Fatal Fury Fan Fiction ❯ Heart to Heart ❯ Heart to Heart ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

This one-shot is inspired by the OVA "Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle," involving things that might have gone on in the hospital after Andy and Terry fought each other. Also, it makes my first story, the lemon fic "Hot and Bothered” (which can be found on fanfiction.net, adult-fanfiction.org, and archiveofourown.org) less of a one-shot, since I reference it in this piece.

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

NOTE: Unlike "Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture" (the third movie in the series), "Fatal Fury 2" doesn't use title cards to tell us where we are. With some places, like Japan and Germany, it's easy to guess. Other places, not so much. It isn't really clear where Joe fought Krauser, or where the hospital he was taken to is. I've read some plot synopses, and none of them gave a clear answer, so for the purposes of my fic, I'm going to say it was in or near South Town, since Terry goes to Jeff Bogard's grave right after visiting the hospital. Hope you like. And as always, feedback is welcome.

---

South Town Hospital

Joe Higashi had just drifted back to sleep after relaying Andy Bogard's message to Terry. Terry Bogard got up from Joe's bedside and turned to the red-haired ninja girl standing nearby.

"Mai, will you take care of Joe?" Terry asked her.

"Yes, of course I will," Mai Shiranui answered. "You know, Andy asked me exactly the same thing."

"Thank you," said Terry. Turning, he accepted his cap back from the spiky-haired youth with extremely poor fashion sense, donned it, and left the room with the boy following close behind.

For a few moments, Mai watched the open doorway, and pondered Joe's message about Andy waiting in "the usual place". Andy had not even told Mai where he'd be going, but she supposed that was just his way. After all, he'd left Japan for a year without telling her, then couldn't bother to call when he got back.

"Andy," she whispered silently to herself, "please come back to me this time." Then she sat down by the bed once more and resumed her vigil.

Twenty-Four Hours Later:

He did not know how long he had been sleeping, but Joe Higashi was finally having a good dream, one filled with his three favorite things: beer, babes, and fried alligator Pad Thai. Unfortunately, just as he was starting to really enjoy it, he felt the sensation of someone poking him in his side.

Slowly, his good eye drifted open, bringing him out of the dream before he could take that first bite of alligator. Damn shame, too, he thought. It will be a while before I can eat that again...

In addition to the jabbing in his side, Joe felt a chill, and noticed that his sheet had been pulled down to his waist, and the bandage over his ribs had been loosened. He turned his head to the left as far as his injuries would allow, and discovered the source of his very rude awakening. Mai Shiranui was sitting by his bed, her fingertips lightly probing the left side of his torso, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Joe felt a few beads of sweat start to appear on his forehead, and he tried to remember where he had last left his CALL button. He knew all about the "psycho stalker bitch" from some of the suspense flicks he'd seen, the one who tried to kill the best friend so that nothing would stand between her and the man she was crazy about.

Oh, get a grip, Higashi,he thought to himself. This is Mai! The last person on earth who could ever commit cold-blooded murder. But then... it is always the person you least suspect... No! Shut up, Higashi! You're being nuts. But, if she isn't trying to kill you, what exactly IS she doing?

"Mai..." Joe spoke softly. "What are you doing?"

Mai pulled her hands back for a moment, her large brown eyes opening wide in surprise. "Oh, you're awake," she said. "You've been asleep for almost a full day."

If Joe could have shrugged, he would have. "Not like I have anything better to do. But it doesn't answer my question."

"Oh, yes," said Mai. "I got bored while you were sleeping, so I went off to find the cafeteria, but I took a wrong turn and wound up in the radiology room. Your x-rays were still up, and no one was around, so I looked them over." As she spoke, she resumed her probing with her fingertips, trying to feel the spaces in between his rib-cage. "Yup," she spoke a few seconds later, right as Joe was about to repeat his question. "Just as I thought."

"What?" Asked Joe.

"A few of your ribs on this side weren't reset properly," Mai explained. "Misalignment is extremely slight, but it's there. If they don't heal the way they should, it could disrupt your chi. But I can fix it. Just sit still, this will only take a few seconds."

The poking on the side of his torso became stronger, and Joe winced and tried to back away. Mai reached over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "I said hold still, Joe! And stop being such a baby. I know what I'm doing."

"Really?" Asked Joe, giving her as withering a stare as he could manage with his good eye. "Did you get a PhD while I was out cold?"

"Obviously, I didn't," Mai shot back. "But don't forget that I amthe granddaughter of one of Japan's greatest Koppou-Ken masters. I trained with Ojisama even longer than Andy, practically since I could walk. Grandfather believed in balance, and insisted that we learn how to repair the damage we would be capable of inflicting. I know just as much about setting and mending bones as I do about breaking them. Now, please: hold still!"

Mai's fingers resumed their jabbing, and Joe Higashi gritted his teeth and did his best not to move. But he was surprised when, as advertised, only a few seconds passed, and then Mai said: "There. All done." She wound his bandage back in place and then pulled the sheet up.

"Why are you helping me, Mai?" Joe asked. "Is it just because your fiance asked you to look after me?" When he used the word "fiance," Joe raised his unbroken hand and made the gesture for quotation marks.

Mai nodded, ignoring the jibe. "Yes, but I have other reasons, too. I may not always act like it, but I am still a trained martial artist, and I understand the importance of proper healing. Especially when fighting is how you earn your living."

If Joe could have nodded, he would have. "And that's it?"

"No." Mai looked Joe directly in his eye, then, with an air of seriousness he had never seen about her before. "I can tell you don't like me, Joe. Which is okay. I'm definitely not yourbiggest fan, either. But you're a good friend of Andy's. He's never said anything to me, but I know that he thinks of you as a brother. So for Andy's sake, I'm willing to put up with you." Mai rose from the bedside, opened the door to the room again, and then went back to her chair.

For a while, Joe couldn't think of anything to say, which surprised him, as he'd always considered himself to be gifted with a smart mouth. Then he took in a deep breath... and to his surprise, found that breathing in didn't hurt as much as it used to. Well, I'll be damned,he thought. She wasn't kidding.

"Mai," Joe said to her. "You did a good job. Thanks."

The red-haired kunoichi looked up from the romance novel she was reading. "Don't mention it," she said, then went back to her book.

For a while, neither one of them spoke. Then Joe started to cough. He did his best to bring it under control, but still it persisted. Mai was at his side in an instant, sliding the plastic straw from his water bottle into Joe's mouth. Joe took several sips, and then used his good hand to give Mai the thumbs-up.

As Mai put the bottle back on his bedside table, she heard him say: "Mai, I think you're a crazy broad, one of the craziest I've ever met. But for Andy's sake... I'm willing to try and put up with you, too."

She smiled at him, in spite of herself. "Thanks, Joe," she said. "Coming from you, that's sweet." She leaned in, kissed him chastely on the forehead, and then sat back down with her book.

For a while, they were silent, Mai reading, Joe drifting in and out of sleep. Finally, he asked her: "Can I have a little more water?"

Mai sat up again, and offered him the straw. "Just don't drink too much," she said. "I told Andy and Terry I'd take care of you, but I draw the line at doing bedpan stuff."

"Don't worry, the feeling's mutual," Joe said after he finished his drink.

Before they could continue firing sarcasm at each other, there was a knock at the door. "Excuse me?" Said a voice. Mai turned, and saw a white-uniformed orderly standing in the doorway, gazing intently at a clipboard in his hand. "I'm looking for a... May... May..." He attempted to read the name, incorrectly pronouncing it like the calendar month. "May... Shy-ra..."

Mai and Joe both let themselves be amused by the man's attempts to pronounce her name for another minute. Then Mai stepped towards him. "Mai Shiranui," she finished for the orderly. "That's me. How can I help you?"

The orderly looked up... and his mouth fell open. Mai was dressed just a bit more conservatively than usual, in an ankle-length magenta skirt, strapless halter-top, and lavender blouse. But as always, she had left the blouse unbuttoned, giving the orderly a clear view of the perfect hourglass curve of her midriff, not to mention an ample amount of cleavage, as her generous breasts seemed ready to spill out of her halter top at any moment.

Mai rolled her eyes. She was used to getting this reaction from men, but she expected a hospital employee to be able to focus better than this. "My eyes are up here, sweetie," she said, pointing to her face.

The orderly blushed, and chose to focus on his clipboard instead. "Sorry, ma'am," he muttered.

"Can I help you?" Mai repeated, placing her hands on her hips.

"Um, yes," said the orderly. He studied his clipboard for a moment, grateful that he had that to distract him. "Do you know a Mister... Andrew Bogard?"

For a split second, Mai and Joe exchanged a look. "Andy? Yes, why?"

"Well," the orderly explained. "He was brought into the emergency room a little while ago. Had some sort of accident."

Mai started, her hand going to her lips. "Accident? What... kind of accident? "

"Hit and run driver," the orderly went on. "He's conscious and responsive, though. They're examining him right now. But he gave me your name as the emergency contact, and said I could find you up here."

Mai's hand was still over her mouth, her brow furrowed with uncertainty. On the one hand, both Andy and Terry had asked her to look after Joe. But on the other hand... what if Andy was seriously hurt? How could she not be by his side?

Fortunately, Joe helped solve her dilemma. "Hey, you stupid bimbo!" Mai turned her gaze towards the bed, and saw Joe smirking at her. "Why the hell are you still standing there? Go on. Go to him! Don't worry about me. The night nurse will be starting her shift soon, and she's a lot cuter than you."

Mai smirked back at him. "Thanks, jerk," she said. "I'll check in when I can." Then she turned back to the orderly. "Okay, lookie-lou. Lead the way!"

---

The elevator could not move fast enough for the poor orderly. It felt like they stopped at every single floor to take people on or let them off. He kept his eyes on his clipboard as the buxom ninja girl continued to bombard him with questions, knowing that if he tried to look at her face, it would just be a repeat of what happened in Joe Higashi's room.

"No, miss, as far as I know, it's not life-threatening... I'm sure he's all right... No, I'm not a doctor, but I still know what life-threatening injuries look like... Because I've worked here for three years... We'll just have to wait and see, miss. They've given him an x-ray, as I left they were getting him ready for a CAT scan, and we'll just have to see what the doctor says... Miss, please stop calling me lookie-lou, my name is Dennis... I SAID I was sorry for that."

Finally, they got to the first floor, but the orderly had to move quickly to stay ahead of Mai as they navigated the maze of hallways in South Town's busy emergency room. "No, miss, not that way, it's this way," he said for what felt like the twentieth time when they came to another fork in the corridor.

After a few more minutes, they came to an alcove separated from the hallway by a thick blue curtain. "He's in there, miss," said the orderly, gesturing to the curtain. "But please...try and keep your voice down." With that, he turned and went back up the hallway, blowing a very audible sigh of relief.

Mai stuck her tongue out at his back, and then walked to the curtains and threw them open. "Andy!" She shouted.

Andy Bogard was sitting in the bed, wearing a hospital gown in place of his fighting outfit. He had a purple bruise forming on one cheek, and his right arm was hooked up to an IV, but otherwise he did not look worse for wear. Two police officers were standing on either side of his bed, one of them clutching a notepad.

Pretending the officers weren't there, Mai moved to the bedside and took one of Andy's hands in both of her own. "Andy, are you all right? Where were you? What happened?"

Andy rolled his eyes, unsure if he should address Mai or the officers. The officers both looked down at her, and to their credit, they were looking Mai in the eyes. "We're taking a statement from him about this hit-and-run driver, miss," one of them said. "Are you family?"

"I should think so," responded Mai. "I'm his fiancee."

Both officers turned back to Andy. "Is that true, sir?"

Andy rolled his eyes again, his face turning scarlet. "I... yes? No? I think? It's complicated."

"Well, sir," said the officer with the notepad. "I don't see how. She either is or isn't. Well?"

Andy looked at Mai, who looked back at him with annoyance written all over her face. "Um..." He hesitated, uncertain what to say. If he said yes, he'd be trapped. No, and Mai would certainly castrate him for it later.

"Because if she's not family," said the other officer. "She'll need to wait outside until we're done."

"Oh, well, she's practically family," said Andy. "I've known her and her family for over eleven years. We're very, very close friends. And I gave her name as the emergency contact. Is it okay if she stays?"

The officer with the pad looked at his partner, who shrugged as if he didn't care. "Okay, fine," the first man said, and placed a hand on Mai's shoulder. "But you'll need to step back from the bed until we're through, miss. And we'll have to ask you to please be quiet."

Mai did as asked, though she did not take her eyes off Andy, giving him a gaze that could have peeled paint. Andy did his best to focus on the officers, but Mai's glare was making him falter as he tried to answer their questions.

"Okay, Mr. Bogard," said the officer with the pad. "Why don't you start over?"

"Well, there isn't much to tell," said Andy. "I was crossing ninth, a few blocks away from the Pao Pao Cafe. And the next thing I know, I got hit. I didn't get a real good look at the car."

"You can't tell us anything?" Asked the other officer. "Not even a color, or what type? If it was a minivan, SUV, pickup?"

"Mr. Bogard," said the first officer, looking back through his pad. "A moment ago, you said you were crossing sixth, not ninth. So which was it?"

From where she stood, Mai could instantly tell what the officers were thinking. Back when he'd trained under her grandfather, Andy had mentioned a few things about his childhood in South Town, mainly how street fights were an everyday occurrence there, which took up most of the police's time. Apparently, that had not changed after Geese Howard's death. Mai saw that the officers clearly did not buy Andy's story about the hit-and-run car.

"Andy!" Mai spoke up. "Were you jaywalking again?"

One of the officers raised a finger at her. "Ma'am, this is your only warning..."

"Sorry, officer," Mai said with a shrug. Then she fixed Andy with her sternest look. "It's just that he has a real problem with jaywalking. For as long as I've known him, I've never seen him cross the street at a crosswalk. It's like he has a fear of them, right, Andy? And a fear of looking both ways. And I don't know how many times I've told him, someday it will be the death of him. But he's stubborn. It runs in his family, I guess. Okay, I'll shut up now."

The officers looked at each other for several moments. Then the first one sighed and put his pad away. "We'll let you know if we find any leads," he said.

"Have a nice night, Mr. Bogard," said the other one. "Miss," he nodded curtly at Mai as both men took their leave.

As soon as they were gone, Mai closed the curtain, and then turned to face Andy. Andy wore a sheepish look, much like the one he'd had when she'd confronted him on the raft back in Japan. "Thanks, Mai," he told her.

The vein in Mai's temple throbbed ever so slightly, as she debated whether she wanted to hug or strangle him. She was still worried about him, but his remarks to the police about her had struck a nerve. "Oh, no, MisterBogard, you don't get off that easily," she snapped.

Andy suddenly found himself wishing he were still dealing with the police. "Mai, please keep it down," he said. "There are patients on the other sides of these curtains..."

Mai managed to bring her voice down to a whisper, but Andy actually found it more menacing than her yelling. "First of all," she hissed. "It's complicated? What the hell does that even mean?" She stalked towards the bed, and jabbed Andy in the chest with her finger, making him wince.

"Mai, please! I'm a little tender right now," Andy said, raising his hand to try and block another jab if one came.

"And that's the other thing," continued Mai. "Where did you go? And why couldn't you tell me? Were you and Terry fighting again? God, sometimes I wish I wasn't an only child, then maybe I could understand this whole sibling rivalry thing."

"This time, it had nothing to do with my pride," Andy told her. "We needed to be at our best in order to fight Krauser. We had to fight each other, no holds barred, to determine who was stronger. I helped Terry find a power within him he didn't know he had, which is why I'm here now. If I had found that power first, Terry would be the one laying here, and I would be on my way to Germany to face Krauser. But it's Terry's fight now. He dropped me off outside the ER before he and Tony went on to the airport."

Mai shook her head. It still didn't make sense to her. Andy and his brother had to beat each other senseless in order to see who was more worthy to beat a German noble senseless? "Men..." She muttered to herself through clenched teeth. Then, to Andy: "Okay, stop trying to explain that. I definitely don't understand your logic, and never will. Well, at least this time, you told me when you came back. Which brings me back to the first question: us."

"Us?"

"Yes," Mai said. "You told the doctor that I was your emergency contact. You could have named Terry, or Robert, or Duck, or Richard, or any of your other South Town pals that you've told me about. But you gave them my name. And then you called our relationship 'complicated.' It's complicated? Why is it so complicated?"

Before she could continue grilling him, the curtains came open, and the doctor entered the room. "Mr. Bogard," he said with a nod, as he gave a quick look over the charts in his hand. His eyes flicked briefly over to Mai sitting by the bed, then back to the charts. "And so I guess you must be..."

"Ms. Shiranui," Mai said bluntly, trying to mask her frustration at being interrupted. "How is he, doctor?"

The doctor looked at Andy, who nodded. "Well, the good news is there's nothing too severe. No fractures, no internal bleeding. Just a lot of contusions, a possible sprain of the abdominal and chest walls, and what looks like mild swelling on several of the discs in your spine. Not bad, considering you were hit by a car. But I would like you to stay overnight for observation. You'll be out in twelve hours as long as we don't see anything abnormal in that time."

Mai was a little surprised with how quickly Andy agreed. Andy had always hated hospitals. But knowing him, he was only doing that so they would be in contact with other people, preventing Mai from continuing their conversation. Which was exactly what happened. Between moving Andy to another room, getting him situated, and filling out more forms, it was another hour before she and Andy were alone again. He had accepted the nurse's offer of something to help him sleep, which Mai could not help but berate him for.

"You're lucky that grandfather can't see you now, Andy, accepting something for the pain!" She said with a huff, after the nurse had injected the drug into Andy's IV and left them in peace. "Pain is a learning tool that teaches you not to make the same mistake twice, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Andy grumbled. "I only heard it from him ten times a day during my first year of training. Sorry, Mai. I guess I'm just a little... tense."

Mai couldn't help but notice the slurring in his speech as the sedative began to take effect, and, as a kunoichi, she started to see how this situation might play to her advantage. It was always so hard to get Andy to open up, as he was so intent on his training, he didn't drink or do anything else that might loosen his inhibitions. She was sure he had accepted the sedative to try and get out of this conversation, but before it took hold, Mai saw a rare opportunity for him to finally be open with her.

"I guess that's okay, Andy," she said, her tone much softer now as she stroked his cheek lightly with the back of her fingertips. "I won't tell if you won't."

Andy sighed, and leaned into her hand, finding he enjoyed the warmth of her touch. The world was starting to go out of focus, so was it the drug making her caress so enjoyable? Or something else?

"Andy," he heard Mai speak, though her voice sounded distant, out of focus. "Why are we... complicated? I mean... you like me, don't you?"

"Of course I do, Mai," he answered. "You've always been a good friend."

"But... do you like me more than that? You gave me some looks in Germany that definitely seemed more than friendly. And a few times before that..."

"Before... Germany?" Andy's drug-weary brain tried to recall the days at the Shiranui dojo. What was Mai talking about?

"You used to watch me all the time when I practiced my quick-change technique for getting in and out of my fighting uniform. You were always stealing glances at me out of the corner of your eye, especially after my... um, development moved into high gear. And then that one summer night, when I was sixteen, and I snuck down to that pond to go skinny-dipping... you were watching me from the cherry tree. Remember that?"

Despite the sedative in his system, Andy came up with a start, and words began to tumble out of him. "You knew about that? Mai... I... I was practicing my katas, and I heard a noise, so I decided to investigate using the tree as cover, and I saw you swimming naked, and I knew it was wrong, but... but I just couldn't stop looking, and I'm... Mai, I'm so sorry."

Mai giggled, and rubbed his cheek again. "It's okay, Andy. I didn't mind. If any other boy had been peeping on me, I'd have kicked their ass. But I never said anything because I knew it was you."

"How did you..."

"Stealth was never your strong suit, Andy. Besides, who else would have been practicing after dark?"

Andy let out a breath, and sank back onto the pillow once more. After a few moments, during which he could not tell if he was asleep, he then heard Mai's voice again. More distant this time. "I brought that up, Andy, because I want you to admit that you've always found me attractive."

"Yes, Mai," he answered, his own voice sounding distant now. "I did find you attractive. I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the village. I... I still do."

"I knew it!" Mai said triumphantly. "So, how come you never asked me on a date?"

"Lots of reasons," Andy muttered. "I was a guest at your home, and your grandfather was my sensei. It didn't seem proper. Plus, when Jeff Bogard adopted me and Terry, I dared to open my heart to someone, and then a few years later, he was killed in front of me. So I vowed not to get close to anyone else. Also, my reason for training with Master Hanzo was to avenge my father's death by killing Geese Howard. I always knew there was a chance I wouldn't come back alive from that. What if I had let you get too close, and then I was killed by Geese? You'd have been shattered, just like I was when my father died. I had no right to do that to you."

Mai had been listening intently this whole time, and found that she actually needed to fight back a tear. She felt like she suddenly understood Andy better than she ever had in all the years she'd known him. "Andy..." she started to say.

"I like you, Mai," he suddenly said, cutting her off. "I think that's why I beat Laurence Blood so badly. When... when he told me he had punished you for overstepping your bounds, I thought that he had raped you. I had never been so angry, except for when my father was murdered. I think that's because you might be more than a friend."

Mai took in a deep breath, and blew it out, her gaze moving to the tiled floor as she tried to figure out what to say next. "I understand, Andy. But it wasn't all about your training, back then. I know that you cared about me long before you rescued me in Germany, because why else would you have remembered my birthday? You cared during your training with Ojisama, though you tried to hide it. You obviously still care now. What I want to know, though, is, where are we going? Geese Howard is dead, so you no longer have that obstacle in your life. Your brother has recovered, and is on his way to Germany. I've only just met Terry, but I could see he has the same eyes as you. Forged, determined, like blue steel honed to a razor edge. The type who won't be deterred when they set their mind to something. I'm sure that when he fights Krauser again, this time he'll win. And once that whole business is behind us, where does that leave you and I?"

For several minutes, there was silence. Mai looked up, and saw Andy's head sunk deep into the pillow with his eyes shut, snoring heavily.

No, no, no,she thought. Not now. Not now. I was so close!"Andy?" She asked again. Louder this time. She nudged his shoulder, then shook him a little. "Andy!" She leaned in, lifted one of his eyelids, and yelled: "Hey! Bogard!" It was no good. As soon as she took her hand away, the eyelid snapped shut again. The sedative had finally taken hold completely. Andy was out cold.

Mai started to reach into her halter top for one of her fans, intending to slap him back to consciousness, and then stopped when she heard a small "ahem!" in the doorway. "It's after ten PM, Ms. Shiranui," the nurse whispered. "If you will not be quiet, I'll have to ask you to leave."

Mai blew out a breath, and settled back down in her chair. "It won't happen again," she muttered. After the nurse had left, Mai sighed again, pulled Andy's sheet up around his shoulders, and then stroked his blond hair.

"We can never get a break, can we, Andy?" She asked his sleeping form. "Oh, well." A wave of fatigue struck her then, and Mai realized that between taking care of both Joe and Andy, she couldn't remember the last time she had slept.

A ninja girl's work is never done, she thought to herself. After she was satisfied that Andy was comfortable, she went to check on Joe, and found the night nurse storming out of his room, fuming over some sexist remark that Joe had made. Mai apologized for him, but the entire time couldn't help but think: she is a looker, but I'm definitely prettier. She then went into Joe's room, updated him on Andy's condition, made sure he was comfortable, and after he'd fallen asleep, made sure his water bottle was within reach of his good hand before exiting the room.

The cafeteria was closed, and it was almost midnight by the time Mai got back to Andy's room with a bag of potato chips and some instant ramen she'd bought from vending machines. She ate two bites of the ramen before dumping it in the trash. "Is there anything Americans can't ruin?" She muttered, and then wolfed down the chips. After she was done, she pulled her chair closer to Andy's bedside, and drifted off to sleep with her head resting on Andy's shoulder.

---

Slowly, Andy Bogard's eyes came open, and he grunted as he sat up on the bed, moving gingerly since most of his body still ached horribly. He didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but he could tell that it was still before sunrise.

He heard the soft, steady sound of breathing nearby, and turned his head to see Mai Shiranui curled up on the chair by his bed, fast asleep. He thought back over all the years he'd known her, and realized that this was probably the first time he'd ever watched her sleep. He was used to her being chatty, clingy, belligerent, and overbearing... nothing like what he was seeing now.

She looks so peaceful, he thought. Almost like an angel. It was a side of her he'd never seen before, a side that a part of him wanted to see more of.

Andy reached down to the foot of his bed, sending fresh waves of pain through his torso, and grabbed the extra blanket. He unfolded it and lovingly draped it over Mai's sleeping form, tucking it in around her shoulders. He realized that the poor woman was probably exhausted, taking care of not just one injured person, but two. But then, Mai had always had a good heart, even though she seemed to hide it behind her showy, extroverted personality.

He leaned in close, not caring about the discomfort he was causing himself, and whispered into the ninja girl's ear: "I heard what you asked earlier, Mai. And what I wanted to say but couldn't is: I don't know. For years, my goal was justice for my father's murder. Now, I'm not sure. I feel that the training I've gotten from your grandfather and Master Jubei have helped me find focus in myself, a focus I never knew I could have, and so I want to continue to train. But beyond that, the idea of being close to another person is still new to me. I don't know if I can ever be as open as you want me to be, since I've been shut up inside myself for so long. I don't know if I'm ready yet to handle things like intimacy or affection. But I do think you're beautiful, and I know that I like you. I like you as more than a friend. So where we go from here, I'll just have to wait and see."

For a moment, Andy felt an urge to kiss her on the cheek, but it didn't seem appropriate while she was asleep. So instead, he gently ran his fingers through the soft auburn hair of Mai's ponytail, then settled back into his own bed and stared at the ceiling.

He did not know how long he had been lying there before he heard a soft moan, like an angel sighing, followed by the sound of Mai stirring in the chair. "Andy...?" He heard her mutter groggily. "Did you say something?"

He turned slightly, and found himself looking into Mai's large brown eyes, eyes that were somehow still pretty even when dulled by sleep. Andy shook his head. "No," he said. "You must have been dreaming."

She regarded him for another moment. "I guess so," she finally said. "While I'm up, can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

"Okay." Mai settled back into the chair and pulled the blanket up over herself. "Good night, Andy."

"Sleep well, Mai," he said, then lay back and shut his eyes.

---

Several minutes later, Mai Shiranui opened her eyes, then sat up and glanced at Andy's dozing form. She gave a little cough, and saw that Andy did not stir. Satisfied he was asleep, Mai leaned in close and whispered: "You forget that ninja sleep lightly, Andy. I heard most of what you said, and I know I wasn't dreaming because I didn't go to sleep with a blanket on. Thank you for sharing a little of yourself with me tonight. I promise that I'll stop calling you 'fiance' while you're around, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up. Whatever you're looking for, I want to be there with you while you search. Somewhere deep down inside you, there's a small part of you that wants to let me in, I know it, and I'll keep trying until I get in. Because I believe we're meant for each other." She kissed him tenderly on the cheek. "Sleep well, my love." With that, she curled back up on the chair and went to sleep herself.

---

Both Mai and Andy woke the next day feeling refreshed in both body and spirit, though Andy was still extremely sore. Mai had awoken first, and went into the bathroom connected to Andy's room to shower and change her clothes, since she'd been wearing the same outfit for almost three days. When she'd gotten out of the bathroom, Andy was awake.

Andy looked her over as she emerged from the bathroom. Mai was dressed in a black leather miniskirt, matching biker boots, and a loose fitting white tank top. As usual, she hadn't put on a bra underneath it. Mai noted that Andy's look was one of appreciation, and this time, he wasn't trying to hide it. "Morning, Mai," Andy said with a nod.

"Morning, Andy," Mai responded, and gave him a nod of her own. Neither one of them mentioned last night, but Mai felt that their heart to heart, though unconventional, was just what the both of them had needed.

Andy's eyes were still on her body as Mai picked up her hairpin and swept her flowing red hair back into its usual ponytail, and Mai couldn't help but giggle at him.

As Mai finished with her hair, the doctor came in to say that Andy was cleared for discharge, since the night had passed without incident. However, Andy was not yet cleared for travel, as the doctor wanted him to follow up in three days to be re-examined. "And no training of any kind for those three days," the doctor said, speaking more to Mai than to Andy. "Make sure he sticks to that."

"Oh, he will," Mai answered as she fixed Andy with an admonishing stare.

After the doctor left, Terry called the room and informed them of Krauser's death, and that he and Tony were catching the first flight back. He also said that Andy and Mai were welcome to crash in his apartment until Andy could see the doctor again. Mai got on the phone for a moment to congratulate and thank Terry, and then left to check on Joe.

---

Andy Bogard cast one last look around the hospital room, making sure he hadn't left anything. He had changed out of his gown and back into his travel clothes, and had his duffel slung over his shoulder. It had taken some effort to change due to the pain he was in, but he had been determined to do it while Mai was in Joe's room, as he wasn't quite ready yet to have her help with something as personal as changing clothes.

Satisfied that he had everything, he nodded, limped towards the door, and opened it, only to find himself face to face with Mai Shiranui and a nurse. Mai was pushing a wheelchair, and gave Andy one of her exasperated looks.

"Andy, what do you think you're doing?" She asked. "You're not allowed to walk out of the hospital. Come on! In the chair!"

"Do I gotta, Mai?" Andy groaned, as his gaze moved to the nurse, silently pleading with her for some leeway.

The nurse looked sympathetic, but in the end, she shook her head. "Sorry, sir," she said. "It's hospital policy. When we get outside, you can walk."

Mai flashed him a wink. "See, Andy? Rules are rules!"

With a sigh, Andy sat down in the wheelchair, and placed his duffel in his lap. As Mai wheeled him towards the exit, her mouth began to run, as it always did when she was in one of her moods. "Okay, Andy, remember that the doctor said you can't train or travel for at least three days. It will probably be longer before Joe is cleared for travel, but Terry will be here to keep an eye on him after you and I are able to go back to Japan. But in the meantime, I get to spend the next three days taking care of my man!"

"Oh," Andy said flatly. "That's... great, Mai."

"So, once we get to Terry's apartment, I'll make sure you're comfortable, and then I'll go grocery shopping. Is there an Asian market in walking distance of his place? American ramen tastes like wet cardboard. And I can pick you up some of that natto that you like. Oh, and maybe I should find an adult toy store, and see if they have a sexy nurse costume." She leaned in close then, whispered hotly into his ear. "I can wear it when I give you your sponge baths!"

Andy started at that, his face turning red. "Oh, no, Mai," he stammered. "You don't have to do that, really."

"Okay, Andy. I have some other things I can model for you, if you want. Like this souvenir I picked up right before we left Germany. I think you'd like that. What are Terry's living habits like, by the way? I hope we're not walking into a man cave. Maybe I should buy some air freshener, too."

Mai continued talking as she wheeled him down the hall, but Andy was only half-listening. You'd better have more than one bedroom at your place, Terry, he thought to himself. Because I'm definitely not ready to share a bed with her.But at the same time, he couldn't help but smile. Whatever happened next, he felt that his life was about to get more interesting with Mai back in it.

The End?