Mai slammed against her door and slid down it, burying her head in her hands, not even noticing the tears that were leaking out. The stairs up to her flat loomed there, looking impossible to climb, so there she stayed and there she fell asleep, curled up leaning against her front door.

Mai felt amazingly happy and impossibly light, it was like her old bubbly personality had resurfaced for a minute.

She was standing in a beautiful meadow full of the greenest grass ever dotted with wildflowers in every color of the rainbow, trees surrounded the clearing, chorus upon chorus of animal sounds echoing from the deep green of the forest. The sky seemed to be at sunset, and as the sun hovered at the horizon shot pink, violet and gold into the blue of the sky. The air was crisp and clean and it smelled like rain had just fallen even though the soft, springy ground was perfectly dry.

Mai scanned the meadow, it was beautiful, that was for sure, but something was off, something almost... familiar.

It was a familiar feeling, something that she used to feel all the time, something that she hadn't felt in a long time.

4 years to be exact.

She was in the astral plane.

Or at least a version of it, the weak thought drifted through her mind as Mai watched the handsome form visualize in front of her.

He wore a gentle smile and his blue eyes were twinkling with a glint of mischievous.

"Hello Gene," Mai whispered, locking eyes with her old friend.

Ever since Naru, Mai hadn't seen Gene, not once, she hadn't even been in the astral plane.

"How's it going?" Gene asked lightly, a smile playing across his face, "It's good to see you Mai,"

Mai didn't know if she could say the same. She was hurt, the wound that she thought she had closed so long ago suddenly opened again, bleeding afresh.

After Naru had left, Mai was confused, it had taken a while to sort out all her emotions, months after he had left, Mai was finally able to answer Naru's final question to her. She was in love with Naru. It had always been Naru, although he was frustrating and arrogant, she had fallen hopelessly and completely in love with him. In love with the black clothes he always wore, in love with that slight smile he had when he thought no one was looking. She fell in love with his obsession with Earl Grey tea, in love with his protectiveness, with those small, amused expressions he had whenever Ayako and Monk went at it.

She was in love with him, all of him, and although Gene had always been and always will be a part of the picture, Mai was in love with Naru.

Noticing her bleak face, Gene's softened, "I'm sorry," he said, the sincerity in it reverberating throughout the meadow.

"Why did you leave?" she asked, he voice thick, betraying her emotions.

Gene shook his head, "I didn't want to Mai, believe me, me and Naru are bound together, I have no choice in it, so wherever he goes, I go,"

Mai nodded, swallowing back tears and reverting her eyes to the ground, she wouldn't look at Gene, she couldn't, if she did, Mai knew that she would start crying. Gene didn't exactly give her that chance.

Almost automatically he hugged Mai. And the dam broke, and there against his chest Mai dissolved, and everything that she had been holding in for the past 4 years came pouring out. All the resentment and confusion, all of the anger and the hurt and the sadness and depression and bitterness just came flowing out.

She screamed and cried, pounded her hands against his chest and kicked and simply let everything out.

Even though she knew it was all in her head, when Mai had finished, she felt a million pounds lighter.

Gene and Mai lay on the ground, looking up at the sky.

Not an awkward, uncomfortable silence, but rather a warm, contented one, until Gene felt the need to break it.

"Hey Mai," he said, nudging her.

"Mmm?" she answered sleepily.

"Give Naru a chance, will you?"

"No."

"Come on," Gene whined, "please?"

Mai sighed heavily, "Why?"

Gene stayed silent for a moment, pondering, "Because he needs you,"

A rather unladylike snort escaped Mai's nose.

Gene chuckled, "I know that is doesn't- well it never seemed like it, but he does,"

Mai sat up, suddenly uncomfortable, and averted her eyes, "I don't think so," she whispered.

Gene sighed, sitting up too, "Mai," he said seriously, "I've known Naru for his entire life, and I've been living in his head and invading his privacy for years now. He's a jackass, okay? He's a arrogant asshole who thinks he owns the world, but he does, he needs you, he misses you. He says that he came back to reopen SPR, that's just an excuse, he hasn't even admitted to himself yet that he came back for you."

Mai searched for something to say, "I-Gene," she sighed and bit her lip, "I don't think I can do that, I'm sorry,"

BOOM

The world around her shook, leaves fell from from the trees all around her, all the animals quieted and cracks appeared in the ground.

Mai widened her eyes, staring all around her and slowly becoming more and more panic-stricken as three more booms followed, making the damage worse and the turning the cracks into chasms.

Gene simply sighed, "Time to get up, Mai,"

The meadow was fading fast from all around, winking out from her vision, the sky was disappearing and Gene stood and turned to Mai, he too was becoming transparent. His eyes, however, remained intact, "Mai," he whispered, the world crumbling all around, trees falling and crashing everywhere.

"Wake up,"

BOOM!