I'd like to say a lot of things.

I really want to say something cool like I moved on and he became a thing of my past. I wish I could say that I moved on and found someone better, cooler, hotter. I really wish I could say he was nothing but my first crush and a fond memory.

But that's not true, and I try to stay away from lying to myself.

I didn't forget about him. I didn't move on in my dating life. I mean, sure, I went out with a few guys but I didn't fall in love again. Everything he ever made me feel and everything he ever taught me was what kept me behind. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to get away from the paranormal, which means I couldn't get away from him.

All of my friends had different advice. Some of them told me to just move on because he was just some guy that was my friend love. Some other friends told me that I was confusion admiration for infatuation. They were probably both right in their own way, but that didn't stop my heart from beating faster every time I passed by the old school house.

It wasn't as if I completely stopped living to cry over the fact that I was blatantly rejected. I went and got another job, which was relatively easy. He left me an employee review so good that managers were basically begging me to go and work for them. I noticed immediately that I should have taken Monk up on his offer to move in with him and finish school.

Waitressing became the one steady thing in my life. However, it's not like Ayako and Monk and John and Yasu and Masako just up and stopped talking to me because he was gone.

Masako was normally always busy with her TV show but she still came by my cramped apartment one a month for tea and a conversation. Despite all of Masako's face value faults, she's still a good person on the inside. She never once complained about how small my apartment was or how cheap the tea was.

John was much of the same thing. He'd finally been established at a church in Japan and invited me over quite a lot. The church was right next to an orphanage so their was always someone to play with.

Ayako and Monk got married about three months in to their relationship. I was a bridesmaid. Ayako phoned me weekly to badger me about moving in to their new home, no matter how much I refused. Monk texted me all the time and often talked with me when Ayako called. He wasn't nearly as forceful but he still popped the question once in a while.

Yasu, however, became my rock. He moved in to a huge apartment and some how convinced me to move in with him while barely paying for a whole quarter of the bills. He became the definition of 'brother' to me. Over the course of a year, he became the driving force behind me somehow working 60 hours a week while also going to school four days our of a seven day period. He's the one that forced me to finish high school and college.

It wasn't until my junior year in college that my world crashed around me.

I was flirting with a group of middle aged men at a table when a flash of familiar pink hair caught my sight and I stopped in the middle of a sentence.

"Miss?" One of the men call, confused.

I smile at him, sending a cute wink his way, "I'll be right back handsome."

As I walk closer to the table, I see that it's Madoka and some gorgeous dark haired, blue eyed lady. Stunning, ice blue eyes. A set of dark eyes holding an understanding of a world I'm nearly ignorant to flashes in my head and it makes my breath catch in my throat.

No no no. I think to myself. Straightening my spine, I quickly slide in to the booth next to Madoka amd muter, "I've got about five minutes before my boss comes looking for me."

Madoka squeals and hugs me from the side, "This is Mai Taniyama."

The woman smiles beautifully, "It is very nice to meet you, Miss Taniyama.

"Same to you." I grin back. I take a look around to be sure I'm not being stared at before continuing, "I don't mean to be rude but I really need this job, Madoka. What is this about?"

She loses her smile and clears her throat, "Mai, we need you to come to England with us."

My eyebrows shoot up in to my hair line, "That's ridiculous-"

"It's about Oliver."

My heart speeds up while my heats. A healthy blush spreads across my face and my jaw hangs down in shock.

What?

"Wh-who are you?" My mouth just won't seem to do what I want it to do and I end up stuttering.

"My name is Luella Davis," she says, her eyes sparking with mischief, "I'm Oliver's mother."

I stare at her for the longest time until one of my coworkers come and tell me that the boss is on a rampage. I sigh, standing, taking out my notepad and jotting down my address with a shaky hand, "If it's this important that you have to come all the way to Japan to see me about it, then I might as well listen to what you have to say. Be at this address tomorrow at 6 PM." I smile at Mrs. Davis, "It was nice to meet you, ma'am. Goodbye Madoka." With that, I walk away and continue my shift.

"Okay, what is wrong with you?" Yasu questions me as I eat dinner that night. He gives me what I call the 'brother' look. It is a look that consists of a half glare, half concerned type of stare. Like he's worried about me but he's also gonna get information out of me. Which he normally does so I don't even try to hide anything from him.

"Madoka came and visited me at the bar today."

Yasu raises a suspicious eyebrow and leans back in hi chair. If he still wore his glasses, they'd be reflecting back at me, but he switched over to contacts after on of his friends told him he'd never get laid with four eyes.

"What would Madoka be doing in a sports bar?" Yasu asks as he folds his arms across his chest.

My shoulders shrug, "She wanted to talk to me about Naru."

Of course my voice cracks on his name!

Yasu's eyes widen and before I know it, he's leaning toward me with warm, gentle brown eyes, "What happened?" Before I know it, everything is spilling out of me. I tell him everything from when I sat down to when I left their table.

"Why can't they just leave you alone?" Yasu growls deep in his throat.

Sighing, I lean against my balled up fist, "I asked myself the same thing as I walked away." A tear makes its way down my face as I relive the hurt I'd received from him once again, "But I also asked myself why I can't let him go."

Yasu rubs a hand through his messy dark brown hair, "Alright, here's what we'll do. We'll invite them in and I'll stay while you three talk for moral support. But Mai, don't let yourself be sucked in to all of this too quickly. If you choose to go to England and help out the big boss, then I'm right their besides you. But don't feel as if you owe him anything, because you don't. If you accept whatever deal they want to make or anything else, do it because you want to deep down in your heart. Not because they guilt trip you in to it. I don't care about anyone else in this situation beside you, okay?" At my nod, he sighs, "Good. Now finish eating and lets go cuddle on the couch. A Naruto marathon is on."

I roll my eyes and stand, making my way to the sink.

Madoka and Mrs. Davis arrived at exactly eight, which was no surprise to me or Yasu. He opens the door, greeting them with a smile, "Madoka!"

I can practically hear Madoka's look of happiness from the kitchen where I'm studying, "Yasu? What are you doing here?"\

"Oh, Mai and I live together! Come on in!"

Same old Yasu. Abrupt as always.

It's not long before Yasu is swaggering his way in to the kitchen with Mrs. Davis and Madoka not far behind. They both smile when they see all of my text books open and strategically placed. When I notice them, I sweep them up in to my school bag to make room for tea and I immediately get up to make when they sit down. Yasu makes small talk with Madoka as I prepare tea and when it's finally done and I sit down, I take a sip, exhale and then say, "So what is this about?"

Madoka giggles, "As straight forward as ever, huh Mai?"

A reluctant smile crosses my face, "I suppose." I hide my smile behind my tea cup.

Madoka sighs, leaning forward, "Mai, you know about Noll's PK?"

My eyebrows shoot up, "What does Naru's PK have to do with you two coming to Japan and me going to England?"

"Noll's PK has been getting stronger since we left. What all of SPR doesn't know is that Noll's PK is one of the strongest in the entire world. He refuses to try using any of it because of one time Gene convinced him to use it how he liked and be accidentally out Gene and himself in the hospital."

"Okay, what does any of that have to do with me?" By now, I've completely forgotten about Yasu.

"Mai, besides Gene, you're the only one to be with in a hundred mile radius of Noll's PK blast and survive." Madoka says this gently, "That might entail that you have a tolerance toward PK like Gene did. You might be able to help Noll process his PK and help him with it like Gene had their entire live-"

"Okay, hold on a second." I say, cutting her off. I fixate her with a glare that I knew even Naru himself would be proud of, "You want me to go all the way to England to help that jerk because his powers are slowly killing him and I'm the only person beside Gene that can do it, right?"

Mrs. Davis looks alarmed, like she's sure that I won't agree but Madoka glares back at me, "Yes."

"So basically, you want me to be a fill in for Gene?"

Madoka nods firmly, "Yes."

I look over at Yasu, who has been watching me with an aloof face He raises an eyebrow when I look at him and a smile tugs at him lips. I sigh because he knows as well as I do that I can't say no. Looking back at the women, I sigh once more, "You know that I can't say no, Madoka."

She grins, "I know. As angry as you are at him, you can't let him die. I knew you haven't given up on him yet."

A gentle smile crosses my face, "It's kind of hard to give up on Naru, Madoka. There's just something about him that makes you want to fight for him."

Mrs. Davis leans forward, curious blue eyes peering at my face and making me nervous, "Just who are you to my son?"

My eyebrows shoot up, "What do you mean, Mrs. Davis?"

"I only told her that you where there during his PK blast. She knows that you used to be his assistant but there isn't much past that that she knows. I wasn't sure what else you wanted to tell her."

I feel a bitter smile tug at my face, "It's not as if it's a secret, Madoka."

"What isn't a secret?" Mrs. Davis' curious blue eyes are still planted on my face.

I smile at her as intelligent dark blue eyes flash in my mind, "I'm the woman in love with your son, Mrs. Davis."

Later that night, Yasu and I are sitting on our couch, watching Naruto again when he suddenly mutes the TV and turns to me, "Mai, do you know if the big boss has any other brothers?"

My laugh sputters out of me, "Wh-what?" I hold my sides when I say this because I'm laughing so hard.

He grins, and it's then that I realize he was trying to cut in to the tension that's been surrounding me since the women left. He chuckles, "I mean, come on. The attention of the Davis men doesn't always have to be on you. They are too good looking to be wasted on someone as spaced out as you."

He laughs harder when I hit him with the couch pillow. The sad thing is, he wasn't even kidding.

Yasu came out as a homosexual not long after he graduated high school. Here in Japan, where 90% of the country is homophobic, it was considered a very 'strong' thing to do. His mother went insane when he told her and disowned him, saying something along the lines of no son of hers was going to be a sinful faggot. His dad, however, didn't care either way. Apparently Yasu's great uncle is gay so his dad didn't find it was horrible as his mother did. All his dad cared about was that Yasu went to college and made a life for himself, gay or not. He even got Yasu one of these fancy apartments.

When Yasu's dad found out about me moving in with him, he showed up to meet me. Mr. Osamu is nearly exactly like Yasu so we got along well. I could see when Yasu got his sense of humor from. Mrs. Osamu, Yasu's step mother, was also really awesome. She comes and brings me clothes from time to time. Just some things that she finds in stores that she picks up because she thinks of me. I've told her a million times that she doesn't need to but she does anyway.

I smile at Yasu, wrapping my arms around his torso, "I love you, Yasu. Thank you for being here."

His chuckle is quiet when he hugs me back, "I love you too, girl. And of course I'm here. Where else would I be?"

As always, Yasu has my back with everything. He kisses my forehead and I begin to dose where I am.

I stare at myself in the mirror. I was prepping myself for the fourteen hour flight from Japan to England. Madoka and Mrs. Davis had came and went three weeks ago. I turned in my two week notice at my job two days after they'd come to my apartment. I'd even planned with my professors to take time off of school. At least a months worth of work was given to me by all of them.

"Mai?" Yasu calls from the other side of the bathroom door, "We're going to be late, girl! Lets go!" He swings open the bathroom door, a disinterested look being cast over my primarily naked body. He laughs when he sees that I've been attempting to choose between two outfits.

"It's not funny, you idiot!" My hair brush goes flying.

He laughs, dodging it easily, "No, you're right. It's adorable. Come on. Lets go." He grabs my hand and tugs me out of the bathroom while shoving one of the outfits in my hand.

"Mai?" His voice wakes me up. My eyes open to see dark hair and even darker eyes staring in to mine. When he sees that I'm awake, he smiles, "Come. We're at the airport."

I'm drowsy and all I could process was that it was time to get on the plane, where I will be able to sleep more, so I stand, get my thing out of the taxi, in to the airport, check it in, pass security and sit down in my correct seat.

"Hey Mai?" Yasu calls my name as I dose.

"Hn?"

"Promsie me something?"

"What's that?"

"Don't completely fall for him all over again the minute you see him." I look over to see him staring at me intently. He's serious. "I can't bare to see you like that again. If you fall in love with him again, make him work for it. Otherwise, he doesn't deserve you or your love."

I sigh, "I don't think I ever fell out of love with him, Yasu."

"I know. I mean you confession," He grins, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, "Promise me?"

"I promise."

"Good. Now lets work on you keeping that."

I finally fall asleep to his giggling."

These chain of events led me here. Standing in front of the Davis household next to Yasu. I originally thought that I would completely freak out the minute I arrived, but Yasu is right here with me. He's my rock. I can do this.

I look over at my best friend, who is staring up at the huge mansion with gleaming eyes. He looks down at me and smiles mischievously, "Ready, girl?"

I suck in a breath of anticipation and press the white button next to the door. The door swings open a moment later to a grinning Mrs. Davis, "Mai-chan!"

Whatever murmuring of voice I'd heard in the back ground stops and the scrapping of a chair seems to echo in my head. A door swings open and out comes a much older looking Naru. His eyes seem ten times more intense than the last time I'd seen him, and it seems he hasn't been expecting me. His eyes widen and his mouth parts slowly. When he speaks, his voice is deep and masculine, "Mai?"