Oliver waited until he heard Mai retreat into her own room before going to wash up the plates. But he found them already cleaned. Frowning, he glanced back at Mai's room, wondering why she had done such a thing.

A soft knock at the door caught his attention.

Sighing, Oliver went to answer it.

"Madoka. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to know how you were getting on of course!" Madoka gushed.

"Be quiet, she's asleep."

"Aww, bless. Poor kid, still tired from the journey no doubt."

Madoka walked through to the living area and took a seat.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver repeated.

"I wanted to know what you thought of her."

"She is tolerable."

"Tolerable? Really? I thought she was quite cute!"

Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Is that all you want?"

"I want to know you are treating that girl well. She is nice according to the report I had on her. She's bright, picks things up fast and she doesn't deserve you being an arse."

Oliver sighed.

"Oliver," Madoka said, her voice full of warning. "You just have to be civil."

"I am civil."

"How many times have you upset her?"

Oliver rolled his eyes again and looked away. Madoka raised an eyebrow at him.

"And did you apologise?"

"I am twenty years old, you do not need to speak to me like I am a child."

"Stop acting like one."

"I am not━"

"Look. Neither of us like the way things are done here. But this is the situation we find ourselves in. Now you can either make the best of it, or you can act like a brat."

"Perhaps it would be best if you left."

"Oliver…" And now Madoka's voice sounded softer. "I'm worried."

"About what?" Oliver spat, his patience thin.

"Reassignment. I… I run the system that pairs everyone in this region and sometimes I've got the same name two years in a row."

"So the first pairing was unsuccessful. So what?"

"So I checked up some of these names, to see if it worked out and… Some people have been reassigned again. But not by me."

"So they weren't suitable for parenthood. What is the problem?"

"It won't tell me where they have gone."

Oliver frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"The system normally tells me what's happened to them. If they've got a new job or been moved to another region or something. But in these cases, it won't tell me where they have gone."

"So you don't have clearance for it," Oliver concluded. "Perhaps they have just moved to a different area."

"I… I looked up Lin."

Oliver's body tensed at the mention of Lin's name.

"And?"

"I don't know where he is anymore."

Oliver turned his attention to the window, unable to bare looking at Madoka's fear stricken face.

"His second fatherhood assignment was unsuccessful?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"It must have been. I don't know why. He was perfectly healthy!"

Oliver had a suspicion why Lin's second assignment was not a success, but to spare Madoka's feelings he did not voice it.

"I am sure he is fine. Lin is an intelligent man, he has many skills they will want to utilise."

Madoka opened her mouth to reply, but another voice interrupted.

"What's going on?"

Oliver and Madoka twisted their heads around in unison to see Mai standing in the doorway, blearily wiping her eyes.

"Go back to bed," Oliver ordered.

Mai frowned and did not move, her feet planted firmly on the floor..

"Who is she?" she asked, but as she studied the woman's features, it dawned on her. "Wait… You're the person that gave me the envelope at the station. Madoka something rather… What are you doing here?"

Madoka's face morphed into a bright smile as she stood up, clasping her hands in front of her poised body.

"I am just here to check how you've settled in. Oliver did not want to wake you, so I was just checking in with him."

Mai's frown did not disappear. She peered curiously at Madoka as if trying to suss her out.

"As you've seen, everything is fine," Oliver said. "Thank you for checking on us."

"Of course. I'll be going now."

Mai stood aside to let Madoka leave.

"You should sleep," Oliver said once Madoka was definitely gone.

"Why was she really here?" Mai asked.

"What do you mean?"

"She looked ready to cry when I first walked in."

"She was fine," Oliver stated. "You should sleep."

"I am twenty years old, stop treating me like a baby."

Oliver pursed his lips. Having words so similar to his own thrown back in his face… He could only be grateful that Madoka had already left.

"If you were a baby I would not bother to tell you to sleep," Oliver muttered. "Babies cannot comprehend words."

Mai scowled at him, but the fight drained from her body. She turned on her heel and shuffled away without another word. Oliver watched her go, then sank into the sofa.

Once certain Mai was back in her room, Oliver stood up and returned to his own. Sitting at his desk, he wiggled the computer mouse and waited for the machine to wake up. He opened the database of known citizens and began to search.

Name: Koujo Lin

Origin: Hong Kong

Age: 31

Occupations: Translator, Technology Expert

Current: N/A.

Notes: N/A.

Oliver frowned. There should have been more. Madoka should have been mentioned in his notes section at the very least.

Oliver noticed the time, it was past midnight. He stripped out of his day clothes and pulled on pyjamas as his own words rang in his ears.

"Lin is an intelligent man, he has many skills they will want to utilise."

As he lay in bed, willing sleep to take him, Oliver hoped his friend was okay, wherever they had taken him.

The following morning, Oliver woke to find breakfast already on the table next to a cup of tea. Mai was halfway through her own meal, having not bothered to wait for him. He sat down and ate, choosing not to break the silence.

"I am going to see Masako this morning," Mai declared as she finished. "When do you expect to be back from work?"

Oliver thought her voice sounded empty and fake. Her shoulders had fallen inwards and there was no spark in her eye. Had he done this?

"Six."

"I will have your food ready then."

Mai left the room, letting the full weight of her hurt fall on Oliver's shoulders. This annoyed him as there was no reason for it. He wanted her to be nothing more than a housemate. But now her words were as cold as his.

Perhaps Madoka was right. Perhaps he would have to be nicer to Mai.

Oliver showered once he had finished eating and left. It was a ten minute walk to work. Many other people walked the streets at this time, so Oliver was not alone.

"Oliver," Hirota greeted him as he entered. "How are you?"

"Fine."

"So, Mai is nice," Hirota prompted as Oliver took a seat at his desk.

"Have you started the report on yesterday's activity?"

"You don't like her?"

Oliver sighed.

"I did not say that."

"So you do like her?"

"I have known her less than forty eight hours. I hardly consider that long enough to make an assessment. Now have you started this report?"

It was Hirota's turn to sigh then.

"Yes, I have started it. If you want to type up your recollections and send them over, I'll compile it."

Oliver nodded and set to work. His fingers danced across the keyboard with well practised ease as words appeared on the screen in front of him. Twenty minutes later and he had finished.

"I've sent you my part," he muttered, knowing Hirota would hear him.

"Thanks. I've had a message saying they want us to interview some of the protesting people from yesterday before they are reassigned."

"Why? They've never asked us to bother before?"

"The higher ups are worried about the increase in incidents. I think they want us to work out what the main issue is."

Oliver stood up, straightened his shirt and picked up a file.

"Where are they?"

"Downstairs in confinement."

The two men walked together to the stairs and went down a single level to the end of a corridor. A few burly looking men waited either side of a barred door. Hirota and Oliver showed their IDs and were permitted access.

"One each?" Hirota suggested.

Oliver nodded his agreement and walked to the first door. He opened it up and walked inside to find a young woman maybe a few years older than he was sat in a chair on the other side of a table. Oliver took a seat and a deep breath.

"I am here today to find out why you were protesting yesterday, Miss Morishita," he stated.

"And you expect me to just tell you?"

"That would make my life easier."

"What is in it for me?"

"The opportunity to have whatever problem you had fixed," Oliver said.

Morishita laughed bitterly.

"They won't change the system for a minority," she muttered.

"What minority?"

"It doesn't matter, you don't care."

"You are making it increasingly hard for me to," Oliver said dryly.

"If I tell you, they'll send me to one of the camps. If I keep my mouth shut, I have a chance at reassignment."

Oliver frowned. Camps? What was this woman on about?

"Where do you want to be reassigned?"

"To a job. Not to motherhood," she told him.

"Understandable."

"Not to them it isn't."

"What did you mean by 'camps'?" Oliver asked after a pause.

Morishita laughed again, still bitter though a hind of incredulity showed through.

"You must have heard about them? The work camps? Like in the wars?"

She clamped her mouth shut and folded her arms across her chest. It was evident to Oliver she had had enough.

"I see. Do you have anything else you wish to share?"

"Not particularly."

Oliver stood up, having no desire to waste any more time. He left the room and waited for Hirota to appear, which he did a few minutes later.

"No use," Hirota declared, his anger evident. "The idiot would not speak. I tried to reason with her and nothing. Absolutely nothing. Did you get anything?"

"Nothing of use. She was worried about being sent to some sort of camp if she told us the real issue."

"Camp?" Hirota asked, frowning.

"Yes, she made it sound like a concentration camp or something."

"That's ludicrous. As if we have the resources to make such a thing."

"Indeed."

"I'm home," Oliver called as he let himself in.

"Your food is on the table," Mai's voice replied from the kitchen..

"Would you join me?"

"I've already eaten."

Oliver walked to the kitchen door and stared at Mai, who was washing up.

"Let me help with that."

He moved forwards, but Mai stopped him with a shake of her head.

"I've just finished, bar your plate. You should eat before it gets cold."

"Will you join me while I eat?"

"Why?"

"So we can talk." Oliver decided to go on before Mai could get the wrong idea. "I think we got off on the wrong foot and I would like to start over. I do not want you to be unhappy while you are here."

"Could've fooled me," Mai muttered.

Nevertheless, she followed Oliver from the kitchen and sat with her arms crossed at the table.

"Thank you for cooking."

"Well that's what I'm here for, isn't it? Your personal chef until they reassign me."

"What do you value in a relationship, Mai?" Oliver asked, pushing past Mai's bitter words.

The question obviously shocked Mai. Her anger dissipated as she pondered Oliver's words. She unfolded her arms, rested an elbow on the table and leaned into the arm so that her hand supported her chin.

"What do I value?" she repeated. "Honesty for one thing."

"I see. Is that all?"

"No that is not all!" Mai huffed. "I value kindness and being considerate too!"

"Let's start with honesty," Oliver said. "Ask me a question and I will answer honestly."

Mai narrowed her eyes at him.

"Who was that woman last night and why was she here?"

"She is the acquaintance I spoke of previously. She came to see how you were settling in and also to share some personal fears with me. Those are not mine to share."

"She is the woman that gave me the envelope at the train station."

"Yes. She arranges the matches."

"So why didn't you ask her not to bother in your case if you are so keen on not being part of it?" Mai asked.

"Because she has rules to follow too."

"Why did she run out when I turned up?"

"Because she does not know you. She can hardly sit here and cry about personal issues with a stranger here."

"She came to you for comfort?"

"No, she came to me for a solution."

Oliver scowled at the truth of his own words. Madoka had come for a solution that he could not give.

"Did you help her?"

"Not yet. I will."

"Is that what you meant about 'other priorities in your life'?"

"No."

"Then━"

"I would prefer not to talk about that right now, I will tell you in due course. Is that all?"

"Are you gay or something?"

Oliver smirked at this question.

"Why do you ask?"

"You looked so disgusted when I walked in and asked about… Well, about the reason I've been sent here and so I wondered if it was me you didn't like the look of or females in general…"

Oliver watched as Mai broke eye contact to stare at her feet.

"I am not gay."

"So it's just me?" She spoke hurriedly, as if trying to get the worst of it out.

"No."

Mai looked up, frowning.

"Then━"

"I have nothing against you in particular, rather the situation we find ourselves in. I do not much like the idea of someone being picked for me, and as I have said previously I have other priorities."

"So… If we'd met under other circumstances…?"

"I don't know."

Oliver placed his fork on his plate, having finished his meal.

"I'm sorry," Mai mumbled. Oliver frowned at her, and she went on, "I never had a boyfriend at school, before the fallout. And then everything happened and… It gets pushed to the back of your mind, you know? And then… I don't know. If everything went properly, you would have been interested in me and…"

"You were offended that I have not shown more interest in you?"

"I know it's stupid."

"Yes, it is. I have known you forty eight hours at best."

"Look I have just been honest with you, you could at least be nice back!" Mai said, scowling. "I admitted it was a stupid thing to think. But it's not like moving isn't stressful you know."

"I can be honest or nice, pick one."

Mai's scowl deepened.

"What was that incident thing really about?" she asked.

"People who were unhappy."

"Why were they unhappy?"

"We don't know. They would not tell us," Oliver said.

"We heard rumours that it was because they were all lesbians or something."

"Where did you hear that?" Oliver demanded, his interest piqued.

"Masako and I went for a walk, we overheard people talking."

"What people?"

"People at the park… Why? Is it a problem?"

"Can you recall exactly what you heard?"

"Well the protestors were all girls right? Someone was saying they were all lesbians that didn't want to be paired up and forced to have sex with men. I mean if they were, that's fair, right? But surely they take these things into consideration?"

Oliver did not reply.

Author's note: Yesterday was my birthday and so all of you have to be nice to me and review today because I am now an old lady and you have to be respectful towards old people! Also, if you have not already, check out Christmas Miracles on the GhostHuntHQ profile! It was written by me and TeaAddictedGhostHunter and we've also made it into an audiobook with pictures thingy on YouTube! So search for Christmas Miracles there and take a listen!

Please review :)