A/N: Yay! It's really, really late and I still finished this chapter. Awesome. Again, thanks times a million to all of my wonderfully amazing reviewers! I'm sorry I don't have the time to thank you all individually, but the story must go on.

Disclaimer: If I owned Ghost Hunt, (spoiler warning!) we all would have heard Naru's English accent by now. (I know he doesn't actually have one since he was born in Japan, but still. Imagine, people!)


Chapter 6: A Puzzle Piece

It was dark. Pitch black. Mai could not see anything in front of her, behind her, nothing in any direction was visible. She dared a step forward and touched solid ground with the tip of her toe. She slowly planted her foot and took another careful step. Still feeling apprehensive in the dark, Mai stuck out her hands in front of her and continued to walk forward.

"Hello?" she called out, surprised at the tremble in her voice. "Is – is anyone there?"

She could only hear her footsteps on the unseen ground. Her pulse raced instantly when she heard another voice.

"So he finally caved," someone muttered thoughtfully – and suddenly, lights flicked on. It was light enough to see in front of her now, at least. The backdrop surrounding her was still black and seemed to continue on forever, but about three meters in front of her stood a man that she recognized all too well – and at first, that wasn't a good thing. Mai stared in shock, in disbelief, not really understanding what was going on. Was she still in Shibuya Manor?

"Naru?"

Naru still stared back indifferently, his blue eyes intent as if gazing directly into her soul. But this gaze was somehow kinder than the ones he had given her this morning. His gaze was more thoughtful than scrutinizing. Under it, Mai felt herself blush. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she asked again, her voice growing stronger, "Naru? Where am I?"

Again, he didn't respond. Mai scrunched her nose, crossing her arms. She was hoping for some sort of answer, cynical or not. This setting certainly didn't seem like the manor. She couldn't even see anything other than Naru and herself. The last thing she remembered doing was giving Naru his tea. It was all hazy after that.

"You look blind if you leave your arms out in front of you like that." Naru cocked an eyebrow with a smile. Mai tinged pink again and hastily lowered her arms, still garbed in the ratty old wool sweater. She raised her head to meet her gaze with Naru's again, only to find that amused smile still adorned his face. Mai blinked. This was not the type of smile he had worn earlier. No, that smile had been demeaning and mocking.

Simple peace was portrayed in this expression. His blue eyes were the most distinctive transformation. They were no longer blank, cruel, harsh, but clear and patient. 

Something had changed so suddenly about Naru… and when she came to think about it, Mai found herself liking it. But something else just wasn't right. The puzzle pieces just didn't seem to click together perfectly. 'Different' was too small a word to cover the sudden changes in Naru's snappish behavior. Personalities weren't switched this easily.

So then, Mai found herself wondering, what happened?

"In the morning, you've got to change into something nicer. Something that fits you. You have an appearance to uphold in the manor, after all," he said. Mai was pulled from the mystery and looked down at the ragged top. She tugged absently at the sleeve of her sweater and sighed. It was about time. She had no idea how long she'd had this jacket. Too long, she guessed.

"Yes," Naru confirmed decisively, a hard tone showing who was boss standing out proudly in his voice. "And ask Madoka to help you with the clothes, or Matsuzaki-san if she's not busy."

At this, Mai could not help but respond, "Busy? How could they be busy? They're nothing but… well, household objects. They have nothing better to do than wander around the manor. You treat them as nothing more than objects, too." It felt good to backtalk and it felt even better to see that slightly shocked look upon Naru's handsome face. He tapped his chin twice and came upon an answer.

"I do, do I?"

Rolling her eyes was an absolute necessity at this point. "You don't notice? Really?" Her foot was tapping on the ground, showing her annoyance. There was no sarcasm evident in his tone. He sounded genuinely interested. Naru looked away smoothly, gazing over her shoulder.

"I suppose something must be done about that then," Naru said quietly. Mai shrugged nonchalantly, knowing nothing about going to be done about it. Even after a day, this was Naru. His nickname said everything and more. She couldn't expect Naru to change.

"I'll just ask Masako for clothes, anyway, seeing as she's the wardrobe."

Naru actually laughed. Well, Mai considered it as a laugh when his smile widened for a brief moment and he have a short sigh. To her, it was close enough and surely an accomplishment. "I know Masako is a stickler for elegant clothes, but I wouldn't stoop so low as to calling her a wardrobe," Naru replied knowingly.

Mai bit her lip, confused. Did she accidently put something in his tea last night to make him act this way? Naru's smile slowly faded as he saw her confusion.

"You're serious," he said solemnly, matter-of-factly. "Well, then, what happened after…?"

"After what?" Mai interjected eagerly and Naru fell silent, casting a composed glance her way. He pondered her words for a few brief moments and merely shook his head.

"You'll find out soon enough. I don't fully understand it myself. But… Mai…"

It was then Mai noticed everything was slowly fading out. She watched him anxiously as the lights slowly dimmed again, returning her to blackness and oblivion. He observed her with a kind expression and uttered two words before everything was gone.

"…Thank you."

A warm rush spread though her chest and she smiled back at him, self-satisfied. She stood there with that bright, naïve grin on her face, lost in her thoughts. So Naru could be nice. Well, that was a huge upside to this whole situation. And he was actually able to use his manners. That was another positive note. That smile, too… wow, that smile… Mai shook herself out of her delusions. No, no, and no. He was her boss, and she was only there to work off debts. Nothing more, nothing less. End of story. There was nothing else going on. But no matter how much she told herself that, no matter how much she forced her mind to believe it, her heart was going a totally separate route. This was going to get interesting.

Mai shot up in her bed, breathing heavily, embarrassed heat creeping along her body unmercifully. An iron fist gripped her heart and dragged it downwards, crushing her spirits. Comprehension killed her mood ever more as she realized it was all a dream. All Naru's kindness, purity, and overall… well, she just couldn't explain the difference that she had seen in him. She thought it was for real.

So much for a brighter future in the manor, she thought dejectedly. Mai brought a hand to her face, running it through her knotted, now bed-head hair, and pulled herself out of bed, dragging her feet across the plush carpet. There was nothing she could do about it now. She would just have to go through today sleep-deprived.

"You're finally up," Masako sighed dramatically, making Mai jump backwards and topple to the ground. A soft giggle was heard from the wardrobe and Masako continued blandly, ignoring the fact Mai was still in sleep-mode. "Naru's been yelling for an hour for tea. It's already eight. Can't you just get up and make him tea?"

That's easier said than done.

"Already eight," Mai snapped back sarcastically under her breath. "Goodness, my apologies for sleeping in…" She headed dazedly for the bathroom, stumbling on drunken sailor's legs. She hadn't noticed the bookcase on the other side of her headboard had oddly disappeared in the middle of the night.

"The bathroom is through those doors. Take a shower, brush your teeth, and get ready for the day as soon as you can. Naru's temper does not cool after flaring up."

Gathering herself from the floor, she remembered what Naru (well, her dream Naru) had said in her sleep. "Hara-san, would you mind getting me clothes while I'm getting ready?" Mai pleaded innocently. The wardrobe thought for a few seconds, wondering it if was really worth it.

"I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble for me. And the ones you have now are disgusting anyway."

Mai paused and decided to take this answer as a decent 'yes.' She sighed heavily, swinging the bathroom doors open, and shut them behind her. She turned on the shower, filling the air with soothing steam. Not even twenty four hours ago had she known that her father had died and her future would take a downhill plunge, leaving her without anything. And last night, right when Mai had finally believed that something could have gone right, she had found out it was only a dream.

She knew life wasn't fair. She had learned that lesson the hard way and dealt with it the best she could. But the hurdles were flying at her faster now, and she wasn't sure if she could keep up – or fall flat on her face. As the warm water ran over her body – something she had missed dearly in that pathetic shack she could no longer call home – Mai truly wondered how she would begin to understand life here. She just felt of out of place and knew fitting in wasn't going to be easy.

Turning the water off, Mai stepped out of the shower and pulled the white towel from the wooden rack above the sink. She wrapped it around herself quickly and reopened the bathroom door to gather her clothes. And, as she came out, she did notice something laid out on her bed. She moved closer to gape at the new clothes that had been so freely given to her.

A silky-soft, knee length skirt was laid underneath a plain collared shirt, both smooth to the touch. The skirt was a pure black, embroidered and hemmed with a silver thread. It slid like butter through her fingers and she couldn't help but smile. The shirt was starch white, but still flexible and comfortable. The buttons up the middle were small and standard, reflecting the light ever so slightly. Beige tights and black patent leather shoes lay next to the outfit.

And then suspicion hit her like a brick.

How had the clothes gotten on her bed?

Masako wasn't able to put them there, obviously. Mai gazed between the clothes on her bed and the armoire, still very confused. If no else had been in here, how had the clothes gotten on her bed? She had only expected the clothes to be in the wardrobe, not laid neatly out as if someone… as if someone else had been in the room. And also, she noticed suddenly, how had the bed been made? The violet sheets were pulled tightly across the mattress, pillows lined with gold thread stacked neatly at the head of the bed. She had only taken a shower for a few minutes and hadn't heard anyone in here.

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" Masako snapped and Mai snatched the clothes from her bed. She would figure this out later. She padded back into the bathroom and viciously slammed the door shut. She was surprised the double doors didn't unhinge.

Masako's haughty expression slowly faded, followed by one of regret. This concept was too hard to grasp, much less execute. Even though everyone had been sure this plan would work, she felt they were going about it the wrong way. If only the right choice was so much easier – if it wasn't forbidden. Shaking her head, she knew one final thing: it had to be done and there was no fighting it.


"Tea!" Mai called as she walked into Naru's office. She caught a glimpse of the master talking with the tiny clock and both looked up at her as she glided into the room obliviously. Their matching, hard glares were enough to make her falter the slightest bit, but she kept going, head held high, until she reached the wood desk. The white china shook slightly as she placed it down and she slid a hand underneath the saucer to hand it to Naru.

She caught the end of their conversation. Hearing Lin's deep voice say, "…your time. This could very well be our last chance." Naru remained solemn and unresponsive, his gaze now locked on Mai. Lin disappeared almost immediately without another word.

"Good, you're getting the hang of things," Naru said evenly, completely ignoring the bewildered look on Mai's face.

"And you got new clothes." Mai beamed, happy he noticed.

"Better than those rags you had on yesterday." The beam vanished. Naru paid no mind, getting right to her first job. "Now, as for today. I need you to go into the library and clean up in there – dust, sweep, and organize all the books alphabetically. Understand?"

Mai picked at the edge of her sleeve and nodded. He waved her off again noiselessly and she backed from the room. For some reason, her heart pounded faster. The smile on her face was unable to be wiped away. What was this? As images of Naru quickly jumped through her mind, completely destroying her train of thought, she knew why her heart felt like it was beating as if tomorrow would never come. She knew why the smile felt painted on like some porcelain doll in the store window.

But – but – he was her boss! He was rude, arrogant, cold… there weren't enough words to describe his foul behavior. And yet… yet he was handsome, rich, and authoritative. She had seen his nice side last night in her dreams, whether the dreams could be turned into reality or not, they gave her a reason to see what she could do to make him act that way. After all, she had all the time in the world. Naru was just… just…

Confusing.

Confusing was a good enough word for it.

He was just something she was going to have to figure out.

She was only missing that one puzzle piece that made the whole picture clear.


A/N: Aw, Mai's crushing! Or that's what the story implied, if you didn't get it. And a little visit from you-know-who, too. Anyways, please review!

Extra note - I'm going on a summer trip soon, so the next chapter may take a little longer to finish. Sorry, everyone!