A/C - Thanks for all the love last chapter! Bet you didn't think THAT was going to happen! As for the rating... I always put my stories at 'T' just to cover my butt. HOWEVER... I have been known to change the rating in the stories (usually in a pre-note) if things are going to go beyond what I have fixed it on FF.

Anyway I thought that since we have a little bit of a break from all the serious stuff, let's have a fun little chapter! I've been playing with ideas on how to get this topic out and I think this just came very naturally.

As always, please R/F/F!

Cheers!

Chapter 17 - Safe and Sound

^.^

It had been a couple of days since Naru moved in and it was still bizarre to turn the corner of my living room to see him sitting there.

He had opted to stay on the couch since I only had one bedroom. There was no way he was going to be sleeping in there with me, plus he had brought along boxes from his office. There were papers now scattered over the coffee table as Naru sat on the couch feverishly typing away on his laptop when I turned the corner.

It didn't surprise me that he was already dressed in black slacks and button down shirt as per usual. Actually, it didn't surprise me that Naru wouldn't let me see him in anything other than a perfect image of control.

Or that he was already up and working at 6:30a.m.

"Morning," I greeted him and he looked up from the screen at me. "Want some tea?"

"Yes please," he said, then looked down and continued working.

That was usually how our conversations had gone these last two days because after I made myself breakfast and cleaned up, I immediately left for work.

I often found myself thinking about the implications of this situation: I had just broken up with Lucien literally the night before and now I had another man shacked up in my apartment.

It was still so surreal to me.

At the church, I was glad to be thrown into the tasks of work again. It felt good to be back and I missed the kids. It was a great feeling that they missed me too. While I was cleaning the dinner hall, I noticed a group of three girls who had stayed inside during free-time. They were crowded around a bench and had a chair just outside of the bathroom.

I had known this young, sweet girl to have loved practicing hair-cutting. Her name was Yuki and she had taken to cutting some of the younger girls' hair at the orphanage. She was even gifted with a pair of hair cutting shears and other hair cutting accessories for Christmas. However, Yuki had also began cutting other girls' hair without their consent. Once, in the middle of the night, Yuki had chopped off an older girls long ponytail. That girl cried for days and one of the Sisters had bought her a fake-hair ponytail to make her feel better.

"Yuki," I approached the black-haired teen as she worked around a girl sitting in the chair. "You have a lot of customers today. I hope you got permission to cut their hair this time."

I looked at the girl who had wet hair sitting in the chair and was wrapped with towels.

Yuki smiled, "the girls' asked me to cut it this time, I promise!"

"Miss Mai," another girl, Miri, said. "Are you going to get a haircut too?"

"Well, I wasn't thinking of it." I looked back at Yuki, who was beaming at the suggestion.

Yuki was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh please, Miss Mai!"

"Please!"

"Well...I guess I could. I only want it up to my chin, though. No shorter."

"Done!" Yuki said, excitedly.

She finished up with her current haircut before starting me.

I had to admit but she did a surprisingly nice job on the layers of her first 'client' and I trusted she wouldn't damage my hair more than it already was. I hadn't been able to afford a proper haircut and though my hair was long...it was tanlged, dry and full of split ends. I usually didn't know what to do with it so I pulled it back into a pony tail and secretly wished for short hair again.

I never did get short hair because it reminded me of my SPR days.

Waiting patiently as Yuki worked, I continued cleaning and was called over when she was ready.

Yuki worked methodically, wetting and soaping my hair, then cutting it. She had been watching a lot of YouTube videos that she learned different techniques from, talking about them as she showed me in the bathroom mirror. The other girls gawked in amazement.

When it was done she handed me a small hand-held mirror.

My reflection looked back at me and it was like seeing a ghost.

It still wasn't as short as it was in high school, but was the same length before Naru had left Japan, slightly past my chin. I touched the ends, now soft from the shampoo and the dead ends being cut off.

"Miss Mai?" Yuki asked, nervously, when I didn't say anything. "Do you like it?"

I nodded, looking away from my reflection. There was a hard and burning emotion in the back of my throat and I swallowed it down. "It's beautiful. Thank you, Yuki."

Feeling bad about receiving a free (and surprisingly beautiful) haircut, I gave Yuki the money I had in my wallet. It was going to go towards buying myself some new clothes but somehow a new haircut was even better.

When I got home, Naru was still sitting on the couch with no indication that he had moved at all.

I didn't announce my entrance, nor did I try for small talk.

The pleasantries didn't seem to matter to Naru so I didn't bother with them either.

I moved to the kitchen and started grilling some chicken I had left to defrost in the sink. It was probably the only thing I preferred to eat: chicken, rice and green beans. It also helped that all of those were relatively cheap to buy.

When supper was done I rounded the corner of the living room with two plates, putting them on the table and I opted to sit on the floor, stretching my legs out. Then, I grabbed the remote for the T.V.

"You cut your hair," Naru said from behind me on the couch. Of course he would notice - Naru noticed everything.

"Mhm," I murmured, half distracted by the piece of food in my mouth and trying to find my favorite Taiwanese Drama: Smiling Pasta.

Naru continued to type away on his laptop, not particularly paying attention to the show until he said half way through the episode: "Watching television is proven to make you less intelligent."

I groaned. "Is that a 'thank-you for dinner' I hear?" Then, I turned down the volume. "Besides, this couldn't possibly make me even stupider. It's actually teaching me a different language."

"With subtitles?"

"Is this bothering you?" I looked over at him. He seemed mildly displeased, probably because of the noise of the T.V. and the fact that it was a corny Taiwanese Drama. I didn't care - this was my apartment, so my rules.

Naru hesitated on an answer. "Do you not have a T.V. somewhere else in the apartment?"

"No," I said. "I don't believe in television being in a bedroom."

"I'm going to regret asking," Naru sighed deeply. "Why do you believe there should not be a television in the bedroom?"

"Because, the bedroom is a private place." I turned off the T.V. with the remote, then collected mine and Naru's empty plates. "I feel like it could take away the intimacy. Something that you probably wouldn't understand."

Naru didn't defend this statement. I took it as a relatively good sign that he had even less experience than me when it came to being intimate. I stood with the dishes and made my way to the kitchen when his voice caught me.

"Did you," he struggled for the words. "Break up with Sora-san because of what happened between us?"

I stopped just short of the threshold, looking back at him. Naru watched me as he normally did, with an icy gaze.

This gaze was different - it was assessing. His mouth was pressed into a hard line.

"What do you think happened between us?" Because I had a feeling we had two very different views on the matter. The matter of which we still hadn't talked about in nearly a week.

Naru said, quietly. "I could tell him that there was nothing between us."

I snorted. Of course Naru would refuse to answer that. Oh Heavens, no. To talk about it would mean he would actually have to think about his feelings for once. God forbid he did that.

"I can't be in a relationship when I have feelings for someone else." I said it in simple terms because it was the truth.

I didn't let Naru say anything else, not that he would have anyway, and I quickly moved out of the room.

"Goodnight."

^.^

"Yasu," I groaned, "why are we here?"

By 'here' I meant standing in front of a lingerie store in the shopping district.

I decided that I needed to desperately get out of the house and have a distraction from the tall-handsome, brooding man currently living there. Yasu was happy to help be, said, distraction and decided to come shopping with me. It also meant that Naru wouldn't have had to tag along since he was keeping an eye on this stupid mark on my arm.

Yasu smiled at me when he answered. "We're here because you're home alone with our handsome, mysterious boss. Why wouldn't you want to shop for some appropriate clothing?"

"This is definitely not appropriate clothing!" I eyed the store mannequins which had their 'goods' barely covered. Then, more timidly. "Especially...with Naru."

"Well," Yasu said. "We don't know for sure what makes him tick: think of this as a science experiment. Big Boss can be tough to read, maybe he has a freaky-side in the bedroom."

I choked. "I can't believe you just said that!"

We looked at each other before falling into a fit of laughter about the subject.

No way could Naru be some crazy bedroom freak that Yasu suggested. I doubt Naru even watched any type of indecent shows or movies like that. He was immune to sexuality and pleasure, his pulse probably wouldn't even flicker at the idea of it. He was so jaded by sex that I doubted he would find anyone, let alone me, attractive in this type of stuff.

Not that I was ever thinking about the topic while Naru was living with me - especially since Naru was living with me. It just wasn't right.

When Yasu put his hands on my shoulders, steering me into the store, I groaned again. "Please, let's not do this."

"Oh, just pick one. Then I'll leave you alone. You don't even have to wear it."

I made a face. "Then why pick one at all?"

"To know that you have it. Maybe not to wear, but to know that you have the courage to think about your desires and be honest with your feelings."

Yasu said it in a serious voice, his eyes settling on me and I knew, in his odd way, that he was right. I also didn't want to argue with him.

Nor did I want to admit he was right.

I felt my face get red with the idea of it. No way would anything ever happen between Naru and I like that, not even in my wildest dreams. I ran a hand through my hair as I looked back at Yasu.

"Fine." I said, begrudgingly. His smile returned.

I looked around at all the pretty little lacy things in the store. I couldn't possibly pick anyone of these to walk around the house in. It would be like walking around nude.

Although, I had to admit some of the designs were simply amazing. I certainly did not have the body to strut around in these teeny outfits ...I quietly wished I did.

I also wished Masako was here too. Not that I didn't mind Yasu's company, but I felt like I needed a girlfriend when it came to things like this.

Without putting much thought into it, I grab a tiny baby-blue piece that was on a sale rack and in my size. It was made out of fine silk and white lace decorated the front of the little tank top. Thankfully, the bottoms seemed to be a pair of brief shorts, which would cover a whole lot more than anything else in this store. I didn't try them on. I just walked awkwardly up to the cashier and put them on the counter.

The cashier, who was big-busted and clearly a pro in these kinds of things, looked at me skeptically. "Not going to try it on? It's a final sale."

"No," I replied, reaching for my wallet. "I'll take my chances."

When it was done, and my purchase was wrapped in hot pink wrapping paper and placed in a fancy lace bag, Yasu and I left the store.

There was a moment of silence as we looked at each other before bursting out and laughing.

"I can't believe you did that!" Yasu grinned at me as we walked away from the store.

"I can't believe I did that!" I laughed too.

We continued window-shopping until we grew bored and went for a walk outside of the shopping district. There was a small, manicured park that we weaved through. Eventually, we found a large, elevated concrete slab to sit on and continued talking.

Yasu talked about Law School and the challenges he faced, though I could hardly think of any type of challenge that phased him. He asked me simple questions about what happened on the case, my visions and how I felt about the curse mark. All of which I was honest about. As the evening started to grow chiller, I tightened my jacket around myself.

Yasu's phone chimed and he checked the message, a deep frown setting on his face.

"What's wrong?" I watched as he typed a response then put his phone back down.

"It's just...Masako has been acting strange."

I remember she admitted to liking Yasu to me and I wondered if she was making her move. I didn't say any of this, "What do you mean?"

"Well, she's been really clingy lately. We were hanging out a lot, which is cool, but she...asked me out." Yasu leaned back on his hands. His face was scrunched as if he was thinking about a serious problem. I didn't see the problem with my two friends dating at all, in fact I would be happy for them.

Slowly, I said. "She's kind of into you." I looked over him, his lean frame and handsome face. Yasu was a kind and considerate man. "Can you blame her?"

I really didn't mean to throw my friend under the bus, but he already knew and I figured I wasn't hurting anyone to help edge things along.

"I don't like her like that." He leaned up, wrapping his arms around himself. He closed his eyes, digging his fingertips into his skin. I knew it wasn't because of the cold. "Correction: I can't like her like that."

"Why?"

"Because I prefer men."

For a heartbeat, only silence echoed through me. "Oh! I had no idea! I-I'm curious..all this time, you haven't been into woman at all?"

"I try to keep it to myself." He said, a shy smile on his mouth but it felt sad. "I do find pleasure in both to be honest but I've known since I was little that I preferred men. That I'm...attracted to them more than women." He looked me over once. "I'll spare you the details of it, but woman just don't excite me the same way that a good-looking guy does."

"Yasu.." I reached for his hand, prying it off his arm. I squeezed gently.

He continued. "Masako believes that I've taken other lovers before, and it became a way to keep girls from wondering why - why wouldn't I choose them. I think Masako is wonderful, marvelous. But, you see - it's me."

I swallowed hard. "She won't care. Masako may be a little hurt that you didn't trust her enough but she would never judge you. None of us would, especially me."

A nod and then a sad, hallow, smile. "You're the first person to ever tell me that."

"I'm sorry Yasu."

"It's not you. it's just... been hard. I've never had someone to talk freely about it. My family never really understood. They couldn't even handle hearing about a gay man when it was on a drama-show they watched, what would they think if it were their son? Real old school, my parents. They want a son who will become a big name doctor or lawyer, who will get married to a woman and leave them with a legacy of grandchildren. My parents don't understand that we live in a different time now." He tilted his head back, looking skyward.

"I know you're scared Yasu, but I think that no matter what they will always love you for who you are. You are their son, and a damn good one at that. I think you should give them more credit."

Yasu smiled an empty smile. "Maybe you're right."

I squeezed his hand once more. "You tell them when you're ready. And I'll stand by your side no matter what. Until then your secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone."

There was a pleasant silence before Yasu said, "Thank you."

"I'm happy we can talk like this. It's been a while since I've felt like...I can just sit and talk with a friend." I admitted quietly.

"I don't know the details but I know you fell down a dark path. I could see it in your eyes."

His fingers tightened around mine this time.

This wasn't the time, or the place. Yasu could know my story another time, when I was still certain that darkness wasn't going to come back and swallow me whole.

"I'm back now." I said, looking at him. A smile bloomed on my face as we sat comfortably together. Friends...this is what having a friend felt like, I realized.

"What?" He asked when I couldn't stop the smile from growing wider.

"I was just thinking," I said as I tilted my head towards him. "That whenever you're ready...I was thinking about how much fun I was going to have playing matchmaker for you."

Yasu's answering grin turned almost as bright as the lights in the entirety of Tokyo.

^.^

A/C: I've always wondered what Yasu's sexual orientation might be. Although lots of stories implied it, I had to come to a conclusion myself! I can see him being thrown more to guys over girls. What do you think? Could Yasu be more into guys than girls? I can kinda see him being a little swayed: a little into both but more into guys.

Please review! :)