A/N: Wooooo! Coming right along with the next chapter! Please enjoy! Comments, suggestions, goldfish...are always welcome! O.o

I own nothing...sadness

With that Naru bid them farewell ending any further discussion. Ayako and Bou-san continued to talk all the way to the door discussing how Mai should have told them about her dating and loving relationship with Naru. They complained about how they knew something was up after the way Naru had acted at the hospital and the way he had taken her in after her release. They speculated that they were keeping their relationship on the down-low due to Naru's pride and professionalism. Bou-san continued to speculate that Naru had impregnated Mai and therefore married her sooner than later in order to alleviate her worries all the way out the door. Even after everyone had vacated the office Mai could still hear them talking from behind the closed door.

Naru was still holding onto Mai's arm holding her steady. She was still in a daze and probably would be for awhile. He gently sat her on the couch while he took a seat in the arm chair. Lin remained sitting calmly in the other chair.

"Naru…" Mai spoke softly but she had regained most of her composure. She lifted her hand limply and inspected the ring. "This is a wedding ring…"

"Yes." Naru responded coolly.

"So…I am your wife…?" Mai stated hesitantly.

"Correct." Naru continued to act as if it was nothing; as if they were talking about anything other than marriage.

"…This is your solution to my…problem?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes. Naru didn't know how to respond to those eyes. Was she unhappy with being married to him? Had he made a mistake in understanding her feelings?

"Correct." He decided to keep things simple and see how she reacted. He needed more to go on if he was going to start trying to draw conclusions. He did have sufficient experience in reading her expressions after all, but this was one he had yet to see.

Mai remained silent. Naru watched as her face contorted in thought. She was obviously thinking about several things as her face told the whole story. He wondered for a moment what she was thinking about…but then decided he didn't really want to know.

"…Thank you…" she finally mumbled. Mai flushed as she looked at her hand again. "I really didn't know what to do…and I didn't want to leave you…"

"I know…" Naru said slowly. Even though she had said her thanks, the way her eyes looked when she said it left Naru in wonder at what she was truly feeling.

"Do you think this will really work?" Mai asked averting her gaze.

Naru was taken aback by the question. What did she mean? "Yes" he stated confidently. He would make it work if it meant keeping her by his side.

Mai made an incoherent noise before she looked up again and met Naru's eyes. "If you say so…"

-----

Mai was torn…confused. She knew Naru cared for her deeply, which he repeatedly illustrated and Mai was deeply grateful for his effort. But…should she be insanely happy with the prospect of being his wife, or terribly disheartened? She was not sure…

It was true that after everything she had been through she wanted nothing more than to be with Naru for the rest of her life…she felt that she could truly be happy with him, see herself as a mother with him, as an old woman with him…

But this way of becoming his wife was the very last thing in the world she expected to happen. Like any romantic girl, Mai hoped for a passionate confession on bended knee or something equally romantic. Not waking up in the morning with a throbbing headache only to find out later that sometime while she was asleep a ring had been placed on her finger and she had suddenly become a 'wife' of some sort.

Besides that Mai was more concerned about the fact that Naru married her, or has pretended to marry her, for the sole sake of keeping her out of foster care. Did he want to marry her? Did he want her as his wife…for life? Or was this whole thing just a convenience for Naru and he didn't really understand the implications of marriage?

-----

Mai decided not to think about it anymore, she was saved for now after all. She had too many other things to worry about at the moment…the new case, Gene, those people….she should think about it later after the other pressing matters had been taken care of.

"We're leaving tomorrow?" Mai diverted from the previous line of questioning since she had decided to stop worrying about it for now.

"Yes, be here at 8:30 packed and ready to go." Naru stated sternly. He didn't know what was on her mind but he did know that she would be more than likely to be late tomorrow…so it was best to try and get it through her head now. "Don't be late."

"I'll try not to be…" Mai blushed slightly trying to ignore the glint emitting from the ring. She wasn't used to wearing jewelry and even less used to wearing something on her finger…it was strange. "Can I head home now and use today to pack and get ready?"

Naru spared Lin a glance before looking back at the girl. He had made her stay over at his place and she would probably need some time to get packed up…

"You may." Naru gathered the papers off the table and made for his office. "Don't be late." He reminded coolly before he slipped into his office and closed the door.

Lin watched as Mai's expression fell as she followed Naru's fleeting figure with her eyes. Her fists balled slightly at her side and it looked as if she was biting back what ever it was she had wanted to say.

"Mai-san?" Lin questioned sincerely from where he was sitting and observing. "You can talk to me. It might make you feel better."

Shocked for a moment, Mai turned slowly to face the man. She paused momentarily before she offered him a smile. "It's alright Lin-san…I was just thinking…" She smiled again when Lin didn't give her an answer. "I will see you tomorrow!" Mai waved her farewell and left the office.

Lin sighed as he watched the obviously deep in thought girl leave the office. He had a pretty good idea what was on the girl's mind, but unfortunately things were going to get rather hectic and he, nor anyone else, were going to have time to deal with it. He could only hope that she would get distracted by the nearing events as well and put her own thoughts aside. The last thing she needed was to dwell on such unnecessary things. He knew that Naru was going to have to face it eventually…but even that could wait considering the more pressing matter at hand; the case.

A/N: Well, just in case anyone missed it (since it was rather subtle), Mai thinks Naru is pretending...Naru of course is unaware of this fact...and so a huge misunderstanding is born! So, things should be interesting to say the least! Let me know how you liked it!