Chapter 29: Our Decades In The Sun - Nightwish
Day 10: 05:00
Naru
CW/TW!: This chapter contains scenes of battle, mentions of rape and assault, and self-deprecating thoughts.
He clung onto Mai tightly as the swarm of spirits came barreling down the hillside. They lifted men and tossed them around, some of the men tried to shoot them only for the bullets to go right through them. Others were grabbed by the ankles and hauled across the land and up trees. Some were physically frozen just from the icy presence of the spirits themselves. Shots rang out from all over as they watched the chaos unfold. In all of the chaos, however, two very important people were missing: Akio and Alaina.
"Where are those two?!" He asked through the bond.
"I'm searching," Mai replied. After a minute she called out, "There! They're trying to go after Masako and John!"
He turned and looked and sure enough they were coming up on the side of the hillside where the team wasn't looking.
"Oh no, you two don't!" Mai yelled. She reached through the bond and combined her PK with his. He accepted the golden glow and they charged a shot.
"Don't kill. Stop them and try to alert the others!" He commanded through the bond.
"Understood!" She replied.
The bolt discharged and shot through the mass of spirits and at the feet of Akio and Alaina. The Team looked over to where the shot of PK landed and glared at the two leaders.
"You bastards! You two were in charge of torturing them!" Takigawa shouted charging forward with his bat clutched in his hands. Alaina dodged the swing and punched Takigawa in the throat. He coughed but quickly shook it off. Akio came from behind to try and knock him down the hill, but Lin's shiki came in with a slash to his chest.
"You think we're going to let you live after what you've done to them? After your men shot me?!" Lin yelled.
Alaina charged at Lin with her pistol at the ready. "The omnyoji," she said, with a crazed expression. "Those idiots failed to finish the job!" She screamed. A shot rang out from her, but it was deflected by one of his shikis.
Lin took the opportunity of distraction and grabbed the gun out of her hand, dislocating her wrist in the process, and threw it into the forest. While Lin was fighting off Alaina, Takigawa was working on Akio.
"You were the one who tried to rape Mai!" He yelled as he swung. "You perverted old man!"
Akio dodged out of the way, but only just barely. "She's a fighter," he said while gasping. "I love to watch them struggle before I take them. And she struggled so much!" Takigawa took another swing and missed as Akio jumped backward. "The damage, the injuries she left on Alaina, were so powerful I knew I just had to have her myself."
"Who do you think trained her?!" Takigawa retorted. Akio looked confused for a second but realized his mistake when the trained Buddhist Monk took on a more professional stance with his golden knife at the ready. "NAUMAKU SANMANDA BAZURADAN KAN!"
"AAAAAGGGGHHH!" Akio cried out. Whereas Mai's cuts were still novice even with her newfound abilities, Takigawa had refined his craft over years of training and meditation. They cut deep and more precisely.
At that moment things came to a head when Lin slashed across Alaina's chest with one of his shikis. Both leaders stumbled trying to collect themselves, but they couldn't. Two of the spirits came over to the two leaders and plowed into them. They both rolled down the hill and into the clearing. By this point, the spirits around them were finishing up the last of the men and either chasing them off, crippling them, or severely injuring and killing them. Ayako, Takigawa, and John were all chanting exorcisms to send the spirits who fought over to the afterlife they greatly deserved. As quickly as the battle came, it was over and they were on the winning side this time. Only a few spirits and the two leaders remained.
Naru and Mai marched over to the two leaders scrambling to get up. Alaina got up first, just in time to catch his first to her face. Akio tried to catch his ankle with his leg, but Mai stomped down on his ankle and shattered it with her own PK. Akio screamed as the smell of burning flesh permeated the air. Two spirits came up from below the Earth and grabbed the two leaders. They forced them both into a kneeling position and held their wrists holding them still.
For a minute, no one said or did anything. They were all breathing heavily; the sound of crackling PK crunched the leaves and twigs of the forest floor. Both leaders were dripping blood from their wounds, and the sound of blood hitting leaves was like a pin falling in a quiet room. Naru was fuming with rage and he felt Mai was right there with him.
"My mercenaries!" Alaina panted as she looked around frantically across the field. "Get back here! We can still win this fight! We can…we can still beat these bastards from taking what's ours! We'll take them all and put them all up for auction! We can-"
Naru had had enough of this delusional monster. He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. "Enough! Look around you! Does it even look like you have an army? Does it even look like your mercenaries are fit to fight?! Do you not see how your pride, greed, and lust for power have completely corrupted your thoughts?! You. Have. Lost!" He growled.
"No," she said, as she shook her head. "NO! I will have you! I will have your power! I'll kill that bitch if I have to! I'll-"
Mai came up to her and slapped her hard across the face. "That's enough! You've lost, we've won. You will not have him," she said.
"But, our men!" Alaina objected.
"My men have all been either chased away or killed," Akio reminded her. He turned back to them. "What do you all plan to do? Kill us too?" Akio asked.
"Shut up!" Naru yelled. PK burned hot in his hand. "For days you two imprisoned us, you tortured us, you made us kill people just to try and get us used to the feeling!" He turned to Akio specifically. "You put your grimy, disgusting hands on Mai. You never stopped being a sick pervert and lusting after her." He turned to Alaina as she smirked at him. "And you," he growled. "You started all of this. You were obsessed with my power. To the point that you would kill children to get it! That you would force others to their death just to see it!"
"You forced me to witness and live through the horrendous things you wanted to do to us," Mai said, stepping up next to him. "You used me as a means to try and control Oliver. You perverted his research by using it to torture us!" She looked at Akio. "You've been trying to rape me since day one. And you almost did." She growled.
"I've hurt Mai so much because of you two. I killed her once because of you two! Every scream, every cry in agony and suffering, I've held her through it all. Maybe it's time you two feel the same," he threatened.
"You two don't have the fuckin' balls to kill us," Alaina sneered. "You won't do shit."
"You think we won't?!" He yelled. His PK flared in his palms and his eyes burned silver. He channeled through Mai's energy and had one thing and one thing only on his mind: kill them.
"NARU STOP!" Mai called out. He looked at her and stopped what he was doing immediately. Her eyes were back to normal and she looked imploringly at him. "No more killing! Please! My spirit is still so fragile and I can't bear to watch you use your PK this way!" She fell to her knees. "Don't kill them."
"Ha! I knew it would be her that would stop you from killin' us,'' Alaina snickered. "She is soft and pathetic. No wonder Dr. Hiroa saw his daughter in you. You are just as weak and pathetic as she is," She taunted and then looked like she was sad. "Oh, sorry, I meant you're as weak and pathetic as she 'was.'"
"Which one of you did it?" She whispered.
"What was that sweetheart?" Akio asked.
"Which one of you shot Dr. Hiroa?! Which one of you gave the order to kill his daughter?!" She cried in anger.
"It hurt, didn't it?" Alaina asked while smiling. "Your screaming certainly said that it did."
"Naru, I'm going to read their thoughts," Mai said through their bond. Her eyes glowed gold. "I'll ask again. Who. Did. It?"
They said nothing but Mai started crying as she knew her answer. "Akio ordered a nurse to kill Aya. Alaina shot Dr. Hiroa," she told him through the bond. Her emotions shifted. "Oliver. We won't kill them, but we will make them suffer." She shared with him her idea. He widened his eyes.
"Are you certain? You only did it briefly with Akio. Are you sure this could work?" He asked through the bond.
"I know your abilities Naru. You're an expert in this field. It's what makes you a narcissist. You know how to do it. And look behind them Naru. It's Dr. Hiroa's spirit." He looked up and sure enough, the spirit of the doctor was right behind the two leaders. He looked closer and saw the faint silhouette of a little girl behind him. The little girl looked at Naru with wide eyes and started bouncing giddily while pointing at him. Dr. Hiroa smiled at her as she waved at him with all the excitement of a young fan of his work. He teared up and swallowed hard. "With all of this combined, it can't not work," she said, standing up to hold his hand.
God, he loved her so much. He started chuckling which led to a full-blown laugh. "Ooohhh you two. You know? I can tell you never actually cared about my work. You only truly cared about the powers. If you had read and understood my research you would know that I specialize in two majors: parapsychology and neuroscience! Mai has already proven that it can be done and that was with only her base knowledge of the brain," he said.
"What are you going on about?" Alaina asked.
"A curse. Combined with a total rewrite of the brain," he said. He looked at Akio. "She already did it once to you when you saw something you shouldn't have seen. And now, with our PK, our aura, a little imagination, and the exact precision of a neurosurgeon we will do it on a grander scale."
They both reached out with their hands that weren't holding each other and gripped onto the two leader's heads. Mai gripped Akio's head while he gripped Alaina's. Dr. Hiroa's spirit pulled their heads back to force them to look at him. They both opened their eyes in fear for the first time in these long days.
Naru opened his mind and read Mai's intentions. "With our power combined, we place on you this curse! One year! One year for every day you imprisoned us, tortured us, and destroyed our minds. That's ten. Years! You will suffer the same pain and torment you put on us. You will both be stuck inside your own minds feeling this pain, unable to scream, unable to cry, unable to beg for death. And every year on this day you will awaken from your trance and scream. You will scream and beg, but the mercy of death will never come. Finally, on that tenth year, you will awaken from your torture to finally say these words and these words only: Just kill me already; this hurts so much. With this power we curse you!"
They built up enough power to send that curse through to both of them. He could see the layout of their brains and he navigated the crevices and neurons to his intended target. He felt Dr. Hiroa's spirit guide their PK to the intended destination. When they got there he and Mai used a large amount of power to place this large curse into their brains. Gold and silver light shined blindingly outwards. Akio's and Alaina's screams vibrated across the forest.
When everything stopped, Akio and Alaina were lying on the ground with fear etched permanently on their faces. Dr. Hiroa smiled as he looked at the little girl next to him, held her hand, gazed upward, and smiled before fading away. However, he realized that Mai was no longer holding his hand and was passed out on the ground. "Mai!" He cried out and dropped to her side stroking her hair and face. He tried reaching out through their bond and felt her aura at its weakest. A small teardrop of golden light remained in her. "No, Mai! Please! Not now! Not when we've come this far!" He pleaded. "Please, I love you. I can't do this without you!"
The two spirits who were holding the two leaders down came up and kneeled on either side of her head looking down at her face. They both held hands and touched them to her forehead. A glow of spiritual energy came from their hands and into Mai's body.
His eyes widened in fear and panic and his breathing hitched. "Stop! Don't hurt her! Please!" He begged.
They both looked up at him smiling, but they did not stop what they were doing. "Oh darling, we would never hurt her. We're healing her spiritual aura," the woman said.
'How? That's impossible for ordinary spirits to accomplish!' He thought.
The man chuckled. "Yes it is, you're right. But we're far from ordinary spirits," he said.
He stared wide-eyed in shock. He didn't say that out loud! "So…how are you healing her then?" He asked.
"We're healing the cracks in her spirit completely…by giving her our spiritual aura. With this, our spirit's aura will be drained, but it will help amplify her own again. She's been hurt so badly, but not just from this," she said.
"Who…who are you two?" He asked tentatively.
The man looked at him and said, "I'm Tanaka. This is my wife Miiko."
"Tanaka and Miiko…Taniyama," Miiko said knowingly.
His heart jumped into his throat. "You're, you were, Mai's parents…" he said, almost choking on his own words.
"Yes. In life I was a spiritual medium," Miiko said.
"And I was a clairvoyant telepath," Tanaka said.
He was in complete shock. That explained so much of everything now! "But she never said anything!" He said.
"She didn't know. We didn't want to tell her. We didn't want her to feel like she was…different. The closest thing to telling her this was that she was our little golden light. Her spirit was just so beautiful," Miiko said, looking at Mai's face.
He couldn't stop the tears now. This was just too much! Here, as spirits, were her parents working to heal Mai of her wounds and her spirit. Wounds that would never have been there if it wasn't for him! He endangered her. He couldn't keep her safe! He was so ashamed of himself.
"Oh sweetie, Oliver, please don't be so hard on yourself!" Miiko said.
"Honey, he thinks that this was all his fault," Tanaka said.
"No, no, no. This was not even remotely your fault. And look! Oliver, you were able to stitch her spirit back together with hers and your PK. You did excellent. You did protect her. She loves you so much, and I can see why she loves you too," Miiko said.
"How…how do you know who I am?" He asked, trying to wipe his tears away.
"Your family over there, Masako and John. I was able to read and see their thoughts about you. How Mai met you and the work you've done with her. They also showed me the videos they all saw of what happened to you two," Tanaka explained.
"That's how we know you so well. It's like we've known you as long as Mai has," Miiko said. "That's also why we know this was not your fault Oliver. Her spiritual aura is mixed thoroughly with yours."
"She's…my golden light too. My…angel. There's no other explanation for the life she's given me," he said honestly.
"Oh darling, Tanaka, can you see this? His spiritual aura and his soul are so beautiful when he talks about her! Though, I am curious, why does she call you Naru?" Miiko asked.
He wasn't sure how to answer at first. He started blushing and Tanaka started laughing. Naru can see where she gets her laugh from now. "That's my girl! Darling, she calls him Naru because it's short for narcissist."
"Oh goodness, Mai, really now!" Miiko said, chuckling. She smiled and then her face went sad. She gasped and looked down at Mai. "Oh Mai, darling. Oh sweetie, what have you done to yourself?"
He began to panic, "What? What is it?"
"Oh, you already know Oliver," Miiko said. "She's been grieving us for a long time. She's hurt herself and pushed herself too much in grief on the chance of seeing us again. Oh, Tanaka, I was afraid of this!"
"She's missed us so much. Thanks to you and your abilities, she's finally been able to come into her own powers that we've given her. But it came in so rapidly…her spirit hadn't had time to adjust," Tanaka explained.
"You two…I'm sorry. I should have done better for her," he said dejectedly. "I'm the one that's endangered your daughter in the first place. I'm the reason she's hurting! She deserves better."
"She deserves you, Oliver. You've given her a reason to live again. She'll make it through this," Miiko said. "And look! She's waking up."
He quickly hovered over her and held her hand. "Mai? Mai, wake up. Open your eyes love," he said, caressing her cheek.
She scrunched up her eyes and slowly opened them. They looked glazed over but a couple of blinks later she was looking more awake. "N-Na…ru?" She whispered.
"Hey, we did it. It's over now," he said.
"Good." Then her eyes opened wide in fear. "Oh my god, am I dying again?" She asked.
"What?" He was confused.
"I can see my parents," she said, her breath increasing.
He chuckled. "No, you're not dying Mai. Your parents, well their spirits, are here. They saved your life," he said.
She looked at him and then at her parents. Her eyes began to tear up. He helped her sit up. She looked so shocked.
"Mom? Dad?" She whispered.
"Hello our little golden light," Tanaka said.
"We've missed you, darling," Miiko said.
Mai couldn't take it and she started sobbing. She held onto him like he was a buoy in the center of a storm. "Mom! Dad!" She said over and over as they wrapped around them both in a warm embrace.
"Mai sweetie, it's all over. It's ok now," Miiko said.
"How are you two here? Masako said that all the spirits were in Limbo! Why were you two there?!" She sobbed.
"Because," Tanaka said, looking at her. "We held on to a major regret. Something we couldn't live with or in our case let go of."
"We left you alone. With no one else to take care of you. With no other family. We couldn't bear it. For years we wandered Limbo trying to help other spirits," Miiko said.
"Until two people part of your new family, Masako, and John showed up. They wandered Limbo for ten years. In silence for ten years trying to find a single spirit to help them on their cause to rescue you two. We found them. They brought us back to you one last time," Tanaka explained.
"How? What? I'm so confused," she said, holding her head.
Naru leaned over and kissed her head, "I'm sure they can explain later," he said.
"Mai, there's something you need to know. We had psychic abilities we never told you about. We didn't want to tell you until you were older, but that never happened," Tanaka said. "I was a clairvoyant telepath and your mother was a medium. That's why all of these powers and abilities are only now just coming out. The abilities you've inherited from us are not easy to manage or learn about, but you don't have to learn about them alone. These people here, these spiritualists, your new family, have skills and resources that can guide you on your journey. You don't have to do this alone anymore."
"Darling, it's ok to grieve for us. That is healthy. But honey, hurting yourself, and endangering yourself in your grief…that's not healthy. You're not alone anymore," Miiko said.
Mai whimpered like she was a small child again. "I'm sorry Mom, I'm sorry Dad!" Naru held her tightly to him.
"You have a new family now. These people here," Miiko said pointing to their team who was just now getting up from the ground. They looked exhausted. "They are your new family. Your chosen family. And this young man here," she pointed to Naru, "loves you so much, his aura practically glows like a diamond in the sun when he's around you. He protected you and stitched your soul back together. He's truly a good pick. Even if he is a narcissist at times."
Mai giggled as she squeezed his hand. His heart flipped.
"Aaaannd," Tanaka drawled jovially, "he's a doctor, with business connections in Western Europe. You're set for life!"
"Tanaka!" Miiko chided.
"Dad!" Mai exclaimed feeling embarrassed.
"What? I'm just trying to make sure our daughter is set up for a bright and prosperous future!" He said confidently. He looked at Mai and Naru. "You can't fault a father for wanting only the very best for his daughter."
Mai laughed and Naru smiled with her.
"Mai, our biggest regret, was that we left you alone in life. Without a family. But now…now you have a new family," Miiko said, caressing her cheek. "And you two are so good together."
"When the time comes around," Tanaka said.
"And you two are a little bit older," Miiko interjected.
"We give you both our blessings."
Naru teared up at the thought of marrying Mai. She would look so beautiful in a wedding kimono; or a wedding dress if she wanted. The idea of being with her for the rest of his life. Maybe…a family of his own? Something in his heart was set in motion at that moment.
"Mai…your spiritual aura was nearly drained completely. You've been through so much," Miiko said. "You have been pushed beyond your limits, and the cracks of your spirit, although stitched expertly with PK, need to be filled with spiritual energy. Because of this, we're giving you the last of our aura."
"What?" Mai asked, her eyes widening. "But…your- your spirits! Y-you won't pass on! You can't!"
"We must," Tanaka said softly. "Our job as your parents was to ensure your safety and survival. With parenting comes sacrifice, and we will do everything to save you. Including giving you the last of our lives so that you may live."
"No! Please don't go! Not again!" She cried.
"You don't need to cry for us, love. You've shed enough tears over us already. We'll always be a part of you now. Please, live on for us," Miiko soothed.
They all embraced each other. "I love you, Mom; I love you, Dad!" She choked out.
"We love you too, our little golden light," Miiko said.
"You'll always have us nearby now. You're never alone," Tanaka said.
"Oliver," Miiko said, looking at him.
"Yes ma'am?" He sat up tall and looked at Mai's parents.
"Thank you, for protecting our little one. Please, take care of her," she implored.
"And let her take care of you, too," Tanaka added. "Let her love you. I promise you, she'll heal the pain that resides in your heart."
He looked with blurry eyes at the two spirits in front of him. "I promise. She will want for nothing. I will never let her go. The gift that you two have gifted me, gifted this world, she's nothing short of a miracle. An angel. I will never let her golden light fade," he vowed.
"We know. Thank you," They both said.
Miiko and Tanaka held hands as they morphed into golden tendrils of light. They swirled brilliantly in the air before they entered Mai's chest. Her aura flared like a star and simmered down in a matter of seconds. She took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes.
"Oliver! Mai!" Lin's voice called out.
They both looked over at him and saw everyone standing nearby waiting for them. Behind them the sun was beginning to rise and the light illuminated their figures. The sunshine rose more and gently caressed their faces. This was the first time in ten days that they felt and saw the glow of the sun again.
"I want to live to feel the light of the sun again," he said, quoting her earlier statement through the bond. "It's so beautiful to feel it again with you."
"Everyone," she whimpered. Mai broke down. Her wail of it all being over was heart-wrenching. A call in desperation that sent the message, 'I can't walk any further. Please come get me.' He held her so tightly as their family rushed over to meet them and hold them. Golden energy was spreading out to engulf everyone. They couldn't move, so their family came to them instead. Lin slid down onto his knees, getting mud and dirt all over his normally pristine clothes, and brought them both into his arms; followed by Takigawa, Ayako, Masako, and John. Feeling everyone again, seeing everyone again, it was too much for Naru, and he let down a barrier for them and sobbed openly as well.
As they all embraced in the morning light, with not a single dry face in that group, Mai and Oliver had the same thought.
'It's finally over.'