Disclaimer: We don't own Ghost Hunt!

~Jealousy in the office~

Chapter 7

Quickly, Naru moved away from Mai and pretended that he had been reading. Just as he reached his seat Ayako and Bou-san came in. Mai was left sitting on the couch—stunned and confused; her hands were still in place from where Naru was holding them.

"Mai, are you okay?" Monk asked concerned.

"Um..." Mai glanced at Naru to see him looking at her through his bangs, but it went unnoticed by Monk and Ayako. "Yeah...I'm fine." She smiled at them. The monk gave her an uncertain look before shrugging.

"How are you feeling? You were out cold before..."

"Don't believe her, you idiot!" Ayako shouted at him. "Look at her, she has obviously been crying!"

Mai quickly wiped her face. "No, it's okay, it was just...a dream." She muttered quietly as flashes came back of the nightmare she just took part in.

"Oh, Mai... What happened?" Ayako asked softly as she sat down beside her. Mai shook her head, tears welling in her chocolate eyes.

"No..." She whispered. From across the room Naru silently cursed the pair. He had just gotten her to forget the nightmare.

"Miss Matsuzaki, Mai doesn't need to relive it." He stepped in before any more damage could be done. "You will be informed of it later." Ayako turned to protest but melted at the sight of Mai, all thoughts leaving her head.

"Fine." She caved, moving to hug the younger girl who had pulled herself into a ball. Monk looked at the two girls with concern plastered on his face. He shifted his gaze to Naru before walking towards him.

"What happened to her?" He demanded. Naru looked at Mai bypassing the monk.

"She had a first person dream..." He answered quietly.

"Oh." He replied awkwardly when he realised he had brought them back to square one. He looked over at Mai also, but with sympathy. "That bad, huh?"

Naru nodded. "Yes, and I would rather you not bring it up." He stated coldly. Monk's eyes darted down to Naru and they narrowed.

"Of course I wouldn't. Why would I do that?" He questioned. Naru glared at him.

"You already did."

"Well how was I suppose to know she had a dream?" The monk demanded quietly so the two woman wouldn't hear. "For all I know you could've done something."

"And what exactly could I have done that would make her cry?" Naru demanded harshly, hurt that monk would think he would intentionally hurt Mai.

"Oh jeez, I don't know, Naru, maybe it could be all the other things you do to make her cry—and don't think that you haven't done it before." Monk warned as he stared down at Naru. Naru gave him a harsh glare.

"They weren't my fault." Naru defended.

"The reason for her tears now might not be cause of you, but you probably made her cry yesterday or the day before that." The older man retorted. Neither one noticed the sobs coming from the brunette had quiet down some.

"Takigawa, I would appreciate it if you didn't make assumptions." Naru snapped. Inside, Naru felt guilty because he had made her cry yesterday...it wasn't completely his fault though!

"I'm just stating facts."

"And where exactly did you get the information for those facts?"

"I've seen it!" Monk practically shouted. Naru glared.

"Stop shouting. I have never said anything other than the truth."

"Oh, so, everything you said about her you think is true?" Monk asked. Both were oblivious that Mai and Ayako were listening now.

"Everything I know about her is true." Naru stated.

"And just what would that be?" The monk questioned, getting more and more protective of his 'little sister.'

"Why would I tell you the information about Mai that I know just to prove a point? It's not my place to share other people's personal information."

"Personal information?!" He flabbergasted.

"Yes, personal. Things she hasn't told you herself."

Mai looked over at Naru angrily. "I don't know what you began arguing about, but what gives you the right to know my personal information?!" Mai shouted before walking out the base door without waiting for an answer. Monk torn his eyes away from the door Mai just went through to look—glare—at Naru.

"See? Now look at what you did."

Naru glared back. "If she had waited she would've known that it was a routine background check."

Mai stormed down the hallways with her arms folded over her chest, still fuming.

"That stupid jerk. What gives him the right to go looking through my information?!" She muttered. "And what does he mean everything he knows about me is true? That I'm stupid and an idiot?!"

While Mai was busy muttering, she wasn't looking where she was going so she was surprised when she bumped into someone. Jumping back in surprise, she looked up to see Takumi standing there.

"Who thinks you're stupid?"

"Oh, T-Takumi..." Mai gave a small, unsure smile. "It's nothing."

Takumi raised an eyebrow but decided to leave it. "So what are you doing out here?" He asked.

"Umm...I'm...taking a breather..." She replied. He looked at her with doubt.

"Slave driver let you?" Knowing he was talking about Naru, she felt a bit of angry but she remembered she was mad at the 'slave driver' anyways so she ignored it.

"Well...I just kinda left..."

Takumi snorted. "Good, he deserves it."

Mai furrowed her brows in confusion and curiosity. "Why do you hate Naru so much?" She inwardly cursed herself. She was supposed to be angry with him. Why should it matter if he hates Naru?

"Because he doesn't treat you right." Takumi answered. Mai's mind involuntarily flashed back to a little while ago when Naru held her as she cried. In that moment all anger towards him was focused slightly on Takumi.

"What do you mean he doesn't treat me right?" She demanded.

"I've seen it, he doesn't let you have a say in anything, Mai." Takumi said calmly, trying not to get her mad. "And he just bosses you around."

Mai glared at him. "He lets me have a say in more than a few things! And he bosses me around because he's my boss." She was getting increasingly angry at Takumi and was having a hard time trying not to completely snap.

"Well he doesn't have to be so rude." Takumi crossed his arms. Mai sighed.

"If he wasn't rude then I wouldn't be able to call him Naru."

The young man smirked a little. "What does 'Naru' stand for?"

Mai blushed slightly. "Naru the Narcissist..." She mumbled. Takumi nodded and laughed.

"It seems like it fits him perfectly." He stated as they walked a few steps. Mai smiled.

"It's not like I'd give it to him if it didn't." Mai smiled. Takumi smiled back at her. He was glad he wasn't making her mad like the last few times.

"What are you still doing up anyways?" He asked in curiosity and letting Mai hear the slight concern in his voice. "It's getting pretty late..." Mai yawned to further prove his point as she mumbled a few incoherent sentences. Takumi blinked. "What?"

"I said I'm not tired." Mai repeated, looking at him as she rubbed her eyes slightly.

"I somehow doubt that." He said as he watched her yawn again. Mai huffed crossing her arms.

"It's true." She insisted. He held his arms up in defense.

"Alright, alright, but you need to go to bed soon." Mai just hummed in acknowledgement. Shaking his head, he chuckled. She was obviously tired, and since she wouldn't go to bed herself, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He effortlessly changed their walking pattern so they were heading for the girls' sleeping quarters. It didn't seem Mai had noticed either. As they walked the halls Takumi racked his mind for something to fill the silence between them. "Mai, why did you turn down my offer the other day?" He questioned frowning at the memory. Mai turned her head towards him and blinked before a small bit of pink dusted her cheeks.

"Oh...um, well..." She began. Takumi raised an eyebrow at her embarrassed face. "...I don't know..." She said even though she knew why. Takumi scoffed.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're a bad liar?"

Mai gave a very small nod. "Naru tells me that almost every day..."

"Well then, for a change, he's right. Tell me the truth." Takumi demanded as they turned another corner. Mai looked away from him.

"I...can't tell you..." She mumbled. She looked around to see a way of escape and then noticed they were only a few steps from the girls' room. Suddenly feeling extremely tired, Mai yawned.

"Why not? It couldn't be any worse than you already turning me down." Takumi stated.

Mai twiddled her fingers before managing to stutter out, "S-Sorry, Takumi, I'm really tired now. G-Goodnight." Before he could say anything Mai slipped into the girls' room. Takumi silently cursed himself for letting her get away. He was about to walk away when he heard a harsh voice from behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

He turned around only to find the oh-so-famous 'Naru' there. "This is my house." He glared at the man.

"That doesn't explain why you're here." Naru snapped as he shifted his gaze to the door behind Takumi and then back to said boy. He knew that, that room was where the girls were suppose to sleep. Takumi scoffed.

"It doesn't concern you."

"Is Mai in there?" Naru demanded to know. Takumi turned to keep walking.

"She's probably sleeping now." Naru narrowed his eyes.

"What were you doing with her?" He demanded. Takumi ignored him and continued walking.

Naru glared when he was ignored. He really hated this guy. And what did he do to Mai?! Why was he with her? He better not have done something to her! He felt anger begin to fill him at the very thought of it. Naru blinked in surprise when he realised he was standing in the hall alone, fuming. Though, he looked at the door which Mai was behind. He briefly thought about checking on her to make sure she was okay. But...what did he mean by Mai was probably already asleep? Did he do something to tire her out? Naru immediately felt more angry but also concern. What if he had hurt her? Did he force her to do something?! Naru sighed, attempting to calm himself down.

He was thinking irrationally here.

He touched his forehead with his fingertips. What was this girl doing to him? He was sure everything had to be fine...if it wasn't, Mai would've made a lot of noise. Sighing, he decided that standing there wasn't doing him any good. He either check on her or he go back to base. He pondered over it for a few moments. Checking on her wouldn't be bad; it'd give him a peace of mind too.

Careful not to be too loud, he stepped towards the door. He opened it as quietly as he could and went in. Naru waited for his eyes to adjust slightly before glancing around the room. It didn't take long to spot the girl. She was lying on a bed, facing him and the door, curled up. He briefly wondered if she was okay. It did look as if she was asleep though. Sighing, he noticed that she had fallen asleep without pulling up the covers and was shivering. Idiot... Naru thought as he walked over to her. Carefully as not to wake her, he pulled the cover over her then tucked the blanket around her too. He almost smiled as she snuggled into the warmth. Almost.

She looked like a small child at that moment. Vulnerable and, dare he think it, cute. He couldn't deny it this time—she really was. Inwardly sighing, he was getting ready to walk of the room. At that moment he heard a soft sigh coming from behind him.

"Where did Naru go?" A voice asked.

Naru froze. He quickly glanced at Mai then at the door before mentally cursing. He wondered if he would be able to make it out before they got there. But what if he walks out the door and they'd be right there? If it's Takigawa or Miss Matsuzaki, he'd have a splitting headache from them demanding to know why he was in there with Mai. He didn't even want to think about what Masako would do. He could only hope it would Lin or John. Taking a deep breath, he carefully made his way towards the door. Once he was to it, he listened quietly to see if the person was still out there.

"I don't know." Another voice answered. Naru gritted his teeth. There were two people out there. He nearly slapped himself for being so stupid. Only one person he knew would talk to themselves.

And that person was asleep.

Naru waited a few more moments, hoping they would leave. When the footsteps seemed to fade away he moved to open the door. Quietly, he cracked the door open and looked out. Seeing no-one, he exited the room quietly. Naru mentally sighed and walked back to base. He would just have to talk with Mai tomorrow.

Naruisawesome: Well, there we go! Some more Takumi and a jealous Naru! Hehe!

MzShellSan: Ugh... Takumi... -_-

Naruisawesome: *pats shoulder* I know, you hate him...

MzShellSan: And you don't?!

Naruisawesome: *shrugs* I neither hate him or love him. Lol!

MzShellSan: *Rolls eyes*

Naruisawesome: *Ignores* Please review! ^.^