Cumin: Book 1

Epilogue

Turns out, I was right about the hidden Kuman Thong. Our client wasn't too pleased with the damage yanking out a sink and it's plumbing from a wall can do, but when we showed him the golden mummy baby as proof, he settled down right quick, especially when we explained to him that the Kuman Thong, which had been cursed to the earth anyways, had been then used as an anchor for another more malicious spirit to cling onto. It was the crying of this specific baby, which later test proved had been much older than any Kuman Thong should be (four months old, to be exact), that had disturbed his house so. The necromancer could only avoid karma for so long, and doing crap to innocent babies brought a heck of a lot of it with it.

Ayako recovered and followed us back to Tokyo three days afterwards with a doctor's note to be on bed rest for the next few weeks. Her parents, who are doctors (in case you've forgotten), were all too eager to suck her back home and enforce that rule. Monk filled her in on the action she missed and she was more than impressed with me. I turned off after she started saying something about having natural spiritual abilities on top of psychic talent, to which Takigawa just said 'duh, how else could she do the nine cuts?'

To which, I realized, I had totally forgotten about. In the heat of the moment I just took to cussing the ghost down rather than doing any proper protective magic. I didn't want to know what that said about me...

Naru told me anyways.

"It means you're a moron who runs on instincts and sentimentality. Good job. Another case solved by your tactless disuse of common sense."

I would've thrown his tea into his face if I hadn't thought that his not firing me was an apology in itself.

Course, after being teased for falling asleep with me by Takigawa (for a full five minutes before his could-kill-puppies glare shut the monk up), Naru kept to himself and said nothing even remotely related to what occurred between us during the case for a week. It didn't help that it was finals week and I had already asked for time off to study, nor was I comfortable enough to just call him up and start demanding why he hadn't hunted me down and kissed me senseless.

There also was the small fear on my part that he had changed his mind about being with me after I had more or less grinded his face into his own guarded fear and insecurity.

Saturday afternoon, with finals finished, I walked through the office door more apprehensive than I wanted to be. Outside the cloudy sky and foggy air blended in with the snow and grey of the city. The door to Naru's office was closed and I could hear the heater humming away. I bit my lip and peeled off my winter wear.

"Naru? You here?"

There was a creak of office chair. Steps. Then my tall, dark, and handsome scientist appeared in his office doorway.

"Where else would I be? The data from our previous case is on your desk to be filed away. Please remember to put the temperature readings before the sonograms this time."

"Right."

"And some tea. Earl grey."

I sighed. So, we were going back to before. "Yes, sir."

He moved to close the door, but stopped. I had yet to move as well and kept my gaze somewhere between his navel and knees.

"What happened to the assertive Mai?"

I blinked owlishly. "Eh?"

He had his head cocked to the side and that familiar smirk I knew all too well. "Practically forced yourself on me with something about how I should just deal with it. Not exactly the most effective way to seduce a man, but then, if you weren't hopelessly clumsy you wouldn't be my Mai."