Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing 'Where is home?'
Here is this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it ^ v *
"I'm very sorry," Takumi said bowing lowly at Emi.
He told her everything he did to get Mai out of the country. He also told her how Mai ended up in the hospital, how he tried to get her back to Japan, and how he failed in doing so.
Emi smiled. "Don't be," she said. "I'm sure Mai-chan wouldn't think bad of you for doing all those things."
Takumi slowly looked up at Emi. "Thank you," he said. "I really want to make it up to you and your family for all the inconveniences that my actions caused you. I'm sure I made you worry so much about Mai-chan's condition."
Emi sighed.
That was true. When Naru told them that Mai was nowhere to be found after her graduation ceremony, they decided to look for her. They contacted the police but they weren't able to find her.
It was Osamu Yasuhara, Mai's employer, who told them what happened. And though they understood why Mai wanted to leave the country, they still didn't think it was right for her to go, especially when her trip was organized by illegal recruiters.
They hoped for the past two years that they would see Mai-chan knocking on their door one morning, with that cheerful smile on her face. They hoped that one day the mailman would stop by their gate and give them a handwritten letter from her, telling them how she was doing in England. They even hoped that one day they would hear Mai's voice when they picked up the ringing phone.
But it didn't happen. And based on what she had heard from Yasuhara, Ayako, and Takumi that day, it was yet to happen.
Emi felt guilty about what happened to Mai. If she adopted her, Mai wouldn't have left for England. If Emi insisted that she received custody over Mai...
There wasn't a day when she didn't pray to Mai's mother, her friend, for forgiveness. She promised to take care of Mai but she failed.
Then a couple of weeks ago, Kami-sama gave her the chance to make it all up to Mai and Mai's mother.
She received a call from Naru's family, asking her help to look for Naru and Mai who turned out to have escaped illegally from England. They were in danger of being locked in jail.
Naru's family wanted Naru back safe just as much as Emi and her family wanted Mai back in their care.
Emi may have understood that Naru and Mai had formed a special bond between them and she knew how good Naru was as a man for her, but for the two to get out of the country in such manner was highly improper.
Mai needed to get back home to them. She had to think things over. She must have gone with Naru because she thought she had no choice.
But she had a choice. She had the choice of going back to Japan and living her life without him. A man who had no courage to get Mai's hand properly was not someone they would accept as Mai's husband.
Add to that the fact that Naru, according to his family, was already engaged to someone. He was probably having wedding jitters and he was just using Mai to avoid the marriage.
Mai was no tool. She had to realize that she wasn't something anyone could use that way.
So Emi decided to help Naru's family. What his family needed was information. Mai's family in Japan seemed more informed about what was going on than Naru's family in England were.
That was something Emi could help Naru's family with. She agreed to give them any information that would be useful to their search. She even went to Yasuhara and Ayako to get more information about Mai and Naru's whereabouts.
Then Takumi visited their house – a sign that she was doing the right thing. Takumi seemed to be the best source of information on Naru and Mai that she could have.
"You said Naru and Mai left England," Emi said.
"Yes," Takumi answered. "They rode a train out of England. That was the last time I saw them."
Emi nodded. "Do you know, by any chance, where they were headed to?"
"I do," Takumi said. "I was the one who bought the tickets for them. Naru gave me money and ordered me to prepare everything for the trip."
Emi smiled. "Can you tell me where they are now?"
Mai stared at Naru as he watched him wash the dishes.
They had just finished eating lunch when Naru stood up and told her he would wash the dishes.
She didn't think Naru actually knew how to clean the dining table after eating. And she definitely didn't think Naru was someone who actually let his hands dirty in the sink.
Mai watched Naru as he wiped the stain of the pot roast, she cooked, on the plate away using the soapy sponge.
He didn't seem to mind how the sauce touched his fingers.
"What are you looking at?" she heard Naru say.
Mai looked shyly up at Naru. "N-nothing," she said.
Naru sighed and rolled his eyes. "Right," he said. "You weren't staring at me since I started washing the dishes."
Mai looked away – her cheeks flushed. "I wasn't staring at you," she defended.
"Why are you still standing beside me then?" Naru asked.
Mai tried to think of a good alibi but her brain didn't seem cooperative at the moment.
"Me washing the dishes is that surprising to you?" Naru asked as he finished wiping the plates and went on to wash the pot where Mai cooked the pot roast.
"You're Dr. Oliver Davis," Mai said. "You're the renowned handsome science genius of England."
Naru smirked. "You still think I'm handsome," he said.
Mai stiffened. "Florence won't swoon over you if you weren't," she muttered, trying not to look at Naru's face.
Naru kept his eyes and smirk on Mai. "So you think I'm handsome."
"Y-yes," Mai answered.
Naru smiled. "You haven't lost your good taste," he said, rinsing the glasses after he finished wiping the stains on the ladle.
Mai frowned and looked up at Naru. "You're so full of yourself," she said.
"You still think I'm handsome."
"Jerk!" she said before she pulled the clean rag hanging near the sink and started drying the dining wares that Naru had finished rinsing.
Naru watched her for a moment before he went on to rinse the plates.
"Don't you have maids in your house?" Mai asked.
"Did Gene tell you he and I were orphans?" Naru asked.
Mai gasped and looked up at Naru. "Oh yeah!" she exclaimed. "Gene didn't, but Florence told me you were adopted by your parents."
Naru sighed and nodded.
Blame the tabloids.
"We were adopted by the Davis family when we were kids," he said. "They picked us in an orphanage in England. They just finished investigating on a case back then. They couldn't have a child of their own and decided to adopt a child."
Mai wached Naru's face turn serious.
He must be missing Gene. Remembering his childhood involved seeing Gene's face in his memories.
"They saw us and they thought we were special," Naru said recalling how Luella answered Gene's first question when they got home – why they chose to adopt them...both of them.
The people in the orphanage knew that something was wrong with them. Those who noticed how strange things started happening in the orphanage when they arrived thought that a ghost followed them in the orphanage.
It scared the children. Even Gene, who was the friendly one of the twins, was isolated by the other orphans because he didn't leave Noll's side – because he defended him from all the nasty rumours they were making.
A lot of couples wanted to adopt Gene and leave Noll behind. Gene had always been the pleasant one. Noll didn't care much about how people didn't want him. He didn't want himself either.
But Gene didn't leave him. He did his best to annoy whoever wanted to adopt him but not Noll.
The only couple who took them in without question were Martin and Luella Davis - the people who thought both of them were special, and who believed both of them deserved a home.
"We did house chores in the orphanage so I know how to wash dishes," Naru said.
Mai looked down at the plate she was drying. "I'm sorry," she said.
Naru raised a brow at Mai. "What?"
"I...reminded you of Gene," Mai said.
Naru shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't like he couldn't see Gene anymore. Sometimes he really wished that he just crossed over.
"I grew up with him," he said. "I'll always remember him, even if you don't ask me about him."
Mai looked up at Naru.
He didn't seem to be upset about what he said.
Mai smiled and dried the pot Naru rinsed while Naru wiped the sink dry with another rag.
"I'm going upstairs," Naru said after Mai put the pot away.
"Okay," Mai said, smiling warmly at him.
Naru turned away and headed for the door. But he paused by the doorframe. "The pot roast was good," he said.
Mai felt her cheeks burn.
"I thought you didn't know how to cook," he said keeping his eyes away from Mai. "You didn't cook when I lived with you in Japan."
Mai smiled shyly. "I didn't think you'd like eating instant noodles," she said. "That was all I had in my kitchen at that time."
Naru started to walk out of the kitchen.
"You're pretty good at washing dishes too," Mai said. "I thought you didn't know anything about house chores because you're...rich."
Naru smirked. "I didn't expect you to think in the first place," he said.
Mai frowned and glared at Naru. "JERK!"
Naru ignored it and walked up to the office.
He had to start a living if they were going to stay there for awhile.
"Good morning, John-san," Masako greeted as she stood in front of the door.
It was nine in the morning and John had just opened the door to meet a visitor. He just finished preparing his breakfast when he heard the doorbell of the priest's quarters rang.
"Ah! Good morning, Hara-san," John said, smiling brightly at her. "I didn't expect you to arrive here this early."
"My apologies," Masako said. "I had nothing to do at home so I figured I should just come here to meet you. If I interrupted anything I-"
John chuckled. "No, no," he said. "You didn't interrupt anything. In fact, you're just in time for breakfast. I hope you won't mind sharing it with me today. My colleagues left early for a seminar."
"Not at all," Masako said smiling at John. "I didn't eat much for breakfast anyway."
John slightly stepped away from the door. "Then come inside, Hara-san," he said.
"Thank you," Masako said as she followed John inside.
"I met Emi-san yesterday," Yasuhara heard Ayako say as she sat in the bar counter eating breakfast with Takigawa.
It was early morning and Ayako decided to eat breakfast there before she left for home. It was her day off and she planned to sleep the day away after the whole week of overworking herself in the hospital and helping out in the bar the night before.
Yasuhara was on his way out of the office to get something to eat when he overheard Ayako and Takigawa's conversation.
"Emi-san?" Takigawa asked as he sat next to Ayako. He was prodding one of the strips of bacon on his plate with a fork. "That woman who you said was Mai-chan's neighbor?"
"That's the one," Ayako said before sipping her steamy cup of espresso. "She also acted like Mai-chan's guardian." She then sliced the eggroll on her plate with a fork.
Takigawa smirked. "Jou-chan's a guardian magnet," he said after chewing the piece of bacon that he stuffed in his mouth.
Ayako shrugged her shoulders. "I can't blame her," she said. "She's a danger magnet. She needs all the guardianship she can get. She's just too stubborn to accept that she needs to be adopted."
Yasuhara suddenly wondered why Emi would meet with Ayako. Sure, they had known each other thanks to their relationship with Mai.
He was about to shrug the information off when he heard Ayako say more about her meeting with Emi.
"Anyway," Ayako continued. "Emi-san asked me about Mai-chan's whereabouts – how she was doing, and if she was still in England. I think she was more interested in where Mai-chan is, though."
Yasuhara stiffened.
He met Emi the day before. She asked him about Mai's whereabouts as well. She also asked him where she was at the moment.
Was it just a coincidence that he and Ayako met Emi, and spoke about a similar topic - where Mai was?
"She must miss Mai-chan too," Takigawa said. "When did you meet Emi-san again?"
"Yesterday," Ayako answered. "I was about to get out of the hospital when she visited me in my office."
Yasuhara stared shocked at Ayako.
"Matsuzaki-san," Ayako and Takigawa heard Yasuhara say.
They turned to see him. "Oh! Good morning, Yasu," Ayako greeted. "You want some-"
"Did you tell Emi-san where Mai-chan and Naru are?" he anxiously asked.