It took all his control not to smash the mirror in front of him. The face smiling back at him no longer looked similar. Gene didn't age. Naru did.
"You need to move on. Mai will be fine without you."
"Mai has only a small part in this, Noll. I'm here because of you." Anger twisted Naru's face.
"So what do I need to do to get you to move on?"
"I could never leave my little brother without someone to take care of him."
"I am capable of taking care of myself. In case I'm not, I have a large Chinese shadow."
"It's not your physical body that needs taken care of." The anger started to fade as Naru tried to piece together what his brother was telling him.
"Then what are you saying?"
"You need to tell Mai how you feel. She will take my place making sure you are taken care of."
"I will not be a substitute for you."
"It's times like these when the title "idiot scientist" fits perfectly. Listen carefully, little brother. Even when I didn't tell her who I was, she called me "Dream Naru". She knew we were different. She confessed to you. She never confessed to me. She loves you, Noll."
Naru stared at his brother. It couldn't be true. He was never wrong . . . at least not this wrong.
"That's why she needs to take care of you. When it comes to feelings, you're unable to understand all the variables."
"So, if I tell Mai I love her you'll leave?" Gene chuckled.
"It's not that easy. First, Mai has given up on you. She has a date tonight. You have to convince her that you love her. None of your cold stares. No ordering her around. Second, I can't leave until . . . well, you'll discover that if you can convince Mai." Gene winked as he faded from the mirror, leaving his brother alone.
Naru sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Mai had told him more than once she didn't feel that way towards Gene, but Naru refused to believe her. Now Gene was telling him the same thing. Could he have been *that* wrong? He grabbed his coat and headed toward the front door. If he couldn't convince Mai, Gene would turn bad and it would be his fault.
That fact wasn't the reason he was hurrying to her apartment, however. It was that deep belief that he would lose her if he didn't stop the date. Mai had given up. He couldn't lose her. Gene wouldn't be the only one who was destroyed. Naru didn't want to admit it, but he knew he needed Mai as well.
He refused to think about his empty life without his fiery assistant. He would get to her in time. He had to.
- x X x -
Mai heard knocking at her door. Hikeo wasn't due for another half hour. She sighed and stood up. She didn't want to go. Yasu had set up the date, insisting that Mai would never get over their boss if she didn't live a little.
It didn't matter if they went now or half an hour from now. Dread filled her. She felt like she was cheating on Naru. He might not care about her like she cared about him, but this didn't feel right. Mai glanced at herself in the mirror. The little black dress Ayako had insisted on buying her made her look older. It hugged her curves, leaving little to the imagination. The knocking started again. She couldn't do this. She opened the door to apologize.
"Hikeo, I don't . . ."
"Mai, let me in." Naru's voice sounded off. She opened the door, worried about why her boss appeared at her door. Why didn't he just call or text her like usual? He stepped in, closing and locking the door behind himself.
"What are you doing here? Why are you here?" Mai yelled. After all this time, she agreed to go on a date. Her heart belonged to the man in front of her. It probably always would. She couldn't live with the fact that he didn't care for her in the same way. She needed to move on. Mai took a deep breath, readying for the fight she was sure would shortly ensue.
"Big date? Who's Hikeo?" Mai could hear the anger in his voice. His eyes moved down her body. Mai felt exposed and blushed, wondering what game he was playing now.
"It's really none of your business. As you told me, we have a professional relationship only." Mai glared at her boss. He looked disheveled and slightly flushed. She wondered if he was okay and felt herself weakening. If she couldn't stand up to him now, he would rule her personal life as well as her working one. She had to win this fight.
"We need to talk."
"Whatever you need to say to me can wait until I get to the office tomorrow." Naru ignored her and laid his coat over the chair by her front door. He walked toward her. Mai moved backward. Something wasn't right with him. She wondered if he'd been drinking. Suddenly, Mai felt the wall behind her. Naru put his hands on either side of her head and looked down at her. She could feel the heat from his body.
"You are not going on a date with him."
"So now you want to dictate my personal life too? You arrogant . . ." Mai's words stopped as Naru's lips pressed her own. They were soft and firm at the same time. He pulled away. Mai's eyes were huge. Her hand went to her mouth. Naru took her first kiss. She wanted him to kiss her for a long time. Getting kissed while fighting was not how she imagined it. She felt the increasing heat in her cheeks, but she didn't know if it was because of the kiss or that he was so close.
"What do you think . . ." Naru kissed her again. This time it lasted longer. Mai felt weak. What was he doing? He said he had no feelings for his idiotic assistant. He pulled away slowly. Mai forced herself not to wrap her arms around him and pull him back.
"We need to talk, not just you." Mai took a breath and opened her mouth only to have Naru kiss her again.
"Are you going to calm down now?" Mai nodded. Naru took her hand and pulled her to the small loveseat. He sat down and pulled her down next to him. He held her hand gently, observing how small her hand was compared to his own. He drew circles on her palm with his thumb, unaware of how the small gesture was affecting the girl next to him. Mai was going to take care of him? She was so easily distracted. All it took was three kisses and she wasn't fighting with him anymore. Though, perhaps Gene had a point.
"I'm not Gene," Naru said, unsure of what to say.
"Obviously," Mai turned her body toward him. Her hand tingled in his. She didn't pull away. She wanted to say something, but what if Naru never said what he came to say. It had to be important. Naru shook his head. He looked at Mai's face. She looked a little sad. He wasn't doing it right, but he had no idea how to do it right.
"I could never be Gene," Naru said, glancing away. Mai realized he was struggling. What could make her egotistical boss into an idiot?
"Naru, I'm well aware that the two of you are different. You know you can tell me anything."
"I don't want you to go out with Hikeo." Mai nodded. Naru looked up at her face. He could see the love and trust in her face. "I want you to go out with me."
"You're asking me on a date?"
"No, I'm asking you to be my girlfriend." Mai stared at him in shock. Naru smirked at her. "I don't think I've seen you speechless before." Leaning down, he kissed her again. He felt her arms wrap around his neck and he pulled her into his lap.
Neither of them heard the knocking on the door.