Disclaimer: I don't own Naru or Yasu or Monk or the little ball of fiery named Mai

Chapter 25: Consolation

Mai's POV:

"I feel like a Barbie doll," I told Naru while we were in the van on the way to Hokkaido.

"And I feel like a Ken doll, so I guess that makes us even," he said with a smile, only small enough for me to see.

I grinned. "Aren't we supposed to be the ones to put together the wedding? They're not even allowing us to do anything! They've only been making us pick things out of the stuff they've decided that we might like. The other day, did they tie your hands behind your back and do the fitting?" I asked, glaring over my shoulder at Ayako.

She grinned back as Naru answered, "Yes, they did. They even tied my feet together." He glared back over his shoulder at Monk and Yasu. Yasu poked his head between Lin's and mine.

"Aw, come on you guys. We just want to see what you guys look like naked before we never get the chance again," he whined, grinning at us.

"Oh my good lord, Yasu! You pervert!" I cried, following him into the back as he backed away. A deep was covering my face. I was leaning over top of him with my fist raised when my phone started ringing.

Why do I always get calls when I'm on my way to cases?

Monk plucked the cell phone out of my skirt pocket, sliding it open. Yasu restrained me as Monk pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello?" he asked in horrible English. I hope he doesn't saying anything further then hello.

"No speak Japanese," he answered whoever was on the other line. His English was so painfully horrible that I cringed at its sound.

"Monk, give me my phone!" I screamed, but Yasu still had my arms. I kicked around wildly.

I kicked my leg out to the side, nailing Monk. Good thing he already had a son. He dropped the phone to the floor with a groan. "Yasu, if you ever want to have children you'll let me go," I threatened dangerously.

He gave me an impish grin. "No need."

I stared at him incredulously. "Then think about November. Don't you think she'll want to have a baby someday?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Why do you think she decided to not come on this case and stay home? She didn't just spontaneously get bored with us," he asked, grin still plastered on his face. There was a long silence.

My jaw dropped. "What the hell, Yasu? You two are worse then Naru and me! At least we had been dating for several years prior! You just started dating two months ago!" I cried before elbowing him in the crotch, "Oh, congratulations on the pregnancy by the way."

Yasu let me go, curling in on himself. I snatched up my phone from the floor and scrambled over the seat to plop back down between Naru and Lin. "Hello?" I asked quickly, pressing the phone to my ear.

"Darling," my editors voice said through the phone, "Why is it that I always call in the middle of the weirdest conversations?" Naru's neck nearly snapped as his head swiveled around to glare at the phone I held because my editor sounds like the manly man that her husband will never be.

"Why do you keep calling when I'm on my way to cases?" I countered, twisting a lock of hair around my finger, "Was there going to be a specific reason to this call?"

"Well, anyway, where are you?" she asked curtly, ignoring my questions altogether.

"Heading to Hokkaido for a case," I said, my voice sounding bored.

There was silence and then she burst out in laughter. "Oh, that's perfect! There's an interview up there for you!" She rattled of an address. I repeated it quickly, pointedly looking at Naru who scrawled it down. "See you there in a week!"

"What? No! I'm on a case!" I cried as the line went dead. I slid my phone shut and glared at it. "I swear, it's like talking to a brick wall. I hate my publisher at this moment in time."

"Serves you right!" Yasu and Monk gasped painfully from the back.

…..

Konoka Shimizu-the woman who had come to our office two days ago-stood in front of a large, old structure. A house, I presumed. It wasn't as big as the Phantomhive Manor, but for a house it was big.

I guess you need a large house when supporting 100 kids.

"Miss Shimizu, has everything been fine?" I asked as Naru and I walked up. Her face was solemn and she was holding a sobbing child against her shoulder. "Why is this little one crying?" I asked, rubbing the little girl's back, feeling the hitching sobs.

Konoka looked at me sadly. "Her twin brother disappeared this morning," she said, passing me the small child as she reached her arms out for me.

I cradled her against my shoulder like Konoka had been doing, still rubbing her back. "Please, onee-san, save my brother," the little girl sobbed into my shirt.

I turned to Naru with pleading eyes. He came up behind me and smoothed the hair back from her red face. "I promise we will get your twin back to you. It's all going to be fine," he said with a soothing tone.

"See, it's going to be fine. How 'bout you be a big girl and stop crying for your brother? I'm sure he'd be sad to know that you were crying would he?" I asked her sweetly.

She shook her head. Slowly, her sobs turned to hiccups. "That's a good girl. Everything is going to be alright. Onee-san and onii-san pinky promise," I told her with my trademark smile.

"Pinky promise?" she asked a little doubtfully, leaning back in my arms with her pinky outstretched.

"Pinky promise," Naru and I said in unison, hooking our pinkies around her's. The rest of the group finally reached us, carrying boxes and monitors as I set the girl down.

"I love you, onee-san, onii-san! Thank you!" she cried, wrapping her arms around our legs.

"What just happened?" Yasu asked, perplexed like the rest of the SPR team. Naru had his mask back in place so I doubted they would ever find out.

Konoka laughed a little. "Thank you, Mr. Shibuya, Ms. Taniyama. Your base is this way," she said and led the way into the house with Naru and me playing a three-legged walk as the little girl kept us connected hip-to-hip.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I wrote it while camping so that's why it took me so long to get this one up. Here are the results so far for the next fanfic I'm going to write:

Ghost Hunt - 6

Code Geass - 1

Gakuen Alice - 3

Seikon no Qwaser - 1

Millennium Snow - 0

Harry Potter - 1

If you haven't voted yet then get to it! :D Next chapter I'll be announcing which order I'll be writing them in. Review please! It boosts my confidence! And thanks to all of you who have reviewed!