Oliver was thinking of calling for Mai. He really wanted to drink his tea, but Mai had to get ready for her final exams at the college she was attending to get a diploma in psychology. And she was reading every possible book and scientific report she could get her hands on wherever possible which meant the Office was actually her domain right now.

And she would get offended when people disturbed her studying, poor Bou-san and Yasuhara could tell the tale if you were asking, but Noll did not need it for he was a witness two days ago when Mai almost cracked Yasuhara's head with a tea cup he was hoping to drink. Shame on them, he really wanted to drink that tea, too.

She was always so kind to the customers but once they left would shove him to his Office and tell him off for considering disturbing her studies. Honestly she was much worse than Oliver, but that cute face of hers would hide the fact.

Sometimes Oliver would not close the door and stare at her while she was reading. She was always a sight whatever she was doing but seeing her reading was always something else. Oliver was a man who would held books with utmost care and considers the path to the knowledge as sacred. So seeing her on that way was so alluring…

But he would always force himself to shut the door quietly and continue to work on whatever he was doing. Only to remind himself of something Mai would do and lose himself on the thoughts about Mai again. He couldn't help but sigh…

Mai would get that look on her eyes when she was studying hard. Her cinnamon eyes would change the colour and get molten chocolates with golden specks in them.

When he first met Mai, she was just a girl he could not get wrapped around the finger which was a plus point near her name. It made him actually consider her working for him and Lin because she would not gush like every other girl he knew.

She was ordinary in everything she was doing. She had average hair, average looks, average voice and manners.

But with the years flowing like a hard wind, it was almost six years since they met, he would say –well think, then he would never say such nice things to her face anyway- she was nothing ordinary.

She was like earth, everybody would need her- he would need her-, she would ground them, let them be happy, be strong, be themselves without forcing them to do so. She was the air he needed but…

As always his thoughts about Mai ended with memories about her confession and his response. He was so awful. He cringed again, even after years and years later, Mai would hold a simple but noticeable distance between them. He was so stupid for not acting sooner and losing her.

He noticed his feelings in England when he was forced to be without her. At first he thought he would call her name just out of habit when he needed tea. But then began the dreams about her. She would just sit there sometimes and look at him with sorrowful eyes. Sometimes even tears and he would feel terrible, he would feel a pain in his chest and his eyes would sting with tears too.

He would wake up and sit for hours in the darkness of the library or on the window seat in his room and look at the moon. It was so un-like Noll that his mother was seriously disturbed at her son's behaviour and called Madoka and Lin to her and asked them what was wrong with him.

He could just see the scene before his eyes, Madoka with twinkling eyes full of mischief and Lin looking seriously disturbed he was asked such nonsensical things.

But he was grateful, then as a result of those meetings he was now able to see his Mai every day, even when she was not his in that sense of the Word. He was happy that he could witness her happy laughs. He was happy with rescuing her when the need arose. And he was happy to see a slight blush in her face –even after years- when she was facing him, when he was touching her hand or shoulder to make sure she was alright, when she was waiting in his hospital room and waiting for him to wake up without knowing he was awake and watching her.

He was doing it again; really, he should be doing paperwork right now and not thinking about his wonderful Mai. He sighed again and tried to concentrate. It was hard without tea but he would do it if really- and I mean really- needed.

He jerked up when the door opened and the only girl in his dreams appeared with a tea cup and cookies.

"Naru" she called and stepped in the room. "You are working far too much. Look at your eyes, they are really red, you need a break sometimes. Why won't you call for me, I mean for tea if you are so tired?"

Noll was speechless for a moment, she would not gain other powers, would she? How would she be able to tell what he was feeling, if not? If yes, it would be dangerous for them all but especially for him, Mai was thinking empathically enough for at least two persons. She would discover his feelings and be disgusted and resign and he would never… Before his mind could go on the possibilities Mai was speaking again.

" Naru, it is eight and you didn't come out of your room for hours now, I know you need to work, but you should eat something. How are you able to work without a breather between the files?"

"My mind is different than yours Mai. I can work without needing much fanfare."

"You jerk", oh she was so predictable, he so loved to tease her. "I was just-" before she could say anything he spoke again,

"I knew you were studying Mai, I wanted to give you the time. We had already two customers coming in today and Bou-san and Ayako and Yasuhara. They stole enough of your time."

She was blushing again, so he was being considerate of her. She fell silent and looked at him. The silence was something Mai would only stumble upon when she was thinking hard, and Noll looked up to see her eyes but blushed momentarily, then she was looking straight at him. Her eyes were really beautiful he thought, but he masked it with a slight rise of his eyebrow.

She blushed harder when she noticed him looking at her with questions in his eyes.

He was a beautiful man. His eyes, his hair, his hands… He was so different from Gene even when they had the same body years ago. Well, Gene could not get older and you could see now the difference between the brothers. Gene's eyes was more like blue-grey whereas Naru's eyes had a ton near violet, it was a unique colour. They were just like him, his eyes could look so cold, so warm, so inviting and so dangerous sometimes and she wanted to lose herself in them.

When her thought touched this subject, she stepped back. It was dangerous. He could get condescending again, he would reject her again, he would break her again. She took a step back again. She could do it, she was doing it for years now, the distance was needed for her sanity. Never again, she would not lose herself again. Never loosen up her ties around her heart.

She allowed a fake smile grace her face without noticing the odd look in Naru's face.

"Oh, I am going back then and leave you to do your work. Is it ok if I would leave at nine? I need to check something at the library. It is open 24/7 but on the way back home it gets sometimes really dark and scary."

She knew he could tell that she was nervous.

He nodded.

"İf you fulfil your duties, you can go."

She smiled a real smile this time and he relaxed too. He hated it when she was anxious while speaking with him and he hated the fact that he himself put hat fear in her with his impossible manners.

The door closed and Mai retreated to the main room. He could hear her sitting at her desk and moving books and notebooks and opening her laptop.

The smell of her tea was overwhelming. It calmed him down. It reminded him of days spent with Gene and his parents outdoors. Of days spent with laughter, with joy. It reminded him of Mai. He took a sip and swallowed it down and allowed himself to smile.

He would ask Mai to allow him to escort her to home, so she wouldn't get scared. And maybe drink a tea somewhere outside the Office? It could be considered cold and Mai would maybe allow him to take her to that small cafe near the Library that prepared good tea even if Mai's was loads better.

It was a thought that cheered him up, and with a smile in his face he could at least focus in his work.

Noll looked up to see the watch showing 8.50.

He began to close up the dossier he was working on and closing his laptop. He stretched and moved his hair with his hands. He was afraid to look at the mirror sometimes. Gene loved to surprise him even being dead wouldn't stop him. Yes, he was still around, that he was buried didn't mattered obviously, he needed to write another book and share this knowledge with the academia. Sure as hell, Gene would always know when something was up and question him thoroughly.

Today he was feeling especially jittery and he was sure when he looked to the mirror he would see a face younger then himself and feel the guilt again. He knew that he should have been with Gene when he was visiting Japan about the damn Shinto exorcisms.

He couldn't help but feel guilty and Gene always complained about it and would press his hand to the mirror and Noll would respond mirroring him.

His hand was now bigger than Gene's, he even had facial hair but Gene was still his older brother. The one who gave long speeches about working hours, about love matters, about anything that mattered. He even scolded Noll when he saw it necessary. It was almost like old times when he was alive.

The first time he appeared on the mirror, Noll flinched and thought he was seeing hallucinations. But Gene smiled but then sneered at him, like he was remembering something Noll had done really bad. And scolded him so thoroughly like never before.

It was about Mai of course.

After that night his dreams began. And a pair of months later he found himself at the office in Japan again. But he could not gain the courage to talk to Mai about his feelings, not with the distance building every time when they were alone. Not with Mai flinching when he came near. Not when he spotted Mai tearing up while dreaming and muttering his name and crying quietly.

He was swimming in guilt.

He did not deserve someone like Mai. She just needed to forget about him, even when he could not forget her. He loved to work with her, he loved to see her eyes light up when they were able to solve a case and help others. He loved to see her compassionate behaviour around children and could not help but dream sometimes about kids looking like him sitting on her lap.

It was so good.

Too good to be true.

He was too late.

And it was his fault again.

He sighed and looked at his watch again. It was nearly nine and Mai was surely about to call a night and leave.

He grabbed his tea cup and grabbed his coat and walked to his door. Mai was still at her table and writing some notes on her laptop. She was working with a speed worthy of Lin, lost on the pages about child psychology.

He knew it sometimes haunted her, reading about those files on children without parents. She, with her abilities bordering on being an empath, would get nightmares about it. She would never tell them anything about them, but it helped sometimes to have a dead twin with a spiritual link to the women you loved. You could always keep the tabs on her.

He needed to bribe Gene so he could be aware of it, but it was worth.

On those days Noll wouldn't give Mai much to work on and leave little things on her table he knew that could cheer her up. Like little chocolates or silly manga books or ribbons with ghosts to braid her hair.

Her long hair was always braided now. Like it would symbolise her distance and discipline and being a grown up. He missed her loose hair. It was always so untameable, so like his Mai. But he guessed it was his fault again, then it was that way since he came back from England.

He quietly walked to her and touched her shoulder only to see Mai flinch which again made him flinch.

"Naru!" she called loudly. "You scared me. Since when are you standing there? I was so caught up in work and -"

"İt is ok Mai." He smiled a little and showed her the time.

"I thought you wanted to visit the library? I am leaving know and I also need to look something at the library. So I thought.."

"Yes?" She didn't want to hope and be wrong again. But did he really want to spend time with her outside of the office hours?

"So I thought I could give you a ride?"

"Oh, really? I mean, yes of course. I would be happy."

Noll's smile widened and Mai seemed to catch it then she blushed. Maybe he was not too late and Gene was right? Could he really hope?

"Ok then. Let's get the office cleaned up a little and then we can leave."

They both worked silently, he cleaned in the main room while Mai cleaned the kitchen and leave it ready for the following day.

"Naru! Remind me to buy some cookies again, won't you? With you forgetting to eat and me living at the office we seem to need the supplies for it."

He sighed, but could not help but agree. Mai seemed to copy his office hours and they were always at the office. They just needed some room to sleep in and move in the office. Don't go there, he thought. Not yet, maybe some time later, after they were boyfriend and girlfriend. But not yet.

"If you think so." He said loudly.

Just when Mai came around the corner and was about to say something to him, the main door opened loudly, banging at the wall and there stand a young woman with a sleeping kid in her arms. She looked so desperate that Mai's attention fell immediately on her and forgotten was what she wanted to tell Naru.

Damn her compassionate side. There goes his pseudo date with Mai.

It was obviously an evening of loud sighs.