A/N: HIYA FOLKS! Miss me?!

Look! I'm not dead! I have an update for you! Perhaps it is not the most action-packed update, but you can't rush a story, even when you go on an unexpected hiatus. I believe you will at the very least be entertained by the interactions between the characters and perhaps a bit shocked at the goings-ons! I had a great time writing this (as I sit here at work with absolutely nothing to do).

I do apologize for the four-month absence, but thank you so much for sticking with me. It means so much to me! All of your continuous feedback is greatly appreciated. So now you're probably wondering why I pretty much dropped off the face of the planet. Well have I got some news for you! First of all, I finished my first semester of grad school and am on a break! It was tough and took some adjustments (as well as all my writing time-four 30-page papers anyone?), but I did extremely well and love what I'm learning. And now, more exciting news... I got engaged! My boyfriend proposed to me on our 4th anniversary in September. So, when I haven't been at school, I've been planning my wedding (which is going to be in May!). As you can imagine it's been one hell of a ride! It has been amazing, though. Despite all the craziness, just know that I have not forgotten you or this story! I even have some other ideas floating around in my head and may or may not have two one-shots in the works... ;)

I hope you like this chapter and what it brings to the table. It really sets up for some cool stuff coming up. Please R&R because I love to hear from you, and as always, enjoy.

Chapter Nine:

Endless Sputtering and Explosions

It was with a heavy, bittersweet ache in her heart that Mai packed away the precious clutter on her work desk into a large cardboard box. Most people would not describe clutter as precious, but she could think of no better word for it: A stack of stationary of different colors and sizes she'd arranged into a rainbow, a framed photo with grainy, horrific quality of her and the other SPR members before Naru's original departure, her desk telephone that had accumulated an assortment of colorful stickers from her son's frequent visits to work over the years, and a collection of miscellaneous pens that she could not remember from whence they came (her favorite being a gaudy light blue and yellow pen with purple ink from a take-out restaurant at which she was sure she had never eaten), to name a few. For the last 10 years, this vast hodgepodge of objects had obscured her secretary's station at Fostermeyer's Bilingual Counseling and Psychiatry Clinic (affectionately known as BCPC), the very same center Yasu had helped her find shortly after her graduation from university.

After her very first day, she had all but fallen in love with the clinic. Though she never intended on assuming another secretary position to serve as her long-term career, she did not mind because in a lot of ways, it reminded her of her secretary days at SPR—facilitating others to seek and find help, offering consolation to those who needed it the most, serving those who felt as though they had nowhere else to turn, often times helping guide others in healthy coping mechanisms after a tragedy… The work had meaning, and she was employing her psychology and English studies to boot. There was nothing more for which she could have asked. Except, of course, for a kind, compassionate boss that developed into a great friend somewhere along the way, which she easily found through the likes of Nadine. Nadine Fostermeyer, a tall, brown-haired, middle-aged American woman who spoke exquisite English and Japanese, did not hesitate on taking Mai in during her time of need and continuously provided her with a livable wage, benefits, and flexibility to raise her son as a single mother.

Oh how she would miss this place.

"Are you sure there is nothing I can do to make you stay, Mai?" Nadine inquired with a wan smile, seating herself on the edge of the desk and almost wistfully watching her arrange her belongings in the box.

Mai felt her heart sink in her chest, leaden with ennui. She plastered a small smile on her lips. "I'd really love nothing more. You know that." Nadine nodded.

"I know. It was worth a shot to ask," Nadine shrugged. "Again," she added with a wink. Mai laughed softly.

"I'll come back and visit as often as I can!" Mai promised.

"You'd better!" Nadine replied, tossing her curly, bouncy brown locks behind her shoulders. "I want to keep up to date on Hisashi's well-being."

"Mmm," Mai nodded, resuming her packing. She wanted to avoid that subject if she could. Although Nadine was a very thoughtful and understanding woman, it would have been very difficult to explain Hisashi's…extenuating circumstances, without sounding like a loon. She gave her a very bare-bones explanation, but Nadine seemed to understand there something deeper at stake and did not press any further.

Maybe she'd explain it in full one day.

"Are you sure there is nothing I can do for you?"

Mai nodded again. "You've been great, Nadine. You've already done so much."

Nadine smirked, pushing her thick-rimmed glasses up her nose. "Then I am assuming this Dr. Davis will be taking good care of you, then?"

"Oh! Um, yes!" Mai sputtered, proud of herself for not blushing like a stupid school-girl for a change. An old, familiar niggle of excitement bubbled in her stomach. "I've worked for him before, y'know, part-time when we were much younger." Mai stood up straight and wiped the sweat beading at her brow. Who knew packing would work up such a sweat? "So I imagine working for him full-time will be great. I've always, always wanted to continue work alongside Dr. Davis because of his expertise in his line of work," she explained, flopping into her cushioned desk chair. "Maybe now that I'm a fellow researcher instead of a secretary I won't have to make him his stupid tea every day!"

Mai smiled to herself as she reflected back.

It still felt a bit surreal. It had all happened in such a whirlwind.

About a month earlier, just days after her return from England, Mai submitted in writing her intention to resign from her secretary position at BCPC. It had taken both her and Nadine by surprise, but Mai knew it was necessary.

If she was going to help her son, it had to be done.

Back in England, after she managed to settle down from Naru's waterlogged assurance that he would take Hisashi's case (and after a much-needed good night's rest), she, Yasu, and Naru spent hours at the small table in their hotel room hashing out the details for the basis of their agreement. The work space was crowded and certainly not ideal, but that meant that there was no room for any extra bodies so Naru came alone.

Without his darling secretary.

So therefore it was the most comfortable work space on the whole damn planet, according to Mai. She was still sour from their rancorous exchange.

Awkward and tumultuous meeting aside, Naru came their meeting prepared for all business. Mai really had not expected anything less, but she did forget just how thorough he was when taking on cases.

"I've taken the liberty of drafting a contract to make our business with one another official," Naru said as he—get this!—fixed himself a crappy cup of hotel tea at the tiny coffee pot provided.

"Contract?" Mai questioned, eyeing the manila folder sitting on the table marked Taniyama, Hisashi, case #001763.

"Yes, contract," he reiterated, carefully taking a seat at the table. He blew gently on his steaming plastic cup. "I anticipate that I will likely not be taking on many additional cases while I work with you and your son, which I may remind you accounts for a great portion of how I earn my living." Mai blinked. "It's basically a formality stating that you agree not to waste my time and that some form of imbursement will still occur should you retract your service for any reason," he sighed.

"Oh," Mai breathed. She glanced at Yasu for a moment, bouncing her gaze back and forth between the two men. "Should I be offended?"

"Not at all!" Yasu assured. "It's a pretty standard procedure," he explained, adjusting his glasses. "I assume it's a precaution he takes with all of his clients, yes?"

"More or less," Naru confirmed. "But as I'm sure you understand there is a high probability this case will prove to be very far from standard. I must account for this and adapt the contract accordingly." Mai inclined her head in understanding. "Good, shall we go over the contract in detail, then?"

Yasu gestured towards him with his hands. "By all means," he granted, pulling over the complimentary hotel pen and stationary to take his own notes.

The bulk of the contract was pretty standard. Blah blah sign here, blah blah privacy, blah-de-blah abide by my rules and bow before my greatness… Blah blah. However, his proposition to execute the case far exceeded her expectations and shocked her to say the least.

"My tentative plan is to open a small branch office in Japan out of which to conduct my business and research," he stated. "I think—"

"Wait wait wait, what?" Mai gawked, obviously taken aback. "You… what?"

"As I was saying," he emphasized indignantly (So Naru-like, she thought), "I believe it will be the easiest course of action. I am tied down only by my work and can conduct it essentially anywhere I choose. You, however, have strong ties to Japan, as does your son. It would be significantly less tumultuous for me to temporarily move my business headquarters than for you to uproot your whole life."

Mai continued to gape. After a few moments, she shook her head to ground herself. "Wow, Na—Oliver, that's… so… thoughtful," she remarked, still processing the news. The smallest of smirks pulled at his lips.

"It's also unwise to take Hisashi out of the environment in which he grew up and fostered his behaviors. We don't want to change too many of his stimuli. This could easily manipulate my results."

"Noted," Mai retorted. Of course Naru couldn't be entirely selfless. But, at least this was excusable!

Yasu looked up from his writing. "So when would all of this be happening?"

"Ideally I'd like to finish up the cases I have scheduled for the remainder of the month to avoid as many cancellations as possible. It's easier just to refuse cases than to cancel commitments I have already made."

"Fair point," Yasu agreed. "So by the end of next month then, perhaps?"

"Give or take. I can confirm this with you later on…"

The two men continued to converse, but Mai slowed phased out their voices in lieu of an overwhelming feeling she could not identify. Relief? Eagerness? Anxiety?

Whatever. She really ought to pay attention…

She reasoned that Yasu was taking diligent enough notes that she did not feel too badly for letting her mind wander. She simply could not get over the fact that she might finally, finally be on her way to getting the answers for which she has been searching for years. With Naru no less.

"Mai?" Naru interrupted her thoughts. She jumped, feeling her face flame a bright red.

"U-uh, yeah. All sounds great."

Naru sighed. "Were you even listening to me?"

"Of course I was listening!" Mai huffed indignantly, despite the fact that she could not even attempt to guess the content of the last five minutes of their conversation. It was much too soon for him to start chastising her for her obnoxious behavior!

All the same, the familiarity of this situation lit a fire in her core, akin to the feeling she got as a child the night before her birthday.

How on Earth she managed to feel so many emotions at once without exploding was beyond her.

"Right," he chided sarcastically. "At any rate, I urge you listen to what I have to say next. I want you to consider it seriously."

Did he sound…excited? No, it would be so un-Naru-like to show that kind of emotion. Or any emotion at all, really.

But still…

"Okay then, shoot," Mai urged, leaning both elbows on the table and supporting her chin on her fists.

"Since I will be moving my operations to Japan, I will not have access to my normal personnel, bar Lin and Ona." Mai cringed at the witch's name. "And since you have experience working with me and the paranormal, and because Hisashi is your son and you know him best, I have a proposition for you."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"I would like to offer you a research position in my office."

Mai nearly choked on her own breath. "WHAT?" She meant to only think that part, but oh well.

"I would like to rehire you and have you work with me."

A bewildered silence fell between the three. Yasu tried—and failed—to stifle some laughter at Mai's flabbergasted face, though he too was taken aback by the proposition. She shot him a brief glare.

"But—! But—! But I…!" Mai sputtered, trying to form a coherent sentence. "Uh. But I already have a paying job. I've been there for 10 years! I can afford to just up and leave—"

"I am paying you, you realize?"

"Well yeah, but my job already pays decently and I love it there—"

"Then I will pay double." Mai wheezed. "With benefits. It is a researcher job, after all. Not a secretary position."

"Well fuck me sideways…" Yasu whispered under his breath.

No matter how hard Mai tried to shut her gaping mouth, she couldn't.

"Do you accept?"

How could she not accept?! She had dreamt for years about getting the SPR gang back together again and pursuing the paranormal! Even if it wouldn't be the whole gang, it was still something! Though this was a dream she'd all but abandoned years ago, the prospect of it still coming to fruition still thrilled her. And double the money! Just think of the life she could afford to give Hisashi...

Despite the rager going on inside her brain, she managed a simple, audible "yes."

Naru smirked. "Good." He stuck out a hand for her to shake. Mindlessly, she grabbed onto his cool, smooth hand with her sweat-covered palm, uncaring of his slight recoil at the sudden dampness. "Then it's settled."

The rest of the meeting went by in a blur for her (which of course forced Yasu to go over his notes with her several times over to make sure she had a firm grasp on the situation), and as quickly as he came, he departed with a deafening clickshshsh of the self-locking hotel door handle.

She begged the universe again to remind her how she did not explode.

New job.

Naru.

Answers.

Answers!

"Can I help you carry out your last few boxes?" Nadine asked, waggling Mai from her stupor.

"Oh, um." She looked around for a moment before replying. "Yes, that would be great," she returned, smiling at her friend as she taped the last box shut.

"Might as well buy you lunch while we're at it." Nadine winked, sidling past her with a large box in her arms.

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Mai cried, chasing after her clumsily with two boxes stacked in her arms.

"Hey, I'm still your boss until the end of the day. It wasn't a suggestion!" She winked again. Mai smiled gratefully, setting the boxes down by the trunk of the car she'd borrowed from Ayako to transport her things. She fumbled with the keys to pop it open.

"Thanks, Nadine. For everything."

"Of course, Mai. It has been a pleasure working with you." She gently nestled the boxes in the trunk. "And if that Dr. Davis doesn't treat your right you always have a place here!"

Mai laughed. "Thanks! I think I will be okay, though."

All at once and seemingly out of nowhere things were changing, but then again...she never expected to break an insured camera and work her ass off for a famous psychic parapsychologist to pay off a debt that didn't exist while also making some of the best friends she has ever had.

It seems he had a record for entering into her life unexpectedly and completely shifting her paradigm.

Second A/N: Don't forget to vote in my poll on my profile about whether or not you'd like to see me publish something original! I would love to get published one day for something of my own creation. Maybe even leave a few ideas here and there, offer some encouragement... I might give you a special shout out! ;) Your feedback means a lot to me and offers me so much encouragement to keep going.