Reconnecting

Tauria

"Where is Mai?" Oliver Davis looked around the lobby, searching for the cinnamon eyed brunette. However, his second look around told him the same thing as his first – she wasn't there. Mai Taniyama was not among the small group of people gathered before him. It was off–putting, how much that realization knocked him off balance... not that it showed. His mask was too carefully crafted to show what he was feeling beneath. Even his eyes were steeled to show nothing of his inner state.

This was the first time he had step foot in Japan in the last two years. He hadn't changed much during that time. He was a little taller, his shoulders a little broader. The last bits of baby fat had disappeared. He added some hints of color to his wardrobe – mostly at the insistence of his mother and brother. It was only a few shades of blue and gray, occasionally green, but it was a start.

His prolonged absence was partially due to his parents – so recently losing Gene had made them cling tightly to Oliver lest they lose him too. They hadn't said so in so many words, of course. But it had shown – even to the usually socially inept "idiot scientist". The other part of his absence was due to his own unwillingness to leave. He didn't want to hurt his parents or feel as if he was abandoning anyone. He didn't want to face the painful goodbyes or his mother's tears. He convinced himself that he was doing fine in England – and he was.

But he eventually had to admit that he had been happier in Japan. At the very least, he was more content. He had worked up the nerve to talk it up with his father and his mother, which had gone better than expected. Then they started preparing for his return to Japan. He bought his tickets, packed his things, faced the goodbyes he had been dreading, and flew to Japan, Lin in tow. Madoka had been managing the company while he was gone, so it was only a matter of turning the title back over to him and contacting the Irregulars.

And now they were all face–to–face again... except for Mai. She had been surprisingly difficult to locate. Getting in contact with her was even more difficult than finding out how to contact her, which he had not expected.

Upon his return, he had been surprised to learn that she had resigned a year and a half after he left. He had found – while in England – that working didn't feel right without her. He wanted the cheerful young woman to come work with him again. He missed her tea. He missed the various shades of red she turned when he teased her. He missed her insults. He missed her smiles. He missed hearing her bustle around the office – she never could be quiet. He wasn't completely comfortable with the strange reactions or the feelings she managed to raise out of him, but Gene supported it all wholeheartedly. He was very vocal about his support in the matter... And he was the one who had convinced him to come back in the first place.

In addition to wanting her back at the office with him, Oliver also wanted to find out why she had quit. It wasn't as if she was having problems with the cases – on the contrary. She had grown infinitely better with using her abilities, handling the ghosts, and had even managed several exorcisms of her own! Madoka had taken her under her wing, the same way she had once done the twins, and had been teaching her as much as she could about ghost hunting. The others had helped her develop her powers, and by all accounts, she had been shaping up to be an excellent addition to the field of parapsychology.

But... this was all for naught if she abandoned the field. Had the visions grown to be too much? Had it impacted her studies? Had she grown weary of cases?

He wouldn't get to ask any of these questions, however, if he didn't actually get to meet with her.

The other inhabitants of the room – save Lin – exchanged brief glances, while a few shuffled their feet awkwardly. Finally, Yasuhara spoke up.

"She's not coming," he said simply, glasses glinting and hiding his eyes. Really, he was as good at concealing his thoughts as Oliver was. Perhaps even better, though Oliver wasn't sure if this was due to his glasses' irritating propensity to reflect the light, concealing his eyes or if it was just natural talent at work. Whatever it was – it could be very annoying.

"Why?" he couldn't keep back the bite from his tone, but Yasu didn't even flinch. He just held Oliver's stoic gaze with his own, until finally – finally – Oliver looked away. He didn't need to ask that question. He knew exactly why Mai wasn't there. And it was his own fault.

"I want to talk to her."

"She won't talk to you." Ayako's eyes were full of fire. "I didn't want to, but I asked her to come with us today. She declined. She doesn't want to see you, much less speak to you."

Oliver turned away, so he wasn't facing them anymore. Partially to hide the guilt that was beginning to surface in his eyes and partially so he wouldn't have to face the accusatory looks he was sure they were giving him. Had they been any one else, he wouldn't have cared, but there was something about these people – Mai especially and the most obviously – who managed to bring out abnormal reactions from him. "Is there anyway I can speak with her?" As always, his voice was clear of emotion, and he was thankful for it – moreso than usual.

"Didn't we say she doesn't want to–" Bou–san began angrily, but a pale hand on his shoulder stopped him from continuing further.

"I think... it would be a good idea to let them speak," Masako staid, her voice cool and even. She eyed Dr. Davis momentarily, debating on continuing. Finally, she said, "I think that it will help her." She didn't want to discuss Mai's problems too much, especially not in front of the source, but she also needed to let him know that Mai was affected by his leaving – and by his words – more than anyone else was letting on. If he really wanted to speak with her (and hopefully make things right) then he couldn't go in being his usual condescending, insulting self.

Oliver's ears pricked at the words – so there was more to it. He had already deduced that, of course – Gene could be pretty blatant about it when he wanted to be – but he had no idea if the others knew, or if they were going to be willing to help him... At the very least, Masako was on his side – for whatever that was worth. He still wasn't quite sure how he felt about the medium after the stunts she had pulled the last time he was in Japan.

The only thing left to figure out was what exactly was going on with her. He knew – again, thanks to his brother – that she was hurting and that it was linked back to him, but Gene had been silent about what exactly he had done. Not that he doubted his guilt, because there were quite a few things he could imagine might have set her off, but... finding the source of the problem was going to be one of his first goals. And he knew enough about Mai to know that asking her straight out wasn't a wise idea... which meant he was going to have to work a little harder. Not that he minded – he did relish a challenge, after all.

"Well, alright..." Takigawa said reluctantly. "But," he started addressing Oliver again, "you had better not do anything to upset her, got it? She's... got enough going on as it is. Understand?"

Without turning around, Dr. Davis acknowledged this with a brief nod of his head. "I understand. How can I get a hold of her?"

"Just be at the restaurant across the street at six," Yasu spoke. "I'll handle the rest. And don't worry – you'll be alone with her at your table. But I suggest that at least myself goes... just in case."

Instead of questioning his words, Oliver just nodded – that was as good as he was going to get, and he knew it.

Mai raised an eyebrow at the young man who had become her closest friend. Yasuhara was one of the few who had shared in her exploits of the paranormal and who knew of her powers. Her demanding part time job at SPR had pushed her away from her high school friends – though as much as she cared about them and missed spending time with them, it was only a matter of time before they grew apart anyway. Besides, the fact that SPR was such a large chapter of her life, a chapter they had not experienced and could not fully understand – not that they wouldn't have tried – would have driven the wedge even if time did not.

As a result, since Yasuhara had experienced much of it alongside her, they had started spending more and more time together. They'd gotten even closer when Madoka hired him as an official part–time researcher in the office. And despite the fact she didn't work there anymore, their bond remained. He had been the most understanding about her quitting. The others had been very upset, even though they knew of her reasons. They just hadn't wanted to lose another member of their team/family.

"Really, a blind date?" She was skeptical, but not surprised. This wasn't the first time Yasuhara had set her up on a date, and it wouldn't be the last. She had been enthusiastic when he suggested it the first time, hopeful that she might find someone out there who could soothe the ache in her heart that person had left.

But fifteen minutes into most of the dates and she knew they weren't for her. There was nothing wrong with any of them, per se... but none of them struck a chord with her. After the third date, Mai had started orchestrating events to ensure they were no longer interested. She always felt bad, especially because he went through all the trouble to organize them – she was grateful for his concern – but...

She had only ever made it to a second date twice, and never a third. Yasuhara had yet to give up hope, but he had decided it was time to give it a break. She hadn't expected him to try it again so soon... but then again, she supposed she should have.

He was as persistent as he was scheming.

"Yep! Don't worry though; John and I are going to be there too!" he said brightly, glasses glinting in a mischievous way. This might have unnerved anyone else, but those who spent enough time with Yasuhara knew that he was always planning something. It wasn't unless he had the grin to match that they should worry, since it wasn't always related to the person he was with. "Now!" he carefully pushed her down the hall of her apartment, towards her bedroom. "You should go put on the outfit Ayako picked out for you!"

Mai's eyes widened, but she didn't fight him. It was always best to go with what he said, lest he end up getting what he wanted using a more... unorthodox method. Once upon a time, she had thought that Naru's–

No! she cut the thought off with enough force to make her head spin. She was not going to let her thoughts travel to him before a date even if it wasn't one she had agreed to go on – though she would because Yasu usually got his way in the end. It wasn't fair to the guy she was meeting or to herself. At some point during the evening, admittedly, she would start to think of him again or she would begin to unconsciously compare the two, but to let herself drift off before the date had even started? That was just ridiculous.

She had promised herself she would quit thinking of him. Told herself it was best to let the past stay in the past and move forward. There was no point in letting herself be hung up on him forever, after all. Yet, she had been torturing herself with thoughts of him increasingly often lately...

It was all because of that stupid, stupid phone call. He had called six times and left four voice–mails before she finally answered... She was still upset at herself over that! Even though she had held out for a while, she still ended up picking up that stupid phone. She had answered, when she promised herself she wouldn't. When she promised herself it was time to move on.

He just had to come back and haunt her, didn't he? (Pun unintended)

She barely noticed when Yasu shut the door behind him, leaving her standing in her room. However, after a moment, she realized that he would be waiting for her to finish getting ready. He always took her to the dates himself, and took her home afterward. It was partially because he wanted to make sure she went – not that she would ditch when someone was expecting her – and partially because he wanted the first set of details.

She examined the outfit that Ayako had picked out – a pale pink spaghetti strap dress that fluttered elegantly down to her knees, with a pale yellow elbow–sleeved sweater to button up over it, and a pair of white ballet flats to go with it. Mai pulled it on, and then took a moment to run the brush through her hair. It wasn't that much longer than it had been when he left, so it didn't require much before the knots and fly–aways were smoothed out. She put on a simple chain, her old house key hanging off of it.

Mai examined herself in the mirror for just a moment more to make sure she was presentable. Satisfied, she picked up her purse, and went out to where Yasu was waiting.

"I'm ready," she stated, trying to sound like she was at least somewhat excited. It didn't quite work, but Yasu greeted her with a grin anyway.

He gave her a few compliments to hopefully boost her spirits and make her a little bit more excited for her date before leading her out of the apartment. The moment his back was to her, and she could no longer see his face, the sneakiest grin he had worn in a while made its way across his lips. He always enjoyed a good plan, and while this was no means his best, it was most certainly a good one. Mai's anger over it would be worth it...

Outside of her apartment, the two climbed into Bou–san's car, where he and John were waiting for them, smiles on their faces. Had she been paying close attention, she might have seen the slight reluctance in Bou–san's eyes, and the bit of guilt in John's.

"Wow Mai–chan! You look great!" the long haired man greeted her, a wide smile on his face.

John nodded in agreement, smiling brightly at her.

She returned their smiles. "Thanks, guys!"

Bou–san started driving.

"I didn't expect you to be here, Bou–san," Mai commented. He rarely took part in the blind dates, though he did support her moving on from the past. He just... wasn't as actively pushy about it as Yasuhara was. Though it wasn't so much as Yasu was pushy, as it was he had his own way of going about things. She appreciated both their efforts.

"I'm here in case you need to make a quick get away," he explained, glancing at her through the rear view mirror.

"Why would I need to do that?"

He shrugged. "There were a couple times you needed to, according to what you and Yasu have told us... and Yasu thought it would be better to be safe than sorry. Especially if you "accidentally" spill a drink on this guy."

Mai flushed. No one would let her live that down, would they? Frankly, that guy was a pig. But Mai was too nice to outright drop the water on him, so she had done it "accidentally" instead. It had given her an odd sort of satisfaction, especially when his face had started turning a splotchy shade of red. She had decided to leave before he could say anything, however.

"We're here!" Bou–san broke her out of her thoughts. Yasu pulled her out of the car, and John stepped out as well, though Bou–san stayed inside. She was led inside and to one of the reserved tables, where Yasu had told her she would meet her date. He had told the date to arrive at six, giving Mai fifteen minutes to calm down.

She took a deep breath.

Oliver entered the restaurant. It was nice; not overly fancy. He had eaten here before, when he had worked in the office. Both the food and prices were decent, though he hadn't been too pleased with their tea. He was led to the table where his "date" – Yasuhara had told him that the most plausible explanation was another one of the blind dates he had set up for her in the past – was waiting. Oliver couldn't deny that calling it a date made him... very pleased, but knowing that Yasuhara was setting Mai up on repeated blind dates didn't sit well in his stomach. Not that he had any say in that anymore – if he ever had. Despite what he told himself, being her boss didn't mean he got to dictate who she went out with...

He slid into the seat opposite her. "Hello."

Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of his face, and for a moment, Oliver wondered if she might burst into tears. However, to his relief, she didn't. Instead, she turned to look at Yasu with a fierce glare, growling a promise for revenge under her breath.

Oliver was actually surprised to see the usually imperturbable young man gulp and wave nervously – his own patented death glare had never worked on the glasses wearing young man, and he was sure he had quite the impressive one. Perhaps Mai had been working on hers, or perhaps he was experienced in whatever Mai could do in revenge. Though – having been on the receiving end of her glare on more than one occasion – she did put an admirable amount of emotion behind her gaze (the same way she did everything). It was most certainly unnerving...

All of a sudden, her face flashed from anger to realization. She growled again, turning to look at the window and direct a glare to an oblivious Takigawa. "That's why he's here," he heard her say. "Dammit, Bou–san!"

So Takigawa had come? Of course. Someone had to keep Mai from just walking out. He wouldn't have expected it to be the bassist monk though. He had been very loud in his dislike of the idea. Perhaps he had warmed up to it? He mentally scoffed – it was more like the priestess had threatened him. Or perhaps Yasuhara had said something?

Then, the glare was back, and was directed at him. "What are you here for?" she bit out. He'd never heard such venom from the young woman before.

"I came to speak with you," he said calmly, though the glare was quite off–putting. He was right; she had gotten much better at it. It wouldn't sway him though. He had too much pride for that.

"I suppose no one is stopping you." The venom that had dripped from her tone before had left. Instead, her tone now had the hint of something icy around it, but it wasn't quite as cold as it could have been. Her glare softened some, though the anger had not dimmed from her eyes. Swirling around with the anger was a multitude of other emotions, including hurt and sorrow. The anger seemed to him as more of a defensive reaction, like that of a wounded animal. He knew better than to point that out, though.

The hurt and sadness were the two that affected him the most. It made his stomach churn to know that he was the cause of such pain in someone who had always been so... bright and happy when she had worked for him – even when he was having one of his worse days, she had kept her spirits up.

"Start talking, then." She gazed at him coolly, attempting to reign in the swirl of emotion.

Dr. Davis took in a breath. He had come in totally prepared with what to say... he had agonized over everything he was going to tell her since the moment he had decided to purchase the plane tickets. But suddenly, he wondered... would it be enough? Would he actually manage to mend the bond – albeit a tentative one – that they had before he left? Would he manage to help get them to a point where he could... say what he had realized?

It had taken him a long while to admit to himself he had... feelings for his former assistant. Only with the help of Gene had he decided it was okay to care just a little. It was okay to let someone else in. It was okay to care about her. He didn't have to lock himself away. And though he had never voiced the fear aloud, though Gene had never outright called him on it... Gene had also reminded him that not everyone was going to leave. It was an unfortunate accident that ripped them apart, and it didn't mean he had to pull away completely from everyone. He had always been reserved, but – as Gene said – this was just overkill, and was more likely to do harm than good.

And after Oliver had finally accepted all of this – it had taken a while – Gene had helped him with the apology, since Oliver had never been good at this sort of thing. Of course, he hadn't helped too much, saying something about how Mai would know that Gene had supplied it if he didn't do most of it himself. And that had been the start of his long, arduous task to come up with the perfect apology; he never did anything halfway, after all.

"I'm sorry," he stated, already feeling somewhat relieved. He had distanced himself, but that didn't mean he was immune to guilt. "I... I'm not good with these types of situations. I've never been good at finding the right words for these moments, because I've never had to be." It was difficult to stop himself from halting, to keep himself from stuttering. He wasn't supposed to get nervous. He was supposed to be unflappable, calm in any situation. That was who he had always made himself out to be; he couldn't take it back now. Though if it was going to happen around anyone, it would be her.

"I always had someone who understood me; who knew what was going on in my head. I always had someone who could speak for me when I didn't want to speak, when I didn't want to explain myself... or even when I was so absorbed in my work that I didn't think to explain myself. But, despite my limitations in this area–" he hated phrasing it like that, but his brother had insisted he show some weakness because it might help him in the long run "–I wanted to tell you that I really am sorry."

Originally, there had been more to the apology (Gene had made him include the events that he was sorry for... and some of the things he named, Oliver wasn't really sorry for, but Gene had glared at him until Oliver had huffed and agreed) but he found he just couldn't get the words out.

Mai, instead of asking what he was sorry for... or even reminding him of what all he should be sorry for, just quirked her lips upward in a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Which was unnerving in itself – Mai's smiles were always sunny and bright, full of warmth and happiness. They always lit up her whole face, especially her eyes, letting her inner light shine through. But this one didn't.

But Oliver didn't say anything about it, because at least she wasn't glaring at him anymore. Or crying. He didn't like it when she cried. He wasn't good at handling crying people; never had been. It was even worse with Mai, because when she was the one crying, he actually felt like he needed to do something. Say something... make her feel better in some way.

"I suppose... I'll try to forgive you," Mai breathed out. "I'll try."

He nodded, giving her his own version of a smile – a real one, which was surprising enough. It didn't last long, but he knew that she had seen it. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a few moments – only breaking it to order their meals and drinks. The silence was odd – Mai would usually have filled it with almost meaningless chatter about anything and everything she could think of. Or at least, the Mai he remembered would have. It was hard to grasp that she wasn't quite the same anymore.

So when their meals came, and they started eating, he found he wasn't quite so comfortable with the silence as he would have been two years ago. He wanted to fill the void in the air, but with what? So he spoke of the first thing that came to his mind – work.

"Does this mean you will consider coming back to work with me?" He was careful not to phrase it for me, even though she would be working for him. Gene had taken the time to warn him about phrasing it that way before he had arrived – cheerfully adding that him being the "idiot scientist" that he was, he'd probably end up saying something else that he shouldn't and offend her, but at least he wouldn't say that. Oliver had just glared at his twin, though he privately conceded that the idiot had a point. He did tend to say the wrong thing more often than not.

Mai was silent for a few moments more, and the seconds seem to drag on like months. "Consider it? Yes. I've been considering it, actually. I... miss ghost hunting. And going with Bou–san and Ayako on their exorcisms isn't quite the same," she said softly. "I just don't... I don't know yet. But when I do, you'll be the first to know." She gave him another not–quite–right smile, and then the oppressing silence took over again.

Oliver had never thought to describe silence as oppressing before. He could name a million other moments in his life where he wished for silence; a million moments where he just wanted everyone around him to stop talking. This wasn't one of those times, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. He had no idea how to end the silence either. He had never been much of a talker, as he had stated before.

So he left the silence, let it linger around them, forming it's own atmosphere. Finally, she spoke again. "Solve any cases lately?" she questioned him, attempting to make idle chatter. Perhaps the silence unnerved her too?

"A couple. My parents–" more specifically his mother "–weren't exactly eager for me to go back to work so soon after... after I got back. Mostly, I did paperwork." And that was only after he'd snuck it up to his room – not that he would tell Mai that.

She chuckled softly before taking a sip of her drink. "I don't imagine they would be."

Oliver gave her his customary smirk, before noting that both of their plates were nearly empty. He wasn't ready to leave just yet! "Mai?"

"Mm?"

"I'd like to meet here again, same time next week."

Her eyes flickered up to his, surprise swirling in them. But after a few moments, she smiled – this new smile he was growing to dislike – and nodded. "Okay."

The silence was back. It lasted until they got the check – there was a brief argument over whether or not he was paying (his idea) or whether they would split the check (her idea). Finally, he conceded to splitting the check (but only because he didn't want to get on her bad side so early), and then they left.

Mai glared at the three males. "You!" she pointed at Bou–san. "What happened to supporting my moving on from him?! "Here for a quick getaway"... yeah right! You wanted to make sure I didn't try to get out of the meeting!"

Bou–san winced. "That was sort of true..." he said weakly. "I was there to make a quick getaway... in case things went wrong..."

She whirled around to face John, ignoring the monk's comment. "And you! I expected better from you! Yasu, sure. This is totally up his alley. But you?!"

The priest looked chastised under her fierce glare and her words, having the good sense to not attempt to defend himself from her tirade.

"And you! The worst of all!" She was now facing Yasu, who was giving her a knowing grin (and he was very thankful his glasses hid the little bit of fear in his eyes... angry Mai was almost as unpleasant as an angry Ayako, except her attacks weren't limited to Bou–san). "If you ever do something so... so... underhanded and stupid again... ugh!" She shrieked in frustration, her words failing her, her fists curled at her sides. "I want to go home. Now."

She plopped down in the backseat, buckling her seat belt with all the fury she could muster. Once everyone was in the car, the first few minutes were horribly silent.

"How'd it go?" Yasu finally asked, managing to retain his chipper tone.

"Well enough. He apologized."

This earned wide eyed faces of shock – of course that was what they had hoped he would have done, but none of them thought he actually would have done it. They had all assumed that he would immediately be his narcissistic self and somehow still manage to earn her somewhat acceptance of his presence, if he didn't earn her forgiveness.

This made Bou–san feel better about letting Mai talk to him – he hadn't been overly keen on the idea in the beginning. In fact, he had been utterly against it, but between the threats of the shrine maiden and Yasuhara's gaze, he had agreed to help out.

Yasu was pleased that his idea had worked quite well, happy that they hadn't gone with Ayako's suggestion about having them all gather in one place. He knew that the paranormal scientist would be a lot more comfortable and willing to make the first move to make amends if they weren't surrounded by people.

John was happy that they were on the first steps to mending their bond. Mai's less–than–happy behavior worried him. They were all more used to her smiles and bouncing back from problems than they were this not–right–smiling and less talkative attitude.

"And then it was mostly quiet," Mai finished. "Though, we did have a brief argument over how the bill was going to be paid. And..." she sighed, knowing there was no way she could omit this detail, but also knowing everyone was going to make way too big of a deal about it. "We agreed to meet again next week, same time."

Yasu beamed triumphantly, but – to her surprise – none of them said about it. Though, Yasu's smile told her everything she needed to know. She knew she would get an earful over it later, but for the moment, she was thankful for the silence.

They reached her apartment complex, and Mai said her farewells, before exiting the car and heading inside. They stayed for a moment longer, before driving away.

And Mai, safely in her apartment, sank down to the floor and buried her face in her hands. Why did he have to show up again? Why now?

Why did that stupid narcissistic jerk have to show back up now of all times? Why did he have to come back and apologize of all things? And throughout their dinner he was – dare she say it – nice. He hadn't insulted her, or glared at her through the whole thing. He hadn't ordered her to come back to work. He had asked her to work with him, not for him. He had even smiled! Granted, the dinner had been mostly silent (she was pleased to detect the slightest bit of discomfort coming off of him... and prideful that she had learned to read him well enough to notice) and it had been a very awkward, oppressing silence, but they had made some progress.

At the very least, he had made the effort to come see her. That was something, she supposed. But it wasn't enough.

She had spent over three years pining after him. Two years of which he had been pretty much on the other side of the world! And right before he had left? He had the nerve to tell her that it was not him she was in love with... but Gene, his dead twin brother!

At the time, this had been positively heart wrenching. It was made more so as he informed her that it was okay; he was used to it. Girls were always falling for Gene, everyone was always more enchanted with the elder Davis twin. This still made her heart ache for him, because even though he claimed to be okay with being the one always left to the shadows, she knew that he had to be lying.

Later, though, when he was gone from her sight, she had done some thinking. She had replayed the memory over and over in her head, and she had thought long and hard about what he had said. She was not in love with Gene. If she was, that would be one of the most shallow things she could have done. At least, at the time. She knew him better now.

But it was still Oliver that had captured her heart.

She was not angry with him for assuming she had fallen for Gene – though that was quite irritating. She was angry because first, the whole time he was in England, not once did he contact any of the members of SPR. And that had hurt. She had been ready to put her confession behind her, smile, and welcome him back with open arms. She was ready to go back to bickering and making twelve cups of tea a day... or, if circumstances arose and he hadn't been able to come back, she was ready to go through email.

But the jerk hadn't even bothered.

Second, he gave little warning that he was returning. He simply showed up out of the blue and contacted everyone. Or – so it appeared to her. She had been well on her way to moving on. She'd finally made the biggest step – resigning from SPR and getting a new job. Even if it didn't pay as good as he had. She was dating – sort of – and going on minor exorcisms with Bou–san and Ayako. Her grades were improving.

She was still hurt – his absence affected her more than she liked to admit – but she was getting better.

And then he showed up again, and shattered those efforts to pieces.

But, just because she still loved him did not mean that she was not going to fall back into his arms so easily, however. She knew that she would not be able to hold a grudge or continue her charade of hating him, but she was going to make him work to bring back her full affections. He was already headed in the right direction... he just needed to keep heading that way. She couldn't go back to the way everything was before – and for all her good intentions, she didn't think she could have two years ago either.

She knew, deep in her heart, that she had already forgiven him. She knew that as much as she wanted to hold this grudge against him, as much as she wanted to see him begging on his knees to get her back (even if it was only as friends)... he was already forgiven.

That didn't mean she was going to make it easy on him. Mai had a mean stubborn streak.

Oliver stood in front of the mirror once he had finished with his nightly preparation. His hair was still slightly damp from his shower and his mouth still tasted like minty toothpaste, but he wasn't overly bothered by it. He shifted in his light blue pajamas, pushing lightly against their telepathic communication. He needed to talk to Gene. He needed the advice of someone better versed in the ways of people – particularly females. That, and his brother made him promise to let him know how the "date" went, and Oliver had agreed reluctantly. He acknowledged that his brother did deserve to know how well his efforts had paid off, especially considering he knew that he could sometimes be... difficult to work with.

The mirror wavered for a second, and then his reflection beamed back at him. It was obvious he hadn't expected Oliver to hold up the agreement – something that mildly irritated him. He was, after all, a man of his word. Most of the time.

"So? How'd it go?" his twin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not even a hello? I'm disappointed, Gene. Especially after all that talk over my manners." Oliver frowned at him, but his eyes held the shadow of the smirk he wore when teasing those close to him.

Gene huffed impatiently – that was something they definitely shared. While both had vast amounts of patience, they only used it when it came to things they were really invested in. For instance, tracking ghosts. "Yes, yes. Hello, Noll. Now get to the good stuff!"

Instead of answering verbally, Oliver opened the connection they shared wider on his end, letting the memory of Mai's and his dinner to stream through. Gene was silent for a few moments, analyzing how it went while Oliver waited for the verdict.

"It could have gone worse," Gene decided. "You did good with the apology – honestly, I thought you'd mess that up–"

"Your faith in me is astounding," Oliver said dryly. Gene ignored him, as per the usual.

"–and you did remember what I told you about asking her to work with you! The silence was honestly better than her yelling at you the whole time, though it wasn't great either... She agreed to a second meeting, which means I have more hope for you than I did before!"

"And how much hope did you have for me before?"

"Little to none."

"Was this a result of your faith in my social skills or her frame of mind?"

Gene shrugged. "50/50."

Oliver sighed. He couldn't blame his brother for his lack of faith; Oliver really wasn't the best in social situations. But at least this time it was only half caused by his abysmal people skills.

"So... what am I supposed to do when we go out to eat next week?" Today was hard enough to get through!

Gene thought about that for a few moments. "Let's try to eliminate the awkward silence portion of the evening," he decided. "Come up with conversational topics! Write 'em down, if you have to. Discuss home, childhood memories, stupid things we did–"

"You did; I didn't do stupid things."

Gene rolled his eyes, but ignored the comment. "–as kids, cases you've taken recently, cases we took before... There's a whole plethora of things you could talk about! Now whether the conversation keeps moving forward from there is kind of a hit or miss, I think. But what's the most important thing I told you not to do?"

Oliver sighed heavily. Gene had made him repeat this several times to him; apparently despite the somewhat success, he was still going to make him repeat it. "Tease her, especially insinuating her intelligence is below average." He couldn't help the small frown that came with this – teasing Mai was one of his favorite pastimes! But Gene had told him that the last thing she needed was for him to insult her, and since Oliver's favorite way of teasing her was insulting her, he enacted the no teasing rule. Oliver had – reluctantly – agreed to follow it.

"Good! Now, with all that in mind," Gene's appearance in the mirror began to fade slightly, "I've stayed as long as I can tonight."

The length of time his brother could "wake up" enough to speak and stay "awake" was increasing, Oliver noted. Slowly, but steadily. This thought both pleased and upset him – for one, it meant that Gene could speak with him more... but it also meant that his spirit was getting stronger, which held some dangerous implications, at least to the scientist portion of his mind. "Until next time."

Gene smiled. "See ya, little brother." And he was gone before Oliver could argue how Gene was only a few minutes older.

A week later, Oliver arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before six. There was no sign of Mai yet, but Oliver knew she would be there. He fingered the slip of paper in his pocket. He had taken Gene's advice, writing down several ideas for conversation. He hoped he wouldn't have to use it; that he would remember all of the topics they had come up with.

With the way his luck was going lately – especially when it concerned Mai – he probably would have to use it.

Mai slid into the seat across from him. He took note of her outfit, intending to take Gene's advice – which he seemed to be doing all too often lately – and give her a compliment. She wore a tight red top with a black skirt this time, accompanied by a dark jacket. She greeted him with another one of her new smiles. "Evening."

"Evening... you look nice tonight," he offered.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and he was pleased to note how her cheeks reddened some. He still affected her, then. "Thanks... you don't look bad yourself – blue suits you."

"So I've heard," he smiled lightly, once again turning the slip of paper over in his pocket. "Where have you been working since...?"

"I work at a teashop," she smiled wryly. "Mostly, I make the tea, but occasionally I wait tables or stand behind the register."

Oliver nodded, letting a small smirk show on his face. Gene had been quick to add that smiling – or smirking – was encouraged, though he did add that Mai probably was expecting him to keep his face blank, seeing as how she does know how he can be. Still... he had found didn't mind the idea of being a bit more open around Mai. Within reason, of course. "Which teashop?" he raised an eyebrow. Perhaps even if she didn't work with him at the moment, he'd still get to imbibe her delicious tea. Which, he had missed very much while he was gone. No one made tea quite like Mai did.

She rolled her eyes, but grinned a little. She pulled a pen out of the purse beside her, scribbling down the name, address, and number on a napkin. Then she pushed it towards him, clicking the pen shut and putting it back her bag.

He carefully put that in his pocket, and silence lapsed around them again. He decided to try his hand at a compliment again – getting on her good side was imperative, after all. And since they had already briefly covered the subject... "No one in England makes tea quite like yours," he said, trying to be nonchalant about it. Compliment or no, he didn't want her making a big deal about it.

She grinned a little more. "Is that so? So I take it you didn't have twenty cups a day while you were gone?"

"I never drank twenty cups a day," he countered. He doubted even he could drink that much tea... or hold that much caffeine.

"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow. "I beg to differ – speaking as the one who made the tea."

"I think you're exaggerating, speaking as the one who was drinking the tea."

"Am I?"

"Yes," he said confidently. "And, as you don't work for me anymore, there's no way you can prove it." He smirked.

She raised an eyebrow again, amusement making her lips turn upward. "Is this your way of trying to get me to come back?"

"Perhaps."

She shook her head, grinning a little. He was pleased to note that the heavy atmosphere around them had lightened considerably. Silence fell again, but this time it wasn't as dense. He sipped at his drink, and Mai did the same.

He absentmindedly fingered the note in his pocket again, fishing his mind for another conversation topic. "You still see everyone regularly...?" he prompted.

She nodded. "Yasu and I meet up pretty regularly – sometimes we go out for food, sometimes we go dancing, and sometimes we just chill out in my apartment and watch horror flicks."

"I would have thought you had your fill of horror," Oliver remarked drily.

She snorted, but otherwise continued with her answer. "Anyway, Bou–san invites me to his shows and sometimes brings me along to practice sessions. Other times he stops by when I'm at work, so I see him a lot too. Ayako takes me on a lot of shopping trips, and sometimes we just go out for lunch. I go see John and the kids at the church often too... and Masako invites me to some of her shootings. All in all, I get to see everyone pretty often. We try to all meet up as often as possible too! Not to mention, Ayako and Bou–san have taken to bringing me and/or Yasu with them on their exorcisms, so I do get to ghost hunt occasionally."

"You mentioned that last time..." he prompted.

"Yeah. It's nothing like the cases we used to go on," she smiled wryly. "But it's not bad either. We're not usually on site long enough for me to get any visions, but there have been a couple times."

"Speaking of, how are your powers?"

"I've been told they're progressing well... I can sense spirits easier now – when I'm awake and when I'm sleeping. Sometimes I can even see them, around the city," she gestured vaguely. "Just flashes, but I've been told it's promising."

"Let me guess – Gene's been training you?" Oliver had guessed that long ago, actually. Gene would often appear a little more... tired some days, or he wouldn't be able to speak as long. Oliver had never directly questioned him about it, but sometimes flickers of memories would appear through the link. Never anything substantial, but they usually involved Mai.

She nodded. "Do... you see him often?"

"When he can wake up enough to appear," Oliver confirmed, though neither said anything more about it after that. It was still a touchy subject, after all. There was silence until they ordered their food.

Mai shifted. "So... you're taking over SPR again? I wouldn't have thought you'd want to come back."

"I... missed Japan. England is where I grew up, yes. It is where my family is and where I got my start as a ghost hunter. I do have many fond memories there. But..." he shrugged. "All of them involve Gene. That was a problem at first, though it is easier to remember them now. I like it better here." Where people are not constantly staring at me in pity. Or comparing me to Gene. "I have more freedom here, and... Japan's cases are more interesting."

Mai nodded slowly. "I understand." And he knew she probably did – she probably understood a lot more about his reasoning than the few things he said aloud. Not only had she been through similar circumstances, sometimes she appeared to be a borderline empath.

Hmmm... there was a thought. He'd assumed her abilities leaned more towards the medium side of things... But if one thought about it, she did show quite a few traits leaning that way...

That was something to ponder later, however. Gene had the training aspect covered, and as her spirit guide, he probably knew a lot more about Mai's abilities than even Mai herself knew.

Or so Oliver would assume.

And there was that awkward silence again, creeping on them as he had lost himself in thought. He usually didn't have such problems.

Their food arrived, and the two started eating, soothing the silence to something less awkward and more comfortable.

After a bit, Oliver returned to an earlier topic of conversation. "So, any interesting cases you'd like to mention?"

Mai tapped her finger to her chin for a moment, thinking about his question. They had gone on several cases, but as she had mentioned earlier – compared to some of the ones she had went on before, they weren't as notable or scary as they could have been. Finally, she settled on one. "There was this really creepy one involving a stuffed bear."

Oliver raised an eyebrow, and Mai grinned. She launched into a tale of the case, doing her best to make it scary. As he often was when speaking with her, Oliver was reminded of Gene. Especially as she mimicked the creepy voice. And while he couldn't say she scared him – he did work with spirits often, after all – he could say that she did an admirable job. A bubble of nostalgia welled up in his chest, as he was reminded of Gene's dinner table stories, and how he loved to mimic people. Everyone in his tales had their own voice, something that entertained anyone who was listening.

The pain he would have felt not too long ago wasn't quite as pronounced, though there was still a pronounced ache in him. It would always hurt, but time dulled the edge.

Mai was laughing, clutching her stomach with one hand and holding the other over her mouth as she tried not to make too much of a scene. Her hair fell into her face, and her face was reddened. Oliver's lips twitched, a ghost of a smile playing across his face. He had just finished telling her a story of a particularly rowdy ghost Gene and he had faced at thirteen, and the pranks that it had played on them. Mai was nearly in tears from how hard she laughed at some of the mental images he gave her.

He couldn't help but feel proud of making her laugh so hard, especially since this was genuine mirth, instead of the not–right smiles or the half–laughs she had been producing. It wasn't often he made her laugh this hard too, and it made him feel... good, to know that he was the cause of her merriment. Even if it was at (partially) his expense. It wasn't often he made her laugh – normally he was the cause of her anger instead,

"Th–that sounds like it was a very... eventful case," Mai said, once she was done. She wiped a tear off her face with the heel of her palm, her eyes still twinkling. Something fluttered in his gut at the sight. He'd missed the sight of genuinely happy Mai more than he had flustered or angry Mai.

"It was. Once he got over the initial embarrassment, Gene couldn't stop laughing about it. He took special delight in relaying most of what happened to me to everyone as long as they would listen," Oliver rolled his eyes. He could still remember in vivid detail all of the dinner–time stories that had followed that case... and the exaggerations that his twin was fond of adding in. "He was quite fond of mimicking my facial expressions and the spirit's voice. Of course, he didn't mention any of the pranks pulled on him."

"Of course," Mai grinned. "And you didn't either?"

"Only when he was being particularly annoying about it," Oliver smirked.

This was their sixth "date". The awkward portions of the evening were almost completely eliminated and the two were growing more comfortable in each other's presence. Mai still hadn't given him an answer, but he could be patient when he wanted to be. He hadn't gotten any good cases yet either... only people with overactive imaginations and too much time to exercise them. He'd taken to visiting the teashop Mai worked at during lunch as well, ordering a meal and some tea while going through files or reading emails. Mai would sometimes toss a barb about him being a workaholic, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from insulting her back. She always seemed surprised when he did, and it was almost worth holding his tongue to watch the array of emotions fly across her face.

This night was going to be different than their usual, however. It was already going well, but tonight, Oliver was going to convince her to let him pay. Or maybe he was just going to do it. He hadn't decided yet, and he hadn't consulted his brother on it. He was just going to do what he felt was right at the time, and see what happened. Definitely not the best strategy to work with, but he was going to attempt it anyway.

Another story later – this time from Mai – and their check arrived. Carefully snatching it up before Mai could, he smiled disarmingly. "I'll pay tonight."

She huffed at him, her cheeks puffing out in a decidedly adorable way... not that he would ever admit such a thing aloud. "Naruuuu~! I thought we agreed to splitting the check!"

He bit back a smirk... he enjoyed aggravating her. Huffy Mai was as good as a flustered or annoyed Mai. "We did... last time. But this is a new night, and I have decided that I'm paying. If it makes you feel better, you can leave the tip." He offered, attempting a new compromise.

She pouted at him, but he held firm. "Mai, please?" He met her eyes with his.

She blinked, eyes wide. Finally, color flooded her cheeks and she huffed, looking away. "Fine."

Oliver let the smirk loose this time, paying for the meal and escorting her out. After "date" number three, Oliver had insisted on taking her home. Bou–san had protested at first, but Oliver had been steadfast, and Mai had been on his side. So now he always drove her back after each meal. He had walked her to the door last week, and he intended to tonight as well.

"I'll see you tomorrow at lunch?" she questioned as they reached her apartment door.

He nodded. "Of course."

She shifted slightly, hesitating before going inside. Finally, she seemed to make up her mind, leaning up and pressing a brief kiss against his cheek. Without waiting for a response, she slipped inside her door, shutting it behind her. Oliver blinked, staring at the space she'd occupied. He hadn't imagined that... had he? No, he doubted it. His imagination was rarely that vivid. He lifted his hand to touch his cheek, which still tingled slightly from her lips.

He slowly made his way back to his car, his shoulders lightened from how well this was going. To think, a month and a half ago he had been worried. There was still time for him to backtrack, of course, but he was feeling much more positive about how things were going than he had been before.

A half smile made it's way on his face. Before long, maybe their "dates" would turn into dates.

He frowned at himself – that was jumping too far ahead! The first priority was getting Mai back at SPR and being friends again. He could worry about a romantic relationship later! Besides, he was sure that she still loved Gene. Even though he was set on eventually winning her affection, now was not the time to be focusing on that!

Meanwhile, Mai clutched her burning cheeks. Had she really just done that?!

The night before their eighth "date", Mai's phone buzzed. She grabbed it, checking the caller ID. Naru? She tilted her head to the side. She knew, of course, that he still had her number, but he hadn't used it before now. She answered. "Hey."

"I won't be able to make it tomorrow," he informed her.

"Oh." She was disappointed – she had really started to enjoy their dinners together. Naru spoke a lot more and he had begun to seem a lot more approachable than he had two years ago. He wasn't nearly as... cold now, as he had once been. Though, perhaps it was only being controlled, and she had mistook it, because she didn't understand. Now she did, and she felt that went a long way in their friendship. He was still distanced, but two years had changed a few things about them both. She was a little more mellow, and he was a little more open. "Why not?"

"We've got a case."

She swallowed. Right. This was the first case he'd had since he got back... and even though she was still uncertain about working with him again... she hadn't thought of him going on a case without her. She should have – it had been an oversight he might have insulted her for. After all, she wasn't employed there (by her own doing), wasn't on the list of Irregulars to call. It was... a development she hadn't thought about. But she steeled herself. "Right... Good luck."

"I don't need luck, Mai." She could hear the smirk he was wearing. "...but thank you."

She smiled. "Didn't think I'd ever hear you say that," she teased softly.

He chuckled, something she was slowly starting to get used to. The first time she'd heard it, she thought her heart had stopped momentarily. She had flushed bright red and she had seen the comment appear on his tongue, but he hadn't said it. Which made her wonder why – why was he holding back? Was he worried about hurting her? About saying something and driving her away? Did he really want her to come back so badly? She had always hoped that their friendship (if one could call it that) had meant something to him... and this was her proof.

She had been turning that over and over in her mind since he returned – here he was, spending time with her and telling her stories, making her laugh and biting back his normal insults... She was touched by his efforts. He was trying to make amends, and the wall she had put up was slowly being beaten down. He was doing exactly as she wanted – working for her forgiveness, instead of demanding it.

She really missed working at SPR. She wanted to go back. She wanted to joke with everyone and face spirits. She wanted to help set up equipment and be right there in the thick of things. She wanted to show Naru all the new stuff she had picked up and the way her abilities had progressed under Gene's tutelage. She wanted to work in the office every day, responding to demands of tea and bantering with the world's most narcissistic idiot scientist.

But yet...

She was afraid to.

What if when she went back, the progress they made went down the drain? What if they dissolved back into trading nothing more than insults and he closed himself off to her again, shutting down any attempt at getting closer they had made? She was happy with the leaps they had made in their relationship, and she didn't want to lose the... closeness she had developed with him.

"So... rain check, or just wait till next week?" she finally asked, pulling herself out of her thoughts. It wouldn't do to dwell on that now, when she was talking on the phone to him. Who knew what she might end up saying?

"Next week. This case might take a while," he explained.

Mai nodded, before remembering he couldn't see her. She flushed. "Okay."

He smirked again, as if knowing what that rustling noise had been. "See you then."

"Mhm." They hung up and Mai sighed. This wasn't the first case she had missed out on – Madoka still took plenty. The Irregulars took on several jobs outside of SPR, and Mai had missed plenty of those due to school or work reasons – or simply because her powers wouldn't be needed. But it was going to be SPR's first case with Naru back. And she was missing out.

Because you're not ready to work with him again, her mind whispered. You're scared that he'll turn away again, push you out once more. He's never been the most open person, and he's skilled at shutting people out. You just don't want to get hurt. And that's okay.

But... it hurts not being there! It hurts knowing that my friends, my family could be in danger and I'm not there to help! My visions would be helpful! My powers are getting stronger... And... I want to be there! I don't want to miss out on Ayako and Bou–san's bickering. Or when Yasuhara fake flirts with Bou–san. I don't want to miss that look Naru gets when he solves the case. I don't want to be left behind!

In that case, you're leaving yourself behind. Holding yourself back from what you really want... because if it's something you desire, something that would make you happy... it's worth the risk. Who's to say these once–a–week dinners have top stop, huh? You might even have more to talk about! You don't know he'll pull away – it might bring you closer. Obviously he cares and wants to be close again, or he wouldn't have done all of this!

Mai swallowed. She was being a coward about all of this. Holding herself back from doing what she wanted, causing herself worry and heartache just the same as if she did what she wanted and Naru pulled away. Granted, the latter option might hurt worse, but for all she knew he wouldn't. It was stupid to obsess over something when Naru was obviously trying really hard to repair what was broken... and if she was being honest, she hadn't really been trying at all. It was time she fixed that.

Besides, her mind was right – she could ask that they keep seeing each other once a week. She could ask that they change their once a week dinner "date" to a once a week lunch "date" or even do both each week – he had certainly been agreeable thus far. Maybe she was imagining it, but he certainly seemed to be enjoying their meetings as well. He wasn't the most expressive person, but his eyes told a lot to her, and she swore that they seemed... happy when she was laughing at something he said or when one of them was telling a story.

She doubted he would just shut her out like that – he had let her in, after all. But what if it was too much and he backed off? Going out once a week and working together almost every day were two different things after all.

She huffed through her nose. There was absolutely no reason to continue torturing herself like this. The fact was, she had rarely been able to predict what Naru was going to do. That hadn't changed. He might have started opening up more now, but she simply didn't know him well enough to predict his actions yet. While she might be able to accurately guess what Ayako or Bou–san would do in a given situation, she had also spent the better part of three, four years with them.

Naru had been away for much of that time, and while she knew him better now, she still couldn't anticipate his actions. The only way she would know for certain was if she tried. She grabbed her phone, texting Yasu.

Hey, will Madoka be in tomorrow?

She doubted it – the pink haired woman would probably be going with them for added research. But she might stay behind, depending on where the location of the case was.

The message was almost instant.

Yeah – she's got some stuff to do before she joins us.. Why?

Mai bit her lip.

Thinking about getting my job back... Don't tell anyone, k? I want it to be a surprise :)

Awesome, Mai–chan! My lips are sealed ;)

Mai slowly opened the SPR office door, swallowing. "Madoka–san?"

The woman popped her head around the kitchen door. "Mai–chan! It's been a while!"

Mai chuckled. "Yeah... it has."

She smiled. "Tea?"

"Please."

Madoka entered the kitchen again, and soon came out with two steaming cups of tea. She sat down on one of the sofas and Mai sat across from her. The two sipped at their tea, and then Madoka spoke.

"Something tells me that you're not just here for a friendly visit."

"No... I've been thinking about Naru's offer."

"And?"

Mai took a deep breath, letting the steam of her tea warm her face. It comforted her some. "...I want to come back."

"Oh, Mai–chan! That's wonderful!" Madoka beamed. "I'm so glad to hear it!"

Mai grinned slightly. "Is there any way we can keep it as a surprise for Naru?"

Madoka grinned mischievously. "Well... I can still hire people..."

Mai beamed. "Really?"

"He'll find out sooner rather than later, though."

"Just until he gets back from the case," Mai explained. "I kind of want him to just come in and then slip in his office with tea. See if I can get him to look shocked or something."

Madoka laughed. "Take a picture, if you can. I'd like tangible evidence."

Mai snorted. "I'll see what I can do."

There was silence between the two for a bit, though it was companionable. "Are you sure about this, Mai–chan?"

"No. Not really. But I miss it. I miss going on cases and working in the office. I miss the comfortable familiarity that was here – I've said before that SPR was like my second family. I meant it. Still do. And I want what we had before back... except better this time around, hopefully."

Madoka nodded, smiling warmly. "So... how has your weekly dinner with Noll gone? I can't get anything out of him."

Mai chuckled. "It's been great. I even got him to laugh a few times – well, chuckle. He's told me lots of stuff about cases with Gene and what he was like... and I've told him stuff in return. I was skeptical about it at first, but... I've really started enjoying it. I'm hoping we can keep it up even after I start working here again."

"I'm glad," she smiled. "I know that since you've started doing this, Noll certainly seems happier. If you're worried about him shutting you out again... don't. You're the closest anyone's been to him since..." she trailed off, but Mai heard the unspoken name loud and clear.

"I am a little worried about that, honestly. But... you really think he's happier?"

Madoka nodded. "I do."

Mai looked down at her cup. "I've noticed it too... but I was wondering it maybe it was my eyes playing tricks on me."

Madoka patted her shoulder. "It isn't, Mai–chan. Don't worry – everything is going to be fine. You'll see."

Oliver entered the SPR office early in the morning, heading straight into his office and sitting at his desk. Mournfully, he yearned for Mai's tea to soothe the ache in his head and the weight of his eyelids. Sleep had eluded him the previous night, and he had several hours to go before his normal lunchtime visit to the tea place Mai worked at.

He sighed, looking over the hefty pile of work on his desk. He could feel his vision starting to swim already and the pulsing of his headache increased to a pounding at just the thought of work.

It was going to be a long day.

Two hours later, after he had managed to trudge through a good portion of work, his earlier craving for tea had increased tenfold. He heard the office door open, and dearly hoped it wasn't a member of the Irregulars here to make noise.

Taking a deep breath, he rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying (and failing) to abate his aching head. His office door opened, and he didn't look up from his files, dearly hoping that if he ignored them, they'd go away. Whoever had come in didn't speak, placing a cup on his desk. Almost immediately, he grabbed it. He didn't care at this point if it wasn't Mai's tea – the caffeine would go a long way in improving his condition.

He lifted it to his lips, taking a long drink. It was then he noticed three things.

First, it was just the right temperature for drinking. Not too hot, not too cold.

Second, the taste was absolutely divine. Obviously who ever made it knew just how long to steep the tea leaves so it tasted just right to his taste buds.

Third, there was only one person who made tea this delicious and perfect to his tastes. And that person was...

He lifted his eyes to look at a cheekily grinning Mai. However, her grin was soon replaced by worry when she caught sight of his face. "Naru? Are you okay?" she questioned softly.

He didn't know how she knew to keep her voice lowered, but she did. And he was grateful. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," she countered. Before he could stop her, she extended her hand to touch his forehead. He flinched a bit at the unexpected contact, but didn't pull away. "I don't think you're running a fever... but you do look a little flushed..."

"I'm not sick. I'm just tired."

"So take a nap."

Before he could stop himself, he snapped, "Not all of us sleep on the job, Mai."

Mai huffed softly, but didn't go into a rage. He felt guilty for his unexpected attack... he hadn't meant to be so mean. "They do if their health depends on it, narcissist."

He ignored that, taking another drink of tea. Irritation thrummed through his veins. He couldn't believe he had slipped up! And after he had been doing so well, too. He'd even manage to tease her some without insulting her, and then he ruined his streak!

"Naru, please take a nap. You'll feel a lot better."

He bit back a wince when he looked up at her – her eyes sparkled with worry, her mouth twisted into a pout. Why did she do this to him?

"I just need some more tea – I'll be fine."

"Naru, take a nap or I'm getting Madoka."

Oliver glared. That wasn't fair. First the pout and now the pink haired woman? Mai was going all out today, wasn't she?

Or maybe you're just in no state to deal with this right now. She's right – you need sleep.

Mai met his gaze fiercely. Her determination combined with his own thoughts finally made him give in, sighing. "Fine. But only for a couple hours – then you wake me up."

Mai beamed at him. "Okay! Oh – and, narcissist?"

"Mm?"

"I decided to accept your offer. I quit the tea place a couple days ago, while you were still on that case... and Madoka rehired me."

Oliver blinked.

She giggled, stepping out of his office. She closed the door behind her and her words finally registered. He smiled. He was doing that more and more often lately, it seemed... but strangely, he didn't mind...

Mai decided to let him sleep for four hours, figuring he could use the rest. He'd looked so out of it, earlier. And even though he wasn't running a fever, he was certainly a little warm when she touched his forehead. She woke him up when lunch rolled around, guessing that he'd probably skipped breakfast.

Before she shook him awake, she made some tea to help him wake up. She approached his side, tilting her head as she admired his sleeping visage for a moment. He was so handsome... She shook herself, though she was careful not to spill the tea. Not now, Mai!

She lightly shook him awake, and he opened his eyes. Her breath hitched as she came face to face with midnight blue eyes, still foggy from sleep but that only enhanced their beauty. She flushed, stepping back as he blinked groggily. She held out the tea for him when he had set up, the steam curling above the liquid. "Sleep well?"

He nodded once, taking a drink of the beverage. "It's already lunch?"

"Yeah. I was gonna wake you up earlier, but you really looked like you could use the sleep. I did take care of some of the work on your desk, by the way. So you don't have as much to do anymore."

"Most of that was in English," he pointed out.

"I did study it, y'know. I... studied a little harder after you left. And Gene helped some," she defended herself. "So, yeah, I managed it. I did have to ask the others for some help, though."

Oliver nodded. "...thank you."

She beamed at him. "No problem! Everyone else has already gone... you wanna go get something with me?"

He considered it. Normally, he would have declined and disappeared back into his office as he did have work he needed to do, but... what could it hurt? Besides... he had missed last week's dinner. (Which despite it being because of his first love – work – he was quite disappointed.)

"Sure."

She grinned again, going to grab her stuff. He finished the rest of his tea, leaving the cup in the sink and then trailing behind her, letting her choose their destination. She chose a quaint little cafe near the office, explaining that this is where she used to eat all the time. It wasn't far from where they ate each week, actually.

"Naru?"

"Yes, Mai?"

"Do you think we can still have our "dates" once a week?"

He nodded. "Of course. I wasn't planning on changing that." As he said this, he noticed some tension leave her shoulders... Had she been worried about it? He had, of course, been wondering she was enjoying herself during their outings. She certainly seemed to be, and he had no reason to doubt what he saw – she had always been openly expressive, after all – but he had wondered all the same. It was good to know that she had been enjoying them, and it wasn't simply him hoping to see things that weren't there.

"Good!" she grinned, relieved. If he hadn't been planning on changing that, then that meant he wasn't planning on pulling away again... she hoped. Things could still change, but she had resolved to stop worrying about that. What will come, would come and there was nothing she could do to stop it. All she could do in the meantime was enjoy what was going on now, and hope that maybe something more would come out of it...

"Its now time for phase two!" Gene grinned.

"Phase two?" Oliver's voice was flat, but he was curious. He knew, of course, that his brother was planning ways to help him with Mai – though he wasn't sure how far that help would extend – but he had no idea that they were working in phases.

Come to think of it, that may have been Gene's intention.

"Phase one was getting back on Mai's good side and hopefully getting her back at SPR, which you accomplished," Gene explained. "Phase two is getting you two together."

So that was how far the help would extend. He had honestly thought that Gene was interested in Mai… but of course, giving up on attempting to be with his love because he was no longer part of the living world was the kind of selfless stunt his brother would do… He pushed those thoughts out of his head – not the time.

"And what makes you think she would want to be with me?"

Because she loves you, idiot scientist. But Gene didn't say that, despite how much time it could save… if he managed to get Oliver to believe him. His brother was so sure that Mai couldn't have feelings for him that he was missing all the obvious signs that she did. "I thought your plan was to win her over anyway."

"It is."

"Then stop complaining and go with it."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "So what's your plan?"

"Nothing fancy. Flowers. Go out to lunch with her. Make her laugh. Offer her a ride home from work. Spend time with her. Maybe start saying thank you when she brings you tea… Compliment her, even. Things like that. You'll figure it out as you go along, I think. And don't do anything that completely turns you around, either," Gene warned. "No point in trying to win her over if you're going to do things completely out of character to do so."

Oliver nodded, having puzzled that out already. It seemed to be pretty much common sense to him. "And you're sure this will work?"

Gene nodded. "I'm positive… That kiss on the cheek – two weeks ago, wasn't it? – was a good sign."

"I have just one more question..." And this was one had been waiting to ask for a while.

"Yeah?"

"Can I tease her now?"

"Yes. But don't overdo it. Now – I've got to go. See ya later, Noll." The relief he felt at that answer was tenfold. Holding back his comments was beginning to be very difficult, as they reached new points of familiarity. Snarky phrases were jumping to his tongue more and more often, and there were many times when he almost slipped up.

Gene faded from the mirror, leaving Oliver alone with his reflection.

Mai smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt as she slid into the seat opposite her boss. "Sorry I'm late. I misplaced my keys."

"I'm really not surprised," Oliver remarked.

Mai huffed. "Hush it, narcissist – I've been on time to work the whole week!" A familiar look gleamed in her eyes – it was the spark always ignited by these teasing battles. Oliver just had to keep a conscious reminder of not to overdo it. He couldn't push her as far as he used to – not yet.

"Miracle of miracles." Though that didn't mean he wouldn't push at all.

She glared at him, and he smirked back at her. She sighed, shaking her head with a wry smile appearing on her lips. However, he caught the glint of amusement in her eyes, which prompted his smirk to widen ever so slightly. She picked up her menu, browsing through the choices.

Oliver, who had already decided on what he was ordering, remained quiet. It was a comfortable sort of silence, he noted. The type of silence that he had worked hard to achieve and it was utterly worth it. After a bit, Mai closed the menu.

"So, any case requests sound interesting?" she asked idly, one hand toying with the straw in her drink.

Oliver shrugged. "Not particularly... well, perhaps one. I have my eye on it; we'll see if it turns out to be anything worth investigating." That was another thing he enjoyed while in Japan... unlimited access to whatever cases he wanted. All too often another researcher would have picked up a case he had found interesting before he got to request it for himself.

At the same time, though, they couldn't handle as many cases at a time as BSPR could. Which meant he sometimes had to wait for the more serious ones... though despite what his employees thought, if he did not deem it something he was interested in researching, he did refer them to someone else... if their case was really paranormal, that is.

Mai nodded.

"How has school been progressing?" Oliver asked, momentarily feeling dumb for both asking the question and for not having asked before.

Mai smiled. "Really well. I'm passing all my classes... But sometimes I can't help but feel like I'm cheating."

"How so?"

"I told you my powers have been progressing? Well, my instincts and dreams are my strongest abilities. My psychic dreams occur when they sense the presence of a spirit, effectively linking me to it, which is also why they seem to be more drawn to me, so even though they're quite strong, I don't have them as much because I still have a hard time sensing the presence of spirits," Mai explained, knowing he'd eventually start questioning her about her powers and it was best to start feeding him information now in small increments than to be frustrated later when he bombarded her with question after question after question. "My instincts, on the other hand, don't turn off. I get random feelings throughout the day some days... But others, I get absolutely none. Anyway, it can be hard to tell a feeling caused by my powers versus my own knowledge. Sometimes I worry that it's my instincts giving me the answers at school, because they have helped with the most mundane of things before. I know it's silly, but..." she shrugged in a "what can you do?" kind of way.

Oliver nodded, listening with rapt attention to her words. He found that he genuinely enjoyed hearing Mai speak of her powers – of anything paranormal, he dared to hypothesize. She was certainly much more learned than she had been when he left.

Gene had proved himself a capable teacher – not that Oliver had any doubt he would. His brother was more patient with people (living and dead) than Oliver, and he was just as knowledgeable as his brother. Mai was also a quick study, as he had discovered for himself when giving her the job.

Yet, hearing Mai speak so confidently, so assuredly about a field he considered himself something of an expert in... it threw him for a loop, albeit in a pleasant way. He had started wondering, recently, how her powers developed and how much she had learned about them... it was good that she knew her powers so well. She wasn't quite a master yet, though, and he looked forward to helping her learn.

This type of fond thoughts were no longer strange for Oliver Davis... not when they concerned his assistant. The more he spent time with her, the more he was assured that he wanted to be with her. Mai was so very captivating in everything she did, and a part of him wanted to through caution to the wind and press his lips to hers.

But he wouldn't. He couldn't sabotage his hard work. He still needed to glean whether or not there was a possibility of her being open to being with him. For all he trusted Gene, he still had his doubts. After all, Mai worked with and had spent time with his brother a lot over the past couple years. If she was beginning to fall for him then, how would she feel now?

The question scared him.

But he held out hope, because he saw something in her gaze when they spent time together. Perhaps he was imagining it, just hoping to see things that weren't there... But there was some spark of fondness that went beyond friendship in her eyes. He only saw it when she let her guard down, which was usually right after she got done laughing over a story told... or when he gave her a compliment. She never failed to be surprised when he would say something, and right between the transition of surprise and the deep blush that would spread across her face, it would appear.

And again, he wasn't sure if it was his imagination or what, but it gave him hope and that was all that mattered.

There was a possibility and that was all he needed.

Naru smiled at her, causing her to flush with embarrassment. Despite how often he had been doing it lately, it never failed to fluster her. Of course, the chuckle and/or glint of amusement in his eye was totally worth it.

Usually.

She'd been back to work at SPR for three months now. During that time, Naru and Mai had been out on several lunch "dates" and dinner "dates". A few times, both happened on the same day. He had gotten her flowers once or twice, and had once called her on her day off just to take her for coffee and her choice of pastry. Granted, he still didn't say thanks when she brought him tea... But his fingers brushed her knuckles each time, and he sent her an appreciative smile – unless he was engrossed in work, in which case she just let it be.

During this time, Mai had been on cloud nine. Naru had not changed drastically, but had gradually opened up to her so that she could see him in a different light. He was the same as ever... now she just knew him better, and she loved it. She wouldn't change it for the world.

But three days ago, Ayako had said something to her when they were out shopping. Her words were–

"So, when are you and Naru going to make it official?"

Mai turned red, spluttering incoherently for a moment. Finally, she managed, "Wh–what?!"

"It's so obvious you two are dating," Ayako said nonchalantly, thumbing through the rack of shirts. "I mean, I know you like him and he is obviously into you. You go out for lunch and dinner at least once a week – each – and he even gave you flowers. So why haven't you made it official?"

"B–but... we're just friends!" Right? she thought.

Ayako snorted. "If you say so, Mai. But don't be surprised when he loses his patience with your obliviousness and kisses you."

And ever since, Mai had not been able to get the priestess' words out of her mind. The more she turned it over in her mind, the more these really did seem like dates. Especially since when he picked her up for supper, he had presented her with a beautiful rose.

It wasn't that she would be upset at entering a romantic relationship with him – on the contrary, she would love to be his official girlfriend. But she would have thought that there would have been some sort of sign...

And what do you call the flowers? Or the time you came into work last week after a stressful day of exams, and he was waiting with tea – which he made himself – and a slice of your favorite strawberry cake? What about the time you had so much homework you could barely walk and he not only carried your bag but offered to help?

Oh, but what if I'm wrong and I'm misreading the signs? What if I say something and I'm totally off, and he pulls back because of it?

He didn't pull back when you told him you loved him.

No, he just told me I loved his brother and disappeared for two years.

Part of which wasn't his fault. His parents were upset and he was grieving as well. And, it wasn't exactly the most appropriate time for a confession...

Mai resisted the urge to groan and bash her head against the table. She took a deep breath through her nose and smiled at Naru, "I've got to use the bathroom. I'll be back soon, okay?"

He nodded and she rose, keeping her gait steady and not too fast, trying not to appear as if she was fleeing.

As soon as Mai disappeared around the corner, Oliver frowned. He was confused. Everything had been going well for the past three months. He had barely focused on the end goal, instead simply enjoying his time with her. He had followed Gene's suggestion for buying flowers, but making tea and getting the cake had been his idea. She had mentioned all the tests she was going to have that day, and Oliver knew that she would most likely be stressed out and upset when she got to work.

Gene, later, had been shocked into speechlessness. Oliver might have found it offensive if it weren't for the fact Gene could barely string a proper sentence together – which was amusing – and he had been so... well, proud.

But the whole night, Mai had barely spoken. She hadn't eaten much either, pushing her food around on her plate... and normally, she ate more than he did. And with gusto. He'd tried to make conversation, and she'd halfheartedly replied. When it became apparent she wasn't interested, he'd dropped his efforts and let the silence creep around them.

It wasn't a completely uncomfortable silence, but rather the silence caused when one has too much on their mind. She was obviously worried about something, seeing as she kept furrowing her brow and biting her lip. He resolved to ask her about it on the way to her apartment.

He just hoped his efforts were not in vain. He wasn't sure what he would do if that was the case... wasn't sure how he'd face her...

He shook his head – he didn't need to worry about that right then. What he needed to focus on was finding out what was bothering her and trying to make her feel better. Then he could worry about the state of their hopefully-possible romantic relationship.

After a few minutes, Mai returned. She smiled lightly at him, and they resumed eating.

They both finished eating quickly. The car ride was silent as Oliver tried to phrase his question and Mai worried about how she would approach her newfound suspicion.

Finally, he spoke. "Mai, what's bothering you?"

She whipped her head around to face him from where she had been staring out the window, watching streetlights blur by. "What do you mean?" she asked, worrying her lip between her teeth.

"You've been quiet all night," he explained. "You're never this quiet unless you're tired or something is bothering you. You don't look sleepy, so tell me – what's wrong?"

"...it's not important." She looked away again, wringing her hands in her lap.

"If it's bothering you, it must be important."

She flushed at his words. "N–no, not really... it's nothing you need to worry about."

He sighed softly. "Mai... please tell me?"

Her eyes darted over to him, and she lost her words. He sounded... so pleading. Like, if she didn't answer it would hurt him. Naru never sounded like that. Of course, it was probably a ploy to get her to spill...

But dammit, it was working.

"Its just... Ayako said something the other day that threw me off. Not in a bad way, understand, but it confused me and made me wonder..."

"Wonder what?"

"...well, she asked me when we were going to make our relationship official."

Oliver blinked. Once. Twice. "She said that, point blank?"

"Yup. And she also told me not to get upset if you lost your patience with my obliviousness and k–kissed me."

Hmm... now there was a good idea. Trying to sound nonchalant, he said, "And what would you do if I did?"

Mai blushed up to the tips of her ears, mumbling something he didn't quite catch.

"What was that?"

"I said... I'd kiss you back." She didn't speak louder than a whisper, and her voice cracked some towards the end, but it was all he needed for the smile to spread across his face. He was sure he looked utterly goofy, but he couldn't help it.

"That so?" He muttered contemplatively. He'd never been so eager to park in front of her apartment building. Mai began fiddling with her seatbelt with nervous, shaky hands, trying to get the contraption off, but Oliver was having none of it. Oliver stopped her with a steady hand, though nerves built in his stomach. His other hand tilted her head up, moving his own closer to hers. He stopped to look in her eyes for a second, and then dipped down to capture her lips in his.

Mai made a soft, startled noise before relaxing. She untangled her hand from his, reaching up to gently grip his shoulders. Echoing her, he gently gripped her sides. The kiss was a little clumsy, but despite their inexperience, it was absolute bliss for the two teens. They broke away after what felt like eternity and yet not enough, panting harshly. Mai's cheeks were bright, a smile tugging her lips. Naru was smiling as well, and her hands had not moved from his shoulders. His grip remained on her sides, and they stayed like that. There were no words, because none were needed yet. They knew that they could not stay like this forever, but they were soaking up all the time they could get.

Finally, he spoke. "Ill walk you in."

Mai nodded slowly, and they got out of the car. The moment they were side–by–side, both reached at the same time to tangle their fingers with the other's.

When they entered the empty elevator, he said, "Official enough?"

She squeezed his fingers. "I dunno. I could go for another kiss. Maybe some verbal acknowledgement too."

He chuckled. "Okay. Mai, from here out, we are officially dating."

She beamed. "Can we tell the others tomorrow?"

"How bout we wait for the case briefing the day after," he countered.

"Mm... alright." She agreed pleasantly. They could take a day to enjoy their confirmed relationship. "So when do I get my kiss?"

"When we reach your door."

"A goodbye kiss then?" she grinned at him. "Sounds perfect to me."

And so the two walked to her door, taking their time. Mai was bursting with enthusiasm , her cheeks still red and the wide smile still stretching her cheeks. For his part, Oliver was quite content, his smile more subdued but no less happy because of that. When they did reach her door, he made good on his word and kissed her again.

And once again it lasted forever, though forever wasn't enough. It would have to do for that night, because both needed to get some sleep – and both were going to be questioned by Gene.

"Goodnight," he murmured.

"Night."

Oliver stood before his mirror, tugging on the telepathic link. Hopefully, his brother would answer. It took slightly longer than usual, but Gene materialized in the glass.

"I didn't expect you to call tonight," he stated.

By way of answer to the implied question, Oliver displayed the memories of that night's date to Gene. He made sure not to focus overly much on the kissing scenes – especially considering it was all first person, and he was not having his brother kiss Mai, even if it was second–hand. Gene was amused by his possessiveness and semi–jealousy, but he decided not to say anything about it.

"Congratulations, little brother."

Oliver smiled, having fought it down up until then. "Thanks, Gene." I couldn't have done it without your help. He'd never say it aloud, but that was both the good and bad part of being telepathically linked to your twin.

Sure you could've. "Glad I could help."

And then Gene faded away, presumably to bug Mai. Though he still felt that small, melancholy feeling he always did when watching his brother disappear, it was quickly soothed by the happiness from earlier. He might've felt guilty, but Gene's words from a year ago played in his head–

"Its okay to be happy, Noll. I'm gone and we can't do anything about that... but that doesn't mean you get to bury yourself behind closed doors and a bad attitude. Take your happiness, if not for yourself, than for me."

~END~

Tauria: ...This was only supposed to be 7000 words at most. I started writing it towards the beginning January/end of December, shortly after I finished what was translated of the light novels and then the manga, and I kept getting stuck in places. I didn't start writing with a clear plot or ending in mind, but in the end I'm happy with how this turned out.

It happens to be my longest one-shot ever, winning by about four thousand words XD (and by the time I had written fourteen thousand words, I was hoping to get to twenty thousand, but that didn't happen).

I do feel like it gets a little rushed there towards the end, but -shrug- I guess I figured I had been working on it long enough ^^;

I was going to split it into two parts, but I couldn't find a clear spot to split them, so I just left it how it is. I apologize for any OOC-ness (I did try my best!) and if anything seems to be inconsistent or if the pacing wasn't right. I took week-long breaks from it several times, so...

Umm... I edited it the best I could, but I used my tablet to write about half of this... Also, it didn't preserve my breaks when I uploaded it to the site, so if there are any parts where it time-skips or changes POV and there isn't a line, please let me know ^^

Anyways, thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked it ^^ Please review~