Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's note: Enjoy!

Daffodils

Part four

Mai bit her lip. The narcissist flowers? Naru's flowers? She didn't understand. Shinji seemed to notice her confusion.

"She had a soft spot for self-centered bastards," he explained. "Guys like your boss."

"Naru's not.." She started, but shut her mouth when the man chuckled. Naru was exactly like he described. "But he hasn't been targeted so far." Shinji frowned.

"He hasn't?" he questioned. "But I was so sure... Come with me!" He stood abruptly and stared at Mai, who shrugged and vacated her chair. There was something about Shinji she could not understand.

He led her through the mansion. Mai tried hard to remember all the twists and turns, stairs leading up and down and lefts and rights, but there were too many to count. They only stopped in front of a shabby door.

"We don't usually let any visitors to the inner garden," he said, taking a silver key from his shirt's front pocket. Mai watched him closely, as he unlocked the way. The door opened with a creak and Shinji entered, Mai following behind.

She stumbled forward and would have fallen, if the young man hadn't caught her in time. "Careful," he teased. "We wouldn't want you to get hurt on the first date." Mai blushed. Shinji straightened himself and let her go, looking over the yellow fields.

Mai's heart thumped. As far as she could see, there were only bright daffodils blooming in the hot sun.

"It's beautiful," she gasped. Shinji smiled.

"She always said there was a reason she loved daffodils," he confessed. "I always assumed it was because they reminded her of my father and his self-centered personality."

"I don't understand," Mai frowned. Shinji chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"It's okay," he said warmly. "Shall we go? I'll take you back to your base."

Panic spread all over her face, as she remembered not telling Naru where she was going. He had probably guessed she would go to the girls' bedroom or base or at least be with one of the teammates, considering her rotten luck.

"To the kitchen," she declared, overcoming the sudden fear, and started stomping towards the direction she thought they had come from.

"Mai," Shinji sounded amused. "The other way."

The girl turned around and changed her course, throwing her hands up in frustration. Her cheeks were flaming from the embarrassment.

It took them little time to reach their destination. Mai hurried to the stove and turned it on, preparing the kettle. However, she walked too fast and tripped. There was nothing to break the fall and she hit her head against the chair. The last thing she heard before losing consciousness was Shinji anxiously calling her name.

The children's song reached her ears, but it was in English and Mai couldn't understand the words. It's tune was enchanting, calling the passer-bys to look at the singers and she did the same with a small smile.

There were three of them. Mai recognized Eugene Smith's black hair among the circle of players. With him, there was a blond girl, holding the hands of her playmates, and a boy years younger than the two. The girl's air was long and wavy and when her eyes met Mai's, she noticed they were amber gold. Her voice was the clearest of the trio, mixed with cheerful laughter.

"Eugene!" a woman called. She sounded angry. Mai turned. Beautiful dress, a straw hat and a brown paper bag with apples. "Eugene! What have I told you about playing with strangers?"

Eugene glared at her. The woman froze for a moment, surprised by the intensity of his gaze. "You're not my mother," he blurted. "Besides, we were just telling stories."

The image faded.

"You okay?" Shinji's face was terribly close to hers and she shrieked in surprise. The man let out a quiet laugh and withdrew from her personal space. "You scared me, falling like that." Mai smiled meekly. Just as she was about to thank him, the kettle started whistling and she jumped up, ignoring his vivid protests.

"Naru awaits," she grinned. She stared at him curiously. "By the way, have you ever heard the name Eugene Smith?"

"Sorry, no," Shinji scratched the back of his head. "If you give me some time, I might remember though." It was accompanied with a wink, which made blood rush to Mai's face once again.

"You're so funny, Shinji-kun," she giggled, picking up the tray. Shinji opened the door for her and they were in the familiar hallway, him leading her to where she'd first been.

"You know, all these people on those portraits," Shinji interrupted the silence. "Everybody thinks they are either relatives or family friends from my mother's side." He barely glanced at the paintings, as they passed another row of incredible artwork.

"Fun fact, fictional characters meant more to her than anything else," he said, but there was no bitterness in his voice. He sounded peaceful, as if there was more to his words. "All the paintings here depict the bloodlines of her characters, no matter how little part they had in the stories." He smiled softly. "For example, this one," he stopped and pointed to a picture of a man with a bloodied lip and a scar running from the corner of his right eye to the area between his nose and mouth. "Anatoli Johnsson, the rebel king of the South. Never mentioned."

Mai stared in awe at the gory sight in front of her. Anatoli's eyes were cold, but there was something about the way his mouth's left corner was curled upwards in a teasing manner. He was attractive, but terrifying.

"Narcissist," she muttered to herself, but Shinji heard her. He let out a quiet chuckle and opened the door to the devil's lair.