Love Bound:

Chapter 1:

Prologue:

Twenty-two year old Oliver Davis sat poring over a black notebook, seemingly absorbed in the information that it held.

It had been four years since he returned to Japan after burying his twin brother and gathering his old friends/co-workers again.

Over the years they had seen many tough and difficult cases and that had resulted in where the team stood right now.

They had gone through several tough and dangerous cases together and always had each others' backs and their hardships had led them to come much closer to each other and they would risk their lives for each other.

Sure, they argued over petty matters, they still could see a funny side to a seemingly desperate situation and they drove each other up the walls sometimes but whenever a fellow team-member was in trouble they would stick to their side like glued paper.

Their work chemistry had also grown and they knew the respected places that they held in the importance of solving a case. Clearly, they were all special in one way or another.

Even Oliver Davis had admitted to himself that he saw this strange group as his friends and he didn't need to voice it out to make it clear to them that they all had a place in his heart…that was one thing that was good about having friends that you could save yourself from saying embarrassing things but your friends would still understand your silence. Though, the silence of Oliver Davis was quite difficult to assume since he remained emotionless most of the time but the mere fact that he would not have allowed anyone to venture alone on a seemingly dangerous case was proof of the simple fact that he cared, he just didn't like to admit it to their face since actions spoke louder than words.

He had also given a certain assistant of his a special place in his heart, since she was the first one to force herself there after Gene's death and he considered her an excellent friend and where the case of his close inner circles resided he did not compromise in any way when it came to their well being and hence the reason he had protected her during all those times they had been stuck together.

Though, he had never been romantically inclined towards her or anyone else for that matter. He reasoned that he was too sad and grieving for Gene till then to pay much attention to a seemingly mundane task which held no interest for him.

He sighed, remembering the confession that had happened four years ago and the reply that he had given her.

He had found out that Gene had been visiting her in her dreams and when she had confessed he realized that she had fallen for him, just like any other girl would have fallen for him after he would smile his kind smile at them- Oliver never had that effect on women, his cold attitude drove them away so it seemed impossible that Mai would have fallen for him.

He told her that it was Gene who she had fallen for and she had crumbled before him when she had heard those words, he shook his head, ridding himself of the painful memory.

He concentrated on his notes, willing himself to forget that particular memory.

When the notes did nothing to occupy his interest he concentrated on other aspects of his life.

He remembered the time when he had returned and Mai had been so overjoyed by his return that he had teased her about it and she had flushed angrily and scolded him for not being sensitive enough to greet properly after two months apart and how he hadn't changed a single bit and how she believed that the size of his ego would eventually be the death of him. He smirked at the memory.

Mai definitely never let things get her down- she was naturally happy and she hadn't changed one bit, though she had matured in many ways she still liked to behave childishly since it lifted the stress of a particular situation.

She had also grown stronger in her psychic abilities and had become from a mere administrative assistant in the beginning to a very valuable asset for the SPR.

She no longer had a dream guide but she had now developed a certain control over her dreams and other ESP abilities that had expanded in her over the time being and were still growing.

They had also taken to relying to her instincts more than any average person would have done- if Mai says that the person is innocent then the person is most definitely innocent.

She had also become stronger where exorcisms and cleansing were concerned.

Though he never gives her the job of exorcising unless absolutely necessary to the situation since she's sensitive to others feelings- alive or dead- and exorcisms can be painful for the spirit.

Though, her cleansing abilities had grown significantly since she was able to sympathize with spirits and show them the way out and they had relied on her when such situations arose and she never failed.

She had become a very important aspect in the lives of the SPR and they all loved her dearly-even Lin who had come to see her in the light of a daughter.(A/N: Lin loving Mai in a sisterly way seems creepy to me, they are more suited as the father-daughter kinda love ^_^)

Oliver couldn't imagine SPR without her and knew that the others felt the same about her.

She had also opted Parapsychology as her major subject after much consultations and arguments on everyone's behalf, especially Oliver's since he had a doctorate in the subject and had told her that the subject was not for someone as stupid as Mai and she had yelled back at him that this was what she did most of the time in practicality and she couldn't see why studying it would be so difficult.

The monk, the miko and the priest had also grown tremendously over the years to such an extent that the monk and the miko had married each other. Sure, those two still argued with each other but Oliver had never seen them as happy as he had witnessed them after their marriage.

The same was true for Lin and Madoka and he had also never seen them so happy even before Japan and was truly glad for the couple.

Masako Hara had finally gotten over her infatuation with him and was now totally smitten with one Yasuhara Osamu and he was glad of the fact the burden had been shifted elsewhere- he had found thise dates of her annoying.

Yasuhara had chosen engineering as his main forte and had proven quite adept in the field but he always had time for SPR and researching for them.

Oliver sighed yet again, the pain and sadness that had accompanied him after Gene's death had quenched to a certain amount though he knew that a certain part of him would always ache for his twin.

He had healed considerably and he had taken to see everybody in a much brighter light then before.

But he was still not romantically fazed by anyone, not even Mai who he had known had been dating on and off for the past two years and her little dates had never bothered him.

He could only assume that he would remain single through-out his life and oddly the idea didn't bother him, well if his mother didn't have her way he would live a happy and single life through out.

He also assumed that Mai was had gotten over Gene and hence the reason why she had been dating so many boys but none had kept her interest for long.

He sighed, feeling a headache coming on, he ordered a cup of tea while leaning back in his chair and putting a hand to his forehead, he would have to read these notes some other time.

He got up from his chair and made his way over the window behind his desk. He peered out over the cascade of buildings and let the hustle and bustle of the noise below him reach his ears as he stared at the darkening sky, ruefully.

He was also bored, they hadn't had an interesting case for one month now and he was growing annoyed at the lack of activity.

He sighed, praying that they would receive a case in the following week.

The door to his office banged open, flittering in a happy atmosphere from the source which bounced happily in carrying a tray of tea.

Naru turned on the spot to see Mai make her way over to the desk and place the cup of tea on his desk, "Hey, Naru!" she greeted happily with a bright smile on her face.

He ignored her as he took his old seat back and drew the cup towards himself; he sipped the beverage, relishing the taste that he had grown used to over the years.

Mai peered up at him, he looked tired and his eyes were red and she was sure that something was bothering him even if he didn't show it on his face, they had spent five years working professionally she was bound to start understanding him over the years but the progress was still slow, she reflected sadly.

"Are you alright? You look tired. You should take a break once a while," she said peering concernedly at him.

"I'm fine, Mai," he replied coldly.

"Well, you don't look fine to me. Geez, Naru! It's been five years and still you refuse to take a break from your work! You should live a little," she reprimanded him.

"Do I look dead to you, Mai?" he asked her, smirking slightly.

He saw the color red rise in her cheeks as she opened her mouth to argue, "If I didn't know any better I would have believed that you were," she gave him a glare.

Naru sipped his tea, silently ignoring her presence.

Mai stomped her foot with a 'humph' and stalked from the room.

Naru smirked, 'she never changes' he reflected after her.

Mai stalked out the room, slamming the door behind him, 'five years! Five long years and still I can't figure him out!' Mai thought frustrated as she banged the tray on the kitchen counter.

"Something wrong, Mai-san?" the familiar voice came from behind her as she turned to see Lin with an empty tea cup in his hands.

She turned her body so she was facing him, with a frown on her face, "Naru's what's wrong! That jerk hasn't changed a little bit over the years!" she yelled at him, breathing heavily.

Lin gave her a small smile as he washed his cup and put near the side. Mai let out a deep sigh and mumbled darkly, "I just hope that someone knocks some sense into him or else I'll punch him so hard that he'll lose that big brain of his."

Lin's smile grew as he heard those words, "I'll help you if you want,"

Mai looked up at him in surprise and then laughed, "I didn't know that you'd also go to that length to teach Naru a lesson. Should we device a way on how to carry it out properly?" Mai suggested, playfully, "Oh, I know! I could spike his tea with alcohol, that'd get him over his addiction," she smiled brightly at the thought.

"As much as I like the idea, I doubt whether the smell of alcohol would go unmissed by that nose of his," he said, playing along.

Mai pouted, "That genius bastard," then she smiled again, "How about we steal his laptop by some technique and add girly wallpapers and things to make those eyes burn,"

"You may have hit the jackpot there, Mai-san," he told her with a smile.

"Ah, but you helped me, Lin-san. I would have gone through with the alcohol plan if you hadn't pointed out the fact that Naru has the nose of a dog," she said seriously.

"You're welcome, Mai-san,"

"Hey, could you by any chance get his laptop away from him?" Mai asked innocently.

Lin contemplated thoughtfully.

"I could take him out on an errand in the city. I have been meaning to pick up some books and maybe he could accompany me. Though, I'm not promising anything."

Mai smiled, "We could take a risk."

"Yes, we could," he smiled back at her, "I'll get on with it."

He sidled past Mai to Naru's office as she pretended to busy herself with cleaning the kitchen.

After about five minutes she heard the door to his office and Lin came out with a small nod in place as he saw Mai peering from the kitchen.

She ducked back in as she saw Naru following behind, with his notebook in hand.

"Mai," he called out.

"Yes?" she asked, rather innocently.

"Lin and I are going to the book store to grab a couple of books. We'll be back in half an hour," he turned away from her, seemingly unsuspecting of the scheme being plotted behind his back.

"Okay," she said, rather disinterested as she moved to sit behind the desk.

Perfect, her shift ended in half an hour-the perfect get away.

"Lock the door, Mai-san," Lin said from the door way.

Mai looked up at him and saw the amused smile in place and understood as she hastily got up from her perch.

She locked the door behind him and ran to Naru's office, not wasting any time.

She saw the laptop on his desk and smirked.

She sat in the leather chair with a flourish and opened the laptop.

It came to life, the windows starting up and plain black background met her eyes as the desktop came in view.

She rolled her eyes, getting to work immediately by opening the browser.

She downloaded a lot of teddy bears, pink girly wallpapers, lots of bunny cartoons and even one with a tooth fairy with a magical wand.

She then proceeded with capturing her own pictures and dedicating a whole folder to herself.

She made some hilarious faces, pulling her tongue at the camera, even one with a punch raised in the raise with a daring expression on her face. She also sucked on his pen like she it was delicious lollipop she was eating as she smiled with the pen in her mouth at the camera.

She proceeded with further hilarious poses and few genuine smiles at the camera, a couple of peace signs as well.

She glanced at the clock, she had five minutes remaining, she set the wallpaper quickly- the one with her punching and a daring look on her face and shut the laptop down and got up from her perch.

She would pay later but it was still worth it as she gathered her things in a bag, ready to make a quick escape.

She heard a knock on the door and unlocked it to see Lin-san in the entrance; Mai gave him a triumphant smile and said, "I'll be going now, Lin-san."

He nodded quietly as he dumped the bag of books on the coffee table and Mai exited the office just as Naru came in.

He didn't acknowledge her and made his way into the office as she closed the door behind her.

Mai sighed, a sigh of relief as she quickly ran down the stairs and towards her sanctuary.

Naru sat down in his leather chair with a sigh; the trip had done him good as he brought the laptop to himself.

He opened it and waited several minutes for his desktop to appear.

He blinked several times as the image of Mai aiming a punch at the camera came into view, her expression was daring him to say or do anything.

He contemplated the image thoughtfully, unable to take his eyes away from her fiery expression. A genuine smile forced its way on to his face and his eyes softened as he gazed at her image.

It suited her quite well as his eyes lingered on her eyes which were swirling with emotions, an unusual sparkle he hadn't noticed before in her eyes evident in the camera.

His eyes roved over the rest of her face, she won't get away with her little fun for long.

Then he noticed a new folder on the desktop and saw that it read 'Mai Taniyama kicks Oliver Davis's Butt'

Amused by the title he clicked on it.

Images of Mai came filtering in view and a couple of other girly wallpapers she had downloaded from his browser.

He saw many of her smiling faces and landed on a particular one showing her with his pen in her mouth, sucking on it as though it were a lollipop.

'I won't forget this, Mai,' he thought, smirking in amusement.

There was a knock on the door and he saw Lin enter the office with the bag of books, he drank in the youth's amused look and knew what the cause would have been. He smiled, inwardly.

"Here are the books, Noll," he said in his usual stoic voice.

"You wouldn't by any chance have a hand in this, would you?" he asked with a smirk as he turned the laptop so that it was facing Lin.

Lin smiled as the punching image of Mai came into view.

"I did, fairly. She was frustrated with you," he said without any emotion.

Naru only nodded and turned the laptop back so that it was facing him again. He stared at her face, once again.

Lin could swear that he saw the ghost of a smile on his face as he gazed at the image with an unusual light in his eyes.

He smiled, things could turn out to be better then he thought before as he exited the room.

Naru sighed, trying to ignore the image on his desktop as it constantly drew his eyes back to it. But he didn't remove the image; he was reluctant to do it as his eyes wandered back to the image as he tried to work.

He got distracted as he checked the SPR email, looking for potential cases though his mind still lingered on Mai's picture.

He checked the first email, it was dated for today at noon and he clicked on it, enraptured by the thought of a new case.

Dear SPR,

My name is Hiro Furukawa and I sought out your help in a matter that has been bothering me for the past month and I have reasons to believe that the incidents are purely supernatural.

I would like to tell you that I am on my way to Tokyo to discuss the matter at hand since it is of urgent nature.

You could expect me at you office in one week and then I could tell you the things that have been bothering me.

Yours sincerely,

Hiro Furukawa.

Naru sighed typing a reply quickly telling him that SPR would be waiting for his arrival in one week's time.

He sent the email, seemingly absorbed in thought until he closed his browser and got distracted again by Mai's photo.

He sighed yet again trying to erase the impulse of looking at her image over and over again, deciding that it would be best to change the image he got to work and a few moments later he was met with the familiar black of the background.

He gazed at it for a second, blinking the image of Mai's face away from his mind as he closed the laptop and got up.

He glanced at his clock and found that it was 9o'clock, they should be going home right now.

He grabbed the laptop and exited his office and rapped impatiently on Lin's door before opening it and saying, "Let's go home, Lin," he said gazing at the man who had turned away from his laptop's screen to gaze at Naru.

He nodded once and then got up bringing his laptop with him.

Naru moved from his position and made his way over to the exit. Lin locked the door behind them and they both fell in step together walking towards their black van in silence.

As they drove out towards their destination Naru gazed up at the black sky, twinkling with stars, the image of Mai stuck in his head, why wasn't he able to get rid of that image? He shook his head slightly and the image of Mai followed along.

He had been slightly entranced by the image, who wouldn't be, it was highly amusing but it never persisted like this.

This thought brought on the image of a smiling Mai in his head and he sighed.

His stomach gave a quite rumble and he turned towards Lin opening his mouth, "Let's get take-away shall we?"

Lin nodded silently and pulled near an Italian restaurant and got out of the car to get their dinner.

Naru's mind lingered on the upcoming client that they'd be meeting in one week and silently prayed that the day would come faster, unbeknownst to him, it'll be the exact opposite of that.

A/N: Ah! Finally done with Chapter 1 and I know. I know. What you guys must be thinking that I said that I wouldn't be able to update in awhile but I just had to get this off my hands and I hope that you would forgive me if the next chapter comes a little late? *Sigh*

I know where I'm going with this story and it might get a little long and I hope that you guys would give me reviews on this.

Till the next chapter! Cheers! =D