Disclaimer: If I owned this franchise, there would certainly been more episodes/volumes.
Collar
(A.N.) I was going to write a another Lessons fic, but this one sort of got away from me. Sorry, not sorry!
"I am not wearing this."
"Mai, you have to. No one else can go with me, and we must blend in."
"But Madoka-san…"
"No buts! This is vital to our investigation."
"This," Mai said, holding up the whale-boned black corset, "is vital?"
Madoka, the acting SPR president until Naru came back from England, frowned. "Yes." Tossing her medium brown hair away from her face, the ghost hunter motioned to her own costume. "I'm not exactly going in street clothes either, you know." Madoka was clad in leather pants which fit her almost a little too well, with shiny black boots hugging up her calves to stop just above her knees. The boots, Mai noticed, were four inches tall with stiletto heels. A wide leather belt kept the pants riding low on her hips instead of sliding further downward. She also wore a fitted, cropped royal purple silk top with a Chinese collar. In her hands, she clutched a pair of long black leather gloves which she had been about to don when Mai had interrupted.
Mai sighed. "Do I really have to?"
"Well, I've sent Takigawa and Matsuzaki on the noodle shop case, and Yasuhara is busy pulling up all the research for both their case and this one. And Masako is filming a TV special this week. The only other person that leaves is John. Surely you don't think I'm going to ask him to go along with this! Although, I suppose…" There was a hint of mischief in the woman's eyes.
"Oh, kami, no." Mai could not imagine John going to the sort of place they were going to. He was a priest!
"Then I guess you'd better get your butt into the bathroom and change, shouldn't you?" There was no longer only a hint of mischief; it was full blown suppressed laughter now.
Grumbling under her breath, Mai snatched the rest of the clothes which Madoka had brought for her. "I hate you."
"Of course you do, Mai-chan." Madoka's infamous warm smile spread wide across her face. As Mai was shutting the bathroom door, the woman added, "Oh, and don't forget to put on the thong. Just in case."
Mai managed to get the door shut before redness exploded all over cheeks. "This is so embarrassing," she muttered, holding the clothes up in front of her. Actually, calling these clothes is being far too generous. I don't even know where to put most of this.
Slowly, she sorted through the…garments, then she pulled off her own clothes. The first thing she slid into was the thong Madoka mentioned. She tried not to look in the mirror while she was wearing it. It was a mere wisp of lace and ribbon, barely qualifying in Mai's opinion, as underwear. Figuring it would be easier to pull all the other pieces on before she even dared attempting the corset, she fastened another lacy undergarment around her hips, letting the little clips dangle from the ribbons. Garter belt, I think. That's what Madoka said…? The garter belt was the same color as the thong: bright blue.
Since the belt was on, she figured the stockings and actual garters should come next. Is there even a special order for putting this all this on? Frowning, she slid the blue and black garters over the tops of the sheer black stockings. They hugged her thin legs almost painfully. She knew they were going to irritate all night.
There was some sort of "skirt". Mai eyed it critically. You can totally see through this stupid thing. Not bothering to suppress her loud groan, she stepped into the circle of fabric. It was a construction of silky black fabric overlaid with stiff, itchy black lace. It was a demure length, falling to her knees, but there were steep slits up the sides, showing off the damn garters. Sure enough, as she looked down, she should see the silhouette of her legs through the skirt.
Mai sighed.
"Alright, corset. Just you and me now."
oOo
Madoka tapped her booted foot impatiently. Mai was taking a ridiculously long time to put on the clothes that Madoka had secured for her. Their new client had assured her that both the outfit for Mai, as well as the one Madoka now wore, were what was necessary to blend in at his establishment.
To be fair, Madoka hadn't really known that their client was the proprietor of a fetish club. He'd looked like an ordinary man in a suit. An expensive suit, yes, but a suit nonetheless. The man had told her that he ran a private members club and that there had been a series of strange accidents. He'd mentioned patrons and staff who had been pushed down stairs, only to swear there was no one present when they fell. A lighting fixture in one room had fallen, severely injuring two guests. Windows had been blown inwards, shattering all over thirty people. Madoka was reluctant to pull the others off their current assignment, but she'd figured that she, Mai, and John could handle the preliminaries. So, she'd agreed to talk the case.
That was when the man told her the club was of the…fetish variety. From what he explained, the club was tamer than it could have been, but it was still something of a problem. For one thing, she wasn't going to ask John to accompany them to the club for an evaluation. For another, Mai wasn't old enough at seventeen years of age to even enter the club, let alone spend potentially significant time there.
However, when Madoka mentioned her concern about the part-timer's age, the man waived a hand and said not to worry about it. As long as the girl didn't participate in any "play", then he could take care of it.
Which still only left Madoka and Mai to do the walk-through. Madoka, though she had trained Oliver (aka "Naru") Davis, she had different methods than he did. Yes, research and scientific data were important, but she had never liked to begin an investigation until she had taken stock of the problem herself. And since most ghosts and other spirits were shy around strangers, she preferred not to waste time by being conspicuous with her evaluations. She entered unobtrusively, disguised sometimes as a maintenance worker or a visiting family member.
This, however, was certainly a first.
The only way she and Mai were going to enter unobtrusively to this particular club during the spirit's active time (which was when the club was open, from ten o'clock at night to four in the morning), then the two of them were going to have to enter as guests. After discussing the options with the client, it was settled that she and Mai would enter as a dominant/submissive couple.
She just hoped Mai wouldn't kill her when she showed her the shoes and other accessory that went with her outfit.
Madoka was disturbed from her thoughts by the door opening.
Surprised, the woman spun to face the door. Surely it wasn't a client. She hoped it wasn't a client. It would hardly be appropriate to greet a client dressed as she was.
"Madoka, where are—oh."
The woman rested a hand over her face for a moment. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, Naru, but what are doing here? More importantly, why didn't you phone ahead?"
Naru said nothing for a long moment, blue eyes narrowed as he took her attire in fully. Finally, he said, "Lin emailed you."
Oh, for the love of everything holy. "Ah. Well, then. I've been busy."
"I see." His tone was cutting.
"Don't you take that tone with me, young man. I can still trounce you properly." She fixed him with one of her cheerful stares which terrified more than it comforted. "And yes, I have been very busy. This get-up is of course for a case." She picked the file up from the coffee table and handed it to him. "Sounds like a run of the mill poltergeist, but you know I love to take a peek before the cameras are set up."
Lin chose that moment to enter the room, holding a case he had obviously brought up from their car. He too stared at Madoka. Rather than let herself feel self conscious about Lin's attention, she rested her hands on her hips and asked brightly, "What do you think?" She turned slowly, letting him see her outfit from all angles.
Lin blushed.
Yes!
Madoka smiled.
And Mai practically crashed out of the bathroom, snarling. "Madoka, you have to help me, I can't get the ribbons t—"
Naru just stared.
Mai was at a temporary loss for words. I hope the floor swallows me. Yeah, that would be good. Any time now, floor.
"Mai, why are you dressed like that?" Naru's voice was deceptively calm. A small part of him was very impressed. He'd barely managed to keep his jaw from going slack. For the most part, Naru didn't surprise easily. But he would have never imagined he would see Mai dressed as she was. It was taking a good amount of his self-control too keep his eyes from wandering.
You would totally imagine it. You just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Now, though. Now, there will be an endless amount of imagining, the little voice in the back of his head (which always infuriatingly sounded like Gene) whispered. Naru resisted the urge to grit his teeth. Shut. Up., he growled silently at the voice.
Garters! the voice answered gleefully.
Mai, in the meantime, found her voice. "You know, I'm glad someone else besides me has asked that question." The brunette girl held the front of the corset close to her chest, blue ribbons trailing. She hadn't been able to fasten them on her own.
"Explain, Madoka."
The senior ghost hunter did so, using the same words she had said to Mai twenty minutes earlier.
Naru closed his eyes briefly. Yelling at Madoka was no good. She terrified him. Especially while she was dressed like some dominatrix. When he opened his eyes, he cut a glance at Lin. The tall man met his gaze for an instant and then looked steadfastedly away. Lin was apparently abandoning him in this argument.
Suddenly, Madoka clapped her hands. "Oh, Naru, darling, don't be grumpy! I know what's upsetting you and I know how to fix it!"
Oh, sweet baby Jesus, no. Naru opened his mouth to cut off whatever unholy idea Madoka was about to spawn.
"You are the president of SPR! You should go with Mai for the walk-through!"
"What?!" Mai cried.
Naru closed his mouth. I don't know why I bother trying to stop her. It never works. He began to silently formulate his argument for when Madoka was done with Mai.
Lin's shoulders were shaking. Naru eyed the other man critically, concluding that Lin was trying very valiantly to not laugh.
Madoka began bustling around the lounge. She picked up a pair of patent leather high heels. She also picked up a strip of leather with a metal ring attached to it, and a long silky cord. "Come on, Mai! We need to finish getting you ready, or you and Naru will be late to meet the client!"
"I—no, Madoka, wait—Hey, what are you doing?!" Mai tried in vain to escape the older woman's clutches. "Naru, Lin, do something! Help!" The bathroom door slammed shut behind them, trapping Mai with Madoka's insanity. Mai was entirely sure that this couldn't get more embarrassing.
That was until she got a good look at what Madoka wanted her to wear around her neck.
oOo
"This is entirely your fault," Mai fumed, tripping for the fifth time in a row over her godforsaken shoes.
Keeping his eyes fastened on the rather nondescript entrance to the club, Naru asked, "How is that?" His voice was disinterested. Though inside he was torn between anger, embarrassment, and, well, attraction.
Mai turned her glare upon him, cinnamon eyes practically sparking. "If you hadn't just up and left us for almost a year, leaving Madoka in charge, then this would not have happened."
"I thought Madoka was competent. Clearly, she is not."
They arrived at the plain door. There was a small plaque at eye level. "The Lion's Den," Mai read aloud. "Of course." She rolled her eyes.
Naru, face impassive, firmly knocked on the door.
The man who answered was well-built and tall. He had on a tight fitting black shirt with the club's name inscribed in small, tasteful red letters over his left pectoral. His gaze shifted between Naru and Mai suspiciously. "ID," the man stated. He held out a calloused hand.
Naru placed on of his SPR business cards in the man's hand. "We're from the paranormal investigation group. I suggest you let us before you make my night worse." Naru's voice was almost mild, but the expression in his eyes was both chilling and commanding.
The man paused to examine the card, then stepped aside to allow them into the club. "Follow me. I'm Toshio, the Dungeon Monitor. The boss is expecting you." They followed him down an expensively, though tastefully, decorated hallway. They reached a T intersection at the end. To the right, there was a cherry-stained door with a sign reading "Staff Only". The left hand door, on the other hand, was painted as black as Naru's shirt. This door had the words "Dungeon" painted on it in white calligraphy.
Toshio led them through the right door. The following hallway looked like any other office suite. In fact, it reminded Mai quite a bit of SPR's Shibuya office. Maybe this won't be too bad…
She and Naru were ushered through an unlabeled door. They were now in an office. A large office, sure, but nothing that even hinted at the sort of club The Lion's Den was.
"Welcome!" the proprietor greeted. "It is wonderful to have you here. These…problems…are quite serious. Although… I'm sorry, but where is Mori-san."
Naru and Mai exchanged a glance, then looked back at the club owner. "She has suddenly taken ill," Naru answered. Mentally ill, he added.
"That's too bad. I hope she recovers swiftly." The man's gazed turned assessing. "Now, take off your jackets. I'll need to make sure you are dressed appropriately so that my patrons don't feel uncomfortable."
Naru thought the man's concern was somewhat misplaced. He kept his jacket on. He certainly didn't take orders from this man, nor anyone else. Besides, the jacket was part of the casual black suit he was wearing anyway.
Mai, on the other hand, nervously shrugged out of the light trench coat she'd borrowed from Madoka. Naru didn't need to look at her again to know what she looked like. He could recall every single detail.
The black corset, its blue ribbons and cords pulled tight, emphasized her small waist and pushed her slight bust upward. The black skirt was damn near see through, letting him get an idea of how well shaped her hips and butt were. Of course, it didn't matter that the skirt was sheer since it had those slits up the sides. Her legs were almost fully exposed, the blue garters and garter belt straps easily visible. Her stocking covered feet were encased by the shiny black heels Madoka had forced her into. Naru found it slightly endearing that his lovely assistant could barely keep herself upright in the contraptions.
And, to top it all off, Mai wore a collar around her neck.
Naru, with all his pride, couldn't bring himself to stare as appreciatively as the little voice in his head wanted him to. Instead, he stole covert glances and made sure nothing of what he was thinking showed on his face.
And, not for the first time, he felt a small pang of regret for rejecting her nine months ago. It was around that time that the little Gene-voice in the back of his head began annoying him incessantly.
Mai rummaged through the pockets of the trench coat until she found the final piece of her costume. A long piece of sturdy silk cord. Blushing furiously, she looped one end through the ring in her collar. Still waiting for you to eat me, floor. She clumsily knotted the cord, and took hold of the now dangling end. Her blush deepened. Wordlessly, she held that end out to Naru.
I swear I will get back at Madoka for this, both teens swore as Naru took the chord in hand.
While Naru wrapped the thin rope around his hand, the club owner nodded approvingly. To Naru, he said, "It would have been better if you had dressed in something more…daring, Shibuya-san, but I suppose it will do. Many of our male doms choose to dress casually. She makes up for anything you are missing."
Naru was uncomfortable about how true that last statement was.
"Enough," he stated. "We're here to work. Show us where the most recent activity took place." Forgetting for a moment what he held in his hand, he turned abruptly and made for the door.
Mai gasped as the lead tugged on her collar. She could feel it, for a brief instant, tightening around her neck. Oh, my… No fair.
This was going to be even more difficult than she thought.
oOo
Madoka felt very smug. This was an excellent plan. Mai and Naru really did need to get things straightened out between them. She knew that Naru had rejected Mai before he left Japan nine months ago to take his brother's body home to England (Matsuzaki had told her, of course). But really, it was obvious to pretty much everyone that Mai wasn't the only one with feelings in that partnership
They just need a good old fashion kick in the pants to get them back on the right track.
And she wanted to spend some time with Lin.
Madoka was still dressed in the clothes she'd been planning to wear for the investigation. She sauntered over to the door of Lin's office, where he was busy unpacking the files and small electronic equipment from his case. Hearing her approach, the man said, "We should at least be near the building. The incidents at that place have been rather extreme."
Madoka waved a hand. "They'll be fine. They've had worse cases. Besides, we would be bored just waiting for them."
Lin just shook his head.
"Lin, stop working. You just got back. You have better things to do than get your office in order."
The sorcerer did not cease and desist as she'd hoped. In response, she entered the room and pinned the files he was shuffling through to the desk with a hand. Sighing, Lin finally looked at her and realized she hadn't changed clothes. The faint blush was back within seconds. "And what would you suggest I be doing?"
"Oh, I don't know. I'll think of something."
oOo
"Mai, just relax. We're here only to observe."
What he was saying was completely true and reasonable. And yet… "Naru, we're sitting on a velvet couch framed by two racks of sex toys. You are holding a leash which is attached to me. We are watching various groups of people indulge in their very, very private fetishes. Well, you seem to be watching. I refuse to watch after what I saw that woman do to that guy's…bits. This is as relaxed as I'm going to get." Her spin was straight as an iron rod. She curled her fingers into fists and tucked her chin against her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut. "It's weird."
Annoyed, Naru thought to himself, As if I'm any more comfortable with this than she is. Out of spite, he tugged the silk cord attached to her collar. "For once, just listen to me."
Mai, surprised more than anything, fell against his shoulder when he yanked on her leash. "I do listen to you." She lay their stiffly for a moment, fighting temptation. Despite he generally cold demeanor, Naru was very warm temperature wise. The fabric of his jacket was soft beneath her cheek, and he smelled just heavenly.
"No, you don't," he replied, looping the arm which held the leash to casually drape around her back to rest on her hip. "You fall asleep when I tell you to stay away, wander when I tell you to stay put, and act recklessly when tell you to act with caution."
"I'm not that bad!" Mai protested. She shifted self consciously. She wasn't sure what to do at them moment. Naru had rejected her, after all. More than that, he's all but accused her of being in love with Gene. Which, while not the worst assumption that could have been made, was entirely untrue. She was sure that she and Gene would have been glorious friends, but they were much too alike to have any other kind of relationship.
Naru didn't answer her outburst. He simply glanced down at her with the look. The look which said he knew he was right and there was nothing she could do about it.
Mai growled.
"Quiet. You're supposed to be submissive."
"Just so we're clear, I'm not calling you 'Master' or 'Davis-sama'."
Naru nearly choked, but recovered quickly. "Of course. You should be calling me Shibuya-sama. I am still using the name Shibuya Kazuya to keep the press out of my life."
Mai turned a deep beet red. "Naru—"
He reached over with his free hand and tugged the collar around her neck. "Shibuya-sama." There was small smirk on his lips.
Mai felt warm and liquidly, though she managed to sputter indignantly. "Absolutely n—!"
BANG! BANG! THUD! BANG BANG!
Even over the sounds of the thick, beating music and sounds of pleasure, Mai could hear the knocking. It was deafening. Instantly, she reached up to cover her ears, unsurprised when the club's patrons dropped what (and who) they were doing in surprised and fear. Others covered their ears as she was doing, while others ran for the various exit doors. She wanted to sit up, but Naru's hand remained on her hip, pressing down slightly. He obviously didn't want her to move.
When she looked up at him from her resting place against his shoulder, she found him surveying the room carefully. "Naru!" she yelled. He glanced down at her again. "We should leave."
Naru didn't move and didn't reply. The knocking continued. Then all the doors began to open and close by themselves. That was when people started to scream.
Then, Mai noticed, the equipment racks began to shake.
Driven by her instincts to make a split-second decision, the seventeen year old grabbed her boss/crush around the waist and rolled them both off the couch just as the racks collapsed. One of the racks clipped Mai in the shoulder, but she didn't register pain. Only heat.
Naru lay on the floor with Mai on top of him. Well, this is nice, the little Gene-voice said.
Another few seconds later, the activity stopped. The clubs patrons were still screaming, though now there were more than a few cries for medical attention. He and Mai had escaped injury though, he noted, carefully pulling them both into a semi-upright position.
"Hey, Naru?"
Naru grunted.
"Remember that time you kept a ceiling from falling on me?"
He nodded slightly.
Mai looked around at the array of things which had tumbled from the racks. "I think I more than paid you back. I kept you from being brained by a dildo. In fact, I deserve a prize."
"Such as?"
"I'll think of something."
I'm sure you will.
The Gene-voice chimed in. I have a few ideas too!
oOo
"I can't believe I missed this," Takigawa whined.
Mai hung up her coat, having just arrived at the office, and gave him a scathing glare. "We are not talking about this."
Smiling, Madoka continued to regale the monk with the story of "Mai and Naru's Dungeon Adventure".
It had been about eleven days since Mai and Naru's observation of the club. After recording more scientific data with the cameras and thermometers, Naru had whipped up a solution rather quickly, asking John to come to The Lion's Den during the daylight hours to perform an exorcism. The priest had stared wide-eyed at the large room and the various "accessories" still strewn about the room. It was a good thing John had never been shown the private play rooms. If Mai had been embarrassed by those rooms, then John would have probably had a heart attack.
However, the exorcism went rather smoothly. The case was solved, as it were, and now things were finally settling down at the office. The club's manager was very please and gave them heaps of money in gratitude. He also offered all of SPR's staff free memberships to the club, for when they came of appropriate age, of course. As far as Mai, knew no one had taken the man up on the offer. Then again, she wasn't sure she wanted to know if anyone did.
What she did know was that Madoka and Lin seemed a lot more familiar with each other than they were before. She was sure something had happened, but she wasn't entirely sure what.
Mind buzzing with ideas, she sat down at her desk and looked miserably at the pile of paperwork waiting for her to file it. "Great," she muttered. She began to move the papers around into more manageable stacks. Then, she noticed it.
It was a box. A small box, maybe six to eight inches square. Puzzled, Mai untied the black silk cord holding the box closed and removed the lid. Inside, there was a circle of satin lined brown leather with a metal ring attached to it. Hanging from the ring was a small pendant shaped like a sun.
Mai sat there, stunned, for more than a few moments. Then her eyes began flicking between the unexpected present and Naru's office door. There was no note in the box, but she was almost sure she knew who it was from. Her intuition was buzzing as she unconsciously fastened the choker around her slender neck.
She stood from her desk abruptly, startling both Madoka and Takigawa.
"You okay, jou-chan?" the monk asked with concern.
Mai had already disappeared into Naru's office, forgoing knocking.
He sat there as he always had, as if this was a normal day and nothing odd had happened. He pretended that he didn't notice that she was wearing the choker he'd left for her. "What have I told you about knocking, Mai?"
She completely ignored his question. "I-I know what I want for my p-prize." Her nerves caused her to stutter slightly.
"And?"
Mai gathered every drop of courage in her body and blurted out, "You are going to take me on a date!" She lunged forward impulsively and grabbed his hand, yanking him away from his desk.
It was funny, Naru supposed. She was the one wearing a collar. But he was the one being led as if on a lease.
Takigawa watched them go with confusion.
Madoka just sat on the couch and smiled more widely than before. Damn, I'm good.
(A.N.) Leave me reviews, darlings. They make me feel good about myself and/or help me improve. Thank you for reading!