Empath

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Al came to a halt as he arrived at Anabelle's place. He panted and leaned over with his hands on his knees. The bitter air stung his lungs, but it felt refreshing. It had been a while since he ran like that. He could feel it in his calves. Yui caught up a few seconds later.

"Man, you beat me!" He whined. "I thought for sure I was gonna win!"

"I try to stay fit," Al shrugged. He opened the door and was embraced with the warmth of the house. "Ah, that's better," he sighed in relief. His cheeks were slightly flushed from running in the cold. He looked over at Yui and noticed he was looking at him as well. Al's eyes quickly darted away. He walked into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. He looked almost as relaxed as Yui generally was. He laid down and nestled into the couch in a way that made him look like an oversized cat.

"You look like you're ready for bed," Yui giggled as he took off Al's coat. "Where should I put this?"

"Eh, just lay it here for now," he patted the top of the couch.

Yui draped the trench coat over the back of the sofa. "I'm gonna make that call in the kitchen," he informed Al, as he took out his smartphone.

"Sounds good," Al yawned. He felt like he was ready for bed. As he laid there, he heard Yui call his client.

"Hi," Yui waved, as his client's face appeared on the screen of his smartphone. She was a young woman of Yui's age, with a small, round face and a brown bob-cut.

"Hi, Yui!" She addressed him cheerfully.

Al tried to feel her from the other room. All he could feel was the same soft serenity that he felt from Anabelle.

"How've you been, Mia?" Yui asked.

"I'm great!" She said. She was so peppy that her hair bounced as she spoke.

"No relapse or anything?" He asked.

"Nope, I've been fit as a fiddle!" She exclaimed. "I just wanted to let you know, since, y'know, I kinda doubted that I'd be cured."

"Did you think I'd lie to you?" Yui asked. He held a hand on his chest, as though he was offended.

"I didn't think you were lying," she said. She tilted her brown eyes to the side in thought. "I just thought I was too far gone for help."

"But you agreed to it," Yui noted, "Actually, you're the one who suggested it."

"Oh, pssh," she waved a hand as if she was shooing him away. "That was just 'cause I liked ya! I would've wanted to do it with you even if you didn't have miraculous healing powers. I'd buy you again, if I could." She winked at the camera.

Yui's smooth cheeks turned a delicate pink.

Al felt like he shouldn't be listening in on this.

"So you're really feeling better?" Yui asked, after a moment.

"Absolutely!" Mia smiled brightly. "I've felt better in the past few months than I can remember feeling in my entire life! You know how much I suffered from depression."

"Yeah, but I just want to make sure it doesn't come back."

"Aww, you're worried about me, sweety?" She gave him a sultry look. "Well, we could always have another go, just to be safe."

Yui giggled. "You know I only take customers who really need my help. Hey, Al!" He turned and yelled into the living room.

Al sat up. He had been trying to zone them out, but it was rather difficult. "Yeah?"