Disclaimer: If you still think I own this get your eyes checked.

A/N: wow, this is a BIG update. a part of the mystery is revealed. well kinda....enjoy.

PS. Yes, Mai is being overdramatic, she'll get over it.


May 6

day 4

Dead


Vanilla ice cream had dried to Mai's skin. She didn't notice.

In fact, as she threw open the double doors of the Villa, sodden with doubts, and worries, and tears, she hardly noticed anything at all. She especially didn't notice Luella Davis as the older woman strode over to the girl and placed both hands on her shoulders.

Naru.

"Mai." Luella said urgently, finally managing to grasp the girl's attention.

Mai looked up at her, her own eyes swimming with tears that had yet to be shed.

"Mai, I know, I know everything." Luella said with a smile. "Madoka told me, she said.... Well it doesn't matter. Why don't you let me clean you up?"

And at that Mai buried her head in to the startled chest of Luella Davis, and promptly burst in to tears.


She had cried. She was clean. But still, she wasn't happy.

Naru, why?

Mai thought, his name rattling through her head like jingle bells on Christmas Morning. She groaned, she had Naru on the brain and she couldn't get him out.

"Here Mai, have some tea." Luella offered, placing a cup in front of the girl and taking one for herself.

"Thank you." Mai managed, shoving his face from her head and bringing the tea cup to her lips. Too quickly she sipped the stifling hot tea and the cup slipped from her hands.

As it clattered to the floor, shattering upon impact, Mai could barely bring herself to look at it. It was gone, a perfectly good cup of tea, ruined; because of her.

"Mai, are you alright?" Luella asked calmly, and then quickly added, "I'll get Ayako to clean this up-"

"No," Mai said, breathing a sigh, "I'll do it."

"If you're sure." Luella said passively, sipping her tea again. Then, as if the idea had only just occurred to her she said, "I wonder why Noll hasn't returned yet, its late."

Without really hearing her Mai stood up and the jangling of metal in her pocket forced a blush upon her pale face. She shoved her hand in to her jeans and seconds later removed a key ring, with the key to Natsume's car, and held it away from herself as if she'd committed a crime.

"I-I think I know why." she gulped.


"I suppose..." Naru said aloud, "That this is my own fault."

He was leaning against the Jeep, the streetlights flickering on by the pier. He'd been sitting here for over three hours, thinking over what he'd done.

"Yes it is." a familiar voice said.

Without even turning Naru replied. "Natsume. Did Mai send you?"

He heard the frustrated laugh that answered that question. "No, Luella did."

"You walked."

"Yes." Natsume said cheerfully.

Standing in front of him Natsume looked like the kind of guy girls lined up to date. Toned but not too buff, tall and trim, black hair swept in front of his face and chocolate brown eyes.

He had the kind of face Naru would associate with a serial killer. Familiar and ordinary.

Nothing too conspicuous about him, but he held the keys to the Jeep in his right hand and he gestured for Naru to get in the passenger seat.

"Get in, I have something to talk to you about." Natsume smiled.

Naru narrowed his eyes at him, wondering briefly how this boy could possibly be a threat.


"Why not?" Madoka snapped, poking Lin in the chest. "They'll just interfere!"

Lin sighed, wondering how he could subdue his rampaging wife. She just wouldn't listen...unless.

Lin leaned down and silenced her with his lips, she melted, forgetting exactly what she had been fighting about to begin with. Pulling away he smirked at her flushed face, although he was a bit flushed himself.

"If we don't tell the others about our plan, maybe their interference can buy Naru the time he needs." Lin explained. Suddenly rapt Madoka listened. "You know, to win Mai back."

Considerably impressed by this possibility she smiled, nodding her head. "I love it when you take charge."


"You let Mai go." Natsume said simply. "Again."

Sitting back in his seat, Naru crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "And why does that matter to you. You're her fiancé. Shouldn't you be a little protective? Shouldn't you hate me?"

Natsume shook his head, "You don't understand. You let her go at the hospital, you let her go just now. You have to chase after the things you want or else you'll be left alone."

"And what about you! Don't you want her!" Naru snapped. "Or do you want to be alone."

He was fuming, confused and jealous of this boy he barely knew. He shook his head unaware of Natsume's eyes boring in to his face.

'No one wants to be alone Noll.' Naru's head snapped up. Gene's voice, he was sure this time.

'Gene! Gene where are you!' he thought anxiously.

In a long moment of silence Naru waited for an answer, anything to signal that he wasn't going insane.

'I'm right here, idiot, you still haven't noticed?' Gene laughed.

Realization dawned on Naru, the man famous for being a genius, as everything finally clicked in to place. He felt like his head had just gone through the dryer. Spinning around he met Natsume's eyes through the rearview mirror. Mai's fiancé was smiling.

"You, are you..." but he couldn't form the sentence.

Steering the car in to the villa's driveway, Natsume hit the brakes and then let go of the wheel.

Raising his hand and slowly waving it in front of Naru's face, Natsume tried to garner a response from the shell-shocked Oliver Davis.

"Is it really that surprising Noll?" Natsume asked with a smile. "It's me, Gene."

And somewhere, in the back of Naru's mind, he had to remind himself that Gene was dead.


I know the last line is kind of cheesy but I named the chapter dead and it had to say dead somewhere in there -_-"


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