Hey hey! It's been a while, so I'll save my griping for the end note. *sweats nervously* You lovely duckies just scroll on down~

Chapter 8

Playing the Fool

"Hey… Kuroko, are you sure you're okay with this?"

The small bluenet gave a slight nod of affirmation. "I'm fine if it's with you, Kagami-kun."

"No, I know that, but won't it hurt when we…?"

"Let's deal with it when we get there."

Kagami locked eyes with the Phantom, crimson riddled with concern meeting nonchalant sky blue. "But we should seriously give this more thought. Coach'll have our heads if she found out we were skipping practice to—"

Kuroko shot his Light a pleading stare, pouting slightly. The ace hissed and turned his head; the Shadow knew fully well that he was weak to that kind of expression.

"I'm sure she'll understand if we explain. For now—"

"Can't we do this tomo—"

"No, Kagami-kun, we're doing this now."

The redhead admitted defeat and heaved a sigh. "Alright, Kuroko. Before we do this, I only have one thing to ask: why did you decide to take Naoya sightseeing on a Friday?!"

"There's less traffic than if we go with the weekend crowds," he deadpanned. "Plus, you won't get in trouble for the English homework you didn't do." Kuroko zipped up the jacket he was wearing and padded off through the hallways of Kagami's apartment to get Naoya.

"That's beside the point!" Kagami called after him. "Won't it look suspicious if all three of us are gone the day after Naoya starts?"

The bluenet gave no answer, leaving his Light to follow him. "Kuroko, did you hear me?"

"It'll be fine, Kagami-kun. No one will notice." The redhead scoffed.

"You they won't, Invisible Man, but what about the weird foreigner and the new guy? They'll notice that."

"Naoya-kun already confirmed that the two of you are related, so I doubt they'll cause you too much trouble on that account."

Kagami groaned and headed back to the main entrance. He pulled on his shoes and started to lace up, deciding that arguing with his partner would lead nowhere. The bluenet was extremely stubborn about the oddest things. Making final adjustments to the collar of his own jacket, Kagami stood up and let out a deep breath; in retrospect, Kuroko was probably right about everything. And it wasn't like they actually did anything on the last day before spring break. If anything of importance happened, the ace was sure it would travel through the grapevine.

The bluenet emerged from the hallway with Naoya at his heels, both sets of cerulean eyes sparkling brightly in anticipation of the day to come. At once, the will to fight died inside Kagami; he couldn't really do anything about the situation at hand when they looked so happy.

"I just can't win," Kagami whined mockingly. "So where are we headed?"

"Ask Naoya," the Phantom redirected.

The boy in question pointed to himself in disbelief. Kagami looked back to Kuroko far a reason as to why their son didn't know what was going on.

"Today is Naoya's day, so we do what he wants."

The redhead considered the notion and replied, "Alright, but no slave-driving, Naoya."

The reality-jumper seemed to still be in shock and began to jitter with excitement. "Really? Whatever I want?" he asked the both of them. His lit-up cerulean eyes turned to his mother for the final ruling.

"Within reasonable legal and monetary boundaries, yes."

"I CHOOSE THE AMUSEMENT PARK!" Naoya burst. Amending his volume level, he repeated, "Let's go to the amusement park."

Kagami nodded, taking the lead out the door. "Amusement parks over English any day," he mumbled.

To hell with beating the weekend crowds, Kuroko! the ace cursed mentally. The underground train station platform was absolutely teeming with other individuals; businessmen and -women, the elderly, and other teenagers (who seemed to be skipping the last day of school as well) were all crammed into the ridiculously tiny space, pushing and shoving for just a little leeway. They were still so far from the front of the platform that Kagami had to hold back a biting remark. Waiting there would take hours, and he didn't want to waste their bonding time cooped up with people they didn't know.

He heaved a sigh; it wasn't like he was a stranger to these kinds of crowds, it was just that he hated dealing with them. What choice did he have, really? They couldn't just waltz into the tangle expecting a pathway to magically appear, and they couldn't simply meet up at the front lines. His son and the mother of his child weren't exposed to this kind of passive-aggressive swarm.

Kagami shook off the thought before it could manifest as embarrassment and plunged into the fray, forcing a new path on his own. Gripping Naoya's and Kuroko's hands, he plowed through the bodies and demanded passage for the three of them through glares. Being a tall, "scary" foreigner certainly had its advantages at times.

They progressed through to the front of the platform, dangerously close to the safety line. The ace put out his arms so as to keep Naoya and Kuroko from being heaved over onto the tracks.

Perhaps that would be the end of their problems.

The train pulled up and came to a stop and let two agonizing seconds pass before the doors slid open. Unfortunately, the masses surged forward with renewed, frantic energy, threatening to topple the trio where they stood. The redhead had to dig his heels into the ground to ensure that Kuroko and Naoya were safely within reach and that they wouldn't get trampled into oblivion in the midst of the stampede.

After about five seconds of indecisive protection, the ace gave up the endeavor and hurtled the three of them along with the flow of the rush; if he kept up the passive-protective act, they wouldn't get anywhere. Hell, they'd probably still be at the base of the stairs.

Luckily, they made it in time for the doors to shuttle closed, leaving a still growing amount of disappointed travelers shuffling idly on the platform. Unluckily, the enclosed space within the train made them feel more jam-packed than they had been before. Pressing up flush against another person was inevitable in the too-tiny compartment. Everyone aboard seemed to need more space, resulting in constant grumbling and elbowing and insincere "sorry"s.

Scowling at the pushiness of the mob, Kagami quickly ushered Kuroko's lithe body between himself and the doors they were squished against. He was worried that he'd lose sight of the smaller player or that he'd get swept away with the one-track mind of the streaming bodies. Naoya was bigger than the bluenet anyway and actually looked pretty stoked be in such a large crush of bodies.

The maroon-haired teen swept his cornwall eyes over the crowd, taking in the different colors and backgrounds and people gathered in the enclosed space. His self-contained merriment made him appear rather like a puppy ready to explore his world than a troubled teenage boy with a complicated past. So he was enjoying himself thus far. The thought softened the scowl on the ace's face, allowing a grin to take its place.

A sudden flash distracted him from the feeling of accomplishment.

Whipping his head to the source of the sudden blinding light, Kagami found Kuroko standing underneath him with a camera in his hands. Large baby blues looked up at him innocently. It wasn't like he'd done anything wrong.

"Kagami-kun had a rare sort of smile. Good thing I caught it on camera."

The ace grumbled and the grimace returned to his features. He leaned down to the Shadow's ear, not wanting to strain his voice. "Don't waste pictures on me. Delete that and save the memory for Naoya." Kagami stood up and took in the pout that the Miracle gave him.

"It's my camera and I can take pictures as I wish, Kagami-kun. Perhaps you're embarrassed?" he teased.

Kagami lowered his head to Kuroko's level a second time and growled, "Fine, but stop making that face, Kuroko! You know I can't—"

The train lurched and swayed abruptly, causing most (if not all) the passengers aboard lose their balance. The masses fell to the side where the pair was having their conversation, pressuring the collective weight onto them. Kagami had to react in such a short amount of time that he wasn't able to support himself well enough; his legs struggled to hold up his own body and maintain balance, forcing him to straddle Kuroko with his knees against the surface of the doors. His arms were on either side of the short Shadow, shielding him from the others who had fallen into the sudden loss of balance.

But Kagami simply couldn't handle all the weight, as much as he tried to. His body was crushed against what felt like everyone on the stupid train and there was practically no fresh air. At once, he felt two sensations coursing through his veins: the first was searing pain, a product of having his head slammed against the firm, sturdy plexi-glass windows of the locomotive.

The second was by far smaller, gentler, and not as all unpleasant, but its effects had greater repercussions overall. A light touch of something warm and soft caressed the skin of his throat, near his jugular, and he knew exactly what it was.

Kuroko had—though entirely on accident—kissed his neck.

Without waiting for a bit of elbow room, Kagami immediately pushed hard against the doors to put distance between him and the Miracle. The two of them didn't attempt to make eye contact. Kuroko busied himself with checking his camera, which looked fine. Kagami started to admire the scenery beyond the windows. And though the bluenet continued on with his poker face, the light blush on his cheeks told a different story. The ace shuffled in place so that he faced away from the Phantom, too unsure of how to confront what had just happened.

Naoya turned his azure eyes over to his parents, locating them so he could express his excitement about being jolted around on a train ride, but he found them awkwardly standing and avoiding each other. His mom kept sliding a tentative thumb over his lips under the guise of rubbing his nose and there was a flushed, slightly pink patch of skin on his dad's neck. The reality-jumper grinned victoriously to himself, stifling the urge to laugh outrageously. Something had happened, that much he knew, and now they were on their way to a blooming relationship.

An idea pounded itself into his head and planted its roots. Maybe he could set them up so they had to talk to each other...

The devious smirk on his face grew. It was a good thing he chose to go to the amusement park.

He pulled an obsidian phone from his pocket and began a fresh message.

After an hour and fifteen minutes of suffocating silence between the two of the Seirin players, they stepped off at the platform for the amusement park. The good news was that the place wasn't at all crowded. Fare was cheap because it was out of season, just about every line had a wait time of only ten minutes, and food was reasonably priced (as odd as that was).

The downside was that the park was restricted to families, especially those with small children, and couples.

How were three teenage boys supposed to get in?

Before they could discuss a plan, Naoya said "Please wait here" then dashed forward and engaged in an animated conversation with the girl at the ticket counter. He spoke with such enthusiasm and used hand gestures that made discerning what they were talking about impossible. At first, she tossed her dark brunette hair flippantly, uninterested, but then changed her demeanor entirely. Suddenly she was all nods and grins, caught up in the dark redhead's fast pace.

"What do you think he's doing?" Kagami asked, not daring to meet the Phantom's eyes.

"I don't know," admitted Kuroko. "But it's working, apparently."

Naoya waved them over enthusiastically. The smile he wore was contagious, finding home on both the Shadow's and the Light's faces. The Seirin duo shared a look, agreeing wordlessly that what had happened on the train was not to be spoken of. They went silently to the counter and allowed their wrists to be tagged by the employee. She gave them a knowing smile (though what she knew was unknown to them) and let the three of them enter. The girl gave a soft, encouraging smile.

The next few hours were filled with what was to be expected on a trip to the amusement park. Naoya bounded from ride to ride with the eagerness of a five-year-old child, always sprinting to the next most exciting (read: colorful) attraction.

What the pair failed to notice was that every ride they went on were two-seaters. Even the roller coasters—a desperate last-ditch attempt by Naoya to bring his parents closer together—had a two-to-a-row capacity. Going on the extremists' joyride was akin to hell. The reality-jumper hated heights much the same way that his father hated dogs, but he was grasping for anything, any sort of contact between his parents, at that point. To his disappointment, his efforts amounted to nothing more than the blank look on Kagami's face as he studied the souvenir photo (gross, the girl behind us made a duckface) and the quiet sort of pleased accomplishment from Kuroko (that was my first time on a roller coaster, so I am quite amused).

Further than that, they hadn't realized that they had circled the length of the park thrice and went on all the rides twice—in the same order.

Naoya's patience (and tolerance for heights) was almost up; the couple had failed to show any change in behavior or hint of awkwardness to the slightest degree. They simply meandered after him in silence, Kuroko snapping pictures occasionally and making off-handed comments that Kagami could reply to with a non-committal grunt. He was tired and hungry after reaping nothing from his fruitless harvest. Wearily, he skip-staggered the group back towards the entrance, where the girl from before was waiting expectantly.

Slyly, the traveler shook his head and gave a forlorn look to an attraction that he had deliberately avoided. The brunette girl bubbled excitedly, swiftly exchanging positions with a coworker and stealthily approaching the oblivious Seirin duo. Naoya turned to them before she reached their location.

"Dad, can I run and get a snack real quick? You and Mom stay here, I'll be back. Just getting a funnel cake or something." Without protest or a glare of suspicion, the ace handed the reality-jumper a thousand yen bill.

"Don't take too long, we're still heading back to Maji's for late lunch when you get back."

Naoya sighed wistfully. Sorry, he apologized in advance, but for a pair of Miracles to work out, your relationship seriously needs another one. He distracted himself from what he was getting them into and studied the menu for custom funnel cakes, debating on whether or not getting vanilla ice cream on top was too much.

The redhead and bluenet stood quietly, refusing to acknowledge the need for conversation.

"Excuse me, sirs, are you leaving the park for today?" A perky brunette girl with clips in her hair came towards them, smiling warmly in the manner that park employees were supposed to.

Kuroko answered, "Shortly, but we're still—"

"In that case, please come with me!" she interrupted, taking the Shadow by the wrist. Kagami gave a startled "Oi!" and followed.

"Where are we going, miss?" the Miracle queried, slightly suspicious of her intentions.

She didn't look at them. "Simply park protocol for exiting the grounds today, sirs. There's a last task that must be completed by all visiting couples before leaving, no exceptions!"

Now that was worrying. "Visiting couples"? What did she mean by—?

Kagami and Kuroko stared at the place leering before them, nervous and at a loss for words. The gaudy decor, sleek design, the name—

"Erm, may I ask why...?" the bluenet struggled.

The ticket girl (from hell) beamed a saccharine smile. "Naturally, the park is limited to couples and families today. Matching wristbands," she indicated the red paper bands secured there, "identify you both as such. How else would you have gotten into the park?" She continued to usher them towards the building.

The sign advertising it read: Lovers' Labyrinth.

Ruddy cheeks colored simultaneously, realization occurring to them both: when Naoya had gone ahead to negotiate, this was what he had bargained for.

Kagami cursed in his head; he should have questioned the fact that everyone else at the park was either attached to children or to another person at the hip (sometimes the lip). No doubt their son had sold them out to be a... an item. But what about himself?

There was no time to dwell on the topic any longer. The Light-Shadow combo had been led through the doors while they struggled to comprehend what the hell was going on. Their temporary state of inaction had sealed their fate. A girlish giggle was followed by the foretelling click of the entrance behind them. Kuroko noted the lack of doorknobs as he searched for them.

"The only way out is through the maze," he reported to the American. "Though I wish that the employee had given us further instruction." Azure eyes squinted into the poorly lit haze.

"There's a sign here that says to go through the maze, but I can't make out the kanji. What about you, Kuroko?"

"Ah..." he stalled. "I apologize, Kagami-kun, I have nyctalopia. ...otherwise known as night blindness. You're going to have to lead the way from here on out."

Kagami sighed, not so much from irritation than it was from having been duped (by Naoya, of all people) in a completely obvious manner. He simply hoped whatever lay ahead wasn't too challenging, but the damn title of the attraction still perturbed a small corner of his mind.

"Of course I'm leading. A shadow always follows the light."

The rough texture of the wall underneath his fingertips was the only thing that kept Kuroko from wandering face-first into a dead-end. He had advised that the two of them do this so as to not get lost; he and Kagami would eventually chance upon the end of the maze without having to backtrack.

It was the perfect plan, almost too simple for truth, until they were barred from proceeding by a person in the darkness.

"Hello there!" the person greeted. "You have successfully reached the first obstacle of Lovers' Labyrinth."

Kagami glanced behind him; Kuroko's eyes weren't keening in the darkness and stared blankly ahead, but his face mirrored the ace's confused expression. "What?"

"The first obstacle!" they repeated, their chipper voice decidedly female. "Surely, you know the rules for playing through the maze."

"We weren't told anything," Kuroko cut in, "other than the fact that all... park visitors are required to complete the attraction upon exit."

"Ah," she sympathized. "Well, then, allow me to enlighten you both! Lovers' Labyrinth is a maze, as you may notice, wherein there are several paths to the exit. However, along each different path is an obstacle, and by the end of the maze each couple will have encountered a total of ten obstacles. The objective of each obstacle intensifies the further along in the maze you are. The first obstacle is here on the first floor, the next five are upstairs on the second floor, and the final four are back down here."

"Obstacles?" Kagami repeated, skeptical of the whole thing.

"Yes, obstacles!" she chirped back. "Each one has a different objective, as I've just said."

Kuroko shot his Light a disdainful look (or at least tried to). "You really should listen to people when they're talking, Kagami-kun."

"And you should look a person in the eye when you talk to them," he retorted. This entire ordeal was making him antsy. Sweaty palms and palpitations were something new to the American, and he didn't like them one bit.

"Anyway, your first challenge is to hug intimately for thirty seconds! Conditions are to use both arms and to hold each other tightly. Talking is allowed, but if either one of you lets go, I'll have to restart the timer. Ready when you are!"

Kagami blew out a breath he'd been holding; he needed time to prepare for this mentally, but he shook off the thought a moment later. Steeling up his nerves would have taken forever, whereas the hug would only last half a minute.

"Alright," the redhead mumbled in begrudging defeat, "let's get this over with." Before there was time to re-evaluate his mental state, he took the bluenet into his arms, wrapping them around small shoulders. He'd never really notice how lean Kuroko's muscles were until now. The Phantom raised his arms in kind, embracing the ace's torso around the waist, and nuzzled his face into the firm chest.

At least, that's what Kagami thought he was doing.

"Kagami-kun, I can't breathe," he complained. In the dim lighting, Kagami could see that Kuroko's eyes really weren't adjusting to the dark, settling on his chin rather than his crimson eyes, which lay further up.

A blush nestled on the redhead's face and he was glad for the darkness. He didn't exactly know why he was reacting this way towards his teammate of almost a year. They hadn't known each other that long and Kagami hadn't really seen much of the shortstack because of his damned misdirection. There wasn't anything beyond a friendship, anything that would...

Kuroko's hands hifted higher up Kagami's back for a brief second, finding purchase among the tense muscles along his shoulder blades. Those hands were smaller than his, but their touch seemed to burn his back. Hyper-awareness invaded his mind, much too much for his feelings toward the small Miracle to be considered normal.

And suddenly, the searing sensation was gone, dropped from their place. Kagami tightened his grip subconsciously; he... kind of liked the feeling he got when—

"—Kagami-kun, are you alright?"

The American snapped his arms down to his sides in embarrassment. "I-I'm fine!" he managed to say.

"Congratulations!" the perky employee girl interrupted. Kagami palmed his forehead—he'd forgotten she was there at all. And that she'd witnessed the... "You've completed your first challenge! Please step this way and mind your footing. You'll come across challenge two in a heartbeat!"

She pulled something akin to a hidden level and the wall behind her swung out, revealing a set of stairs lit just as dimly as the rest of the building.

"I don't believe we can back out now, Kagami-kun, so please lead the way if you will."

"Not like I have a choice," he grumbled in response.

The dread in his stomach grew heavy. What had that girl said? 'The objectives intensify further along the maze'? And the fact that the place was designed for couples (something which he and Kuroko were decidedly not) left an ominous feeling about getting through the labyrinth.

Lovers were, after all, bound to do more intimate things than hugging.

It is done! It took three weeks (yikes...) but it is done! Sorry, guys, midterms came up and college makes me flip every table in my mind (metaphorically speaking). At least I gots a four day weekend coming up since all my tests were crammed into Monday, Tuesday (today), and Wednesday! Whoo!

I can keep writing, have Chapter 9 up within the week, and get started on Chapter 10! (10? Wow, that was fast.)

So have a good time, my duckies, and please don't hate Mai! I swear there's a reason she did what she did!

Also, because of my schedule (like, not even kidding, I don't know why this college is hella unorganized) I might have to change my updates to just one chapter a week on Saturdays. Does that sound okay? (Please don't kill me...)

Fantita: Ah, yes, time has certainly been kind to Ao—a certain person's personality. XD But he can be sensible and care for people when he wants (he was before Teikou fell apart) and the perviness... I have no excuse. He's just that kind of person, even to the point where he thinks about it in public. (Bad Aomine.) And Naoya! I shall get to that... within the next chapter or so.

WynnSeeker (guest): I know, I know, but Mai has her reasons! No one in this story is quite that psychotic (except Akashi). I'm glad you like the story so far! And Furi's husband? We shall see. (Soon. :3)

cipuz: Naoya's demise happens after this, but I hope you enjoyed the set-up for more fluff. :3 Sorry I kept you waiting!

thecoldforest: I'm sorry there wasn't any more! (But I have do to the thing in real life that I don't want to and arghh...) I'm glad you're in denial about Mai doing what she did, because that's how I tried to write the story. I'm glad you like all the pairings here, and I'm sorry I kept you waiting! X3

Tsukaima Kyra: Yeah! Update! Glad I could lift your mood! ^^ No, seriously, knowing that doing what I like doing makes other people happy makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile! So thank you. And angst? Well, these are our precious teenage boys here, ain't no getting through puberty without a fair share of blergh! (Sadistic yandere? Based on your reaction and review (which isn't a whole lot to go by) I'd say you like yaoi, or shounen-ai at the very least. :D)

kroscetish: Awww, thank you! And yes, it was quite the cliffhanger, but for now relax with some fluff~ And your guess is Akashi (like everyone else who guessed Furi's husband)? I'd say your reason is actually quite credible! And AkaFuri? Hah, you're going to LOVE the upcoming chapters, then! (*not being sarcastic in any way, shape, or form*)

MikaE123: Yes, Mai pushed him, but there is a reason! The AoKise fight, Mai pushing Naoya, Kise being serious, all of it has a reason. Some are rooted in the parallel world, but there are roots in the current world, too! And I know it's confusing and fluffy and anxiety-inducing all at the same time, but please wait! The strings of fate will be untangled in good time. Please continue to enjoy the story! (And Worried!Aomine makes you giggle? Well, now that he's got a daughter that looks like Kise, I can assure you there will be plenty of him!) (And please breathe; you need to be here for everything that has yet to come in both the story and in your own life!)

Haiirookami: Wahh, you all are worried about Mai pushing Naoya, huh? -u-" Sorry! But I'm glad that my story is worthy of all this fangirling (fanboy...ing?)! I'm happy you like my writing style and the fluff! (There's definitely more fluff to come, Kagami and Kuroko have only cleared one of ten challenges!) Next update shall happen within the week!

cesajules: Really? Few grammar or spelling mistakes? Thanks! I try to keep it down low because I want to make sure you all get nothing less than the best from me (or at least as close to the best as I can get) and I'm glad my story's unique! Thank you~ Please stay tuned for more updates!

as to chapter 2 (guest) (2): Ah, the KagaKuro daughter... She will appear in good time, as well as the other 5 that have yet to appear. Suzume takes after Takao so far, but who can say...? And an AoKise child X KagaKuro child love story? (Are you a mind-reader or something?) And yes, ALL THE CHILLUNS! They will be here shortly!

more kagakuro (guest): KAGAKURO MOMENTS! They came! And there will be more!

DivineCluster: I... yeah, noncon fanfic FTW! *blushes to oblivion and back* And Mai pushed him, but please don't be mad! There is a reason! But I do hope you stay for the next chapter, because it will be more fluff/angst goodness!

Newbie'sHeart (guest): Ah, yes, angst! And Kise's acting the way he is because of some things that happened between him and Aomine, unbeknownst to everyone else.

Little Strawberry RiRin Chan: Glad I "killed" you! My goal is to make this story awesome in a heart-wrenching, squeal-inducing fashion! And I shall update more (when I have time) and KagaKuro first, then the other peeps.

Princess Lady Subaru: M-ME? *glances around* THANK YOU! That made my day! I'm glad this story was good enough that you kept checking back on it (and I apologize for the lack of constant update) and I'm also glad that you dropped a review! (Plus, your icon is Ayame!) And yes, we shall get into the AoKise back story, but that is for another time, my ducky. (Good thing AoKise is your drug; I'll be your dealer from time to time.) And Akashi (might as well go ahead and say, given that something happens next chapter) is Furihata's husband in the parallel universe. Yup, yup, something happened in the parallel, too (which is exactly why Mai pushed him, damn you're good). No one dies and you didn't miss anything about the reasons for the parallel. They're still waiting for the right time and also for Ryuu, who can explain how they got there. I'll update soon, thanks for everything~

Guest (guest): Pshh, don't worry about annoying me, my not-so-college material classmates have that job. And yes, Mai PUSHED him... Sorry. (She had a reason.) And the not having typos thing is part of my pride as an English buff and part of my slight OCD... Aw, thank you~ Nice to know I'm appreciated this much. ^u^

DarkWolf991: Yes, she did... And yes, it was... I'M SORRY SHE PUSHED NAOYA! BUT IT WAS A NECESSARY PLOT POINT! ;A; But on the plus side, I'm glad you like Naoya so much! Sorry I couldn't update sooner.

Guest (a different guest): Sorry I kept you waiting! ^ ^" But the next chapter should be up within the week~

cattocracy: You... you love this...? *flails to infinity and beyond* I'm glad that I was able to balance them out! I like KagaKuro and they're the main focus, but everyone else is involved so I decided the spotlight will switch! I'm so happy you're glad you found my story, you don't even know how much my cheeks hurt from grinning stupidly to myself. vuv Ah, yes, we get to "the incident" within the week, so please look forward to it!

Snipperita (guest): Awww, don't be too hard on Mai! There's a reason why she pushed him, though her intentions were more a psychological reaction than malevolent. Sorry! And thank you for reviewing! I hope you also look forward to the next chapter.