U is for Understand

It wasn't like anyone could really, truly understand her pain. She was hopelessly, irrevocably, completely in love with her boss. Her cold-hearted, manipulative, genius, gorgeous boss. He certainly didn't understand love. Hell, Mai was fairly certain that he didn't even really know what it was.

Sure, he might love his own reflection. He'd spend hours looking at himself in the mirror.

Mai would give anything for him to look at her like tat.

No, no one would ever understand how she felt. Except.

Except maybe Bou-san. He was in love with Ayako. While he hadn't exactly said as much, Mai knew it. She could pick up on those things. She had resolved to talk to him on the next case. She'd get him alone, and ask him about unrequited love, and how to live with it. He was her big brother, and surely he would know what to do..

Well, that had gone badly. Badly was putting it nicely. She had pulled the monk into a room next to the back and flat out asked him, sorta.

"Bou-san..I need to talk to you about something," She'd begun. "I'm deeply in love with.." She didn't get a chance to finish the thought. Naru had stormed in and grabbed her by the arm and literally drug her back to the base. For the rest of the case she'd been practically glued to his side.

Everyone had had a great laugh about it. Naru wasn't acknowledging it. He'd only said that the ghost was very dangerous to her and it was for her own good and she could either stay put or go home. Since she hadn't wanted to lose her paycheck for the week, she'd stayed and become Naru's personal tea slave.

Why did she love him again?

The others had all just smirked and laughed and laughed and laughed, but no one would answer beyond a strange smile. Mai had wanted to know why so when Naru was busy going over some reading with Lin she'd grabbed Ayako and pulled the miko into the same room she had the monk a few days earlier.

"Ok, what's going on!? " She yelled, "Why is everyone acting so weird?" Ayako looked at her for a moment, and her face softened.

"You really don't know, do you?"

"NO!"

"Well, when you were about to admit your feelings to Monk we could hear and see everything in the base. Naru stormed out so quickly I hardly saw him move. It was like a black streak!"

"Admit my feelings towards Bou-san? What are you talking about!?" Mai thought back to what'd she'd said and blushed.

"You don't understand! I was just asking for his advice! I'm in love with Naru! I need help on how to tell him" Akayo searched her face for a moment then laughed again.

"Oh, this whole thing is just too funny!" Mai didn't know what was so damn funny but she stormed back to base to find it empty except for Naru. She went over without being told and began to brew his tea. As she did she felt him come be hind her and for a moment the warmth from his body. Mai closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the moment. She didn't get many of these, but oh, how she craved them.

When his lips ghosted along the back of her exposed neck she shivered a bit in both surprise and from the sensation.

"I understand." He said quietly. Mai didn't turn around, her heart was pounding. "We'll talk about when we get home." He said very quietly, and then he went back to the desk and his black notebook, but Mai was still blushing.

He understood...