Sorry for the late update! I forgot how tedious and time consuming school is! I have several other stories that I'm also working on, so we'll see how often I can post now. I hope it's rather frequently. Well, I hope you like this chapter!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter 7: Energy Repulsion
"I'm going for a walk," Gene announced, getting to his feet. Night had long ago fallen, and his legs had begun to cramp with how long he'd been sitting on the floor, his legs tucked beneath him, as midnight had slowly crept passed them. "All of the children should be asleep by now, or at least, Miss Anaga should be asleep."
"And what exactly do you plan to do while all those people are sleeping?" Ayako asked sternly. She couldn't exactly tell him that he couldn't go since his nausea had finally subsided, and she couldn't stand to stop him with Kamin sleeping against her chest. "Let me remind you of the amount of stress your body is already under and that you shouldn't be putting any more stress on it."
Gene rolled his eyes like the teenager he was, just managing to keep himself from scoffing. "Ayako, really, stop worrying so much. I'm just going to go snooping around. It's not like I'm going to go out and run a marathon around the building, or like, have marathon sex or something." He laughed at the visual that popped into his head. "Gods, I need sleep," he muttered.
"Yes, you do!" Ayako cried, grabbing his comment by the horns and dragging it towards her, "You really do need sleep. Being pregnant, you need more sleep than most. Maybe you should go do that instead of exploring."
"Nah, I think I'll stick to the snooping and exploring," Gene retorted, pulling the Base door open and stepping into the hallway.
"Hold on," Naru said wanting to stand, but like Ayako, he had Tamaki sleeping against his chest, a book smashed between their stomachs.
Yasu was on his feet before Naru could even say another word, sensing somehow what the tired father had been planning on ordering. He'd been spending way too much time at the office if he could intercept Naru's thoughts. That, or he was just really good at guessing. Both were probably true. "I'll go with him. My legs are stiff," he offered, stepping around Masako who was spacing out and John who had headphones pressed into his ears, soft melodies flowing from the tiny speakers.
"Cool, let's get going then. We've got a lot of ground to cover, and at most, an hour to do so before either Ash and his freakiness or someone else notices us," Gene said, standing to the side to allowing the ash-haired man to pass him. "We'll be back sometime soon. If anything happens… You'll probably hear us before you see us," Gene said, nodding towards the bank of monitors where almost every inch of the house was being filmed except for the bathrooms, showers and most of the more or less unoccupied rooms. Even the empty nursery was being filmed. Gene had a feeling he knew why, but he wouldn't voice the theory in the presence of the others.
Naru caught Gene's eyes. 'Don't be careless. You know how this house is.'
'I'm not stupid, Noll. I know that probably even better than you. I'll be careful. Don't worry, I won't endanger Mai's body.'
Naru's scowl deepened. 'I don't want to lose you again either, idiot.' His thought was a snarl.
Gene simply smiled back before ushering Yasu down the hall, letting the Base door slip shut.
"That boy is even more reckless than you," Lin muttered, glancing towards Naru as his fingers slowed on their keys. "It's nice to have him back."
Naru nodded in response, not really paying attention as he attempted to pry the book out from between him and Tamaki. It wasn't working as well as he'd hoped. His hand stilled as Tamaki shifted restlessly against his chest, murmuring quietly under his breath.
"I can see why he and Mai get along so well," Lin continued, unperturbed by Naru's divided attention.
Frowning, Naru looked up at his once ago guardian. "Why do you say that?"
Lin's eyebrow rose to try and meet his hairline. "You really are oblivious aren't you?" he asked, rolling his one visible eye. Before Naru could speak, he continued. "They're the same. The same personality. Nearly all of the same gifts. If Gene wasn't possessing her body, I would have thought he'd gotten reincarnated as Mai."
Scrunching up his nose at the thought, Naru scowled at Lin. "That's disturbing to think about."
"Yes, but you can't deny the truth of it."
Naru sighed. No, no he couldn't.
…..
Mai shut her eyes tight. Only is she had wings, just tiny little wings that could catch her. She wasn't sure if her spirit could be killed from a fall, especially a fall from that height, but she sure as hell wasn't looking forward to the pain she would have to endure afterwards. The bruises she'd somehow contracted days ago still hadn't healed. They weren't even faded. Her cuts were not much better, and now she was plummeting towards the cage floor at a speed that took her breath away.
"Mai!" the teenager shouted from her perch, unable to stop Mai's decent into the group of huddled bodies beneath her.
Suddenly, her body jerked to a stop much sooner than she thought it should have to hit the floor. Carefully, she cracked her eyes open and nearly screamed anyway. She hovered a near ten feet from the cage floor. The group that had been beneath her had evacuated to stand against the walls of the cage, pressing their bodies as close to the metal as they dared to with the creeper vines and thorns still wrapped around the bars. Only one body stood beneath her, a small Hispanic boy with his arms out. "Don't scream, okay?" he told her, staring up at her. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown very similar to her own.
"What?" Mai whispered, her voice sounding terrified even to her own ears. He didn't give her time to interpret his intentions. One second she was floating, and the next she was falling again. The boy caught her easily, his arms wiry, but strong. A squeak slipped passed her lips.
"There, no harm done," the boy said, setting her on her feet. He was a little larger than she'd first thought from seeing him from above, but he was still small. Short than her, he only came up to her nose. His waist from probably three inches smaller than hers, but his chest had been hard, sinewy muscle, like a swimmer, under her hands. He stepped cautiously away from her, still holding onto her forearms to keep her steady.
Breathing hard, Mai gasped out, "Y-you have t-telekinesis."
The boy nodded. "I don't get to use it very often being stuck in here, but yeah. You're lucky I have it too. That fall could have left you crippled and vulnerable for a long time, but wouldn't have killed you. You would have been royally screwed then."
Mai nodded her agreement, rubbing at her temples. "Thank you. What… what's your name?"
The boy had curly dark brown hair that tickled at his ears and twisted against the skin of his forehead. He stared at her, narrowing his eyes for a moment. He was opening his mouth to respond when the girl on the swing swung down, landing beside Mai. "Always just in time, Desi. Thank god for you!" she cried, grabbing the boy's shoulders and kissing him on the cheek.
His cheeks flared red under his tanned skin, but the teen didn't even seem to notice. "Well, as Nat just told you, my name is Desiderio, but you can call me Desi. It's shorter and easier to say. Her name is Natalia, since I never heard her introduce herself."
"You can call me Nat," the teen said with a wide grin, flashing straight white teeth.
"Natalia… Are you Russian?" Mai asked tentatively, finally letting go of Desi's arms, standing straight.
Nat shook her head. "No, I'm English and Japanese. I guess my mother just wanted a name that was close to Natalie, but sounded better." She shrugged.
"And you're…" Mai trailed off, looking to Desi.
"Cuban mostly. I was living on the Yokota Air Force base before I ended up here," he supplied, crossing his arms over his thin chest.
Mai frowned. "Did he approach you before you came here?"
Desi nodded. "He approached all of us before he added us to his collection, but you… He's very invested in you. I have never seen him try so hard to capture someone before. It's odd. Jealousy of that group of hers?" The question was directed at Nat who pursed her lips.
"Possibly. Maybe she is just more unique than the rest of us. You know how he loves the especially unique ones," Nat said, her red eyes skimming over Mai with a critical eye, like she could decipher exactly what made Ash pine for her just by looking over her person.
Mai didn't think it was that simple. "Um, I'm right here. Please don't talk about me like I'm not…" Her words trailed off as she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. Slowly, horror seeping into the deepest core of her being, she turned her eyes to the movement, hoping against all hope that it wasn't what she thought. Her heart stopped in her chest as they slid over the one person she'd hoped never to see in this place.
"Mommy," Tamaki whispered, peering through the bars at her. Glancing up at the creeper vines and thorns, he reached out a curious finger, running it along the green flesh of the plant. The vine instantly shrank away from his touch, making space on the bars for him. "Mommy," he called again quietly.
Mai rushed for the bars, skinning her knees on the metal cage floor as she slid to a halt in front of him. "Oh my god, Tamaki, Tamaki, it's been so long," she whispered, tears choking her throat as she pushed her hands through the bars, running them along his cheeks and through his hair. The realization of their situation hit her like a train, and all of her joy at seeing on of her children again was eclipsed. "Tamaki, you can't be here. It's very dangerous here. You can't be caught here," she whispered frantically, but she couldn't let go of him. She wished that she could pull him against her chest, feel his warmth for the first time in three months.
"Mommy, why are you in that cage? You have bruises like Daddy Gene has. And cuts. Are you hurt?" he asked, completely ignoring what she was telling him.
Mai shook her head quickly. "No, sweetie, not badly. You have to go though, right now. You can't be here any longer." The vines were already creeping back towards them, and she wasn't sure if they would be scared away by Tamaki's energy again.
"But Mommy, Daddy needs you. He's really sad. Can't you get out of this cage?" he asked, resting his hands on the razor-bladed edge of the cage, but nothing seemed to happen to him.
"I know, I know, I've very sad too, but I can't get out. Not yet. Don't worry. I'll be back soon, but right now, you have to wake up. You have to wake up, Tamaki," Mai whispered, clutching his shoulders.
"But-"
Mai cut him off. "No, buts. Wake up, now. Wake up." She paused, her brain working feverishly to come up with a valid reason for the boy to wake. "I have a job that only you can do."
Tamaki's eyes sparkled. "Really?"
"Yes, but you have to promise to do it right now. It can't wait." Tamaki nodded his understanding. "You're going to have to wake up. When you wake up, tell Daddy what happened in your dream, alright? Then I need you to tell Daddy Gene that I think a connected soul with enough energy is the only way to open the cage. He'll understand what I'm talking about. Do you have it?" she told him quickly, glancing around the black void.
Tamaki nodded, his face going serious. "Yes, I've got it, Mommy."
"Okay, now run. Run and wake up. Go. Now." She pulled him close enough to the bars to press a kiss to his forehead. "I love you, and I love Daddy, and I love Kamin. Tell everyone that I love and miss them, and don't forget your job. Now, go. As fast as you can."
Without another word, Tamaki turned and sprinted away into the darkness, leaving Mai to jerk away from the bars as the creeper vines dropped down once more. She stared after him longingly, ignoring the whispers of the others around her. She needed to get out of here, and she was going to do it with or without help.
There you go. Hope it was good enough. Next chapter will have to do specifically with where Gene and Yasu disappeared to, and maybe a little more Naru/Gene back story and whatnot. See you next time!