"Because It was the first book you loved." Haruhiko's mother managed to choke out before giving Haruhiko a teary smile.

Haruhiko's eyes began to water as he remembered the fond memory of them reading the cherished story together right before bed, sharing the smiles and laughs of a lovely mother-son relationship.

All this time, he hated his mother. He resented her, leaving him behind with a man that neither had the time nor the care to be a father. He fought alone, day by day, with no one to go to for guidance or a simple gesture of love. A simple hug, a simple pat on the back, a simple smile would've been enough, but Haruhiko had nothing but the silent shadows of his home. So many nights of crying himself to sleep, asking "why?", convinced that he would never find forgiveness.

But seeing the smile and the relief on his mother's face, just being able to touch and be with her again, Haruhiko found himself desperately wanting to forgive, desperately wanting to give a second chance, and so he did.

"Mom...I missed you...so much." Tears were streaming down Haruhiko's face as he reached foward to embrace his mother who was crying just in kind.

It was a heartwarming sight. All the while, Mai watched from the side, smiling fondly at the pair. A single teardrpop falling from her cheek as she remembered the essay that Haruhiko wrote as a child.

"It was very fun"

It was an essay filled with fantasy. One filled with broken promises and regret.

But now Haruhiko had a chance, a chance to make that essay a reality. Mai couldn't have been more happier as she closed her eyes.

"Good for you...Haruhiko." Mai whispered.

"Who were the girls that were with you?"

Once their emotional reunion had come to a close, Haruhiko's mother decided that she had some catching up to do. Thus began the never-ending questions about school, which Haruhiko was more than happy to answer for her.

"They're all friends from the phantom-hunting club at my school. We didn't start out too strong, but now were at the top of our class." Haruhiko boasted.

There was a glint in her eyes as Haruhiko's mother smiled playfully, "Just friends?".

Haruhiko groaned, knowing full well where this conversation was going, "It's not like that".

"Tell me about them." Haruhiko's mother smiled cheekily, very happy in getting to know her son's love life.

Haruhiko sighed, not really wanting to enter the topic, but obliged anyway.

"Kurumi is a part of Hosea elementary. She's very shy but that's probably because were all so much older than her. She was very scared about joining our club at first, but I think she's much more comftorable around us now."

"Reina-Chan's the one with long black hair. She's is in the same grade as me. I saw her one day using her phantom-eater power to seal some phantoms, and asked her to join our club. It took some convincing, but she eventually joined after I bribed her with free lunch. She's really kind but she's from a rich family so she's a bit reserved too."

"Koito-San's the one that wears headphones at all times. She transferred into my grade in April. She was very distant and did most of her phantom jobs alone. I had a feeling that she didn't really like us since we always came to help her out, but she started hanging out with us more and more, and at some point joined our group.

Haruhiko smiled reminiscently at the time when it used to be just him and Mai. It wasn't that they couldn't get the job done, but more so the fact that he only knew how to seal back then. It was up to Mai to take down phantoms on her own with Haruhiko cleaning up the mess. He honestly wondered why she stuck with him for so long. They were at the bottom of the class, and desperately needed new members. Looking at them now, it was a completely different team.

"What about the pretty, blonde one?" Haruhiko's mother asked, interrupting Haruhiko's recollection.

Haruhiko blushed madly at that. "EH?! I was just about to get to her!"

"Saving the best for last I see." Haruhiko's mother replied with a wink.

Haruhiko dragged his hand across his face, wondering why he was even having this conversation in the first place.

"Go on." Haruhiko's mother said, intrigue evident on her face.

Haruhiko looked down shyly as he thought back on the day's events. Over the course of the past month, there was something different about Mai that made Haruhiko feel very strange inside. It wasn't that her personality had changed. No, she was still the same caring yet commanding senpai that Haruhiko always knew.

"You have us."

It was the fact that he saw her smiling more and more. Smiles filled with love and promise, and it filled his body with warmth whenever he saw it.

"Mai-senpai...was my original partner for our phantom-hunting club. She can be really bossy sometimes, but I honestly think it's really cute when she gets riled up. She may have an intimidating personality, but deep down she's so mature and caring. She wears her emotions on her shoulders, so you can tell when she's angry or upset. But more than anything she never breaks her promises. If there's anyone I can trust wholeheartedly it's Mai-senpai. Her smile is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It really lights up my day when I see it and she looks adorable when she's excited about something. Her martial arts are amazing. She fights like a goddess...and to top it off- "

Haruhiko's mother's chuckling brought Haruhiko out of his passionate rant. Haruhiko's face turned tomato red as he realized that he had just involuntarily gushed about Mai for nearly a minute.

"I missed this, Haruhiko" Haruhiko's mother smiled softly.

Haruhiko, caught off guard by his mother's change in tone, stared at her for a moment before smiling back tenderly, "Me too."

"I know I really don't have a right to say this. But I want to give you some advice...I don't want you to make the same mistake I did." Haruhiko's mother stated rather wistfully.

She then looked at Haruhiko with very serious eyes, "Love is the hardest thing to find in the world...Don't let her go."

Haruhiko didn't know exactly who his mother was referring too, but a part of him understood the pain that was laced into her voice. The pain of a divorce that led to the collapse of what was once a happy family. Wanting to reassure his mother, Haruhiko leaned forward to take his mother's hand and nodded.

"Okay."

"Please just get some rest." Haruhiko said half pleadingly half demandingly.

"But I still have so many more questions." Haruhiko's mother whined immaturely, not really seeming like the parent in this situation.

Haruhiko stood and smiled gently. "There'll be plenty of time for you to ask. You've been through a lot and your body still needs to heal."

Haruhiko's mother pouted as her son kissed the top of her head before making his way to the door.

"Say hello to Mai for me."

Haruhiko chuckled lightly at that before closing the door to let his mother rest. "I will."

Haruhiko turned to head toward the hospital cafeteria knowing that the gang was probably waiting there for him, but was stopped when he bumped into a familiar blonde.

"Senpai! I'm sorry...I didn't see you there." Haruhiko said, a bit embarrased by his clumsiness. "What are you doing here?"

Mai smiled, always endeared by his concern for her. "Waiting for you of course."

"Oh...thanks." Haruhiko was suddenly very self conscious as he wondered whether Mai overheard his conversation with his mother earlier. There were plenty of embarassing things he had said, and Haruhiko would be damned if Mai knew about them.

"Will your mother be alright?" Mai asked with concerning eyes.

The anxiety in Mai's voice brought Haruhiko out of his embarassment as he smiled reassuringly.

"I'm sure she'll be fully well in no time... She's just like how I remembered her back when I was a child. She's sweet and kind, but also silly as well. She makes fun of me all the time, but it makes me happy just to see her enjoying it. It feels so natural when I talk to her. It's almost as if nothing has changed in the past ten years. I know that's not true, but I'm okay with that. I'm just so glad that I have a chance to be with her again, to make things right again. I feel at home."

Haruhiko looked up at Mai rather sheepishly, surprised that he managed to say something so cliche, but was alarmed when he noticed tears beginning to form around her eyes.

"Mai-senpai! What's wrong?" Haruhiko reached for Mai's hand in concern.

Mai waved her hands reassuringly. "I'm okay. I'm just...so happy for you, Haruhiko. You've been alone for so long. You suffered and endured everything alone. After what happened that night with Enigma, I just didn't want to see you hurt ever again. Getting to see you smile once more, it just makes me so happy."

Mai reached up to wipe the tears from her face before giving Haruhiko a beautiful,beaming smile.

There it was again. The lovely smile that melted Haruhiko's insides, his heart skipping a beat at the overwhelming affection in Mai's eyes.

Haruhiko's eyes began to water as he came to realize how much that smile meant to him. All at once a huge urge to show Mai his appreciation filled his mind, to return the compassion that gave him strength.

Mai squeaked in surprise as the tall figure of Haruhiko embraced her lovingly .

"Thank you...thank you for staying with me...all this time. I was so alone, but I had you. You never left me. When you asked me to join your team, I could never meet your expectations. I could never be enough for you. But you didn't give up on me. You believed in me, you still believe in me. I don't deserve it, I don't deserve you. I just...I just-"

Before Haruhiko could finish his thought, Mai returned his embrace and reached up to caress Haruhiko's cheek, wiping his tears away.

"It's okay...you don't have to say it. I won't leave you, Haruhiko. We're a team after all. You deserve all of us, don't ever forget that."

Haruhiko's eyes crinkled with warmth as he nodded.

"There, there." Mai patted Haruhiko's chest before reaching for his hand.

"Now, Let's go eat lunch with the others." Mai said with a smile before leading Haruhiko to the cafeteria.

Haruhiko smiled back sweetly.

"Let's"

As Mai held Haruhiko's hand, taking him to where the rest of the team was, Haruhiko couldn't help but think...

"Her hands are so soft..."

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading the first chapter of my new MNPW fic.

As of now I am still busy with school, so my writing time may be inconsistent. Buy you can hope to see the next chapter up within 2 weeks, hopefully.

This fic is primarily revolved around the relationship between Mai and Haruhiko, so the dialogue will mostly be between that pair. The plot will start to kick in after 3-4 chapters, but right now it'll mostly be character and relationship development between MaixHaru.

Again, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review. Until next time!