Songfic
Pairing: Naru x Mai
Song - 1: The Irony of Choking On A Lifesaver
Artist - 1: All Time Low
Song – 2: Leave Out All The Rest
Artist – 2: Linkin Park
Disclaimer: I don't own the songs nor the anime. The lyrics of the song are mainly used as inspiration. Also, there is no relation between real author Rosalie Turner and this story's RT.
Daffodils
"We'll take the case," were the words that froze Mai's world. It shocked her that Naru, the epitome of everything serious and important would so easily accept a case so absurd, so emotional without her begging him to do so.
The old man before them thanked them quietly and left, giving the man in black no chance of reconsidering. However, Naru seemed content with what he had said and stood abruptly, earning a surprised look from the girl. He smiled gently – another shock – and returned to his office, saying: "Mai, tea." without any emotion.
"Stupid Naru," she muttered, stomping to the kitchen. Her head was aching from all the confusing emotions the teenager was giving her. Smiling like that, then going all emotionless. Maybe she had imagined that smile? She had thought so countless times, but there was no way her mind would play such evil tricks on her.
Her vision wandered, as she took the kettle and started preparing the water. She took her time. It was not like Naru would decapitate her for doing so. She leaned against the table and yawned, black spots disturbing her sight. When she collapsed, she did not notice.
Darkness. Within, an orb of light floating. Mai started walking towards it. It grew slowly and when it embraced her, it was warm and comforting.
"Don't be afraid," she heard a woman say. In front of her, there was a child, staring at her with wide frightened eyes. Only then, she realized she was the woman and the woman was she.
"Who are you?" the child asked, standing up. His knees were scratched and his face blotchy. Mai could feel herself smile.
"My name is Eloise," she said gently. "What is yours?"
The little boy sniffled and replied quietly: "Eugene. Eugene Smith."
"Eugene Smith?" Mai frowned. "It's a beautiful name. What are you doing out alone, Eugene?" She knelt, so they'd be on the same level. Eugene avoided looking at her.
"I'm dead," he whispered. "So are you. There is no late or early for dead people."
The whistling of the kettle brought Mai back from the dreamscape. Her insides were filled with content, an inexplainable warmth engulfed her. She didn't want to stand.
"Mai," a cold voice caught her attention. Naru.
She turned her eyes and closed them, seeing him stand at the door. An empty cup was in his hands and she was certain he had come to see what was taking her so long. "I don't pay you to sleep on the job." There. He'd said it. Again.
"Sorry," she muttered, unlike usually. "One moment." She sat up, wincing at the pain in her head. She brought her hand up, but let it drop, when she noticed Naru's peculiar glance. She laughed at herself, playing it off.
"Sorry, Naru-chan," she nervously stood up. Her legs wobbled, as she made it to the stove and took the kettle, nearly dropping it.
"Mai," Naru grabbed her hand. The girl's fingers tightened around the handle and her eyes widened in surprise. There was a dark look in his eyes, which told clearly that he saw through her cheeriness.
"N-Naru," she muttered, cheeks reddening from the embarrassment. "I'm okay."
"Clearly," he dropped. Releasing Mai's hand, he turned away. "Hurry up."
Mai breathed a sigh of relief. She started preparing the tea, when the loud voices of the priestess and the monk reached her. She grinned. These two made the office lively.
She poured the tea out and carrying it on a tray, walked to the room, where Takigawa almost made her drop it by hugging her. "Monk-san!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "I can't breathe!" She put the tray out of the danger zone and she was surprised, when someone took it from her hands.
"How are you, Mai?" she heard John ask and she grinned, when Ayako hit the monk with her purse. Her body was freed from the man's grip.
"I'm fine," she smiled, taking the tray from the blond exorcist. "Thank you for, you know," she nodded towards the cup of tea on the tray. John nodded: "You're welcome." Mai smiled again, before making her way to her boss' office. She placed the cup on Naru's table and waited for a thank you that would never come. However, the man riled her up faster than the speed of light by telling her off.
"Again?" Takigawa laughed, when Mai slammed the door shut. The girl was fuming with anger, earning chuckles from nearly everyone in the room. Even Masako, who had just arrived, had to hide her smile with her kimono sleeve.
Things had changed, when Naru left Japan. Yet when he returned, everything seemed to fall into the same pace as it had been before. As if he had never left them, had never left her.
Mai sighed. "Okay, everyone," she said after a deep breath. "Naru told me to inform you all that he has taken on a new case."
"What's it about?" it was Masako who raised the question. Mai looked at her and sighed, remembering how Naru had teamed up with Masako when they were trying to lure out the ghost in the park. There was no way this couldn't happen again.
"It's a house museum," she said without hesitation. "Rosalie Turner's," she added with a grin. Masako nodded, recognizing the name of a popular science-fiction author who had died a few years ago. She was mainly known for creating the story world "Goizeko Izarra."
"People visiting have encountered many strange phenomena from flickering lights and knocking to physical encounters with the ghost," she continued, as if reciting a poem. "It targets like a cupid." Indeed, there it was – Ayako's wicked smile that hinted about how this was Mai's chance to win Naru's heart. "Yet it seems it has become more forceful about pulling the couples together. The customers of the Pandora's Box are canceling their reservations, so the owner decided to have us check the ghost out."
"If it's a house museum, why do they have reservations?" Ayako asked, earning a soft chuckle from Masako. The red-haired woman glared at her.
"It's because half of Rosalie Turner's mansion has always been used as a hotel," Mai explained.
"It is very prestigious," Masako added, hiding behind her kimono sleeve once again. "You'll feel out of place." Mai snickered at that. Ayako tried hard to suppress her frustration, but it was evident. Takigawa let out a laugh and the woman turned towards him, hitting him hard with her purse. The Monk's laugh was immediately cut short.
"I heard it's very hard to get reservations there," Masako told Mai, who excitedly nodded along. Although no one else in their group knew, both of them were huge fans of Goizeko Izarra and Eugene Strider, the protagonist of the series.