Bab 9: Difficult Revelations
AN; Alright. Take this, you miscreants! Also, one thx for the support on this, it's been wild, y'all. Please leave a review so I know how it was and check out the rest of the series. Love y'all, byeeee. PS: Sora sometimes calls Tsukiyo Bahji or Appi. These are terms of endearment/honorifics in some Indian language, which is why they are italicized. Thx again! ?
XXXXXXXXXX
Someone's in my goddamn house.
My eyes, sealed from sleep, abruptly snap open, adrenaline spiking through my veins as I sit up. Sora, icy feet pressed into my belly under my shirt, grumbles rolling over. I hiss, but find my muscles unclenching as I sense no malevolent intent.
Wary of the unknown intruder, I detengle myself from my little brother, checking the time as I go and silently snarling at the realization that the presence is in Mai's room. Who the fuck is this male in my little sister's room at the fucking witching hour? 3 bloody AM?!
Prowling forth, I nudge Mai's door open and peer into the darkness within, instantly relaxing when I realize who's perched on the edge of her bed, head in hands, all the brewing violence under my skin dissapaiting like dandelion fluff in the wind. "Gene?"
The boy, glowing softly, whips his head up at me, flabbergasted. I lean on the doorframe, letting my shoulders slump, trying to make myself as unassuming as possible, and give the not-ghost a smile.
And trully, now that he is in front of me, it's obvious he isn't dead, even with the glowing and transparent form. Slowly, I reach a hand out at the still frozen boy, and wave my hand gently at him, urging him over. Hesitantly, he obeys, gliding after me as I lead him to the living room, settling myself into the corner of our wormed out couch, dragging a fluffy quilt around myself and discreetly rubbing some crust from my eyes.
Gene settles in the arm chair in front of me, as though he was sitting in it, and I have to bat away the wayward questions that brings to mind on how an incorporeal person feels about furniture. Smiling again, I speak once I think he's settled. "Hello, Gene. It's nice to meet you. I'm Tsukiyo."
Gene and Naru, Oliver, may technically be twins but they didn't really look alike, not to me, at least. Yes, from what I can tell, they have the same face, same figure and coloring, but I would never have mistaken one for another. Even now, as Gene just sat there, stunned and still, the two were verrrrryyy different. Where Naru was guarded and all arrogant steel, Gene was wide open and emotive. Even the way Gene sat, feet curled under him and leaning forward, his surprise shifting into curiosity and urgency, was nothing like Naru who liked to be seen as always put together and aloof at all times. Sure, it would probably not seem so obvious to anyone who used their eyes to perceive the world, but to me, who couldn't even see his face from 5 feet away, the difference was night and day.
Gene speaks, "Mai told me about you. I…wasn't really expecting you to be able to sense me."
I nod, smiling, and watching a bit more trnsion slip from his shoulders. "Before, you were in the astral plane. You were not anywhere I could sense you."
He rocks slightly, reilization causing him to slip into English, another difference between Naru and him, as it seems Japanese comes more easily to my boss than his not-dead twin. "But now that I'm in the living realm again you can sense me!"
I feel my mouth curl into a grin at the emotive answer. "Yeah, you scared the hell out of me when you came through. You're lucky I didn't psychically blast you."
Gene rubs the back of his neck, sheepish, and mentally imaging Naru do that nearly makes me crack up. "My apologies."
The twins' auras were vastly different as well. Naru was all roiling power and stormy ferocity, like a force of nature. Gene was something else entirely. Thankfully, there was no feeling of death on him, but rather he was… magnetic. Warm and inviting, bright and oddly alluring. It was like he automatically felt safe. He reminded me of…Masako.
"You're a medium? Not a PK user like Naru, huh. You're his balance." Gene perks up, startled, eyes wife and I have to hold back another laugh. That level of expressiveness was striking and rather adorable. "An empath too, I'd wager. But, we have more important things to discuss," I state, my mirth disappearing. He nods, hands entwining and he leans his chin on them. That act almost makes me smile again because Gene suddenly does look like my friend. "Gene, where are you?"
He curls in on himself, and I let my face soften, before I carefully stand up and set myself on the coffee table in front of him so that I can see him well. Slowly, I reach out, letting my magic rise as I place my hands on his wrists. He startles, eyes almost comically wide when my hands don't go through. His face twists and crumbles as he quickly rolls his wrists to grasp my hands tightly, a pained, desperate noose escaping him. My heart aches from the vulnerability in his young face and I pity this boy who mirrors my friend, squeezing his hands gently. Poor Gene has been lost in the astral realm thinking he was dead. It must have been so lonely.
"Wait- how the hell are you touching-" I give him a pointed look as he suddenly flips my hands around and shakes them in wonder, and he gets all bashful again. "Right, sorry, not the time. Ahem, so I'm in Kyoto!" He rattles off some info for me. It's a forested, secluded but expensive area not far from some of Kyoto's oldest and most traditional secrions where you can still find women in kimonos and real geishas and maikos walking the streets, even today.
"I'm-I'm like in a basement or something, but… I can't get back to my body."
I shoot him an alarmed look, taking his hands back in mine and setting down the notebook I'd been scribbling on. Gene shakes his head firmly, "No, I'm not dead. It's not that. There are these symbols and Kanji, I think, carved into the walls. I can't go through them at all! It's like some kind of keikai barrier or something." He shudders, fragile and scared, and it causes me to gently move once again to sit next to him and wrap my arm around his trembling shoulders. I doubt it's something I would've been able to do with pychic energy alone had I not been blessed by Death as well, because although Gene isn't dead, something I can sense very well, he's still currently in spirit form and it is my connection with the god of death that allows me to interact with souls. The other teen eagerly leans into my side, and I make a note that he's probably touch starved. He's also gonna need a hell of a lot of therapy and cuddles when all this is over.
"Deep breaths, Gene. You're doing great," I murmur softly giving his shoulder a squeeze, the sensation of a slightly cool mass of air that feels like it's both there and not underneath my palms.
The boy laughs shakily, "Has anyone told you that you give off very strong maternal vibes. Because you really do. I wouldn't have guessed with how terrrifying and insane your soul looks, but…" he shakes his head, awed yet incredulous. I'm curious to know what he means, his sentiment echoing something Masako once said, but now isn't the time, so I just hum, shrug and wait for him to gather himself, gently rocking us side to side. "Um, I- I can feel the teather to my soul behind these walls, yeah? I just can't reach it. I know I'm not dead though because the-the two men. They c-come with an IV bag and stuff a-and they -t-t-talk-" he chokes up, curling tightier and gripping my hand on his shoulder and I offer the other to hold as well. Powerful empaths like Gene and I tend to cling to warm and steady presences in times of emotional distresss so I'm not at all surprised by his tactileness, especially considering how well he's held it together so far.
I hum again, low and soothing, like I would for Sora. "Okay. The men, the ones that took you, talk about how they are keeping you alive. That's great. We'll be coming to get you as soon as we tell Naru." Gene and I both cringe, knowing that will probably go fucking terribly.
Gene shakes his head wearily. "There's more. They know. About my abilities. I-I think they took me on purpose. They keep talking about forcing my soul back, ways to do it, rituals…"
I sit up sharply, eyes narrowing at the space in front of me as I start rapidly flipping through senarios and plans. That changes everything. Genes voice breaks me out of my mind. "If Oliver, Noll and you guys try to come get me-"
"No," I cut him off, firm but gentle. "I assure you, we can more then handle our own. No matter what, we will be coming to get you, Eugene Davis. You can count on that." He blinks big blue eyes at me, worry and hesitance in the lines of his face and the furrow of his brow, and I smirk at another mannerism the twins share. They have the same look on their faces when they're reallllyyy worried. I switch back to Japanese, since he can still follow the conversation easily enough. "You want to know a secret, Gene? I've been making Naru figure it out on his own, but that's because I like watching him struggle and he likes the challenge." Gene chokes a laugh, a small one, but a victory nonetheless, heand nods, curious. "It's a bit of a secret since you and Mai, and perhaps Sora, our little brother, are the only ones to know, but the reason you are sensing weirdness from my soul is because this isn't my first life."
Genes jaw drops and the expression is so damn funny on a face that I'm used to being utterly stoic that I can't hold back my snickers. Eyes like saucers, Gene seems to rock with the force of the revelation. "Bloody hell! Reincarnation? Seriously?!"
I snort. "Yeah, I have an arrangement with some Gods." I shrug, wickedly grinning as my new friend flounders with all his perceptions being turned upside down, finding myself highly entertained despite the rather dire circumstances.
"The gods?! How the hell- wait is that why your soul is huge!? It's never been wiped clean after the cycle of death and rebirth! You'd have to have some kind or arrangement with the gods. How does that even-"
I shake my head, giggling. "You are just as much of a nerd as your twin. I really should have expected this."
Gene actually pouts, merely sending me into hysterics at another mind boggling expression on that face. "Hey, no one is that big of a nerd. I'm the cool twin by default!"
I snort, ruffling his hair condescendingly. "I believe you." He catches my eyes, and his little act falls apart as the teen laughs, his shoulders seeming to be a bit lighter.
I tilt my head, hearing a door creak and shuffling foot steps. Sora, stuffed wolf toy in hand comes around the corner, heading straight towards me, before stopping dead. "Bahji, is that a ghost?"
I blink, startled, not having really expected Sora to be able to see spirits, but not entirely surprised either. "Huh. Yeah, kinda."
Sora, to my surprise, scowls. "We'll make him go away. He stealing my Bahji cuddles from me." He stomps his feet for emphasis, making his way over and shooing a bewildered Gene away, like batting an insect as he climbs into my lap.
Shaking with silent laughter, I shoot the mostly incorporeal teen a semi apologetic look, but he just seems as amused as I am. Sora sighs happily hurrying his little head in my chest and collarbone. I snicker, "Oh, comfy are we?"
The 6 year old nods sleepily. "Yeah, you left and my feet got cold."
I huff. "I'm not a foot warmer, Brat."
Sora looks up, blinking big, bleary eyes at me. "How else am I sopossed to keep them warm?" He asks, genuinely baffled. The audacity, I think, exasperated.
That is apparently the last straw for Gene, who positively looses it, doubling over in laughter and I grin at the sound, relieved tha he will at least leave here better then he came.
Soon after, when Gene had duspeared, and Sora had placed his icy paws back in their rightful place, my kidneys apparently, I pray to my friends in the beyond to help the teen last until we can get him. Please, Lord Death, let that boy hold onto this life and live long with his brother. Postpone the time by which you come for him, as you do for us all.
I hope that the warmth in my chest isn't in my imagination as I drift back to the land of dreams.
XXXXXXXXXX
"No matter what, stay in the kitchen until I come get you. Do you understand?" I let the urgency sharpen my words as I tighten my grip on Mai's hand as we approach the office doors. She nods, those self preservational instincts probally fully aware shits about to go down.
I like to think I've done a good job of treating Mai as my equal. We only have a year's difference between us, and we are sisters by choice, so I don't like being an overbearing authority figure. But she knows that if I'm acting like this, demanding something from her, it's very serious, and she has never once fought me on it, to my relief.
We duck inside, Mai heading for the kitchen as I go straight for Lin. Naru, having heard the bell, ducks his head out, probably to yell for tea, but freezes and does a double take at the look on my face. I cut him off before he can say anything. "Lin and I will meet you in your office in a minute."
I dart inside Lin's office without knocking and shut the door in Naru's face before marching up to Lin, who sits wide eyed and with a coffee mug halfway to his mouth. I grab it, set it on the desk, before taking Lin's hands in mine and crouching in front of the older man.
He gapes, utterly unbalanced by this sudden turn of events. "…Tsukiyo?"
I nod grimly. "I need you to take a deep breath for me because I'm about to deliver some news and I need your help reigning in the boss." Lin stiffens, sitting up straight and clasping my hands tightly as he searches my face. After a moment, he does as I ask, and calms his aura wonderfully.
"You found Gene." He states, voice and aura steady. I nod, jaw clenched, and his aura seems to grow in intensity as his grip tightens even more. "…There's more?"
I nod again, sharp. "I had some visions after Naru told me about Gene. Ones that didn't make sense. So Mai and I did some digging and reached out to him because we wanted confirmation first. And we got it."
"What is it?" Lin asks, voice sharp in what would appear to be irritation if you couldn't sense the anxiety in him. The shiki that usually swirl in lazy waves around him have become agitated, their movements erratic to match their master's rising emotions.
"I need you to understand that I wouldn't lie about this, nor say anything If I wasn't 100% sure," I tell him, my own anxiety causing my voice to strain. Lin had never said anything, but I knew how much he loves Gene and Naru. The three had grown up together although Lin was five years older. They had trained their abilities together and were family friends. Apparently, the Davis' had even taken Lin in at one point, although no one had explained the circumstances and I hadn't pushed my stoic yet gentle friend for information. Their affection for one another was completely obvious to me, from the way that Lin would hover protectively to the way that the only person Naru ever looked to for validation was the older man. Even the way they would silently gravitate to stand with one another, shoulder to shoulder, like it was them against the world was a clear indication of their bond.
Lin stares at me, face blank, before slowly nodding. "I know you wouldn't try to deliberately hurt a friend. Tell me. What is it?"
"Genes alive," Lin doesn't seem to react at all. Even his aura is entirely still. "Lin, he confirmed tit. He's alive."
"That's…explain." I grimace at the sudden strength of his hands on mine, watching his aura warily. Frost begins to climb autumn trees, strangling the life from them as soft winds turn bitingly frigid, razor sharp ice whipping through the air as the wind begins to howl and ashy smoke fills the air-
"He was forced out of his body and into the astral plane. He's been there ever since, unaware of his own living status because he has been unable to reenter his body."
"What? Why?!" Lin snarls, and I flinch even though I know that venom isn't really aimed at me. That seems to bring my friend back to himself as he abruptly releases my hands, frowning at the handprints he left behind in his shock. Lin curses softly in Mandarin, carefully turning my hands in his eyes regretful. I take his hands in mine again, tugging on them to bring his attention back to our conversation.
"It's okay. Just an accident. Not your fault. Gene is alive, but he's being held somewhere by someone who has abilities. He saw some kind of writing on the walls- ugh, you know what, it doesn't matter right now, okay? Gene is alive and we know his location."
I pull out the paper I'd scribbled the info on last night and hand it to him. I watch as he desperately scans it, reading it several times before abruptly setting it on the desk in front of him.
"This…is real?" Lin's voice is a little weak and shaky, and I nod, feeling for him. "He's alive?"
"I swear it. By Gene's own admission and my visions, he is currently alive iin Kyoto."
I pretend not to see the tear he descretely brushes away or hear the hitches of his breath as his trembling hands carefully touch the ripped up notebook page with my careless writing on it. The awe, the hope, has me hiding a smile, despite the fact that even with Gene alive, the whole situation was still fucked. Bitter winds settle, no more ice shards ripping sunset colored leaves to shreds. Instead a small campfire sparks back to life.
"Oh, bloody hell. Did you come tell me first so that you could use me as a buffer when you tell Naru?" Li asks flatly, tone incredulous.
I grimace again. "Frankly, I want to live long enough to find Gene." Lin grunts, seemingly agreeing with my reasoning. He sighs, before carefully taking one of my hands in his once again, fingers lightly tracing the forming bruises, but I just stand up from my crouch at his feet, tugging him up with me and trying to distract him. "Come on, we have some news to deliver."
He pulls me to a stop before I can lead him out of the door, surprising me by carefully pulling me into his chest, an arm around my shoulders. "I'm sorry. I know you aren't upset, but somehow I feel like unintentionally hurting you is becoming a disturbing trend. And Tsukiyo?" I glance up at him, my chin pressing into his chest. "Thank you."
Lin gives really good hugs.
XXXXXXXXXX
"What's going on?" Naru asks as we enter the room, a wary look on his face. The difference between him and Gene is made glaringly obvious once more. Even the way he defensively stands, arms crossed and chin tilted defiantly as his eyes flicker between Lin and I - How the hell could anyone confuse them?
"Right. Take a seat for me. Please?" I ask my boss, wringing my hands nervously. Naru stiffens. I can feel the way his energy flares dangerously as his metaphorical walls go up, even as he does as I ask. "Okay, boss, I really, really need you to take control of your energy and stay calm, Naru."
"What is this about?" His voice is dark and hard, and I get the distinct feeling that no matter what, this isn't going to go well. People understandably don't do well when you tell them their loved ones are, in fact, not dead, just captured, which really isn't much better. Sometimes, it's worse. Powerful, ice laden waves begin to churn, lightning starting to crackle as a storm begins to brew-
"It's about Gene. We…we know where he is," Naru inhales sharply, eyes shutting as he starts to fight his own powers, trying to force them under control. I let him work it out on his own, my instinincts warning me away from my overly powerful, distressed friend. "There's more."
"Spit it out," Naru growls, eyes still tightly shut, but it's the resignation in his aura that makes me want to cry. I look helplessly to Lin who steps up, placing his palm against my shoulder briefly.
"Tsukiyo says Gene himself confirmed that he isn't dead. As well as her own visions," Lin states bluntly, and I shoot him an alarmed look, feeling vaguely like I just got thrown under the bus. Way to rip off the fucking bandage, Lin! Oh my gods-
For a moment, the room is perfectly frozen, and then the moment is over and the temperature is literally dropping. Rage, venomous and acrid starts filling the air as the atmosphere grows electric.
"That's not possible." Naru's voice isn't loud, but it seems to echo, and on guidance of my instincts, I let my own powers start to gather under my skin.
"I promise, it's the truth. I saw it and Gene said-" This seems to be the limit of what Oliver Davis can take. In the span of one moment to the next, Naru explodes.
"YOU FUCKING LIE-" I throw up an energy shield just as Naru looses control, a wave of PK blasting out.
The force sends me to my knees, covering my head as glass rains down, the sound of things shattering and breaking deffening. My shield lasts just long enough for the wave to stop before it too crumbles, throwing me back a few more feet.
Lin isn't so lucky.
Yelping, I dart for my friend crumpled on the ground, having hit a bookcase quite hard. He groans as I kneel next to him, carefully running my hand over his head, taking in his dazed expression. My hands come away bloody.
"Fucking hell," A voice rasps behind me as I help Lin sit up. "I-I didn't mean to-"
"We know. It's okay," Lin slurs as Naru staggers over.
I note the destruction of room, the destruction of Naru's energy pathways just as his legs give out, and I only just manage to soften his collision with the ground.
XXXXXXXXXX
We manage to convince the paramedics that Naru has a mysterious chronic health issue that gives him fits, and that Lin got hurt protecting him when he had one on the stairs, Naru's office door carefully blocking the mayhem inside.
Hours later, a concussed Lin and I sit in his hospital room as our young boss wakes up, Mai having been sent home to watch Sora.
Naru blinks bleary eyes at us, face twisting in distress as he catches sight Lin's bandaged head. Reflexively, I place my hand on his wrist, carefully reaching out with my powers to settle his, avoiding the dark blue eyes that start boring into my skull.
If I wasn't concerned about his abilities acting up while he's still recovering from what was apparently severe heart palpitations without any cause, (although it was clearly a result of his loss of control straining his body), I would not be here. Not because I didn't want to support my friend and watch over him, but because I didn't want to risk agitating him. Unfortunately, I decided it would be more risky to his health for me to leave before he awoke then stay, so I'm just going to have to suffer, I suppose.
I don't look up when a hand settles over mine, focusing on soothing the weakly pulsating energy under my fingertips. The intensity had gone down since Naru's literal blow up, but all things considered, his loss of control was pretty minor. With as much power as he has, he could have easily leveled the building. A slip like today would have put him in a coma when we first met, but, thankfully, he's made a lot of progress since then.
"Tsukiyo. Thank you." I finally look up, brown and grey eyes meeting blue. I nod, but stay silent, knowing what's coming next. "But I still don't believe you."
I'm hoping my smile looks real, and that none of the hurt that the statement causes is visible. I don't blame Naru, not at all. All things considered, we haven't actually known one another long. Despite all the craziness we've gone through together already, it's only been weeks really. I know it's not personal, and that Naru thinks I would lie or that I'm mistaken or something. It's just that he can't bear the thought that I'm right. Hope can be a wonderful yet dangerous thing. Right now, Naru doesn't believe he can afford it.
I pat his hand and stand up, moving away. "But there is no harm in trying." Naru tenses up again, but I continue, determination starting to bubble up in my chest. " I understand if you don't want to be involved in this. I'd never judge you for that. However, I am formally requesting a week off to make the trip to Kyoto myself."
Lin's head whips up, but it's Naru that cuts him off. "No, I'm going. There is a psychic convention being held in Kyoto by the Fukumoto family who are pretty well renowned for their abilities in the parapsychology and demonology fields anyway. I hadn't been planning to go but we might as well take the opportunity to check out the lead while we are in the area."
I tilt my head, my instincts nagging at me. "Where in Kyoto?" Nauru names the area, and I share a wide eyed look with with Lin.
"It's the same area. That can't be a coincidence right?" I bear my teeth darkly, grim satisfaction growing as I grab my things.
"Where are you going?"
" Home," I state as I head towards the door. "Kazuya, I hope you feel better. Let me know when we're leaving."
"Wha- it's almost midnight!" My boss hisses, starting to force himself to sit up. "You shouldn't be out by yourself this late. Lin will drive you."
"Lim is concussed, and shouldn't be driving at all. I'll be fine."
"Don't be an idiot-" the teen snaps, shooing Lin towards me, and the stress of today's events finally catches up with me.
"Don't cross the line," I mutter lowly, head turning to look at them over my shoulder as I use my PK to force them into stillness. Inhaling to regain my composure, I smile mildly, blandly. "Thank you for your concern, but I assure you, I can take care of myself."
I pull my cane out of my bag and begin tapping away, listening to the sound reverb as I navigate my way out of the hospital and to the train station, releasing my coworkers when I feel like they won't be able to catch up.
I sigh, looking up at the night sky as I walk the dark streets. "Hold out a bit longer Gene. We're coming for you." My walk home is dark and quiet, but it's the loneliness that has me racing to my siblings. When I finally climb under my blanket that night, I dream of a dark basement, covered in markings and energy that chills my blood and has me wrenching myself awak barely a few hours later. This is gonna be bad.
XXXXXXXXXX
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone