NARU

For a while, Naru had been trying to find Mai, he was reopening SPR and honestly, he didn't want any other assistant. Though somewhere in the back of his mind, in a place he'd never admit, he wanted to see her again.

"Okay, we're here," announced Lin, "This should be the place."

Naru raised an eyebrow, he could've figured that out, the small cafe had a large sign out front that said 'Mai's Place'. It had a sort of a butterfly theme, but when they entered, it was sort of an everything theme, but since it was so distinctly Mai, Naru couldn't help but smile.

There were ornamental butterflies, flowers, birds, and stars hanging from the ceiling, there was even a sun. Each wall was a different color, the one on his right was a soft pink, bearing an amazing drawing of a sunset. The one behind him was blue, but not just one blue, the color shifted all the way across the wall, giving off the impression that it was a moving ocean. The wall just opposite Naru was completely white, however there were photos, drawings, and notes papered all over it. Notes such as 'I met my husband here, thanks Mai!' and 'I'm coming back here everyday!'. The last wall, the one to Naru's left, behind the black marble couter, was a pale violet.

The ceiling was yellow, not regular yellow, more of a butter color, giving you a warm feeling, and the floor was dark forest green made of a plush, soft carpet.

The cafe felt cozy and comfortable, and it sort of made him happy.

Making his way to the counter, Naru ordered tea from the waitress. It was... strange, to say the least, she looked shaken to see him, and she looked very familiar. She was pretty, with long brown hair and big, kind brown eyes. She looked to be in her early twenties, the same age as Mai.

Wait a minute...

Could it be Mai?

Naru studied the girl as she moved around, making the tea.

No. It wasn't Mai, he decided as he watched the back of the girl. Mai would have spoken to him, been happy to see him, at least, he hoped she would.

He paid for the tea and went to sit down in an empty corner table.

Naru sat down and waited, Lin next to him, they should be here soon, he had told the entire team to meet here.

He took a sip and almost immediately felt bliss.

It tasted exactly like Mai's.

He missed this, when he went back to England, nothing tasted like this.

Masako walked in.

Soon after, everyone else walked in, and soon, they were all there, all except Mai.

Naru, it seemed, was not the only one who felt her absence.

"But," began Masako, looking around, "where is Mai?"

"She should be here," Naru answered, "She doesn't have a registered phone number, but apparently she owns, runs, and lives above this restaurant."

"Really?" Ayako sounded surprised, "I haven't seen her."

"I know," said Naru, rather irritated, "I think it's time we asked."

Immediately Naru called for the attention of the waitress, who was cleaning a nearby table. She turned around slowly, as if reluctant, anger, irritation, confusion, and hurt flashed across her face like a storm. Ignoring her discomfort, Naru asked his question, "Where is the owner of this establishment?"

Her expression was carefully neutral, though her eyes showed her emotions, hurt shined through them, covered by a fair amount a bitter and bleakness.

"Excuse me?" she said, no confusion in her voice at all.

"My name is Kazuya Shibuya, I'm looking for a young woman named Mai Taniyama, can you help me?"

The girl rolled her eyes, triggering no small amount of irritation inside Naru, "Don't lie to me," she said, bleakness filling almost every aspect of her.

"What?" He said, narrowing his eyes.

"That's not your name," she said stubbornly, glaring at him.

"Excuse me," Naru said, putting an edge in his voice.

"Kazuya Shibuya is not your name and you know it, I would have thought that maybe you could come up with a more clever fake name this time."

Everybody lapsed into silence.

How did this girl know that wasn't his real name.

Did he know her?

Could it be-

"Who are you?" asked Masako, the rest of them were staring at her face.

"I'm the owner."

Silence.

"What?" Ayako said almost immediately, but Mai didn't look at her, she was looking directly at Naru.

Naru's mind went blank and it swelled with a kind of buzzing sound, a noise that penetrated every inch of his being. He was vaguely aware of people around him speaking, but his brain refused to process the words. Mai? But, it couldn't be, but it was. She looked different, however, the closer Naru looked, the more apparent it became. Although so much about her had changed, her face hadn't, she still had the same empathetic eyes that seemed to look into your very soul. The same nose that perked up at the end and the same beautiful slight smile she always had, even when she was angry.

"Hello Mr. Davis," she said quietly, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Mai turned and left, right before it hit Naru what she said.

She called me Mr. Davis

Back when they were at SPR, she never even called him Kazuya or Mr. Shibuya, it was Naru, it had always been Naru.

Silence settled all around him, nobody in a million years would have guessed that Mai wouldn't be happy to see them.

But she was.

Mai

Mai clicked the lock into place, after the last few hours of complete torture, business hours had finally ended and she was able to shoo all those people out without seeming rude. She hoped they would leave her alone, alas, it seemed that was not meant to be.

Naru approached her almost immediately, "Mai," he said with that same indiscernible voice.

"I'm reopening SPR, would you like to came back."

A torrent of different emotions tore their way through her, anger, bitterness, resentment, pain, exasperation, irritation, relief, rage, there were so many things Mai wanted to say, so many things she wanted to do, she wanted to punch him, kick him. She wanted to scream and hit him and cry and let out everything.

She simply chuckled, Naru looked affronted.

"You certainly don't waste time, do you? Not even beating around the bush."

"What did you expect, Mr. Davis?" she asked quietly, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Did you think that I would just smile, make you some tea, and wait patiently for you to leave again?"

Mai's voice broke, betraying her emotions, instead of acknowledging it, she leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the storefront, tiredness etched in every corner of her face.

"Just- just go away," she whispered, and refusing to say anything else, she turned and jerked open the door that led to her apartment above the cafe.