Welcome to my new story, Hide and Seek! It's taken me way too long to sort myself out and get to work on this thing, but I'm really excited to get to it and see where the story takes me.

Just to clear a few things up before jumping into it: Mai is eighteen, Naru is twenty. I don't remember if I ever specified this in my last story, but Kara was eight then and has since turned nine. This story is a sequel to The Orphanage, but you're not at a serious disadvantage if you didn't read it. There will be a few mentions of The Orphanage, but the only overarching plot point is Kara.

I'll try to update on a weekly, if not bi-weekly basis. That's not a promise, just a tentative plan. I suck pretty bad at updating, which makes all my loyal readers that much more awesome.

Let me know your thoughts, theories, or ideas you think might be cool for me to include. There's always room for improvement!

In the Shibuya district in Tokyo, there is a small business nestled between a clothing store and a mortgaging firm. This business, difficult to spot by anyone who wasn't looking for it, is called Shibuya Psychic Research, or SPR for short. This little business tucked away in its little corner of Shibuya is the place to go for all the unfortunate souls who are suffering from paranormal activity.

Today, though, this office was closed. Even calls to the office were being deferred to the answering machine, despite the fact that the three regular employees were, in fact, all present.

I was in the kitchen, preparing a large pot of tea, glancing nervously back and forth between the door to the office and the back hallway. Neither one showed any signs of activity, but that only increased my anxiety. Usually, I'd be thrilled that my SPR family was coming over, especially since I hadn't seen any of them in over three weeks, but some extenuating circumstances called for a different reaction.

Three weeks ago, myself, Naru and Lin had returned from a case at an Orphanage with an unexpected addition: a nine-year-old girl by the name of Kara Taniyama-Davis. Though it may seem completely unbelievable, this girl was now the adopted daughter of both me and Naru. It was the last thing I'd expected to bring home with me, and the immediate aftermath had completely uprooted my life.

The most pressing problem we faced with having a child to take care of was the simple fact that Naru and I both lived in different places. The last thing I wanted was to force Kara to suffer through some split custody arrangement just so she could spend time with both parents. Naru had, in his typical oblivious manner, declared that the most practical living solution would be for the three of us to share a home. While I knew that his logic was sound and I agreed with it wholeheartedly, I was still extremely flustered at the thought of moving in with the narcissistic boss I was still infuriatingly in love with. Even more frustrating was the fact that he'd remained completely unfazed during that entire discussion. Does he have any idea how embarrassing it is to just randomly move in with someone you secretly love? I know you don't have to be in a romantic relationship with someone to live with them, but he must be a little nervous, right?

Regardless, it was what was best for Kara, and we'd moved forward quickly with the plan. Naru owned an actual house, so he'd gone to the lengths of renovating it to accommodate two new housemates. The renovations had gone on a little longer than expected and my lease on my apartment had expired the day before, so Kara and I were both living out of the office for the next couple days. Since the vast majority of our belongings had already been transferred to the house, and the office had initially been an apartment meant to accommodate housemates, it really wasn't a big deal. Kara was thrilled to be "camping out" at mommy and daddy's office.

The other thing that had me frazzled was the thought of how the other members of SPR were going to react when they found out. Lin, in his typical manner, had accepted the matter silently, but I was dreading having to explain the situation to Monk and Ayako. Even Masako might react badly, especially since she continues to nurture her crush on Naru.

Personally, I would rather get things over with and explain the situation outright, but Naru decided to further complicate matters by convincing us to stay quiet about it until the new case he'd accepted was complete.

"The last thing I need is for my employees to get distracted by personal matters when they should be focusing on their work." He'd explained with a certain amount of finality. I would've argued further, but he'd already won Kara over, so I was forced to relent. Honestly, that boy had such a bad habit of keeping secrets.

The door to the office burst open, startling me out of my thoughts. I turned just in time to see the fast-approaching Monk grinning like an idiot before smothering me with a hug "Hey Mai! I feel like it's been forever! How's our favorite girl?"

I struggled against his iron grip. "Monk, you're chocking me!" I exclaimed jokingly, pushing him away with a wide smile.

The other members of the group came in much more calmly, smiling indulgently at the over-excited Monk. John was the first in after Monk. "Hey Mai." He said. "I'm glad to see you're doing well."

Ayako, stepping around John, added "Yeah, I'm kinda surprised. No scrapes or bruises or anything. Did the three of you really take a case on your own?"

I folded my arms defiantly. "Ayako, I'm not that bad! Honestly, we handled everything just fine." Technically, that was only partially true. To be honest, the case would've been much more difficult if Kara hadn't been there.

Ayako raised her hands in defense. "If you say so." She said. The two men laughed.

Masako, who came in at the rear end of the group, peered right past me and said "And who's this?"

I turned, surprised, to find Kara peeking shyly around the counter. When the little girl realised that everyone's attention was now on her, she squealed slightly and stepped back, hiding completely behind the counter. I smiled indulgently and said "Kara, it's okay. Come meet my friends."

I held out my hand to the little girl and she took it hesitantly, stepping out of her hiding space and looking up at the group of adults through her bangs. Kara shifted uncomfortably, standing slightly behind me as she was introduced to the group. "Guys, this is Kara." I said. "She's from our last case. She's staying with us while her new home is being built. She'll be coming with us on this case."

Kara looked up at me and smiled hopefully. "I can come with you? Really?" She clarified. I nodded, and the girl smiled even wider.

Ayako frowned slightly. "Are you sure that's okay? These cases aren't always safe. Do her parents know about this?"

I chuckled nervously. "Oh, her parents know." Her parents are the ones who accepted this case, after all. "Don't worry, Ayako. Naru wouldn't've said she could come if he thought it wouldn't be safe for her."

"Oh please," Ayako scoffed. "As if Naru would have the faintest idea on how to take care of a little girl."

I laughed along with the rest of the group, but the only thing on my mind was just how magnificently wrong Ayako was. Not so long ago, I would've thought much the same, but after watching him with Kara over the past couple weeks, I'd learned that Naru could be surprisingly fatherly.

Naru's office door opened, interrupting the conversation. Naru appeared, carrying a folder in his hands. He glanced up, took a look at the group, and said "Mai, tea."

I had become so accustom to this command that I barely even heard it anymore and simply expected it. The kettle started to whistle before I could properly answer and I brought Kara with me into the kitchen to prepare tea for everyone. The rest of the group joined Naru in the sitting room.

A couple minutes later, Kara and I joined the rest of the group in the sitting room and passed out tea to everyone. Kara brought Naru's tea directly to him and sat down on the couch to his left. Once I was done handing out the rest of the drinks, I sat between her and Monk.

Naru waited a moment to make sure he had everyone's undivided attention, and then closed the folder in his hands and started. "I've accepted a new case. The client is a Mr. Tanaka Yukito. The location involved is a popular roadside attraction in a nearby town." Naru slid a picture onto the table. In the picture we could see a large building, big enough to be a mansion or a small hotel, at least a few decades old. A large sign at the entrance of the parking lot declared it to be the 'Nakai Museum of Oddities.' "The client has made it clear that business will be conducted as usual during the investigation. Hours of operation are from 10 in the morning to 8 at night. I don't foresee this being a problem. A camera security system is already installed and the client has offered us full use of this system, so we will be bringing a limited amount of equipment."

Kara leaned forward and picked up the picture on the table. "You know, I've heard of this place." She said quietly. "They're supposed to have a few haunted objects on display. It's part of the attraction. Why would he want anyone to exorcise the place?"

Naru plucked the photo out of Kara's hand and placed it neatly back in his folder. "According to the client, the activity he is experiencing is not related to the attractions. Even if it turns out to be so, the damages inflicted on the property have become too much of a disruption to his business."

Ayako and Monk both raised their eyebrows at Naru. I imagined they were surprised that Naru had answered Kara so calmly. If anyone else had brought it up, he would've either ignored them entirely or answered in a way that insulted the asker's intelligence. I'd called him out on this a while back. He'd told me that there was nothing unusual about it—Kara simply asked the right questions.

"The client has offered two hotel suites, located on the second floor, for the duration of the investigation." Naru continued without the slightest hint that he'd noticed the others' shock. "I've called Yasu in for this one. Since he's already in the area, he will meet us on site."

He called Yasu? That's unusual in itself. Yasu works with the office during the summer, but Naru doesn't often bring him on cases unless there's going to be a lot of research involved. I had a feeling there was a lot more to the case than Naru was telling us.

As Naru wrapped up the meeting and the others started to prepare for the hour-long trip out to Nakai, I sent Kara to pack her bag and cornered Naru in his office. He didn't acknowledge my presence until I closed the door behind me—a sure sign that I needed his undivided attention. He paused, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"I don't recall asking for a second serving of tea—although I wouldn't refuse it." Naru remarked.

I glared, biting my tongue. I couldn't let him rile me up right now. "Naru," I said. "Are you sure it's okay to take Kara with us?"

He placed his papers on the table, looking down at the desk. I felt like he was avoiding my gaze. "It's hardly appropriate to question the decision to bring her now." He said. I couldn't tell if he was scolding me or not, but I was getting frustrated anyways. "It is far too late to make alternate arrangements, and it would be cruel to leave her behind after telling her she could come."

"I know that," I growled, clenching my hands into fists. "That wasn't the question. I don't want to bring her if she might be in danger."

Naru sighed quietly and looked up at me. "The location has an intricate history and information is hard to find. This is why I need Yasu. But from the research I've already done, I can say that there is nothing to suggest a violent crime took place on the grounds. The haunting has caused damage to the property, but no living creature has been harmed. Whatever we might be facing, I don't believe Kara will be in any danger."

I knew he believed that, and I knew I should trust his judgement since he is an expert in this sort of thing, but I couldn't shake the anxiety creeping down my spine. On our last case, Kara had been kidnapped by a spirit and put through a short but intense torture session. The bruises had only recently faded away. I couldn't let something like that happen to her again.

I gritted my teeth and walked right up to Naru, standing tall to take advantage of my full height, which, unfortunately, still didn't quite bring me to Naru's level. I looked him sternly in the eye and said "Even so, I want you to promise me you'll protect her. Promise me that nothing bad is going to happen to her."

Naru met my glare with an indifferent expression, but the harshness in his eyes had softened ever so slightly. "Didn't I already make that promise when I signed those adoption papers?"

I was so shocked, I couldn't even respond when he picked up his case and left the room. As he walked away, I turned, staring at his back, wondering how in the world the Naru I knew had just said what I'd heard him say. Was he sick? Should I be worried?

Lin peaked into the room as he was walking by, saying "Mai, twenty minutes."

I jolted, rushing out of the room to go pack my things. I knew from experience that if I wasn't ready on time, Naru would leave me behind, and I did not want to have to pay to take public transit all the way to Nakai.

I'd have to trust Naru, I decided as I threw my things together. He may be arrogant and unbearable at times and wholly narcissistic, but if there's one thing I can be sure of, it's that Naru cares about Kara, and he will do everything in his power to protect her.

I know it.