I'm back! Thanks again sooo much for all your reviews!

This whole chapter is dedicated to Naru and Mai in a cellar. It wasn't planned that way, but it took up a lot of words so I'm going to just put the other stuff I had planned into Act 8.

This has to be the cutest and my favourite chapter, which i have been itching to write for aaages.

OH! Well done all you people who discovered that Naru actually called Mai 'Mai' in the previous chapter. It was actually a mistake but I plan to now use it to my advantage :D Well done all you avid readers!!

It's also my birthday on Tuesday, so happy birthday me!! This is like when children give out sweets to the class on their birthday (which I have never quite understood)

Make my birthday awesome and review!!

Enjoy!


Act 7

The cellar, Duke Oliver's court, Illyria

"Noo, no no no," Mai's eyes widened as she stared blankly at the closed door in front of her. "No way." Desperation kicked in, and she suddenly began pounding at the door and shouting a large number of incoherent things at no one in particular.

"No one's going to hear you," came a maddeningly calm voice from behind her. Mai spun round to see Naru sitting on the floor of his cellar, his back leaning against the wall, the flickering candle next to him.

Oh yeah.

Naru was here as well. Her heart couldn't help but leap, but more than likely he was going to be as sarcastic and narcissistic as ever. But still, he was company. Rather hot company. Mai sighed and slowly walked down the stairs again.

"They might have heard me," she persisted.

"If I know Yasuhara, he'd have made sure that the place was empty before he took the key."

"It was Yasuhara?" Mai blinked in disbelief.

"Who else?" Naru said irritably. He was going to kill that clown. Maybe. Now that he mentioned it, perhaps being trapped in a cellar wouldn't be as troublesome as he had first thought.

The cellar consisted of four walls, two of which were lined with shelves, on which wine bottles were neatly lined up. On the other side was a large table, and next to it was Naru. The small candle beside him put most of the room into darkness, but as Mai flopped down beside him she wondered if it was the light that made him look paler than usual. They both sat in silence, Mai refusing to steal a glance at the handsome profile beside her.

It was silent and dark, but to Naru it could have been anything but. Maybe it was the lack of noise or light or something, but he suddenly felt the strong desire to hold Mai's hand. He didn't know what was coming over him, but the gap between their shoulders seemed to be agonisingly far apart, and it took every ounce of his self control to keep his distance from her.

"So nobody's gonna come?" Mai finally asked exasperatedly.

"In the morning."

"Oh. Then that means..." Mai didn't bother finishing the sentence, because they both knew the end of the sentence was we both have to spend the night together.

"Yep."

"That's my word!" she accused, although laughing slightly as she turned to look at him. He stretched his long legs out in front of him and leant his head back on the wall.

"So it is." His voice came out heavily, and Mai looked at him in concern as she drew her knees up in front of her and wrapped her arms around her legs. She rested her head on her knees as she watched Naru.

"Are you feeling ok?" she asked tentatively. Naru was looking up at the ceiling, and through the flickering light of the candle Mai saw that he really did look ill. He shrugged, but said nothing more.

Mai was about to ask again when the cellar door suddenly swung open, and through the darkness came a bundle flying through the air towards them. Mai scrambled up to the stairs but the door had already shut and locked again, so giving up she sat back down and dragged the bundle over to her.

It was a blanket, with a piece of paper pinned on the top. Mai took it off the blanket and held it closer to the light.

Because we wouldn't want a handsome duke and his spunky secretary getting cold.

Love, (and I do mean it)

Y

"You were right," remarked Mai, slightly surprised.

"Of course." Mai laughed at his complaisant big headedness and read the note again.

"...spunky?"

"Let me see the note," Naru took it from Mai's hand, both noticing more than necessary when their fingers brushed together. Naru was attempting to force himself to look away, but it was taking some effort. Eventually Mai coughed and looked to the side, embarrassed, and Naru got round to reading the note.

"At least I can't hear any thunder from here," she said, cheeks slightly tinged pink. Naru looked down at her, and the thought passed him that she looked incredibly cute when she was embarrassed.

"Why are you scared of thunderstorms?" he asked, his brain finally taking over from whatever his eyes were doing. Mai's colour faded.

"Parents." Mai's eyes gazed at the candle, the flame reflecting in her eyes. "Died because of a ship wreck when a storm hit it." Naru looked down at her, noticing how the candle's flame danced in her deep brown eyes which were framed by such long lashes...

"So why were you on that ship?"

"It's a long story," Mai said quickly, not wanting to have to go into the details of her leaving her home. It made her feel so ashamed, to know that she had fled because of a stupid reason.

"We have time." Mai looked up from her observation of the ground, and again brown eyes met blue as she felt the familiar quickening of her heartbeat. Eventually she decided that there was no harm in telling Naru the truth. As long as she was careful, and remembered that boys names may have to be turned into girls...

"My parents died when I was quite small, and after that I lived alone, although my town did help to look after me. Last year I was old enough to read my parents will, and it turned out that before I was born they had contracted me into marriage with somebody I had never met before. I had been betrothed, for all those years to a stranger, and nobody had ever told me of it. Apparently I was set to marry them before I was twenty, and in doing so respecting my parents wishes." Mai fell silent, and turned her head into her knees.

"But you didn't want to?"

"No." Her voice came out muffled. "I didn't obey my parents, who had been so kind to me, until they died...I ran away...like a coward, because I couldn't face..." Her voice trailed up, and when she lifted up her head again Naru saw the sparkling of tears in her eyes.

Usually, Naru couldn't stand tears, but something about how defenceless and lonely she looked sent an unfamiliar pain of anguish to his heart. Sure, he had known sorrow before, but somehow this was different.

Before he knew what he was doing, and knowing he'd hurt someone later because of it (and Yasuhara looked like the perfect candidate), Naru had closed the gap between them, and stretched his arm around Mai's shoulders. Mai looked up at him, bewildered as she found herself sitting in the comfortable crook of Naru's arm.

Why was he being so kind?

Wasn't he Naru, the narcissist, with the big ego and rude manners who only cared for himself?

She didn't deserve such attention.

And so, before she knew it, she was crying, her head buried in Naru's chest. It was probably just the climax when all the emotions that had been building up recently had just caused her to break. But the strongest and most bitter feeling came when she realised that she loved Naru, and nothing would ever work out. And the thought of it just made her sob harder.

A small glimpse of what's actually going on inside the genius mind that is Duke Oliver.

Naru suddenly found that his arms were wrapped around her and he was holding her silently.

Ok.

Now he was really confused.

What was with all these random thoughts that kept flashing in his mind whenever he looked at Mai?

Why was he holding her?

WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH HIM?

Looks over.

Eventually Mai stopped crying.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's all okay. Apart from my shirt, which was expensive-"

"Shut up, narcissist."

Naru smiled slightly, and they fell into another comfortable silence.

Another small glimpse

Naru finally discovered what was wrong with him.

It was the fact that he felt like he was going to black out any minute. Which was probably due to the fact that he hadn't slept or eaten in way too long. He was still holding on to Mai, and it struck him that she was very warm. It then occurred to him. He was freezing.

"...Why are you so hot?"

"Me? Hot? I don't know what you're talking about...no one's ever called me hot-"

"Idiot." Mai suddenly heard the strain in his voice, and quickly moved so that she could see him.

He looked really ill. His face had turned a sickly pale, and when Mai pressed a hand to his forehead she was startled to feel it burning up.

"Aw crap."

-

A carriage on the way home to Lady Masako's court, Illyria

The three inhabitants of the carriage were silent. Sir Takigawa was deeply thinking about Ayako. Masako was torn between death thoughts of whoever Mai was, and curious images of the blonde in the mask. Yasuhara was happily congratulating himself on managing to push Mai and Naru together.

People liked to call him a busy body, but he preferred the title Helper to Those Who Were So Emotionally Backwards.

"So did you find the name of the wine?" asked Takigawa suddenly. "You left us for quite a while to go and find them." (If it matters, after Naru had gone to find Mai, he had decided to follow him to save him coming back.)

"Yeah, though it took some time. Quite a rare wine it was."

"What was the name?"

"The name? I believe it was Latin. Oliverus Idiotus. Have you never heard of it?" Takigawa coughed.

"Of course I have! It's a very rare wine isn't it...?"

-

Back at the cellar (yay!)

"Naru are you hot or cold?" Mai asked urgently.

"Cold..." muttered Naru. His head had begun to swim. Mai was close to freaking out, but somehow she managed to keep calm. Moving the candle out of the way, she helped Naru to lie down on the stone floor. He groaned slightly, and covered his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Why is it so damn cold?"

"I don't know because it isn't really...man I don't know how to look after ill people! Do you want a drink?"

"No..."

"Good, because there's only wine here anyway- BLANKET!" The large bundle had suddenly caught Mai's eye, and she grabbed it to open it out and cover Naru's body with it.

"Better?"

"No..."

"Well there's nothing else I can do for you!" Mai said angrily. "Go to sleep or something!" Naru moved his hand from his eyes to stare at her, but his gaze looked slightly distant and hazy, and eventually he sighed and covered his eyes again.

"...Whatever." He said no more.

Now if this were a REALLY cliché story, Mai would stay up all night, watching Naru.

But this is only a SLIGHTLY cliché story, and while I would like the above to happen, common sense, (and better ideas) have kicked in.

Mai watched Naru's hand finally slide off his face as his breathing became deeper, and smiled slightly in satisfaction to know that he had fallen asleep. She watched him as she sat beside him; knees draw up in front of her again, scrutinizing his flawless face.

But then she was plunged into darkness. She had forgotten about the candle, which must have run out of wick by now.

Predicament one. She couldn't see. Naru was sleeping somewhere in front of her. There was also a hot candle near her hand. Mai waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but being in a pitch black cellar with absolutely no light source, they never did.

There was nothing for it but to grope around the floor gingerly until she finally found the candle and moved it well out of the way.

Should she sleep? Was it safe when Naru was ill? She was sure she could stay up a little bit longer, and not for the first time was she thankful that the dark was not one of her phobias.

And so, in a very uncliché way, Mai settled down to a long night in the dark.

-

Italics in this fic usually mean a new setting, but for this scenario we're going to fall under the pretence of a 'dream'. How posh.

-

"Let me see him," ordered Naru. The woman standing outside of the door sadly shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she simpered, looking at him from under her lashes, apparently more concerned about hitting on him than saving the person behind the door. "No visitors are allowed."

"Visitors? I'm his brother!" Naru didn't wait for an answer, but instead strode past her to swing open the door. He froze at the sight in front of him.

"No..." he murmured. "Gene."

There was his brother, lying on his back, his face as white as stone. Lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling. Naru moved to stand beside the bed, unable to look away.

"What did they do to you?" he spoke hoarsely. His brother didn't look peaceful in death. He looked pained.

"We tried our best..." a nurse from behind said.

"Did you?" Naru didn't turn around, his voice now emotionless. He couldn't look away from his brother.

"He died happy," said the nurse hopefully. He didn't look like it. When Naru had visited last night Gene had been happy. But then something had changed.

"This can't be right. You said he was recovering!" Naru began to shout angrily, turning to look at the nurse. "This isn't recovering!" The nurse shrugged helplessly, and Naru despised her for it.

But then the anger faded, and he looked back at his twin. Now everybody had left him. Why was it Gene lying here dead, and not him? What was the difference between them, that Naru had been left unharmed, yet his brother had not been spared?

"Why did no one tell me," he whispered, but with one last look he had left the room without waiting for an answer.

-

Mai heard Naru stirring slightly, and began to wonder about what Naru the Narcissist actually dreamed of. Was it tea? Or fluffy white bunnies? Or maybe dark emo death thoughts...

"No..." Naru said slowly in his sleep. Mai frowned, but only began to worry when she could sense him moving restlessly. Did he still have a fever?

Predicament two. Mai needed to feel Naru's forehead. But she didn't know where it was. She had a rough idea where his head was, so maybe she should just feel around...

Mai shuddered at the thought. Sure she was in love with him, but feeling around his face was just a touch weird.

But necessary.

Holding her breath, Mai reached out into the darkness just as Naru cried out. It only made her more determined, and her hand moved down until she felt something warm, soft and slightly moist.

Mai nearly shrieked out loud.

Her fingers had just brushed over Naru's lips. Mai felt her own face warm, but leaving the feelings the touch unlocked to a later date, she found Naru's forehead.

It wasn't her fault that her hand went there. It was dark...and Naru's head was moving...

She hadn't aimed to touch Naru's lips. And she hadn't liked it. She didn't notice how soft they were, and she certainly didn't feel his cool breath touch her skin...so why hadn't her fingers moved yet...

But anyway.

The fever.

Surprisingly, it had gone down, and with her hand on his forehead he seemed to calm down considerably, and stopped muttering. Mai sighed in relief. It was probably just a nightmare he was having, meaning it was probably safe for her to go to sleep.

And was about to remove her hand off Naru's face when she suddenly found her wrist being held in a strong grasp.

Predicament number three. Mai couldn't move, because Sleep Naru was holding onto her.

How the hell was she ever going to get to sleep now? If Naru was lying in front of her, and he was holding her left arm (picture this) the technically she couldn't turn around without twisting her arm in some sort of acrobatic position.

Mai didn't do acrobatics.

So if she was to try and move her and Naru's arm down, she would be able to reach a comfortableish lying position, but she would be facing Naru.

But right now Mai was too tired to care. She gingerly moved her arm down so she could lie down, but this only made her wrist slide out of his grasp, until a subconscious Naru instead grabbed her hand before it left completely. Mai felt her heart do a funny weird thing, but the arrival of a huge yawn made her focus on the more important things: sleep. Reaching over with her other hand to try and steal some of the blanket, Mai sighed at the complexity of life. But before long she was fast asleep, her head nestled in Naru's shoulder, their hands joined loosely together at her side.

-

The next morning, the cellar, Duke Naru's Court, Illyria

Mai yawned and sleepily blinked open her eyes. She remembered being really warm and comfortable, and having a really weird and vivid dream. She had run away from home with John, and then somehow she had ended up dressing up as a boy and working for a really handsome but narcissistic guy. Then somehow she had ended up getting locked in a cellar with him, and was sleeping next to him.

Mai took the time to look around her.

She was in a cellar.

"HOLY CRAP!" she cried, and shot up, looking at the blanket on her.

"Good morning to you too," commented a voice beside her. Mai turned to see an extraordinarily good looking (being slightly ruffled from sleep only made it so much better) young man pushing himself up from the floor so that he sat beside her and ran his hand through his hair. He looked like a model. Mai, remembering all that had happened the night before, and that she had probably spent all night lying very close to Naru, close enough to feel more than just his body heat, blushed considerably and quickly backed away from him, straight into the table she had forgotten about.

"Ow." Mai shut up completely however when she saw Naru almost laughing at her.

"You're in a good mood," she commented, rubbing the back of her head. Naru shrugged.

"If you're going to provide me with slapstick entertainment, don't you think I should show some appreciation?" Mai scowled, but was saved from making a comeback by the unlocking of the door above them, and the noise of the French chef and his own particular rendition of

"I'm, too sexy for my shirt,

Too sexy for my shirt so sexy it-" The door had swung open and the French man's eyes had bulged, his mouth had dropped at the sight that was before him.

He had come to sneak in a bit of wine before having to cook breakfast for the duke who probably wouldn't eat his fine food anyway. Being such a magnificent cook took its toll after all. Instead, he was staring at his duke, who was sitting on the floor of the cellar staring back at him with those mocking blue eyes. Nearby him was his secretary, who was obviously trying to hold back laughter.

"Monsieur!" he cried. " Sacre bleu! What iz zis? Why arr you in ze cellar, with zis, zis secretaire? " (ok, you try to write a French accent.)

"Good morning Anton," Naru answered in his most businesslike voice, although his eyes still seemed to be laughing at him. "What brings you to my cellar?"

Mai temporarily stopped laughing. His name was Anton? What kind of French name was that?

'Anton' was now the one blushing furiously.

"I, I ave forgotten monsieur. Uh...zis door...it is tres thick, non?" He was desperately hoping that Naru hadn't heard him singing. In a perfect English accent. But Naru already knew he wasn't French. He was just too lazy to confront him about it. Since when did being french make you a better cook anyway?

"Yeah, you can't hear anything from in here." Naru stood up and stretched slightly.

"Mirai, I don't pay you to sleep in cellars all day."

"It's not my fault-" Naru shot her a death glare and Mai got up, grumbling. He could at least thank her for looking after him. Although he might sack her for sleeping next to him. She was meant to be a guy after all.

Mai followed suit, and went up the stairs behind him. Just as Naru passed the chef however;

"Anton, while I'm not one to stunt musical growth, I would greatly prefer it if you kept all your clothes on. We have young and impressionable people here." He indicated to Mai behind him, who glared back. Naru smiled and continued to walk, but his voice could still be heard to say:

"But if you're that sexy for your shirt that it just...falls off...then perhaps it can't be helped..."


Hope you liked it!

I have nothing against french people. I love french people.

Ok, I said last time I was going to focus on the other characters, but that had to wait. They will return in the next chapter!

For anyone who has fears that I will not be continuing this story (which greatly flatters me, so thank you), I have every intention of seeing this through. It's just so fun to write!

So review!

Special thanks go to Jiobana Marasuko (:D) for the continual encouragement and help with Name of Chef. Feel the Love in the Ait, cause now you're famous!!

xxx