Chapter 7

A/N: -cautiously peaks around the corner, expecting a mob to tackle me- so uh, I know it's been a really really long time but I finally have a long overdue chapter for you guys. Please don't kill me!

Oh and just a little note, I'm aware that Lin's surname is Lin and his first name is technically Koujo but for the sake of this story and my only personal opinion I'm making his first name Lin and his last name Koujo. Who knows I might change that later on down the road but for now just go with that.

"So Mai," started Monk as he and Ayako took to standing against the counter. "Do you have any idea what's going on here?"

As Mai methodically made the tea, starting over from scratch, she decided to share her own theory. It wasn't much nor did it sound very plausible but it was a hunch that Mai couldn't get rid of. And if she learned anything over the years it was to never ignore a 'hunch'.

"I think the spirit has some kind of hatred or grudge against women," Mai said as she waited for the water to boil.

"You think it might be an onryō?" Monk asked curiously, though a bit skeptically as both his and Ayako's attention were focused on the younger brunette.

"I'm actually hoping it's not," Mai told them truthfully. "But after the two of you got rid of the talisman Masako was able to sense two spirits," she explained, conveniently leaving out the part about her little spiritual séance. No need to get yelled at a second time. "Masako said there was an older man with some kind of grudge. My gut tells me it's women. Mor specifically cheaters."

At first the two seemed to by her theory, more or less anyways, since Ms. Norikawa was a woman and so was Ayako, both of whom have been attacked in one way or another. What didn't seem to make sense to them was the idea that the spirit had targeted them for cheating.

"I don't get it, how are Ayako and Ms. Norikawa cheaters?" questioned Monk before Ayako could throw a fit over being accused of cheating. "Ms. Norikawa's husband passed away and there's no way Ayako would ever do anything with John. Not to mention the fact he's a Catholic Priest sworn to celibacy."

That seemed to ease the fit Ayako was moments away from throwing as she gave a curt nod before taking a step forward with her own point to add. "And don't forget, you were attacked too Mai."

Despite how clueless and forgetful she may act from time to time there was no way Mai could ever forget being attacked by a spirit. It was just one of those things that you can't forget no matter how hard you try and not once has Mai ever forgotten a single time she had been attacked or nearly attacked by a spirit.

However, given that flaw she did have to rethink her theory because the fact remained that she herself had been attacked. The difference though was that unlike Ayako Mai had been alone. Not only that but the attack on her had been more violent. Plus, Mai wasn't seeing anybody which meant she was single. If the spirit had a grudge against cheating women then why attack her? And why more violently?

Then she suddenly remembered the voice that whispered in her ear as her life had slowly been choked from. Liar. What Mai had lied about could be any number of things. She may be nice and hardworking but she was still human which meant there were times she lied too. Like when she called in to school after Naru and Lin left for England. SPR had been disbanded and the office had been closed down but Mai lied to her principal and said she to work so she couldn't make it to class for a couple days. Really she just felt lonely and heartbroken that she didn't want to go to school.

Looking back on it now it seemed like a lifetime ago that she was that naïve little teenage girl who had the hugest crush on her boss. Of course, for as smart Naru was he sure was stupid when it came to her emotions. Only an idiot could accuse her of loving his dead twin. Mai was many things, especially back then, but she was not the idiot Naru claimed she was and certainly knew her own feelings. When she confessed to him she did it because he was the idiot she had been in love with. Now, four years later, things were different. A lot different.

The high pitched sound of the kettle screaming brought Mai back from her thoughts and she quickly set about filling cups with the hot water before adding the tea leaves. Without needing to ask she already knew what everyone wanted. Naru always preferred simple black tea, or Earl Grey depending on the occasion, but Mai had a feeling the stronger taste of black tea would put the narcissist in a better mood.

Surprisingly enough Masako actually liked the sweet fruity flavors while Monk and John enjoyed a more earthy taste. Mai suspected it was due to where they were raised, Monk being from Mount Koya and John having lived in Australia. As for Ayako, the shrine maiden seemed to like something that was both light and soothing, like mint or herbal essences.

The only one Mai wasn't sure about was Lin who had never seemed to enjoy his cup like the rest. Of course he had never turned it down and he had always been polite in accepting it but there had never been any indication that he enjoyed it. Needless to say, four years later she was still at square one with him even if their relationship had started to improve after their case in the Bloodstained Labyrinth.

I guess we'll give this a try, she mused to herself as she made the last two cups with a new box of tea leave she just recently bought.

With all the cups prepared Mai strategically placed them all on a tray and carefully carried them back to base as Monk and Ayako trailed behind her. The first to get their cup was, of course, Naru who probably would have bitched if it was any later. And since Lin was never far from him she placed the Chinese man's cup next to him. As expected Lin simply nodded with a monotone 'thank you' but didn't take a sip whereas his young charge was more than glad to have a nice long drink without a single word of thanks. Typical, but Mai hadn't exactly been holding her breath for either of those two.

Once all the tea cups were handed out Mai turned to Naru with an abnormally serious look on her face which took the dark haired researcher by surprise though he didn't outwardly show it. Neither he nor Lin was used to seeing such a serious expression on the normally smiling girl's face. Then again, they hadn't been around for the last couple of years so they knew nothing of the changes that had taken place over that time.

"Until Yasu gets back I think it's best we all stay here in base," she said before taking a sip of her own cup with a quiet thoughtful hum. The new tea she bought wasn't half bad. Now if only Lin would try his, then maybe she might have a place to start with.

"And why do you think that?" Naru asked with the narrowing of his eyebrows. Clearly he was still pissed about that séance and the fact Mai had blown him off when he wanted to talk to her. Mix all that together with the added fact Mai had been hired as a paranormal investigator and pissed probably didn't even begin to cover the level of anger Naru was at.

Rather than responding to his anger like she would have done years ago Mai calmly met the stare of her previous boss with a hard stare of her own. She wasn't the same naïve little girl Naru apparently thought she was. Oh she couldn't wait until he found out about the rest of the things she could do but that was neither here nor there.

"Because since we got rid of that talisman both Ayako and myself have been attacked," she stated bluntly with a matter of fact tone, her chocolate eyes never leaving Naru's cobalt ones. "And because we're dealing with a spirit that a hatred for lying and or cheating women. If at all possible I'd rather keep the spirit from turning into an onryō."

That seemed to get everyone's attention. An onryō is never good, not to mention dangerous. A spirit can be unpredictable when it comes to revenge, it could either remain as a spirit with a grudge or it could turn into a curse that blackened the house and would effect anyne who so much as steps foot inside. Getting rid of a vengeful spirit is one thing, but getting rid of a grudge curse is something else entirely.

As she had hoped Naru seemed to take that fact into consideration as he leaned back in his chair with his thumb and forefinger pinching his chin in thought. Even now it seemed that Naru hadn't changed much at all personality wise. Physically he was taller with more defined features that made him seem more mature but he still acted the same. He was sill the tea-loving, workaholic, condescending narcissist she remembered.

Some things never change, Mai thought with a small smile before taking a drink of her tea.

For a long moment no one said anything as Naru appeared to be giving her words a fair bit of thought. She didn't think he would at first but then again he did hate unnecessary work. And he also hated losing to a spirit but that was something better left unsaid, lest she incur the narcissist's already bubbling wrath.

Out of the corner of her eye Mai noticed Lin reaching for his cup and bringing it to his lips as he cautiously blew on it. She watched curiously over the rim of her cup as the Chinese man took a slow sip of the hot liquid only to pull it back and stare down into the murky depths of the cup with his single visible eye blinking at it in what seemed like a pleasant surprise. It brought a relieved smile to Mai's lips and she was glad to see him bring the cup back up to his lips for a longer drink.

In all honesty she should have had a better clue on what kind of tea to make for Lin after the Urado case. It was only logical to assume that if he didn't like anything else she made then it was because he preferred it from his own culture, especially given the fact that he specifically said his heritage was special to him. Mai had to admit though, even to herself, that she had been foolish and ignorant back then. She had been more focused on trying to get Naru to notice her and not Masako. Funny how things turned out.

"Very well then," Naru finally replied with a begrudging hint to his voice which drew Mai's attention back to him. She would have given a victorious grin if it wasn't for his next words. "In the meantime, why don't you fill us in on the last four years?"

Oh she knew she was still in trouble but she had at least hoped it could have waited until after the case was finished. Evidently luck decided to throw her under the bus today.

By the time Yasu had returned Mai was nearly out of things to tell that didn't include her or her abilities. It wasn't that she didn't mind telling them she just didn't want to set off Naru's already short fuse so she stuck to safer topics. Like Monk and Ayako's wedding the year after SPR disbanded.

The two had started dating shortly after Naru and Lin left and while it had been pretty rocky at first the two managed to make it work. A year later Monk had saved up enough money to buy her an engagement ring. The wedding itself had been small with only immediate friends and family. Since Ayako was an only child the only family on her side to show was her parents. Surprisingly enough even though Takigawa's dad couldn't go, what with running a temple and all, he still gave his blessings. Of course technically speaking that meant he wasn't a monk anymore but the temple still allowed him to perform exorcisms.

Similarly, John had been given special privilege by the Pope himself to take Masako as his wife so long as he kept his sworn vow of celibacy and never strayed from the path of God. As it turned out that was perfect for Masako who believed in the old teachings that the loss of her virginity would also be the loss of her spiritual powers as a medium. Their wedding, however, had been different since John was a man of the cloth and therefore could not kiss Masako. In truth, it wasn't really a marriage but more of a spiritual binding ceremony.

That was probably the biggest shock thus far since Catholic Priests were normally not allowed to marry after their ordination. According to Masako John was allowed exception due to his devotion to God and because the Pope himself was a spiritualist.

Of course, as educational as all that was Mai knew it wasn't what he really wanted to hear though oddly enough he never interrupted their stories. Hell, he even seemed to be paying attention instead of just half listening. Mai wondered if maybe laying his brother to rest had eased some of the tension from his body and his heart but she wasn't about to bring that up. Besides, he had seemed oddly relaxed with Mai's little black cat curled up in his lap as he stroked the feline's soft fur.

Luckily Yasu had shown up just before Mai had to explain her new and improved abilities which saved her from a great deal stress. Naru wasn't too thrilled about it but at least the case had been wrapped up pretty quickly after that.

As it turned out the husband of the Otayu family had committed suicide after his wife left with their son and married her secret lover. When the wife left Mr. Otayu was so overcome with rage and grief that he hung himself just after he sold the house.

Records had apparently been falsified by Mr. Otayu's brother who had previously been a cop so very few knew of Otayu's suicide. When the Tomoaki family moved in their son quickly developed an interest in spirits thanks to the two spirits haunting the house. A couple years later the father died from a terminal illness and eventually the wife remarried, taking the last name of Norikawa.

Around that time Otayu's spirit grew enraged as it saw Ms. Norikawa's remarriage to be a form of cheating over her dead husband. In order to protect his mother her son did research and eventually found a way to minimize the strength of Otayu's spirit and with Hineko floating around she kept Ms. Norikawa safe as well. Over the years, however, the power of the talisman the son created began to weaken.

After a proper exorcism and a cleansing, the house had been freed from the vengeful spirit without it turning into a grudge curse. Come to find out Hineko hadn't been exorcised before but had actually been dwelling inside Mai after Mr. Otayu had tried to strangle her. Even though Hineko had been an innocent spirit who only wanted to help she too had been cleansed and passed on to the afterlife. Before she parted into the next life she gave a single warning to Mai. Don't dream alone.

It was a cryptic message; one only Mai heard, but for some reason it sent a cold chill down her spine. She couldn't shake the feeling that whatever Hineko had been trying to warn her about had something to do with that thing that chased her all the way to the SPR office.

That aside the case turned out to be one of the only ones they were able to solve without relying on Mai's dreams. In a way it was short of a mild case that brought them all together again, much like the first case at Mai's high school all those years ago. The only difference now was the fact that Mai knew exactly what she was doing despite what Naru thought. That and Mai had a more firm grasp on her abilities.

Now, as she and Yasu disassembled the base Mai was glad she had her own vehicle. She didn't think she'd survive a car ride with Naru interrogating her. As it stood she knew it was only a matter of time before they'd have to sit down and discuss her psychic growth. That was not a conversation she was looking forward to.

"Mai," Masako called just as the brunette finished loading the last of the equipment in the back of the car.

"Hm?" Mai hummed in acknowledgement as she turned to face the medium with a friendly smile. She still couldn't believe how close the two of them became after Naru left. If it wasn't for Masako then Mai would probably still be floundering with her abilities.

"You need to tell him," she said, causing Mai's smile to falter. She didn't need to specify who she was referring to. There was only one person the brown haired spiritualist was actively trying to avoid at the moment.

Truthfully she knew she needed to tell him sooner rather than later, especially if she planned to work with him again. And by that she did truly mean working with him, not for him. If he couldn't accept her as an active investigator and a trained spiritualist then she wasn't going to waste her time, simple as that.

However, the issue she had with telling Naru wasn't about her abilities; themselves that was the easy part. Well save for one or two of them. The hard part was going to be trying to explain Gene's involvement in all of it. That was the part she was sure was going to send Naru flying off the handle.

As if listening to their short conversation the little black cat suddenly hopped up onto Mai's shoulder with an innocent sounding meow. To anybody else it just seemed like a normal innocent little cat noise but to Mai it sounded like an agreement.

Traitor, she thought with a glare at the feline. In return she got the distinct impression of a smile that feigned innocence though to her it seemed more like the smile of a cat that ate the canary.

"Fine," she relented with a sigh of defeated. Masako alone was bad enough but now he was joining her side? There was just simply no way she could argue against both of them.

Satisfied by her answer Masako hid a smile behind the sleeve of her kimono. Before Mai used to assume she did that to be coy or because she was looking down on her like some kind of snob. Now she knew the medium did it because she was actually shy and self-conscious of her smiles. It was also part of the reason she mostly wore kimonos. That and because they felt more comfortable to her even if they made her look like a doll most of the time.

Placing a comforting hand on the brunette's free shoulder Masako gave her a reassuring smile without the cover of her kimono sleeve. "We'll be there with you," she assured her, which actually calmed the bubbling anxiety in Mai's chest.

"Thanks Masako," she replied back with a relieved smile.

"And what are you two smiling about?" interrupted an overly curious Yasuhara.

"Nothing," Mai told him with a mysterious smile. "Just girl talk. Anyways, do you need a ride Yasu?"

"Sure," smiled the bespectacled man with a gleam that Mai recognized as the look he got when something piqued his interest. Oh well, at least Yasu wasn't the type to throw insults.

The drive to the SPR office was a lot shorter than the drive to Ms. Norikawa's and if it wasn't for the fact Yasu was in the car with her then she might have been tempted to take a detour just to prolong the inevitable a little longer. But she agreed to tell Naru so there was no backing out now. At least Masako was right there beside her like she said she'd be. And in Mai's lap sat her traitorous black cat, its tail swaying back and forth rhythmically which served to ease some of Mai's nerves.

With a deep breath in Mai centered herself before facing Naru's impassive expression across from her. Around the two everyone gathered in a mix of support and curiosity. They waited quietly for one of them to speak so Mai took the initiative by looking at Lin.

"Before I explain anything I have couple questions first," she said. When she was sure she had Lin's attention she asked, "You taught Naru qigong to balance his chi and regulate the flow of his psychic energy, correct?"

"That's right," Lin replied in his usual monotone with a single nod of his head.

The answer came as no surprise; they all knew Naru had massive PK powers. In order to keep that power in check Lin taught Naru qigong. After the cursed housed case they all pretty much figured it out for themselves.

"You told us before, back at the lake, that Gene could amply Naru's power and send it back. Do you know if it was something Gene could do himself or was it only because of the connection he shared with Naru?" she asked. That seemed to throw off the raven haired man for a second as his single visible eye widened just a fraction and blinked at her. Next to him she could practically see the wheels spinning in Naru's head while everyone else waited for the answer.

"If I had to guess I would say it was most likely due to their link as twins," he replied though Mai mostly figured that would be the case. But that wasn't what she needed to know.

"Do you think Naru would be able to bounce energy like that with someone who wasn't Gene?" she questioned with an odd look in her eyes. Though Naru was the one how did it she figured Lin would possibly have a better understanding how it may or may not have worked.

Before Lin could answer and irate sounding Naru interrupted. "What's the point of these questions, Mai?" he practically demanded.

She could hear the ice in his voice as she spoke of Gene and their connection and just as she had predicted he didn't take too kindly to the topic. Still, he was the one who wanted to talk about it and it was imperative that he knew.

With narrowed eyes Mai fixed Naru with a glare that seemed to amuse him more than intimidate him. She had hoped that maybe her glare had improved enough to at least startle him. No such luck.

"The point, Oliver," she shot back. "Is that you can't afford to use your powers on your own."

The use of his English name took everyone by surprise, including Naru and Lin who had expected her to snap back. What they hadn't accounted for was her to call him Oliver when she herself was the one who started calling him Naru without ever even knowing his nickname Noll.

Since they all met up again no one had called him by his English name or even his Japanese name. They all just jumped back into calling him 'Naru' like nothing ever happened. Everyone simply acted like the man had only been gone for a couple of months. No one said anything about his brother or the fact that he and Lin had suddenly reappeared without any prior warnings.

Normally it wouldn't have bothered Mai so much and if the situation was different then she probably would have just gone with the flow. But that wasn't the situation and she'd be dammed if they all just carried on like none of that ever mattered when in reality it did. It mattered to her. As it stood she had four years to think about the fact he neglected to tell any of them about his search for Gene's body. While she may have gotten over it by none that still didn't change what had happened. They would have gladly helped if only he'd have just asked.

As expected Naru stared at her like she made absolutely no sense. Lin, on the other hand, just looked at her expectantly with a curious look on his face as he waited for her to continue. There was no need for him to ask her to elaborate when the ever commanding narcissist would just demand her to.

"Explain," Naru all but ordered as he crossed his arm over his chest. Just as Lin predicted he would.

Honestly, Mai wondered how Gene ever put up with him. He was a narcissistic jerk who seriously lacked manners. It was a wonder what she and Masako ever saw in the man. It wasn't like he was ever particularly nice to them and he certainly never smiled. There was perhaps only once maybe twice that he ever gave Mai a genuine smile. Hell, even Lin smiled at her more than that thought not by much.

Taking a deep breath Mai prepared herself for a long strenuous conversation. "Simply put I'm an amplifier, much like Gene was," she told them. "Only I'm a bit different that he was. I can take in the psychic energy of others around me and then convert it into my own power or I can bounce it back. That's the reason why my abilities grew so much in such a short time. I was unconsciously absorbing Naru's psychic energy and then using it to strength my own."

For once Naru and Lin both seemed to be dumbstruck as they stared at Mai like she suddenly solved a highly complex math equation. It would have been hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that this was a serious conversation. She had thought about what would happen to Naru over and over again ever since she found out about this particular ability. There were times she thought it would be best to never make contact with him again. Other times she thought about forcing a permanent lid over her ability. Now she could more or less control it but she would still feel better if Naru had a defense against her psychic waves when she has no other choice but to use them. The others already knew of this fact so they didn't appear surprised. In truth, they all experienced her amplifying waves except for Yasu who wasn't a psychic at all.

"So?" she prompted as she looked between the two speechless men. "Do you think you would be able to bounce a seed to me or not?" she asked as her eyes settled on Naru.

Naru quickly snapped back to reality as he looked back at the brown haired woman who awaited his answer. "I'm not sure," he admitted with a sigh. Even he could understand the severity of the topic and it did no one any good to withhold information, least of all him. He had mixed emotions about Mai taking the position that was his originally his brother's but he couldn't turn down the possibility that he'd be able to use his PK without cause a risk to himself.

The answer wasn't quite what Mai was hoping for but at least it was better than nothing. There was no harm in at least trying it and Naru only needed to create a seed. Something small should alright enough that he won't pass out like previous times. If it doesn't work then that just means that Gene and Naru had a very unique and special link that can't simply be filled by someone else, no matter how similar she was to Gene.

"What do you think, Lin?" she questioned the quiet Chinese man as she turned her chocolatey eyes to him.

Much like Naru Lin snapped back pretty quickly as well and gave Mai a brief nod. "It would be worth a try, though only if Naru keeps his promise to the professor."

"And that promise is?" Mai prompted. It was better if they were all well informed and on the same page.

There was a silence as both Lin and Naru seemed to be deep in thought while the rest were simply waiting with curiosity. It was just like Naru to leave out important information because he thought it was unnecessary to mention. So much for thinking he matured over the years. As for Lin he seemed to be debating how much to say but surprisingly enough Naru didn't scold him for saying too much.

"Technically speaking," Lin started as he looked back at Mai whom he seemed more focused on rather than the rest of the group. "The agreement was that Naru could remain here and run the Japan branch so long as he doesn't use his PK. If he does then I will have to forcibly bring him back to England."

Beside the tall onmyouji Naru let out an irked sigh, as if this little tidbit was useless and therefore didn't need to be mentioned out loud. They all pretty much assumed that that would be the case though considering the dangerous consequences if he does use his PK. No one wanted to see him in the hospital again, twice was enough to last them a lifetime.

"However," he continued after a moment's thought, ignoring the breath Naru huffed out. "If there's a chance to minimize the strain of using his powers then I might be willing to try a small experiment to see. Provided, of course, Naru promises not to go overboard and wind up in the hospital." Lin aimed the last part directly at his charge as he turned to fix him with a stern look that Naru had no choice but to give in to.

"I promise," the young researcher swore which seemed to appease Lin.

Now that that was taken care the atmosphere in the office seemed to ease down around them as the previous tension drained away. Granted the discussion wasn't completely over but at least a big chunk had been taken care of. All that was left was to tell Naru that Gene hadn't moved on yet. She seriously wasn't looking forward to that but for now it wasn't that pressing of a matter.

Sensing the shift in mood and noticing the time on the clock Mai stood with her cat in her arms only to deposit the feline in Naru's lap on her way to the kitchen. She almost expected to protest or demand to know why she was giving him her cat. Instead he simply looked at the creature in his lap, which gave out a soft meow, and proceeded to pet its head.

Somehow it wasn't that surprising that Naru was a cat person and the heartwarming sight brought a smile to Mai's lips as she disappeared into the kitchen to make some teas. Thanks to the narcissist she was practically a tea-addict now herself. At least she confidently say her tea making skills had improved significantly.

From inside the kitchen she could hear the light chattering of Yasu and Monk as the college student was no doubt picking on the man. Despite the fact Monk and Ayako were married Yasu still liked messing with him and for the most part Ayako found it rather amusing even if her husband didn't.

Just above their voices Mai heard Masako asking Naru about England and his parents. She didn't quite hear everything over the sound of the kettle screaming but she at least heard that Martin and Luella were doing alright now, which was good. Luella was a sweet woman and her husband was just as nice. One would think with parents like them that Naru was just as much a gentleman as his father. Boy was that ever the wrong assumption. Still, it was reassuring to know they were doing better.

From what Madoka had said at Monk and Ayako's wedding Luella was having a tough time with Gene's death and his funeral. The main reason Naru had been gone for so long was because he was worried his mother. It was actually touching to hear how worried he was about his mom. At least he loved his mom if no one else.

Originally he had planned to return six months after burying his brother but by the time six months came around he didn't feel comfortable leaving his mom like she was. His dad was there, sure, but Naru didn't think he'd be enough on his own so they stayed as long as Naru felt his mom still needed him close by. So what was originally supposed to be six months turned into four years largely in part by Naru's mom but Mai had a feeling the other reason was because he decided to graduate from University before coming back. Either way, Mai was just glad they were finally back.

Carrying a tray full of tea cups back with her Mai hand out each one until all that was left was her own. This time she was happy to note that Lin had actually taken an immediate drink rather than letting it sit like he used to. Making a mental note to look into more Chinese teas flavors later Mai was just about to take her seat with her cup only for the bell above the door to chime as a couple walked in. Following them closely was a little girl who looked like she was eight with short hair styled similarly to Mai's when she was in high school only the little girl's was black and not brown. Her eyes were a pretty silver color that almost reminded Mai of a waxing moon.

On either side of her stood her mom and dad, each holding the girl's hands. The male was average height with short black hair and green eyes, roughly in his late twenties to early 30s. The roots of his hair were already starting to gray much like his wife's. She too had black hair that fell around her shoulders in light waves but unlike the man's eyes hers were a mix of silver and blue which made them look almost exotic.

"Excuse us, but are you open?" asked the man with a hopeful hint to his voice. Out of the three the man seemed more frazzled than his wife.

"Please, come in," Mai said as he gestured toward the chair she just vacated. Naru didn't even have to open his mouth or halt the rhythmic strokes of his hand across the purring cat's back. It was almost like old times as Mai scurried off to make two more cups of tea and a cup of hot chocolate for the girl.

"Are you Mr. Shibuya?" the man asked while they awaited their drinks.

"I am," Naru replied in a matter of fact tone. "And you are?"

"I'm Kaito Miyazawa and this is my wife Mitsuko and our daughter Yuka," the man, Kaito, said.

"And what seems to be the problem, Mr. Miyazawa?" the head of SPR asked once Mai returned with three more cups for their guests.

They thanked the young brunette and each took a sip to try to calm their nerves. The tea seemed to help as Kaito's twitchy muscles relaxed. Between them Yuka seemed to be enjoying her hot cocoa and Mai smiled at her as she stood to side between Naru and Lin. Yasu tried to move to give her his seat but she simply waved him back down as she waited for Kaito to speak.

"About three months ago I got a promotion that required us to move here to Shibuya," started once his nerves settled down.

"We bought a single story house in a nice neighborhood just down the street from Yuka's new school. At first everything was fine but about two weeks later Yuka suddenly started talking to an imaginary friend," he explained as he glanced down at his little girl. "She used to have one when she was four but as she got older she stopped talking about it. We thought about maybe taking her to a therapist or a psychologist but we didn't have the money since we just moved."

Pausing in his story Kaito looked at his daughter with a loving smile and placed a kiss to her head. Looking up he gazed at his wife with a mix of adoring yet worried eyes and she gave a nod as if telling him to continue.

With a tired sigh Kaito continued on. "A month after that Suko started having strange experiences in the house when Yuka and I were gone."

"What kinds of experiences?" Naru questioned as he all but interrupted Kaito.

Looking down at him Mai gave him a reproachful that went unnoticed by the narcissist. She was really going to have to beat some manners into him. He was lucky none of their clients in the past ever filled formal complaints to the main branch. She doubted Martin would have been thrilled with them.

"Well at first she said it was just strange noises, like floorboards creaking, so I thought it was just because we were in a new and unfamiliar house," he explained with a slight furrowing of his eyebrows.

Mai almost didn't realize that Lin was typing away on his laptop beside her. The sounds of the clicking keys were so much quieter than she remembered. Either the keys were that smooth or Lin finally perfected the art of silent typing but the speed of his fingers gliding over the keys was still just as fast. It was astounding that he never seemed too make any mistakes with how fast he typed but sure enough, glancing at the screen over his shoulder showed that he hardly ever tapped the backspace.

"After a while Suko said she could hear a tapping noise but could never find where it was coming from. I thought maybe it was a mouse or something so I set up traps but never caught anything. For a while that's all it was, just a lot of different noises that Suko heard during the day. And then a few weeks ago it suddenly got worse."

Mai could see Kaito visibly tense his entire body, like he was about to bolt right out of the room. What ever happened in the last few weeks must have been enough to spook Mr. Miyazawa pretty bad. As it was it sounded like he didn't believe it was anything paranormal until just recently.

Resting her hand on top of her husband's Mitsuko managed to calm the nerve wrecked man down. It was a little weird that she hadn't said anything so far, not even to recount her own personal experiences in the house. Her husband did all the talking instead but she didn't seem put off by it at all.

Taking a calming breath Kaito continued. "I stayed home one day hoping it'd help Suko sleep. We were both in the living room together when all six mouse traps in the kitchen suddenly went off at the exact same time but none of them were close enough to each other for them to go off like that. And the baits were all still there too but not a single rodent."

Admittedly that was a bit unnerving. Mai could easily imagine siting a room, trying to relax, only for a loud noise like the snapping of a mouse trap to suddenly go off and make her heart jump. It wasn't a pleasant thing to experience, she had no doubt about that, but it wasn't enough to send a chill running up her spine just yet.

"A couple nights later I woke up to the sound of crying," Kaito continued on yet again. "I assumed Yuka had a nightmare so I went to go see but when I checked on her she was fast asleep. I searched the whole house but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Eventually it just stopped so I went back to bed but I couldn't fall asleep."

Surprisingly no one interrupted Kaito was he took his time explaining the events happening in his house. Aside from the one time Naru interrupted him in his eager desire for more details everybody else remained quiet. Even their little daughter Yuka was oddly silent and didn't say anything.

"And then last night we all woke up to the sound of someone screaming and Yuka came running into our room crying. She said her friend was upset and hurting but she wouldn't tell us anything else," he finished as he ran his fingers affectionately through his daughter's short hair.

A shudder passed through Mai's body as a chill ran up and down her spine. Waking up to screaming was by far one of the worst things to wake up to. It sent every hair at the back of her neck standing up on end and unfortunately, with their line of work, it happened too often.

"Please Mr. Shibuya," Kaito all but begged as he stared at the young boss with pleasing eyes. "I have no clue what's going on in my house and I just want to keep my family safe. Please help us."

For a fraction of a second Mai wondered if Naru was going to be picky and decline the case. She knew the reason he was so picky and choosey with cases before was because he was looking for his brother. She just hoped he wasn't going to be that way with cases this time around.

"Do you have a room we can use a base?" Naru asked which relieved Mai. "One with a lot of plugs."

Mr. Miyazawa looked relieved as well as he quickly nodded his head. "You can use my office. If you need to stay the night the girls can sleep in Yuka's room and we have plenty of pillows and blankets."

"Very well, expect us tomorrow morning," Naru told him. "Leave your address and contact information with one of my assistants."

Almost eagerly Kaito wrote down his address along with every available phone number he had. They bowed several times in thanks and left for the day. As soon as they were gone Monk let out a sigh.

"Man, two cases back to back? This wasn't the Christmas I was hoping for," he said as he stood from the couch to stretch.

"The paranormal doesn't have holidays," Naru said indifferently with an uninterested tone. Oddly enough he didn't say anything about Monk not being told to stay if he didn't want to. Maybe Naru had finally accepted the fact that they were friends and colleagues whether he liked it or not.

"May not but humans do," Monk grumbled back only for his comment to go unnoticed as Naru dismissed them for the day the request to be back at the office by nine in the morning.

One by one they all trickled out the front door and dispersed to go their separate ways home. After gathering up her cat, who was reluctant to part from the raven haired youth, Mai dropped Yasu off at his apartment before driving home to her own where she couldn't quite shake the feeling of being watched.