EXT. LAKE, LATE AFTERNOON
SHORTLY AFTER DISCOVERING GENE'S BODY

As Naru walked away, his voice echoed in her head… "Me or Gene?"

Stunned. Confused. She didn't have the correct word to accurately describe the implication behind his question. She remained quiet and watched as Naru walked away from the lake.

Her impulsive side tugged at her, telling her to run after him and say something. A soft voice sounded in her head "Wait". She understood that in that moment what mattered most was understanding his question. How could she respond in a way that only her idiot scientist would understand?

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps approaching and instinctively knew who it was.

He stood next to her and looked onwards in the direction Naru had gone. He remained quiet, as did she. He eventually spoke, "While Eugene was alive.. People often mistook Naru for him, including girls." He looked pointedly at her.

Mai looked up at Lin and remained silent while he continued, "I think I know what your brief conversation with him was about. I'm not one to give out advice, especially on matters like this, but you'll have to be patient and give him some space."

She nodded, understanding what he was trying to say. "Will it be too awkward if I go back with you both in the van? Please let me know if it is. I'm sure I can make my way back…"

Lin smiled briefly and shook his head. "Let's go."

Mai stopped shortly before reaching the van. It was only at that moment that she realised the van they had come in was a 3-seater. It didn't occur to her that she would have to sit next to Naru, whether in the middle seat, or the window seat. She had never had to think about it before, up until this point. She pondered this, realising the implications of being so close to him, not wanting to cause him discomfort, and reluctant to put them in an awkward silence.

She straightened her shoulders and as she came up to the van, she could see the rear doors open, and Naru sitting with his eyes closed. A memory surfaced from one of their earlier cases, where he had been in a similar position. Closing her eyes briefly, she smiled at their light banter (and dare she say it, flirting), and how peaceful he had looked.

She reopened her eyes, finding indigo eyes locked onto hers. How long had he been looking at her?

She kept his gaze briefly before slowly looking down. His eyes were one of the things that had struck her the most as beautiful. They had always reminded her of the open ocean and how much life was in it once you looked past the dark shade and mystery behind them.

As she became briefly lost in thought, her smile remained as she thought about the slight differences to Gene's eyes. While they were identical on a superficial level, she came to realise that Naru's were quite different to Gene's. Gene's eyes had always held either a smile or concern, as was the hardship of being her spirit guide. Naru's eyes were hard as steel & cold as the artic ocean. However once she looked past that, she had seen kindness and caring in them, even if he hid it well. When he teased her, ordered tea, and comforted her if she was afraid. It was in that moment that her mind confirmed what her heart already knew.

She had grown to love his brother in a platonic way, and always would. He had saved her countless times and had guided her through some of the hardest moments of her life. At the end of the day though, it was Naru, her beloved Narcissist, that she loved. All of the small things that he did for her, things that perhaps he didn't realise he was doing, that had sparked her love for him.

A million thoughts ran through her mind, but remained quiet for a moment before slowly approaching him. "I'm sorry that I made you uncomfortable with what I said to you earlier." Naru remained silent, simply observing her.

She hesitated before asking him the same thing she had asked Lin, "Are you okay with me riding back with you and Lin?"

Naru gave her one of his rare smiles before getting up, closing the van doors. He approached her and lightly put his hand on her shoulder, guiding her towards the passenger door of the van.

Lin walked to the other side of the van before getting into the driver's side. He looked at Mai and motioned for her to take the middle seat. She nodded and got in, followed by Naru.

Despite his question to her, Me or Gene? , she couldn't stop feeling nervous as she felt his shoulder slightly press on hers as he adjusted his seatbelt. She willed herself to calm down and reduce the blush that had begun to appear. Now was not the time to appear flustered, she told herself, and briefly caught Lin's eyes which held a sad smile.

As the car began to move, Lin said to them "The journey back will take about three hours, depending on traffic."

Naru kept his gaze in front of him, replying in a monotone voice, "That's fine. I expect we will be followed for most of the journey, at least until the turn-off for the morgue."

Mai turned her head and looked at him, a feather of a touch on arm and not expecting to catch his eye.

"I'm sorry your journey here has ended like this…"

She trailed off, not knowing how to voice her sorrow over Gene and the state he had been found in. She didn't expect a response from him, and as expected, received none.

Mai felt her energy levels slowly crashing, and began to doze off. She eventually fell asleep, completely unaware that her head had fallen forward. Naru looked at her as she slept, and gently positioned her head on his shoulder in an effort to make her more comfortable.

The movement slightly woke her up, only enough to realise what he had done. She sighed quietly and closed her eyes once more.

Naru looked down as he heard a sigh, but saw no further movement nor heard any further sounds from her, other than her breathing as she slept.

He willed himself to ignore the feelings that were beginning to flutter, and stared onwards as they made their journey back to Shibuya.