DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!

I hoped everyone like the first part, now on with the second :)

Chapter 10 - Love Is Its Own Reward (Part 2)

Mai, wiped her puffy red eyes with her sleeve again as she sat huddled in the small kitchenette. What had she done? She had hit someone – Naru's fiancé, to be exact. Oh, she was so in for it now. That woman had been Naru's chosen partner and she had attacked her. Her boss probably hated her now. It was a wonder he wasn't in here now trying to toss her from the office head first. There was no doubt in her mind that Naru would fire her though, that was for sure. She would have to leave everything she loved now. Her job, her family and her secret love had all been thrown away because of one stupid reaction. Just because she had lost her temper like some child. How stupid was she?

Mai sniffled again, as more tears leaked from her eyes. She choked back another sob when she suddenly heard footsteps. From years of listening to the sounds of the office she knew them to be Lin's and they were headed in her direction. Quickly drying her eyes once more, she stood and faced the wall. The last thing she needed was someone commenting on her violent actions. The guilt was already eating her alive.

"Are you alright Mai?" asked Lin from behind her.

Mai took a deep breath and plastered on an easy grin before turning to look at the man.

"I'm fine," she smiled albeit painfully, "I suppose I should go bring her some ice for that cheek. That's gonna bruise in the morning."

She huffed a quiet laugh as she fiddled with the hem of her jumper. Although she was used to Lin's silent demeanour, right now, she wished he would say something.

"I suppose, I should apologize to her and Naru too. My behaviour was uncalled for," she nodded. Again, Lin remained silent.

"And find a box for my stuff. Even if it isn't much, I'd like to have a few mementos of my time here," she smiled softly, her eyes far away as a burst memories zipped past.

"Thank you Lin," she said suddenly as she looked up at the tall man. His eyes widened a fraction.

"For what?" he asked quietly.

Mai smiled and leaned back against the tall fridge behind her, "For being you, I guess."

She was surprised when he reached a large hand over and placed it on top of her head. The steady weight eased her turmoil slightly, the warmth from his hand spreading to the rest of her body. Not once had he ever touched her before let alone comfort her. It was an odd but welcome feeling. The man she thought of as uncle, leaned over, his hand still on top of her head and looked her in the eye.

"Fán rén bù kě mào xiàng, hǎi shuǐ bù kě dòu liàng," he said, his voice smooth and pliable as he uttered the strange phrase.

To be honest, Lin had never spoken Chinese around her, she wasn't even sure what dialect he was speaking in. A one-sided smile tilted her lips. She hadn't a notion at what he had phrased but for some reason she felt lighter.

Lin, seeing the small but true smile on the assistant's face, nodded and straightened himself. He quickly reached over her head to the freezer and grabbed several ice cubes packs and a soft tea-towel before turning and leaving the girl alone again.

She sighed and rubbed her face vigorously. If she was to be axed from the company, then she would stand proud and face what was coming. Naru's fiancé deserved an apology and she'd be damned if the woman left the building without one. With a renewed sense of purpose, she left the small kitchen area and out into the large office. She was about to enter Naru's office when voices suddenly reached her ears.

"Ms. Philips your taxi is outside," she heard Lin say.

"Oh fine, but I expect to see that bitch no longer working as your assistant."

Mai flinched. She knew her time was limited but that didn't mean she wanted to be reminded of it. She was about to take a deep breath and walk forward when Naru's voice, oddly agreeable, announced the very words she had been fearing.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry, she won't be my assistant for much longer, I expect."

Unexpectedly, her world seemed to crumble again. How could he…?

"Good,"

She stood stock still, unable to move. Her feet refused to lift from the ground. How could she face that woman now? She looked up to the doorway and spotted Ms. Philips standing there with a withering glare. Then as if planned by the blonde, she suddenly turned to look behind her. Her voice was bold and clear.

"You will be mine," she had said, piercing Mai's heart for good measure. Nothing had changed. All of this was for nothing. The blonde woman still thought of him as something to own. It was too much. She had thrown away her life for someone that didn't give a damn in the first place.

As Marie walked past a dumb-struck Mai, she smirked victoriously at her before slamming the office door behind her. The petite woman stood there in devastation as Lin's voice once again interrupted her spiralling thoughts.

"Are you going to fire Mai?"

Naru remained silent but she could guess his actions from Lin's next sentence.

"Go easy on her."

Lin faltered in his approach as he noticed Mai standing by her desk. He gave a quick nod in her direction and strode back into his office.

Minutes flew past and Mai remained rooted to the spot. She couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't stay here and watch as he tore her life away. She had lost many things today but she would still have her pride. It was of the few things he couldn't take from her. With new resolve, she took a deep breath and veered towards her desk, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper and scribbling out a letter of notice.

With almost frantic actions, she grabbed her overly large handbag and scooped up several items littering the table top. Her lucky pen, several framed photos of the SPR gang, keys, her drawing utensils and her favourite mug all went into the bag. She could collect her other stuff later or ask one of the others to do it for her. It was finally time for her to resign. So with a pounding heart she walked over to the open door and with a tentative knock, caught her soon-to-be-ex boss's attention.

With a silent determination she strode in, her arm outstretched as she held out the piece of paper to Naru.

He raised an eyebrow, looking straight into her auburn eyes and smirked. The obnoxious deed sparked Mai's doused flame back into life once more. Anger once again flooded her mind. How dare he laugh at her.

"My letter of resignation," she stated loudly, shaking the paper in his face. He snatched it from her before crumpling it and tossing it behind him. He did it so nonchalantly that Mai was stunned for a moment.

"H-Hey!" she barked after regaining her footing, "What the hell?"

"Mai," murmured Naru, cutting Mai of before she even began.

"I decide if and when you leave this office," he said, his tone deadly.

Mai blinked.

"What you did today was something I can't forget," he continued. Mai felt sick, "and as such there will be consequences to your actions."

"Naru, I…," she tailed off. She was about to apologize but the more she thought about it the more she realised she wasn't sorry at all. Her actions may have been brash, and over the top but she stood by what she believed. She loved the man standing in front of her, she loved her job and she was in no way sorry for defending either. If that meant she had to be fired – and as much as that thought killed her – she would take the consequences.

"You acted unprofessionally, unstably and unsuitably in the office of your employment, towards your employer's fiancé no less. Such rash behaviour can only have one consequence," said Naru now walking towards her.

Mai squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to look at his cold face.

"Look at me," said Naru, who was suddenly standing in front of her. She complied, her eyes snapping open at the proximity and nearly gasping aloud when brown eyes met blue. They were so close she could see the striations of navy and grey in his irises.

"Mai," he said more gently than she expected.

His usually expressionless face held the softest smile she'd ever witnessed. Gone was the stoicism, the coldness, the unemotional detachment. His eyes shone with warmth as they looked down on her rapidly flushing face. Mai wasn't even sure the man himself realised he could even hold such an expression, but one thing was for sure, she was going to combust if he didn't back off.

"Why did you say those things today?" he asked, his voice still barely above a gravelly whisper.

Mai gulped. She thought the answer obvious but at twenty-two, it was embarrassing to admit to a love she had endured alone for years.

"Tell me," he asked, more urgently this time.

Mai sighed and broke eye contact to gaze at the floor. Why did he always fluster her like this? He was so demanding all the time. She cleared her throat and lifted her eyes to meet his. She noticed the scent of aftershave and something else. She couldn't identify it, not as such, not with words anyway. It was everything that made the man, him. It was musky and spicy with a hint of sweetness – it was Naru. She took a heady breath, her senses bathing in the scent she had loved for so long and steadied her nerves before beginning her explanation.

"I won't apologize for what I said," she muttered, "I only spoke the truth."

"Explain further," he nudged with narrowed eyes.

She took another deep breath, "If you've loved someone for as long as I have, you learn what it means to share a life. To watch as he offers his life over and over again for the people that surround him. You learn they won't ever be yours wholly and completely but maybe just a moment of their precious time can be enough," tears began to trail over her cheeks once again, "You learn that no matter what you do, it's their choice to be with you. There's nothing you can do to change that. And e-even when y-you love them with all y-your heart, they can sti-still reject you."

Mai began to weep harder, covering her face with her hands as great, heaving sobs, racked her small frame, but still she continued to speak.

"Y-You t-t-try s-so hard…to show y-your heart to h-him and…h-he c-can either t-t-take it or ignore i-it," she sniffed, not noticing the frustrated look on Naru's face, "That's w-why I told yo-your f-fiancé those t-things. You're not a thing t-to be owned. N-Nobody can own a p-person...a-and if she truly loved you l-like she was su-supossed to, she would know th-that…So jus' hurry u-up and f-fire me…it's t-too painful t-to drag th-this out any longer…p-please."

"Mai,"

The assistant retracted her hands from her waterlogged face and lifted her bloodshot eyes to look at her boss again.

"I'm not going to fire you," he said, reaching a tentative hand over and wiping away the wayward tears still clinging to her lashes.

"But-," she hiccoughed, slightly startled by the action.

He held a finger to her lips, immediately cutting her off.

"I'm promoting you," he smirked, "Over the many years you have worked for me and this company you have demonstrated many qualities that would lead you into an array of disasters-,"

"Oi," she mumbled.

"However," he spoke over her protests and lowering his finger from her mouth, "You have uncanny instincts, a sense of morality that rivals that of the Dali Llama himself and most of all," he stepped closer to the brunette, their clothes now brushing off each other's, "a heart that could weather any storm."

Mai looked into Naru's eyes, the warmth had returned. He gazed intently at her from beneath long and feathered lashes. Something was building at the bottom of her stomach. Warm and bubbly, it caused a small smile to flit across her lips and when it reached its crescendo, she suddenly burst out laughing. Unfortunately for Naru, this was not the reaction he was looking for, and his expression mirrored his thoughts for once. When she ignored his scowl and continued to chortle loudly he finally gave into his confusion.

"What?" he asked a little self-consciously, glaring with an undisguised heat at the doubled over woman.

"That was…the sappiest thing you've ever said," she continued to guffaw, both from overwhelming relief and amusement.

Naru's brow creased further in hidden ire. This is what he got for trying to be pleasant.

"I can't believe you of all people said that. That had to be from a romance novel or something, it was just so cheesy," she cackled.

The raven-haired man crossed is arms, thoroughly annoyed by this point. Oh, the irony of her statement was not lost on him but his impatience to move on from the subject was in his best interests right now. So much for telling her what he thought of her though. This obtuse and utterly aggravating woman would be the death of him someday. His heart fluttered, shocking him from his anger. Someday, he thought. It wasn't an altogether dreadful prospect. What would Mai be like in the distant future? Suddenly, he found himself wondering what she would be like, in say, twenty years' time.

"Oh God, I'm gonna pee," she squealed through her hearty laughter and crossed her legs tightly, all the while, maintaining an iron grip on his sleeve. Naru's scowl began to soften as he watched her crumpled and gleeful features.

In the future, would her eyes still glitter like that when she was happy? Would she still snort with such unlady-like grace? Would her skin still glow when something made her blush? Would her silky chestnut hair, grey prematurely or would it eventually grow longer to frame her rounded cheeks? Would she become someone's mother, grandmother or wife even?

Naru smirked internally, what would the future hold for such an annoying woman, one who seemed to have so little regard for her own well-being? Perhaps he would get to find out. It would certainly be interesting to know. Thoughts from the deepest recesses of his mind sprang forth; maybe he could experience those things with her. He blinked, surprised at his sudden contemplation and looked back down at the laughing brunette as she jolted through her own merriment.

"Sorry…sorry," she waved whilst wiping her eyes with a finger. She took one more look at his face and howled all over again. As the gut-ripping laughs escaped her throat she felt rather than heard Naru grumble. Trying desperately to get a hold of herself she took several deep breaths before facing him again.

There was the slightest shade of pink marring his face as he stood, ever the stoic, in front of her. She tried desperately not to snort at the sight of a blushing Naru but several giggles still escaped her clenched jaw.

"Are you done?" he asked, the slightest touch of aggravation lacing his tone.

She cleared her throat several times before managing to squeeze out a tiny, "Yep."

Deciding to change the topic before she could return to her degrading laughter he said, "Starting tomorrow you will be on the payroll as an investigator although your duties as an assistant will also be included in that role. Benefits and pay will be discussed later."

He fixed his intense gaze to Mai's once again. She stretched her lips upwards, aiming her toothy grin up at him, "Thanks, Naru."

"It's only logical that I upgrade your status for people seeking your…expertise, clients are certainly more at ease around you," he grumbled as he turned to leave, "you have a strange propensity to grow on people."

Mai cocked her head to one side, contemplating on his words. She couldn't decide if he was paying her a compliment or was just insulting her as usual.

"Almost like a mushroom, if one think's about it," he smirked.

"Hey!" yelped Mai, now sure it was an insult, "Did you just compare me to a fungus?"

Naru schooled his face again before exiting the office.

"Oi," shouted Mai as she stalked after him, "answer me, ya big jerk!"

"You can go home now, Mai. Your shift ended ten minutes ago."

Mai blinked, previous offence now totally forgotten, "Oh, really?" she asked rhetorically as she glanced at the clock above the door, "Cool, but I have one question to ask you."

Naru raised an eyebrow but Mai took it as permission anyway.

"Ms. Philips, is she really your fiancé?" she asked tentatively.

Naru sighed crossing his arms over his chest again. Mai had deciphered it as a defensive gesture.

"Unfortunately," he frowned.

"Huh?"

Naru rolled his eyes but explained. "How much more idiotic can you get?" he tutted. "Ms. Marie Philips and I were engaged to be married when I turned twelve," he sighed, "It was an arrangement between our parents, one that I know will never be fulfilled. I have never nor will I ever have any intentions of actually marrying that irritating and obnoxious woman."

Mai nodded, slightly flummoxed at the idea of being engaged at twelve but, she shrugged, each to their own.

"So why the big kerfuffle over something that was never gonna happen?"

"Ms. Philips," he spat the name, "has gotten it into her miniscule brain that we should be wed. As if I would ever marry someone so repugnant and intolerable," he scoffed.

"Ya know, you're just describing yourself, right?" teased Mai, pepping up significantly.

"I fail to see the correlation," he shot back.

Mai cocked an eyebrow, "She's gorgeous with a bad personality, I fail to see how you fail to see."

"So you think I'm gorgeous then?" he smirked, latching onto her words with ferocity. Mai baulked, her face turning red as she floundered.

"Go home Mai," he suddenly drawled and turned to enter his office once again, leaving a scarlet Mai to splutter her non-existent comeback.

After regaining control of her flustered emotions, Mai finally bid farewell to Lin and said good bye to Naru with a cup of his favourite tea. Taking one last look around the office she grinned to herself before opening the door and stepping out into the warm summer air. Tomorrow was a new day.

The office was quiet, only a small desk lamp illuminating the gloomy space and casting a soft glow on Naru as he glanced at a slip of crumpled paper. He was half-way between snorting and frowning at the illegible script that, he assumed, was Mai's hand writing. Her spoken English may have improved drastically but her writing still needed a lot of work. Trust Mai to hand in such a sloppy letter of resignation but it was her to a tee, he supposed – rushed, erratic, and completely undecipherable.

As these thoughts swirled lazily through his mind, he reached over and grasped the half empty cup of luke-warm tea. The earthy aroma of his favourite infusion filled his senses, relaxing his muscles and weighing down his eyelids. Just like Mai, he decided to call it for the night. Packing away his stuff he waltzed from his office and stopped by Mai's desk, still in disarray from earlier. He looked down at her name emblazoned with gold calligraphy on the triangular desk plate and smiled. As he traced each symbol of her name with a finger, one thought popped into his head. A Chinese proverb to be exact.

"As a man cannot be known by his looks, neither can the sea be fathomed by a gourd," he mumbled to himself. It was something he remembered Lin saying it to him when he was younger. After so many years it applied to him even now, it also had struck a chord with him regarding Mai's own personality.

Mai may look, for all appearance's sake, like an ordinary young woman, but as Naru had discovered quite early on, the assistant-turned-investigator was anything but. Sometimes, the greatest things came in the smallest packages and he would do well to remember it.

A/N: The phrase spoken by Lin in Chinese is the same one said by Naru in English - (just in case anyone missed it). Again, please review. I really do learn a lot through criticism and what-not. Oh and before I forget, I'd like to thank my reviewers for their kind words, it's been much appreciated. I'm still fairly new to the writing game so your constructive words and support has helped me tremendously. So hopefully I'll be able to update for frequently in the future. :)