Hey guys, I'm gonna take a break from Ninja Turtles for a bit. For a change of pace here is a Ghost Hunt one-shot! YAY! Guess the pairing? THAT'S RIGHT! NaruxMai, what else? :) Just a warning Naru will be OOC in this! Oh and there is a warning of minor language from Lin.

To get the full effect of this story, listen to the song Stolen by Dashboard Confessional. I'LL TELL YOU WHEN TO START IT :)

Ghost Hunt belongs to Fuyumi Ono.

Mai slumped on her desk, depression slowly but surely making itself known. She hated the feeling of being absolutely helpless but she knew she couldn't drive it away forever.

Naru had announced after they had found Gene's body that he and Lin were returning to England and that SPR would be shut down. Everyone had been set back by it, they all still came though, even knowing this. What something anyone could tell was that Mai was taking it the hardest. And with the date of their return to England approaching, it came of no surprise Mai had been getting worse.

Mai had trouble sleeping at night and had even slowed her eating to almost nonexistent. Dark bags had taken a permanent residence beneath her bloodshot eyes. Mom and Dad wouldn't want me to be sulking, she thought, but I... I just can't help it.

Sure, she was tired of crying for the jerk that had stolen her heart but she couldn't stop her tears half the time. She loved him so much but he didn't know, it was becoming overwhelming. She had tried to tell him but had chickened out, afraid of what he would say.

The door opened and Lin stepped in. Slipping off his coat, he noticed Mai laying on her desk. Upon closer inspection he noted tears were pouring from her eyes. He knew of the girl's affection for his charge but had let her work it through on her own time. Until now that was. Sighing he walked over to her and laid a hand atop her head. "Tell him," he quietly ordered, "you'll feel better if you do." Leaving it at that he trudged to his office, but as he opened the door to go in, a small voice stopped him.

"But..." she began, "but what if he rejects me...?" She had sat up and was wiping her eyes, trying to console herself.

Lin paused and then offered her a small smile, "Unless Naru is a complete idiot, there is no way he would." Feeling as though his job was done, he entered his office.

Mai kept her gaze on the door Lin had disappeared through, what had he meant by that? Naru couldn't possibly return her feelings... he was too high ranking for her. He was out of her league. Though, she supposed Lin was right and she would possibly feel better once she told him.

As if on queue, Naru himself walked through the door.

Before he could say anything Mai shot up and said, "Naru can I talk to you?"

He looked at her oddly and then gave a small nod, motioning for her to follow him into his office.

Steeling herself, Mai followed after him. As the door shut and Naru sat down, Mai took a deep breath.

"So what do you wish to talk about Mai," Naru questioned. His eyes were open, emotionally, for once and Mai clearly saw the curiousness in his gaze.

She sat down in the chair in front of his desk and gulped down her nervousness. She opened her mouth and closed it again. Come on just say it, she urged herself.

"...Mai?"

She blushed and finally looked up at him, "Naru... I... I know you won't return these feelings but..." She lowered her gaze, unable to see him when she said it, "I...I love you Naru..." She braced herself and waited for his outburst.

Which never came.

Looking at him again she felt her heart sink as she saw his indifferent mask back in place.

"Well if you're quite done, please leave. You're obviously mistaking these feelings for me since you love my brother," he said icily.

Mai flinched and quickly left as tears invaded her vision. When she shut his office door she looked to her right and saw Lin with Madoka looking at her worriedly.

"Mai?"

"Mai what's wrong dear?"

She knew the tears were falling now, she offered no explanation as she rushed into Madoka's arms, clinging to her shirt and sobbing her heart out.

Madoka could only hold the crying girl with confusion, looking to Lin she noticed a look of sharp anger. She held his gaze for a short moment and then nodded at the unanswered question in his eyes.

Lin patted Mai's back and then headed into Naru's office, none too quietly.

Madoka moved to the couch and fell with Mai still clinging to her now damp shirt. She rubbed the girl's back sympathetically.

Lin meanwhile was glaring hard at the dark haired teenager in the office. "What did you say to her Oliver," he asked.

Naru noted the use of his full name, and returned an icy glare of his own. "That she should leave me be because she is obviously delirious." He wanted Mai's affections to be for him, secretly, but he knew deep down she liked his kind, dead brother; not him.

Lin shot up so fast, it made Naru jump. "Dammit Noll, she loves you! Why on earth would she love Gene, a dead man?"

The dark haired teen shot up then too, eyes furious and hurt. "Because he makes her feel good, because he is so nice and because he looks like me," he said beginning to rant. "Because he holds her when she is scared in her dreams, because his gaze softens for her, because he's open with her!" Naru was shouting now, "Because he makes her feel a way I can't!"

Lin was shocked but didn't show it. Naru never lost his cool, not like this.

(A/N: Start the song now! If you're listening to it with the story that is...)

Naru's mouth flapped a few more times, his mind obviously wanting to say more but his thoughts not allowing him to form the words. Instead he threw his hands up in defeat and slumped in his chair, hand shielding his eyes. His breathing was heavy, body shaking.

The chinese man slowly sat down too, "You didn't want to push her away..."

"No..." came the broken reply. "If given the choice again I would tell her but," he paused, "but I can't... she's fallen for Gene. But since he is dead she's pushing her feelings to me since we look the same."

Lin could only look on, understanding coming to him. "You really think that don't you?"

Naru lowered his hand and looked at him with questioning in his gaze. The stress the whole situation was putting on him was clear in his dark eyes.

A small smile formed on Lin's face, "You idiot... she doesn't love Gene." He spoke softly, recalling all of the times he had caught Mai gazing at the picture of Oliver and Gene, her eyes trained on Naru. "The reason she speaks so highly of Gene is because he was the one who helped her to realize her feelings for you. She thinks of him as a protective older brother, not a love interest," he said.

Naru's eyes narrowed, "How do you know this?"

The smile grew, "She told me."

A pause.

That made the hard demeanor disappear. The sapphire eyed teen remained quiet, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"You should tell her before she leaves," Lin said, standing, "If you don't your chances might be gone."

Naru straightened, eyes meeting the other's. Realization dawned on him and he began wondering if he should tell her or not. Could he even do it? The nervousness in his stomach said no but his bull headed mind said yes.

Outside of the office, Madoka was helping Mai pack up her things to head home. She had managed to calm the girl down and get a small smile out of her but she knew the other was hurting bad still. I can only help the surface cut, I can't heal it all, she told herself. Smiling sadly she cupped the girl's cheek, "You poor beautiful girl..."

Mai blushed lightly and hugged the woman before her, "Thank you for everything Madoka."

Madoka hushed her, "It was nothing honey, call me if you need to. You know I'll listen to anything you want to talk about." The woman knew deep down that Mai would be sore for awhile and though she could only help out, it was enough to have the knowledge she was helping in some way, shape or form.

Mai nodded and collected her bags, heading to the door.

In the office, Lin and Naru heard the door open and Madoka say goodbye to someone.

"Go and get her, Noll."

Lin had never seen Naru get up so quickly.

The dark haired teen shot through his office door and manuevered around Madoka, nearly knocking her over. He managed to see the brown hair of his beloved assistant at the base of the stairs and quickly scaled down the stairs, the name he adored escaping from his lips, "MAI!"

Lin wrapped his arms around Madoka, both watching the scene from the doorway with smiles lighting their faces.

"Good work, Lin," Madoka commented.

Lin answered with a kiss to her cheek.

Mai whipped around so fast, Naru thought she might fall. Her eyes widened in shock, her mouth forming his name, "Naru...?"

Naru walked up to her and cupped her face, eyes soft. Not hesitating, he bent down and captured her lips. He let his emotions flow into that kiss, passion, sorrow, hurt, guilt, and his deep, undying love for her.

Mai's eyes widened as she stumbled slightly, the sheer amount of emotion in the kiss was overwhelming. Slowly her eyes shut and she instinctively leaned into the kiss.

When they broke apart, they were both gasping. Their eyes locked together and studied one another. Naru's dark blue eyes held guilt and yearning while Mai's held confusion and admiration.

"I was an idiot," Naru breathed, "I thought you liked Gene and that you wished I were more like him because you liked him..." He was babbling he realized, "The truth is I want to be the one. I want to be the one who holds you when you are scared, the one who cuddles you when you're unhappy, the one who makes you smile when you're sad. The one who holds you hand when it's raini-"

He was silenced by Mai's finger on his lips. He gazed at her, utterly surprised.

There was dead seriousness in her eyes, "Naru..."

He felt sadness within him, he knew she'd turn him away after what he had done to her.

To Naru's surprise however, a smile broke out on the girl's face, her eyes twinkling. "Just shut up and kiss me."

His eyes widened for only a moment before he returned her smile and did just that. He picked her up and kissed her again, spinning them around.

When they broke this time, Naru brought her into a tight hug, "Thank you Mai... I love you."

Mai blushed a deep crimson and burrowed her head into his chest, "Love you too, idiot."

Naru merely laughed, a deep rumbling sound that made Mai smile.

'Finally,' a voice said, 'I think you're both idiots for having taken this long!'

Be quiet Gene, they thought together.

Gene laughed, shaking his head at their stubborness.

Mai looked up at Naru and was pleasantly surprised to see him gazing at her lovingly. She gave him another smile and huddled into his chest, breathing his scent in. "I'm glad you were the one who stole my heart," she said quietly.

Naru wrapped his arms around her, happy to finally be able to. "Me too Mai... me too."

In that moment, nothing else mattered to the newly formed couple. They had each other and that was good enough for them.

I love NaruxMai fics! Naru is so cold hearted sometimes but I feel like deep down he likes Mai just as much as she likes him!

PLEASE READ = If you guys want I can make a follow up chapter, only if you want me too! Thanks for reading!

~Ghosties