Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, or any of the characters from the show/manga. If I did, I'd never have to worry about characters being OOC, or how far I could go with a lemon while still keeping within the rating. (I put it on the highest one I could!)
WARNING Contains Spoilers.
Chapter 14: Eyes Wide Shut
Mai pushed open the door to S.P.R., hoping that Naru's mood had improved since they'd left the hospital yesterday afternoon, but suspected she was out of luck when she spied Lin's dismayed expression at the closed door no doubt containing their sullen employer.
"He won't tell you what's wrong, will he." Mai sighed dejectedly, merely stating the obvious as she slid into the seat behind her desk, spying a plain white envelope with her name emblazoned across it's surface lying amongst the files Naru had left for her to organise.
Who would…?
"Niramitsu-san dropped by earlier to convey his thanks for putting the school at ease. He delivered the envelope on behalf of Maeda-san, I believe." The tall, quiet man answered before she could complete the thought, her fingers gingerly running along the crisp edges of the paper envelope before levering open the seal and reading it's treasured contents.
Dear Mai,
I just wanted to let you know just how much you have inspired me, your courage and heartfelt honesty helped me to overcome my own fears concerning Yamada-kun and my feelings for him. I cannot thank you enough, so please don't hesitate to ask if there is any way I can help you in return (concerning a certain narcissist, maybe?)
Seriously, though – if you ever need a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on or just someone to listen to your worries, you have a friend in me.
- Haruka
"You're welcome, Haruka…" Mai breathed, finding the girl's phone number written on the reverse side of the brief, but no less touching note, making up her mind to phone and take her new-found friend up on the offer the moment she finished work. Maybe the observant girl might be able to shed some light on her boss's current moodiness, and if nothing else, cheer her up again after the jerk pushed her buttons one too many times.
As time wore on however, the silence and unusually high lack of interaction coming from Naru's office all afternoon caused Mai to realise just how odd it was not to be ordered around and teased on a regular basis, and she confessed as much to Lin over a hot cup of tea.
Mai was taken aback when the older man laughed, still not entirely used to the ease at which she could talk to him now, and had found herself wondering during her day away from the office if the hug he had given her was a rare, once-only kind of offer, or something of a more permanent nature. Seeing him now, she was beginning to suspect the latter, and the unexpected comfort she felt in this quiet knowledge overwhelmed the young woman, causing her eyes to shine brightly with unshed tears.
"Mai…?" Lin suddenly asked, worry and confusion evident on his face as he noticed the girl's watery eyes, trying to figure out if he had said anything that might have upset her but drawing a blank.
The part-timer couldn't help but smile, remembering back to the first time she had met him – Lin may have slapped her hand away when she had tried to help him, but he had saved her from the falling shelves nonetheless. It would not be the last time he would come to her rescue, as fate would have it, and Mai decided that when she went home that evening, her first task was to find something she could do to express her thanks for the kindness he had shown despite the grudge that had been instilled in him for so long.
"I'm fine," she sniffed, all too aware that Lin's expression told her that she looked far from it, "a lot's happened in the last few days, and I think I'm a little over-emotional at the moment."
The Chinese man didn't bother to hold back a snort in response, looking pointedly at the wall dividing the two men's working areas and making Mai laugh as he stated, "Apparently you're not the only one."
Sighing into her tea cup, Mai propped her head in her hands and stared at the wall Lin had previously indicated towards, presumably separating them from their boss's frost-like temperament if he'd held true to the pattern he'd apparently kept to since Saturday evening and was still shut tightly within his office like a hermit.
"He's not too good with emotion, is he?"
The older man looked up from his laptop, an eyebrow raised at the obvious statement, but the girl before him was lost in thought and failed to see the humour in her statement. Lin cursed the silence he was obligated to keep on behalf of his employer, wishing that the boy would see the light and trust the young woman who so obviously loved him with at least a few of his secrets. It was true that she disliked deception and had a tendency to unmask Naru's 'white lies' when she grew tired of them or just plain irritated with the man, but her integrity was impeccable and if Mai knew the reason for the need for secrecy, Lin knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the young girl would protect it like a mother protected her child.
"Naru's an idiot."
Mai's head spun towards her companion, blinking in question at the unexpected words that had fallen from the older man's lips with an echo of frustration. Had something happened she was unaware of? The young woman scratched that thought – knowing Naru, there was probably no end of things concerning her boss that she was unaware of, and she found herself nodding her head in response to Lin's comment, looking once again at the wall and imagining her boss's scowling face.
Yes, Naru really is an idiot.
-x-
Naru stood outside of Lin's office, an outstretched hand resting on the door knob as he listened to the muffled voices emitted from behind the closed door, trying desperately to erase the all-too memorable images that fought their way into his mind before entering the room. The latest in his series of nightly torture had also placed him outside his assistant's door, except that instead of conversation echoing from within it's walls, the sounds of heady moaning took their place.
Mai…
He had known the sound's origin before the door had opened, she had starred in all of his other dreams of late and he doubted this one would be any different, but the room was already allowing him entry, swallowing him before he had the chance to run.
Pain had coursed through Naru's chest as he was forced to face the fear that had begun to dwell deep within his heart, left with a clear view of Mai's dishevelled features and wanton state of undress, along with the tall, and unfortunately familiar man who continued to please her by sucking purposefully at the hollow of her neck. Although Naru noted that Mai's glazed eyes had not perceived his presence as of yet, the older man hovering over her paused his ministrations to growl out a warning to their unwelcome visitor.
"Now is not a good time, Naru…"
No, was all the young man could think.
No, it most certainly isn't
His feet however, remained glued to the floor, blatantly ignoring his mind's frantic wish to escape the nightmare he had unwittingly wandered into, eyes clouding with anger as he found himself searching Mai's eyes once more, hoping for some form of recognition and discovering none. Lin seemed to be aware of this, and drew the ginger-haired girl closer to him, smirking at his employer as he lazily drew a finger along the inside of her thigh, causing Mai to tremble slightly at the contact.
Naru could have killed him.
No thoughts or reasoning interfered with his next actions, the accumulation of pent-up fury finally overcoming him as he pushed his assistant away from Mai, throwing Lin against the nearest wall before violently grabbing him by the collar, hoping to destroy the effortless air of superiority that currently surrounded the man.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Naru had heard his own voice demand roughly, realising upon brief reflection that it was possibly not the most intelligent question he could have asked, and becoming increasingly irritated with himself when Lin's slightly sarcastic response made no effort to prove him wrong.
"Apparently something you should have done a long time ago, from the looks of things," indicating towards the panting girl who still hadn't moved from her precarious display on his desk, "If you wanted Mai this badly, perhaps you should have done something about it before I took her off your hands."
Unable to think of an adequate response through the haze of rage that had seized his mind, Naru opted instead to tighten his grip on Lin's collar, knuckles straining white against his already pale skin as his Chinese companion saw fit to offer him a few further words of unwanted advice.
"I find it amusing that you seem willing to give your life for the girl, but so hesitant to give her your heart. Since when did your level of stubbornness allow you to give up before you'd even tried?"
Give up?!
Naru's eyes narrowed at the suggestion, finding it a ridiculous comment in light of the fact that you could only give up on something you actively sought, and as far as he was aware, he had never sought out Mai's affection.
Whether or not the sudden laughter that erupted from Lin's mouth was in response to the expression he wore or due to the ability to read his mind (in the same manner Mai could in his dreams), Naru was unsure, but the action disarmed him, allowing Lin to elude Naru's grasp and slap the young man on the back before leaving him with a warning.
"If you disappoint her, I'll be back to finish the job and take her off your hands."
Naru didn't want to ask just what Lin had meant by that as the man left the room, nor did he need to. Mai had begun to stir, and she looked at her boss expectantly, making Naru unsure as to whether she was waiting to see what he would do, or advising him to hurry up before she changed her mind.
Not particularly in the mood for mind games and growing restless as the lingering unease present in the room seemed to suffocate the air he breathed, he strode towards the nymph of a girl and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, ordering an explanation.
"What do you want from me?!"
Mai's doe-like cinnamon eyes had stared up at him full of innocence, despite her unkempt clothes and skin bruised from previous pleasures, blinking in surprise as she answered simply, "I want what you want."
You want what I want, huh?
What in the hell was that supposed to mean?
No sooner than Naru opened his mouth to press her for more information, the world around him evaporated into reality, leaving him sitting bolt upright in his bed, soaked in sweat and gasping for breath as if he had run a marathon.
It had been a long time since he'd been that glad to wake from a dream, relief flooding his features at the mere prospect of the events he had lived had not truly occurred that he did not stop to think why he was so comforted by their falsehood. Returning his mind back to the door knob still resting unturned beneath his hand, Naru assessed his situation, reminding himself of the fact that he was awake and that the only sounds he could hear from Lin's office were that of innocent conversation. Due to his distracted state of mind however, he had apparently missed the entry of some of the louder members of their group, only noticing the five pairs of eyes now trained on him as the monk saw fit to make their boss aware of his surroundings.
"Yo, Naru-chan – that door's not going to open on its own, you know."
-x-
Takigawa watched in fascination as the stoic young man in front of him actually jolted in surprise, his shoulders instantly tensing in panic like a small child caught with his hand in a cookie jar after their parents had told them they had to wait until after dinner. It was priceless, and the monk would have given almost anything for a video camera at that point so he could show it to Mai. Speaking of which, he contemplated as he glanced around the office, just where was the young girl?
"Where's Mai?" The jovial man asked, indicating towards Naru as his eyes continued to seek out the kind hearted part-timer, "Your personality didn't finally manage to scare her off, did it?"
Naru turned to face him, fixing the monk with a scalding glare as he addressed the issue, "Mai is working, as am I for that matter, because this is an office, not a..."
Much to his audience's delight the dark-haired youth never got to finish his sentence, because Mai had inadvertently chosen that precise moment to swing open the door he still stood in front of and promptly walked directly into her boss's chest, not noticing his presence due to her ongoing conversation with Lin, an open smile present on her features up until the unexpected collision. For a moment the two simply stood there, Mai staring up at her crush in embarrassment while Naru remained his usual immobile, stone-like self, except for the minor detail of failing to end his sentence, or seem capable of saying anything at all for that matter. Noting the lapse in their boss's behaviour, Takigawa decided to make the most of the rare opportunity, and proceeded to announce the reason for their visit (John's release from hospital), making Mai jump away from Naru at the realisation that they had an audience.
"Really, young people these days," the monk sighed teasingly, "no sense of time or place…"
Ayako was quick to the punch, commenting that he was finally admitting his age, or rather, showing it. Takigawa responded in the usual fashion, both parties ignoring the meaningless insults they now threw back and forth like a ball in a game of tennis, countering the other's words with perfect precision, the twinkle of mirth in the competitor's eyes communicating something of a much different nature to their comments.
I may give Naru a hard time, but I suppose I'm not that much better myself, am I?
Admiring the miko's aggressive stance, the monk couldn't help but wonder what kind of effect it would have if he suddenly said what he meant, imagining the look of surprise and maybe even vulnerability on the priestess's face should he take her in his arms and suggest putting their energies to a much better use than fighting. On reflection, he'd probably find his head smacked in by the woman, but you never knew until you tried, right?
For a moment Takigawa tore his gaze away from the fiery woman, turning towards the seemingly emotionless leader of their group whose eyes, while maintaining the pretence of reading the file held open in front of them, consistently followed Mai's movements as she greeted her friends (much to Masako's frustration), and smiled.
We aren't so different, you and I.
-x-
Lin was the last of the group to enter the room, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Naru sitting silently on the lounge suite, unaffected by the chaotic actions of the group that surrounded him. Actually, what stunned the Chinese man even more was his employer's tendency to let his eyes wander in the direction of a certain ginger-haired young woman, currently deep in conversation with Maeda-san (who also seemed to have noticed Naru's gaze, if her thoughtful expression was anything to go by) and was hugging her friend enthusiastically. In fact, Mai seemed to be the only person in the room who remained oblivious to the young man's close study of her, Lin mused as he observed the different effects that Naru's actions had aroused in his friends.
John's mirthful expression held an element of curiosity as he watched their impassive employer try to shake off the medium clinging to his arm, trying desperately to draw Naru's attention back to herself, while Ayako smirked at the scene, no doubt trying to estimate how long it would take for the young man to snap and make a move on his cheerful assistant. The most interesting reaction by far however, belonged to the monk, who had been looking at Naru in bittersweet amusement, as if recognising a kindred spirit with a similar weakness, before turning a somewhat forlorn gaze back to the busily scheming miko and joining the woman in her efforts.
Lin shuddered inwardly at whatever scenarios the two were cooking up in order to shove the two uncooperative lovebirds together, wondering if there was any way the miko might be oblivious to her partner in chaos's feelings, or whether she just chose to ignore them. Deciding it was best just to let the troublemakers be before they noticed him watching and tried to probe him for information or involve him in their practically guaranteed-to-backfire plan, Lin escaped to Mai's side, asking her if she could locate a file that might relate to the case he was reviewing and found himself talking to Maeda-san.
"It's all rather funny, isn't it? He can't stop watching her, and he doesn't even know why." The school girl had stated as they watched Mai cheerfully oblige to his request, not really requiring an answer, but receiving one anyway.
"He knows, he just doesn't want to admit it."
At Lin's reply, the insightful schoolgirl laughed, her chocolate brown eyes twinkling with mischief as she looked up at the kindred spirit standing next to her, "I guess you and I will just have to cheer them on from here, right?"
Lin smiled, beginning to wonder if he had gone soft, or if he secretly had a thing for Japanese schoolgirls, pondering how his family would react if he suddenly brought home a much younger woman from a country they held bitter sentiments towards. If anyone could manage to break down the barriers, Mai could, and he had a feeling that the young woman standing next to him would be no push over, either. Maybe he could be forgiven for letting such admirable women get to him, Lin concluded with amusement as he watched navy blue eyes snap to attention as Mai re-entered the room, after all Naru hadn't managed to win out against them either.
-x-
Sometime later, Mai turned to face the man seemingly suspended halfway between his office and the main lounge as if caught in the middle of some kind of silent, inner battle, listening to the gradual drowning of their companions continued laughter and harmless bickering as the odd group of psychics wandered away from the premises, S.P.R.'s front door closing softly behind them. Lin had returned to work some time ago after being pressed by the monk and miko about Naru's odd behaviour, effectively leaving the two teens to themselves now that their impromptu visitors had left, causing Mai's heart to beat wildly as she met her employer's guarded expression. He obviously had something he wanted to say to her, Mai could sense that much, but the stubborn man just stood there watching her. The suspense was driving her crazy, not to mention beginning to make her feel like an idiot – maybe she had been wrong about his wish to talk to her, but then why was he still standing there?!
"Doesn't it bother you?"
Mai blinked at the awaited question, unsure of his meaning and answering with more than a hint of irritation, "Does what bother me?"
Naru held her confronting gaze without wavering, but returned to his silent observation of her, causing Mai to imagine herself as some sort of science experiment that had produced a different reaction than expected, hence making the subject worthy of future study.
Actually, considering Naru, that analogy probably isn't too far from the truth…
Mai groaned inwardly, wishing for the weird game of cat and mouse to end quickly and wondering if being thought of as a science project could possibly be seen as flattering in Naru's case, but quickly dismissed the idea. Not being seen as a human being, let alone as a woman, was definitely not flattering.
Mai glared at him for good measure, he still hadn't elaborated on his first sentence, was it going to take all day to drag a conversation out of the man? Why couldn't Naru just say what he meant, like a normal person?
"John."
That wasn't quite what Mai had in mind, and her scowl twisted into confusion at the monosyllabic reply.
What did John have to do with anything? Oh…
Mai remembered the forced kiss that only her boss had witnessed and was capable of remembering, more than a little surprised that it had occurred to Naru that such a thing might bother her and was worth his concern.
"It did at first," she said honestly, "but he's my friend and it wasn't his fault."
Mai watched Naru's expression in response to her words carefully, waiting for any sign that might reveal just what was going on behind the emotionless mask he wore like a second skin. Did he feel guilty that he had not been able to protect her better? That Haruka had been the one to stall the knife, and not him? It would be just like the narcissist, to think that he was the sole person responsible for her safety and his failure to keep her out of harm's way had injured his puffed up pride.
Was that what had bothered his dreams?
-x-
Naru's stony expression changed to one of startled confusion when the girl before him broke the silence with her laughter as she turned away and headed towards the kitchen, asking him if he'd like a cup of tea before she left for the day. He didn't, but he found himself nodding and following in her footsteps nonetheless.
Why did this seemingly harmless girl cause him so much trouble? He didn't understand her at all; how she could feel so much, yet forgive so easily. She was an enigma, an unsolvable mystery, even for him. Regardless of the length of time he had known her, had worked with her, seen her fear and her strength in the worst kind of situations imaginable, she had shone through the darkness that surrounded her and created a home smack bang in the middle of it. What kind of person was capable of such a thing?
There was only one thing the emotionally stunted young man understood about the girl, and that was if there were more people like Mai, the world would be a safer and much less haunted place.
Watching Mai's hands work quickly to prepare his drink, Naru found himself growing irritated at her efficiency – was she in such a hurry to leave? He imagined that most girls would have prolonged their actions just to stay near him for a few minutes longer, but then again, Naru knew better than anyone that Mai wasn't 'most girl's'.
"Naru…?"
Attention grabbed by the uncertain sound of his assistant's voice, Naru's eyes were drawn to the girl's mouth as she bit her bottom lip in hesitation, trying once again to block out the memories of his recent dreams.
"Thank you for worrying about me."
He raised an eyebrow at her words, but said nothing, unable to think of an answer that wouldn't make him sound like he cared just a little bit more than the average boss should. It didn't seem to bother Mai however, and she smiled brilliantly as she gave him his tea before moving to slip away from his company for the evening. Surprisingly, before he could stop himself, the tea cup was left abandoned on the bench, and his hand gasped Mai's forearm with no intention of letting go. Her cinnamon eyes were wide as saucers, her breathing laboured and hitching enticingly as he swiftly twisted her around to face his darkened blue orbs, finding that his own breathing fared little better, haggard with anticipation and long-suppressed desire.
Even now, as he pressed Mai's body roughly against his own, their heartbeats racing as one, Naru understood his actions about as much as he understood the girl panting for breath in his arms. In other words, he only knew one thing – that he wanted her.
-x-
Omake:
Mai groaned inwardly, wishing for the weird game of cat and mouse to end quickly and hid her rapidly flushing face behind her hands.
"We are not having this conversation, Naru! I don't care how many times you…"
"You don't care how many times I what," the man in front of her interrupted, "kiss you? Buy you flowers? I've got to admit, this isn't exactly the response I expected after all this time."
Mai's eyes flashed angrily, glaring at her completely unaffected boss with jealousy. Why couldn't she have the upper hand for once? An evil thought crossed her mind, then again, maybe she did.
"Okay," she uttered seductively, "I'll do it just this once, but on one condition…"
-x-
The next morning, Lin was amused to find Naru sitting at his desk wearing something slightly different from usual. Instead of the usual black shirt he always wore, he wore a simple white T-shirt emblazoned with the words "To save time later, let's just assume I'm right."
The Chinese man left Naru's office in a hurry, trying desperately not to laugh until the door was safely closed behind him and in doing so, ran into a suspiciously cheerful Mai.