Here's the first special chapter! Please enjoy~~~

…..

It has been about 2 weeks since our case and Naru has been true to his word about desk duty. The team has taken a few small cases since then. One case was a simple ghost who moved on almost immediately and the other was a poltergeist caused by the teenage son who was being bullied at school. Both cases took less than 2 days and both cases put Naru in a bad mood. Monk and Yasu joked about it being the fact that I wasn't there, but I told them it was because Naru went those days without tea and the cases were too simple. I ignored their teasing and tried to show indifference, but the thought made my heart flutter regardless.

Fortunately, the office was closed today because we were all attending Yasu's graduation ceremony. Lin decided to come because Madoka wanted pictures, and even Naru had come out of his office for the day, although it was basically against his will. Madoka said that he better be in a picture with everyone or else she wouldn't bring the books he requested whenever they moved to Japan. Naru's mother, Luella, agreed with Madoka and refused to ship them if he didn't go.

Lin was leaving tomorrow to go back to England, and Madoka was due within a week. Lin just hoped that he would make it home before the baby arrived because we knew Madoka would hold that over him for forever. I knew Lin wanted to be there too, even if he didn't say it out loud. It was obvious to me that he was excited but incredibly nervous about being a father. But I have full confidence in him, and I even told him so one day. He seemed grateful for that and even smiled at me. It was a silent thanks for the support, which made me incredibly happy.

We arrived at the university and piled into the gym for the ceremony. After a few minutes of searching I spotted Masako, who had reserved seats for us. She opted for a cute sundress today rather than her traditional kimono, in hopes that she wouldn't draw too much attention to herself. I had also decided to wear a sundress today too, so I was happy we matched. Masako also quietly confided in me that she wanted Yasu to think she looked cute today. I smiled and looked at her blush. They're such a cute couple, I'm so glad they are together.

I sat down next to her with Monk on my other side with Ayako. Lin, Naru and John all sat behind us. Monk and Ayako were arguing over something and they started to get rowdy. Masako and I watched and laughed as the two started to get animated in their argument.

"Could you two try to behave in public?"

A cold voice made us all stop and turn around. Naru was glaring at Monk and Ayako. Ayako scoffed and turned around, and Monk apologized. I laughed at his sad puppy eyes, but that only caught Naru's attention.

"Mai, don't encourage them." I turned to look at Naru, and smiled.

"Oh come on Naru, today is a good day. Don't be mad!" My voice sounded a little hoarse but it had healed well over the past two weeks. In response Naru rolled his eyes. I reached down for my purse and pulled out a thermos full of tea. I passed it to Naru. "Maybe this will cheer you up. Just give me my thermos back whenever you're done, these insulated kinds are expensive!"

Naru took the tea and immediately took a sip. Mai smiled and turned back around in her seat, knowing that Naru would be satisfied for awhile.

Soon enough the ceremony started. Yasu was the class representative and after his speech we whooped and hollered for him amongst the applause. I cheered for a few of my other friends who were graduating and for a few of Yasu's friends who I had gotten to know over the past few years. Once the ceremony was over we filed out with the rest of the crowd and made our way to the courtyard. Graduates were already mingling with their families and it took a while, but we finally found Yasu. His parents were just leaving when we walked up. Masako and I exchanged pleasantries with them and they soon left.

Yasu was excited and thanked everyone for coming. He received hugs from us girls, and handshakes from Naru, Lin, and John. He tried to hug Monk but he hid behind Ayako, and Yasu pretended to be deeply hurt. We laughed and chatted for a bit. Other graduates kept coming up to Yasu to congratulate him. They exchanged a few words and handshakes. A lot of girls were coming up to Yasu as well, and attempted to flirt with him in front of us. He just threw an arm over Masako's shoulders and introduced her to the girls. Soon enough they walked away dejectedly knowing their feelings weren't returned, and that they couldn't compete with a celebrity.

As the group continued to chat, I left and found a few of my friends who graduated. A few members of the psychology club were talking when I walked up. Once they saw me, there were choruses of laughter, congratulations, and lots of hugging. We chatted for about 10 minutes before a few of the members left.

Soon enough it was just me and Usui, the previous psychology club president. He was a really sweet and funny guy. I liked him a lot and we had often studied together in the past, spending late nights cramming for exams or just hanging out with the rest of the club. Yasu often joked about the two of us being a couple, but I never really considered it. I looked over Usui's profile as he waved goodbye to a few other people.

He was a good looking guy, with looks that could rival Naru's. But even with his dark brown hair, brown eyes, and handsome face, I didn't feel anything akin to what I felt for Naru. My heart didn't flutter and I just didn't feel a romantic connection. Nothing like the attraction I felt for Naru which made my heart pound and my face heat up. His eyes were nowhere near as intense as Narus. Naru had eyes I could get lost in.

I must have been staring too long, because my thoughts were interrupted.

"Everything ok Mai?"

I focused on Usui once more and laughed. "Yeah, sorry, I was thinking about something and my mind wandered off."

Usui laughed. "Too bad I won't be here anymore to pull your focus back onto your studying. You get distracted so easily!" We both laughed.

"Yeah too bad you won't be here to help me study. Yasu helps me with my core classes, but you were the best with the psych material. When do you start your masters program in Osaka?"

"I start in two months. I'm moving in about 6 weeks to get settled before I start. I'm sure you're gonna be fine next year with your classes. But if you ever have any doubts or questions just call or send a text. I'd be happy to tutor you over the phone or via video chat. I can even tutor you in person when I'm home on the holidays and breaks. But we should also hang out before I leave."

I nodded my head. "I would really appreciate the tutoring, as long as you're not too busy. I don't want to trouble you. But I may need your help with Professor Makoto's classes. I've heard horrible stories from the other seniors!"

We laughed at that. Professor Makoto was the hardest professor in the department and he only taught the upper level classes. He's been known to fail seniors who fall behind or slack off in their final semester, causing them to repeat the course and delay graduation. Something I don't think I could financially or emotionally afford.

"I would love to hang out before you leave. I'm not sure when I'll see you again, so we should definitely do something."

He smiled down at me then put out his hand. "Give me your phone." I was a little confused but I handed him my phone anyways. He pulled up the camera and threw his arm around my shoulders.

"Say cheese!" We laughed and he took the photo. He then set the picture as the photo on his contact information in my phone.

"There. Now if you happen to have another Usui in your phone, you know this one is me. And now you have to text me that picture because I need to save it as your photo!" We both laughed again.

Just then we heard someone call our names. We turned to see Yasu running over with the rest of the group in tow.

"Usui! I see you're monopolizing Mai all to yourself again!" Yasu laughed and shook his hand. The rest of the group finally gathered around and Yasu introduced everyone.

"This is Usui, a good friend of mine and Mai's. More Mai's anymore with all the time he spends with her, compared to me!" Usui laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Well Yasu, it helps that we were both in the psych program together. But to be fair," He threw his arm around Mai again. "Mai is way cuter!" I was a little surprised but Yasu immediately played into the joke.

"Oh no! First Monk leaves me and now Usui! How can I bear this heartbreak! Please take me back my love! I swear I'll never leave you again!" Yasu got down on his knees in front of Usui and tried to beg for forgiveness. By the time he gave up, most of us had laughed so hard tears leaked from our eyes. Usui and I wiped our eyes, but when we made eye contact we laughed again.

After calming down, we took a few photos. Naru and Lin had stood a bit away from the group and the antics, but had begrudgingly joined us for the group photo. Once Lin deemed the photo decent enough for Madoka, we decided to head out to dinner. We parted ways with Usui and hopped into the cars. I rode with Lin, Naru and John in the van while everyone else piled into Monk's car. By the time we got to the restaurant, we were cutting it close to missing our reservation time, but we fortunately made it.

The restaurant was a traditional Japanese place that had cushions on the floor and some of the best sake around. Dinner was a rowdy affair as per usual. The food was exceptional and everyone was having a good time. Everyone partook in the sake except for John, Masako, Lin and Naru. Lin left after a quick dinner, because he had to finish packing for his early flight. He took the van after Naru decided to stick around a little longer, which surprised all of us. Monk tried to get him to drink but Naru just glared at him and said nothing. Monk pouted and tried to coax Naru, but Naru just ignored him and continued to eat dinner.

Since Naru wasn't going to budge, Monk decided to continue to fill my glass instead. Yasu also had the same idea. I wasn't necessarily a lightweight, but I could definitely feel the alcohol burning through my system. I lost track after 3 cups, but I think I was roughly on refill 5 or 6 when I excused myself to get some air. I slid the shoji doors open and made my way down the hallway to the balcony. As soon as I stepped outside the cool wind hit my face. I took a breath and closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes, I took a look around the balcony and spotted a few chairs and a small table. I walked over and sat in one of the chairs, and closed my eyes. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, a shiver made me regain consciousness. I slowly blinked back the sleepiness and looked around. My attention was then focused on a person next to me.

Naru was scrolling slowly on his phone, and I continued to gaze lazily at his profile. His slender fingers held his phone and he made the act of scrolling look graceful. My gaze shifted to his face and I could see his eyes moving back and forth as he read his phone screen. When he blinked, his long eyelashes glistened with the light of the phone screen. His chiseled face looked down and the hair hanging swayed gently in the breeze.

Another strong breeze blew and I shivered. I must have made a noise because Naru looked over at me and made eye contact. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at him. We stared at one another for a moment, until Naru finally broke the silence.

"I see you've finally woken up." He looked back at his phone and continued to scroll down.

"Finally? How long have I been out here? It's a lot cooler than when I initially came outside." I sat up in the chair and felt something fall off my shoulders, allowing the cool air to touch my shoulders. I shivered and looked down. In my lap was Naru's suit jacket. I looked up at him questioningly but he didn't look at me when he responded.

"Well Mai, you left the room around 8pm and you were gone for about 30 minutes before I came looking for you. You were asleep when I found you, and it is now almost 10pm."

"10 pm?! O my gosh, did everyone leave already? Monk was supposed to take me home!" Naru looked over at me and gave an eye roll.

"Unfortunately, Monk, Ayako, and Yasuhara were all too drunk to drive Monk's car. So John drove Monk and Ayako home. Masako called her driver and she took Yasuhara home. They left at least an hour ago."

"Naru you should have woken me up! Now I have to walk home. It's only 5 or 6 blocks away but still." I gave him an exasperated look, to which he responded with another eye roll.

"Mai, you were drunk and sleepy. Given that combination I would probably had to have carried you home had I woken you up." I blushed when he said that and looked away. I noticed that my purse and the thermos I let Naru use were sitting on the small table. I didn't want to continue arguing so i changed the topic.

"Did you enjoy the tea earlier today?"

Naru paused in his scrolling before answering. "Yes, I did." He paused for another moment. "Wasn't that supposed to be for you and your throat?"

He looked over at me with a stoic face. I realized that he felt guilty for drinking it when he thought it was for my healing throat. I giggled.

"No, I brought it for you. I knew you didn't want to come today, but Madoka threatened to not bring your books with her. I figured you could use some tea since you wouldn't have access to it all day." I smiled at him. At that moment I stood up and put his jacket on the table. I started to stretch to release the tension from my awkward sleeping position.

"Thank you."

I paused in my stretching to look down at Naru. He was watching me with serious eyes. I practically froze under the surprise of his words and the intensity of his gaze. I quickly looked away as I could feel the heat in my cheeks start to rise.

"You're welcome. Thank you for lending me your jacket."

He stood up and I tried to hand it back to him as he walked past me towards the door. "Put it back on. You'll get cold again."

"But Naru, I'm going home now. You should take your jacket with you." He stopped at the doorway and looked back. "Mai, I'm walking you home. You can give it back to me when we get to your apartment."

Without saying anything else he walked back inside and left me alone on the balcony. I quickly grabbed my stuff and followed after him. By the time I caught up to him, he was already by the front entrance waiting for me. He turned and started walking in the direction of my apartment.

"Naru wait! What do you mean you're walking me home? I can walk home on my own."

Without looking back at me, he replied, "Considering that you were drunk and fell asleep in a public place, alone, at night, with no protection from anyone who may have been drunk or dangerous, I'd say that you need an escort. You have proven time and time again that you have no concept of dangerous situations, and alcohol only impaired your judgement further."

"I fell asleep on accident Naru, it's not like I'm going to fall asleep in the middle of walking home. I only live a few blocks away, I'll be fine." I huffed at his insult, but almost ran right into his back. I didn't notice that he had stopped, but when i looked up he was looking back at me.

"Mai, just let me walk you home." He said it with such resignation, that I realized that he was just trying to be nice. Heat rose to my cheeks and I looked away from him. Another breeze ghosted my shoulders and I shivered once again.

"Either put the jacket on or give it back." I rolled my eyes and slipped the oversized jacket on. Once Naru was satisfied, he continued walking. I followed behind.

A small smile ghosted my lips as I looked at his back. Naru was being nice in his own way. He was bossy but was trying to be considerate. He's definitely matured over our time apart. I just wish I could have been there to see him change.

We walked another block before we stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the light to tell us to walk. I walked up to Naru and decided to ask him a question that's been weighing on my mind.

"Naru…. Why did you reopen SPR? Why did you come back to Japan?"

My question was met with silence. The crosswalk lit up and Naru started walking. I followed behind waiting for his answer. After half a block I started to get annoyed and when I was about to ask him again, his voice cut me off.

"When I went back to England, we held a funeral for Gene. It was very… difficult for my parents because even though they had believed me when I told them about his death, a part of them had hoped, just like I had, that he wasn't actually dead. We never held a funeral for him until after we found him. My parents grieved by crying and looking at old memories, but I threw myself into my work to forget. I started new research and I started teaching at Cambridge University as full time faculty under my father. I presented all of my work from Japan to my father and the board of directors of BSPR. They were impressed and interested in the amount of Japanese folklore and the types of haunting we have SPR branches all over the world, but our team was the first ever in Japan."

We crossed another street and Naru continued on. "About a year after I returned, my father offered me the opportunity to lead a team at SPR. My parents considered me to be even more of a recluse than before, so my father had thought that this opportunity would allow me to socialize and work with a team again."

Naru scoffed and glare off into the distance. "The team that I was assigned to lead were novices and ignorant. They were supposedly the top graduate students from my father's classes, but with the little contributions that they made to the team would indicate otherwise. The men on the team felt threatened by my age and skills. They constantly complained about the work I assigned them, and often did it wrong. The females cared more about flirting and were scared by the smallest amounts of activity. The ones on the team that had any spiritual abilities lacked focus and skill, which on a few occasions led to botched exorcisms, cleansings, and injuries. Overall, the team was useless. Rather than providing insights or using any critical thinking skills on their own, they considered everything that I suggested to be factual. Considering I don't often share my thoughts before a full fledged theory has been built and tested, they were mindless zombies on every case and followed me around like puppies. You and everyone else on the team here were much more qualified even though none of you had a degree in parapsychology like those idiots."

I smiled to myself, because I knew that that was technically a compliment for our team; even if it was said in such a Naru-like way. We stopped at another corner and waited until the cross walk sign lit up before moving forwards.

"About a year ago I approached my father and requested to start an official branch in Japan. He wasn't crazy about it and my mother was against it initially. Surprisingly, Lin backed my idea and once he was on board, so was Madoka. My father eventually saw the benefits. Convincing my mother was the hardest part, but eventually she gave in. I explained to them the differences and opportunities that awaited here in Japan, and how much material I could learn and research from. The board of SPR had no hesitation in setting up a new office. My only stipulation was that I got to pick my own team. The board was unsure of everyone I chose, but after reviewing cases from the past, they relented. Now here we are; SPR has an official branch in Japan."

We turned down my street and I saw the bakery, which had already closed for the night. I had been so surprised at Naru's willingness to talk and share details about his personal life, that I hadn't realized how close we were to my apartment. I didn't want this to end, and I wanted to ask Naru more.

"Well I'm glad you decided to reopen SPR. I missed working with everyone as a team. But honestly Naru, you didn't exactly answer my question. WHY did you come back to Japan?"

Naru once again took his time to answer my question. We walked up to the door of the building and I turned to face him. Once he realized that I wasn't going to go inside until he answered, he sighed.

"To be honest Mai, I'm not one hundred percent sure why I wanted to come. There really isn't a singular answer. Working in Japan allowed me to choose the cases I wanted to work, not ones that were assigned to me. Like I mentioned before, you and the others actually contributed and had spiritual talents that didn't waste my time. All of your abilities and talents are unique compared to those in England, and I wanted to research more about it. I encountered many new challenges here in Japan and I wanted to be challenged and learn; why else be a scientist or scholar if you don't continuously learn?"

He looked down at me and smirked. "Does that satisfy your question?"

I huffed and rolled my eyes. "I guess. But I have another question." I bit my lip and I knew that it was now or never, and since there was still some alcohol in my system, I felt more courageous than usual to ask it; a question that had sat in my mind for over 4 years.

"One more question, and then I'm going home." Naru crossed his arms and put his stoic face back on.

I looked up at him, took a breath and ask, "When you left, you left quickly and I understand why under the circumstances. But... why didn't you stay in contact with anyone here?"

I chickened out at the last second and asked that, rather than why he didn't stay in contact with me. I guess my liquid courage really was wearing off.

Once again Naru paused. He turned away and I thought he was just going to walk away, but instead he leaned back on the wall and looked up at the dark sky. I waited a few more seconds and he still didn't say anything. I mimicked his motions and looked up at the sky as well. I could feel his body heat near my shoulder and I tried to calm myself. My heart was thundering in my chest and I was starting to regret asking him that question.

He eventually broke the silence. "I don't know Mai. When I came to Japan, I never intended to stay for so long or hire anyone to work with. My purpose was to find Gene and go home. It took longer than I thought, and I relieved my stress by taking cases. Once I started taking cases, I met you and I decided that hiring you would alleviate any administrative work necessary and would allow me to continue searching. I took on more cases and I found them to be challenging and interesting. I knew I was procrastinating in finding my brother, but a part of me wanted to be selfish and enjoy hunting ghosts. Another part of me didn't want to find him because I knew that once I did, I wouldn't be able to stay in Japan or communicate through a mirror with him because he would pass on."

I looked up at Naru in surprise. I knew he was able to communicate a little with Gene through a mirror, but this is the first time he had mentioned it out loud. Gene had told me before that he could communicate with Naru sometimes through a mirror. He didn't know the exact science behind it, but he figured it probably had to do with their psychic connection and the fact that they were twins. The image of his face in the mirror was like a communicative portal that opened up, but was spotty at best.

My thoughts were interrupted when Naru continued to speak. "When I found him, I knew that it was time to go. I had been upset that night for multiple reasons, some being the most obvious. But one of the main reasons was…"

He ran a hand through his hair and took a moment. I knew that expressing emotion was one of the hardest things for Naru to do. I waited patiently as he tried to think.

"One of the main reasons was that I had become attached to Japan. The folklore, the cases, the… people… I knew it was all going to end. I'm not good with emotions. It was something that Gene was excellent at, but it has always been an area that I would never succeed in, and I accepted that a long time ago. That day I had too many emotions to deal with and I just shoved them all away and left. Keeping in contact would only allow the emotions to linger, so I decided to end communication with everyone in Japan. It had been almost half a year when I had discovered that Lin and Madoka kept in contact with everyone. To be honest…. I was… jealous. All the emotions that I had pushed away came back and I struggled with the choice of either contacting everyone and wanting to keep my distance. Madoka often mentioned everyone and what they were up to. I tried to show no interest due to my conflicting thoughts. I think she was trying to entice me into contacting everyone. But, after a year had passed I decided it was best to remain distant. I felt that too much time had passed and that my immediate departure had left some ill feelings towards me. Especially you. I left everyone with no warning, but they all had jobs. You were an orphan and a student and I suddenly abandoned you with no warning or financial support. I felt that I didn't have the right to contact any of you."

I grabbed Naru's arm, which surprised him and made him look down at me. It had surprised me too, because I instinctively grabbed him. Fortunately he didn't flinch away, but he stared at me. I took a deep breath and spoke up.

"Naru, to be fair, we were all mad at you for leaving us and not contacting any of us. The reason being that we thought you were our friend, and because we had been through so much together. That night I… you… we all thought we were a team and when our leader left, we all were a little lost. Some of us more than others. But Naru, you are our friend before our boss and we want you to be here and to be with us. Don't ever think that we would turn you away just because you were upset and, dare I say it, emotional."

I gave him a soft smile. "That's honestly when you need friends the most. And fortunately, you've got a lot of them here. We may be super annoying or as smart as you, but we are a family."

I smiled up at Naru and he just stared at me with an intensity that I had never seen before. His stare burned into my face, which started to get hot.

To hide my blush, I looked down, which is when I realized that I was still holding his arm. I let go and started digging in my purse for my keys.

"Well, it's super late so I should probably go to bed. You also need to get home before the trains stop running. I really appreciate you walking me home."

I found the keys and I unlocked the door. I stepped inside the doorway and turned back to Naru. He was no longer staring at me with such an intense gaze, but with his usual stoic face. I smiled at him.

"Good night Naru."

"Mai."

I gave him a questioning look. His eyes looked down and I followed his gaze. I was still wearing his jacket. I quickly took it off and handed it to him.

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot. Thank you for letting me borrow it."

His hand grabbed the jacket but when he pulled it, I didn't let go. He looked up at me questioningly and I took a second to think of my words.

"Naru, thank you for being so… honest and open with me tonight." I let go of his jacket and gave him another smile. "Thanks again for walking me home and for the jacket. Be safe, and text me when you get home!"

He took his jacket back and rolled his eyes. "Good night, Mai." He started to walk away towards the train station.

I laughed and waved. "Good night Naru!"

I went up to my apartment and decided to get a shower before bed. I finished up in the shower, brushed my teeth, and I was about ready to crawl into bed when my phone dinged, alerting me to a text. I picked it up and saw that it was from Naru. It was one simple word.

Home.

I smiled and texted back.

Thanks again. Good night.

I plugged my phone into the charger and pulled got under my blanket. My phone dinged again and I took a quick look.

Good night.

I smiled and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. I turned the screen off and rolled over. I fell asleep quickly as the days events played over in my mind and the conversations with Naru repeated themselves.

I fell asleep with happy thoughts, and a content smile on my face.