Dangerous Souls

Secrets

Chapter 3- Pain

September Day 3, 3:21 A.M.

For a workaholic, like the manager of SPR, it truly wasn't uncommon for him to fall asleep at around two in the morning while still doing work in his day clothes. In fact, it was a common occurrence, and without his Chinese assistant chiding him to get some rest, it was something to be expected.

Asleep with his head in his arms on the table in front of the monitors, Naru still had an uneasy feeling. Just as he was calming down even further into a deep sleep the feeling became a reality.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! STOP IT! STOP!" the scream filled the air, causing the workaholic teenager to actually fall out of his chair.

"Mai!" he heard his clients exclaim.

He silently cursed himself for falling asleep and raced up the stairs. In the guest bedroom, Jinru and Nishi were hovering over the girl as she continued to scream and thrash about.

"Mai! You're going to wake the neighbors!" Nishi exclaimed trying to shake the girl awake.

Naru, acting purely on instinct, pushed past his client and leaned over the thrashing girl. "Mai!" he shouted, shaking her. "Mai!"

She just continued to thrash, he had to resort to only one option. He hit her, not hard, but enough to snap her out of the nightmare. What else could he have done?

The screaming and thrashing ceased as tears welled in the girl's eyes. She shot up and wrapped her arms around a fairly muscular torso, tears spilling over. "M-Mai?" Naru heard Jinru mumble.

Comforting. Something that was never this young man's forte. Didn't Madoka attempt to give him a lesson about this? He really should have paid attention.

He stroked her hair as she cried into his chest, why couldn't Monk be there? He'd know what to do. No. Where the hell did that idea come from? He had to calm her down. He wrapped his arms around her back and she visibly winced.

She winced.

Not of surprise.

But of pain.

"Ow..." she whimpered, gripping his shirt tighter.

He barely even applied any pressure. "Mai, I'm going to need you to turn around," he ordered softly. "I need to see your back."

Mai was shocked by his request, but nevertheless, she complied turning around. Carefully and cautiously, Naru slowly lifted up her shirt, what he saw caused his eyes to widen slightly.

"The hell?" Nishi gasped as she and her daughter covered their mouths.

"M-my God!" Jinru added, trying to look away.

"What?" Mai was scared, what did her dream do to her?

"Mai, what happened in your dream?" Naru asked as Mai shuddered.

"I'll get the first aid kit, Jinru, make some tea." The two ran out of the room, as Mai could only imagine what was on her back.

"Naru, what's on my back?" she dared to ask, as Naru pulled out his cell phone.

"Whatever happened in your dream took a physical toll on you," he replied, turning the camera function on. "Do you want to see what happened?"

She nodded, hearing his phone make a clicking sound. Once the phone was brought to her eyes she gasped. A large purple bruise was already forming on the majority of her back and the memory of her dream came rushing back.

"What happened in your dream?" he asked again, this was unlike him, he seemed kinder than his normal self. His eyes were filled with an emotion Mai had never seen before she couldn't put her finger on it. Regret? Sympathy? Maybe.