Note: A little late, but Happy New Year, everyone. I was going to sit on this and/or ostensibly dump it in the trash, but Meepyonnee convinced me to post it. This was written as a prolugue to a story which will not be posted until BtLT is complete (and perhaps not even then.) And so, it will be marked as complete until I know with certainty it will be continued.
A Prelude to New Beginnings
December 31, Afternoon
...
The young woman was humming to herself as she cleaned the kitchenette, the soft melody drifting through the silent, nearly empty office.
"Mai," a voice called, the sound coming through the open door of his office.
"It's still a minute for your tea, be patient," she called back, teasing.
He stepped out of his office, watching her with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you cleaning the kitchenette already? It's still early." He looked around the office, noting that it was especially tidy. "Did you already clean up? You should have waited."
"Mhn, I know, I usually pick up at the end of the day, but," Mai hesitated, "everyone will be here soon."
He frowned. "Everyone?" He repeated. "You didn't—"
His words died in his throat when the door opened wide and Ayako waltzed in, her face glowing with rosy cheeks and a sparkle of makeup above her eyes. "Mai-chan," she called, swinging two bags in her left hand. "I called Takigawa. He said he'd be bringing the booze, which is good, I only picked up one bottle of sake!"
"Booze?" Naru repeated, his frown deepening.
The tall woman smiled brightly at Naru, ignoring his hard stare. "Come now, Naru, don't be such a miser. It couldn't be a end of year party without a little beer and sake, now, could it?" She turned as a figure appeared behind her. "Yasuhara-san, hello!"
"Hello," the young man said as he stepped through the door, his hands full of packages and bags, smiling cheerfully. "You're looking especially flashy today, Matsuzaki-san."
"Why thank you," Ayako beamed, batting her fake eyelashes at him. Naru couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes.
"Yasuhara-san!" Mai called, grinning, hurrying over to him. "Here, let me help you."
"Ah, thank you, Mai-san," Yasuhara said as Mai took several things from his hands.
"Oh, Naru, your tea is steeped, take it out!" Mai called, carrying the bags over to the table and Ayako followed her. "What's all this?" She asked, diverting her attention to Yasuhara's packages, peering inside.
"Some snacks, is all," Yasuhara shrugged, and the two began to unwrap the foods and set them out on the tale as Ayako did the same.
"Ooh, cookies!" Mai clapped her hands together, her eyes glowing. "Yummy! Oh—triple chocolate chip! My favorite! Yasuhara-san, you knew?" She laughed, almost accusing.
"Maybe," came his teasing, ambiguous reply.
From the kitchenette, Naru watched with annoyance as he took the tea strainer from his tea cup, setting it aside on the saucer. "Typical," he snorted, lifting the cup to his lips. "To all just invite yourselves over."
"Lin-san said it was okay," Mai giggled, her eyes growing wide as Ayako revealed a large platter of sushi. "Oh, Ayako, you made all that? This morning?"
"Of course I made it this morning." She said, pulling a bottle of sake out of the bag and unwrapping the paper around it. "Yasuhara-san, what do you think—should we get started already?"
"Not wait for anyone else?" Yasuhara shrugged, smiling. He hopped to his feet and went to the kitchenette, all but ignoring the other boy as he took several small glasses from the cupboard. "I suppose a little bit wouldn't hurt. Besides, they should all be here soon." He glanced at the clock on the wall and then at Mai, setting the glasses down in front of Ayako, who was unscrewing the cap of the sake. "You did tell everyone to come at 3:30, didn't you?"
"Mmn," Mai nodded in affirmation. "Three-thirty."
"Lin-san's not here, is he?" Ayako observed as she poured a small amount of sake into the short glasses, passing it around.
"Exactly," Naru said dryly, approaching the trio to stand on the opposite side of the sofa, his half-drunk tea in hand.
"Cheers, everyone," Yasuhara said, and the three lifted their glasses, the glass clinking together.
Mai grinned and hurried around the sofa, clinking her glass against Naru's tea cup. "Cheers, Naru," she said quietly. "Thank you for not kicking them out."
"Well," he sighed, exhaling heavily, "I suppose these things are bound to happen." His mouth twitched in a small smile. "I had finished with my work for the day, anyway."
She smiled, her lips tight together to keep herself from grinning too broadly. "I'm glad."
The front door opened again, and Mai turned with a huge smile. "John!"
"Hello everyone!" The blonde priest called merrily. "Happy New Year!"
Mai laughed as she hurried to greet him. "Oh, no, you can't say it in Japanese until it's actually the new year! It's not like English. Here, let me take that," she said, taking a bag from his hands so he could take off his coat and scarf. Her eyes grew wide. "More sake?"
"Champagne, actually," John said, looking embarrassed. "Well... it is New Year's, is it not?"
Yasuhara poured another small glass of sake. "Well, we're all ready to begin, just waiting for everyone else to arrive. Come here, John—Cheers!"
"Cheers!" They all chimed again, happily.
"Are you starting without me?" A strangled voice called from the door, and they all turned to see Takigawa, holding what appeared to be two large packages of what they could only assume was alcohol.
"Bou-san!" Mai called happily. "And Masako-san! You came!"
...
The office was now quiet, a small-scale image of destruction on the table of the dirty plates, bowls, and empty bottles: remnants of the food and beverages they had consumed. When the clock had struck midnight, they had all cheered and drank some more. In the half hour that followed, however, nearly all the guests had left. John had excused himself, indicating that he would miss the last train unless he left soon; and both Masako and Ayako, quite tipsy, had escorted each other out not long after. A lull in Yasuhara and Takigawa's lively conversation had left both men asleep.
Mai draped a blanket over the snoring form of Takigawa, a fond smile crossing her lips. "I guess it's over, huh?" She sighed, shaking her head as she collected cups and bowls, carrying them to the kitchenette.
Naru slowly began to help her, closing boxes of crackers and chips, wrapping the leftover sushi and the remains of Ayako's cake in plastic, placing them in the refrigerator.
Mai, collecting the bottles on the table for recycling, paused. "There's a little sake left," she remarked, holding the bottle up to the light to peer at the liquid inside. She smiled slightly at him. "Leave the dishes, I'll get it. Shall we finish this?"
"Did you leave your glass out?" Naru asked, frowning as he looked at the mess in the sink.
"There should be some clean cups in the cupboard," Mai instructed, walking over to him. She reached past him, extracting two tea cups, into which she poured the last of the sake, passing one to him.
She grinned at him and clinked her cup against his. "Cheers, Naru. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Mai."
"To another year of ghost hunting."
"Another year."
They drank the sake and stood in silence. "It's been three years already, huh? Since I started working for you." Mai finally said, tentatively breaking the silence.
"Yes." Naru set his cup aside, took her shoulders in his hands, and leaned down to kiss her, holding her gently against him.
Slowly, she kissed him back. His kiss was inexperienced, she knew, but there was something more that was missing. Ultimately, she knew it wasn't what either of them wanted. She had known this; had known it for a long time, but had been afraid to acknowledge it.
When he pulled away from her, she was still clasping the empty tea cup in her hands, the sake still warming her throat.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I... I shouldn't have."
"It's okay, Naru," Mai said truthfully. Wondering if she could articulate what it was that she was feeling; if she could ease his mind. She could see the guilt, etching itself into his features.
"I don't mean to..." his words faltered. "Lead you on," he finished.
She shook her head. "You're not." He gazed at her silently and she continued. "I suppose," she began, taking a breath, "now would be a good time to withdraw my confession." She smiled at him gently. "I care very much for you, Naru. Tremendously. You're one of my closest friends. But... it isn't romantic. It never will be."
"I know," he said, exhaling quietly.
"I'd say I was sorry, but I know you feel the same way."
"I do value you," he suddenly said. "As an important employee.. a co-worker," he corrected. "And a friend."
She laughed lightly. "I'm glad you didn't just call me an employee. You'd really have broken my heart then, Shibuya-san."
He looked pained, though from which set of words in her statement, she couldn't tell.
Mai set the tea cup aside and clasped his face in her hands. "Naru," she sighed, smiling. "Oh, Naru."
He smiled weakly. "I knew a party was a terrible idea."
She laughed, leaning toward him and kissing him gently on the cheek. "It's not so bad to get a little drunk once in a while, is it?" When she released him she stepped away. A weight she hadn't realized she'd been carrying had been lifted. She felt lighter, happier, knowing that their friendship did not have to be complicated. They could simply be that: friends.
Naru glanced toward the sofa, where the monk continued to snore on. "Mai," he began tentatively.
"Yes?"
The side of his mouth twitched in a peculiar grin. "Do we have any markers?"
...
He wasn't sure how she convinced him to go out at one in the morning on the first of January to hatsumoude, the first shrine visit of the year. Perhaps he was more tipsy than he thought. But however it was she had convinced him, somehow, there they were. Bundled in their jackets and scarves, gloves and hats, he followed her to the shrine she had decided to which they should go.
"I suppose we ought to get our fortunes for the new year, right?" Mai giggled, pulling yen from her purse and taking the long, thin stick that came from the little contraption, noting the number and doing it again. Naru watched her as she retrieved the pieces of paper corresponding to their numbers, holding one in her hand and passing the other to his.
They both unrolled their fortunes at the same time, Mai's face lighting up as she read hers. "Great fortune!" She laughed, leaning over Naru's shoulder to look at his. "What about yours?"
His face quirked into a smile. "The same."
"It seems fitting," she grinned. "Plus, I'm sure we're going to need all the luck we can get for that new case you accepted!"
"Luck," Naru scoffed. "I don't need luck. I already have everything I need to solve this case." He smirked at her. "You're another story. With your air-headed nature it's only a wonder you're still alive."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She exclaimed, but she was laughing through her scowl.
They bickered all the way back to the train station, trying to keep their voices down in the frosty night. It was no surprise, really, that they had both missed their last train—so grudgingly Naru called a taxi for each of them, giving her a 2000-yen note for the fare and warning her that what he should really do is just leave her out she cold and she owed him.
"You'd never do that, Naru-chan," Mai teased. "Besides, what would that do to your great fortune?"
It really was as if nothing had changed, Mai thought to herself as she waved to her boss from inside the taxi, except better than she could have possibly imagined. She couldn't wait for what the new year would bring.