Chapter 11: The Fever

Today is an important day for the entire SPR team. It was finally the day of their outing. It may seem weird for the entire gang to take a day off all together, and believe Naru when he says he had opposed against the idea greatly.

He hadn't even planned on coming, he was just asking for his tea when his assistant decided to pull an act.

Several days prior to the present date, Naru reviewed the complete report his Chinese assistant made and the one his other assistant edited when the latter knocked and set the tea he asked for earlier. He noticed her standing there as always, and he chose to ignore her. He heard her sigh moments later and he chose to ignore that too.

His deductions summed up in his mind and he knew that it had something to do about the noise he had been hearing earlier, prior to his call for tea.

"Naru," his assistant says, and he can almost feel a head ache coming. It was not good. He doesn't spare her a glance when he replies.

"What do you need, Mai?"

And now he can see her nervously fiddling with the hem of her skirt, "I was wondering if you would come wanted to come with us tomorrow? You know, to get the ghost hunting stuff off your shoulder."

Tomorrow, he thinks, they want him to leave his office.

"No," he decides, "If that's all you can leave."

Naru waited for a sound of the door shutting, but it didn't come. He looked up to see his assistant, teary-eyed and looking down the floor. He felt slightly guilty for saying no, but he refuses to admit the fact that he, as Lin had kindly pointed out to him, has a soft spot for her.

And saying yes would prove that, to Lin and himself.

"Mai, I'm busy tomorrow." he says. His assistant only nods silently and wipes her eyes with the back of her hands. She looks up at him and smiles, expecting him to not feel bad about it, but it only had opposite effect.

Naru frowned. He set the folder down the table and focuses on her.

"Yes, I know. I was just wondering," She says and then proceeds to leave the door. Before she could exit, she turned at him and he meets her eyes, even when he knows he's going to regret looking.

"Just don't over exert yourself."

Ah, yes. That thing she, Madoka and his parents says all the time. Naru sighs. "What time will you leave?"

Mai turns around and smiles at him gratefully, "You're coming?"

"I suppose one day off from work wouldn't hurt," he said and looked back to the file on the table. Lin had to come, he refuses to suffer alone.

Before he could react to the footsteps directed to him and the comforting smell of the familiar scent of jasmine, two pairs of hands went around his neck.

"Thanks Naru! You won't regret it!"

It was too late for that, he had already started to regret his words.

"Where's Mai?" Ayako asks as they arrive at the venue. Naru shrugs and looks around, it was a nice park; the wind was relaxing and calming. He thought for once that perhaps his assistant was right; he did need a break from ghost hunting.

"Naru-bou, try calling her." Takigawa said.

"Why don't you?" he asks.

"We all tried… maybe you should go check on her?" Ayako said pushing him gently, and he glares at the older woman. "Hurry back!"

Naru glances at Lin mentally asking him to assist him, but Madoka saw through him and quickly grabs Lin away. "Lin, come help me with something."

Naru glares at Madoka and then went on his way to Mai's house. After a good 20 minutes of complaining to himself internally as to why he had to be the one to pick up Mai, he arrived the apartment.

For some reasons, Naru always wondered how Mai could afford to live in this kind of apartment when she lived all by herself; not to mention he noticed from his first visit that her apartment had several doors, leading to perhaps different rooms. The living room was big enough to handle the nine of them, and maybe more and here would still be extra space.

He knocked on the door once, twice, thrice. No answer came. He willed himself to open the door and found it unlock.

"Really, now. How can a girl leave her door unlock." he says as he excused himself when he enters.

Inside her apartment was dark; there were 2 doors that could be seen from the living room. If he remembered correct, one was the bedroom and the other was the dark feathers room. He looked around and decided to enter her room, where he found Mai in the corner of her bed.

His ears picks up something and he frowns. Is she... crying?

"Mai," he says. He saw her shift a bit, but doesn't raise her head up "Mom?" he heard her ask softly.

English, he thinks. He wonders why her speech was fluent but she was failing at her english class. "It's Naru, are you alright?"

He notices her move, her shadow showing him that she had raised her head up. Naru couldn't see her face clearly, but he could hear the fast breathing of Mai. He opened the light and found Mai looking a bit flush, and that she was sweating lots.

His assistant quickly got up from the bed and went towards him; she hugged him tightly and then sobbed quietly. Naru could feel the abnormal heat coming from Mai as she cried on him, he frowned and place a hand on her forehead.

"You're sick," he says accusingly.

She only tilted her head to the side, "Am I?"

And then he notice her frown. Her eyes were dazed until a moment later, she snaps out and he knows she must have only realized who she was hugging. "Oh Naru! You're here! I wanted to tell you something… But, oh wait!"

He felt himself frown deeper, she was certainly acting weird. He observes her room as she disappears behind the door, the walls were painted creme and the floors were polished and wooden. Her bed full of pillows, was at the center of the wall. A large white carpet, a vanity mirror and large white wardrobe.

Those were basically everything you can see inside the spacey room, the other side of the wall was covered completely by heavy ivory curtains, letting very few rays of sunlgiht inside. Naru knows that it was a glass wall behind the curtains, a glass door leading to the balcony with a single coffee table and a chair.

Mai came back in, passing by Naru. He watches her as she mumbles.

"No, it wasn't at the kitchen, I think I kept it here…"

She kneels down and searched for something under her bed, Naru looks away because the sleeping dress she was wearing hitched up a bit. He could hear Mai rummaging for things under her bed.

"Found it!" she said and he looks at her in amusement as she pushed her hand further in, her hair that was covering her back fell to her shoulders, giving him a clear view of 2 scars.

It wasn't from the case; because he remembers the size of the wound from when he cleaned it. He'd ask her about it, someday, but he somehow knew that she won't answer him in any way that would make sense. He heard her bump her head. "Owww, look!"

He looked at her hands as she walked towards him. She shoved the box at him smiling, "It's a gift from me."

Inside the crystal box she gave him was a pure black feather, one similar to the ones he prohibited him from touching. "Don't worry, that feather is safe, it's someone important to me."

Someone, he noted, but he shrugs it off. He placed it above the mirror and turned back to Mai who was now crouching on the floor, slightly shaking.

"Are you alright?" he asked her kneeling on one knee, she looked up at him with 'the eyes'.

"I'm hungry."

He stands up, intending to go to the kitchen to look for something to cook, but a pair of slender arms locked around his arm, hugging it to her. He looks down at his arm and then at her, "What?"

"Where are you going?" she asks curiously.

"To cook food," he answers.

"Oh." Was all she says and she falls silent. Naru could feel the heat vibrating from where Mai's body was pressed to his side, "You're not letting go?"

She shook her head and he sighs. He goes to the kitchen with her literally sticking close to him. He searched through the fridge for the ingredients for a simple porridge. He spots them, and decides he can't cook like this. "Mai, go back to your room."

"No," she said.

He glares at her and she complied. He quickly finishes the porridge and brought it to Mai's bedroom. He found her again sitting in the same fetal position she was before.

"Here," he said handing her the spoon and the bowl of warm porridge. Mai looked at it and handed back the spoon and porridge to him.

"You know you have to eat something before I hand you some medicine," he sighs. He was starting to get annoyed at how his assistant was acting.

Too stubborn.

"No, I'm not hungry." She said crossing her arms, and they both fell silent, until Mai figured out something out.

"I think I know why you rejected me," Mai said.

He knew that she knew he caught his attention. So he decides to amuse her, smirking. "Enlighten me."

"But you shouldn't laugh…" Mai said, and he nods "because Kyle said that you might be gay."

His smirk falls and he shakes his head. It was that Lyle guy, that foreign guy with blonde hair, or was it brunette? Maybe black. Well, he didn't care much, "I'm not that."

"If you ask me though, it makes quite sense."

"What makes you think that?"

Mai grinned, "You're acting narcissistic because you don't want anyone to know that."

"I'm not, and you know that."

"It's fine, I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Mai." He sternly says and he can faintly remember her using the same tone to him, even when he was supposed to be the one bossing her around.

"If you're not then prove it!" Mai said sticking her tongue out like a kid

"How do you want me to do that?" Naru said raising one eyebrow.

Mai pointed at her lips, "You'll have to kiss me."

Naru was surprised at her bluntness and the sweetness came back to him, but he shook it off as he shook his head, "No."

Mai grinned and crossed her arms at satisfaction, "See? You are gay."

"Just because I refused to kiss you, it doesn't confirm anything." Naru glares at her.

"Hah! That's what they all say!"

"Yeah, so maybe I am" Naru says and he can see her face fall for a while, surprising him, but she covers it with a smile.

"You're like my Gay boss."

"Shut up, Mai." Naru says.

"Then how about the gay narcissist?" Mai suggested, "Boss Gay? Gayiver? Naru Gay? Gay-"

Naru was getting pissed at every name she was giving him, and he knew she won't stop until she picked a suitable name for him. So he leans towards her, cutting her off in surprise, but stops when their forehead and nose touched.

"Mai, I am not kissing you. You're ill and I am not gay."

She fell silent as he pulled back, looking down at her, "So you aren't gay? Ugh, stupid Kyle. You're too handsome to be gay anyway."

He smiles at her, "Now eat your food."

"No."

"Mai," he warns.

"Maybe I will if you kiss me?" Mai suggests. And he can't understand why she keeps asking for that.

"You're not getting your pay check if you don't come to the office tomorrow, and you won't be able to come if you have a fever." He says, "Eat your food, then drink your medicine afterwards."

Naru watches her as she obediently finish her food, he hands her some medicine after a while and tells her to go to sleep. He looked around for something to do, so he stood and wandered around her apartment.

. . .

"Mai, wake up!" a voice similar to her mother said. She opened her eyes and saw the nervous look of her mom, she rubbed her eyes, "What's wrong mom?"

"You have to follow Kyle," she said and placed my hand at Kyle's small ones. "I love you Mai, my sweet daughter. Please be safe." she said hugging me.

"You too Kyle, be safe." she says and the Kyle nods. Her mom says something else to Kyle but she ignores them as she looks around for her dad.

Before she could see her dad, Kyle leads Mai out of the house and into the woods, chanting some sort of protection spell. The clueless Mai looked at him, "What's wrong with Mom?"

"Some unexpected guests came, and Mom needs to attend to them," he said.

"Who?" she pressed on, Kyle thought for a possible and believable answer, "A friend from somewhere far."

"Then how about Dad?" she asked him.

"He's with mom, they both wanted to greet them together. We're only going to bother them if we stay." Kyle says and Mai nodded, and then she asks another question,

"Where are we going?"

"To the higher ups," he said simply, looking around the forest for the tree.

"To Kami?" Mai asked wide eyed, jerking his hands for his undivided attention. He looked at her big brown eyes and nodded.

They heard a loud scream, followed by another. Mai turned around to look back, it came from their house, "Nee, Kyle, let's just go back to Mom and Dad."

Kyle finally found the tree, "We can't, Kami needs to see us now."

"But that sounded like Mom," she said teary eyed. "What if the guests hurt her? She needs our help!"

"We can't help yet Mia, we don't have our powers yet," he said trying to be reasonable. "Come on, let's go."

"But we have our wings already, we can help them!" she said, pulling her hands away from him and ran back to the house. Kyle ran after her, "Mia! Don't go there!"

When he reached the house, he saw Mai entering through the back door, from where they left. She opened the door just as Kyle stood beside her, he held her hands and he stepped forward.

"Mom... Mom? Dad?" she said, "Let's check the living room."

They went inside silently and walked to the living room. They were greeted by a pair of black wings.

"Mom?" Kyle says and Mai wonders why he calls her mother that.

"Mia… Kyle," said the death angel in front of them. "I'm sorry…"

They both peeked beside the elder and saw 2 more death angels inside. Mai looked down at the 4 covered blankets, tainted with blood, curiously. She tried to step forward but the tight grip of Kyle's hand stopped her, she looked back at her friend and found his eyes void of emotion, "What's wrong Kyle?"

"Kyle? Hey," she shook him. "You're scaring me, what's wrong?"

When he finally moved, he embraced her tightly. She felt her cheeks getting wet from Kyle's tears, he was crying, but why?

She glanced at the 3 elders who looked at them with sympathy and pity, and then she looked at the 4 blankets at the floor.

One looked at another, and then they nodded. The other moved to lift the blanket, and Mai paled.

Mai sat up sweating and breathing heavily. Her head is heavy and she felt dizzy and faint at the same time. She flopped back to the bed and felt cold, she looked around for anyone, or Naru. When she realized he wasn't there she started to look around frantically, she went out her room and called his name.

"Mai," Naru says when he sees Mai holding at the wall for support. He grabs her shoulders before she falls and she looked at him. He frowned, "What are you doing?"

"N-Naru…" she smiled, breathing hard, "I thought you left, but I was looking for you just in case."

"Why do you think that?"

She shakes her head, "It's nothing."

He led her back to her bed and help her down, glancing at the clock, he noticed she had slept the entire afternoon. He placed a hand over her forehead and sighed when her temperature had gone a lower, he turned around to get his coat; but a hand stops him.

"You're leaving already?" Mai asked frowning. He nods at her, "It's late."

"Don't leave," she whines, her eyes glassy and begging him to stay. He gave it a thought. If his assistant were to see her state right now, she'd surely be embarrassed of herself. He sat down at the chair beside her bed and nodded, maybe only until she falls asleep.

Mai frowned and patted the space next to her at the bed. Naru frowns back at her, "No, go to sleep."

He ignores her when she tugs on his wrist, until a full five minutes and he finally gave up and sat at the space beside her.

"Go to sleep," she says.

He ignores her.

She pulls him again, "Come on, it won't hurt laying down beside me."

Naru sighs his head aching badly. He decides it doesn't matter to him and that he wouldn't be the one who would be embarrassed the next day.

"Don't blame me for this," he says and lays down beside her.

The next day, Mai woke up with a groan, her head was aching slightly. She rolled to face the other side, feeling her neck stiff, and was about to fall back to sleep when she felt a warm air on her face. She opened her eyes alarmed and saw Naru's face only a few inches from hers. Then she saw her hand around his, what?

"NARU?!" she says finally, sitting up and her eyes wide in shock.

He shifts a bit and sat up, his eyes staring at emptiness. He looks around, and then his eyes landed on Mai's wide ones.

He sighs and ran a hand on his hair, he got up then glanced at Mai's hand on his. She lets go with a blush, she stands away embarrassed. She tries to fix the wrinkles in her dress nervously, then glanced up at him. "Why are you here? What happened?"

He doesn't answer and stands up, "Naru?"

He went to get his coat and wore it, he walked towards Mai who walked back at every step he takes. When her back touched the wall, he placed his hand at Mai's forehead and then nods.

And he went out without any word and leaving Mai in a clueless state.

Edited 05/07/16.