So, hopefully I still have readers at this point... Hi guys. I'm choiry, and this is The Ball, chapter seven. Sorry for the epically long time between updates; I hope it's been worth the wait. Thank you for sticking this out!

Mai and Naru stayed at the hotel for three more days, waiting for both of their apartments to be cleared for entrance again. Neither building had taken heavy damage, but the government had taken "Better safe than sorry" as its motto.

Mai spent most of her time on the phone, trying to contact her friends. She managed to get most of them on the phone, which inevitably resulted in long, teary calls while they gasped out how glad they were that she was alive and well. She gathered bits of news through these calls- her school had partially collapsed, and was closed for the foreseeable future. Classes were being continued through e-mail until another facility could be found. Most non-essential buildings were closed for another week; many that weren't damaged were being used as hospitals and emergency shelters. While the death toll was unexpectedly low, there were hundreds injured or left without a home.

As Mai reassured everyone whose number she could remember, Naru volunteered himself to help organize the emergency shelters. He filed names and sizes of families, and wrote out approximations for how much food and clothing needed to be sent out. Mai saw little of him for those three days; he'd leave early and come in late, kissing her good night before falling into bed. She missed him, but she wouldn't deny him a chance to help. She herself spent whatever time she could helping make food to give to the newly homeless.

On the start of their fifth day in the hotel, Naru shook her gently awake at six, ignoring her protests.

"Mai, there's another busload of rescued people and the hotels almost out of rooms. We should go."

She blinked blearily at him for a moment, then sat up and swung her legs out of bed. He chuckled softly as she stumbled to shower, muttering about evil men who didn't need sleep. She snagged a pair of sweats, all there was for either of them to wear, off of a chair, along with panties and a loose shirt. She had no bra, but that couldn't be helped until she got home.

The long hot shower, which still felt like a luxury after being trapped, woke her up some; the strong tea that Naru handed her when she was out did more. She drank it quickly, then stripped the bed and put the towels and bedding in a neat pile by the door. They saw a harried-looking maid approaching their room as they left.

They entered the lobby, which was slowly filling with passengers from the rescue bus, and waded their way to the desk. The woman manning it took their room keys and directed them to a man running a free taxi service.

The man smiled as they approached. "You're both going the same place?" When they shook their heads, he blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly. "Well, if one of you has a car waiting at home, I'll take you both to that house. Forgive me, but there are others who will need my help."

They assured him that they were fine with that solution, and followed him to his car.

The drive to Naru's was fast and largely silent. The man had a news station on, anxious to hear about any new rescues, and both Naru and Mai were used to sitting in silence. He dropped them off at Naru's apartment complex and sped off, back to the hotel.

"I called the management, so my door will be unlocked. I didn't think theft would be a concern right now," Naru explained as he led her into his home. She looked around the living room for a moment, noting that he chose to decorate with dark colors and that there were books everywhere. He ignored her scrutiny and looked for his spare keys.

"I always assumed you and Lin lived together… apparently I was wrong," Mai said. Naru paused in his search for a moment.

"He lives near here; we usually walk to the train together to get to work. I called him from the hotel the first night we were there, and he told me not to expect to see him; he's part of the search effort." He reached into a wooden bowl and pulled out three keys on a ring. "These are the keys I needed; we can drive to your apartment now."

Mai stood and stretched, letting him lead the way to the parking lot. The lot had a few cracks in the asphalt, but that appeared to be the extent of the damage. Naru stopped at a small blue car, walking to the passenger side to open her door before entering himself.

She gave him the directions to her apartment once they were on a street she recognized, and then fiddled with the radio, discovering that almost every channel was devoted to the rescue efforts or news. Sighing, she leaned back in her seat, giving up on hearing any music for the time being.

Naru was a good driver; it helped that there was little traffic. Her apartment complex was worse than his, missing a few panes of glass in windows and several trees knocked down. They walked into the empty lobby, where Mai jumped behind the desk and grabbed a spare key to her apartment, and then up the stairs to the floor she lived on.

Mai let them in, noting gratefully that her apartment was not in total disarray. She walked through, picking up a fallen lamp and several pictures, before returning to Naru.

"You can stay awhile. My kitchen is still in working order, and I have room here," she hesitated. "And I don't want to be alone…"

Naru was up almost instantly, holding her close to him. "I'll stay. Don't worry; I didn't want to leave you, either." He tilted her chin up and kissed her gently on the mouth.

"Well, then… How's breakfast sound? I should have something here." She squeezed him briefly before escaping, catching his hand to bring him into the kitchen with her. She didn't bother with anything that had to be refrigerated, knowing the power had been out for several days, but she still had fruit, tea, and oatmeal.

Naru sat on a chair as Mai busied herself boiling water and finding dishes. Several bowls were chipped or broken, but she found enough. She rinsed the fruit and poured water into the oatmeal and the teapot, carrying everything to the table.

"I'm going to need to clean my refrigerator; the milk and cheese have definitely gone off. I've probably lost the eggs and meat, too," she mused. They both ate relatively quickly, still feeling the effects of no food for several days. Naru helped her clean the dishes when they were done, then followed her into her living room.

"I have movies we could watch," she suggested. He shrugged, so she pulled out a random DVD and turned on the TV. They sat down on her sofa, leaning against each other.

"This is one of my favorites… I've probably seen in a thousand times. I was probably eight when it came out; I idolized the heroine." She was babbling. She knew that, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. "I even had the same haircut. I was always disappointed that there wasn't a sequel, but that's probably for the best. You know how it is, they never compare the or-" Naru kissed her, effectively cutting off her chatter.

He smiled against her mouth, adjusting so she was lying against the side of the sofa and he was leaning over her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he deepened the kiss. She opened her eyes when he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

"I love you." They both said it at once, smiling at each other. Mai drew him closer for another kiss, sighing as his weight settled against her. He didn't linger on her mouth this time, instead trailing gentle kisses to her throat. He shifted once again, holding her up with an arm around her waist as the other ran along her side, under her shirt to her chest. She moaned as he found a sensitive spot on her neck, and then again when his thumb brushed her nipple.

His kisses continued down until they met the neckline of her shirt. He pulled it a little lower, kissing the top of her breasts, encouraged by Mai's increasingly loud moans.

She pushed herself forward until she could lean against him, moving until she was straddling his lap. Naru paused in his ministrations to her chest, moaning as she settled herself directly on top of his erection. Both of his hands went to her back, steadying her against him, as she grabbed the bottom hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

Naru took a moment to appreciate the view before returning his mouth to her chest, gently sucking and licking circles around her nipples. She groaned in frustration at his teasing, reaching a hand between them to cup him gently. Now he groaned as she slowly moved her hands over his pants, briefly burying his face in her neck before returning to her chest once more.

He finally sucked her nipple into his mouth, relishing the sound of her loud, breathy moan. She grabbed his head, hair slipping between her fingers, as she ground herself against him. Both of them were moaning each other's names.

Mai suddenly stood up, leaving Naru dazed on the couch. She shimmied out of her sweats, leaving her in just a pair of very wet panties, before grabbing his hand and leading him to her bedroom. He managed to keep his hands off of her until they walked through the door; then he picked her up and set her on the bed, not bothering to close the door.

He stood over her for a moment, just looking at her and smiling faintly, until she reached a hand for him. "Naru, you can't put me almost naked on a bed and then not do anything. It's just not fair." She smiled at him.

"I'm planning on doing a lot of things, actually. Would you like me to demonstrate?"

Mai grinned and nodded, and he fell on her. He kissed her mouth and then trailed down again, stopping at her chest again. She was beginning to think he had a fixation, but she wasn't going to complain.

While he found as many different ways to make her moan using his mouth on her chest as he could, she pushed at his pants until he took the hint, kicking them off without moving his mouth. She reached under the waistband of his boxers, and gripped him in her hand. This time he shuddered, moving up to kiss her deeply on the mouth. She moved her hand up and down, not slowing, as he kissed everywhere he could reach. He was starting to buck into her palm when he stopped her.

"Not yet. That feels amazing, but not yet." She pouted, not really upset, as he stood, taking off his shirt and leaning over her.

He kissed her again, letting his hands wander over her body. One hand worked its way under her panties, rubbing gently into her skin as it worked down farther. His fingers reached her clit and she moaned in name, gasping as he rubbed his thumb over her and started plunging his fingers into her.

"Naru… Naru, please, oh God, that feels so good…" She was breathless, moving desperately against his hand.

"Not yet…" He sounded proud of himself. He kissed down her body, not taking his hand away, as her cries grew more frantic. Just as she was about to climax, his fingers slid out of her and stopped moving. She groaned in frustration, opening her eyes to glare. He was licking his fingers clean, and grinned when she looked. Not looking away from her eyes, he pealed her panties slowly down, off her legs and to the floor, where he let them drop.

Slowly he leaned forward, breathing her smell in. His nose brushed her clit and she moaned louder than before. That set him off; before she knew what was happening, he was licking her, burying his tongue inside her before moving up to her clit, sucking it into his mouth and teasing her. Her fingers went into his hair as he continued, letting her almost explode before pulling back and slowing down. He played with her as she went wild for him, grinding against his tongue.

"Naru-oh God don't stop- please, please- yes! There! - I'm so close- oh, oh- please!" She was almost incoherent. He took pity on her and drove two fingers deep inside her, licking at her clit until she finally came, shuddering and moaning.

"That was amazing…" She was limp. He plopped down beside her, grinning like a cat, and she turned to look at him. He lay with his hands behind his head in just his underwear, smiling at the ceiling. He didn't hear her move before she was on him, kissing his face and neck as she ground against him. She trapped his wrists above his head and captured his mouth, rolling her hips down as he thrust his up. They were both panting, legs shaking, as they neared climax.

Naru's hands on her hips stopped her motion. He smiled up at her, hair in disarray around is face.

"Can we…?" He trailed off, raising an eyebrow.

"I've been taking birth control for four years."

That was answer enough for him. He rolled to be on top, reaching down to guide himself in. He rubbed her clit gently with one hand and he slowly pushed himself inside.

"Tell me if you need to slow down. I don't want you to hurt." His face was between her neck and shoulder, gently sucking on the sensitive skin. In answer she locked her legs around his waist, pulling him fully inside her. He froze.

"I didn't want to hurt you." He was unhappy. She grabbed his wrist and started moving his hand over her clit again until her took over, so she was moaning as she answered.

"I'm fine. Just don't stop." He sighed, but continued, pulling out a little before pushing back in. He was clearly enjoying himself, judging by the ferocity of his assault on her neck. She was starting to thrust along with him, pushing into his hand.

"Naru…" His name sounded so right coming from her. He rubbed her clit faster, thrusting more deeply, until she was shuddering around him. "Naru, I'm close. Don't stop, so close, please…" She was panting, her head thrown back, as he pounded into her. She clenched around him as she came, and a moment later he followed.

"Are you a sex god in disguise?" She had moved to lie on top of him, and was gently toying with his hair. He smiled.

"Maybe."

Mai laughed until he kissed her.

They ended up deciding to go to his apartment for the night. They stopped on the way to order dinner, and ate it on his couch, sitting as closely as they could. Mai planned on staying there for the time being; once her school opened up she would have to go home again.

The rest of SPR was alright; Ayako had a broken wrist, but that was the worst injury. Their office hadn't suffered any damage, and within a few days they opened again. The family that hosted the ball contacted them the first week they were open to check their conditions. They expressed their relief that both Mai and Naru were alright, and brushed off Mai's apology for the ruined dress.

Nobody said anything to Mai or Naru at first, but after the first time they came in holding hands and flushed from kissing, their coworkers teased them ruthlessly. Lin began leaving them alone in the office at lunch, which resulted in Mai spending several hours a week bent over Naru's desk. She couldn't find it in her to complain.

I'm going to end it there. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Read, review, and feel free to tell me off for my lateness. Peace, love, and gratitude!