Awakening

Tauria

Chapter One

Gene's trip to town had gone exactly as he suspected it would – he attracted a lot of stares. Not that he wasn't used to that, of course. He was one half of a powerful psychic duo, first of all. Second, he was attractive. Now – he was no narcissist like his brother could be, but he was also not ignorant to his handsomeness. In fact, Gene could even be a little vain.

Just a little, though.

He'd managed to get his hands on some new clothes – three pairs of jeans, three shirts, and a jacket – which had been more of a hassle than he'd expecting. The people working in the shop hadn't taken too kindly to his dirty state being around new, clean clothes. He supposed he couldn't blame them, even if it had made the trip take longer than it should have. He didn't even manage to get his hands on the date. It would be one thing to ask about the day of the week, or the month's date... but asking which month and which year might get him some strange looks. He wouldn't usually care, but he was feeling unusually paranoid.

He'd learned to trust in his instincts over the years, as well as when to recognize a psychic feeling or a feeling of intuition that he should follow. This was one of those.

After he'd gotten the clothes, he'd headed straight to the hotel, checking in and ignoring the dubious looks they were casting him. He made quick work of going to the hotel room and taking that nice, long, hot shower. It had felt like he was washing years worth of grime off of him, and it took forever to get the scent of lake water off. But once he had, he felt a lot better.

And more optimistic then he had before.

Now, he was seated on the bed, legs crossed, his hands resting on his knees. He closed his eyes, concentrating on finding his center. This was something he had done a million times before, and it came as natural as lifting an arm.

He felt... peaceful. There was a sense of calm about this state that he rarely felt anywhere else. Here he was not worried about anything, and grudges did not follow – or at least, he was careful to not let them follow. He was full of positive thoughts and hope. He turned his focus to his instincts, focusing deeply on the issue he needed guidance for.

In only a few moments, he knew with utter clarity that he had, in fact, been dead. This thought should have upset him. But it didn't. In fact... in a way he was almost relieved. He was sad, because his parents and his brother had to go through his loss.

But he didn't want there to be no Mai. No Japanese SPR. He had been quite sure that up until they found the lake, Noll and Mai might have been on the path to being something... more. He didn't expect a romantic relationship – not for a long time. But with Gene gone, Noll had lost not only his partner in ghost hunting... but his support system. His confidant. His mental link. His power control.

But most importantly, he had lost his best friend and brother.

Gene breathed out through his nose, dispelling those thoughts. He let his mind float outward, expanding the horizons and hoping something might change... After a few seconds, he felt a slight tug on the edge of his mind, which he knew would lead him to... someone.

He concentrated harder, needing an image. After a bit, there was a flash of brown eyes and short hair. He'd know that face anywhere – Mai. His instincts wanted him to go to Mai. Not his brother? But... why?

In aswer to the question, a bubble of... something rose up in his stomach. He focused on it just enough to know that something bad was coming, before it floated from his grasp. He wasn't sure how long he sat like that, trying to grasp that little bubble, but it refused to stay in his grip. So finally, he sighed, and let go. Slowly, he drifted back to himself, opening his eyes. He felt a little lethargic, a feeling he knew would pass.

His stomach growled loudly, and he figured it was time to get some food.

He glanced at his wallet. He really couldn't use that card much. After he bought the train ticket, he was going to have to find some other source of income. Something warned him way from telling his brother and parents he was alive.

Part of this was gut feeling, but part of it was a niggling fear in the back of his mind...

What if he wasn't really back? What if this was just temporary? Something to help Mai with, and then he had to return to the realm of lingering spirits? Obviously he had been wrenched from the light – again – and obviously he was needed – again.

He wouldn't want to come back to his family and friends, only to find out he couldn't stay. That would destroy his parents, and... it would be infinitely worse on his brother. Until he found out whether this was a permanent thing, or if it was just something temporary, he wouldn't contact them.

The hard part was going to be convincing Mai, and possibly the other SPR members...

He sighed, rubbing his temple. I can't focus on all that now. I'm walking in circles. I need someone with more knowledge than me, but first, I need to figure out what I'm doing about living arrangements, and I need to get in touch with Mai. She might have dreams that can help... or maybe our instincts combined could work together and figure out what's going on. Until then, I need to focus on getting something to eat, and resting.

I feel... tired.

"So, you're sure it was a psychic feeling?" Takigawa pushed. "Have you tried getting a better feel of it?"

Mai bit her lip, tugging on the end of her shirt. "...not yet. I was in the middle of class when it happened, Bou-san. But as soon as I get home, I promise I'll do those meditative exercises you taught me."

"Good. Do... you think it has anything to do with Madoka leaving?"

"No," she blurted, before she could really think about it. "Definitely not. I... do have a few feelings on that, but... they're not important."

"Mai," Bou-san sighed, "every psychic feeling you have is important. How are we going to know what your abilities are or if you know something important if you don't share?"

She huffed softly, but supposed he was right – he did know more about this stuff than she did. "...I don't think Naru is going to come back any time soon. If... at all."

"...and you're sure that's not just you worrying?" Bou-san interjected, obviously believing in Naru's word. And that was a good thing. She was glad that they still trusted him.

"I'm sure."

"...Well, let me know if you get anything more specific, okay?"

"Will do," she assured him. They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Mai sighed, tousling her hair. She knew that she was still a developing medium/psychic/thing, but at the very least they could put some more trust into her instincts, when she reported them.

Naru had. He'd risked the case because of her feeling. He'd never doubted in her dreams or psychic intuition – before and after he had gotten proof they existed.

The thought made her happy and sad at the same time. Happy, because he'd believed in her and trusted her, even when he had little reason to do so. Sad, because... well, she missed him. Going on cases just didn't feel the same with Madoka. She didn't get constant demands for tea or to go check the cameras. Ayako and Bou-san weren't snapped at when their arguments got out of hand...

Lin wasn't constantly sitting in front of the monitors, like a machine that never needed to be powered down. He'd always seemed to know exactly when he was needed, just by the sharp call of his name from his charge.

She missed the tell-tale gleam in his eyes that told her he was interested in a puzzle. She missed listening to him bark orders. Missed the triumphant smirk he wore when he solved the case. She even missed making tea twenty-four seven. She could even recall the exact way he liked it.

Mai sighed, softly, unlocking the door to her apartment. The walk home had gone smoothly, despite her being distracted by old thoughts. She wondered if cases would change, now that everyone knew he was Oliver Davis.

She doubted it. The Naru she had known had a specific way he liked things done, and she figured that was the way he had always been. Now, he may have to do cases a little differently since he was technically working for his parents in England, but if he did come back to Japan... He would run things almost exactly the way he had before. That Mai was sure of.

Mai dropped her bag by the couch, before flopping down on the couch. She closed her eyes, leaning back. What was going on? Her instincts couldn't make up their mind – one minute, Naru wasn't coming back. Then, it was going to be a very long time. Then, he might come back soon.

Not to mention, the important event that occurred earlier...

She groaned, before taking a deep breath. What she needed to do was calm down and focus. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, just like Bou-san had taught her. She slowly reached through her consciousness, searching for her instincts. It was not the practiced motions of a professional, but Mai did not have the clunky motions of a novice. She was somewhere between the two. Unsure and rocky, but fluid and precise at the same time.

Eventually, she found them. First, she concentrated on the feeling she had earlier. There was a flash of... of someone. She grit her mental teeth and looked deeper... It was... Naru? No. Not Naru. He had a different... feeling about him. Which meant...

She snapped out of her meditation abruptly. Gene?! She sucked in a sharp breath of shock. There was no way...

But she had been absolutely certain. She could feel the slight tugging. She knew, if she was to follow it, that it would lead her to Gene. However, she had the feeling that he would come to her...

She didn't know when or where he would show up, but it would be best if she waited. That much she was certain of.

.

She calmed herself, clearing her mind once more. She was a bit less unsteady as she located her instincts again, this time focusing on Naru. A road appeared before her mind, with three different directions. The meaning was clear – something would happen, and whatever did, would affect the outcome. Mai might be a little ditzy at times, might not understand or pay attention to what's going on around her, but she wasn't an idiot and – most of the time – she understood what her own mind was trying to tell her.

That was something the people around her seemed to have a hard time grasping. She loved her SPR family – she really, really did – but like any family, there were things that got on her nerves. And doubting in her capability to handle/understand/explain her instincts or visions was something she was easily irritated by.

She rubbed her cheek. She knew that they were just worried. She knew that she did have the tendency to hide her visions – usually on accident or until she understood better – but still.

If Naru – who was constantly berating her for being an idiot, and was one of the top parapsychologists in the world – trusted in her ability to interpret her instincts (even if he did rebuke her for not saying anything at times) then they should too.

Not that she would voice these things. She was grateful for their concern, but sometimes... sometimes you just needed a good old rant. And ranting inside her head was the best she had, at the moment. Her friends at school didn't understand her job. Yasuhara did. He was close to her – they had gotten pretty close since he started working there – and he wasn't one who was berating her about her powers... but considering the exams he had coming up, she wouldn't feel right burdening him with her problems.

Mai sighed. It was best to look on the positive – didn't she say that often enough at work? She stood, deciding she could use something to eat after that meditative session. Then, she'd call Bou-san, tell him about the feelings and work on homework.

Then, she would need to get some rest. She had a feeling the next day would be very eventful, and she could use all the rest she could get...

Tauria: Mm... I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Nor am I sure about what all I'm doing yet... ^^; But, I did have fun writing it. And, it's only a day after the first update, which is unusual for me (read; don't get used to it lol)

Anyway, if it goes the way I'm expecting it to, the next chapter (or the one after it) should have Gene and Mai meeting ^^

Also - I feel like this chapter kind of drags in places. Is that true? Or am I imagining it?

Hope you enjoyed~ Please leave a review! (Or a favorite)