flowers. Yasuhara tried to make her laugh with Adam. Lin hugged her for the longest time. Madoka cried with her. Gin also hugged her, much like his father had done. Masako tried to bait her and get her back to her normal firecracker self. Aiko and her little sister, Alexandria, gave her chocolates.
All of these people tried to help, and yet, she only calmed down when I wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin on top of her head. She sniffles and shudders, but ultimately stops sobbing her eyes out.
I'll never understand how to comfort anyone, but Mai had never been just anyone.
About three months after Ayako and Monk's funeral, Mai and I walked in on quite a sight.
Angel is pushed up against my desk, making out with one of our new interns at JSPR. Which is bad enough in it's own right, but Gin is with us and he grows furious at the sight. The young man practically attacks the intern, punching the man quite a few times before Angel finally pulls Gin off of him and the intern is free to go.
"What the hell did you do that for?!" Angel yells in his face, obviously furious. A smart man would have just shut up and left her to stew in humiliation and guilt for being caught in the act.
However, Gin's jealously pushed away any reason and he yelled right back at her, "What is wrong with you, you idiot?! Don't belittle yourself by going with any man who calls you pretty! For Gods' sake woman, have a little class!"
And then my perfect daughter proceeded to punch Gin Koujo in the nose. He falls back on the floor with an 'oof' as Angel sweeps out of the room.
I look down at my wife to see her staring at them in surprise but utter glee. I raise an eyebrow, "You've been waiting for something like this to happen, haven't you?"
Mai giggles, "You talk to him. I'll get Angel." And then she's gone too.
I stay where I'm at while Gin climbs to his feet. He looks over at me, "What did you mean by that?"
Never one to sugar coat things, I just say, "I mean how you and my daughter have been in love with each other since you were children and my wife wishes for everyone to be happy."
He blanches, "H-huh?"
I raise an eyebrow, "You mean you aren't in love with Angel?"
Gin blushes, "W-well—"
"That's what I thought." I grumble, a little annoyed at the prospect of my first born growing up and falling in love. At least it's with someone I know. I walk forward and clap a hand down on the boy's shoulder, "Go talk to her. Trust me when I say, she'll forgive you. If she's anything like Mai— which she is— she'll forgive you. Mai can't hold a grudge against anyone to save her life and neither can my daughter."
Gin looks at me, "How can you be so cool about me loving your daughter?"
I let air out of my nose quickly, "I'm not, but if I screw this up for her, Mai will kill me." He nods, he head dropping to stare at the ground. I sigh, "Gin, listen," his head pops up and I stare in to his darker eyes, "I didn't get this far in life just staying on the safe side with my feelings. It's not like I haven't made mistakes. I've made more than I can count and Mai and I have been in more fights than anyone can really keep track of. But take my word for it when I say that it's all worth it. The fights, the waiting, the pain and rough parts. It's all out weighed by the sunlight."
He seems to understand what I mean, because he nods once. I hold out my hand for him to shake, which he does, and then he's off to find my daughter.
Mai caught cancer when she turned forty-eight. Leukemia. The kids were distraught when they first heard, Angel and Lu-Lu cried their eyes out. Adam was so angry his PK went wild and broke Mai's favorite vase and Christian just stared on in shock.
"All of you sit down and shut up." I snap. They freeze because I never seem to correct their behavior as much as I probably should. They all find their way to the couch that they'd all grown up with.
I sit down in front of them, and I tell them. I tell them that when their mother goes, I'll be going with her. I explain to everyone that the spell I used when the two of us were younger to save her linked my life force with her's, and that the minute her heart stopped beating, so would mine. I tell them not to cry or be depressed because their mother would kick my arse if I allowed that to happen.
Angel and Adam are angry at first. Their PK smashed everything in the immediate vicinity. Christine and Lu-Lu grabbed each others hands and comforted each other.
"How could you ask us not to grieve?" Adam gets in my face, "Dad, you and Mom are everything to us! I used to want to grow up to be just like—" he cuts himself off to punch a hole in my wall.
I glare at him, "You're fixing that." Then I feel my face soften as it sweeps over all of my kids, "You are all my pride and joy. I'm asking you not to grieve because your mother and I will be together. We'll be fine. You'll all see us soon or later— hopefully much later but I can't control that, unfortunately." I sigh and run a hand through my graying hair. I turn to my oldest daughter, "Angel, even though I'm not supposed to know this, you're pregnant, aren't you? For Gin?" Her face reddens, and I smirk, "I thought so. Instead of worrying about your mother and I, worry about that baby."
I turn to Christian, "You just got signed to a record label." He nods, not questioning how I know this information, "Focus on your music. It's brilliant and I like it. Your mother adores when I play for her. Especially my piano or guitar." His eyes widen because he doesn't know I can play any type of instrument.
I turn to Adam, "You just finished your apprenticeship, didn't you?"
He blanches, "How—"
"You've got yourself a career, son," I cut him off, "And I'm proud of you for that. I don't care what you're doing, as long as you love it." His eyes get misty.
Lastly, I turn to my youngest daughter, "And you, Lu-Lu, I know you've been taking my parapsychology tapes and listening to them. Do you really believe brail versions of every book in the house started appearing just because I wanted to have a new skill?" She blushes, "Let me tell you something sweetheart: I don't care if you're blind or not, you want to be ghost hunter and work at SPR? Do that. It doesn't matter that you're blind."
I turn and look back up at all of them. Their all watching me with water eyes and I can't help but smile at them, "Go on with your lives. Don't grieve for us because your mother and I will be together. It's where we belong, you know. Together. We both love you with everything in us, but it's time for us to go."
And that was that.
3rd Person's Point of View:
The night Mai and Naru died it was warm.
Mai could feel it coming. Her instincts hadn't given out even as she withered away in the bed. It sucked knowing you were going to die, but knowing that she wouldn't be alone helped. Yes, it was selfish and not like her at all, but years and years of having Naru by her side made her in to a selfish person for his company.
Naru is laying with her in the bed. He's just holding her with his eyes closed contently, looking just as handsome as he's always been.
"Naru?"
"Hm?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Mai."
And then a long beep fills the quiet night.
•
"Mai? Hey! Mai, wake up!"
Mai's eyes pop open to be staring at a young face. A familiar face. Who is this man?
Realization hits her and she grins, "Gene!" She throws her arms around him and he spins her around with laugh.
Gene grins, "Welcome to the afterlife, Mai. Also known as heaven, Hades, the Underworld, and several other things."
She tosses him a confused look, "So what exactly IS the afterlife?"
He shrugs, "Whatever you want it I be, but there is one perk." When Mai tilts he head, he gestures to a mirror. She then realizes she is standing in an old hospital room. Looking to the wall to see herself— but at nineteen years old. The last time Mai had looked in a mirror, she'd found herself to be paper thin and really pale. Now she looked like she had before her life had ever really started.
"Oh wow." Mai chokes out.
"Mai!" A deep voice calls. Mai turns to see Naru entering the room. He looks just as he did at twenty-one, with his classic black suit on. Mai grins and runs towards him, throwing her arms around the dark haired man. He pulls away quickly to kiss her briefly, then stares in to her eyes, "I love you."
Mai grins up at him, completely at peace, "I love you too."
"Oh my," a delicate voice says, "You're really pretty."
Mai steps away from Naru to turn once again and see a beautiful American girl. The familiar blond hair and gorgeous smile. Mai smiles warmly, "You must be Lucy. I'm Mai." It suddenly occurs to the brunette that Lucy had spoken in Japanese, but Mai was pretty sure she didn't know any Japanese.
When Lucy sees Mai's begruntled look, she grins, "Ah, yes. There's some type of odd magic here that allows us all to communicate in our native tongue. So no matter what language you speak, we can understand you."
Mai raises an eyebrow, but it's Naru who says, "That's odd."
Gene nods, moving to stand next to Lucy. Then he grins, "Mother and father are having tea in the garden. Do you want to come?"
Mai turns to look at Naru with pleading eyes, but he's nodding, already answering, "Yes. I could use some tea."
Gene laughs, "I figured. Wait until you two see Ayako and Monk. Even in the afterlife they're fighting." Lucy and Gene move towards the door.
The brunette looks back at the man she loves, "Do you think the kids are alright?"
He nods firmly, "I'm sure their fine, Mai. They ARE our kids."
Mai sighs, content with his answer, "You're right. Ready?"
He nods again, taking her hand and pulling her to towards the door, "I hope you know I'm only drinking the tea if you make it."
Mai can't help but laugh gleefully, "You are SUCH a tea-addict, Naru."
"And you're an idiot."
"And you're a jerk!"
"And you're a clutz."
"Ugh! Naru!"