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"Mai? Are you alright?" Fai asked gently as he moved to sit beside her on one of the large white sofas. She sat leaning back against the sofa with her legs drawn up and her face hiding in her hands, her body shuddering with her cries. The noble was surprised she had remembered to kick off her boots before entering the living room; some habits stick it seems.

"I'm fine." She sniffed, unsuccessfully trying to stop the tears as she continuously wiped her soaked eyes. Fai slipped his arm round her and pulled her to his chest, his foreign scent seeming somehow comforting. She'd only known him for a couple of hours, and only spoken to him two or three times, but there was something about him that she trusted. Perhaps it's because we're probably related somewhere down the line…

"It's alright…You don't have to pretend with me…He's the one isn't he?" Fai said softly, his crystal eyes looking down at her warmly as he laced his elegant fingers in her honeyed locks, enjoying the silken softness of her hair.

"One what?" She asked as his hand slipped down to rub her back.

"He's the reason you…turned me down." He elaborated, feeling a twinge of jealousy and outrage in his chest. That dark haired boy was truly an obnoxious creature; he wasn't even nice to Mai from what Fai had seen, and he'd certainly had no right in striking her across the face. "He's not worthy of you." Fai spat, though Mai didn't notice the venom in his voice.

"He's not like that! He just…We both went too far; in fact this has been building up for quite a while now since our last case…We had a disagreement and I said some terrible things. I don't think Naru holds a grudge, but the things I said…I don't expect him to forgive me any time soon." She replied quietly. But I have to try to apologise! She thought as she got to her feet in determination. If there was one thing she could be sure of, it was that she had to make the first move. Naru never apologised, at least she hadn't seen him do it before. And I'm the one who caused it this time.

"Where are you going?" Fai asked as he rose beside her.

"To find Naru…I have to apologise to him! I'd hate this to damage our friendship any more than it already has; plus he pays my wages." She joked as she flashed him a smile and ran from the room, leaving Fai standing bewildered behind her. She crossed the cold marble hall to the kitchen, where she almost ran into the ebony haired teen, who had been walking through the door to come and find her. Mai looked up in surprise and they both stopped and stared at each other, both having lost the words to speak. It's strange…I want to apologise, but I can't think of what to say suddenly. She thought as she looked into his deep blue eyes, her breaths slightly heavier than his since she'd been running.

"Mai I…In the garden; we were arguing-it went too far. What I'm trying to say is I'm." He began awkwardly, his blue eyes never remaining fixed on her as they darted back and forth across the hall. He'd always been helpless at apologising; it was something his twin had always teased him about.

"Sorry." Mai blurted over the top. "I shouldn't have provoked you; I was asking for it…I have been for a while." She added sheepishly as she looked away from Naru, suddenly finding her white knee high socks very interesting. Naru looked at Mai as she interrupted, biting the inside of his cheek slightly. He could just accept her apology and pin it on her. That would certainly be the easier option.

"No…You weren't. I don't know why I got so upset. It was unfair and I had no right to hurt you like that. I'm sorry." He apologised stiffly, almost seeming to force out each small confession. He really hated being wrong. He shoved his hands in his in his pockets, something he didn't usually do.

"Can we just forget it ever happened? I don't want us to fall out again…especially over something as stupid as this." Mai added as she twitched her toes, fighting the blush that threatened to cross her features. Naru felt a small smile threaten to tug his lips at her timid suggestion; though there was no way she was going to let her see that. Having said the words there was nothing more to really say on the matter.

"Good…Just don't go off with him again." Naru warned in response as he glanced at the living room door where he could see Fai peering out with a jealous glare. The blonde man met his eye before retreating out of sight. "I really think you should leave. It's not safe." Naru added seriously as he looked down at Mai, whose head shot up at the suggestion.

"If I leave then so do you." She stated firmly, her stubbornness almost making the older boy sigh. She was really doing nothing for his blood pressure.

"Fine! But first sign of trouble…" He warned firmly, unwilling to be moved on this. Mai held his gaze, hazel fighting cobalt until she finally dropped her gaze in defeat. "You and Monk-san are going to be setting up and mics and cameras in the main library. Lin and I will be in Mika's bedroom." He instructed in his usual business tone, ending their previous conversation as if it had never happened.

"Alright; is he up there now?" Mai asked, more than happy to follow his lead and move on from what was said. They slowly backed into the main hall and slowly walked towards the stairs, Naru's shoes clicking on the marble as they walked, the cold stone seeping through Mai's socks.

"Yes. He said he'd wait outside for you." Naru replied simply as they approached the bottom of the grand staircase, Mai quickly hopping onto the red carpet to save her feet from the cold.

"Alright; see you later. Stay with Lin-san!" She added firmly as she ran up the stairs, each bounce making her pleated skirt bounce around her creamy thighs. Naru bit his lower lip hesitantly as he watched her getting further away, knowing there was something else that he should add.

"…Mai?" Naru called hesitantly as he began to walk to the living room, not looking up at her as she stopped to look back. "Thank you…" He said simply, trying to hide the stiffness in his tone.

"You're welcome." Mai replied in a surprised tone as she paused on the stairs and looked back at Naru as he walked through the doors, smiling to herself as she continued towards the library. Wait a minute, where the hell is the library? She wondered suddenly, wondering whether it would be on the first floor or higher up.

"Mai! Over here!" Monk-san called as she reached the top of the grand staircase and started looking around the first floor. He was off to her right leaning on a pair of large double doors with the equipment by his feet. "So, did you make it up with Naru?" The older man asked as they walked inside the huge, shelf filled room with hundreds of leather bound volumes neatly stacked on them in seemingly endless rows.

"Yes." She replied simply as she set up the tripod, leaving the actual camera to Monk-san, who was pressing various buttons to get it started. The honey haired girl couldn't help smiling like an idiot as she thought of Naru and the way he had seemed so awkward when apologising to her.

"Oh! Was there a lot of hugging and kissing involved?" Monk-san asked teasingly as he lifted the heavy camera and hefted it towards the tripod. Mai stepped back with a pout as she folded her arms and watched the older man work.

"No! Naru's not like that!" She objected firmly.

"You sound disappointed." The monk pried, remaining focused on the task at hand despite his teasing tone. Mai watched, almost captivated, as Monk-san's hands moved along the camera and tripod, slotting the machinery and screwing it into place with a surprising amount of care and focus.

"What? Why would you say that? Why would I want to be that close to Naru? He's a…a complete narcissist!" She insisted in a flustered tone, her cheeks turning red as she watched Monk-san's fingers twisting the final cog that would fix the camera in place. The older man gave her a wolfish grin as he gripped the handle of the tripod.

"Tell the truth Mai! The camera doesn't lie!" He added teasingly as he swivelled the camera and trained it on Mai's blushing face, leaning forward to look through the eyepiece and train it on her. Mai held up a hand towards the lens to block its sight and obscure her embarrassed face.

"That had better be switched off Monk-san!" She warned as scowled at him, her red face making it look more comical than stern. Monk-san let out a deep chuckle as he drew back and looked over the top of the camera, the young teen looking at him distrustfully.

"Relax! I wouldn't do that to you." Monk-san assured as he placed the camera and tripod by the wall, turning it to face into the room. That camera was a normal one, set up to see what happened generally, so it would see if things moved. It also had night vision capabilities to see in the dark too.

"Glad to hear it." Mai replied as she picked up a large mic and stood on a chair, fixing it to the top of the bookshelf. "I think I've got it." She sighed as she released the shelf, catching her foot as she stepped back. Monk-san turned in time to catch her, holding her tightly around the waist as he put her on the floor, her torso pressed against his as he held her securely, finding her extremely light. "Thanks Monk-san; I thought I was going to fall!" Mai sighed as she put a hand on her chest in relief.

"It's fine, and don't worry; you didn't show that much of your underwear to the camera." The older man joked with a wolfish grin as he released the young girl and stepped back with his hands on his hips.

"That's not funny!" She chided with a blush as she slapped his arm, getting a howl of laughter from him. "Oh, shut up!" She scolded crossly as she stalked from the room, the older man following close behind. He could almost imagine little puffy clouds of smoke coming from her ears; she really could be a dragon when she was angry. A baby dragon!

"Oh, come on Mai! I was only joking!" Monk-san insisted as he walked alongside her to the stairs, the girl remaining in a temper as she humphed and looked away. "How about I make it up to you? I could teach you to dance…Would you like that?" The older man offered as they walked down the grand staircase, all anger forgotten as Mai's hazel eyes snapped wide.

"You can dance?" She asked incredulously, reminding Monk-san of a fish as she stared at him like he'd grown an extra head. He let out a sheepish chuckle as he ran a hand over his tied up hair, unsure why it was such a huge surprise.

"Yeah…My mum used to take me to classes just in case I needed to do it one day; you know, social occasions and stuff." He replied simply, and Mai supposed it made sense in a way. Maybe my mum would have taken me to classes too if she'd been around. "Come on; it'll be fun!" He prompted with another trademark grin.

"Well, alright, but you have to be a gentleman." She replied, thinking she may as well make the most of the situation. Monk-san may not be her ideal prince, but she knew for a face he could be gentlemanly when he wanted to be. He'd taken her on a date to cheer her up before; she'd had a lot of fun despite knowing it was just pretend.

"Goes without saying." He assured with mock sincerity, giving her a small bow as a prince might to a princess.

"And no laughing!" She added harshly as the older man straightened up.

"I promise…Unless it's really funny!" He added quickly.

"Monk-san!" Mai objected harshly.

"Okay! Okay! I won't laugh…much." He added under his breath as hey reached the bottom step, the girl beside him apparently missing the last comment as she caught sight of a familiar blonde in the hall.

"John!" Mai called as she reached the bottom of the stairs. John stood in the doorway shivering as he pulled his snowy coat off and put it on the coat stand by the door, his blonde hair covered with melting snowflakes as his blue eyes looked up at her warmly. It felt like it had been weeks since he'd seen her.

"Hello Mai. Looks like I made it just in time." He added as he looked at the window.

"What in the world?" Mai murmured questioningly as she walked to the window by the door. "Oh my god! Look at it out there! I swear there wasn't a cloud in the sky a few hours ago!" She cried as she looked at the thick blizzard of snow rapidly covering the ground, setting as quickly as it fell. Seeing the snow sent a shiver through the young girl, her feet freezing on the cold marble flooring.

"This is not good…There's no way we'll be able to drive in this! The roads will be like a sheet of ice and we'll never see where we're going! I wouldn't even want to walk in that!" Monk-san stated as he joined her by the window, watching the thick blizzard as it flurried down from the dark grey sky. Mai pressed her face against the cold window and peered out, barely able to make out the trees lining the driveway.

"I know; my taxi only just made it here. The driver was thinking of turning back." John said as he looked over Mai's over shoulder at the swirling mass of snow. The priest shivered as a drop of cold water slid down his neck, reaching up to wipe it away from his damp locks.

"I can hardly even see the van! You're car is completely obscured! Where was it?" She asked Monk-san as she peered out, the van reduced to nothing but a black smudge in the white flurry. The roof was completely white, as was the bonnet, and the front windscreen was coated too.

"Behind the van…You're right! There's no sign of it! God; I don't remember there ever being snow this heavy…Well, not for a long while anyway." Monk-san replied as he leaned in behind Mai, leaning his arm on her shoulder as he peered out at the storm.

"They did say it was supposed to snow soon..." Mai trailed off, remembering the weather report from a few days ago. "I guess they got it right for once." She added sheepishly, though she wished they'd timed it better. This wasn't exactly the best time or place to be stuck.

"Ah; there you are. Welcome John-san." Fai greeted warmly as he joined them in the hall and looked out at the snow. "I just noticed it too…Shibuya-san and Lin-san are waiting in the living room…He wanted a private word with you all. I'll be upstairs if you need anything." The nobleman added as he left them, retreating up the stairs with the same quiet elegance he'd arrived with. Mai, John and Monk-san entered the living room to see Lin flicking through the weather channels and Naru standing by the window, clearly agitated.

"It doesn't look like it'll let up any time soon." The teen said to Lin, who looked up briefly and noticed the arrival of Mai and Monk-san with the addition of John.

"John's arrived." Lin observed. Naru turned and motioned for them to sit down, not sparing a moment for greetings as he watched the trio move into the room and take up seats around him.

"Good. We may well need him tonight…I hate to say it, but we're stuck here. There's just no way we can get back, and there isn't a hotel close by either…" Naru began in his usual business-like tone, trailing off into thoughtful silence. He really hadn't planned for this; he hadn't even considered checking the weather forecast before coming on this case. It wasn't something that had ever affected them before.

"It wouldn't be comfortable, but would it make any difference of we slept in the car and van?" Mai asked thoughtfully, but Naru shook his head instantly. It was one of the first things he had considered.

"This close to the house the spirit could come out; besides if it's a case of possession then it doesn't matter how close you are to the house because the spirit would be inside a person." Naru replied, which made sense to Mai, and it wasn't like a simple metal wall would stop a ghost anyway. "If we're going to be stranded we may as well be comfortable…but I'm going to have to insist on doubling up…" He added as he looked at Mai with a serious expression, the younger teen looking at the four men and blushing at the thought of having to share a room. "I know this will be awkward for you Mai, so I'll let you choose first. We'll split into a two and three…I don't really want anyone alone with Fai-san; he's too dangerous, and besides, he hasn't been attacked so there's unlikely to be any risk of that happening." He continued swiftly as he looked around at the other three, all of them looking as serious as he did about the situation. "Mai; who do you want to stay with?" Naru asked finally as he looked at her reddened face. Mai looked between the four people in the room, thinking over what she felt about each one.

John was safe enough; he was very gentlemanly and shy, and he was a devoted Christian priest, but she didn't want to put him in that position. He was, after all, a priest, and being alone with a young girl would probably make him a little uncomfortable. Monk-san was very protective of her, so he'd keep her safe and comfort her, but something about his attitude made her decide against it. He probably had some really bad habits, like snoring or listening to loud music. Naru wasn't the nicest person to be with, plus they were still on shaky ground, but she didn't know anything about Lin at all, and he intimidated her.

"Naru…If that's okay with you." She added hastily as she looked up at him where he stood by the window. His eyes opened a fraction wider in surprise, but he nodded his agreement.

"Alright, if you're sure." He replied, waiting for Mai to nod her agreement once more before moving on, hoping that no one had noticed the slight tremor in his voice. "Very well. Monk-san, John-san and Lin will be in the room next door." Naru confirmed as he tried to ignore the slight burning sensation in his cheeks. "Fai has already stated that there are two rooms on the top floor we can use that, to his knowledge, haven't shown any sign of paranormal activity. For now there's not much more we can do, so you can all relax." He concluded as he walked over to Lin to discuss the situation further.

"Good girl Mai! I knew you'd jump at the chance to sleep with Naru." Monk-san teased as he leaned closer to her on the edge of the sofa she had chosen. Mai shot the smug man a glare as he looked down at her with a grin.

"Stop insinuating things that aren't there!" She shot back as she folded her arms and sat back blushing. But maybe he's right…Maybe I did choose Naru because of that…Oh! Come on! Surely I can't be that shallow! She thought inwardly, unable to convince herself either way.

"So…What was wrong with me?" Monk-san asked jokingly, though really he was a little curious. He wasn't sure about Mai, but he certainly knew that he could trust himself around her, and he didn't think she was worried about him being improper.

"Well…I thought about it, but something told me I shouldn't…I can't say what it was; just a feeling." She replied sheepishly, quietly hoping that her choice hadn't upset him at all. She doubted it though; it would be a strange thing to feel upset about.

"And John?" The older man prompted curiously, apparently accepting her reason.

"Well…He's a nice, but he seems shy…I thought he'd find it awkward." She replied with a hint of embarrassment.

"And Lin?" Monk-san pressed innocently.

"You should already know why! I've never even had a proper conversation with him! That would be way too awkward; plus he intimidates me." Mai replied insistently. She couldn't even imagine herself sharing a room with Lin for more than two hours alone; they'd probably run out of things to say after the first few minutes and spend the rest in stony silence.

"Ah, but can you trust yourself with Naru little girl?" Monk-san teased as he leaned forward, giving the younger girl a wink.

"Shut up!" Mai snapped, her face going a deeper shade of red as she swatted the older man's arm. Now I'm beginning to wish Ayako was here…even Masako! She thought despairingly as she glared at Monk-san while he laughed at her. She felt like giving him another swat, but decided to restrain herself, settling for turning her head with a light humph.

"Now that's not very nice! Besides; everyone knows you have a crush on Ayako-san." John piped up in Mai's defence, thinking it unfair that the older man was having all the fun while Mai suffered. A light pink dusted the monk's cheeks at the insinuation, the older man shooting the priest a slight glare.

"No I don't! But what about you? You have a thing for Masako don't you?" Monk-san asked cunningly, but John laughed at that and brushed it aside.

"Don't get me wrong; Masako is extremely beautiful, smart and kind; even witty at times, but…she's not for me." John replied as he smiled sadly and looked at his hands, which were folded elegantly in his lap. Mai looked at him sympathetically, seeing his feelings as plainly as he saw hers. The pair shared a small glance, both offering supportive smiles.

"'No one's out of your league if you believe in yourself.' A…friend told me that once." Mai offered as she stole a glance at Naru, who was leaning over Lin's shoulder pointing at some papers that Lin was studying with deep concentration, oblivious to her gaze. "If you like Masako then you shouldn't let her status get in the way…If she feels the same then it shouldn't matter that she's famous and you're not." She added thoughtfully, though she had the feeling it would be more complicated than that. There were issues on both sides.

"Thank you for your support, but it's okay. I meant what I said." John replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, knowing his limitations. "But, if I may say so, perhaps you should take your friend's advice." He added as he looked at Mai, knowing that she stood a far better chance with Naru than he ever would with a woman. Maybe one day… Mai thought with a small sigh as she looked at Naru again.

"Alright; follow my feet first." Monk-san instructed as he and Mai stood in the hall facing each other, but not close enough to touch. "The basic step is thus; one- two-three. Do you have that?" He asked as he moved his feet across the floor in a pattern from left to right, Mai trying to follow and not doing too badly. At the moment they weren't holding onto each other; that would come later.

"I think so." She replied uncertainly as she looked down at her feet, copying the patter once more. Monk-san nodded in satisfaction as he watched Mai's feet, knowing he would have to do something about her posture and head position later. The longer he let her continually look at her feet the harder it would be to break the habit later.

"Now, these three steps can change direction and pattern, but the basic rhythm and speed stays the same. One-two-three, one-two-three; see?" Monk-san asked, checking for confirmation as he continued to move randomly at a fairly slow and measured pace. "And depending on the music, the steps will speed up. One-two-three, one-two-three; got it?" He asked as he moved faster, watching Mai watching his feet. "Come here." He chuckled as he stepped closer to her and put his hands on her hips boldly, confident that she'd be able to take a few steps up close. "Try not to look at the floor. We'll go slowly at first. Just try to follow me, and try not to step on my toes." The monk instructed as he pulled her along with him, pausing when she stumbled and stopping when she lost her footing.

"Sorry." She apologised, feeling hopeless as she was whisked across the marble floor, pleased that she was wearing shoes. Although they wouldn't wear shoes around the mansion, Fai had told them it was perfectly fine to wear them around the hall. The monk was also wearing his shoes, finding the marble far too cold to walk on for extended periods, let-alone dance on.

"It's fine! You just need to practise those steps." Monk-san replied assuringly as he released her and went to lean on the wall, watching as she practiced the steps on her own, trying not to look at her feet and failing miserably. She just didn't like moving backwards without looking to see what her feet were doing. She constantly felt like she was doing it wrong, or was about to trip up.

"What are you doing?" Naru asked in confusion as he, Lin and John exited the living room on their way to bed. Mai stopped, catching her breath with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. I can't believe he saw me! They all saw me!

"I'm just giving her a dancing lesson; she was a little insecure about her inexperience." Monk-san replied as he pushed himself off the wall, leaving his shoes by the door before making his way to the stairs with his hands in his jeans pockets. Naru hummed lightly at the explanation before returning his attention to his young assistant, who was removing her own boots as she realised Naru would want her to head up with him.

"Well, you seem to have the basic steps right, but your posture is too tight. You need to loosen up." Naru advised as he watched Mai drop her boots by the door, waiting for the surprised girl to join him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Huh?" She hummed in surprise. Naru's telling me to loosen up? What a hypocrite! She thought, though that wasn't what had surprised her. "You dance Naru?" She asked as they climbed the stairs, Lin, John and Monk-san already on their way up the next set of stairs.

"Of course; it's required for certain occasions." Naru replied matter-of-factly, not even considering it a topic worth mentioning. It was a skill he assumed everyone learned at some point.

"Wow…I never pictured you as the dancing type." Mai replied. It seemed that everyone knew how to dance except her; was it really such a big deal?

"It's not something I do much, and I tend to avoid it as much as possible." Naru replied absently, interrupting her chain of thought. Mai fell silent as they continued to climb the stairs to the two rooms. Lin stood waiting at the door while John and Monk-san had gone inside.

"Good night Naru, Mai." The older man said as they stopped at their door.

"Good night Lin." Naru said with a small nod as he opened the door. Lin was about to open his door when it flew open and Monk-san put his head out into the hall with a wolfish grin, apparently part way through changing as he was clearly topless.

"Hey Mai, don't do anything I wouldn't do." He joked, disappearing quickly before Mai could reach him. Tomorrow I am going to kill him! She thought venomously as Naru went into their room without paying their antics any mind. Mai paused a moment before following, saying goodnight to Lin quickly beforehand.

As she closed the door she saw Naru sitting on the bed, his shoes and socks already off, and his hands working quickly on the buttons of his shirt. Mai blushed and made her way to the other side of the bed. God I wish there were two beds…He's going to be right next to me all night! She thought frantically, half of her happy about it while the other half dreaded it. Mai's line of thought was broken as she heard Naru's belt unclip, and as she turned she saw him pulling his trousers down. She watched transfixed as Naru stood by the bed wearing only a pair of tight black pants. He looked better than she had imagined. His chest and stomach were flat and toned, his arms had slightly toned muscles, and his legs were the same, but when she reached the pants she forced herself to look away, feeling Naru shift his gaze to her, making her blush. Wow…this is really awkward. She thought as she looked at his face to see him smirking at her with amused eyes.

"Something wrong?" He asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her over his shoulder. She looked at the smooth skin of his back and felt the urge to touch it and feel the muscles beneath it. God Mai, stop it! You're going to get yourself in trouble! She thought as her face reddened further.

"No! Nothing!" she replied quickly, her voice sounding higher than usual. She wanted to kick herself for sounding so childish. She was sure that if it were Masako or Ayako they'd be able to act maturely in this sort of situation.

"In that case aren't you going to get ready for bed?" Naru asked, hiding his amusement as her blush deepened further. "Unless, of course, you are intending to sleep in your clothes." He added. I never thought of that! Maybe I should have slept with Monk-san…but would that really be any better? She wondered as she looked at Naru, who lay back on the bed with one arm behind his head, looking at her with a smirk. Gritting her teeth she unbuttoned her khaki shirt and pulled it off, hesitating as she reached the long sleeved white top. He's going to see my underwear! She thought as she froze. At Naru's chuckle she quickly brought the top up and over her head and turned her back to him, at which his chuckle died. "Did I do that?" He asked in a gentle voice that Mai almost didn't recognise. She shivered as she felt his hand touch her back where she had collided with the shelves earlier. Across her shoulders was a long thick black bruise, and lower down as another one, though less pronounced.

"Yes…It doesn't hurt though!" She lied quickly, not wanting the older teen to feel bad. She flinched as he pressed it a little more firmly, managing to quash the pained moan in her throat.

"You're a terrible liar." He replied with a chuckle that was somewhere between amused and guilt ridden. "I'm sorry…I really didn't mean for you to get hurt." He added apologetically as he drew his hand back, not wanting to cause her any more pain.

"It's alright. I deserved it after saying all those things to you…it was unforgivable." She replied as she looked over her shoulder timidly, forgetting her position for the moment. She may have been wearing a bra, but it was the first time she'd changed in the same room as a boy before.

"What? I didn't push you into the shelves on purpose! How could you think that?" He demanded, looking at her with an almost betrayed look in his eye. "I thought I told you to sort out that habit you have of giving up on people." He added quietly, his cobalt orbs dropping to the white bed sheets.

"I wasn't saying that! I mean, I know that you wouldn't do it, but what I meant was that I wouldn't blame you if you had or if you'd wanted to…Could you turn around? I'm going to…um…" Mai trailed off in embarrassment, tugging at her bra strap suggestively. Naru just smirked and stayed where he was watching her as she grew more and more uncomfortable. "You're not seriously going to sit there and watch are you?" She asked in shock, glad that she was sitting with her back to him.

"Well you did say some terrible things to me…Look at this as compensation." He replied in velvet tones, masking whatever he was thinking behind the smirk. Mai had the urge to wrap her arms around herself when he looked at her like that; it wasn't normal.

"Stop it! This doesn't suit you." She said firmly, not liking this predatory Naru at all.

"Hmm…It seems you may have sorted it out." He decided as he turned his back, the smirk dropping from his lips as he did so. Mai blushed and tried to bring her hands round to unclip the bra, but the bruises wouldn't allow her to move her shoulders enough. This is tight…I can't sleep in it…but I can't get it off on my own…Damn! She thought after a few feeble attempts. She looked at Naru hesitantly, knowing that she was going to get teased.

"Naru, um…I have a bit of a problem…Could you-that is, would you mind…I can't get the clips undone." She stammered finally, blushing as Naru turned to look at her back slyly, their eyes meeting since Mai was looking over her shoulder. "Don't say a word! It's these bruises; I can't move my shoulders enough; they're so stiff!" She complained as she looked at him pleadingly. Naru got to his knees and crawled behind her, gently holding the back of her bra as he examined the clips, having never actually undone one before. He quickly unclipped it and looked away as it slipped down Mai's arms and away from her chest. Mai pulled the long sleeved white top back over her head and turned to Naru, surprised to find that he had turned away and retreated. "Thank you…and thank you for not looking." She added as she got up and tugged the zip of her skirt down, letting it drop to the floor before she sat on the edge of the bed, trying to ignore Naru's eyes as he looked at her long delicate legs, noticing as she shivered.

"Come on. We should get under the covers and get some sleep." He decided as he got up and climbed into the bed, sighing as he lay back and turned the bedside light off. Mai did the same and winced as her back hit the mattress. She turned on her side to get to sleep and found herself face to face with Naru, her hazel eyes widening in surprise. Wow; this is awkward…Maybe I should turn around the other way…but I don't know if my shoulders would like that. She thought, deciding to stay where she was. Unconsciously she shifted forward, closer to Naru's warmth.

"I hope this snow calms down by tomorrow." She murmured absently, noticing that Naru still had his eyes open, though they were fairly vacant and not focused on her. At her words he refocused, giving her a teasing smirk.

"Why? Is sleeping with me so terrible?" He mocked, somehow knowing exactly what to say to get a reaction from her.

"N-no! It's not-I like sleeping with you-I mean-not that I would usually want to sleep with you or anything-I just-uh…" She trailed off, feeling her face turn red and seeing the smug look on Naru's face. Damn! He laid a trap and I fell for it! He's just teasing me! She thought. But it's only fair that I get to ask the same in return…She added inwardly as she worked up the courage.

"What about you? How do you feel about sleeping with me?" She asked boldly, swearing she saw a flicker of unease in his eyes for just a moment. No! This is Naru! He'd never feel uneasy about anything…Well, almost anything.

"Go to sleep Mai." He replied evasively, suddenly finding the back of his eyelids very interesting as he closed his eyes, quietly hoping that Mai would do the same.

"No. I'm not going to let this drop." Mai replied daringly, noticing that Naru had taken on a look that she didn't like as he opened his eyes and reached a hand out to caress her cheek. The contact sent a strange shiver down her spine, the younger teen having the sudden urge to pull back.

"What do you want me to say Mai? That I want you? That I'd been dreaming of this since I met you?" Naru asked in a husky voice as he shifted his face closer to hers, his breath ghosting across her lips. Mai pulled back slightly as she looked at the older teen, knowing that he was just toying with her.

"No; just what you feel. I don't want you to lie to me." She shot back, freezing as his forehead brushed hers lightly, his ebony locks tickling her skin as their eyes met. Mai felt her cheeks heat again as they stared at each other silently.

"It's not so bad." Naru replied dismissively before turning over as if nothing had happened. Mai watched his back in disbelief for a moment before relaxing and closing her eyes, feeling sleep claim her as she sneaked an arm round Naru's waist.