I don't think I'd ever been so exhausted in my entire life. I thought Naru was a slave-driver, but he was an angel if you compared him to Masako. It had been one menial task after another, and whenever I'd finish, she'd just set me a new one. But at last she was letting me sit down - even if it was only to practice my powers. At least it wasn't washing dishes. I sighed.

"Mai, you have to focus, you know." She told me as she lounged on her sofa. It was just the slightest bit irritating.

"I know." I snapped back, "but I can't help it - my mind just wanders."

"Just do it. This is the way I had to do it too, when I was learning."

Sighing, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, meditating the way that Masako had asked me to. I was supposed to be concentrating on connecting to the spiritual plane, so that it would be easier for me to communicated with the spirits. But so far all I could find was the back of my eyelids. I kept trying, though, and a wave of calm washed over me.

I opened my eyes and I saw the familiar blackness of my dreams. And I saw Gene, surrounded by floating white orbs, grinning down at me. He pulled me to my feet.

"Well done, Mai. I really wasn't expecting you to get it so quickly. You're a real natural." I blinked, staring at him.

"Eh?" He laughed, ruffling my hair, the way that Monk does. He shook his head, still smiling.

"Never you mind. Anyway, do you know how to get back?" My eyes widened and I shook my head.

"No, Masako never told me."

"It's okay - I can tell you" Gene assured me, "All you have to do is think of something in the real world that you care about very deeply. You have to think of that very clearly. That will be your anchor. Got it?" I nodded.

"Right." I was about to do what he said when I stopped to think. "Hey, Gene?" I asked.

"Yeah?" He replied, smirking like his brother.

"How come you haven't really been around whilst I've been at Masako's?"

He looked away from me and I knew that there was something he didn't want me to know, because Naru had the exact same look when he hid things from me.

"I just wanted to make sure you could do this on your own. You can't rely on me for the rest of our life, you know." I figured there was more to his words than he was letting on, but I let it go for now. I'd find out what he meant eventually.

"Right - I'd better get going, then."

Gene nodded, seeming surprised that I hadn't tried to grill him for suggesting he wouldn't be there for me in the future. But he was a spirit, so I knew that he'd have to pass on eventually. I took a deep breath and concentrated on one thing. I don't think I have to tell you who I thought about, do I?

Fine - it was Naru.

When I opened my eyes, they met Masako's, which were staring down at me with a look filled with concern. I blinked, and tried to stand up - and apparently failed. I fell into the strong arms of Masako's butler, who grabbed me before I could land on the ground. He set me down on the couch. I felt completely drained.

"Just sit for a while, Mai. You need rest." Masako scolded, but I could see that she had been worried about me. I nodded, thanking the butler. My head was killing me.

"I feel kind of weird." As I held my head in my hand, Masako nodded understandingly.

"That's only natural. I honestly wasn't expecting you to progress this fast - at the very least, it takes a week. You might just have set a new record. But I should have explained to start with. Please forgive me." She bowed in front of me, and I shook my head.

"It's okay, Masako, really. There's nothing to forgive. Gene filled me in on how to get back, anyway." I assured her. "So… what's next?" Masako stared at me like I'd grown another head. Then she laughed.

"Oh Mai - what's next is we take you home and you get some well-deserved rest. Don't worry about your school - Naru called them already. You can come back on Friday, when you're fully recovered and rested up. The next step will be to defend your mind from the spirits. The last think we need is for you to be possessed by an axe-wielding murderer. But your mind isn't used to this kind of strain, so it's best to let it rest for now. Besides, I know that someone has been missing his tea-slave"

"Yeah, I bet."

"And what if I have?" An irritated voice came from the doorway. "You clearly do not comprehend the beneficial effects of tea on productivity in the workplace." Naru grumbled as he walked into the room. I just had to smile.

"You look tired." Jeez. Stating the obvious much, Naru?

"Yeah, and I feel like a ten tonne elephant is sitting on my head."

"Now you understand how it feels to be deprived of good tea."

"Oh yeah, you're side-splittingly funny." I stood up, and winced as the pain in my head flared up again. His eyes softened as he walked over to me.

"Miss Hara's right, you know. You do need rest." He spoke softly. Before I could protest, he lifted me into his arms and was carrying me.

"Naru! Put me down, I can walk!" I glared at him, but he wouldn't put me down.

"And let you faint again in another minute? No way. I am carrying you and that is the end of it."

He's just worried about you. I was really weak after I used my powers properly for the fist time. Humour him for me, would you? I stopped struggling and let Naru carry me after that. I guess I must have fallen asleep in his arms, because when I woke up, I was lying in my own bed in my apartment. I could smell food cooking, which I thought was strange, so I went to check it out.

What I saw in the kitchen had to be the most shocking and ridiculous sight ever known in the history of man. Standing over the cooker, making soup - chicken soup, it smelled like - was Naru. Naru, of all people! This had to be a dream.

"N…Naru?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. He just bout jumped out of his skin when he saw me.

"Oh, hello Mai." He said when he had recovered himself. I smirked.

"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost. I'm not that pale, am I?" He smiled.

"You just surprised me."

"Why are you making soup?" I asked, still groggy.

"Because I thought you'd be hungry - you've been asleep for about 6 hours." Right on cue, my stomach let out a little growl.

"I guess I could be kinda hungry." I admitted. I watched as Naru poured the soup into two bowls at set them on the table, along with some bread. There was something about the scene of Naru doing any form of housework that just made me want to giggle.

Soon enough, I was full belly laughing until I could hardly breathe.

"Have I missed some sort of inside joke, Mai?" Naru asked with his eyebrow raised. I shook my head and waited until I got my breath back.

"No - it's just I never imagined that you would cook."

"Did you imagine me incapable of feeding myself?"

"No, no. it's just that… it seems like it would be beneath you. You know, like something you'd have servants to do or something." He rolled his eyes and pushed my bowl towards me.

"Just eat it. It's my mother's special recipe."

"Luella's?" I asked. He nodded. I took a spoonful and blew on it, as it was still really hot. It tasted wonderful. I finished the bowl in minutes.

"Wow, Naru! You're an amazing cook! You could be a chef!". He smiled and took the plates to the sink.

"Just leave them there Naru, I'll wash them when I have the time. You don't need to go to all this trouble for me."

When he sat back down, he was staring at me. It made me feel a little uncomfortable.

"You know Mai, you're something else."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"You mastered the first stage in only a few days. I know you don't entirely understand it, but that's a really big deal. And on top of that, there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage that can be caused by rushing the process. You're incredibly resilient." I know he was complimenting me - but did he have to sound all scientific about it?

"Yeah well… Masako said the next stage is blocking spirits out - right?" I asked. Naru nodded.

"Yes. Which will hopefully help to stop spirits from targeting you so frequently." He paused. "Especially those that intend to do you harm."

"Yeah…" I shuddered, thinking of all the spirits that had tried to do just that. I found my hand reaching up to my neck. The Urado case was the first one that I really thought that I was going to die.

Naru walked across the room and held me in his arms. I felt myself going bright red. I mean yeah, we'd kissed a while back - but that felt like forever ago now, and I still wasn't entirely sure where we stood. But here was Naru, holding me in his arms, in my apartment, and somehow, nothing could seem so scary after that. As long as Naru was here, nothing could hurt me.

"Feel better now?" He asked as he looked down at me. His hand brushed some of my hair out of my eyes, and he was smiling at me.

"Yeah… thanks." I managed to say quietly.

"Mai… you know if you ever want to get away from all the spirits and everything, if it ever gets too frightening, I'd understand if you wanted to leave." I shook my head.

"It would find me again anyway. Besides, there's nowhere I'd rather be than at Shibuya Psychic Research, with all my friends, the people I love… with you, Naru. My Oliver Davis."

"I won't leave you Mai, never again." I looked into those beautiful eyes, and I knew he was telling the truth.

"You think you'll be up to coming to work tomorrow?" He asked as I was seeing him out the door.

"Yeah, I should be - why?"

"Good. We may have a small case. A minor haunting. Faint knocking sounds and such. Do you think you'd be up for it?"

"Oh, I think I can manage. After the last case, anything small is welcome." Naru's expression clouded at the mention of that case. I wasn't sure whether he was angry at me for nearly getting myself killed, or at himself for letting it happen.

"Just be at the office at 7am. Monk will be coming as well."

"Hai, Naru."