Mai had felt pain before.
It was a common occurrence in her life ever since she first took the job at SPR. Looking back, pain was the one constant in her life even before finding her new family and friends. Mai stood in the airport terminal watching her raven hair boss walk away in smooth strides. Yes, Mai had felt pain before, but couldn't remember ever feeling so hurt.
Around her the noise of people talking and shouting began to dim as slowly Mai's world fell in on itself. The bravest act she ever considered herself to take and what was her result? The arrogant ass side stepped her feelings like a pro, claiming that she was in love with his brother and not really with him. Tears formed in her eyes on their own accord. She felt so numb she didn't even bother to register the chilling effect of her warm tears leaving frozen tracks along her cheeks as the air hit them.
Naru stood before the woman at the door, handing her his ticket in the same fashion as he did everything. Mai was shocked. No matter how she had pictured her confession of her feelings to go, she never in a million years pictured it going like this. She tightened her hands into fists. Her chin trembled, but she stood her ground, her eyes never leaving the boy that was leaving Japan.
As the last call resounded high above the crowd of people, Mai watched as the woman gave Naru back his ticket with a bright smile. Naru, no Oliver, grasped it in his hand and took the final steps toward the gate.
At the door he turned his head to the side and gave Mai a nod. Her breath hitched in her throat.
With nothing else between them, he continued walking, disappearing from Mai's sight. The once bubbly girl sank to her knees in a moment of defeat. A few sniffles escaped the girl as she wiped at her eyes and face, still against the cold tile floor. After a minute or two of self-pity, Mai's expression hardened. Ignoring the odd glances from on lookers, she stood up and took a deep breath. Getting the new cell phone out of her pocket that Bou-san had given her, she quickly dialed a number and walked down through the airport toward the entrance.
"Bou-san? I need your help."
Pain was a familiar thing to Mai and right now, she felt an awful lot of it. But Mai also knew something about hope.
That was something Mai had felt before too.
-GH-
Lin hated to see Noll so depressed. Two weeks had gone by since their return to England and still the boy couldn't drink a cup of tea without staring off into space. That alone was weird for the genius boy, but it really started to worry everyone when Noll's work started to suffer. Suffer in terms of his usual three week head start on such things as paper work and grading was slowly starting to dwindle. While in any other case Noll's mother, Luella, would have been ecstatic to see her pride and joy finally taking some time to relax and not work so hard, she could tell Noll was not doing this on purpose so it was up to Lin to try to calm her fears.
"Are you sure he's not sick?" she asked him again while huddled near Noll's office door.
"I'm sure," Lin answered her in his ever present monotone voice. He too was huddled outside of the door, talking in whispers with his employers.
"Did something else happen other than… well," Professor Davis's question ended in an uncomfortable cough, not wanting to bring up the sensitive topic of his son's purpose in Japan in the first place.
Lin didn't really know how to answer that one. Noll's parents knew about SPR and Professor Davis himself read over every case file they had brought back with them. But did one consider meeting a girl to be worthy of a something else? Lin knew Noll better than most, but even he couldn't tell if Mai was the direct cause to his mood lately. Nothing ever became of the interaction Noll had with Mai and Lin never knew Noll to be someone not to go after what he wanted. It was all very confusing to Lin so he had decided early on during their time in Japan to let the two teens work it out between themselves.
"Well-" Lin was saved from having to say anything by the ring of his cell phone. "Excuse me," he said before taking a few steps away from the worrying parents and answering the call.
"Madoka? Yes, I'm here, why?"
There was a slight pause as both of Noll's parents stared at the tall Chinese man with obvious curiosity. They could hear the over excited voice of their other employee even from where they stood. Then, Lin's usual stoic expression morphed into one of shock as he continued to listen to Madoka talk.
"I see. But how could she afford it? Bou-san, got it. Yes, I'll be right there."
"Is everything ok?" Luella asked with concern, watching as Lin ended the call and turned back to them, his expression still one of surprise.
"That's yet to be determined. I'm afraid Madoka has brought over a guest."
The doorbell rang throughout the Davis mansion.
"Madoka always did have impeccable timing," Professor Davis said with a grin.
"Let me," Lin told Luella when she started to walk down the hall heading to meet Madoka at the door. She gave him a questioning look to which Lin responded, "Trust me. You'll want to be here for this."
-GH-
Noll barely noticed the sound of the doorbell as it sounded, so lost in thought he was while gazing out the window at the backyard. From his office he could make out the spot by the tree that Gene had once tied him to while pretending Noll was an ancient ritual sacrifice, the garden where he had once accidently given Gene a black eye while pretending to be opposing sides of the French Revolution, and also the same bench where an angry Luella had made the twins sign a peace treaty, initials right below the promise to keep their history lessons in school.
The rush of memories of his brother was no longer a sad thing for the lone twin. He would always miss Gene, but what's done is done, and Noll knew there was nothing he could do to change that. Those memories were what Noll had left and he vowed to cherish them with the importance and amusement that he knew Gene would want them to be. Noll had found his body like he had set out to do. He hoped his brother was finally at peace.
So why was Noll so distracted lately? He rolled his eyes at the quiet murmur of his parents right behind his office door. For such a costly home, the walls sure were thin. He knew they were worried for him, but he didn't have the heart to try and change his actions to reassure them that he was fine. The truth was though, that Noll wasn't sure himself exactly if he was fine. The past two weeks were hard for everyone, what with Gene's funeral and trying to continue on a life without his brother. Things were just harder than expected for Noll.
He blamed Mai. In the times where he would snap out of his daydreams and focus back on reality, he realized with an annoyed pain that it was the short brunette that had occupied those lost thoughts. He thought about everything with her; the confession, the dreams, the way that she always tried so hard to do the right thing. He wasn't comfortable with the idea that Mai was still taking up so much of his time. She wasn't even here for crying out loud!
Or so he thought.
His office door was suddenly slammed open, hitting the wall with a resounding bang. "Naru! I have a bone to pick with you!" a voice said in Japanese that cut through his silent musings. Noll's back visibly stiffened, but whether out of pride or embarrassment, there was no other reaction from the boy that showed his surprise at the sudden exclamation made from his former assistant. Closing his eyes, he took his time to clasp his hands behind his back and turn toward the voice he had dreaded hearing the most.
Oh how he had missed that familiar dreading feeling.
"Mai," Naru droned, lazily opening his eyes and piercing her with his blue gaze. If he was shocked by Mai's lack of fluster at the direct attention his eyes gave her, he didn't give it any thought for the brunette definitely lifted her lips up into a smirk. Behind her the spectators looked on amazement at this short girl who was withstanding bursting into Noll's office. A whisper filled the air around them as Professor Davis asked Lin what the mysterious girl had said to his son.
With a huff of annoyance that greatly shocked his parents, Naru stalked past Mai and, with a glare at the woman who he suspected to have brought his trouble here to him, closed the door shut. A hand still on the door, he turned his unnerving glare to Mai. She stood with her hands on her hips, sporting a look that Naru recognized all too well. Mai was here to fight.
"How insecure could you possibly be if you're saying that I'm in love with Gene?"
It took all of Mai's resolve to not give in to the glee that welled up inside her at the face Naru made. She knew she must have been the only one to have ever called Naru of all people insecure. The boy's eyebrow twitched, but he allowed a smug look to break out onto his face as he slowly made his way back behind his desk. "Insecure Mai?" he asked as he sat down in his giant leather chair. "Doesn't that go against everything you've said about me in the past?"
Mai herself took the few steps to the front of his desk, hands still on hips, while she leaned down and narrowed her brown eyes in his direction. "You've never proved me wrong before now."
Naru leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "And how have I proved you wrong? As I'm sure you know I never do anything without proof."
She gave a snort. "Proof? Where exactly was your proof on this one Naru?"
This made him hesitate. He was never one to go too deep into what he felt and never before was there someone standing up before him forcing him to express them out loud. Well, besides his mother, but even she felt pity for the squirming boy before too long. What really got to him was the simple fact that Mai had hit so close to home. Naru would be the last one in the world to ever call himself insecure of all things, but as much as he hated to admit it, Naru felt something akin to it the moment Mai admitted she liked him. He remembered it clearly, the squeezing of his stomach, the slow rise of panic in his chest.
But he would be damned if Mai was the person to drag that information from him.
"Where would you like me to start?" he asked her, not even realizing he was willingly giving her control of the conversation. Mai usually took hold of it by now anyway so Naru learnt simply not to fight it anymore. A low murmur of hushed voices told the pair that Madoka was translating their conversation to the confused English couple outside the door. Questions were fired about who this girl was that their Noll had apparently refused.
Mai took a deep breath and looked Naru directly in the eyes. "Why do you think that I'm in love with Gene?"
Naru sat for a moment collecting his thoughts. He gestured for Mai to take a seat in one of the chairs standing before the giant desk. He felt more comfortable if he made it a business-like setting which was no surprise to Mai. It was just as well. After all, Naru had told himself time and time again that a business relationship was all that the two ever had between them. Mai's warmth towards everyone at SPR was just the kind of person that she was. Conveniently he didn't think about his own actions toward the girl.
He cleared his throat, trying to also clear his thoughts of the direction they were soon to head. Mai indulged him, sitting before him on the very edge of the expensive looking seat he gestured to. She crossed her arms and rubbed one foot against the other, the only sign of the nerves she felt at the risk of allowing Naru the chance to debate. For all of Mai's confident smirks and glares, she knew coming over here to try and stand up to Naru was never a sure thing.
"Gene was always so different than me when he was alive. He was the more open twin, comfortable wherever he went, always the one who people greeted first." Mai watched as his eyes flickered from hers to the paperwork scattered across the table in front of him. There was no pain in his eyes; only the cold hard truth that always accompanied Naru when stating facts. It took everything Mai had not to point out that for as much as Naru claimed Gene was the more open twin, it was he who was sharing with her these things about the two and that the "more open twin" never even bothered to tell her that he wasn't Naru till that one fateful day. "I'm sure you had to have been shocked when first seeing how different this 'Dream Naru' acted compared to what you knew of myself while you were awake."
Mai shrugged nonchalantly. "To put it lightly."
Naru nodded at her confirmation though his face showed a slight hint of annoyance. "Logically, someone like you would be attracted to someone like my brother. Your personalities are similar and obviously so is your disposition." Mai scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You disagree?"
"Of course I do. That's an awful reason." He raised an eyebrow; a sign Mai knew for her to continue. "Ok, well maybe not awful per say but why would I like you just because of some dreams I had where you were nice to me? That's crazy… at the very least unhealthy." She could see the amusement dancing in his eyes and allowed herself a moment of pride at her little joke before continuing. "I don't see anything wrong with liking you in spite of you being a 'different disposition.'"
"So tell me then Mai, are you not attracted to men you show a certain degree of kindness?"
"Who said you aren't nice?" Mai said defensively.
"You, if I recall those numerous moments correctly and I'm sure I do." Mai knew that voice. That voice was the bittersweet tone he used when he knew that he was right, but didn't enjoy being so.
Mai's face blossomed with red. Her hands formed into fists at her knees, her eyes looking down at them with obvious embarrassment. "I didn't mean it," she mumbled. No surprise to Naru, her lips made a slight pout which meant only one thing. Naru waited for the storm of stubbornness to roll in. "You are nice. Just… in your own way." A smile spread across her face as her eyes unfocused with memories. "I've stopped counting how many times you've saved me Naru. You're always saving people when solving cases and you always watch out for us even on the simplest cases-"
"Worrying about my employees' safety isn't exactly being nice Mai. It's called being a responsible boss."
"I was getting there you jerk!" Her old agitation flared once again. She flushed when she realized what had become her reflex response to him. "Sorry." Nothing changed from Naru's expression while he watched her. He knew that he was winning. So why wasn't he happy about it? There was a pause of silence as Mai tried to bring back her train of thought. "Where was I?" she asked shyly, looking up at him through her eyelashes.
"How this jerk is apparently nice enough to warrant your affections," Naru said, his expression changing to one that told her he could care less about her reasoning at this point.
"Right," Mai said as she shifted in her seat. "Well, there was that one time-"
"That one time? Mai, we both can see how I've made my point-"
"Naru!" Mai shouted in frustration. "Shut up for a second. Just because I'm recounting one time doesn't mean that there weren't others. Everyone knows that. Aren't you supposed to be the genius here?"
"As a genius, I'm able to comprehend what people are actually saying." Mai picked up a pen and threw it at his head. A slight shift of his head caused the pen to fly by and hit the wall behind him.
"Naru," she said, trying to suppress her frustration, "let me finish." She gave him a cold look, daring him to interrupt her story again. "As I was saying, there was that one time when we fell in the well and you made the coin talk."
This caught Naru's attention. Mai smiled at the memory. "I don't think you realize exactly how scared I was back then. I wasn't use to all the dangers of ghost hunting yet and all of a sudden here I was in a dark crumply well with my boss who was in this whole mess because he tried to save me," at this she gave Naru a pointed look. Her smile slowly stretched back onto her face as she recalled what happened. "I know you're probably just going to say that you only made the coin talk so I wouldn't freak out and make more trouble for you and I agree. If you hadn't done that who knows what I would have done? But because you did I didn't feel afraid at all! I was just so impressed with you, well more so than usual, and I was so happy that you would care enough about me to comfort me whatever your reasons." Her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward and started talking in a faster excited voice. "But later, after we got out and we eventually solved the case, I thought more on it and I realized that even if you didn't just do it to calm me down, you must have done it for someone else in the first place in order to have known that you could."
Naru felt the slight widen of his eyes as he stared at the girl in front of him. "Why do you assume I did it for someone else?"
Mai gave a bark of laughter. "Are you saying you practiced that on your own just because?" Blue eyes looked back down at the desk, tapping the side of his fingers against his lips in deep thought. When Mai noticed her smile began to slip. "Naru?"
"Gene was awful at hide-and-seek."
Mai brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Cautiously she asked him, "You did it while you waited for him to find you, didn't you?" She bit her lip at the deafening silence that usually accompanied Naru's shock when Mai's instincts hit the mark.
Annoyed, Naru waved his hand in the air and said in a huff, "That's not the only reason."
"Wait, what?"
"You could be attracted to Gene for more reason than because he's kind." Mai snorted. "My brother is more expressive with his emotions, as are you. Would that not appeal to you more than someone like me?"
She rolled her eyes. "So you're more subtle with letting people know about how you feel. I don't care. I'm smart enough to know that that doesn't mean that you don't have any."
"That's debatable," Naru mumbled under his breath. A chilling glare hit Naru full force.
"Jerk."
Naru smirked. A perfectly shaped eyebrow rose and Mai knew that he thought he won. "Gene doesn't insult you."
Mai bristled at his tone. "You're right. He doesn't insult me like you do." A queasy feeling filled Naru's stomach at that. Victory wasn't as sweet as he wanted it to be. He silently thanked his ability of not to letting his contradicting feelings show on his face. Mai relaxed however and even let a chuckle escape before she explained. "For starters, if I couldn't handle your teasing, I wouldn't stay around. I'm really not as helpless as you all insist I am."
"Teasing?"
"Yes. Teasing." Naru opened his mouth as if to say something, but Mai rushed to continue before he had the chance. "You can't tolerate dumb people Naru. You wouldn't keep me around if you truly believed that I was. Besides, you act like I don't tease you right back."
At this Naru jerked in surprise. "Excuse me?"
"Um hello? Everyone calls you Naru which is short for Narcissist. That's comedy gold right there." He looked at her with disinterest. Mai sighed. "I call you names right back. I'm not some perfect little angel that can't admit that I even start it every once in a while unlike someone I know."
Sunlight streamed through the window and lit up the two faces, showing the other just how much they were being scrutinized. Naru watched as Mai shifted in her seat. He felt his own fingers tighten around the armrest of his chair. He wasn't someone who was particularly good at knowing how to deal with when he felt uncomfortable. In this instance, uncomfortable seemed like an understatement. It didn't seem like Mai was going to budge on this. The more Naru presented to make her let go of this silly notion of her being in love with him, the more Mai refuted the matter with some justifiable reason of her own.
Well, as justifiable as Mai could make it according to a topic such as this. Again Naru found himself not wanting to admit that throughout these dealings with Mai, a small blossom of pride welled inside his chest of the girl in front of him. He knew that she was brave enough to come all the way to England to stand up for something like this, but he never expected her to actually do it. He greedily soaked up the sight of her as they sat across from each other. For all the time he spent thinking about her these past two weeks, he didn't do her justice. Her eyes shone with the life that he couldn't help but have missed. No one contained life the way Mai did. He had always suspected that that much life in anyone other than his brother would bother him, yet here he sat, not wanting to win for once. Mai scared him more than a ghost ever could.
Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his seat. "That's not the only reason."
Mai groaned and hit her forehead with her palm. "Are you serious?"
"Do you have somewhere to go?" Naru asked in his usual arrogant manner. Mai stuck her tongue out at him, but waited for him to continue. "You love Gene's smiles."
"I love your smiles more."
"I don't smile," he said with his usual blank face.
This brought a smile of Mai's own. "Yes you do. You just don't give them out for free. Your smiles are rare, and distinctive, and I feel special because it always feels like you save them just for me."
Behind Naru's blank expression, embarrassment tinged the replay of memories that Naru could recall that he smiled during his time in Japan. It was a shock to discover that it seemed he really did only smile when Mai was with him; at least, a genuine smile and not just a smirk when he bested the less intelligent, as he was known to do.
The two locked eyes. Mai's smile only widen when she realized he was actually taking the time to think of something else to say to convince her that he was right. Bouncing her leg rapidly up and down, she waited for his reply.
"Why would you like someone like me?" His expression didn't change, but Mai noticed how his voice had lowered, no doubt trying not to let the crowd behind the door hear his question. Mai didn't know which spoke more; the question or the tone of voice that he said it in.
"Probably for every reason you think that I shouldn't." With the way that Mai looked at him, Naru knew that she meant what she said.
'How odd,' Naru thought before standing from his chair and going back to his position by the window, hands clasped behind his back. He saw in the reflection Mai still sitting, looking at his back while biting her lower lip.
He needed to think. Mai's words repeated through his head like thunder. Ever since he could remember, Gene was always the one that people were drawn to. They would bypass Naru once it was found out that he wasn't like his brother. He didn't want to spend time on things that he couldn't see as worthy. He couldn't laugh at the drop of a hat like Gene. He wasn't friendly. He wasn't expressive.
He wasn't Gene.
But Mai saw more than just what he was when compared to his brother. She didn't care about his looks to allow him to do whatever he wanted. She knew he cared about things and didn't even have to ask what they were. She stuck around him even when he was being "boring" which was more than Gene often did. A feeling crept through Naru's thoughts, something he knew was always there but never acknowledged.
Mai had enough of the quietness that lingered with Naru at the window. She took a deep breath and forced herself out of the chair. Slowly she walked toward where Naru stood and made to stand next to him. Without noticing, Naru shuffled slightly to the side, giving her enough room to make her comfortable while she looked out at the huge yard. Mai smiled at Naru's obliviousness. He always did stuff like that, whether it was making room so she could see the monitors while on a case or leaning back deeply into the car seat so she could see out the van window. She gave him a sideways glance, watching as his eyebrows drew together in deep thought.
"He's literally your dream guy," Naru said all of a sudden making Mai jump.
She gave her reflection an amused smile. "Gene helps guide me on cases. That's all." She craned her neck to look up at the boy beside her, a tinge of red sprinkling her cheeks as she prepared to say what she did next. "Why would any girl want a dream guy when there's a real one who exceeds her expectations?"
Naru barely allowed a pause to pass before saying, in a distracted voice, "…Those can't be the only reasons I have."
Mai's face filled with rage at his total disregard for her wonderfully spoken declaration. Again! "Naru YOU JERK!" She punched him in the arm with surprising strength for someone standing so close. Naru looked at her with mixed feelings, anger and confusion being the two Mai noticed the most. "Look, I know this is a foreign concept to you and all but I like you. YOU. Not because I believe you're someone else or to make up for the fact that I can't have your dead brother. Just because you believe yourself to be this horrible person who can't possibly be loved for who you really are doesn't make it true. I like you, ok? I LOVE you for crying out loud and you have no right to deny me the right to that feeling!"
Her chest rose and fell in fast heavy breaths as her anger reached higher levels. Naru held the spot on his arm where she had hit him and took a step closer to her, his face showing more of that anger Mai saw earlier than anything else.
"If this is all just because you don't feel the same back, well that's fine. I can get over you someday if I have to, but don't hide behind your brother just so you don't want to have to grow a backbone and tell me that you-"
His lips stopped her from finishing her sentence.
Her eyes widened in surprise, but quickly closed when she felt Naru begin to pull away. She gripped the front of his shirt and pressed her own lips more firmly against his. Arms tentatively wrapped around her waist making Mai smile into the kiss.
It was a chaste kiss, but the meaning behind it hit them both like a bomb. Naru leaned back while still close enough for Mai to feel his warm breath on her tingling lips. "I acknowledge your feelings," he said in a gruff voice.
Mai snorted. "Gee, thanks. Anything else you would like to add perhaps?"
"I… acknowledge my feelings as well."
A smile lit Mai's still flushed face. She released her grip of his black shirt and rested her hands on his chest. "So close!" Naru raised another eyebrow at her response. "Say it right one time and I'll never make you say it again." She smirked. "Please?"
"That's highly unlikely. If anything, if I say it once, you'll expect me to say it again." He stopped to cough as Mai slapped his chest where her hand had just laid. He glared again, but cleared his throat and slid his gaze out the window. "I acknowledge that you like me… and that I… like you."
Excitedly Mai threw her arms around his neck and laughed as he staggered back from the unexpected hug. "Was that so hard?"
Naru didn't respond instead tightening his hold around her waist supporting Mai while standing on her tip toes. Both ignored that Madoka no longer bothered to whisper as she asked her fellow audience what they thought was making the two in the office so quiet. Apparently, the window was the safe haven from prying ears. Mai buried her face in the crook of his neck, sighing happily with relief that her hunch about his backward glance at her in the airport was right.
Naru liked her!
"I don't remember you being so violent."
Mai hummed happily in agreement. "You never did anything so stupid before."
"Ah, is that what it was?" Mai laughed and rolled her eyes. "Will you make me tea now?"
Mai's arms left Naru's shoulders faster than if he were on fire. "Are you kidding me?"
Naru smiled, humor sparking his eyes. Ignoring Mai's tirade on idiot boys who were tea dependent, he cupped Mai's face between his hands, leaned down, and caught her bottom lip between his own.
This kiss wasn't nearly as chaste.