Love Bound:

Chapter 11:

Case 1: The Seven Deadly Sins

Part 8:

A/N: Hey! If anyone is wondering who Annabelle is then she was Gene's girlfriend and Naru was implying that Mai loves Gene just like Annabelle had done…there is nothing going on b/w Annabelle and Naru… =) Naru belongs to Mai, eventually at least… =)

Day 3:

12:15 am:

Oliver was walking along the corridor to the base. He heard a soft sob from his right. He paused and turned towards the door that belonged to Mai's room. He frowned, closing the distance between him and the door. Sure enough he could hear the soft sobs of Mai. He opened the door to the moonlight strewn room and saw the figure of Mai slumped on the floor with her face buried in the bed, she was shaking with sobs.

"Mai?"

Mai raised her head and looked over to Oliver with tear filled eyes.

"Na-Naru,"

"What's wrong?"

She let out a wail and buried her head in the bed once again. Oliver moved forwards and stood beside her.

"You remembered, didn't you?"

"Wh-what?" –

"Gene…that's why you're crying, right? You remembered the dream," his voice was quite as he looked down at her with half-closed eyes. He could see pain and despair swirling around in them and after his words he could see surprise flit through them.

"How…how do you…know?"

"I know,"

There was silence for a moment except for the soft sobs that escaped Mai's lips and she swallowed her tears before replying.

"It…it was… unpleasant…I – I didn't know…tha-that he h-had fe-felt so mu-much pa-pain," she sobbed, clutching at her heart, "I…never…knew,"

"You shouldn't beat yourself about it," Mai looked up at him to see his serious expression as he gazed down at her.

"I – I know but…I ca-can't forget th-the pa-pain," she sobbed again, burying her face in her hands.

"Hey…" Oliver moved forwards and poked her on the head; she looked up at him with tears trailing down her cheeks, "He's fine,"

She looked up at him in surprise, her lips parting slightly, "He-he is?"

"Yes,"

"He to-told you th-that?"

"Yes,"

"What ab-about you? Yo-you felt i-it t-oo,"

He looked at her for a second before replying, "I'm fine,"

"Bu-but the pain…"

"You can't…"

"Wh-what?"

"You can't dwell on it or you'll never move forward,"

"I – I can…" she swallowed, "It'll take time…"

"Don't keep it waiting,"

"I'll try my best,"

"Gene wouldn't want you to weep over him,"

"I know,"

"You should stop being an idiot,"

"I'll…try,"

"And you should stop being so annoying," he told her rather haughtily. She stood up and he brought a finger to her red nose and started poking it relentlessly. Mai squealed at the contact –

"Hey – wha – sto – Nar – ouch" – he stopped with his poking and turned away from her with his nose in the air and his hands in his pockets – his eyes were closed haughtily.

Mai blinked furiously, "Just what is your problem, you bastard?" she clutched at her painful nose.

"You had something on your nose, dummy,"

"Well there was no need to poke so hard!" she clenched her fist at him in anger and stomped her foot.

"Stop goofing off and get to base. I need to question you," he exited the door without further ado leaving a fuming Mai behind.

A smirk made its way over to Oliver's face as he closed the door behind him.

...

Mai sat between Ayako and Madoka who were both looking sheepish and uncomfortable. Mai had encountered the dream that she had had during her collapse only to be met with a thoughtful Oliver before he proceeded to harp on Madoka and Ayako.

"Why…" Oliver began coldly, "were you two absent from Mai's side when it was obvious that she needed to be looked after?"

Madoka shifted slightly – it was probably the only rare occasion when Oliver had silenced the great Madoka Koujo…

"We left a nurse with her, we're not completely irresponsible," Ayako began indignantly.

"And…what happened to the nurse, exactly? Or do you expect me believe that she did nothing to stop Mai from exiting the room?"

"The nurse had gone to check something and when she came back Mai was gone,"

"Which leads us back to where we started from – why did you two leave in the first place?"

Ayako glanced at Madoka to see that the woman had gone slightly pink and sighed, "Madoka can tell you what she sees right,"

Madoka looked alarmingly at Ayako before her eyes shifted to her husband who was looking at his laptop with a stern gaze, Madoka's heart clenched painfully at his ignorance and she felt tears brim at her eyes, "It's nothing…I apologize for my carelessness…" she looked down at her tightly clenched fists as she stood up – not able to take it in any longer, "I'm going off to bed – Lin will you follow?" she had expected to tell him when they were alone but he ignored her as he clicked away at his laptop.

"I'll drop you off," Mai said, getting up from her position. Madoka did not protest as they exited the walked in silence – a silence that Mai sorely disliked as she gazed worriedly at Madoka.

"Madoka…" Mai began as they reached the door to her and Lin's rooms. She didn't speak, her bangs hiding her eyes as she casted her gaze on her feet. Madoka moved forwards and opened the door she was about to close it when Mai stopped her, "Madoka," she began in a more firm tone as she forced herself in, "What's wrong? It's not like you to be like this…Tell me what's wrong? I'm here to listen,"

Madoka stepped away from the door and turned to Mai with tear filled eyes, "Mai…"

Mai gasped as tears spilled forth and engulfed a surprised Madoka in a warm hug, "You can tell me,"

"I – I am about to become a mother!" she started wailing as she buried her head in her shoulder.

"Eh? But – but that's great, isn't it?"

"No, no, no it isn't," she sobbed.

"What do you mean?"

"Lin and I… Lin and I are not going so well. He hardly comes home at a reasonable hour and he's engrossed in work even after he arrives home. And my morning sickness and huge appetites are getting on his nerves, he's not even worried about me," she choked through sobs.

"Madoka, I'm sure that that's not it. He must be going through something," –

"That's it! Even if he is going through something then he should tell me. I am his wife after all," she cried again, "He doesn't trust me – he doesn't trust me,"

Mai looked at the weeping Madoka with sad eyes – she was wrong – Lin did care about her, Mai's instincts told her that.

"That's not true. You should give him some time – you know that he doesn't open up all that much. You should give him time and I think that telling him that he's about become a father would succeed greatly in coaxing him out of his shell,"

"But what if – what if he turns me away instead?"

"When you two got married you did it with realizing the responsibilities that came along with it and Lin-san knows them and I'm sure he won't turn away,"

Madoka was about to reply when the door to their room banged shut making them whirl around in surprise. The temperature dropped and Mai moved in front of Madoka protectively as she started her chant.

"Madoka! Just stay back,"

"Nau-Maku-San-Manda-Bazara-Dankan."

Cold air lashed at Mai pulling her to the wall with a small yelp of 'Madoka!' She was held onto the wall by strong cold walls as she tried to struggle against the hold while Madoka stood frozen in place.

"Let go of me!" She kicked out at the wall but to no effect – she couldn't use her hands and so she couldn't use the chant or the nine cuts. Then –

A piercing scream rented the room apart as Madoka was pushed to the bed by an invisible force, "Madoka!" Mai yelled, tears brimming at her helplessness.

"Help! Somebody! Lin-san!"

Madoka screamed again as small gashes appeared on her arms and ripped her stomach.

"No! Leave her alone! Madoka!" Mai struggled even harder as the fan over Madoka started spinning at a fast rate.

"Madoka! No! Lin-san! Naru! Somebody help!"

…

Lin was typing away at his laptop. He was aggravated and frustrated with Madoka. When will she grow up? Things hadn't been all too well between them but the last thing that he needed was for Madoka to baby-coo him into dinners and lunches and trying to patch things between them but it made him all the more annoyed. He did not need to be reminded every second to come home early; he had a lot of work to do and couldn't help it sometimes. He –

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream. He stood up –discarding the laptop at the table as everybody looked up in surprise. The only people who could scream at this moment were the only two that were missing – Mai and Madoka. He bolted through the door at full speed – Oliver and the others were right behind him as they reached the cause of the commotion.

The door to Lin and Madoka's room was closed. Screams and yells accompanied the noise of an odd whirring –

"Madoka! Leave her alone!"

Mai's scared yell was accompanied by a terrified scream that had made them come here in the first place. Fear clenched at Lin's heart at those words and he moved forwards to break down the door. The door flew open and Lin froze in place. Mai was pushed up against the wall, struggling against an invisible force holding her hands. Madoka was pushed onto the bed, where she was writhing and screaming against slashes to her arms and stomach that were already bleeding profusely and the last thing – the dreaded thing – the fan directly over Madoka was whirring like crazy, it was in danger of collapse at any second.

"Madoka!"

Lin whistled and the restrains on Mai and Madoka vanished but the fan was still whirring like crazy – the last of its strands snapped and Lin ran forwards. He fell on top of Madoka who gasped and rolled her to the ground just as the fan crashed down on to the bed – destroying the piece of furniture.

Lin was lying on his side, Madoka held tightly against his chest as he breathed deeply, trying to control his heart beat. Madoka clutched at the front of his t-shirt desperately. He let her go after awhile and stared into her still frightened eyes. Someone cleared their throat and then there was a sharp reprimand of 'Naru!' as they both looked up to their audience. Lin stood up and pulled Madoka along with him. She was bleeding badly.

"We should get her to the hospital," Mai stated quietly.

"Mai go with them and get yourself checked out as well,"

"Right,"

01:23 am:

Mai sighed as slumped in a plastic seat outside of Madoka's room. She was being treated right now and a somber Lin sat beside her – he looked out of place without his laptop. She should talk to him – she wouldn't tell him about the pregnancy that was for Madoka to tell when she was ready but she should at least ask what was bothering him about his relationship with Madoka. She did not expect him to open up but it was still worth a try.

"Ummm, Lin-san?"

He looked quietly at Mai encouraging her to speak.

"Is…is everything al –alright between you and – and Madoka?"s she gazed at him nervously as his expression darkened, "It-it's alright if you don't want to –to speak" –

"No. Things are not well," he sighed, "She keeps badgering me every second,"

Mai perked up – it was brief but he did tell her what was wrong, "Lin-san, if you call her twice or thrice in a day then I'm sure that she'll stop badgering you, but she's just worried. You're her husband and you should be able to understand her…you both have responsibilities as partners to each other. She's just fulfilling hers; maybe you should do that too. It's not too late," she gave him a small smile.

Lin stared at her blankly. He'd been cruel to her and she had been feeling unwell as well and he hadn't even taken her to the doctor. Mai was right, Madoka was his responsibility and he hadn't been completing that duty even though they had gotten married. He would put things right from now on… he would make sure of that.

"Thank you," he uttered quietly.

"Oh! It's alright," she smiled again before her gaze went back to her clenched hands. She had an ill-feeling settling over her and all she could remember was Gene's death at this point despite the conversation that she had had with Oliver. She wanted to see him again – to make sure that he was alright, besides the fact that he was dead, she hadn't missed him so much as she was missing him right now. Somehow she felt a lot closer to Gene then before, perhaps it was because of the fact that she too had felt his death. Her heart clenched painfully as the pain and agony came crashing down on her again. She gripped her shirt tightly as she closed her eyes against the memory wanting to forget his death; the same way that she had wanted to forget her parent's death. But Gene's death had never hot her so hard and she felt as though the death was just recent. She pressed her lips together and then released the breath that she had been holding in.

She heard footsteps and looked up to be met with the image of a doctor. Lin stood up as the doctor approached.

The doctor gave a slight smile, "Koujo-san is out of danger" – Mai sighed in relief and Lin relaxed a bit, "We are also happy to say that no critical harm has reached the baby,"

Lin stiffened at this pronunciation, "Bab…y?"

"Ah, yes! Your wife is three months pregnant," he paused.

Mai spoke up in nervousness, casting one glance at the stupefied Lin standing in front of the doctor with a pale face, his mouth hanging open in shock and his eyes swirling with emotions, "Can we see her?"

"Yes. You are entitled to. Well anyways, I have to take care of some work. I'll be seeing the both of you…take care,"

"Thank you for your help," Mai bowed deeply before turning to the stock-still Lin who had closed his mouth but his face was wtill as white as chalk. Mai nudged him in the back, "We can see her,"

He looked at her blankly and she gave him a nervous smile before pulling him to the room. Madoka sat up in bed, her arms were bandaged and Mai was sure that she also had bandages on her stomach even though they were not visible. Madoka looked up at them and gave them a weak smile.

"How are you?"

"I'm alright,"

"I'm glad," Mai smiled before moving back to allow Lin-san to move forwards to see his wife.

Madoka extended an uncertain hand towards her husband which he took firmly before leaning down and kissing her lips. Mai blushed and silently took her leave. The couple did deserve some alone time after all. She smiled slightly before taking her mobile out and dialing Oliver's number.

…

Mai slumped on to the floor – she was dead tired and waiting for Oliver to pick her from the hospital was not helping matters. She had informed Lin and Madoka that she was going back to the mansion before leaving the couple alone again. They looked happy together or at least Madoka looked happy as she had gazed at Mai. Mai felt her own bout of happiness warm her heart at the prospect of joining hearts again. She sighed as sleep took over her.

She was standing in black void. Little lights flitted all over the place like stars, but she knew better – these were will-o-wisps and it had been a long time since she had last seen them. She looked around, wondering what she was doing here again. The void around her changed to be replaced by a trailing black color – as though coffee had been spilled upon a photograph and ruined the color. A new image met her eyes gradually – she was standing in semi-dark square room. The room was medium-sized and decorated in dull, boring colors of beige and brown. There was a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room and a lone figure slept in it.

Mai moved forwards to look at the figure. It was a woman – most probably in her late 40's. She had black hair that reached her shoulders and a lined pale face that reflected off Japanese features and slightly fat figure that was hidden underneath the sheets.

Who was this woman?

Why was she dreaming about her?

Was this related to the case?

If it was then she didn't remember a room like this in the mansion…besides the taste of the room, however dull it may be, was quite recent.

She stepped back in surprise when the woman moaned slightly and shifted her position so that she was lying on her side. She gazed at the woman with worry as her image melted away from her eyes only to be met with the will-o-wisps again, she casted her eyes around in confusion – the sound of footsteps reaching her ears. Then an image of a tall figure fell from above – the image was blurry and unclear, casted in shadow as it walked away from her. Her gut kicked into action and ran after the black figure. The black figure stopped and looked around as though searching for something or someone but then after a moment it moved away and just when she had been about to touch its shoulder. Instead she fell forwards and onto the black nothingness below her.

She screamed as she started falling instead of hitting the black floor like she had thought she would. There was no end to this fall and her screams faded away as she realized that she wasn't hitting anything.

Mai gasped awake only to be met with a black clothed chest that pulled back immediately. Mai grasped for the hand that had felt on her shoulder and clenched it tightly as she tried to control her heart beat.

"Mai,"

Mai's head snapped up at the sound of her name, "Nar-naru," she let out in a breath.

"What did you see?"

Mai shook her head, "Nothing of importance," she dropped his hand and stood up on shaky legs.

"We should get going," Oliver began before turning to Madoka's room and gazing at the couple within who were sleeping in each other's arms in content. He averted the gaze away from the couple and onto the girl beside him who was watching them with a light in her eyes and a smile on her face. He turned away from her – not wanting to give into a new found temptation. Slightly annoyed he called out, "Come on, we should leave,"

With that he walked away down the corridor leaving Mai to trail sleepily after him.

…