The day had started off fairly normal. There was nothing to suggest that anything was amiss, and the weather had taken a turn for the better. After a few rainy days, the sun was back to its former glory and was shining across the land.

Okay, I've been watching too many Disney films with Yasu. What sort of internal monologue was that?! Mai thought as she began sorting out some coffee to drag the cobwebs away following the intense research sessions she had endured while drafting her term paper.

The last few months had been wonderfully packed with trips to various places as per the promise the SPR gang had made. True to their promise, the group had done various activities.

Monk had taken them mini-golfing which turned out to be extremely fun. Who knew John could be so competitive?

Ayako had chosen mystery-themed escape rooms. They had split up into two teams, which they agreed would remain for any future activities.

Team 1: Monk, Mai and John.

Team 2: Ayako, Masako and Yasu.

The end result was agreeing to disagree on which team succeeded in escaping first, seeing as how it had been near identical timing. The poor staff member had refused to get involved after seeing the (friendly) rivalry.

John's competitive streak reappeared when they went for a weekend away to a game centre. They had done bowling. This time there was no debating. Team 1 came out victorious, despite Yasu insisting that Monk had distracted him with his beauty, causing a gutter-ball.

Mai, having never gone to such a place, enjoyed the different activities and had even discovered that they had indoor rock-climbing. Masako had sat that particular activity out, as had Ayako. Masako's excuse was due to her outfit, while Asako's was due to a 'perfect manicure'. Unsurprisingly Mai fell more times than the others, although did eventually manage to reach the top.

Masako had taken them to the theatre to watch a musical that she knew Mai would enjoy. Unfortunately this later inspired Yasu to break out into song at the most random of times. She refused to take any responsibility for that outcome.

After the haunted house incident at the fair, the group had forbidden Yasu from doing anything similar again. It was too cheesy and a little too close to the work they had done. This left him with a choice which the group later regretted.

Improv!

Monk turned out to be surprisingly good. Mai's enthusiasm bounced off of Monk and Yasu resulting in some great impressions of two certain men. It had taken a bit of coaxing but eventually Masako, Ayako and John broke out of their shells and joined in, although not quite to the level of enthusiasm held by the other three.

The latest trip had been to one of the festivals. Masako had helped Mai pick out a kimono for the occasion. They all dressed up and enjoyed the different foods and activities on offer. Naturally Yasu took pictures of the group and took individual pictures of everyone.

Without hesitating, he sent the solo picture of Mai to Madoka.

Mai had remained oblivious to the plotting and discussions Yasu frequently held with Madoka (and Lin in the background).

Madoka had later informed him that she had purposefully gushed to Lin about how beautiful Mai looked, which had caught Naru's attention. She had shown Naru the picture and carefully observed his face as he took it in. His eyes had softened while looking at the picture, in a way that they never did with anything not related to Mai.

"She looks beautiful doesn't she?" she had casually asked him. His response surprised her (and Lin). "Yes she does…" And in a quieter voice added, "Although I think she looks even more so when she doesn't try…"

Lin had raised an eyebrow, realising that Naru probably hadn't meant to say that outloud. He discreetly shook his head at Madoka to prevent her from saying anything.

~*~Text Messages~*~*

Yasu: When will he realise what everyone else knows?

Madoka: Everyone other than Mai of course. Even Masako realised she didn't stand a chance with gaining Naru's affections.

Yasu: Well, yeah. Probably didn't help that she was blackmailing him… At least she apologised. Back to the point though. Even Naru knows what Mai feels, even if he doesn't quite believe that her feelings are that strong.

Madoka: We will have to give them discreet nudges but let's see how they behave. We may be surprised at the results if they both stop being dense!

~*~ End of Text Messages ~*~*

It had also included some scattered moments with Naru, although she still assumed it was one-sided pining. She had tried her best to let go of the love she still held for him as it could end up causing issues with the friendship they had built while he was in Japan. As people said, that was easier said than done. She couldn't believe that it was nearly a year since she had last seen him…

She thought back to the previous months that were all filled with small reminders of him…

December

(about 5 months after their departure)

She smiled at the different surroundings as did her usual walk. Each shop was decorated for the festive season. She recalled the previous year that, despite his initial protest, Naru had allowed her to have a small Christmas party in the office.

Unfortunately she had not succeeded in getting him under the mistletoe with Yasu but it was worth a shot. Had she succeeded, Madoka might have even paid a decent amount in order to obtain the evidence. Alas, fate had not been with her that day.

This December however felt entirely different.

Mai had decided to just buy some cards, each uniquely chosen for their recipients, but something compelled her to handcraft a Christmas card for him.

In the weeks leading up to December she had spent a few days crocheting him a scarf in a dark grey colour. It was a relatively simple stitch that she was using but it served the purpose. Despite what the others implied, she had not learned to crochet with the sole purpose of making something for him. What a ridiculous notion, she had thought.

However, one thing she could happily admit to was spending time recreating Naru's special tea blend. She wasn't sure if he had realised that it was a unique blend that only he ever received… She had created it especially for him after a particularly stressful case they had taken.

Dear Naru,

Merry Christmas! I hope you've been well and have remembered to sleep. I've sent you two gifts, both of which I hope you find useful.

The first part of your gift is a scarf that I crocheted. I hope it's long enough so you can adjust it to your preferred style.

The second part of your gift is tea. More specifically it's the tea I crafted for you after one of the horrible cases we had. I remember you relaxing into your cup and decided to make more for future use. It's in the metallic pot. There are specific brewing instructions that I have taped to the bottom of the pot.

I hope you enjoy it.

Yours,

Mai

She was missing him terribly and had longed to put that in her letter but held back, not wanting to overwhelm him or seem clingy.

To her surprise (but nobody else's), she had received a box from him about two days after she had sent hers. It did warm her heart knowing that it wasn't a 'You got me a gift, therefore I have to give one to you out of courtesy' gift.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes lovingly at the fact that the wrapping paper was a dark blue with small stars. She thought, "Madoka must have chosen the wrapping. Surely Naru wouldn't have done this."

As Mai carefully unwrapped the gift, she couldn't hold in her giggle when she saw that it contained what appeared to be a manuscript for a book.

Her eyes were drawn to a christmas card which held the image of two barn owls. Inside was a handwritten note to her from Naru:

Mai,

As you know, I have always valued your input, and hope you can take some time to read through this. You're the only one who has seen this initial draft, so please make sure you don't leave it at the library.

Make sure you stay out of trouble.

Naru

She laughed at how he had managed to compliment and yet lightly insult her all at the same time. Some things never changed.

Mai had truly enjoyed reading the manuscript over the holiday period and had written up notes using her favourite sticky-notes.

February

(7 months after their departure)

Mai paced up and down the flat as Yasu's eyes followed her. After a while he had given up asking what she was thinking and had decided to amuse himself by using the laser light (who cared if it was meant for cats!) to chase her as she walked.

"Mai, snap out of it! Big Boss said to keep you out of trouble and if you continue like this you might end up tripping! Do I need to call Madoka?" Yasu eventually said after 10 more minutes had passed.

Mai suddenly stopped and quite literally face-palmed. "Baka! Yes! I need to speak to Madoka."

She had been in a state of turmoil as to whether she should send Naru a letter and/or chocolate, especially since he wasn't a romantic type of man.

When she eventually reached Madoka, she frantically asked if, for a start, Naru was dating. Mai explained her reasoning, "Well if he isn't dating, would he appreciate chocolate? What could she give him for Valentine's Day without it seeming clingy or weird?"

Madoka was laughing as she replied, "If you're done with his manuscript - which by the way you're the only one who has seen it! - you could always send it back with your feedback. I'm sure that's something he would love. A bar of dark chocolate never goes amiss with him either. I personally think he would only be willing to accept chocolate from you."

D'oh! Of course she hadn't forgotten the manuscript - far from it - but had wondered when to send it back.

After a while of digging through boxes, she had found a sturdy box that could hold the weight of the manuscript plus her notes, with room for some dark chocolate he had taken a liking to in Japan and some more of his special tea.

Madoka received a short video from Yasu which showed Mai running around as she put Naru's Valentine's Day gift together.

It had arrived in time for Valentine's Day. Yasu was delighted when, in turn, Madoka sent him some pictures of Naru as he opened the box.

She had texted, "Enjoy these and don't show them to anyone! Not unless you want us to get killed by him. I had to take them ninja-style so sorry about the weird angles."

Only Naru would crack a smile at the sight of a bundle of papers with sticky-notes scattered throughout. What interested Yasu most was that Naru had a genuine smile when looking at the card sent by Mai, and then when looking at the tea.

March

~*~ Naru's world ~*~

Naru had been in England for nearly 8 months.

Despite his own self-arguments, he had come to accept that the only thing that had kept him from returning to Japan was writing his book, and understanding his own feelings (something Gene kept telling him to try).

Easier said than done.

He had never paid much attention to things like that. It had seemed like a trivial thing that he had always ignored, satisfied that his brother's enthusiasm for 'feelings' was enough to make up for his own lack of.

It had been on his birthday, about two months after his return to England, that he realised he missed the low-key celebration that Mai and the SPR gang had done for him the previous year. Mai had instinctively known that he wouldn't want a fuss made over it, despite not knowing the reasons why.

He hadn't argued with his parents when they insisted on throwing a large birthday event for him with fellow BSPR colleagues. He knew it was their own way of celebrating his return and, despite the circumstances, the return of Gene where he could be laid to rest.

Madoka had not been very subtle when she casually remarked to him about the tradition of White Day in Japan.

He hadn't responded to her, but it had certainly gotten him thinking about whether it would be appropriate to send her anything…

White Day

~*~ Mai's world ~*~

Mai had gifted everyone with the traditional chocolates for Valentine's Day, and was happy that she received things in return, although she didn't automatically expect it.

Yasu had taken over breakfast duty on White Day and had ensured she had a free day to relax. Due to Yasu's personality she often wondered if he had some ulterior motive for what he did…

Mai had been deep in thought and had been startled by the sound of someone knocking on the door. She opened it and was surprised that she had a small package waiting for her, complete with 'signature needed'.

She opened it and was surprised to see a letter from Naru, thanking her for her notes on the manuscript and for the blend. He had also included a beautiful journal which was decorated with Sakurasou and pink Camellia flowers.

His letter had said, in relation to the journal, "You can use this as a dream journal, or something to put the occasional thought into."

When she showed the journal to Masoka, she smiled and said that Naru must have put a lot of thought into it. Mai, being unfamiliar with flower language, simply smiled as she looked down at it.

Masako had encouraged her to take a picture and send it to the group. After some quick research, Yasu found that Masako had been correct in her thinking. The 'Sakurasou' flower was often associated with long-lasting love and the 'pink Camellia' flower was associated with missing someone.

The group wondered if Naru had actually known what he was sending Mai, or if Madoka had played a part in it. To their surprise, it had been Lin who had pointed him in the right direction without giving up the game.

~*~ Time jump to late mid-June ~*~

Due to the busy schedules everyone had been having recently, they had agreed to take a two week holiday and do three trips during that time. Mai had been excluded on this round as she had most recently been in charge of their meet-up.

It turned out that their latest get-together would blow all the others out of the water.

Monk had taken it upon himself to act as an honorary father figure, while Yasu had taken on the role of her honorary brother. As a result, they spoke fairly frequently about Mai's wellbeing.

Monk, along with Yasu, had realised that with Mai's birthday so close and the unavailability for trips the previous two months, a golden opportunity presented itself. The previous year had been spent closing up a case and she had conveniently forgotten to tell anyone. They wouldn't want to pass it up this year.

Yasu had noticed that Mai had been looking a bit blue and he could hazard a guess as to what was the cause behind it - it marked her first birthday without Naru around to make a tea–related comment.

It was with that resolve that Yasu and Monk texted their "secret" chat group, which was made up of themselves, Masako, Ayako, and John. (Mai was fully aware of the text group's existence, although pretended not to know about it as she knew it was where Yasu and Monk planned their crazy schemes.)

When they were all seated at Maidreamin' cafe, Ayako asked "So, care to tell us what crazy plan you've both cooked up? You're acting like a pair of over-excited Golden Retrievers!"

"We need to combine three trips into one massive one. It would be the perfect opportunity to give her an incredible birthday! We've all missed out two bonding trips so let's brainstorm! She's been looking a bit blue."

John spoke up first, "Do you think it's because of Naru? Or lack of him I suppose?"

Masako added that it was possible, considering the gifts they had exchanged. She said to the group, "I'm concerned that he may be stringing her along, perhaps unknowingly. Yasu, you speak with Madoka the most. What's your take on this?"

Without missing a beat Yasu replied, "Big Boss definitely has feelings for her. He's just dense and unsure how to act or proceed. From what I know, he's never been in any sort of relationship, and the only frame of reference he knows is what his brother had been like. Given the fact that Mai is turning 19 in a few weeks and he's 20, he probably doesn't want to use any of the 'techniques' Gene had used when he was 16 or something."

They spent the next few hours debating. Eventually Ayako presented the notes she had been taking.

"So it's agreed. We can start at the mountainside resort and spa to help her unwind after spending so much time studying. John - we like your idea of taking her to 'Shuzenji Niji-no-Sato', although I hope the theming doesn't just make her think of him too much? Monk, Yasu… are you sure you aren't just suggesting this for your own sake?"

Yasu and Monk only looked slightly offended but remained quiet.

Masako spoke up, "I agree with Monk and Yasu. We should surprise her with a trip to Tokyo Disneyland. It's somewhere she has always wanted to visit, and it's a place that hasn't involved Naru. It's a chance for her to make nice memories that will hopefully ease her heartache."

From there they began ironing out more details and eventually reached the conclusion that their Disney trip, which would be the final leg of their journey, should be held the day before Mai's birthday.

John and Masako looked at each other before she asked, "What's your reasoning Yasu? Why not on her birthday?"

He grinned at the group, "Well… a little pink-haired birdy told me that a certain tall man saw Big Boss looking at flower arrangements from some shops located in Japan that did deliveries while looking at his calendar. Specifically July 3rd. I'd hate for Mai to miss a potential delivery."

As they finished their drinks Yasu raised a very valid concern that they had all forgotten to consider. "Hmm… how are we going to get Mai to Disneyland without giving it away? We can't really kidnap her and not give away where we're going." The group all looked at him.

Monk murmured "Oh crap. That's a good point…"