A half-year after Naru and Lin go back to England, Mai disappears while helping on a case. Naru and Lin come back to find her. Two years later, she is suddenly back, with a new last name ah wont tell them and apparently has a family that adopted her. But this Mai is different. Like Naru, she hides the full truth. This time, will it be her who is figured out? Or will she tell them herself?

Poll for pairing to be taken later. Rating subject to change, has Shuuhei X Mai, Lin X Mai, Naru X Mai, and Mai X Byakuya, if you want to see it that way. The pairing is not yet decided. The Bleach characters won't come in till a bit into the story, but they WILL show up, and I am planing for Byakuya, Toshiro, Rukia, Shuuhei, Gin, Ichigo, Shuuhei, and Ukitake to play larger Bleach parts than the others. A while after that, she will return to the GH world and we get to see the members of SPR again, but it might be a while. Not too long, though.

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START!

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Eleven months ago… *

Three days. Three days since they had arrived back in England from Japan.

Luella Davis stared worriedly at her son. Even since he came back, he'd been snappy. He and Lin both, now she thought about it. And it was getting worse.

Especially with the realizations about themselves and what they wanted Naru and Lin had both made in those three days. Leaving Japan had forced them to think about it, because they were facing up to a future without everything they'd left behind.

They'd all sat down for a family dinner. Luella, Martian, Naru, Lin, and Lin's little siblings Qiu, Zhen, and Jiang.*

Everyone was quiet, staring worriedly at Naru and Lin, who both had their heads uncharacteristically laying on the table.

"Naru, Lin… whats going on? Why are you both so… depressed?" Luella finally asked.

"Teeeeeaaaaaaa." Both men groaned.

Their families stared.

"I'LL MAKE SOME!" Zhen immediately shrieked, leaping up and sprinting around the counter to the kitchen.

"Don't bother." Lin called to her. She paused, looking hurt.

"But… you guys are so sad… so… why…?" She nearly whimpered.

"While I was in Japan, I hired a second assistant. She made our tea, and it… it was…" Naru explained, then trailed off, lost for words. That's right. Naru was lost for words.

"More addicting than heroin…" Lin finished for him.

"You are… depressed and moping… because of tea withdrawal." Martian stated in disbelief.

Naru and Lin lifted their heads from the table long enough to nod, then let them fall back down, making the silverware and cups clatter a bit.

"That must be… some tea then."

"Yeah." Naru confirmed, his tone slightly dreamy.

Lin suddenly sat straight up. Naru turned his head to the other side to look at him.

"We didn't think this through." He suddenly stated to Naru, his tone ever so slightly alarmed. Which from Lin meant he was freaking out. "What if they keep researching?"

Naru started banging his head on the table, then looked at him. "Do you really think they'd be that stupid, to bring her?"

Lin gave him a look as if Naru's intelligence had plummeted before his eyes.

"...Don't answer that. Start sending money directly to the landowner to pay her rent. Then she won't need a job and won't know we're doing it. Tell Yasu's school to overwork him."

"You realize she'd do exactly as she said she would if she finds out. How did she say it… slowly crush our trachea to kill us, fishhook or brains out, and send them to laboratories."

Naru started banging his head against the table again. "She'd do that anyway, if we suggested it to her directly."

"Point taken." Lin acquiesced, then reluctantly got to his feet and went off down the hall to make the calls.

Their families stared in horrified silence, wondering what kind of hellish creature could have possibly struck such fear into the two seemingly invincible grown men. And who she was.

And their curiosities would remain unanswered for the months to come, no matter how many times they asked who she was.

Once, Naru had almost said a name. He'd been spacing out on a case, staring at the window. Lin had handed him a cup of steaming coffee. He'd jumped, and turned a bit to face him with a tiny smile, saying, "Thank you, Ma-… ah…"

Luella and Martian hadn't liked the pain that flashed across his and Lin's faces. They'd both looked away, and gotten absolutely nothing done the rest of the day, wandering around like ghosts themselves, glancing at their surroundings only to be disappointed by something.

None of the family had liked it at all.

"Maybe… you should go back." Qiu had spoken up that night. "You look so sad all the time ever since you got back from Japan. And when you mention this girl you guys know or your investigating team from there, you smile a little."

Naru and Lin simply resolutely shook their heads.

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* (1) For the purpose of this story, Lin is 23 when they leave Japan, because I want him to be the age he is in the anime, in this case 25, when she returns. Mai is 15 when they leave, 17 when she returns.

* (2) Lin's younger siblings. Qiu, Zhen, and Jiang. Qiu is a girl and the second child, then comes the girl Zhen, and lastly Jiang, a boy and youngest. Lin's parents are either off somewhere or dead or whatever, I'll decide that later.