So i fixed it. Now it won't be too confusing. Sorry about the mix up.

Chapter 11

Mai was still blushing as she got out of her car and walked across the street from the parking garage. Yesterday she and Naru had some much needed time. She hadn't realized how stressed she had been. Now she felt refreshed and excited about the fast approaching opening night.

Two more weeks till opening night. Mai was so excited and after yesterday she was even more excited to the trip she and Naru planned to take afterwards. A month, just the two of them, on a private tropical island with no interruptions. She signed as she imagined it.

She had come to realize long ago that when it came to Naru, her mind went to some very dirty places. Strange and dirty places.

It was night time. The cool tropical breeze tickled her bare skin. She had been waiting too long for her lover. She got up and walked out the French doors and down the path.

She could hear the crooning of the tropical birds and other creatures of the night. The stars twinkled above her as she stepped off the path and onto the sand. The sand was soft under her bare feet. She loved to wriggle her toes in it.

She looked out to see her dark haired lover standing by the water's edge looking out at the reflection of the moon. Her heart skipped a beat. He turned towards her. Almost as if he could hear her heart pounding in her chest. He held out his hand to her.

She ran to him. He slipped part of her lacey negligee off of her shoulder. Then he gently pressed his lips to her shoulder and kissed slowly to the crease of her neck.

She unbuttoned his shirt and ran hands over his beautiful abs. They fell down on the sand together. She cried out in pleasure "Take me away you, beast!"

"Mind if I join in as well?" Gene appeared on the sand beside her.

"Ahhh!" Mai screamed and flung her arm out. There was another cry and clatter. Mai had hit Megumi who had been carrying a tray of coffee. She hurried and bent down to help the poor girl. "Oh my god, Megumi! I'm so sorry! So so sorry! Here let me help you!"

Mai grabbed a towel from her dance bag and tried to wipe Megumi as best as possible. "I'm sorry." Megumi cried.

"Why are you apologizing?" Mai was puzzled. "I'm the one that knocked you down."

"But I'm the one scared you." Megumi snuffled. "When you cried out 'Take me away you, beast!' I came up behind you and asked if you wanted something to drink and then you…"

Mai began to blush. "Oh did I say that out loud?" 'Oh kill me now.' Mai said to herself.

"Oh please don't be embarrassed!" Megumi got on her hands and knees and began to bow down to Mai. "I'm so sorry!" she continued to cry.

They were in the lobby of the building. Mai looked around. Surprisingly not many people were there at the moment. Mai tried to get Megumi to get up and stop bowing as best as possible.

"Really please don't worry about it." Mai said awkwardly. "I'll forgive you if you promise to forgive me and let me pay for the dry cleaning and coffee."

"Of course anything you say!" Megumi cried. "and please don't be embarrassed about shouting that out loud. It only shows how dedicated you are. You must have been practicing a part for your next project that you're keeping a secret."

"Urr um, yeah I guess you can say that." Mai laughed nervously.

Yeah your next project being the Ballerina and the Narcissist: A tale of tropical ecstasy. Said a familiar voice that only Mai could hear.

"Shhh!" Mai said.

"What?" Megumi looked clueless and confused.

"Oh nothing. Sorry I just sneezed a little." Mai pretended to blow her nose.

Nice save sister in law. Gene chuckled.

Mai frowned. "You know what I'm going to go over to the desk and look for some paper towels." Mai hurried over to the welcome desk that was missing its attendant. She ducked down so no one could see her.

"So that was you!" she growled to herself.

"No that mess. That was all you. You and Noll are so similar." He chuckled again.

"Now she thinks she scared me and caused me to flip out." Mai hissed.

"But you didn't correct her and tell her the truth." Gene pointed out.

"Oh yeah. I should have said "No Megumi, you didn't scare me. It was my deceased brother in law popping in on my sexual fantasy about my husband.' That would have been so much better." Mai said sarcastically.

"Hey you never know. She probably would have offered to die so that she could come after me." He joked.

"Will you just get lost?" Mai growled.

"Fine, but I need to warn you to be prepared." He said.

"Prepared for what?" Mai asked. "Gene? Gene..? Gene?" Gene was already gone.

"Can I help you with something?" The desk attendant had returned.

Mai quickly turned around causing the girl to gasp. "Oh just looking for some paper towels or napkins." Mai hurried away.

She and Megumi walked toward the rehearsal rooms. She noticed the people they passed were staring at them. Megumi began to blush and bow her head in embarrassment. She was a mess. Mai had assured her that she would find her something to wear in the costume department.

"Don't worry about it." Mai tried to make her feel better. "We'll have you cleaned up in no time. While you shower in my dressing room, I'll find something for you to wear." Mai's voice trailed off as she realized that they were not staring at Megumi.

They were staring at Mai. She and Megumi passed a large poster which caught her eye. Mai suddenly stopped and backed up. Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at the poster of herself.

"What the hell?" Mai cried out in disbelief. It was her dressed in her Rocky Horror outfit. "How the hell did these get here?"

She ripped the poster off the wall and continued forward. She saw that there were posters of her in different poses plastered all the way down the hallway. Mai furiously started to rip them all down.

She was going to kill whoever was responsible for this. She could hear them whispering as the passed her. She could even hear a few of them chuckle. Her face was turning red from anger and embarrassment.

She burst onto the stage and began to shout. "I want an explanation! How did these get here? Who did this?"

No one answered. They looked at each other hoping someone would have the courage to say something.

"Well?" Mai looked around. "They didn't just magically appear!"

"Mai…" Cooper tried to speak. "We have no idea how this happened. I can call the police if you like?" he was trying to smooth things over.

Mai took a deep breath. "No, I ripped them all down. Let's just get on with rehearsal."

Mai's one way of forgetting all her troubles was through dancing. She felt like she could escape from the world around her and fly.

"Ok that's it for the day. We're ready for opening night. Only two more weeks." Cooper told the cast. "No one do anything stupid till after the show." That earned a few laughs.

Mai walked over to her bag and grabbed her extra towel. As she pulled it out and began to wipe herself, an envelope fell out. She bent down and picked it out. As she turned it around she gasped. Her name was typed on it same as the one she had found in her pocket.

"No…" Her voice quivered. "Not again." She took a deep breath. She had to open it. She couldn't wait for Naru. She had to do it now. "Like ripping off a bandaid" she told herself.

She tore the top and reached inside and pulled out a photo. Mai let out a blood curdling scream as she dropped the photograph. The photograph wasn't of her this time.

It was worse than that. At least it was to her because looking at the photograph she was reminded of something she wished she could permanently forget. Gene's decaying corpse.

She remembered being in the water, she remembered having to make the identification, she remembered saying her goodbyes to Gene and pulling back the sheet to see his body.

Mai was on her hands and knees crying. Everyone had gathered around her.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you ok?"

"What happened?"

Then they saw the picture. A few people screamed. Some got sick and ran off to vomit. Others were equally horrified and yet managed to stay calm.

The next thing Mai was aware of was someone draping a heavy leather jacket on her and leading her to her dressing room. Mai was sat down on the couch and handed a glass of water.

Megumi appeared in tights and a t shirt. Her hair was wet from getting out of the shower.

"What happened?" She squeaked. "Is she alright?" The firm hands quickly and rudely shoved her out of the dressing room and slammed the door and locked. The loud sound brought Mai back to her senses.

She looked up to see Masaru over by the stove preparing tea. She looked at the jacket. It must have been his. She watched him fill the kettle up with water and place it on the stove. He looked around for the tea pot and cups. She saw how he carefully placed them on a tray with the milk and sugar.

The kettle whistled and he took it off and poured the tea in the elegant tea pot. Mai had received the pink tea set as a wedding present. She turned around and carried the tray over to the couch and placed it on the table and then pulled up a chair from near by.

"I tried to call your husband at work, but there was no answer." He tried to make small talk. "So what happened to the guy with the glasses you always have accompanying you to rehearsal?"

"No." Mai's voice was shaky. "They have a case." She paused as she pressed her hand to her forehead to try and unscramble her thoughts. "Its in some remote area. You can't get cell phone reception either."

"Here drink this." He handed her a cup. "I wasn't sure how you liked it, but judging from you stash of chocolate bars, I assumed you liked it sweet."

Mai eyed the cup and then gave Masaru a suspicious look.

"It's not poisoned." He was a little annoyed. "Can't I do something nice?"

Mai continued to give him the same look.

"Ok. I guess it seems weird considering my dislike for you." Masaru said. "But honestly, why would I want to poison you and ruin the show?"

"How would that ruin the show?" Mai asked. "In the theater was have understudies who are just as good."

"Yeah, but not as famous." Masaru argued. "And Cooper would kill me. Not to mention it would be pretty obvious it was me and prison doesn't suit me and my art." He was serious.

"I guess your right." Mai said and took a sip. "So it wasn't you who made those posters?"

"Of course not." He looked disgusted. "I only create real art. I wouldn't waste my time with that."

Mai took another sip of her tea.

"Serves you right anyways." He said as he leaned back in the chair.

"What do you mean?" Mai was getting pissed off.

"If you didn't want anyone to see those you shouldn't have had them taken to begin with. That stuff always gets out." He had a point.

"For your information I didn't have those taken. I don't know who took them." Mai froze. Those must have been from yesterday. Someone had been taking pictures of her!

"Wait what?" He sat up and looked concerned.

"I don't want to talk about it." Mai was getting a head ache. She wanted to sleep, but she didn't want to go home alone and everyone was on a case.

"So are you saying you have a stalker. How long as this been going on?" He asked her.

"None of your damn business!" She snapped. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that." Mai shook her head and moaned. "Its just all getting to me now."

"I know we're supposed to hate each other, but I can make an exception here and there. So if need someone to listen.." his voice trailed off.