Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, or any of the characters from the show/manga. If I did, writing this story would be my job, and I would've had updated a long time ago.
WARNING Contains Spoilers.
Chapter 12: Sleepless in Shibuya
Ominous grey clouds loomed in the sky, heavy with the promise of rain. The air was cool, but nothing compared to the chill that emanated from the general direction of her boss's office. He had locked himself away within the safety of its walls for almost two weeks now, and however withdrawn the man usually appeared, this was excessive even for his standards.
Mai could see that Lin was growing increasingly concerned about the young man, but attempting to reason with Naru seemed to be getting him nowhere fast. The tell-tale signs of heavy footsteps and a door shut slightly harder than necessary, followed by the apologetic glance in her direction that the part-timer was becoming accustomed to seeing on the tall man's face, signalled a desperate need for tea and chocolate-chip cookies. Mai wasn't the kind to ignore such a need and quickly obliged, awarding a delicate porcelain cup with a biscuit perched on its saucer to the exasperated man, accompanied with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
The silent Chinese man accepted her kindness gratefully, sighing audibly as he shared his burden.
"He's stopped sleeping, Mai." Lin confessed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration, "I don't know what to do with him."
Mai shifted into the seat next to her worrying companion, placing a gentle hand on the man's hunched shoulders in empathy.
"It will work out somehow," Mai soothed, realising that the words she spoke were as much for her sake as they were for Lin's. Smiling lopsidedly, she attempted to bring some humour into the situation, "We haven't survived all these crazy ghosts and curses just to be beaten by a case of insomnia."
This time Lin joined the girl in her optimism, mirroring Mai's hopeful expression with a clumsy attempt at one of his own. Neither of them noticed a door behind them choose this particular moment to swing open, releasing its voluntary prisoner back into the world it had so thoroughly rejected these past few days. The room's former occupant, upon seeing his two assistants seated so cosily together on the couch, quickly discovered that leaving solitary confinement had not improved his already sour mood, causing the young man to snap callously at the ginger haired girl who had unwittingly aroused his anger.
"Mai, if you have the time to sit around chatting, then maybe it would be better if you went home instead of being a distraction."
Her eyes flew to meet his in challenge, both participants in the stand-off unprepared for the barely contained anger and hurt that lay veiled within the other's orbs.
So it's painful, is it?
Well maybe if he would just tell them what was wrong they might be able to help! But no, Mai fumed silently - the idiot just had to try and cope with everything on his own! They were 'allowed' to assist him on cases, but his personal well-being was obviously "none of their business". After all the times their lives had been in the palm of each other's hands, couldn't he trust them even a little?
Mai had had enough of it, regardless of his reasons and decided to pull the narcissist's own trick on himself. She would show him what it was like to be cut off from a person's heart, she would teach him what it was like to be treated with such coldness, and no matter what he said, she must not react to his words or actions in anything but a professional manner. Mai had watched him do it countless times, especially in the space of the last week and a half, and Naru wasn't the only one capable of being stubborn.
"Lin-san looked like he could use a cup of tea. I was about to get back to the filing when you came in."
Her cold tone earned her a raised eyebrow from the direction of the couch, but Mai ignored it in favour of the angered expression on her boss's face. It was about time she got to him for a change, Mai reasoned, steeling her will by reminding herself of just how worried the man standing before her had managed to make everyone who worked with him. If no other attempts at reasoning with the too-intelligent-for-his-own-good dolt had produced results, maybe the situation called for some tough love. When it all came down to it, he was just sulking and seemed intent on bringing everyone else down with him.
Waiting for whatever barbs Naru might throw at her, Mai was hardly disappointed when he growled out his response, the sharp words piercing her heart deeper than any physical knife.
"It looked like more than that to me," Naru jealously accused, "and I don't believe I pay you to flirt during business hours."
-x-
Naru stood with his back to the door of his office, once again closed behind him, trying to gain control over the ragged breaths heaving from his overtired and overworked body as a result of his most recent argument with Mai, trying to regain control over himself. It wasn't fair! How was she able to affect him like this, how?! Naru demanded, not liking any of the answers that came to mind.
You're jealous.
You want her.
You love her.
Dammit! There should be rules about things like this! Something logical, that made sense and worked out the same way no matter how many times you tried it! He was not cut out for this kind of thing, there was a reason he'd sealed away his heart – something that could bring you so much pain was not to be trusted so easily, and he'd had no real problems avoiding that pain until he'd met her. She made him irrational, make foolish mistakes, rash judgments, everything! It was all her fault that he had said those things; her fault that she was trying not to cry as she filed his paperwork!
Or at least that was what he wanted to tell himself – in reality, Naru knew the truth. It was him. Kazuya Shibuya sat down at his desk, head in his hands, defeated by a mere teenage girl. He was the cause of her pain, yet for some reason Mai just couldn't seem to leave him alone, even now.
Even now that she had stopped calling him 'Naru'.
-x-
10 days earlier
Mai's fingers fumbled clumsily at the lock, unnerved by the gaze of the man standing impatiently behind her, his expression no doubt mocking her. She overlooked his personality flaws just this once however, since he'd been nice enough to walk her to her door – an event she considered rarer than a blue moon. Mai supposed that after all the trouble he'd gone to in order to find her and John, he would be damned if he was going to let anything else happen to her on her way home.
Whatever Naru's reason for accompanying her, Mai was grateful; she had been dreading her return despite the knowledge that the threat was long gone. In fact, perhaps that was what made it worse. She had somehow managed to remain calm during the ordeal, knowing that she needed her wits about her if the two of them (John and herself) were to emerge unscathed, but now that she no longer needed to do so, all the emotions she had successfully repressed came rushing back like waters breaking though the wall of a dam.
Her home, her safe place had been defiled, invaded, robbing it of the power it had once held as a haven specifically set apart for her. Angry that something she took such personal pride in had been distorted in such a way, Mai firmly swung open the door, refusing to let Naru see her apprehension.
It had been the first time since Yamada had followed her home that Mai had entered the apartment, and she was relieved to see that the effects of the ghost's destruction were slight. It seemed that Ayako and Bou-san had already cleaned up most of the mess left behind, save a small gathering of objects wrapped and placed thoughtfully in a box, suggesting that the monk and miko had been unsure of where the items belonged.
Wanting to somehow thank Naru for his rare show of kindness (whether that was his intent or not), Mai offered him the only thing other than ghosts that she knew held his interest.
"Would you like a cup of tea before you go?"
Naru's expression was unreadable, but after a quick glance back to the lingering vehicle left parked in her street, he seemed to decide that Lin could wait. The simple gesture made Mai wish she'd kept her mouth shut and begin mentally hitting her head against a brick wall for her thoughtlessness.
I'm such an idiot! How could I forget about Lin-san?!
She stammered as Naru walked past her, asking if she should invite Lin up as well. Naru quirked an eyebrow at her, masking his amusement perfectly while stating blandly, "Apparently I'm not the only one who lacks manners."
Mai noticed that Naru didn't care to stay to for her response, choosing instead to waltz confidently into her living room and make himself comfortable on the nearest couch. Hurrying to the kitchen to make his tea before her rapidly blowing fuse caused her to do something she might later regret, Mai failed to realise that her initial fears upon entering her home where no longer present, focusing only on her wildly fluttering heart and the anger she used to protect herself against the man she not-so-secretly admired. Everyone knew it but him, and right now as far as she was concerned it could stay that way - her boss was narcissistic enough without further encouragement.
Jerk! I should've slammed the door behind me and not said a word!
Fighting back a tell-tale blush as she entered the lounge room, Mai couldn't help but recall the last time Naru had 'visited' her home, trying desperately to push the embarrassing mental images from her mind as she gently set the tea cup down on the small wooden table easily within reach of the sofa he had taken up residence on. As usual, Naru made no move to thank her for her efforts, but she supposed that once again, she would let it slide, because rude or not, he had once again saved her life.
Mai snuck a peek at his face, hoping he would not scold her for staring; he looked so peaceful when he slept.
Slept?!
Mai blinked at the thought, taking another look at her boss, this time not caring whether or not she was caught. It was true! The workaholic-narcissist had his head lolled slightly to one side, eyes shut, tea untouched and his deep, rhythmic breathing was the epitome of peace.
Not particularly caring to wake him up (especially after hearing from a certain teasing monk how little sleep Naru had gained during the search), Mai threw on a coat and ran outside to the white van still waiting in the street, hurriedly apologising to Lin as she explained the situation. Agreeing that it was better to let sleeping dogs lie, a bed roll was quickly prepared for the Chinese mage and a spare blanket fetched for her couch's newest acquisition.
Carefully tucking the blanket around her boss's sleeping form; Mai was taken in by the air of relaxed innocence emanating from the clinically cold and distant man, wondering if it were possible that Naru had actually displayed some sort of affection towards her in the form of something other than an insult (why Masako was jealous of his relentless teasing of her, Mai would never know!)
Sinking down to sit at his feet, Mai rested her arms on Naru's now blanket-covered knees, taking the rare opportunity to carefully examine and catalogue each of his striking facial features, mesmerised by the thick locks of ebony that fell just short of his eyes, committing their dark lashes to memory as they fluttered periodically against his ivory skin, the vast contrast in tones making them all the more noticeable.
Engrossed in her subject, Mai was startled from her daze by a small but suggestive cough originating from an open door leading into the hallway. The intimidating tall Chinese man seemed to be holding back a chuckle as she darted away from the sleeping Naru, but displayed no need to tease her about her close proximity to the man (unlike some monks she could mention), and Mai gratefully offered to find a place for the suitcase of fresh clothes that Lin had recently left to retrieve from the van in an afterthought. He handed the luggage to her without argument, and as if sensing Mai's need to keep her hands busy, requested a fresh cup of tea to help them both settle down after the infinitely long and rough night.
-x-
Following her into the kitchen, Lin couldn't help but wonder at the brave young girl standing before him. Naru was not the only one who had noticed Mai's apprehension towards the notion of returning home, and was secretly glad for the sake of his own peace of mind that he and Naru would be staying with her for the time being.
Lin watched Mai's hands as she prepared the tea, glad that they no longer shook with the unease she had tried to hide as the drew closer to her home, but also realising that it may take some time for the fear to completely subside, and they could not be there to protect her all the time. Even if that were possible, it would do the girl no good to be treated in such a way, for it would either result in her irritation at being smothered after the independent way in which she had grown up, or she would begin to lose faith in herself and come to rely only on others to help her. While he personally had no qualms about protecting her, to take away from the self-sufficiency she had earned through previous hardship would be detrimental to the widely treasured girl's character. No, the best way to help her was to merely lend a comforting shoulder when she desired it, and now seemed a good a time as any to make her aware of its presence.
"Taniyama-san?"
She jumped in response to his voice, having become accustomed to the air of silence that usually surrounded the Chinese man.
"Y-yes?"
"You had us all very worried." Lin began tentatively, unsure of where to start, but deciding that this was as good a way as any. A smile twitched at the corners of his lips as he noticed Mai's eyes dart briefly towards the lounge room, obviously wondering if Naru had been worried also.
Yes, him too. He's terrible at showing it, but it's amazing what life endangering situations can bring to light.
"I'm sorry if I caused too much trouble," Mai uttered regrettably, "Everyone always seems to save me."
Lin was silent for a moment, looking into her eyes for what seemed like forever to Mai, but in actuality lasted no more than a single minute. Remembering the brief, but by no means insignificant conversation he had once held with the remarkably honest girl standing before him on the subject of his hatred of the Japanese, Lin decided that he would follow suit, and also speak in earnest.
"That's what a family does."
There, he had said it. Lin knew the effect his words might have on the young orphan, so he was not surprised to see tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she spoke, her throat dry with emotion.
"Do…do you mean that?"
Lin never answered with words, choosing instead to set down the tea Mai had made in order to take her by the hand, drawing her into his arms in an uncharacteristic show of affection. She was startled by the unexpected contact, being well aware of the distance he usually kept between himself and others (especially those of Japanese descent), but realised that the stoic man would not knowingly have said such a thing if he had not meant it.
Accepting his kindness, Mai wrapped her arms around him and began to cry softly against his chest. Even now Lin wouldn't be surprised to find that she was thinking of others, crying quietly in order to prevent her tears from waking Naru.
Naru doesn't know what he's missing.
For both their sakes, Lin hoped the young man's pride wouldn't interfere with his heart too much, for the Chinese man was becoming aware that he might be seriously tempted to injure Naru if he hurt the young girl currently in his arms. But then again, Mai had somehow managed to break down the walls surrounding his own heart, so anything was possible.
Leaning away from him, it seemed Mai had regained control over herself and had begun to dry her tears on the corner of her sleeve.
"I'm sorry Lin-san, I've made your shirt all wet…"
Glad to hear the lilt of cheer return to her voice, Lin reassured her that she need not worry; he had brought a change of clothes in from the van after all.
"Lin-san, about what you said before…" He raised an eyebrow hearing Mai's sudden change of tone, wondering what the twinkle of mischief in her eyes held in store for him.
"If we're family, I don't think it's appropriate that you call me 'Taniyama-san' anymore." Lin smiled into his tea cup, suddenly seeing where she was heading with this.
"Very well…Mai."
The look on her face was certainly worth his initial awkwardness in approaching her, Lin decided. Mai practically beamed at him, and he found himself contemplating which member of her family he might be. The monk was most certainly her brother, Hara-san would have to be her sister considering their ages and obvious rivalry, and Matsuzaki-san was undeniably her mother. That left either him or their favourite narcissist as the candidate for Mai's father, and while Naru was certainly the most protective of her, Lin was sure his motivation was quite different from that of a father's. No, Naru was hardly fit for the position. As Lin debated what role the young man might hold in their 'family', an evil thought occurred to him.
…Guard dog.
It fit so perfectly that Lin felt obligated to share his theory with his newly self-dubbed daughter, who in turn found the idea so amusing, it was apparently all she could do not to shove her fist in her mouth so as to not wake her said 'guard dog' from his slumber.
Biting back a yawn, Lin began to realise just how tired he really was and suggested that they should follow Naru's example and settle down for the night (or whatever was left of it) before the individual in question woke up and resumed ordering everyone else about. Hurriedly nodding in agreement, Mai showed him to her spare room and Lin couldn't help but look fondly after her fleeting figure as she attempted to sneak quietly back into the lounge, presumably to wish her knight in black armour goodnight.
The boy really didn't know what he was missing.
-x-
From the moment Mai walked in with his tea, Naru sensed something wasn't quite right. Maybe it was the way her clothes seemed to caress the all too creamy skin hidden beneath their surface, the shirt's material straining to contain the swell of her breasts while the now battered skirt hung seductively on the curves of her hips, taunting him to reach out and see what it might be like to hold her in their stead. It wasn't that he didn't usually find his assistant 'appealing', for lack of a better word, but unless the girl had concocted some sort of fantastic revenge for his earlier comment, it was more likely that he was now asleep on her couch.
Then again, Naru supposed, as the woman in question sauntered towards him with a slight smirk touching her too-pink lips, suddenly finding myself handcuffed to her furniture is probably enough grounds to doubt the reality of this situation.
Although he was sure Mai imagined him tied up and at her mercy on a fairly regular basis, Naru doubted she had this sort of thing in mind as her angrily flashing eyes attempted to bore holes through him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. Not that the exuberant high-schooler had ever been afraid of letting him know what she thought of him, just the opposite in fact – usually proving herself quite vocal on the subject, it was a quality which he often found amusing if not endearing at times (providing she wasn't calling him a heartless bastard for a real reason, rather than just his daily teasing sessions).
'Amusing' wasn't his preferred word to describe Mai in this instance however, begrudgingly deeming a more accurate depiction would fall closer under the category of 'intimidating' as her dream counterpart's eyes seemed to pierce directly through the walls surrounding the deepest and darkest regions of his soul. It was as though she were a missing piece of him, one he did not understand in the least, yet it knew him more than he could ever hope to know himself. Naru had never felt more naked in his life, and the lack of control over the young woman advancing towards him unnerved him more than he cared to admit.
Cheekily placing a tea cup on the small wooden table in front of him, Mai cocked her head to the side, overplaying her surprise at his inability to reach the cup's handle.
"Having trouble drinking your tea…?"
The sound of innocence dripped from her lips, but the altogether too-pleased smirk spilling over her countenance strongly suggested otherwise. Naru met Mai's gaze evenly, relying once again on the mask that had served him so well in the past. So what if she could see straight through it, the familiarity made him feel better even if he knew it was merely a farce.
"You could remove the handcuffs."
Cinnamon eyes roamed freely over his restrained form, as if to remind him who was in charge - either that or it was merely for the enjoyment of watching him squirm. If so, Naru felt no need to concede to her desire for self-gratification and steeled himself against whatever the being he had come to dub as the 'Dream Mai' might try next.
"Hmm, I could, couldn't I?"
But you're not going to, Naru mentally added to the sentence she had practically purred, fighting off the feeling that he suspected was not all together dissimilar to that of a deer in headlights. The too-pink lips began to part once more, no doubt to continue gloating about the success of her catch, and Naru wasn't sure he wanted to know what she had to say.
"…If I had the keys."
His eyes widened in surprise as she continued to smirk at him, her confession confusing him to say the least, causing Naru to wonder what Mai apparently knew that he didn't. This was his dream, after all, dammit! He should be in charge.
But if she doesn't have the keys, who does?
-x-
There was only one person in this dream who could remove Naru's restraints, but she wasn't planning on explaining it to him anytime soon. The man was intelligent (despite his stupidity when it came to dealing with herself), and judging from the direction of his thoughts Mai was sure it wouldn't take him too long to figure it out. Although as usual it seemed Naru's stubborn streak was still barricading his mind from letting him calmly access the information he had stumbled across, and she had to hold back a snort of laughter as his guarded expression turned to one of accusation - really, he was just so predictable! So Naru thought she was lying, did he?
Let's see what he thinks of this.
Straddling the agitated man shackled to her couch, Mai's eyes twinkled with anticipation as she reached for the cup of tea she had recently set down. He would never see this coming.
"I can help you drink it, though."
Naru looked confused, wary of the possible implications of her words and what she might try now that she presumably had him right where she wanted him.
Perfect.
A smile twitched at the corners of Mai's lips as she took a sip of Naru's tea, watching the deluded man relax momentarily in the belief that taunting him was all she intended. He should have known better.
Grabbing his black shirt by the collar, Mai pressed her lips to his, sliding the scalding liquid into his mouth the moment Naru's grip on his ever-present self control began to slip. For the briefest moment Mai saw the cold man's eyes reflect his heart, but the moment she pulled away, his mask was firmly back in place as if it had never left. If she hadn't known better, Mai would have thought she was back to square one.
Stubborn jackass, why can't he just let me help? Shutting me out will only cause him more pain.
Sighing dramatically, Mai slid off his lap and into the seat next to him, opting for a different tactic. Once Naru got it in his mind to do something, it wasn't easy to sway him from it, but then nobody had the unique advantage she had – the man may have shut her away within himself for the last few years, but his resolve had been weakening of late and he could never erase her completely, no matter how hard he tried.
Resting her chin on her hands, Mai gazed at the man beside her in concerned frustration. Nobody could live without their heart, and she was going to make sure he didn't forget that vital fact. She'd had enough of being locked in the dark, with the occasional glimpses of light that more often than not came in the form of the young girl whose face she currently wore. She could not allow Naru to chase off her best chance at freedom.
"You can't ignore me forever, you know." She stated irritably, "And if you ignore me for long enough, you'll have missed your chance."
The embodiment of Naru's heart could see the cogs inside his head ticking over, absorbing her words, but he made no motion to respond – not that she expected him to. Not yet, at least.
"If you haven't noticed, there are plenty of attractive and much more affectionate guys around here who are quite protective of me, even Lin. I've somehow managed to warm his heart." Mai added with a touch of jealousy, sneaking a peak at her silent captive out of the corner of her eyes as she tried to determine how effective her attack was before going in for the kill.
"If you can't satisfy me, I'll just find somebody else." She stated flippantly while chancing another peek at her object of torment, "…someone kind..."
Mai began to smile as she noticed a distinct twitch developing on Naru's carefully controlled face.
"...and understanding..."
He still wouldn't look at her.
"…and you'll have to watch us get all-nice and cosy together. Won't that be awkward? Especially if he's on your team…"
Naru's control snapped in a spectacular display of jealous irrationality, rapidly twisting his body around to trap hers between his and the couch, proving that just because he couldn't use his hands didn't mean he was rendered useless as he breathlessly growled his response into the nape of her neck.
"I'd fire him."
Mai smiled.
Hook, line and sinker.
-x-
Naru woke up disorientated, in pain and on the floor. Glaring up at the couch that had so gracefully deposited him in his current position he began to survey his surroundings, waiting for the world to turn right side up again as he forced his mind to once again accept reality. He had not just been doing that to Mai; she had not seduced him with a cup of tea and a set of handcuffs – his eyes darted to check his wrists, just in case . He could have punched himself for the lapse in common sense, annoyed at the involuntary twinge of disappointment that followed.
This was not happening.
It would not ever happen.
So why did he feel sorry that it hadn't? Naru stared at the ceiling of Mai's living room, watching the rays of the sun filter through the gaps around the closed curtains. Mai was like that, he mused – he wanted to stay firmly in the dark with the shadows, but whenever she shone into his little patch of protected darkness, he just couldn't seem to ignore her.
And it certainly wasn't for lack of trying, Naru admitted regrettably. Shadows were created by light, after all – neither could exist without the other.
No longer wishing to pursue that particular line of thought, Naru instead put his mind to the task of weighing up the chances of being walked in on should he choose to have a shower. The door was still broken from the last time he'd stopped by, after all, and while he was not especially self-conscious he had no wish to invoke a repeat performance of such an uncomfortable situation. Though he supposed if Mai did happen to get an eyeful, it would make them even, but then again Naru was fairly sure that the content of his dreams would once again tip the scale.
Would she dream about him if their situations were reversed?
Naru mentally slapped himself, and turned his focus back to the shower. Lin wasn't a problem, being male it was nothing he hadn't seen before, but Mai was always so unpredictable, and if there was a chance something might happen, in Mai's case, it probably would.
Having made his decision, Naru pulled himself together and followed the adjoining hallway until he came to a door that he could only assume was Mai's from the plaque neatly displayed on the small nail buried in its surface. Hesitating for only a moment before entering, Naru pushed open the door, letting his eyes drift to the sleeping female splayed vulnerably on the bed at the far side of the room. From the looks of things, she would not wake anytime soon, but since he was here Naru determined it was better to be sure. As he neared the girl her breathing proved deep and even, occasionally blowing a strand of hair across her face which caused her features to twitch in annoyance. Naru smiled in spite of himself, his fingers lingering for a moment as they inadvertently brushed Mai's lips when he reached out to remove the cause of her irritation.
So soft…
The contact, however slight, brought with it memories of his most recent dream, something the proud young man had no intention of remembering, least of all now. Naru was quickly brought out of his stupor however, by the name Mai uttered at his touch.
"Lin…-san…"
Naru brought back his hand as if burned, watching the girl giggle in her sleep as she continued her one-sided conversation in a tone that suggested just the opposite of her words.
"St-stop it!"
Just what exactly is that girl dreaming about?! Naru mentally demanded, unable to escape the inevitable conclusion rapidly forming within his mind but struggling to think of a meaning that could be any other than the blatantly obvious. After all, what reason did Mai have to care for a so-called heartless bastard like him? As if to prove that he definitely still possessed a heart, it now coursed with pain as Naru was left with the one remaining fact he found himself unable to ignore.
He had touched her lips, and she had said Lin's name.
-x-
Omake:
"Would you like a cup of tea before you go?"
Naru's expression was unreadable, but after a quick glance back to the lingering vehicle left parked in her street, he seemed to decide that Lin could wait. The simple gesture made Mai wish she'd kept her mouth shut and begin mentally hitting her head against a brick wall for her thoughtlessness.
I'm such an idiot! How could I forget about Lin-san?!
She stammered as Naru walked past her, asking if she should invite Lin up as well. Naru quirked an eyebrow at her, masking his amusement perfectly while stating blandly, "I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."
