~In Which Naru Receives a Gift~

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Naru hesitantly placed his hand on the gold shiny doorknob. He dreaded what would be behind the door even though he knew what he would find. After a few more silent moments, the raven haired narcissist opened the door.

Everyone, even Yasuo, was on the other side of the door. As soon as they saw his deep blue eyes, they all yelled, "Surprise!" as loud as they could. The SPR group had set up a table with party snacks and purple punch (red was a sensitive color to some members after the Bloodstained Labyrinth case). A white iced chocolate cake was decorated in big flowing dark green letters that spelled out "Happy Birthday Naru!"

Naru looked at each member, his eyes resting for no longer than ten seconds on any one person before settling on Mai. Of course she would put all this together. After all, she did have access to both his and Lin's calendar.

"Happy Birthday Naru!" Mai exclaimed loudly and threw up her hands anxiously. Confetti fell to the ground in decorative colors.

Naru's eyes cut over to Lin who just shrugged. "I hope you know you're cleaning all this up." The SPR manager looked back over at his assistant.

"Come on Naru!" Monk walked over and elbowed him playfully. "You gotta live a little! It's your birthday after all man!"

Everyone broke off into groups and mingled amongst each other. Naru took Lin into a corner and they spoke in whispered voices. Mai was in a small circle with Monk and Ayako. Yasuo, Masako, and John made up another circle of people.

"I bet they're talking about you," Ayako nudged Mai playfully.

"So, where are my presents?"

All three in the circle turned to spot the handsome devil standing behind Mai. They all stared for a few seconds before busting out in laughter. When it finally died down, Mai broke away and led Naru to the table of snacks. Underneath were beautifully decorated boxes of every size.

"I should give you mine first. Close your eyes Naru." When she looked up at him, his eyes were closed and his hands were out. He felt something brush against his legs and frowned.

Did she really…..?

"Open your eyes Naru!"

His eyes shot opened and he looked down to see a fluffy orange tabby cat with a blue ribbon around her neck. The cat continued to affectionately rub her head against his leg and purr loudly. With all his cases, he was really busy and did not need a pet to take care of.

"What do you think Naru?" Mai face was flushed with excitement and her brown eyes shone brightly.

Naru looked up at his assistant, who really should know him better after all the time they've spent together. "Take it back."

It took her awhile to register what he said. "W-What? But…Naru!"

"I said take it back. I don't need a pet. Now or ever. They're unclean and require constant surveillance."

"Fine!" Mai shouted at him as he turned and walked away from her. "Don't appreciate my gift!"

"No offense Mai," He looked back at her over his shoulder. "But I don't need your permission." He turned back around and disappeared into the small crowd of people.

How does he do that?

It seemed to be a special skill of Naru's to disappear from her sight. The cat sat down in front of Mai and meowed loudly as if to say 'Pay attention to me!'

"Don't worry kitty. Everything will work out."

Later….

Mai ran up to Naru and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from his conversation with John. They had been talking about work, one of the few topics Naru seemed to enjoy. Mai always wondered why he was interested in so little, but never asked.

"What is it Mai?"

"The cat's missing Naru!" She began to tell the tale of what happened. "I was hanging out with the cat when she walked away and never came back! What if she's lost forever?"

Naru wretched his hand from her grasp easily "Did you do anything that would allow the cat to escape easily?"

"Well….I opened up the window…"

"It's fine Mai. I'm sure she'll wander back."

"What if she doesn't Naru? What then?!"

Mai was really freaked out and shouting loudly, drawing attention to them. Everyone turned their heads to see what had Mai shouting now.

Naru walked out to the hallway, leaving the door open behind him. He couldn't believe that this is what he was being forced to do on his birthday. A party was one thing, but looking for his own present was just tedious.

"I told you they require constant attention," Naru couldn't resist saying once they were outside.

There weren't many cars on that warm day. However, there were a lot of people hanging out and crowding the sidewalk.

They soon made their way to the large park near the office. There was a pond in the middle that started with.

"Perhaps we should split up," Naru suggested.

"No way! We need to stick together Naru!"

He sighed, but complied to her request.

After a couple of hours, Naru finally found the cat up in a tree. It took Mai getting some tuna for the cat to finally come down.

"You're so cute," Mai told the cat as she nuzzled it against her cheek. "Don't ever leave us again."

Naru walked back into the office with Mai right behind him. All eyes were on them as they entered the office.

"So, do I get to open my other presents now?"

Everyone laughed in response and went to get him their gifts, each assuring him they didn't get him a live animal. Mai took no offense and watched them all happily. It was a picture perfect ending.

Naru was sitting on the couch with everyone around him as he opened his presents.

She was glad that she had been able to make him happy, even if he would never admit it.

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear what you think of this story!