A/N: Sincerest apologies to those who have been waiting forever for an update. The long wait was inevitable though. But now I think it's time to move on to the final phases of this story. Special thanks to the readers and reviewers alike. I admit reviews make me super happy, but if you took the time to read it then that's more than enough.

I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar, OOC-ness, cheesiness, or confusion that may occur. I try but, but humans will make mistakes.

Disclaimer: I ain't own a thing...

Darkness was all that surrounded Naru when he opened his eyes. After a few moments, the objects and furniture in Mai's living room began to take shape, though things still seemed quite hazy. Mai... She had fallen asleep almost immediately after their conversation, and Naru had taken to the other sofa to get some rest as well. What time is it?

"Are you enjoying it? What precious little time you have left together?"

Though he still found it difficult to see clearly, Naru was now completely alert and entirely aware that this was a dream. One of those dreams. He turned around to face the large window behind the sofa where he sat, and found that he hadn't been mistaken about the voice - it was his own. Naru saw the other figure, an exact replica of himself, staring out into the distance. Obviously seeing things that he himself could not.

"Though I'm still quite amazed that you managed to block me from your mind. I suppose, in your case, it's easier and probably better to just forget the all dreams you've had to endure during the night," he continued.

"What are you?" Naru demanded. Even in the dream world, he had no patience for pointless chit chat.

"...What am I?" The figure turned around after a moment to face him. "I am you."

It was beyond confusing - the fact that the man going around killing Mai in her dreams just so happened to be himself - or someone else who just looked exactly like him. Was he the same being Naru was speaking to right now? The same being that he had seen the day before in the car? But there was just no way he and this monster could possibly be the same. "You hurt Mai."

"Yes. We hurt Mai."

Naru found himself clenching his hands. Whatever sick and twisted joke this guy was trying to play, it wasn't funny. "Wh-"

"This is not a choice we have. The things we feel... It's inescapable. If you will not accept the truth, then at least know this: the only way we can save her is by continuing on this current path. She knows this. Whatever she decides, let her be."

Before Naru could respond, he felt himself slipping away as though he were on the brink of falling into a deep slumber again, and within seconds everything around him was returned to it's original state of darkness, he along with it.

When he woke again, the light of day seemed far too bright for his eyes. He took in a deep breath, trying to make sense of what he had been told during his little visit. Obviously it must have been of extreme importance, but that would mean that he himself was in fact part of the spell that had been cast on Mai. A critical part. He turned his head to look at the girl, who still appeared to be sleeping in the same exact position she had been in the night before. And just as it had been last night, tears were making there way across her face. Is she awake or... dreaming?

"Mai..." Naru was slightly surprised by the coarse tone his voice had made. Dammit. The dream had completely messed with his mind. All those nightmares she had to endure... All because of him. But he and I aren't the same. Even as he settled on that fact, it didn't relieve him of the new found guilt he had. He called out his assistant's name again, as he normally would when they were at work.

"...hm?"

Upon hearing Naru's voice, Mai slowly opened her eyes, taking in every minute of morning. Relief immediately washed over her as she felt for the softness of the sofa beneath her with her hands, and then to the beloved blanket that draped her form. She let out a heavy sigh, wiping away the smudges of water on her face that had yet to dry up.

"What happened," Naru asked quietly.

Mai turned around to look at her boss who sat on the smaller sofa to her right. The window behind him caused an impressive light show that contrasted beautifully around his dark form, probably augmented by what teardrops remained that she hadn't shed. Everything seemed to be gleaming. Entirely different from the scene she had just witnessed with the 'other' Naru. Mai began rubbing her eyes and let out a small yawn. She could no longer recall the pain she had experienced from the force of being stabbed. So it was just another dream then... Thank goodness.

"The window..." she answered softly. "I woke up sometime in the middle of the night and went to look out the window while you were asleep. I do that sometimes... But then you walked up to me - well, at least I thought it was you at first, but... And then he..." Mai placed her hand in the area of where she had been stabbed. "But it was only a dream," she concluded gently, her eyes closing in relief before taking a peek at Naru. She could now see everything clearly, him included - every detail and line that shaped his frowning face. She gave another sigh before throwing her blanket to the side. "You shouldn't be making a face like that! I'll make you some tea."

"You don't have to keep waiting on me," Naru spoke before she could reach the kitchen. "Until further notice, I'm relieving you of your assistant duties."

"Eh!" Mai had no problem seeing that something else was on his mind. Something that must have been troubling him to the extreme. "Alright then, if you say so. I'll just make you some tea - out of common courtesy, you know." She continued on her way. Naru simply stared at her before looking down again.

"If you really feel the need too..."

"I do!" Mai replied instantly. "I take great pride in making and serving tea! No one does it better than me," she smiled confidently, all thoughts of the previous night now completely wiped from her mind.

"...True," Naru agreed. "Of the few good qualities you do have, tea is probably at the top of the list."

"Right! But wait... what do you mean by 'few'?"

Naru stood from his position. "Go ahead then."

"Hey, Don't walk away!"

"I'm going to use your restroom, or is that not allowed?" Naru looked back at the girl with just a hint of a smirk.

"F-Fine." As Mai headed back into the kitchen she heard Naru's phone ring, to which he answered immediately. It was only seconds later before he hung up after barely saying two words.

"Mai, forget the tea," he called. "You can make some when we get to the building. John is waiting for us."

"John!"

The first thing Mai saw upon entering the SPR building was Madoka and John sitting across one another on the sofas. It had been a while since she had last seen the priest and almost had to fight the urge to pull him into a bear hug. She instead settled with calling out his name and smiling as brightly as she could.

"Mai, tea." Naru ordered, heading straight for Lin's office.

"Wait, what happened to me being relieved of my duties!" she exclaimed.

"It's common courtesy to prepare tea for guests, is it not?" Naru replied softly, before continuing on his way.

"...Fine." He looks really bad... Mai turned to her co-workers and smiled. "I'll be back in a second then."

"Ah... Thank you," John said graciously.

Madoka stood up with a slightly confused expression. "Let me join you." Leading Mai into the kitchen area, she called back to John, "We'll only be a short while, dear." He nodded in return.

As Mai began boiling some water, Madoka stood off to the side and remained quiet. "Of course Lin-san would like some, too, right?" Mai asked.

"...Yes."

Already feeling awkward at the way the woman was looking at her, Mai suddenly became suspicious. "Is everything alright?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Madoka began gathering the cups and trays needed. "I'm assuming you and Naru are getting along well. At least, neither of you have lost it yet."

Mai started searching throughout the kitchen for some kind of treat to go alongside the tea. "Is that how it seems?"

"Well, you've spent three nights alone with him and you don't seem to be complaining. I at least hope he's been a gentleman?"

"Aha!" Finding something suitable, Mai returned to check on the tea. "He's been... Naru. I don't know, everything has just been... strange." Madoka accepted the snacks Mai handed to her and began arranging them neatly on the trays, waiting to see if the girl would continue. She did. "I've always wished that there would be a case or something that would force us to become a little closer. Now that it's happening, it feels mostly like a dream. But... I think... no matter how much time we spend together, it won't really make any difference. In our relationship, I mean. ...All the time I've stayed working here, hoping all along that he would see me... Oh, the tea is done."

"...And?"

It was a moment before Mai answered. "Even with all that hoping, I could never really see us together. It's hard to imagine Naru with anyone, really, let alone myself. It would take a miracle."

"But you do know... there are things he does that are only for you. He relies on you even, a great deal. I, his parents, and Lin as well... we were all worried. Gene was the only person he would ever confide in. After the accident... there was no one. To distance oneself from others and live a life of solitude... it just... it shouldn't be. But no one could do anything." Madoka took three cups of tea that Mai had poured and placed them onto the first tray. "Mai, because of you he's gradually been turning a little more... human."

Mai set the last two cups on the second tray. "...That's my gift, isn't it?" she said quietly. "As his special assistant, it's all I can do."

"...Mai...?" Madoka's expression changed back into the confused state it had been in just a few minutes ago.

"Alright, everything is all ready and set!"

Grabbing the first tray, Madoka started to head out first. "I'm going to join the other two. You should talk to John."

"Okay. ...Does he knows about everything?"

"Yes. And also... Well, up until now, you've been very good about the whole thing, but..."

"I understand, Madoka. Thank you."

Madoka smiled in return. "Oh by the way, when your done I'll be borrowing you for the rest of the afternoon. We haven't had a chance to go out yet." She walked away.

Mai slowly reached for the second tray, feeling a sudden nervousness begin to spread throughout her, almost keeping her from wanting to enter the other room. How silly! It's only John, she reminded herself. What am I so afraid of? But she knew exactly what it was. Like Madoka had said, she had done such a good job at telling herself everything was alright. When she was with Naru, she didn't even have to pretend - minus a few exceptions. But, for whatever reason, she knew that speaking with John might force her to face reality. Not that he would force her to talk, of course, being the gentle soul that he was.

Taking a deep breath, Mai lifted the tray and headed into the front area.

"Sorry for the wait," she laughed, setting the tray on the coffee table before taking a seat across the priest.

"It's fine. Thank you," John smiled, taking a sip of his tea.

"So... How have you been? Where have you been?"

"I went back to Australia. My family was having some trouble with their new house and wanted my help."

"Like... normal trouble or... haunted?" It was a word Mai hadn't spoken in a while, one that she almost missed, even.

"They thought it was haunted, but in the end the place turned out to be perfectly fine."

"Well that's good. You got to visit your family, then."

"Yes, it was very fun." John looked down for a moment, his smile turning a little sad. "So what about you, Taniyama-san? Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine." Mai smiled, immediately taking note of the priest's melancholy expression. "So they did tell you everything."

"I hope that's alright?"

"Of course, I don't mind."

"Well... I'm sure Shibuya-san and the others - and yourself as well - are all puzzling over everything that's been happening, but... I've been curious about a few things myself..."

Mai paused before taking another sip of her tea. "...Yes?"

"A-And... as I'm sure you already know, magic is never what it really seems. It's important to look at all the signs. All of them."

"Uh-huh..."

"Taniyama-san, have you thought about why it's Shibuya-san that ends up killing you in your dreams and not someone else?"

"...Actually, I haven't," Mai smiled somewhat sheepishly. That was probably one of the main subjects she tried to avoid for the past couple of days. But she was going to have to face up to it sooner or later. "But now that I think about it... I guess it seems the most natural? I mean, you know that I... a-about Naru..." she felt her face go red and hoped that her friend wouldn't notice it. Of course he did, and when Mai looked up at him she saw his own cheeks were slightly flushed. At least it was news to someone. Unless of course, he had already noticed she had been crushing on her boss since forever and was simply feeling a little embarrassed. "I mean..." she continued, "I guess what with all the scary things we've had to deal with, my mind has become a little twisted. Maybe on a subconscious level or something, I would... rather it be Naru who kills me." She laughed. "I know it's horrible, but that's the most logical reason I can come up with. But the thing is, it's not actually Naru who's killing me. It's just some look-a-like monster, which makes everything a million times worse. I suppose that's what black magic is all about, though."

"Mm..." The priest had stopped with his awkward smile and was now gazing pensively at the coffee table. His eyes held a look of deep concentration, one which Mai had never seen on the young man before. He seemed older somehow, and her intuition immediately took over,

"John," she began, setting her cup of tea down. "You've seen something like this happen before, haven't you?"

His answer came quietly. "Back when I was still in training, there was a woman who would come by the church. Here name was Lena. She was married and very happy. But one day she started talking about dreams she would have of being watched by these other beings. She would say that they didn't have any eyes. Not long after that, her dead body was found in another man's apartment. He, too, was dead. There was never any cause of death - no signs of violence, struggle, or drug use could be found. It was later discovered that the two had been best friends growing up, but grew distant after she had married."

Mai leaned back against the sofa. "Did they know it was a spell?" Had that woman dreamt of that man? Did she cause his death?

"I honestly can't say," John replied. "But about a week later, another woman stopped by, claiming that she was the one who killed them, but she had only meant to kill one."

"She confessed just like that!"

"She said she had failed and was going to die soon, so it didn't matter what happened to her." The priest paused a minute before looking up. "...It wasn't Lena who had been cursed. The woman said she had cast the spell on the man."

"...What?" Mai watched as John began drinking his tea again, apparently finished with his story. "Did she say anything else?"

"No. She passed away that night."

"...But she believed she was the cause of not only the man's death, but Lena's as well, right? That the spell on the man had caused it?"

"Yes."

Mai let out a heavy sigh and laid her head back. "...This whole thing is so confusing."

"Taniyama-san..." John said, pulling the cup away from his mouth. "I don't believe it was the same type of black magic spell that has been cast on you. But there are a few similarities, what with the eyeless beings. It's unfortunate that we will never know all the important details that happened back then - the things that Lena saw the days before she passed away. If we did, I feel... we might be able to compare and gain some kind of new understanding. If the woman who pleaded guilty was in fact telling the truth, that she had only meant to cause harm to the one man, then it's assumed that he and Lena were somehow connected, and judging by the circumstances of their deaths, I'd say they were well aware of that."

"Wait a minute..." Mai took another moment to think over everything. "So you think... Naru is involved?"

"W-Well, he is the one who shows up in your dreams. We should also take into account that two of the portals have somehow shown up in his own space. True enough, one of which was in the room you stayed in, but for the other to show up in his office... um... Taniyama-san?" John looked up worriedly at Mai, who now looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"I... All this time... It never occurred to me. Madoka even mentioned it the other day, but I completely ignored it. Because of me, Naru is in danger... I'm so stupid!"

"Taniyama-san..."

"If anything happens to him, it will be my fault." Mai was unaware of the trailing tears that continued to fall down her face. The only coherent thoughts in her mind were, 'What's wrong with me?'

John set his cup down again, which was now empty. "That's not exactly true, though... There's still no way of knowing for sure that he's in danger, so it's best to keep our hopes up for now. For you as well. There's still time to find a cure. And also... I'm sure Shibuya-san was perfectly aware of what he was getting himself into. The others, too. This is their job, you see..." John smiled. "And we all want to be there for one another."

"But..."

"If it were Shibuya-san who was cursed, would you still want to stay by his side knowing that it might endanger your life?"

"Of course, I... Oh." Mai looked down, her crying coming to a sudden halt. I would try to stay with him to the very end, regardless of what he might say. Nothing could stop me. She gave one last sniffle and wiped her face. "You're right. I should focus more on how to put an end to all of this, then," she smiled. "Thank you, John. You've been very helpful!"

The priest stuttered for a moment, "W-Well, I don't know if I've actually helped any, but your welcome..."

The two suddenly heard male voices talking as Madoka exited Lin's office. "Ah... Have you two finished?" she asked, noting the warm smile Mai now had.

"You're timing is perfect, Mori-san." John said cheerfully.

"Excellent! Well then, Mai... Let's go out for some lunch and have a little one-on-one girl time. John, perhaps you could work your magic on Naru?" She turned around to look at the young man who had just emerged from the office behind her, and then went to pick up her coat, her purse, and a bag.

"Um..." Mai looked at her boss for a moment, who looked just as bad as he had before, if not worse. Is it really okay to leave him like this? Though I'm sure some time away from me would do him good. Naru looked back at her and nodded in reassurance, knowing that his assistant was asking for permission. Mai leapt off the sofa and grabbed her things, thanking John one more time before saying farewell to the three men and taking off with Madoka.

"I have a little gift for you," the woman sang as they exited the building. "I got it for you a while back but there hasn't really been a chance to give it to you."

"Madoka, you didn't have to do that!" Mai whined, though she was still very excited.

"Don't worry about it. When I saw it something just took over me and I had to get it for you. Think of it as an early birthday present in token of the wonderful woman you're becoming."

"Madoka... You're just too much!" Once again, tears formed in the girl's eyes, only this time for a very different reason.

By the time Mai and Madoka had returned to SPR, the sun had almost fully set. John had left, Lin was still researching, and Naru had somehow got a hold of more papers to file.

The older woman was the first to speak upon entering the building. "Did you guys find anything new?" she asked, taking off her coat.

"Not really," was all Naru said.

"Um... Is Lin-san still trying to look for...?" Mai listened closely to the constant tapping sounds coming from the other room, followed by a few mouse clicks. "Maybe you could... get him to stop for tonight. I would really feel a lot better if everyone just took a break."

"...Alright. It probably won't be easy, but I'll get him to take the rest of the night off," Madoka agreed softly.

"Madoka," Mai called before the woman left the room. "Thank you. I had a lot of fun."

"Then we'll have to do it again sometime soon." Madoka smiled back warmly, though her eyes didn't quite match up. "Ayako can join us. Masako, too - so long as it's not a problem for you both."

Mai nodded in return as she watched her friend enter Lin's office. When the tapping sounds faded, Mai took a seat on one of the sofas, pulling the bag with the gift Madoka had given her close to her chest. The overall vibe of the room had changed since that morning. She watched as Naru entered with a small amount of papers in his arms, and for a moment their eyes were locked onto one another's. In that moment, they both knew that something had changed. Whatever had transpired during Mai's time with Madoka, and Naru's time with John, they had both come to some realization. Whatever it was, neither of them was willing to share.

Dropping her head, Mai tightened her grip around the bag.

"Naru, are you going home?" she asked minutes later when he had finished filing everything he could.

His reply came swiftly. "If you're ready to head back. Where are we staying tonight?"

Mai couldn't help but smile, wondering if Naru himself actually realized how natural those words came. In such a short time span, the two had grown used to sticking together. But that would have to come to an end sooner or later.

"Actually, there's someplace I'd like to go. Would you take me there please?"

A/N: I know that this and the last chapter may seem ultra-fillerish to some of you, but I do think they're necessary. Fluff will come eventually :)

I also realize that the story may be getting really confusing for some of you (at least I know it's getting really confusing for me), but hopefully it'll come to make more sense later on.