Chapter Seven: The Lovers' Bridge

Tuesday, February 17th

5:43 AM

Sunlight slowly filled the office as the dawn kicked in. Naru could barely open his eyes, he tried lifting his body up despite the stinging sensation on his back. He yelped at the sudden jolt of pain as he tried moving his legs. His team members were circled around him and they were sound asleep. Naru buried his face in his palms as he was trying to remember what had happened last night. He knew that they were in trouble but somehow, everything looked so peaceful this morning.

Sitting on his sofa, he took a good look around the office. True enough, there had been some sort of struggle. He clearly remembered Kumiko, the strands of Mai's hair and the deal but the events that followed were a big blur. Not far from the sofa he was sitting on, his eyes fell on a familiar figure.

"Mai!" he called out. Naru forced himself up from the sofa, not minding the pain that was now taking over his body. The narcissist fell to the floor but his eyes never left the girl lying unconscious on the cold floor. He crawled to her with all the efforts he had left and then he held her in his arms for the first time.

At the first touch of her skin, Naru immediately noticed that Mai was feverish. Her face was no longer pale but instead she was burning up. He held her tighter in an embrace. Naru hoped that he had made the right choice, even if it means his own life. Staring at her like that gave him some confidence. It was good to have her back and he did really miss her.

"Naru, are you alright" said a frail little voice. Masako knelt next to him and as he caught a glimpse of her face, he could tell that she too was drained and in fear.

"Last night, Mai-" Naru started to say.

Masako waved her hand in protest. "No need to explain" she said. Masako usually showed little interest towards Mai, they weren't always in good terms. Last night, Mai had almost killed her and yet Masako did not blame her for what she could have done.

"Thank you" was all Naru could say. Masako's eyes widened hearing this. And she knew just how much Mai meant to Naru.

Tuesday, February 17th

8:08 AM

Hosho nearly dropped his cup of coffee if it were not for Ayako's fast reflexes.

"That's ridiculous! Impossible!" the monk exclaimed in disbelief. "This is no time for jokes!"

"You just can't do that!" Masako followed. Naru knew that she would protest. He knew the way she felt about him and even if he never intended for her to be hurt, his first priority was still Mai.

Lin cleared his throat as he poured more tea onto Naru's cup. "This is the best way to save Mai" Lin said flatly. He knew that Naru was in no mood to compromise his decision. The rest of the team fell silent; some furrowed their eyebrows as they were all deep in thought. It was a life or death situation and Naru was willing to choose death for Mai's life.

"Offer yourself to her, she will never hurt you" Naru remembered Mr. Takeuchi say that day when he and Lin paid him a visit. He felt a tinge of uncertainty and he wouldn't have normally taken this choice but another image of Mai suffering is an unacceptable option as well. He turned to look at Mai who was now asleep on the sofa. She had been burning up since this morning and this worried Naru. He too was in no shape to fight off evil at this point.

Minutes passed by and the ticking of the clock was becoming more and more deafening. Before Naru could say something, John had beaten him to it.

"When will this be?" he asked. The serious look on his face meant that he was supportive of Naru's decision. He knew what they had to gamble on but like Naru, he believed in his team. He believed that everything will work out just fine, no matter what they were facing.

"Tonight, 9PM at the Lovers' Bridge" Naru answered.

"Is this supposed to be some sort of proposal?" Hosho snorted and Ayako gave him and irritated nudge.

The Lovers' Bridge is known to many of the residences in their area. Legend says that if lovers met at the middle of the bridge by full moon, they will always meet in their next lives and be a couple for all eternity. He imagined Mai and himself in the middle of that bridge, the moon's soft silver light painted across her skin. The thoughts of her being by his side for all time felt warm.

Sadly, for the both of them, tonight is the night when they would separate at the bridge. He had to remember that it wasn't Mai he was meeting but Kumiko. He hoped that by the power of the Lovers' Bridge, he would still at least meet Mai in his next life.

- END OF CHAPTER -

Author's Note: Just to clear things up, I made a mistake in my last chapter. Guys, that wasn't Lin! This fic is a clean Naru x Mai! Even if yes, Lin is sexy :P Again, thanks for the reviews guys!