Mai lay curled up on the bed in the bedroom that Luella and Martin had given her during the visit. She brought her knees up even tighter against her chest as she tried to suppress her tears. She gave a shuttering sigh. She didn't know why she was so upset, it wasn't like there was anything new about the way Naru was acting. Perhaps it was because of the cold way he had refused her tea.
'He wouldn't even look at me when he came in. He refused all my attempts to give him tea. Does he hate me?' Mai questioned herself as she tried to control her emotions. It didn't work as she felt the moisture trailing down the sides of her face. She turned and buried her face into her pillow as the tears continued to spill and she tried to muffle her sobs. She didn't notice when the door opened but she jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She felt her eyes widen as she saw that it was Masako sitting beside her on the bed.
"Are you alright?" Masako asked. Mai blinked her wet eyes. Everyone else had been asking her that and she had lied, telling them she was okay. But she found that she was tired of lying. She shook her head and tried to wiped her tears away as Masako moved so that she could sit up.
"He's an idiot." Masako suddenly said. Mai blinked in surprise. "He doesn't see what's right in front of him. I knew he was never interested in me. I knew it was because of you even if he didn't realize. It wasn't hard to see that he was thinking about someone else when we went on dates.
"After his identity was revealed I thought he would go after you and that bothered me. I still cared for him, or at least I thought I did. Until he left and I saw how...un-Mai like you were." she paused and Mai watched her with stunned eyes. "If he can't see what's in front of him he doesn't deserve you, Mai."
"Thanks, Masako. But...my heart can't let him go. I've tried. Believe me, have I tried. But then I look at him and realize I can't live without him." Mai whispered as she wiped her tears away. Masako reached out and touched her shoulder.
"But are you happy, Mai? Are you happy with how he's treating you?" Masako asked softly. Mai wiped her eyes before looking down at her hand that had fallen to her lap.
"No. But...I can't let him go." Mai whispered. Masako hugged her tightly and Mai returned it.
"Then I hope he will see the great person that is waiting for him to open his eyes." Masako told her before she left the room. Mai watched her go with a thankful smile.
'Thank you, Masako.' she thought before she fell back down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling.
Naru was staring up at his bedroom ceiling. He knew that he had made Mai cry and he knew his mother was beyond angry with him. As was everyone else. He gave a soft sigh before sitting up from where he had been laying on his bed. He closed his eyes as he tried to block the image of a crying Mai from his mind.
He knew that he had hurt her. But he didn't want to let her get any closer than she already was. He didn't want to think about it. He knew if he let her get any closer that one of them could get hurt. He knew what happened when a person let someone to close. If something happened to them, it would hurt the person who's heart they had infested with their bright personality.
'I can't let her get any closer.' he told himself as he climbed off his bed and went to his desk. He began to read one of his many books but didn't really comprehend what he was reading. 'I won't let her get any closer. I've let myself slack on my work and research. It stops now.'
He coolly continued to read his book, trying his hardest to ignore the guilt that was at the back of his mind. He felt Gene trying to contact him and he immediately blocked the connection. The last person that he wanted to talk to was Gene. He didn't need to hear what his brother thought of him.
'It's over.' he thought and for some reason he felt as though something in him had cracked.
"Is there anything in particular you want for your birthday?" Luella asked Mai the next day at the office. Mai looked away from Naru where he was talking to another researcher at the company. She looked at Luella with a gentle smile.
"Not really. Just celebrating it with my friends is enough." Mai told her. Luella had noticed the look that Mai had been given Naru and she gave a soft sigh. She didn't know what was wrong with her son. Mai was a wonderful girl and obviously cared for him deeply. And he was being a dork.
"That is absolutely no help, you know that, right?" Luella told her. Mai gave a small giggle before disappearing into Madoka's office, where she started taking refuge whenever Naru exited his office. Luella raised an eyebrow at her son as the other researcher disappeared into his own office.
"What is going on between you and Mai?" Luella asked her son. She saw him narrow his eyes before he turned and started back to his office. He wasn't surprised when his mother blocked his path. "Answer. Now." she said in her 'don't-argue-with-me-young-man' voice.
"Mother, it's nothing." he told her before stepping around her. He was once again unsurprised when she followed him into his office and shut the door behind her firmly. He took his seat behind his desk and looked up at his mother as she stood before him with an angry look on her face.
"That didn't sound like a 'nothing' to me, Naru! Mai has been...not herself for the past few days and when you refused tea the other day she looked as though you had ripped her heart out." Luella told him. He looked away and she knew that was a sign of guilt from her son.
"Mother, I have work to do." he told her. She didn't move, instead she slammed her hand down on his desk and he looked at her startled.
"You cannot act like this just because Gene isn't here! Ever since he died you have been unbelievable. You can't treat Mai like that!" Luella told him. Naru sighed heavily before gritting his teeth as he tried to bite back the phlegm that was rising in the back of his throat.
"Once you get close to someone you open yourself to being hurt." he told her. She rolled her eyes before straightening back up and looking down her nose at him. She had tears in her eyes and Naru realized that he may have pushed to far.
"Everyone that has anyone has opened themselves up to a degree. Maybe it is better for her to care for Gene. He isn't afraid of letting her know how he feels. Even though Gene undoubtedly knows how much she means to you." Luella paused before shaking her head at him.
"What would you have done if Mai had died? Do you realize that the doctors were only giving her a fifteen percentage of living after being hit by that car? They may not have told you but your father called. He knew the doctor that performed the surgery and asked him to not tell you the truth. Now I wish he had. Just so you would understand how close you came to truly losing her." Luella told him. She saw his eyes widen and she shook her head.
"You think about that, Oliver Davis. Because you don't realize how close you are to losing her forever without a car hitting her." Luella turned on her heel and left her son's office. She saw that Madoka was in the main room and was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Luella huffed angrily.
"I could hear you in my office." Madoka said as she began to prepare a bottle for Deshi as Mai was currently watching him.
"Well, I hope I got through that thick head of his. But apparently no one else has been able to." Luella said as she sat down on the couch. Madoka disappeared into her office with the bottle before coming back out and making sure to close her door.
"Hopefully so. I don't think Mai comprehended what you were saying, she was preoccupied with Deshi. I think that right now he's the only source of comfort she has. I've tried but it seems the only time she's really happy is when she's with Deshi." Madoka said softly. Luella nodded in agreement.
"I wish there was something else we could do. I mean...her birthday is only a month away and she's depressed. I don't know what to do that I could make this up to her by forcing her to stay here for her birthday." Luella whispered. Madoka blinked before a thought struck her.
"Hey, I've got an idea! Antoinette called me and told me that the boat was getting ready to open and they were having a big party. It's on Mai's birthday! What if I call her and see if she can set it up so that we can celebrate Mai's birthday then as well?" Madoka said bright. Luella thought before nodding in agreement.
"Right!" the woman didn't seem to be as depressed as she had been. Madoka was grateful and she knew Antoinette would do as she asked.
"Masako, John, we have been waiting for hours! Where have you been?!" Ayako demanded as the two joined them in front of the shopping center where they had agreed to meet. They had agreed that they would buy Mai a big present from the whole group.
"Sorry, I was in confession." John said and Masako gave a gentle smile.
"I stopped by the SPR office and was caught up playing with Deshi and I lost track of time. I met John outside the church so we came together." Masako said and the others rolled their eyes.
"Alright, Yasuhara has once again gotten lost in the SPR library. I'm convinced he has a bed there so he doesn't have to go home. So, it's the four of us. He did give me money to help with the present. So, should we split up into groups of two?" Takigawa asked as they all entered the mall.
"We'll take the bottom floor." John said with a smile as he motioned between him and Masako. The two left the rest of the group and quietly made their way through the mall before they entered a picture frame store. Masako found it odd that there was such a thing actually existed.
"A picture frame doesn't seem like very much." Masako told John as she examined one. John nodded in agreement. Masako looked up at him and bit her lip as she wondered if she should ask him. He wasn't dressed in his cassock and that made her wonder what he was doing in confession if he wasn't guiding others.
"No, not for Mai. She's always so hyper and happy. I think she needs something that reflects her personality." John said. Masako nodded in agreement before she turned to look at him with her dark eyes. He blinked at the gaze wondering what was on the medium's mind.
"John, I'm sorry if this sounds nosey. But...what were you really doing at the church?" she whispered softly. He sighed before steering her out of the store and they sat down on a bench.
"I was leaving the priesthood." he told her. He heard her gasp and he looked at her and saw that her hands were over her mouth. He watched as she blinked back tears.
"John, I told you to not do that. You love your job." she whispered softly. He laughed before gently taking her hand.
"I'm quitting the priesthood, not leaving the church. I spoke to my mentor at the Vatican. I spent three days praying and the Lord spoke to me. He told me to follow my heart. I told Him that my heart lay with Him. He told me that thought my heart lay with Him, that I couldn't serve Him to my fullest unless I did what could make me happy." he whispered and Masako shook her head.
"But serving Him is what makes you happy!" Masako whispered. "I'm not as important as that."
"According to Him you are. I talked to my mentor and I have been moved to Catholic minister." he told her and she blinked in surprise. What did that mean? "A Catholic minister resides over the church that he is assigned. The difference between the minister and the starting point of what we call the Catholic ladder is that a minister cannot be promoted. Nor does he have to take a vow of celibacy."
"So...what? I...I don't understand, John." she whispered softly as she felt the tears starting down her cheeks. She heard what he was saying but she wasn't really comprehending what he was saying.
"It means that I can be with you. It means that...that I care for you, Masako." he whispered. Masako gulped before she threw her arms around his neck and he blinked in surprise as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"That...is...the...sweetest thing...anyone's done...for me." she sobbed into his shoulder and he patted her back gently. He closed his eyes in prayer as the girl sobbed into his shoulder.
'Thank you, Lord, for knowing my heart when even I couldn't understand it. Amen.' he prayed silently before Masako pulled away from him. He smiled at her before helping her up and they continued shopping.
Mai held Deshi up by his armpits. The way she was holding him made his cheeks bulge as he blinked at her owlishly. Undoubtedly wondering why she was holding him so oddly. She gave a soft laugh at the look on his face before moving him so that he was laying in her arms like a normal baby.
"You're the only one that hasn't asked me if I'm okay. And if you do, I'm enrolling you in school now." Mai told him. The baby blew a spit bubble in response and it popped causing him to laugh in delight. Mai shook her head before wiping the spit off his chin with his bib and he giggled even louder.
"You're a sly one, aren't you? Just like your daddy." Mai told him and he giggled in delight. Mai looked up as the door to Madoka's office opened once more and Lin entered with Deshi's baby carrier in hand.
"Madoka's getting his toys together." Lin told her. She took the baby over to the carrier and handed him over to his father. Lin put him in the carrier and latched him in. The baby began to cry as he realized his bear wasn't with him.
"Oh, where is that bear?" Mai said as he continued to scream bloody murder. She found the bear under Madoka's desk and quickly put it in his carrier and he clutched at the bear's head and closed his eyes and fell asleep.
"Sometimes he is the easiest person to put to sleep. Other times he'll fight it tooth and nail." Lin said as he carefully picked the carrier up and Mai followed him out with a smile.
"If he had a tooth, that is." Mai said brightly. Lin chuckled before nodding in agreement. After Madoka had everything packed they made their way out of the office, everyone else was already gone. Mai had refused to go with Naru, saying that she needed to stay and watch Deshi. Almost everyone knew that it was because she was tired of his cold attitude towards her, he hadn't really asked if she was coming. He had walked out of his office, pulled his coat on, and looked at her to see if she was coming or not. No words were spoke.
"Since Deshi is asleep, can we stop at the apartment first? Do you mind, Mai?" Madoka asked. Mai shook her head with a smile. As they got to the vehicle she climbed into the passenger's seat as Madoka wanted to sit in the back with the sleeping Deshi. They rode in the quiet and stopped at the apartment where they dropped Madoka and Deshi off before Lin took off for the Davis residence.
"Mai, if Noll becomes unbearable, you are more than welcome to stay with Madoka and myself. She enjoys that you're so good with Deshi." he told her and she nodded as she looked out the window.
"I couldn't invade your home again. Besides, you have a family that you have to think of." Mai told him as he turned outside of London and began down the long road that would take them to the turn off for the Davis house.
"You are part of our family, Mai. Like I said before, you are more than welcome to stay with us. I lived with Noll for seven years before moving out and even then I spent most of my time around him." he told her. She gave a small giggle before turning to look at him with a smile.
"Thank you, Lin-san." she told him and he nodded while keeping his eyes on the road. She turned her attention back to the scenery passing them by. She watched as he pulled up to the house and when she was about to get out she felt Lin press something into her hand and she looked at him. He smiled at her.
"That's our new phone number. Call us if you need anything." he told her. She smiled and nodded before she made her way into the house. She saw that everyone else was in the living room and she joined them, taking a seat beside Takigawa.
"Did you ever get Deshi down for a nap?" Masako asked and Mai shook her head with a laugh.
"No, but he went out like a light bulb before we left the office. I think the office is still so new to him that he doesn't want to miss anything." Mai said with a smile.
"He's such a cute baby." Ayako said.
"Lin-san and Madoka-san make very good parents." John said with his trademark smile in place. Mai noticed that he had an arm casually draped around Masako's shoulder and the girl wasn't trying to protest. Mai frowned in confusion. What was going on?
"And they will continue to grow as parents as Deshi grows." Takigawa agreed and Mai nodded. He was right. She knew that because of Lin and Madoka that Deshi would grow up to be a strong man.
"I'm tired. I'm going to go on to bed." Masako said as she stood up. Mai watched as everyone else left except for John. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"What's going on?" she asked and John gave her a smile as he stood up, ready to retire himself.
"The Lord and I talked things out. Your support was a big help." he told her before leaving the room. Mai managed to give a soft smile before it turned into a sad look.
'At least someone appreciates me.' she couldn't help but think.
I did some research on what John did. It is possible for an exorcist or priest to change their way of serving Him. Some will change because of marriage, although it is rarely allowed. John is ranked high enough that he is able to make the decision by himself whether or not he want to be a Catholic minister, a person who takes care of a Catholic church. I was curious and did the research and when I saw that was possible, John popped into my head as did Masako.