Plain: Book 2

Epilogue

When Masako came back to base, supported by Takigawa, I threw my arms around her neck and held her tight until she tapped my arm for release. I made tea for everyone in a sort of desperate fervor, then sat and stared at my own cup until Naru told me it was time to pick up.

Everyone split up. I headed back with Naru and Lin, and, as usual, there wasn't much talk in the van. We reached Tokyo in the early morning and I vaguely remembered Naru coaxing me out of the van and up the stairs to my tiny studio apartment with gentle squeezes of his hands. When I woke up it was in my own bed, with sunlight streaming across my futon and my tiny kitchen...alone. I don't know why one part of me had expected Naru to stay with me, but perhaps it had been because of a dream I had had where his brother had sat by my bedside, saying nothing much, other than to close my eyes and rest; there wouldn't be anywhere to wonder to tonight.

I had showered, dressed, and just gotten my stirred eggs into a frying pan when my doorbell rang. It only took three or so steps to the door.

Naru, dressed in an unorthodox blue shirt (still black pants and shoes, you couldn't expect him to do the impossible), greeted me.

"Can I come in?" he sounded almost...wary.

"Yeah?"

He took off his shoes and eyed my futon still sprawled out between my TV and beaten up loveseat. Without a word he walked in, got down, and started to work on rolling up my futon into the closet.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?"

I remembered my omelet then and jumped back to the popping oil and eggs. It was only then that I realized I had forgotten to mix in the rice and groaned. I didn't have rice. I had been planning to buy some on the way back home. Money money money money....

I heard the rustle of fabric and the clack of the closet door behind me.

"If you'd called me ahead of time I would have picked up. Does leaving stuff out bother you?"

"No. It's not like you have enough stuff to make much of a mess. I'm..."

As he hesitated, I tipped out my omelet onto a plate and asked, "Want some?"

"No thanks, I already ate."

Of course. "Tea?"

"No."

Okay, that made me stop. I dropped the pan into the sink and turned on him with my arms folded. "Okay, what's up?"

His eyes did that quick little flick as he stopped himself from averting his eyes, because Naru never avoiding looking someone in the eye. It would show weakness, or, at least, nervousness. I didn't even know if Naru knew he did that.

"Aren't you...angry?" he asked.

"No. I thought it was usually pretty obvious when I'm angry."

"It is."

"Then why are you asking?"

"Because..." another pause, another little invisible eye flick. "You should be. Usually you'd be furious with me after forcing you out like that. And my methods had distressed you."

"But it was necessary, wasn't it?"

"Well, I wouldn't have done so unless it was."

I had to smile at that. I could see more minute signs of his hidden apprehension. He hid it so well. He purposefully kept his shoulders back, eyes on mine, hands loose. He was very good—except for how still he held. He almost didn't breathe. Not even a finger twitched. I could have laughed at how hard he tried.