So, from now on, all other languages besides English will be in italics. Also, this, my readers, is the chapter you've all been waiting for! Reunion time! Naru gets to meet his new partner…. Mai (cough Taniyama cough) Sullivan. For those of you who are confused, Mai's father was an Irishman. He and Mai's mother took Mai's great-grandmother's maiden name, but his surname was Sullivan.

Chapter 7- All Time Low

I was the night in shining armor in your movie

Would put your lips on mine and love the aftertaste

Now, I'm a ghost, I call your name, you look right through me

You're the reason that I just can't concentrate.

~John Bellion- All Time Low (clean version)

It took a while to get everything ready. A month, in fact. After the initial freak-out (which Takeshi swore to have lost some of his hearing), they started to get ready right away. Then, they wondered where they were going to stay- a problem that was fixed right away by Sakurako (who would be coming with them) that Mai owned a mansion in England rather close to Cambridge as well.

This had startled Mai, who had just barely come to grips with the fact that she had one mansion, let alone two. Unknown to her, Sakurako had refrained from telling Mai about the townhouse in Venice, the Beach house in Greece, and the countryside cottage in France.

From what Takeshi had told Mai, her mansion in England is where Megumi had actually spent much of her time, which somehow made it easier. The e-mail from Dr. Davis had told them that they were being given a week to settle in.

Then, there was the fact that most of them (all but Takeshi, Sakurako, Anabelle and Psyche) needed the necessary papers to get out of the country- and thankfully, none of them were minors (under 20), so, none of them had to go through nasty familial scene (as most of them were not on good terms with their families).

Anabelle and Psyche, who had actually come to the country to study had the least problems, though both called their parents to let them know what was going on. Mai was full scholar mode, though, after the news.

She finally had a chance to start her grandmother's research. She couldn't wait.

It wasn't until they got on the plain that Mai realized the full implications of working at Cambridge University… and the beginnings of the implications had a name- well, more than one name. Kazuya Shibuya. Naru. Oliver Davis. She had frozen in the terminal for a few seconds (before Psyche had told her to get a friggin' move on) as she realized this.

She'd gotten on the plan anyway. There was no time to overthink this…. And she was excited to see everyone else.

Anabelle had realized early that where one brother was, the other was sure to be, as well. After Mai had called her friend in BSPR, and, consequently, Finn, she realized that Adrian was there, as well. That… well that was something that she hadn't been worried about until now.

She had applied to Cambridge University before choosing Todai because of the whole fiasco with him in the first place (She could say that she was embarrassed now, at her own behavior. She'd run away like a scared little girl, after all. For nearly a year). Maybe, she thought, just maybe, he had missed her.

Not that that was likely.

Psyche was… well, psyched. She'd never been to England before- odd, considering that it was one of the places that her parents had always wanted to go… but never seemed to have the time. She couldn't wait to see it. She also wondered about that dream that she'd had during the case.

She'd seen the picture of the two boys Mai kept in her room- they all had. No one had asked about it, though, sensing the taboo topic.

Tohru and the twins had never been out of the country, much like Mai, though in all honesty, while Mai was more focused on her studies, the three of them were dying to go sightseeing- even with Mai pointing out that they'd be there for three years at least.

There was also the fact that Mai had dual citizenship in Ireland and Japan- something she hadn't known until Anabelle had pointed it out, which made things even easier (for Mia, at least).

The trip was hell.

Though they were first in the first-class seats (courtesy of Sakurako booking the flight), they hit turbulence, Emiko and Izumi both got airsick, and Tohru turned out to be a really crabby flier. And that was only the first half. When they switched planes, Anabelle's luggage got lost, and Psyche nearly slept through the boarding of the next plane- they had to rush back through the terminal to get her (She was a sleepy traveler)

Mai sat through the whole thing on her computer, or asleep (some things never change).

By the time they got to England, everyone was crabby, tired, and suffering from jet lag… and fell into the first beds available. Or, at least everyone fell into bed besides Mai, who decided to get first dibbs on the rooms. Since it was her house, she thought with a grin.

She used her senses to 'feel' around, so to speak. As Mai had promised not to hold her powers back, any more, she had changed. Kind of, anyway. The territorial mindset had gotten a bit stronger. Her senses, always oddly good, had gotten even better.

She could sense auras now. The dead, the living and animals. She used this ability as she walked through the mansion. It was the tower room next to the library that made her stop. She shivered, and walked back to it.

Warm. Comforting. Familiar…

She frowned, and cocked her head to the side. Her dark eyes narrowed in confusion. Why did she sense him… here? In her house? She reached out for the handle of the door, and hesitated before she let her skin touch the metal of the handle.

Mate… part of her whispered. Like a breath of air, soft and soothing.

She chose to ignore it, of course… whatever that was… she shook her head and entered the room.

It was a normal room, she knew. The study that came with it didn't seem like it had been used that much. It was like her room at home (when had she started calling the Momohara mansion home?), which was more comforting than anything… the extra warmth from the aura she'd felt was a plus- though she didn't know who the one who used this room (quite a bit if the man's black undershirt and button- up that had been left there was any indication), but she did know that she recognized that smell.

From where, she couldn't remember.

She sighed, but realized that, at the moment, she didn't care. All she wanted was to do was fall on the large (ridiculously comfortable- looking) bed and sleep. And that she did. She was asleep before her head hit the pillows.

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London, England

Oliver didn't know what exactly was going on. Every time he tried to find out (usually by checking in Eugene's mind), all he heard was a variety of songs, loud, and drowning out any other thought. Usually, it was of the Rock variety… which Oliver didn't mind, but at the same time…

He glared at Eugene, who's innocent expression was so obviously fake that it made Oliver want to snarl. He wasn't happy- especially after the orange hair incident. It had lasted a week before it washed out again. He had to deal with Yasuhara and Takigawa snickering behind his back with his traitorous brother.

His traitorous brother who was keeping secrets from him. Oliver's glare intensified. The last time that Eugene had kept secrets, Oliver had ended up flying to Japan to find his body. Eugene sighed. "Stop worrying so much, Noll. Nothing bad is going to happen." Nothing to him, anyway, Eugene thought

Oliver didn't stop glaring. "Then why are you keeping things from me?" he snapped, dark mood getting worse. His teacup rattled, the untouched tea dripped over the edges of the porcelain with his annoyance. The temperature in the room dropped.

Eugene sighed. "I swear, Noll, you will find out soon. I don't to tell you because it's a surprise.

"If it's something about Miss Sullivan…" Oliver started. Eugene snorted at the thought of who his brother's partner would really be.

"Something like that…" he returned cryptically, before walking out of the room. He turned back to his brother and smirked. If he wasn't going to drink the tea, why did he ask for it in the first place?

He snickered. He couldn't wait until next week.

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Winter Hall, England

When she woke, Mai almost panicked… this was not the room she was used to… and then, she remembered that she wasn't in Japan anymore. She let out a breath and got up. Still in the clothes that she'd been in the last few days on the plane. She made a face and immediately went to the bathroom.

Thirty minutes and a hot shower later, Mai felt almost human again… also, really hungry. She padded downstairs… or, well tried to… She didn't know where she was going….. it was a maze and she didn't know how she'd gotten to where she was in the first place, let alone how to get to the main floor, or the kitchen.

She frowned. Now, she thought, would be a good time to use her aura sensing ability… find her way down the stairs. She finally found her way down twenty minutes later, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank god…" she muttered in Japanese, spotting Takeshi. "Where's everyone else?" she asked, when he looked up.

"Out sightseeing. Sakurako took the rest of them to London. We couldn't find you, and I highly doubt you would have woken up in the first place." Mai snorted. "you're probably right." She conceded.

Takeshi smirked. "If you want me to, I can take you to London. I know where they went."

Mai shook her head. "Maybe tomorrow." She said. "I want to look around after I eat."

"Be careful in the forest, Mai. They reintroduced wolves to the area…" he warned. Mai's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked.

He nodded. "Deer problem." He smirked. Mai shrugged. "When's the last time someone got killed by a wolf, Takeshi-san?" she asked with a grin.

He shook his head. "Nevertheless, Mai." She just grinned, turned, trying to figure out where the kitchen would be. Takeshi watched in amusement as his charge tried in vain to find the direction of the kitchen.

"To your let, Mai." He drawled. She spun around and pointed. "Right!" she called, heading in the direction that Takeshi had pointed.

She tried not to think about the sheer size of the place as she walked. "I could probably fit a car in here…" she muttered. "I'm getting a workout just trying to find my way around here…"

She finally made it to the kitchen… and was immediately slapped in the face with how rich her grandmother was, once again (as if the huge ass mansion wasn't enough, the kitchen was a state of the art, chrome appliances, subzero fridge…

"Well, who do we have here?" Mai let out a shriek as the voice sounded behind her. She spun around, hand up, ready to perform the nine cuts.

"Oh, dear… don't worry… I'm not a ghost." The woman chuckled. Mai relaxed. "Sorry…" she said.

"Not to worry, dear," the woman grinned. "Mary's the name. Mary Masters. I'm the cook." Mai let out a breath. "Mai Taniyama… Megumi Momohara's granddaughter."

"Oh, I know who you are, Meg and I had many a conversation about you… and her daughter." She smirked. "Finally get to meet you."

Mai shuffled her foot. "Nice to meet you, as well." She said.

"Now," Mary grinned. "If I'm right- and I usually am, you came down for a spot of breakfast… well, lunch, now." Mai nodded.

"Well, sit at the counter there and I'll fix you something. Would you like tea?" Mai's smile bloomed. "Yes, please." She said. Though she usually made her own tea, it was nice to have someone else make it sometime.

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Cambridge University

Soon… Eugene thought as he checked the calendar. Their father had given the new students from Japan a week to rest and get accustomed to England. Frankly, Eugene was antsy. He couldn't wait to see Mai again- though he'd only seen her during her astral projections before, and had never met her in person. Not really.

Then, a flash of green eyes and darker brown hair took over his mind. The image must have been strong because it had been enough to jerk Oliver out of his research for a few seconds to glare at him. "What was that? Or, who was that, I should ask.

"Psyche Mallory," Eugene muttered. "We'll be meeting her in person soon, anyway. She's going to be in the group from Japan." He muttered. "She's American, but she'd been studying at Tokyo University." He explained.

"That explains who that was, but not why you know her…" Oliver said, interest peaked. Eugene sighed. "I don't know… I accidentally Astral projected on her, trying to get to Ma- err, Miss. Sullivan. Dad said she could astral project…" Eugene grinned.

Oliver blinked. "you made it all the way to Japan?" he asked, his interest only increased. Eugene grinned. "Of course. The Astral Plane… doesn't really have a distance. I can astral travel to someone the farthest distance away from my person, with no trouble at all… as long as they are on the astral plane."

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Winter Hall, England

Mai was in awe. She had a forest in her back yard. She let out a squeal. There was a barn not far from the house- probably used for horses at one point or another, Mai figured. "Oh, this is going to be fun." She said.

She giggled as she went back into the house. She had a week to explore her house- well, at least, the place she'd be live for most of her time for the next three years. It wasn't as if she didn't have time. She went back into the house. Takeshi sighed.

"When you said to be careful of wolves, I didn't think you'd mean… in my backyard," she grinned.

Takeshi snorted. "I meant in general. You are an expert at finding danger, Mai. Can you blame me?"

Mai laughed "Okay. Okay I see your point. I'm going to explore the house more." She responded. "I live in a freaking castle… I need to know my way around…" Takeshi shrugged. "Call me if you need me. I'll send one of my shiki." He called after her as she left.

"Okay, Takeshi." She called back.

She went back to her room, and noticed with a start that her bags had been brought up. She grinned. The staff here was great. She giggled, and then yawned, a wave of exhaustion coming over her.

Maybe a nap would be nice first…

Though she'd only just woken up… She frowned in confusion, even as she tried to make her way to the bed. She was so tired, suddenly, that she could hardly stay up.

'Astral projection,' she thought dimly as she made it to the bed. 'I thought I was done getting pulled into these….'

'Evidentially not…'

She was asleep before her head hit the pillow…

I can't go home… I can never go home…

She looked toward the house in desolation. Anger filled her for the first time.

This is his fault…

All his fault.

He caused this….

Mai blinked as she awoke. She immediately grabbed a notebook. Lovely. She had another one. Must be a case that BSPR was about to go work out… though… it felt oddly familiar… She couldn't say how… but she knew that it was. She wrote down everything that she could. Emotions mostly. She snorted a bit as she realized that that was all she got out of this one.

There would be more, she supposed. But… they hadn't come with this intense clarity of emotions before. She sighed, and pointed to the fireplace, which lit up instantly. She was really good at that now. She and Anabelle had actually started to work on her control over the earth and plants before travelling to England. She was halfway through that training now.

She'd have to tell Professor Davis- Martin Davis, that was, before they went on the case. That wouldn't be too much of a problem, would it…?

Then again, she had also gotten an e-mail from the professor informing her that she'd be working with…. Oliver because of her PK-ST, which was something that she shared with him. She was anxious about that. She knew how he was (how could she not, she'd worked with him for nearly two years, at times, the group had all slept in the same room), she was well aware of his nuances and his inability to be nice.

She was ridiculously aware that she was still very much in love with him.

It was really too bad he was still probably a prick.

Her dark eyes narrowed as she looked around the room to the black button up oxford that lay on the window seat. She hadn't bothered to move it far the night before…. She frowned as she folded it- and the black undershirt- and put them both in the armoire.

She didn't know who they belonged to… so they'd just stay there for now. Until she figured out what to do with them.

She perked up when the others' auras came into her rage. They were back. She supposed that it was time for them to pick their rooms. She snickered at the thought, as she rushed down the stairs. "So… how was London?" she called as she reached the foyer.

Kuroda laughed. "oh, it was great. After we got to see the Buckingham palace, we went to Westminster Abbey. Beautiful place."

"You forgot Big Ben…. And the London Eye." Anabelle grinned. "God, it's been so long since I've seen that…" she sighed in contentment. "I've forgotten how lovely London was…"

"How was your nap, Mai?" Psyche asked with a laugh. "You missed everything…" Mai rolled her eyes. "I didn't miss everything. I just figured that before I went anywhere, I should know how to get around the place that I live…"

"We have three years to get that right…" Tohru sneered playfully.

"And we have three years to see London and all of surrounding England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, as well, so…really, either way…" Mai smirked.

"Besides, she didn't want to risk running into… him… You know… he who must not be named…" Emiko snickered

"She knows Voldemort? I thought he was a fictional character." Izumi smirked.

Mai rolled her eyes. "He's not Voldemort. And you can speak his name-"

"At the risk of setting off a poltergeist attack, yeah," Kuroda drawled. Mai glared this time, as she spoke to her friend. "I do not start a poltergeist anymore whenever his name is said…" she grumbled, "And for the record, it used to be whenever he was mentioned, not just his name..."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that." Izumi said thoughtfully. "She used to set off a nasty one everytime someone alluded to him."

Her twin nodded. "Too true. I remember those days now that you mention it…"

Takeshi sighed. "I think it's time for lessons, Mai. Follow me…"

Sakurako sighed in relief. "Thank god. The teacup was starting to shake." She grumbled, then looked at the others. "Did you lot have to do that?" she asked.

Properly chastised, the other girls winced and hung their heads. "I suppose we should apologize for that…" Kuroda sighed, though she looked almost forlorn in the direction that Sakurako's nephew had just left. Sakurako had noticed, and smirked.

'This might get interesting,' she thought as the young telekinetic stared.

"So, time to pick your rooms." Sakurako said. "Actually, Kuroda, I have a room that you might like…" she grinned, knowing that she was meddling… and not caring. Kuroda looked at her, and nodded, following after Sakurako as she walked away.

She looked at the rest of them. "Mai's room is the Tower room next to the library… third floor" she said with a smirk. "So… Psyche, if I were you, I'd take the one right across the hall from hers."

Psyche nodded, though she didn't know why the older woman had said that. Shouldn't it be Anabelle? She was Mai's cousin, after all…

Then again, who was she to argue. She grabbed her duffle bag and started up the stairs. Upon entering her new room, she gasped.

Much like Mai's, her room held a slightly more masculine feel to it. It was familiar, and comfortable. She didn't know why, though.

She smiled slightly as she sat her bag down next to the dresser, before she sighed, and sat on the chair next to the desk. "Well, this is home for the next few years…" she murmured. Then, she got back up and started toward the door. "I wonder what the library looks like." She murmured.

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London, England

Oliver felt his brother's impatience like it was his own- which was amazingly distracting. He growled as he shut the book he'd been reading. Loudly. Eugene didn't even look up. "Eugene." He growled. "could you keep it down?" he hissed. "It's distracting."

Eugene looked over at him, and the now cold, untouched tea in front of him. "Why do you keep getting the tea, if you never drink it?"

Oliver didn't respond, but Eugene smirked as, though their mental bond, a girl with short, brown hair with red lowlights and reddish-brown eyes appeared.

"Hm… well, isn't that interesting?" he drawled, indigo eyes narrowing as his eyebrow shot up. A knowing grin spread slowly over his face.

Oliver glared. "I don't know what you're talking about, Eugene." He growled as he picked up his cup and took a sip, grimacing as the cold liquid hit his tongue.

Eugene snickered. "Sure, you don't." he drawled. Then frowned. "What're you readin, anyway?" he asked.

"I'm trying to read up on my new… partner's abilities. Again, you're distracting me." He muttered.

Eugene snorted. "Only a few more days, Oliver." He murmured. "What do you think they're like?" he asked.

"I don't know… and it's pointless to ask that, until we meet them," Oliver said cooly, as he opened his book again.

Eugene snorted. "By the way, Saying you don't know what I'm talking about, while you're thinking about what I'm talking about doesn't help your case. I know damn well that you don't drink tea anymore because it doesn't taste as good as when Mai made it." he smirked as he looked at his brother.

Frost formed on the cup as the younger twin glared. "What do you mean, I don't drink tea anymore?" he grumbled. "I get at least ten cups a day."

"And you don't drink it until I point out that it's cold, and you don't like it." he drawled.

"That is not true." Oliver snapped.

"Whatever you say, idiot scientist." Eugene sneered, as he walked to the door of the library. As he left, he put an image into his brother's mind.

Wide, tear-filled red-brown eyes, trembling lips, in Tokyo airport as he said goodbye.

Eugene himself wasn't there to see that. He was still dead, still waiting to be brought back to life… however, his brother had thought about it quite a bit for a while.

Really, Eugene was just bringing back the last memory that his brother had of Mai. He heard a crash as he left, making his smirk grow. He chuckled as he walked down the hallway. "Really, Noll," he muttered. "You're in denial."

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Winter Hall, England- Five Days Later

Once again, there was a mad struggle to get out the door the first day. Takeshi secretly considered the ramifications of just leaving without them (all but Mai, who had serenely walked into the dining room for breakfast, earlier than usual, and completely ready to go, as well as Psyche, who just looked really nervous).

He knew he'd have hell to pay if he dared to do that. Of that, at least, he was certain. His aunt would kill him. More importantly, he'd have five very, very angry girls at him. Worse, he'd have five very emotional girls to deal with… Knowing some of them, there would most definitely be tears. He winced at the thought.

The one thing that he couldn't stand where tears…. They drove him nuts. He groaned.

Twenty minutes later, they were finally ready, and they were on the road.

Mai gave him a smile and thanked him when they reached Cambridge. She looked oddly calm. The onmiyoji frowned as he looked at his student, knowing by now when she was hiding her emotions. "It's going to be fine, Mai." He told her. She just smiled.

"Thanks, Takeshi." She said as she drove away.

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Cambridge

Gene blinked as he entered the lab. They were already there, or, six of the seven were there. The seventh was missing… and he knew exactly who it was. Lin frowned as well (well, deeper than usual. Lin, like Oliver, didn't smile overmuch)

It was the girl with dark, dark brown hair who walked up to him that caught his attention then. "Psyche Mallory." She said softly. "You're Eugene Davis, right?"

Eugene gave her a quick grin "Gene. Please." He said, taking her hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss. Mallory."

"She went to go get some tea. One of the others, Finn, he took her."

"Who?"

"Mai."

"How did you know…?" Eugene was confused. From what he'd heard about this girl, the only power she possessed was Biokinesis.

"That's true, I only really have Biokinesis." She smiled wryly.

"Did I say that out loud?" He asked, startled. He hadn't meant to. She laughed and nodded. "Yeah, you did. I don't mind. I only knew that you were wondering about her because she was the only one not here…. And because she's the only one who you have a history with."

"You… know about that?" he asked Psyche snorted. "Oh, it took some time to get the whole thing out of her, but yes."

Oliver waked in behind Martin, and Eugene had to stiffen. Oliver didn't seem to notice. "here we go…" he muttered, Psyche muffled a snort. "Indeed…" She muttered back, jerking her head toward the door leading to the kitchenette.

Where Mai was coming back, hot cup of tea in hand… accompanied by Finn. Eugene felt a prickle of energy from Oliver and watched as his eyes scanned and came to rest on Mai Sullivan… or, to those who knew her from Japan, Mai Taniyama.

She was laughing at something Finn had said, throwing her head back. When she opened her eyes again, she saw him. She ignored the slight flutter in her heart as her mind registered who it was who stood in front of her.

Cinnamon clashed with indigo, and Eugene sucked in a breath. Mai smiled.

Oliver sucked in a breath. "Mai." He hissed. Her smile turned into a smirk.

"Hello, Dr. Davis." She said quite calmly.

Ha. Done finally. Sorry it took a bit longer. I've been on a trip, so this is actually getting updated somewhere else. Kind of hard to write on a trip… I get really tired when I'm traveling. Anyway, read and review. I'll update ASAP.

As Always, AOP