'Click'
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. All songs used inside belong to respective singers and are just used for making the mood. No infringement is intended. But I do own the so-called video game 'Tale Of Talons.' As if I could own something real….
A/N: Here comes the grand moment that you've all been waiting for (or not, depends completely) – yes it's the ending and even though I'm slightly disappointed that this is going to end but it's been wonderful just writing this piece and I think I've discovered a bit of myself in the process.
My sincere thanks to all who have stuck to this story and have been appreciating it ever since I started this – though initially I didn't plan it like this but I'm really happy with the result. Love and cookies to all the favoriters, followers and reviewers :D
Guest: Thank you! Have a cookie
Bloodydeathgirl: I'm glad you missed me, I missed writing this piece and just had to get back! Do try what I've said – I'll like to get in correspondence with you. Have a cookie! :D
Ferb O. Oche: This one's for you! Thanks for sticking throughout :D
Naruisawesome: My special cookies for you! I love Naru's cousins as well – this story wouldn't be funny and exciting without their interference, don't you think?
myheart'sflight, 14AmyChan, CrazyAnimeFan1228, xSapphirexRosesxFanx and NaginiFay : my cookies are for you all – you people are the reason I took the time to sweat over this epilogue. Thank you sooooo much
Summary: Epilogue – 'Although they say that all great journeys end one day but SPR knows better; for their journeys have just started – their beginnings have just come forth. See our characters as they learn what life means and how emotions and fate intertwine to change everything.'
In Which Madoka Mori Appreciates A Lost Battle…
6 Months Since The Incident.
She growled, positioning her hand to hit straight where she wanted it to – everyone knew that fair play was a lost notion when it came to her.
Dodge.
She had never been able to successfully dodge the blows he sent hurtling towards her; they always seemed to strike somewhere and it had never been easy pretending that no pain was caused.
Kick.
Especially when aforementioned man was tall, heavy and could fight blindfolded. Not that the bangs that perpetually hung over his right eye were less effective than the blindfold. But no, he could even fight with his both hands tied which just meant that Madoka Mori had never been able to win at Karate before.
Seriously annoying.
"Oi, Lin!" She feigned exhaustion and placed her hands on her knees. "I deserve a break."
He had the nerve to smirk at her! At a time when she was mentally calculating how much blame would be cast upon her if he suddenly died of food poisoning. Actually, she winced, everyone would accuse her – she had always been a teeny bit too extreme in her schemes of vengeance.
Though poisoning was a delicious idea…cue the evil cackle.
"Madoka." There was sarcasm dripping from his words, he had never been subtle when talking to people. "I never knew that you were losing your touch in this too. Old age is to blame perhaps."
She gritted her teeth and then swallowed, her eyes flicking over to his left foot that seemed to be the perfect spot for her to hit on, if she could just throw all her momentum and destroy his balance – maybe then he would be defeated…
In the meantime he was to be kept away from Monk at all costs, Ayako may appreciate being called an old hag but Madoka detested it like she detested being defeated – which always happened with Lin somewhere in the vicinity.
"Lin." She stood up, her chin poised regally. "If you concentrated upon actually fighting – "
She accentuated her words with a strike at his foot and he crouched back, dodging just in time.
Damn!
"Concentration." He smirked, assuming his next stance. "Is what you need to learn about, Mori. You're always losing."
Wrong move. He was making the wrong move even trying to mess with her.
"Although I may not defeat you at this every-time –" She huffed in agitation as he dodged another strike. "Do remember that my spying techniques have never failed before. You don't want yourself in such a position, do you Lin-san?"
He scoffed and waved off her confidence.
She tried to remember the time when she actually realized that she was falling for him; she remembered the day when he had sat next to her at university and how they had challenged each other through written notes, silently, carrying a witty conversation until the Professor had coughed in their direction. She remembered how her cheeks had reddened (uncharacteristically) when Lin had smirked at her and then gathered his books at the end of the class.
It had all begun on that day – not to forget that she still had those notes in her drawer and occasionally read them to liven her mood.
Amidst all her musings, Madoka completely forgot that she had been in the middle of a very important match of Karate and was bought back to earthly pain when Lin's hand swung her arm with all his strength and slammed her onto the floor.
"Concentrate Mori." He laughed menacingly; men were such beasts when it came to rivalry. "Or perhaps you'd like to be flung to the other side of the room, for the sake of your wits."
He elbowed her again, wiping all thoughts from her mind leaving her numb as her mind failed to process as it did in normal.
And she was falling again.
Falling to the floor….not in love.
Not with him and then the perfect plan struck her and she put all her restless anger in it. If Lin was good at punching people and making them feel bad about themselves, then she was capable of making people feel good about themselves. Madoka actually cackled this time, making people feel good about themselves and then degrading them hurt much, much more.
And of course, Lin had never been able to handle situations where emotions put their toes in.
"Lin." She winced, just to accentuate her marvelous skills. "You're wonderful at this."
Internally she growled as he raised an eyebrow in suspicion at her sudden timidity.
"Madoka –"
"I love you."
Well; that wasn't a complete lie now, was it?
She watched as his demeanor changed from scornful and dominating to suspicious and then to a grin somewhere between mockery and happiness.
Men.
"Why thank you Madoka." He chuckled, gathering the equipment they had strewn over the floor and then sauntering towards the exit of the sports room. "I believe I already knew that."
"I'm not joking."
She wasn't….honestly.
And he actually turned around this time, a slight shift in his expression, something in his eyes that turned her brain to jelly and made her stomach do odd flips.
"What do you mean." Each word was enunciated and emphasized as if he was trying to decide what exactly she meant by that statement; she loved the control she had over his expression so she smiled wildly.
"After all these years…" Well since she was being so honest, she should go ahead with expressing things the right way. "I think the urge to murder you has diminished."
"That's an improvement."
She laughed, high and clear and for a moment was mesmerized by the hidden glint in his eye that the sun caught and highlighted brightly.
"And, I think that I just, just might love you." She chuckled, sweeping her hair into a ponytail. "Don't you think that's funny – everyone who meets us keeps on saying that we are a couple."
"It seemed like a rather hideous idea."
Somehow, her heart twanged and she felt as if her own game (partially honest) was turning upon herself, oddly she couldn't bring herself to care and all she knew was that he needed to know.
After all these years, he needed to know.
"Why?" Her head snapped up when she heard his voice echo around the gym, crisp and clear as if they were discussing a business proposition.
Maybe, just maybe she shouldn't reveal all to him right now; he would be frightened by the magnitude of emotions she held for him and that would be enough for him to distance himself.
"Well…" She elongated the word and absently twirled a burgundy strand around her finger. "There are many reasons."
"Such as –"
Patience, Lin.
"Hmm…" Madoka smiled slyly as she held up a finger, ticking the points off. "One for the money, two for the show…"
He stared at her as if she'd been labeled as a Martian.
"And the third reason!" She turned to him, flexing her leg and winked. "The third reason you need not know."
There was another silence around them and Madoka turned away from him, suddenly feeling ill; this wasn't how she had planned it would go, she shouldn't have said that, what had she been thinking!? All this scheming from her side chased men away! Why couldn't she just turn around and tell him the real thing?!
He coughed and she dreaded facing him, dreaded that the previously funny moment would turn into her worst nightmare so all Madoka could do was clamp her eyes shut and grit her teeth as if that would stop the growl in her throat from getting out.
"Madoka –"
"I'm sorry, I just don't know –"
"Madoka –"
"All this time when we were here, I just wished that –"
"Madoka." This time he came to her side and held her shoulders, his expression stoic as usual and she refused to open her eyes. "Are you hungry?"
Huh?
Her eyes snapped open but he had already turned away from her and was heading towards the door.
"I'm taking you to lunch."
Huh?
"Meet me downstairs in ten."
Huh?
"Lin! Stop! I –"
He just laughed, the sound unique, soothing as it reverberated in the room.
"That was a very original confession."
Had he understood?
"Lin –"
"I'll keep those points in mind."
B-but she had meant to…
"B-but Lin -!"
He just laughed at her and then shook his head as if thoroughly amused by all her spluttering.
"Mori, you are one of a kind."
She blankly stared at the gym door as it closed after him and for a moment she was sure that her world had tilted itself on its axis and that the world was ending.
A bright smile stretched over her face as she skipped, a bubbling of laughter emitting from her throat and Madoka Mori knew that everything was right in the world as it should be.
Did that mean she could challenge him to another match for Karate?
"Oh Liiiiinnn –!"
And nothing could be better than being understood to that extent.
In Which Our Celebrity Medium Is Infected By Our Mischief-Maker
Two Years Since The Incident…
It was hard to believe that just two years ago they had been sitting in the same café planning on how to get the world's two most stubborn idiots together.
"It's been too long." She sighed, looking out at the cityscape, the lights and the mere wind of life. "Everything is changing. I can just sense it, but I think it's for the best."
It was even more hard to believe that while the aforementioned idiots had decided to not get together just yet, SPR's medium and the ever-old mischief maker had continued their routine of meeting at the café, without fail for the past four years.
The man sitting across from her smirked slightly and cocked his head in a thoughtful way.
"I don't know." He chuckled, crossing his arms and leaned back. "Things like your philosophy have always sailed right over my head and you know it, don't you?"
She nodded, barely trying to contain her smile. She was beginning to laugh more than she had ever done in the past, she was beginning to do things she had never done normally before, she wanted to sing, she wanted to laugh, she wanted to argue and she wanted to know people; truly.
It was strange how love could change her from a celebrity medium to just Masako Hara, an eighteen year old girl.
"I know that you don't ponder Yasu." She teased him, keeping her face nonchalant. "But at least try to sense the connection."
In response to her statement, Osamu Yasuhara crinkled his nose as if pretending to sniff. The result was that Masako had been reduced to a laughing mess while Yasu smiled, looking at the ring that glinted on her finger, flashing off the glasses and the spoons.
"Say Masako-san." He leaned forward, his face the picture of innocence. "Why is it that I can't smell this connection?"
She tried very hard not to let her lips twitch as they did.
"Well maybe because you're getting old Yasuhara-san."
He sighed as if his life was a burden weighing tons and then pinched his nose bridge.
"Yes, I'm afraid so." He sighed again, this time more melodramatically. "Being one hundred and seven of age, my senses fail to serve me as they did."
And this time she did not contain her laughter and exploded into giggles all the while wondering how her serious thought could be so twisted into some joke about his so-thought age.
She had never enjoyed her life so much; it had always been insecure, she had been living it in the most perfunctory of manners, always jostling in the marathon for the best, proving her worth to her family.
Now she was living for herself and it was because of him.
"If only your father would've let us marry next month." He grumbled petulantly. "And if only the food would arrive earlier. I'm hungry."
He was always hungry.
As for her father, Masako thought wryly, he had been utterly charmed by Yasu when the latter had walked into their mansion as if he owned the estate, marched up to her father's study and then demanded her hand in marriage. Needless to say, Yasu behaved in an aristocratic manner with all his charming smiles on and then after fifteen minutes of talking with her father, who assented readily; they both were engaged.
Even after her parents had known that Yasu was not as rich as them. Her father had just said that character mattered and her mother had pronounced Yasu as a delightful young man.
To say she was surprised at her competitive father's statement was an understatement. Though she heartily agreed with her mother.
"Father has never been made to agree to anything so easily." She swirled her juice, thoughtfully. "I still don't understand how you managed to talk to him so. Even mother talks about nothing but you; if you don't marry me next year, I'm sure one or two of my cousins will be happy to fill for me, after mother's vivid descriptions."
He grinned impishly.
"The joys of having such people for in-laws." Yasu tilted his head slightly, a sheepish expression on his face. "It's extremely good to know that I don't have to worry about finding a wife if you die early."
She raised an eyebrow; trying to ignore the sudden pangs in her gut.
"No maybe not rid of you." He waved a hand as if to swat away any bad emotions, noticing the hurt streak in her eyes. "Your arctic glare has changed my mind."
Masako sighed – after realizing that she had been blackmailing Oliver for nothing if only fooling herself, Masako was not sure she would know her mind but with Yasu; things were becoming certain, vivid and she seemed not to want anything more.
She had hated him at first; for all his flirtatious ways, for his good natured talk with every girl except her, for being the first man to make her think twice when she thought she was intelligent enough to not think once, one man who wasn't after her money, fame, beauty. He was one man who held her because he wanted to, joked with her, shared his thoughts and had the ability to make her quiver.
Quite literally.
But then there was the fact that she was still too jealous when any woman even so much as cast her eyes towards Yasu.
After a companionable silence she sensed Yasu looking at her intently so she raised her head and met his gaze; seeing many things at once – affection, love, longing and then she was sure that they could have sit over there and just stared at each other for a century, if possible.
"I'm marrying the most sensible woman on earth." He said, shooting a glance to her ring. "And I can't believe she's still there."
She was blushing but she did not mind it one bit.
"Why are you still here?"
It was a strange question coming from a person like him and she looked straight up to see a roguish grin on his face with that glint in his eyes that she had always loved.
Which she would always love.
She needed him…she needed him to be there for her, smiling each time, he made her want to smile, he made her want to feel things she had never felt, he made her feel so protected and he was so strong. So utterly strong that nothing seemed to scare her anymore.
He was infectious in all his good ways.
"I don't think you want me to confess again Yasu." Masako narrowed her eyes. "Wait, are you just fishing for compliments?"
"Oh you wound me." He grinned rakishly. "But perhaps, I'd like to be complimented by my fiancée."
"Well," Masako looked at her hands intertwined on the table and then glanced up again. "You're the most handsome man I've come across."
"Big Boss doesn't like competition."
"He was nothing beside you." Masako sighed exasperatedly. "He doesn't – he never made me feel safe –"
"And I make you feel safe?" Yasu took off his glasses, glancing at her in incredulity. "Need I make you recall all the times I snuck you out of your house at night, how many trees we've climbed to my bedroom window or oh, how we were caught by that obnoxious maid of yours. I've put you in danger, Masako."
"Thank you for the reminder but I fired that maid." During all this banter, she had come to realize something; she wasn't the only one afraid that Yasu would leave her but Yasu, he was just as afraid. "I d-didn't feel protected with him and being with him always hurt me afterwards. He didn't make me laugh, for all I know, he never engaged me in a conversation."
"I make you laugh." Yasu slowly repeated as if allowing the words to sink in. "Delightful. At least we'll have an amusing life. I'll have some jokes to depart to our future generations."
She laughed openly and decided to list all the reasons that crossed her mind.
"And we can always gossip at parties."
Yasu grinned and leaned forward, conspirationally.
"Maybe we'll try to have Boss man and Mai-chan together."
"Perhaps we'll play the matchmakers."
"And you'll be mine. Forever." He winked at her and Masako lost her heart once more, just as she did every time Yasu so much as looked at her and smiled warmly.
And that was just what she wanted the most.
In Which The Miko Lost Her Heart to The Monk.
One Year Since The Incident…
Ayako Matsuzaki took a deep breath to compose herself and then revved the engine of her Porsche.
She would just go there to see if he was alright, he had gotten a bandage to his head in the last case and it wouldn't do if he fainted or the wound opened. So it would be good if the band had a doctor in the vicinity of their latest concert; not, she reminded herself firmly, because she wanted to actually be at the concert, it wasn't as if she was missing him.
Right.
"It's my duty." She gritted her teeth and swerved the car. "I absolutely refuse to acknowledge the fact that I miss that perverted man, I'm just going because we need him for the next case and he shouldn't open the wound."
In all actuality, even she knew that she just wanted to go to his concert and see him playing in front of her eyes. She was turning into a sentimental old woman but for now, she couldn't complain too much. Her mother had raised an eyebrow in question when she had marched up to her, not more than half an hour ago, and told her that she was leaving her duty earlier.
And now she was here…
Draping her coat over her elbow, she glanced at the car's mirror nervously and let her hair down from the tight bun; rivulets of fiery red tumbled down her waist and she combed it with her hand. Deciding that she looked passably attractive, Ayako strode over to the concert hall, wishing all the time that she would run into him somehow so she wouldn't have to go inside but she knew that he was playing and so she joined the crowd.
There was music all around her, loud yet so soothing that she immediately forgot everything as she looked up at the stage.
And there he was, playing bass and enjoying every moment of it from the looks, he was singing the bridges of the song too and Ayako Matsuzaki knew that she was a lost battle today.
He looked so…himself, the bandage around his head had been covered by a black head band with his bangs in his golden-brown eyes.
Suddenly, the music possessed her – it started with minimum response, she was simply tapping her foot against the floor, then her fingers gained energy and she strummed them along with the beats and then she was whistling and singing along with the crowd. There was freedom to this, freedom and a strange type of anticipation that ran in her veins; highlighted by the colorful lights blinding her – it was all too…
And then Monk threw his jacket at the crowd and some squealing ninny caught hold of it and pressed it to her heart. On the other hand, Ayako resisted the urge to gag and gouge the offensive woman's eyes out.
The drums struck the last beat, the ending lines were sung, chords were struck and for a moment there was a silence in the crowd before the deafening claps thundered in the hall and Ayako was trampled by fans trying to reach the stage for autographs. There was a strange rush of static that hung in the room, charging with energy but despite her cheery surroundings Ayako knew the hollow sensation in her gut; it was too familiar.
It was a feeling similar to the one she got when she was alone in her childhood, rebellious, fiery and running from the people around her; running towards trees – wishing that somebody would pay her more attention, wishing that somebody would believe her, trust her.
Only this time, in the concert hall, it took the shape of knives – vicious and Ayako was struck with the shallowness of those in the hall.
She felt alone…far too lonely for her tastes.
There was shouting around her, squealing, whistles and claps and for a moment she wished that she had never come here but that was all before she felt a pair of eyes on her. She inserted a finger in her ear to keep the din out and even backed out slowly but the gaze seemed to be following her relentlessly.
And then the owner of that gaze connected with hers.
Takigawa looked shocked, astounded and his mouth hung open as he stared at her; he knew she detested crowds, loud music or any din otherwise and to see her standing in the concert hall amidst so many of his fans left him gaping like a goldfish.
Except that the gapes suited the goldfishes, not, old men who played bass for a living and transformed head bandages into bands.
Slowly a smile crept up his face and turned annoyingly knowing as if he had possessed all her secrets. Which he had no doubt but she wasn't going to tell him, was she?
Was she?
Her inner thoughts were met with silence.
But that was before she caught Monk's gaze again and he winked at her.
Winked?
WINKED?!
Good Lord, what was – how was this – how could he do…
Do. Not. Swoon…..
And that was how, Ayako Matsuzaki, came to realize that she was falling in a ditch – which old flippant poets and insane men named love and the realization left her breathless, her world spinning, dissolving into bright colors and music playing in the background.
Music?
She decided not to mind much as she unlocked her phone's screen, staring at the text just sent to her.
To: Old Hag.
From: Dashing Bassist.
Ayako,
Dinner? You wouldn't mind much if you gave the treat (I did have a successful album opening today) since I forgot my wallet back at home today. My head hurts like hell.
P.S: Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, bring your bloody purse. It opens a wound faster than anything and knowing you, you'll be hitting me till I'm covered in blood.
Her face cracked into a smile and she simply sent a 'yes' to him;suddenly too weary to start a retort match with him but underneath even she knew that there was something between them that they needed to grasp, now that she knew, she would have to wait for Monk to realize, for him to make the first move.
Till then she had to wait, till then she needed to hide her loneliness form his knowing glance.
After all tomorrow was another day…
In Which Our Heroine's Nightmares Bring Her Closer To Our Hero.
Two Years Since The Incident…
Her nightmare started off unusually that day.
It was difficult at first to discern whether this was a dream or another of her horrible visions but soon it became apparent to Mai that despite the lush meadows around her and the breeze ruffling her hair that this was a nightmare; one that would cut her deep.
It was a feeling that hung in the air, almost tangible – within her grasp but she couldn't do anything except wait for it to come around and let her fear show itself.
Mai surveyed her surroundings warily; willing herself to not crouch into a ball; somewhere afar church bells started ringing; their rings becoming callously hard and cacophonous as each second passed by.
As if warning her.
"Murderer."
She turned her head sharply but couldn't discern the direction of the silent whisper which had floated with the wind. The expanse of green, level land before her stretched endlessly and almost invited her to walk around; a gentle breeze blew past her and she sighed wearily, walking around, waiting for her real self to regain consciousness.
"You are a murderer."
Mai Taniyama had long lost stopped harboring the notion that her sleep would bring oblivion and peace to her.
She had long ago stopped wondering when the visions would change; when this mental abuse would stop and she could lay her head on the pillow and expect complete obscurity from this world. She had long known that there was no option out of this, no way to tame her subconscious – even Naru told her that all she could do was wait for them to stop and channel her powers into something less tiring.
She hadn't listened to him (no surprise there) – she tried for sleeping pills, therapy, keeping herself awake, anything that could help her get over the nightmares that haunted her nights but nothing would let her pull through. No one from the team realized her nightly predicament at first, nor did they now, except Naru who guessed the whole situation and had her spill the beans when he noticed that she was getting too thin and shades of purple were emerging beneath her eyes.
She had cried in his office that day, uncontrollably as if crying would make it all vanish.
Crying hadn't – but Naru did. He was too kind that day, putting his jacket around her shoulders and letting her ramble on and on about her dreams until she didn't even have the energy for tears to leak out of her eyes. Then she had fainted over him and by the accounts from the Irregulars, Naru had been a touch bit too gentle for a narcissistic boss and had then lectured them about the need for keeping Mai safe and taking her care – Monk and Yasu even went to the lengths to quote him when he was growling at them; 'make time out of useless lives to look at her condition', 'if I see her in this condition one more time none of you is going to see the next dawn', 'are you blind or is it brain cell deficiency in you?'
And now as she tethered on the verge of sleep and consciousness, she realized another thing; she couldn't live without Naru. It was as simple as that – she needed him and he needed her…
No, even her sleep addled mind knew that those thoughts were dangerous territory, don't think of him.
Down below her was a graveyard and she absently walked towards it, not knowing what to expect in the least except the fact that she could do nothing about her situation now. The voice repeated firmly but Mai decided not to pay it any attention because it appeared to be a figment of her imagination.
"I hate you."
There were many graves over there; looking to be of those people who were either rich or greatly honored since the white stone was spotless with the epitaphs and inscriptions perfectly visible and legible to even the weakest of eyes.
"You're a murderer. I hate you. You're a murderer. I hate you."
Wherever she turned, Mai did not sense any sign of anybody else being in her dream landscape yet the voice was barely audible but insistent and she suddenly had the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Her heart beat quickened and a sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead.
Death.
And then her eye caught a name on one of the grave inscriptions and her heart stopped beating altogether.
'In the memory of –
Oliver Davis
Born – 19th September
Whose memories will remain with us even after his death'
No.
"He died because of you, Mai."
No. No. No.
Naru wasn't – he just couldn't be – this wasn't happening…how could he die, how could he even –
"He died because of you."
"No!" She screamed wildly, her mind numb with hysteria slowly taking place. "No!"
"It happened because of you, Mai."
"No! Please stop it! Don't let him go!"
"Everything happens because of you. You're a burden."
Her eyes widened and she felt her head snap up in anger and desperation at the words – the images of the inscription flashed rampantly in her mind and all she could do to save herself from this was curl in a ball and sob, wallowing in her self-pity.
How could he die? How dare he even leave her alone? What would she do without him.
"You're a murderer, Mai."
Before she could make light of anything, her own self appeared in front of her; an apparition of her but older and the image knelt down before her, expressionless.
It spoke and even though no words came out, Mai could clearly decipher the words her other self was whispering.
"You killed him."
And amidst her own screaming she woke up in cold sweat, her hands clenched, a mixture of sweat and tears running along the side of her face, with nothing but her own panting and sobs to companion.
"Oh my God." She whispered, absently rubbing her tears with one hand clenched to her heart. "Oh, I – "
He had died.
He had left her alone in that dream and she could do nothing about it; it pained her to be so helpless, to know that she couldn't even bear the idea of his death; the one man she loved with all she had and he just couldn't leave her alone – could he?
Silence had never been excruciating before but now it rang in her room, letting a deep discomfort settle in her chest.
Sniffing as the unshed tears burned her eyes, Mai took hold of her cell phone and dialed Naru's number; somehow in her heart she knew that he would receive her call even if in the deepest of sleep because Naru had never disappointed her before, he had her trust. She just wanted to hear his voice now, as if that could remove all her fears and it all came to her like an avalanche, every feeling, every emotion, everything that she –
It was helpless really, she thought, the least I can do in this case is face it bravely.
The rings of her outgoing call were in time for the skips of her heart as Mai willed her heartbeat to calm down so she could think but apparently her mind had been wiped off every specific function because she felt rather like a single-celled organism.
All too suddenly, the familiar voice was speaking over the phone, slightly anxious.
"Mai?"
Mai inhaled freely, trying to force her mind into action but nothing came up except all her doubts and her fears and the recent nightmare which had thoroughly shaken her to her core.
So she said nothing, savoring the relief that came over with his voice communicating with her.
"Mai?" There was a pause on the other side as if Naru was contemplating something. "Mai, are you alright?"
She just inhaled, letting tears flood, letting them obscure her vision thoroughly.
"Naru." That was the most intelligent answer she could muster in response to his questions. Her voice was nothing but a rasp and it shook with vigor but she didn't care; everything inside her – the tension, the fear it all crumbled into a heap.
She was almost sure that she heard him swear in English but she couldn't bring herself to comment and just strangled her silent sobs.
"Mai." Authority was seeping from his voice and she knew he was edgy but her words were so mixed, her tongue so tied up that – "Mai, you will speak to me this instant or I'm coming to your house – propriety be damned."
In spite of herself – she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled inside her when she heard him resuming the usual aristocratic air. And before she could stop herself she was laughing.
Or was it crying?
"Idiot." She could almost sense his relief over the phone as he realized that nothing was wrong – yet. "What happened?"
"I'm sorry."
Sorry that I worry you, sorry that you have to save me all the time even if you don't want to, sorry that with me everything tends to escalate into pandemonium, sorry that you wouldn't let me love you even if I so desperately want to.
Instead she exhaled, to steady her nerves.
"'I am sorry.'" He repeated as if trying to absorb the situation but his tone descended to condescension. "Let me guess – you've developed a habit of calling people at midnight just to laugh."
Anger bubbled inside Mai, quickly replacing the previous torrent of emotions and she growled in the phone.
"Excuse me you jerk!" She felt her fists clench. "I had a reason for calling! But then I heard your voice and –"
She stiffened – she didn't want to tell him the real reason, she hadn't wanted him to worry all over this; she just wanted to hear his voice to reassure herself but then….
He wouldn't mind terribly if she hung up on him, would he?
"Don't even think of ending this call." It was amazing how he always knew the mechanics of her mind. "You had a nightmare didn't you?"
She swallowed, contemplating the answer.
"Yes – but it was nothing big. I was just scared and I think I called you in panic – please go to sleep now, thanks for attending the call, Naru." And she was just about to disconnect the call when she heard him sigh, frustrated.
"Someone died this time." She frowned at the phone as if trying to decide if he had some passage into her brain. "Who died, Mai?"
The avalanche of feelings came again and she almost inhaled as if the pain was physically hurting.
"I – Naru, please don't force me. I'm alright now, it was just a silly dream, really."
"Mai. I could come over and force the answer from you anyway."
She gulped and then gripped her phone to regain some lost composure.
"I saw you die Naru."
Her weak whimper was met with absolute silence.
"And I was so scared, I felt as if somebody had, it was awful, I saw your grave Naru and I just couldn't do anything – I was just too helpless, I –"
The silence was so unbearable that she inhaled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.
"I'm alive. Mai." His voice was hoarse and he immediately cleared his throat. "Don't exert yourself on my account. Go back to sleep."
"It was awful, Naru – the graveyard, the whispering –"
"Mai." And the soft undertone shocked her and smoothed her fears into oblivion. "I'm alive."
Mai let her shoulders slump.
"Now go to sleep." The soft lilt to his voice was gone and she knew that the impregnable façade was back up. "I'll see you tomorrow."
And suddenly tomorrow seemed like a promise, lightening her from inside out – before she could know it, she was already smiling fondly.
"Good Night."
He didn't bother answering her greet so she just imagined it and the let her tired body drop to the warm bed; thinking all about him.
Tomorrow.
She would see him tomorrow but they would argue, she would slip more honey into his tea as revenge and he would berate her all day for it – they would be travelling in crazy circles but there would be an end to it, someday.
An end with a new beginning.
And Mai Taniyama slept peacefully that night, her mind quiet but content with the promise of tomorrow – with the promise of their usual routine that usually ended up with her falling more for that impossible man.
But at that moment, everything seemed possible – miraculously everything seemed incredulously impossible with Naru at her side.
This was clarity…and her reality.
In Which Birthdays Become Fairly Enlightening For Our Hero
Four Years Since The Incident…
Twenty.
Idly, the young scientist proceeded to subtract sixteen from twenty and then frowned at the resultant numerical that flashed in his brain.
Four.
Four years since that day when his insured camera was broken and Lin was restricted to the hospital bed with a sprained ankle. Four years since the day when he checked up at her school and with all the subtlety he could manage, inquired if the petite orphan would be interested in being his assistant. Four years since he realized that there was a life vast outside the one he lived and it was full to the cusp with people who were willing to care for him.
Four years since he fell in love with the same orphan who he was determined to keep away from, for her own sake.
And four years since he had kept her so close to his side – just for his own selfish satisfaction.
Oliver Davis inhaled mentally, his weary disposition observing the vivacity around him and once again since the past four years, Oliver Davis truly felt alone in this world.
An odd one out amongst the life of party, a shadow amongst the daylight of laughter, music and chatter, an observer merely examining how the years fled past him and how he was unable to do anything to halt them and do what he wished to do. Takigawa was singing some absurd song which frequently earned him some claps and hoots from the other members, Lin stood in a corner but he was far from alone, Madoka was clinging to his arm and chattering away. Yasuhara and Hara-san were talking too. Matsuzaki and John were in the kitchen most probably preparing the cake for Mai's birthday which lead him to recount why exactly was he at a place where nobody would have seen him a few years ago.
They were planning a surprise.
It was Mai's twentieth birthday and he knew he had to come; she needed him to keep her out of trouble and no matter how he tried to act irritated with it, secretly it pleased him to know that Mai needed him in her life for some warped reason.
Now if he could just corner her today and deliver the speech he had written yesterday – substitution for his twin be damned. It was making an idiot of him, all this waiting – he was a man and a strong one who did not moon at least; if he wanted Mai then he'd have to tell her, he'd have to do it properly…
He blinked when he felt a hand upon his arm and looked up to see Lin looming above him, a grim look on his face.
"We need to discuss something Noll." Naru had been expecting Lin to make the statement but instead Madoka appeared to have cut Lin to it. Both of his mentors shot a look in the other direction and all of the Irregulars started to approach them, encircling Naru.
This was not normal, they were encircling him like he was a juvenile delinquent.
"What's going on?"
He was suspicious of course, they all had a look on their face that gave the impression that they had swallowed a lemon; they all appeared to be ready for something…something akin to war.
"Naru." Monk was glaring at him – for the first time in four years Takigawa wore a look of parental dissatisfaction…at himno less. "What in the name of hell are you doing there?"
Sitting…or are you too blind to see?
"Don't tell me you're sitting."
What in blazes…
"Why," He shot them an icy look. "are you all assuming the role of my parents?"
They looked unimpressed with his usually death-causing glare and crossed their arms in vexation – simultaneously.
"It has been four years, Noll." Lin's voice reverberated around the room in a no-nonsense tone. "You haven't done anything yet."
What – ?
"The brat doesn't even know what's wrong…" Matsuzaki called over from the other side of the room, applying lipstick. Naru turned to face her, thoroughly surprised that he actually felt like a teenager who had committed some breach of trust.
"What are you all talking about?"
"Mai!" They all shouted in unison and he immediately knew that at that moment all authority rested with the Irregulars tonight. He would be getting the lecture of his life; him – Oliver Davis who had lectured people and had no one to return the favor except Mai.
"What about her?" He tried to sound bored – emphasis on bored, he couldn't keep the sudden attention in his voice secret from them.
"Apparently, Boss man has no idea of the perils." Yasu sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the mirrors glinting. "The grave perils that haunt Mai now."
Grave perils?
"No idea…how true." Hara-san nodded sagely. "He doesn't even realize the gravity of his indifference."
These people and there circling riddles were irritating him unlike the usual – just as anything associated with Mai did to his attention.
"Do you know how many proposals she has had yet?" Madoka hissed and jabbed a finger at him.
"I'm paying her good enough at the office." Naru couldn't for the life of him figure out what was wrong with Mai getting job proposals from other companies; a woman of her intelligence could be expected to get good offers. "She won't join any other companies. She's too fond of you all."
He also couldn't understand why the irrational part in him was getting worked up over the fact that Mai might be hired as anyone's else's assistant. Or maybe he could understand – he knew the anger in his veins all too well; it was possessiveness, the urge to claim things that belonged to him.
Yasu spluttered and tried to smother his chuckle into a cough.
"Proposals?!" Madoka screeched indignantly, even Lin was wearing a murderous expression. "Not 'job proposals' you imbecilic gorilla –"
Imbecilic gorilla -?
Yasu coughed again.
"Noll." Lin pushed Madoka aside, gently. "We're not talking about job proposals – we're talking about – "
Naru raised an eyebrow in confusion – what proposal were they talking about then?
"We're talking about marriage proposals."
He didn't hear who bothered to finish the sentence that Lin had left hanging in the air – everything around him seemed to have evaporated into air and all he could see was a future – a future without her. A lifetime of hunting ghosts, doing files and being the way he was with nobody to joke to, imagining her with another man, smiling brightly and not at him.
Marriage.
Proposals.
It was unthinkable of.
He felt his eyes widen as it struck him, hit him so badly that it was a miracle that he wasn't short of breath by now; when it concerned Mai all thoughts decided to retire and all he could do was refrain from lashing out at the men who had even looked at Mai in that way.
He would have their heads on a platter if Lin and Monk didn't look as intimidating as they did now.
Oliver Davis experienced emotions he had been so familiar with at different moments in his life; frustration, jealousy, rage, the feeling of a burden being put on him…
And hollowness.
He'd come close to this feeling so many times; the frustration of not knowing who his real parents were, the exhaustion of having the cursed powers in him that required so much work to control, the reality of Gene's death dawning upon him – one would think he was accustomed to this feeling but now…
It renewed with vigor.
"What are you talking about?" There was no use pretending that he felt nothing; it was so apparent that the expression of every Irregular melted into sympathy. They looked at him like a lost boy. "Who did that?"
He scoffed cynically – he was twenty-one, no boy now but these matters made him behave like one.
"Six men in the past month…" Yasu glanced at the untouched tea on the table that was suddenly rimmed with little crystals of ice; the temperature had dropped. "They all came to me for permission – to…uh… court her."
Court –?! The inner voice roared indignantly and he almost gritted his teeth with realization – she was twenty, beautiful, smart, sensitive and could light up all those rainy days. Which man in his right mind wouldn't ask her?!
"What did you say to them?" He hadn't wanted to ask, nothing would come out of it after all. Mai deserved someone better than him, someone who could make her laugh, someone who could make her happy – not him, never him.
"I gave them Monk's address. Told them that he was her guardian."
Naru turned his glare to Takigawa who stuffed his hands in his pockets and averted his gaze.
"Don't glare at me Naru." He warned, pointing at him. "This is happening because of you – anyways, I sent them to Lin saying that he was her real guardian."
"And I gave them your number – just today as a matter of fact." Lin's baritone voice was accompanied by that look – a look that had often been directed at Gene when he got into trouble. "I told them that Mai would marry whomever you deemed fit."
Ironic. One girl he loved and he was supposed to be selecting a husband for her. Added salt to his wounds.
Same thing as before – just when he wanted to confess, they had to tell him that Mai might be engaged to any other man on this planet.
"Noll." Madoka's voice was quiet as she laid a hand on his shoulder and leveled a rational gaze at him. "You should sort out your feelings – if you don't want her, let her know but please don't keep her waiting."
And everything in his brain shut down, every rational thought turned in to its own chamber and he found himself seething inwardly. How could he not want Mai? She was one thing he couldn't keep away from, she was one person who saw through him, one person who made him approach things with new-found tact. What would he want except Mai?
But his dark thoughts were interrupted when the door open and a flushed Mai came inside, her cheeks puffed out in a smile as she gazed wondrously around the office and then her gaze came to rest upon the huddle formed around him.
He was staring at her; he knew there was an accusing hint in his expression but accusing was better than the hurt expression that turned up whenever he thought of her. She looked at him and her eyes widened in concern at his expression but he turned his head from her.
It angered him, how much she was capable of – of hurting him, of making him even doubt himself, of turning his life with an angle that surprised him, of keeping him awake at night, of having him to think stupid things that….
"Hey guys…" Her voice faltered when she noted their dark expressions. "Am I…interrupting something?"
"Oh no Mai darling." Madoka plastered a fake smile to her face and bounded to Mai, throwing her arms around Mai. "Happy Birthday! How'd you like our surprise?"
Soon, the circle around him diminished, every single Irregular adored Mai and hugged her, Monk and Lin patted her head in the avuncular fashion wishing her well.
All except him.
He remained in his own anger bubble, unable to do anything to control the rage in him he stood up and stalked over to his office not even bothering to wish her or greet her even when he knew that he had hurt her by not doing that.
But he knew one thing – no matter whom she married (as if he could ever let that happen, he'd abduct her right off the altar – he could scheme) she would always be there.
The crumpled paper in his pocket suddenly felt too heavy; the honest words he couldn't pen down came back to him in an echo and as soon as he slammed the door shut, he took it out of his pocket, glared at it as if it had caused major offense, taking in the creases of the paper that had been a sign of his anxiety and then threw it in the bin.
There went the confession. In the bin, where it rightly belonged; where he rightly belonged when it came to this.
She would always be there.
Always in his mind. Always everywhere he turned to and there was no backing out of it now.
No going out.
He was in love.
And if she went out of his life – he would never be the same again.
Part Two here I come! Hope you enjoyed this guys! Review!