Now You See Me (self-insert #7)

Chapter 8

While Bou-san paced the length of the first floor, I went to sit by the small door that led to the stairs. At some point, the shadow barriers had been reconstructed. For a blessed moment, I was by myself. I exhaled, resting my chin on my knees. "My poor introverted soul." I muttered.

The universe clearly thought I'd had enough me-time because not even a second later, the shadow barriers began toppling towards me.

I didn't have a moment to think, but luckily I didn't need it. I dove to the side, my heart hammering in my chest as they crashed against the wall. I waited for the dust to settle before I unfroze. "That was uncalled for."

"Nira?"

I sighed. "Figured. Only you'd try to kill me like that, Naru."

The black blob shifted and straightened with far more grace than I did. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd make sure I'd get you in one go."

"Thanks for the warning." I said, stepping over the fallen barriers. "For once, I'm glad you're smart. Do you know how many times I've had to explain the situation?"

"Six times."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Count the total members, then subtract two. You've had to explain it six times."

"It was a rhetorical question."

"Questions aren't worth asking if you're not looking for answers." He said primly as I made my way to his side.

"This isn't the time for philosophy." I chided. "C'mon, let's go."

I'd been with six different people, but their presences hadn't been as comforting as Naru's. Well, not including Lin, but I hadn't been with him for long before Ayako popped up. I wondered how he was doing.

Naru cast the fireplace a cursory glance before taking a seat against the wall. I plopped down on his left. "So, what's up?"

He gave me a long look. "You don't have to force small talk if you don't want to."

"If you want me to stop talking, just say it."

"Fine. Be quiet."

We fell into companionable silence.

Only for a few seconds, though.

"I wonder how the search for Gene's corpse is going." I mused.

He heaved a sigh.

"It's not small talk."

"It makes no difference to me as long as they do what they were hired to do in a feasible time." He said crisply.

"What was Gene like?"

He closed his eyes briefly, no doubt wondering why I couldn't be a timid introvert around him. "He was kind and considerate and a fool." He said after a while.

"You love him, don't you?" I pressed.

He glanced at me, his eyes dark and unfathomable. Yet, for a moment, there was a recognizable glimmer of emotion beneath the shiny shell of a scientist. "Where did this come from?"

"Spare time."

He regarded me for a moment.

"If you don't want to answer, just say it."

"I don't want to answer."

"There you go. Communication is important, dear sir." I instinctively braced myself for one of Mai's warning looks, then remembered that she was busy trying to purify the spirits with Gene. I relaxed.

He ignored that remark. "How long is this going to take?"

I hesitated. "Twenty minutes, I think. Not very long."

I was wrong.

Do you know how long it took Mai to finish the purification?

An hour.

My eyelids were starting to droop when footsteps creaked overhead. Next to me, Naru tensed. "Nira, are you awake?"

"I am. I think...I think we're good."

Naru ignored me and made a beeline for the stairs. At the same time, a tall dark figure rounded the corner.

I gasped and clutched my chest. Naru exhaled. "Lin."

"Geez, you scared me..." I wheezed.

The relief was visible on Lin's usually impassive face. "Both of you are unharmed?" He asked, scanning us.

"Yessir!" I saluted.

He nodded before his eyes locked on to Naru's face. "You haven't been doing anything with your powers, have you?" He demanded, his tone hardening.

It was refreshing to see the irritation flit across Naru's face. "Not a single thing."

"Good."

I wondered if I should mention that he used psychometry on Bou-san's vajra, but I figured there wasn't a need to. Also, Naru had picked up on my thoughts and was glaring threateningly.

It was good to be back.