A/N: Just a little more until this story is DONE! I can't wait! That means I can start working on the next one! Still own nothing, and thanks for reading!

The lake was just as Mai remembered it to be…brighter and much more lively of course, but still the same lake that she knew. It had been quite some time since she had seen the lake…not since that time. But, she still remembered every detail and every corner of the area. It was so beautiful, much more so than she realized.

Mai walked slowly to the waters edge, grabbing a handful of colorful wildflowers as she went. The water rippled lightly from a gentle wind that playful wisped at Mai's hair. Naru stayed close but still allowed Mai her space. He found himself fixated on her…the expressions she was showing was simply captivating. He had always thought Mai to be an over emotional idiot. She was so unlike him, completely opposite. It had always annoyed him…yet in an odd way she strangely attracted him. From the very beginning he had felt a connection to her…he didn't know why…but he was compelled to call out to her and bring her closer to him.

Mai dipped her head and gently rested the flowers upon the water's surface where they drifted lazily, moving slowly with the current created by the breeze. Naru could only assume that she was reflecting on unknown memories and untold moments. In a way, he felt like he should be doing the same. It was no surprise that he was unemotional…yet in watching Mai, for the first time…he felt like he shouldn't be. He actually felt…

Mai looked as if she was crying, even though there was not a single tear shed. Naru's chest felt tight. He loved his brother so much. They had been so close; they were twins…born together in identical forms. Why couldn't he be sad?

That wasn't it…

He was sad. It had plagued him ever since he had the misfortune of seeing his brother's demise. He wanted to find his brother not only for his parent's sake…but for his as well. He needed to find Eugene for his own sake. He wanted to be like Mai…so openly showing her sadness, distress, and pain. But he was not like Mai. He could not show that emotion. Not yet. He was not like Eugene, open and kind…

Gene knew that. They knew each other better than any one. Naru knew that Gene understood. It was clear through the actions and lengths he went to in helping him. Through Mai, he was helping him…doing it for his sake.

-x-

Mai slowly opened her eyes and secretly glanced at Naru. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he was honestly lost in his own world. Maybe he was grieving in his own way? Naru was not one to outwardly show much emotion but he must feel sad and probably relieved too…

Mai looked back into the water…her reflection wavering slightly. She was relieved, she couldn't lie…but she was uneasy as well. What happened now? What came next? Mai felt uneasy with the uncertainty of the situation…

Naru blinked and looked at Mai. He had so many thoughts running through his head, so many bottled up emotions…but he couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. Where would things go from here? There were so many possibilities and so many variables. There were so many outcomes that Naru didn't even want to try and consider them all.

"Are you ready Mai?" He finally asked after reading her expression. It looked like she resolved whatever it was that she had come to resolve. She looked like she had made peace…more than he could say for himself. She rose without saying a word and stood at his side facing the car, while he remained facing the lake.

Mai intertwined her hand within his. She squeezed tightly, glancing at Naru over her shoulder, "Are you?"

Naru studied her for a moment before he let his gaze fall back upon the lake. After a few lingering moments, Naru tore his eyes from the peaceful water and slipped his hand from Mai's. "Yes." He said simply. There was no need for anything further. This case, per say, had already come to a close…

Mai followed slowly behind the silent Naru. She watched his hand that she had been holding just moments before with great interest. Should she try to grab it again? Would he find it reassuring, or just an annoyance? It would probably irritate him…but maybe her warmth could help him in someway?

"Mai?" Naru said looking at her funny. Mai snapped to attention and suddenly realized that they had already made it back to the van while she was lost in her own inner struggle. Lin was even already behind the steering wheel waiting for her and Naru to enter.

"Ah…" she blushed. How stupid could she be? She wasted the whole walk back thinking about holding Naru's hand and never even got to act! How useless. "Thanks," Mai said depressingly as she took Naru's hand as he helped her into the van.

Naru glanced at her as she entered but decided he best not ask. It didn't seem too bad, so he would just leave it for her to work out herself. He quickly entered the van himself and they were soon back on the road heading for home.

-x-

It didn't take long for Mai to fall asleep again. It never ceased to amaze Naru how much she could sleep. But, she must have been exhausted from the case. He would have to make sure that she was not suffering any lasting effects from the ordeal later. It didn't worry him too much that he would or would not be able to figure her out; he could read Mai like an open book.

She was so predictable. If she was feeling bad or troubled he would find out why and make her talk to him about it. It didn't feel that long ago in which he went to a certain school for a case to deal with an old building…where he just happened to meet a very interesting person. He never would have thought then that he would be in the position he was in now, which at the very moment was him balancing a book in one hand and Mai on the other. She started off resting on his shoulder, but soon drifted down into his lap…successfully trapping his arm.

It didn't feel that long ago that if Mai looked troubled or worried, he would just ignore it and scold her for being distracted from work. It seemed so recent that if she asked for help with something, he would deem it worthless if it was not work related. When had he come to care for her so much? Let her effect him so much?

I didn't seem that long ago…

Yet…it felt like he had loved her for as long as he could remember…

What a strange contradiction of feelings…it was beyond Naru to comprehend such things, nor did he really want to. Naru decided he liked the way things were now…he liked Mai…

Just how she was…

-x-

Several Hours Later

Mai felt light…

She tried to open her eyes, but they refused to budge. Mai hated this feeling; the feeling of being just awake to be aware yet still asleep enough to be unable to do anything. It was at times like that in which Mai felt the most helpless and defenseless.

She could vaguely make out voices…Naru? Mai tried to stretch her senses and pick up more of what was going on around her. Yes, that was clearly Naru's voice and…Lin?

What were they talking about?

"I am taking her to the bed…" Naru said softly as he lifted Mai from the van and carried her into the house. Lin held the door and made his way inside after them.

"What is going to happen tomorrow?" Lin questioned as he sat down his own luggage in the doorway of his room.

"Check the answering machine. We will leave immediately tomorrow if they sent word that they released the body." Naru said back. He arrived at the bedroom and gently rested Mai's head on the pillow. He swiftly covered her with a blanket and returned to the living room. He could do more later if she was still not awake, but for now that was more than sufficient.

Naru entered the room to see Lin standing over the landline phone. "Well?" Naru asked impatiently.

"The body will be released tomorrow." Lin said stiffly. "Call to alert them of the flight and they will meet us there."

"Alright, make the arrangements for the flight." Naru sighed and flopped down onto the couch, his hand resting on his forehead. "Book the earliest possible and then alert the authorities to meet us for that flight with Gene's body. Make sure to call my parents and let them know when we are expected to arrive home…"

"Understood…" Lin observed Naru for a moment. He looked so tired, so worn out. In his mind it was not wise to leave so quickly after having gone through such a case and such a matter as getting Eugene's body. But for that matter exactly, they had to leave immediately. They needed to get the body home and they needed to get it there as soon as possible. "What about Mai?"

Mai stirred at the mention of her name. She slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself staring up at a familiar ceiling. They had already made it back to Naru's house apparently. She softly slipped from the bed and tip toed out into the hall.

"What about Mai?" Naru repeated. Mai stuck to the wall, out of sight. They were talking about her…but why?

"Are you going to take her with you?" Lin asked seriously. There were many implications associated if Mai were allowed to come. Naru would have to explain it somehow and probably would have to do a great deal of explaining to Mai as well. Mai was no longer unconnected to their situation by any means. She now had an unequivocal right to come along, a right to be at the funeral. She was connected to Gene, bound to Naru, and stuck in a drama that she basically stumbled upon. Was Naru going to trouble her even more by taking her? Was she strong enough to handle it? Was Naru up to the challenge?

Naru remained silent…he took a deep breath and looked up, leaning far back on the couch letting his head fall back onto the cushion. "Mai…" he called.

Mai flinched and stiffened. She knew she was out of sight and she had not made a noise. Had he seen her? Heard her? Maybe he didn't really know she was there…

"I know you are there…"

Well, that answered that question. Mai timidly emerged from the hallway and entered the living room. She stood behind the couch and looked at the resting Naru. "Y-yes?" She stuttered out meekly.

"Will you come with me to England?"

Mai sucked in air with the intension of answering, but no words came out. She didn't know what to say to such a simple and straightforward request, not to mention that it was rather abrupt.

"Before you answer…" Naru took another deep breath, "It might be hard on you…" Naru leaned back more and caught Mai's eye. "You will have to meet my parents, go to an unfamiliar place…you will probably feel uncomfortable. Not to mention that Gene's funeral will be held…"

"I'll go." Mai cut in before Naru could finish. "I'll go…"

Naru sighed and covered his eyes with a weary arm. "Did you hear anything I was just saying?"

"I heard." Mai said stubbornly. "I want to go, even if it is troublesome. I am not that weak. You should know me better by now!" She said playfully, though truth be told…she had no other choice. She had no where else to go…

Her apartment was gone, her belonging were in storage, and she rather die than remain in a house that was not hers, alone. She had to go with Naru and Lin to England. She wanted to rest…settle down and just let things calm down, but she was not that fortunate. She wanted to be there for Naru and Gene, even if she didn't want to immerse herself in that world.

Gene had already pretty much filled her in on the basics…but it was going to be something entirely different to be exposed to the real thing. Mai wasn't sure she was ready…but she was going to have to be.

On the bright side, she had a whole plane flight to work it out…and what a flight it was going to be…

"Are you sure?" Naru finally muttered. "I don't want you to regret this later, or have some stress induced break down on me…"

Mai smiled and walked over to the couch, gently moving Naru's arm. She tenderly planted a kiss on his un-expecting lips and smiled even more. "I'm sure."

Naru stared blankly up. Mai's face was still hovering agonizingly close to his…with minimal effort Naru closed the gap and kissed Mai back. This time it was longer and more passionate than the one that she had initiated but Naru was pleased that she responded to him immediately. He smiled into the kiss before they broke apart. "Alright…" he mused before letting his head straighten. "Lin, make the arrangements for all of us to go."

"Yes, I will get on that first thing tomorrow." Lin assured with a hidden smirk. "I am going to retire to my room then to pack and get some sleep; I suggest you both do the same." With that, Lin disappeared into the depths of his room with a soft click of his door.

"We should do the same. I don't know how long we are going to be staying, so make sure you pack accordingly." Naru suggested as he lifted himself from the couch and started to make his way down the hall with Mai following behind. "Do you need to go to your place and get anything? More clothes or other essentials?"

Mai flinched noticeably behind Naru. She was thankful that she was following him so that he could not she…though she wondered sometimes if he really did have eyes in the back of his head with some of the things he knew. But from the way he continued walking, it didn't seem as if he had noticed her reaction.

"No, I am pretty sure I have enough clothes to last me awhile here. I may have to do a load of laundry though…is there anything you need washed for tomorrow?" Mai questioned as she dug through her bag for her dirty clothes.

"Ah…a few shirts if you would like. That would be of help." Naru found his bag and started to organize the contents. He would need to pack a larger bag for the trip to England, which meant that he had to clean out everything and re-sort. "Can you wash this too please?" He handed Mai a pair of pants along with a few shirts. Mai was already carrying a substantial stack of her own clothes, but she easily balanced it with one arm and added his clothes to the top of the pile.

"Alright, I am going to go get this started and then come back and start packing a new bag." Mai started as she headed to the door. "Do you have a spare luggage I can barrow? Something a little bigger than that carry-on I have?"

Naru thought for a moment, "Yes…I do believe I have one around here somewhere. I will get it out before you come back."

"Okay, thanks." Mai said as she swiftly walked out the door and made her way to the laundry room. What was she going to do? Naru would find out sooner or later what had happened and he would probably be angry again that she didn't bother to inform him about it once again. If worse came to worse, she would just have to sleep in the park or something until she figured something else out. Maybe she could crash at Bou-san's or something?

Mai started the laundry and lazily made her way back to the room. She highly doubted that Naru would be mad enough to kick her out…in fact that was the most unlikely thing that would ever happen. But, he would probably be bothered by the fact that she withheld information from him. She didn't want to bother him…but she was now in the situation that she would be the ultimate burden to him…

But he wanted her to be a burden…right?

It seemed that way to her. He married her for crying out loud! That was a large commitment. It was a big responsibility…and he had readily jumped into it. So that must mean that he wanted her to be there…be a burden to him, rely on him…

Marriage…it was a big leap that Mai wasn't entirely sure she was ready to make…

-x-

The Next Day

Mai let her head hit painfully hard against the window of the plane. It had already been several hours since take off and Mai was terribly annoyed that she was wide awake. Lin had been able to book seats on the very first available flight, which was early beyond belief. He got her and Naru out of bed what seemed like only an hour or two after they had fallen asleep. It was lucky that they had packed everything last night because she was sure there would have been no way she could have done it this morning.

Surprisingly, everything went smoothly at the airport as well. The authorities were ready and waiting to meet Naru and release Gene's body to board the plane. Mai wondered how it could have possibly went that smooth since they were finished in a matter of minutes and some paperwork later without any real complications; Naru's family influence maybe? Mai didn't know, nor did she really care to know. All she knew was that they had boarded the flight in a timely fashion and were even forced to wait until take off time.

Now she was smacking her head against the side of the plane from her seat by the window. She had initially been very pleased that the flight was so early since she figured she would immediately fall asleep and the flight would be over before she knew it…but no such luck. It had already been hours and she didn't even feel the slightest bit tired. In fact Naru had already dozed off before her in his seat next to her. Lin was reading a book and yet she was wide awake.

There was not good reason for it. There was nothing interesting keeping her attention, she had not had anything that would stimulate her to remain awake, and to top it off she was tired as hell. She wanted to sleep! She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and rest…but no matter how hard she tried sleep refused to claim her.

'This must be a punishment of some sort…' Mai thought forlornly. What had she done to deserve this sort of punishment? 'I have never had a problem falling asleep before…'

"Is something wrong Mai?" Lin softly questioned from her far side. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

Mai flinched and resisted the urge to hit her head again. "Ah, no." Mai said clumsily. "I just…I'm just really agitated for some reason."

"Agitated?" Lin rested his book on his lap.

"Yeah, just restless…I thought I would be pretty tired since we woke up so early, but I can't seem to settle down or sleep. I don't know what to do to hold my attention. It feels like I will jump out of my skin any minute…" Mai sighed. She hated feeling wired like this…

"Ah, you are probably just nervous. The flight, going to a new place, the thought of all that you will do once you get there…it is all probably making you anxious." Lin explained calmly.

Mai stared. The way Lin had talked to her…it was very gentle. Much like a father would speak…Mai didn't know why, but she did feel calmer after hearing him explain. It was true that there was a lot on her mind, yet she felt like she wasn't thinking of anything at all. Her mind was blank…

"I am sure once we get there and get settled in you will feel better." Lin reassured simply. He rustled through his pocket and produced a packet and offered it to Mai. "Here, this will help for the time being."

Mai took the packet of pills and looked at the label. She couldn't read it…

"You probably don't know, but sometimes Naru gets restless and impatient on flights so I brought it just in case. It is a mild relaxant and tranquilizer. It will help you calm down." Lin smiled as he offered her a bottle of water.

She gladly accepted it and downed the pills. If they could help her sleep then she would take as many as need be in order to get some peace. She was going to need all the strength she could muster for the coming trials she was soon going to be faced with…

England…

A place she knew nothing about. It would be so foreign and confusing. She was going to feel so out of place…yet it was Naru's homeland and she wanted to see it with her own eyes if it was the last thing she did.

-x-

Mai's eyes fluttered open to a blackened night sky. She turned her head slightly and noticed that both Lin and Naru were resting. Good thing too…they both needed it…probably more so than her.

The flight attendant was making her way towards them, waking up those who were asleep alerting them that they were about to land. 'Ah, so that's why I woke up…' Mai thought to herself. Her self defense instincts were as good as ever and they never ceased to give her good intuition.

The attendant neared and politely woke Lin and Naru. She continued on her way repeating the message that they were soon to land. Naru looked at her and she smiled even though she wanted to give him a funny face. "How was the ride, Mai?"

"Fine." Mai replied as they exited the plane and made their way through the airport. "Lin gave me some pills a few hours in and they helped me fall asleep for the rest of it. You seemed like you slept well, Naru. I think you slept the whole time." She laughed a bit at the face he was giving her.

"Lin went to file the paper work to release Gene. He will make the arrangements to have him transported to the funeral home. We should head over and pick up our bags and head to my house as soon as possible." Naru explained and Mai followed. She stuck as close to Naru as possible. The airport was bustling with people, most of which were foreigners. She couldn't understand what was being said over the intercom nor could she read the writing that was printed on most every thing.

It was already evening by the time they arrived, and it was later yet when they finally had gotten all issues resolved and luggage loaded. She just wanted to curl up in a warm bed somewhere and stretch out her sore muscles and sleep. But she knew there was going to be much more to do once they got to Naru's home. Mai knew she was going to have to meet Naru's parents in person…

Luella and Martin Davis…

They were renowned psychic researchers and the adoptive parents of Oliver and Eugene Davis…twin boys with extraordinary psychic abilities. Luella, according to Gene, learned how to speak Japanese in order to understand what Naru and he were secretly talking to each other about.

From what Mai remembered, they were good people with plenty of wealth and influence; they were members of the British SPR after all. According to Gene, Naru had left home after his death in search of his body with his parent's approval, support, and backing. They sent Lin along to act as a guardian and to watch over Naru, to keep him in control. They were the reason Naru was able to live and work the way he did; in a nice house and an expensive office with plenty of equipment.

Mai remembered that Gene had said that their parents were frustrated at the length of time Naru was staying in Japan without so much as even a hint of wanting to return home. Gene had warned her that they would probably try to detain Naru as long as possible…

Mai could understand where they were coming from though. They went through all the effort of raising their children into teenagers only to loose one unexpectedly in a freak accident overseas. That would be traumatizing for anyone. No wonder why they wanted to keep their only remaining son close and in contact…they probably wanted to keep an eye on him to make sure that he stayed safe…and alive.

A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter! Please review! Let me know if I missed anything or messed up the facts at all. I tried to stick true to everything, but I was working pretty fast so I might have mixed up some things. I hate plane rides by the way!