CHAPTER 16!!!

YEAHHHHH!! WOOO HOOOO!! There's probably going to be 20 chapter's total or maybe 19, I'm still not sure, I sort of just make these chapters up as I go along and I don't really know how I'm going to end this yet… but it will have a good ending I'm sure!

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Naru was sitting in the waiting room as the doctors were operating on his girlfriend in the next room. He sat there, legs apart, elbows on his knees, head in his hands, and eyes lost.

"Mai…" he whispered, "Please live. You have to…for me."

When the ambulance had arrived at the inn and brought the boy and Mai to the hospital, the doctors had said there was too much internal bleeding and it would be a miracle if she lived. When they had told him that, he felt a sick feeling in his stomach and he felt as though his heart was cracking in half.

"I should have saved you, or at least sent someone with you to the kitchen," he said brokenly.

A stern hand was placed on his shoulder and he heard Lin's low voice.

"Naru, don't blame yourself. You didn't know Naoko would do that. It wasn't your fault."

"But if I only sent someone with her then she may not have been hurt."

"Maybe, but maybe the person you would have sent with her would have been hurt as well. Naru, it wasn't you fault."

"But-"

"Naru!" Madoka's voice cut in, angry and strict, "Shut up and stop blaming yourself! The thing you should be worried about is Mai's surgery."

Naru's eyes widened and he lifted his head. His teacher was right. He shouldn't be moping and blaming himself, instead he should be wishing for Mai's surgery to go alright. A new determined look swept over his eyes and he waited for the doctor.

It was a least an hour before the doctor came out into the waiting room. Naru shot up and walked over to the man.

"How is she?" the boy questioned.

The doctor looked tired and his face was hard to read until he smiled slightly.

"She was one of the strongest patients I have ever had. She nearly died twice but came back each time and now she has stabilized and has been brought to her room. She'll be awake in about another half hour or so, you can visit her then," the doctor said and walked off.

Naru felt relief wash over his body. She made it…she's alive.

He stood there and faintly remembered Madoka and the others saying they were going back to the inn and to have him call them when Mai wanted them to come.

Naru didn't know how long he stood in that spot but he knew it had to be at least a half hour because one of the nurses came over to him and said that Mai had woken up and wanted to see him.

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Mai woke up and noticed she was in a white room with a loud beeping noise to her left. Where am I, she wondered, is it a hospital? Why would I be in a hosp- Oh… that's right…I was stabbed.

She tried to think of what had happened and remembered a pain in her stomach before she passed out. She also remembered Naru's voice calling out to her in the darkness and kept trying to reach him.

Mai heard the door open and there was a nurse standing there.

"Oh, you're awake now Taniyama-san?"

"Yeah…Where's Naru?" Mai asked in a hushed voice.

"Naru?...Oh, Davis-san! He's in the waiting room. He's been ever so worried about you," the nurse replied with a soft smile.

Mai smiled back and blushed slightly, "Can you send him in…I would like to see him."

"Of course, I'll go get him."

The nurse left the room and Mai was left in silence for a minute or two until the door opened again to reveal a rumpled looking Naru. His hair was mussed and his clothes were disheveled.

The second his concerned eyes landed on her they became softer.

"Mai," he whispered and walked over to her.

"Naru…I'm sorry, I should have-"

"Mai…you don't need to apologize…please don't apologize," he said in a broken voice.

"Naru…" she whispered and tears started coming down her cheeks.

He bent down and wrapped his arms protectively around her and wiped some of her tears away.

"Just never do that again Mai. I love you too damn much to let you go," he told her.

Mai gave a bright smile, tears still running but they were now because of happiness. "And I love you too damned much to leave."

They both looked into each others eyes and brought their faces closer until their lips finally met. It was a desperate kiss; one of near loss, pain, and love.

"I love you," they whispered again, in unison.

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Back at the base the others were sitting at the couches trying to figure out how to get rid of Naoko.

She had crossed the line and tried to kill their Mai. No one hurts their Mai and gets away.

The phone rang halfway through their conversations and Ayako answered. After a few minutes she started crying in happiness but the others thought they were tears of despair and they all feared the worse.

Once Ayako hung the phone up and turned around everyone saw she was smiling and they all felt a wave of relief crash over them.

"She's alright!"

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YAYYYYY!!!!

I told you I would never kill Mai!!