Chapter 17: Innocence - Nathan Wagner

TW/CW For nightmares involving body horror and underage depictions of sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.

Day 7: 2045

Naru

After returning from the astral plane, Naru was especially happy that they hadn't been moved or touched in their sleep. It was quite disconcerting the first time it happened. He got up from the ground and crawled into bed next to Mai. She looked over at him and he was relieved to see her eyes having gone back to their normal brown color. She put her head on his bare chest.

"Mai," he said lovingly, reaching out to caress her face. She sighed and closed her eyes with the touch. He reached out through their bond and he felt her finally calming down. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly. "It's ok, love. Go to sleep. I'll watch over you," he said.

"Mmm, ok," she said, already falling asleep. She wrapped her arms around him and wedged a leg in between his. He put his arms around her and held her to him.

It wasn't long though before sleep finally overwhelmed him too and he drifted off to sleep enveloped by the smell of Mai and the feeling of a golden aura of protection surrounding him.

He woke up a couple of hours later to the sounds of distress and thrashing limbs. Ever on guard he quickly sat up and expected to see those men trying to grab Mai or himself. He was thankfully surprised to see that they were alone, but Mai was thrashing in her sleep.

"Nnn…!" She whimpered, eyes scrunched. "Hhaa-"

"Mai," he called out lightly, trying to shake her awake. "Mai, wake up,"

"H-help…heeelp me," she cried out. Her hands began glowing gold and she tried reaching out to his PK. She reached up trying to grab the dream assailant.

"No no no no! Mai! Wake up! You're not there anymore!" He called out climbing on top of her and holding her down with his hips and hands above her head.

"NO! GET OFF! NARU! NARU PLEASE HELP! PLEASE!" She screamed as she began thrashing harder.

He reached out through their bond and felt her fear and desperation. He spoke through the bond, "Mai, open your eyes! You're in a nightmare! It's not happening right now. You're here with me. Open your eyes love."

Her eyes flew open with a gasp. Her eyes were golden again. She was struggling to breathe and was taking short labored breaths.

"Mai! Calm down, it's just me! You're safe! You're safe. Come on, come back to me please," he soothed.

He watched in real time her eyes going from gold back to brown. Tears started to flow down her face before she even knew what was happening.

"Naru…" she whispered.

"I'm here, Mai. You're safe now," he said. He let go of her wrists and hands which thankfully stopped glowing gold. She threw her arms around him and pulled him to her.

"Naru!" She sobbed, "Oh god Naru, it was horrible!"

"It's over now," he soothed, holding her tightly. "It's over." After a few minutes, he got off of her and helped her sit up in bed. He waited a moment more before asking, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She looked upset but nodded. "I…I was there…I was back there but they dragged you away. Then when that man grabbed me…Naru he didn't have a face anymore! His eyes were gone, his skin was burning, he was dripping blood from his mouth. He was trying to…he tried to-!" She cut herself off as she choked up. "I couldn't find you, and he just kept calling me a murderer. Over and over, even as he was inside me, and his skin melted onto my face, he was still calling me a murderer!" She sobbed.

He held her hand tightly and breathed with her. He didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Naru?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Will you…will you ever trust me again to use your PK?" She asked tentatively.

He was taken aback. Where did that come from? "Mai, are you serious?" He asked.

She flinched and cringed in disappointment. "I…I know that I misused your PK. I'm sorry," she started breathing rapidly and looked away. "But Alaina was right!" She cried. He could feel her shame and resentment coming in clear through their bond. "I did intend to kill him. I didn't just want him to stop, I wanted him to die! I hated him and what he was doing. When I received your PK, I amplified it even harder with my aura to make it last longer and burn hotter. Your PK should never be used that way and I'm sorry! So please…" She started sobbing as she spoke. "Will you trust me again?!"

He stared at her at first in confusion, then in understanding, then in anger, then finally, in love. He raised his hand to her cheek and she leaned into it. Time for him to explain a little bit more about the experiments he's performed.

"Mai, before I answer that question I need to tell you a couple of very important things, ok?" He asked and she nodded. "The first and most important thing that you need to know," he looked intently into her eyes when he said this. "I love you, and I trust you with my life." She closed her eyes and tears flowed down and onto his hand. "The second most important thing that you need to know is that you are not a murderer."

"But I-" She interjected.

He raised a finger indicating he wasn't done. "As you know Mai, I am a genius," he said smiling.

She giggled, "And a narcissist."

"Exactly," he said smiling cheekily at her. "With PK being my power, obviously I studied my abilities myself. Something that these idiots here have failed to understand is that the generation of PK is only half of the equation. The other half relies on the other person. The buffer. Yes, the PK is powerful, hence why one person can't use it alone. It's too much for them. With two, the power is shared. That's also my hypothesis for why Gene and I, and by that regard, you and I, can communicate through telepathy in our bond so we can both be on the same wavelength. Have the same outcome. It won't work if we both have different intentions for how that PK is directed and what for," he explained. He was pretty excited about finally telling her about this. He was feeling in his element right now.

"So, if we had thought to just push him off of me, he would've been pushed off and that's it?" She asked.

"Yes."

"But if one of us wanted to push him off and the other wanted to kill him, what would have happened?" She asked.

"More than likely a bad discharge of PK. One that can't expand outwards. Or in your case, you wouldn't have been able to add more of your aura to the existing PK. The one who is the primary generator of the PK, i.e." He pointed to himself, "me, has primary use over how the PK is used." he explained.

"So that means…he was killed by PK…because…" she trailed off and looked at him in understanding.

He leaned forward and got so close to her. He brought both of his hands up to cradle her face. "Because the second he put his hands on you; the second he put a knife to your throat; the second that he had the nerve, the audacity, the absolute insolence to try and rape you? I wanted him to burn. I wanted to kill him just as much as you did. I had one thing, and one thing only on my mind generating that PK: saving you. Fighting to survive does not make you a murderer. So in answer to your question earlier, will I ever trust you again with using my PK? The short answer is yes. The long answer is I don't think I've ever trusted anyone, other than Gene, this much with my PK. I can't not trust you with it."

She looked at him in shock and understanding. "You…you weren't mad at me?"

"Why would I have been mad at you?" He asked honestly.

"Because I felt your rage, your anger, your disgust. A part of me thought…" she trailed off looking down.

"Thought what love?" He asked bringing a hand under her chin so she'd look at him.

"I thought…I thought you wouldn't ever want to touch me again after what he did," she whispered as she closed her eyes in shame.

His heart dropped like a stone in water and his eyes widened. Wouldn't ever want to touch her? He's had to constantly stop himself from touching her without her consent! In his head, he was seething with rage.

'Yeah, it's official,' He thought. 'It's settled. No doubt in my mind. By the time this is over, I vow to kill Alaina personally. Slowly and painfully. I will record audio of her screams and add them to my Spotify. I will listen to them every time Mai is upset about something from this. I will- wait, why is she giggling?'

He looked at her and saw her giggling and smiling like before all this happened. She looked up at his confused face and burst into laughter. Although he was happy to see her smiling again, he was troubled and confused by the sudden emotional shift.

"Care to clue me in on what's so funny?" He asked.

Mai stopped laughing but still smiled. "You of course. What you just said! I would love to hear your Spotify playlist when we get home. Especially after you add her screams to it!" she said.

Naru's eyes widened. "Mai, I didn't say that," he said.

"What do you mean? I heard it clear as day."

"Mai, I was thinking that. I didn't say that out loud," Naru emphasized.

"Are you saying that…" she trailed off with understanding in her voice.

"Your powers are expanding. You can hear my thoughts now," he replied.

Mai was stunned silent for a moment before she began to blush. "Should we…should we test it?" She asked hesitantly.

Now it was his turn to blush. 'Is she thinking about what I think she's thinking about?'

"I think I am, yes," she replied softly.

"Oh my god Mai, you expand your abilities to complete telepathy, and the first thing you want to do with it is see if you can read the more perverted thoughts of my mind?" He asked, smiling at her.

Before she could say anything he leaned forward and kissed her. She returned his kiss in full and soon they had forgotten about everything else bothering them. He started roaming his hands down her face, to her shoulders, and towards her waist. While his hands were moving he lightly brushed against her chest and breasts and she jumped slightly.

He broke the kiss and looked at her with wide eyes. "Mai, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to touch you like that, and just after…"

'IDIOT! After what that piece of shit did to her and you had to go do it too?! You really are the worst,' He thought, 'Can you not even control yourself around her more than 10-!'

"Stop!" Mai said, clutching her head. "Stop being so mean to yourself. It hurts when you do that…"

"Mai…" he whispered.

"I didn't jump because I was scared," she said, "I'm never scared around you. I'm never scared if it's you touching me."

'Please do it more.' Naru heard in his head. He gasped as he realized he heard Mai's thoughts now. They both looked at each other in wonder.

"The bond!" They both said at the same time. They paused. Then they both started laughing. They laughed so long and hard that they started crying and their stomachs cramped. He looked at her, smiled, and, ever the scientist, began to experiment.

'I don't think I've felt this happy before. I want to take you away from here. I worry that with this bond you'll see the darker parts of me and you'll run from me. But I want to learn how to love you properly. I want to know what makes you happy. I want to know what makes you squirm and writhe. I want to know what causes you pleasure. I want to know how you burrowed deep into my heart and brought in light that was missing for so long. I want to know how to love you the way that you deserve to be loved. My golden light.'

Mai was crying at this point. So overwhelmed by him, but this time with emotion. She held her hands to her mouth as she began shaking.

'I won't run away. I've never backed down from you and I'm not backing down now. What makes me happy is you. I want to go back home to SPR with you. I want to drink tea with you. I want to bicker and banter again with you. I want you to tell me I am getting too emotional on cases again. I want you to hold me. I want you to smile at me. I want you to touch me. I want you not to run away from me. I want to love you too. I want you to be kinder to yourself. I want you in every way. Happy. Mad. Upset. Sick. Healthy. I just want to be with you. My protector.'

"Mai," he whispered. He realized he was crying too.

"Naru," she cried, "please!"

He leaned forward again and kissed her desperately and passionately. He was no longer burdened at the thought of hurting her.

"I'll touch you," he whispered into her ear. "I won't ever stop touching you. Unless you tell me to stop." He roamed his hands to the sides of her head and carded his fingers through her hair. He moved down to her neck and gripped her shoulders. He kissed her again and he cradled her face in his hands.

She reached around him and gripped his back tightly, pulled him on top of her in the bed, and arched her body into him. He moaned and ground his hips instinctively into hers. She moaned lightly, and he decided that he wanted to experiment again. The question: what can he do to make Mai make those sounds again?

He rolled his hips again and she broke the kiss slightly to gasp loudly. He took his chance and kissed and lightly bit around her neck, throat, and jaw. She squirmed underneath him and he rolled his hips again.

"Nngh! N-Naru!" She gasped. "Don't stop! Please!"

Nothing in his imagination will ever compare or come close to hearing Mai crying out in pleasure like this. He will have to memorize the sound for later. He began to move his hands up and down her sides.

"Haa-ah! Nnn!" She was moaning in ways he wanted to recreate over and over. After everything they'd gone through, he wanted to give her this. Whatever she wanted, she would get.

'What do you want Mai? What do you need? Whatever it is, I will give it to you,' he thought.

'You! I need you!' She thought, 'So much…it's so much! I feel like I'm falling.'

'Then I'll catch you.'

He took a chance and reached up to her chest and began slowly caressing her breasts.

"Aah!" She moaned, arching her back hard as he ground back down into her. "Again! Please!" She cried.

He leaned up and kissed her lips again as he lifted his shirt on her and roamed his hands underneath. She was smooth and so petite. He reached just underneath her breasts and stopped just shy of them.

'Mai, is this still OK? The LAST thing I want to do is hurt you,' he thought.

'Yes! Yes, please. I swear I will say something if I don't want something. Just pleeeease touch me!' She begged.

He could feel that he was hard already, but that made things painfully hard now. Given permission now, he touched her breasts and began to lightly caress them.

"Yes! Thank you, thank you!" She screamed.

Nothing will ever compare. This was pleasure. This pleasure he was able to give Mai. He wished this moment would never end. He kissed down her throat and to the scar he had left on her from their first attempt. He placed his lips to the origin point and the bond was connected as he felt everything she was feeling.

Pleasure, love, warmth, and tingling sensations. But one feeling came through more powerful than all of that.

Safety.

Mai felt safe doing this. She felt safe with him. She felt completely safe with his body, mind, and soul. He wouldn't be able to last much longer with that realization. He ground his hips down onto hers and moaned.

"Mai, I-" he cut himself off as warmth flowed through his body. Her aura was touching him and caressing every inch of his body. He felt the golden light of her aura reach out to his PK and he gave it to her. He would use it to protect her and he meant it.

"Mai," he whispered. "I love you, and I will protect you."

"OLIVER!" She cried out.

The room exploded in golden light and cracks of electricity. He was blinded momentarily but soon regained sight. He leaned up and saw Mai panting on the bed with golden energy pulsing off of her in waves. He could feel his PK pulsing as well.

"Mai?"

She opened her eyes and he saw golden orbs once again. She looked absolutely disheveled. His shirt on her ruffled up past her stomach and unbuttoned, arms above her head, and hair sweaty and splayed out on the pillow.

'She looks like an angel,' he thought.

"I'll remember that," she panted. She looked up at him and smiled. Her eyes began to recede to brown. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply but gently.

"That was amazing Mai; you are amazing," he said.

"Me? You're the amazing one. Your powers are incredible. Amazing and terrifying," she said.

"For you," he said, kissing her again and using one hand to smooth her hair. "They're for you. All of it. Whatever you need I will give it."

She sighed into the kiss. When he pulled away he saw her looking pensive. "Terrifying…you were frightened by it. After Gene died, you felt…trapped by it," she said. It was as if she was reading his heart like an open book. "You were restrained for years in your own body and spirit and you were alone. Oh Naru, that must have been awful!"

"How do you know?" He asked.

"I can feel it," she said, holding her hands to her heart. "I can feel it. It's the same feeling that I get when I connect with someone when we go on our cases. It's like that, but deeper."

He was so overwhelmed by everything, that he swore he was seeing double. He never felt as connected to anyone as he did to Mai right now. He would ensure that she did not lose sight of herself. That she would glow with the golden light that brought his spirit to life. He fell to the side of her his own hands clutching his chest. After years of his heart being so cold, this rapid thaw was a shock. He fell back onto the bed and closed his eyes as his head landed on a pillow and felt the world spinning around him.

He felt the bed shift and suddenly he had Mai straddling his hips. Naru put his hands on her legs and trailed them up to her hips. He looked up at her and in the darkness of the room, her eyes glowing gold was the brightest light around.

"Mai?" He whispered

She said nothing as she leaned down and put her forehead against his. He could feel her whole body press into his as he took in the sight.

"Close your eyes," she whispered. He shuddered but did as she said. "Imagine a clear sunny day. There are birds chirping, cicadas calling, and a light breeze in the air. We're in a garden. Flowers of all sorts are around us. You can smell the different scents in the air. Can you smell that Naru? Can you imagine this?"

"Yes," he whispered. And he could. It was like he could see it right now in front of him.

"I'm there with you. I'm holding your hand as I bring you to the center of the garden." She lightly touched his hand and he felt warmth there. "Tell me what you see,"

"Chrysanthemums…golden chrysanthemums everywhere. You look happy and in awe," he replied. It was as if they were happily on a date right now.

"What do you do?" She whispered.

He looked around and plucked one. He reached up and caressed her hair. "I put one in your hair."

She giggled and kissed his cheek. "I lead you to the center. We lay down in the grass." He could feel her shift so that she was laying mostly on top of him. He held her close to him. He could see the clear blue sky, hear the birds in a nearby tree, and feel the pulse of the person he loved more than anything in the world.

"There's no darkness here," she said. "Only light."

And that was the last thing he remembered as he drifted off into the best night's rest he'd ever had.

-o-

When he woke up he realized Mai at this point was curled around him and smiling. He felt the presence of someone else there. He looked to the door and saw Dr. Hiroa standing there looking quite shaken.

"We need to talk."