Beneath the Lilac Tree

by archangelBBQ

"Been there, done that." It's been many years, but Mai and Naru finally meet again. Or has it? Moving forward this time, Naru is determined to change the past, even if he cannot predict how it will shape their future. Together the twins, Mai, and Lin will create SPR from scratch, though things are certain to be much different this time around.

15. Part XV

(Apologies, apologies, apologies. First for the wait, second for the length, and third for pretty much everything else.)

---

Part XV

Mai awoke early the following morning. Rolling over to look at the clock, she groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Even if Lin-san gives me the day off, I still wake up on time," she muttered aloud to herself.

She tossed and turned on her futon before finally sighing in resignation, accepting the futility of going back to sleep and rose for the day. Despite the stress of the events from the night before and the howling wind—a sound which would usually prevent her from resting peacefully and keep her nervously awake—she'd actually slept quite soundly and felt surprisingly well-rested. She dressed quickly in her track suit, pulled her short hair back into messy pigtails and left the house for her morning run.

It was a cool, foggy morning; her breath steamed in the dim light. Mai hadn't run by herself since the previous weekend, as Lin had accompanied her every day and either matched her pace or made her match his, and she thought she would have liked the feeling of running alone, freely. Lin did not often let her stop and it was somewhat satisfying to take the route at her own pace: she could slow to a walk as she pleased, whether to catch her breath or to stop to look at something she saw. Nevertheless, he found she missed the tall, quiet man's company and his silent encouragement. He was a good teacher and a good trainer. If Lin had been her P.E. instructor, she thought with a sardonic grin, she'd have liked her physical education classes a whole lot more. She bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud as she imagined the man corralling a throng of teenaged girls and trying to get them to run laps. It wasn't a likely scenario at all.

She slowed to check the progress of the buds on the cherry trees along the river but pushed herself back into a trot not long afterwards with a sigh. No doubt the blooms of the earliest trees would begin to open within a few days, but the buds on these trees were still at least a week away, or even longer. So much for a hanami picnic with Naru; he'd be back in England before the trees began to blossom appropriately. It was hard to imagine him leaving—it still seemed to her a somewhat abstract notion, though Martin and Luella's arrival made it hard to deny. She sighed again, pushing herself to run faster and the thoughts from her mind.

Rounding a corner, she started and skidded in her footsteps to see Lin running evenly toward her, the tall man in his casual running clothes, though black and white as always. "Oh!" She exclaimed in surprise, unable to help herself. She smiled broadly as she greeted him. "Good morning, Lin-san."

"Good morning, Mai," he returned, slowing to a walk. "I'm a little surprised to see you out so early this morning," he said in his low voice, lips lifting in a small smile.

"Couldn't sleep," she admitted, turning to walk with him, back the way she came.

He chuckled lightly. "My apologies. I'm sure you don't appreciate my setting of your internal clock; not this morning."

"Maybe," she shrugged, sticking her hands in her sweatshirt pockets. "I didn't think I would. But it's kind of nice to be out and about already." She exhaled, watching her steamy breath drift in the air. "Sorry," she said quietly, lowering her gaze in embarrassment. "You don't need to stop. I didn't mean to interrupt you—"

"I was almost finished anyway," he said, and Mai nodded.

"Okay."

"This way," he said quietly, and Mai followed him down a side street she was unfamiliar with and after another turn onto a narrow path, laid with stones instead of pavement, the two began to ascend a hill.

They did not speak as they climbed. Lin was silent and gazed forward but Mai occasionally turned her head to look over the hedges between the houses, glimpsing the city lights visible below, shimmering in the fog. When the path evened out Lin slowed, turning to gaze at the view between the coniferous trees.

"Wow," Mai breathed. They had just come above the fog. The city was quiet and shrouded below them, the sky above pale and clear.

"When it's clear you can see the Shibuya skyline," Lin said quietly. "Another time, perhaps."

"Lin-san," Mai started, hesitating and taking a breath. "Will you..." she swallowed and began again. "Will you and Sarah start seeing each other?"

The man was quiet for several moments, expressionless as he stared blankly at the cloud-covered city. Mai began to think he was not going to answer her and she was about to apologize for asking when he spoke. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I know she would acquiesce if I asked her, but I hesitate to initiate things too early." His lips curled, but it did not look like a smile to Mai. "And it would not be kind to do that when I know initially our relationship could only be long distance."

Mai bit her lip, turning her gaze away from the man, guilt once again wrenching in her stomach. "Don't you think it would work out, even long distance?" She asked quietly. "I mean, you're... you're meant to be together—"

"No," he interrupted, "I don't. I can't assume that. Simply initiating the relationship doesn't guarantee that everything will suddenly align into the way it was before. I don't believe in soulmates, Mai. Sarah and I met and fell in love over a period of time and specific but spontaneous incidences. It's not something that can be recreated. She very well could have fallen just as much in love with someone else. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Mai felt tears well in her eyes and she blinked them away. "But..."

He shook his head but still did not turn to face her. "Knowing what I know of her now, perhaps I will forget to ask important, integral questions. Knowing we were once married, perhaps I will take her affection for granted."

"You wouldn't, surely," Mai said softly. "What if you told her—"

"Certainly not," he said, shaking his head again. The gesture was slight but his voice was vehement. "Even if she believed me, it'd be unfair to tell her we were once in a committed relationship. I can't put that kind of pressure on her."

Mai lowered her face and lifted her arm, resting her forehead in the crook of her elbow to hide her tears. "I'm so sorry, Lin-san."

"No, Mai," he said, turning toward her and lifting his hand to place it on her trembling shoulder. "Don't be sorry. Even if Sarah and I are not together in this future—we are where we are because Gene is alive. His life—and the other lives you, Naru and Gene have already saved—are much more important than a possible marriage."

"Aahil told me Sarah was pregnant," she mumbled, squeezing her eyes closed and feeling the tears leak into her sweatshirt.

Lin was silent for several moments. "Yes," he said quietly, grimacing. "But that's neither here nor there." He patted her shoulder gently and Mai suddenly turned, embracing the tall man around his middle.

"Lin-san, I know you say it's not my fault, but it feels like it is." She whispered. "It doesn't seem fair to take your happiness away from you."

He shook his head and patted her hair awkwardly. "There isn't such a thing as only one happiness for a person, Mai. You haven't doomed me for a life of sorrow. I was walking one road and now I am simply walking another. I assume they will intersect eventually. That's all there is to it."

"You should be angry," she mumbled.

"Perhaps," he conceded. "But I am not."

"Did Naru apologize to you?" She asked suddenly.

If her question surprised him he did not show it. "It was the very first thing he said to me," Lin said truthfully. "Both when he called me in England from Japan and when he met me at Haneda."

Mai squeezed her eyes shut, suddenly seeing the bustling and brightly lit baggage claim behind her eyes. Naru waited at one end of the room, arms crossed over his chest and completely still but for the restless tapping of an index finger against his bicep. Straightening when he saw the tall man's head above the crowd, he strode forward to meet him, ignoring the business men, foreign tourists and other travellers as he crossed the room, slowing when the two were only several paces apart. Neither had yet to speak when Naru bowed, lowering himself before the other man. It was a gesture Mai was certain she'd never seen from him before.

"Naru told me it was only rational that I should be angry. He didn't understand why I was helping him." Lin's voice disrupted the vision and the figures faded away into the uneven darkness of her closed eyes. "But I told him the same thing I have told you today. I was upset—yes—but not angry." He took her shoulders gently, stepping away from her and giving her a wan smile. "I am not resigning myself to a life of solitude, Mai. I will pursue her again, in due course, but I know I have to be patient, and I recognize nothing should be taken for granted—as it should be in any relationship."

"She likes you already, you know," Mai blurted.

He lowered his gaze and smiled slightly. "I know. But I have to be cautious. We've only just met. We haven't worked together yet at SPR. She's younger than I ever really knew her," he said, his voice tinged with resignation. "She's only just moved into London to start her job at SPR; only just left her parents' house to start off on her own. I do not want to be so selfish to take this time away from her because I am lonely and impatient."

Mai bit her lip. "But... what if..."

He sighed. With the movement she noticed his shoulders grow tense, rather than relaxing. "Yes. If I wait, certainly there will be others; as there were before. She is far too pretty not to catch the eyes of other men. Perhaps it would be taking a chance, but I cannot help but be optimistic that when we date she will see, as she did before, that she prefers me to the others."

"You're too selfless, Lin-san," Mai muttered. "And too mature."

"I am hardly either of those things," he scoffed. "Ultimately, Mai, I don't know what I will do. It depends on her actions and what happens over the next four days." He shook his head, signalling the conversation was at its end. "Let's go back and have a cup of tea."

...

The two walked back to the apartment together, each quiet in their own thoughts. Mai held back uneasily as Lin unlocked the door and turned on the lamp as he entered. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that the main room was empty, following him inside and bending down to unlace her sneakers. The last thing she wanted was to see Martin and Luella in the early hours in the morning when she was still sweaty and very much unpresentable from her morning exercises.

"Hungry?" Lin asked quietly as he filled the kettle and took the teapot and two teacups from the cupboard soundlessly.

She frowned, tilting her head. "Shouldn't I do my breathing exercises?" She queried.

The tall man paused, reaching for the loose-leaf tea. "As you like."

She stamped her foot and folded her arms across her chest in irritation. "You're my teacher, Lin-san, you're supposed to tell me what to do."

He chuckled softly. "And I already gave you the morning off, yet you went for a run anyway." He shook his head and set down the tea, crossing the dining room to the living room and she followed him across the carpet. "Help me move the coffee table," he said, picking up one end and gesturing for her to take the other. They moved the piece of furniture out of the way, clearing an ample space in the middle of the room. He pulled off his socks and tossed them aside, motioning for her to stand in front of him as she did the same. She mimicked his stance, standing with her bare feet slightly apart, breathing deeply and relaxing her shoulders.

"Mirror my actions," he told her. "When I raise my right hand you raise your left and vice versa. This is somewhat more complicated than what we've done this week, but the movements are slow and build on what you've already learned. It shouldn't be difficult."

Mai nodded wordlessly, and raised her right hand as Lin lifted his left. "Fingers relaxed," he began, "and lead with the palm. Inhale." She followed the slow, sweeping motion of his hand away from his body. "Exhale," he continued, raising his other hand and moving the two together. "Your right hand is pushing your left away from your body. Inhale—slowly. Concentrate on your breathing and clear your mind as we do in our normal exercises. Focus follows the calm. With focus comes control."

She breathed deeply and repeated the motions as they dropped their hands and began again. "This time we slide our leading foot with the hand," Lin instructed, and Mai mimicked his actions as he pivoted his body gracefully, sliding into a pose that he'd taught her earlier in the week.

"We'll pause here," Lin said after several minutes, returning to the initial relaxed stance. "Close your eyes, Mai, and tell me what you feel."

"I feel very relaxed," she said, her voice calm and clear. "But I feel more alert than I've ever felt during any of our morning exercises." She paused and Lin could see, in the pulsing of her aura, that she was reaching outward with her mind. "I can feel your presence," she announced. "I can sense your psychic energy, the way we've been practicing. After only a couple repetitions."

"Good. Very good. The more you do it, the easier it will become."

"It's much brighter, today, too." Mai said clearly, her eyes still closed. "I feel like one of Naru's infrared cameras. I can see your outline, even with my eyes closed."

"Can you see anything else in the apartment?"

"Yes and no. Not really.. but at the same time, there's something..." She hesitated. "This probably sounds really strange." When Lin said nothing she continued. "There's something all around you, kind of like I can see the negative space in the apartment. It's moving, but it stops where the sofa is—" she pointed to the side "—and the lamps and the table. So, in a way, I can see the rest of the apartment, but at the same time, I can't." Lin nodded and she frowned. "What's that?" She suddenly pointed at his side, above his waist.

"In my pocket?" He smiled and took out the small onyx stone that was in his sweatshirt pocket. "I imagine this looks much different from the rest of my body."

"Oh." She sounded relieved and her face relaxed. "I dunno, for a second I was worried you had appendicitis or something."

He chuckled quietly. "There is a lot of energy stored in this stone. If it was only mine it'd be difficult for you to distinguish it from my body."

"But it's not," she prompted.

"Right. Different sources, including yourself." He nodded and tossed it to her. She caught it without opening her eyes. "Try to push some of your own energy into the stone."

Mai frowned, opening her eyes and giving him a quizzical look. "How do I do that?"

"Just try."

Closing her eyes, her frown deepened as she concentrated; imagining she held tangible psychic energy in one hand just as she held the stone in the other, and imagined the energy flowing from her palm as she closed both hands around the stone.

"That's enough," Lin said quietly, and she opened her eyes. She dropped the warm stone, realizing that she was no longer standing straight and upright, but rather in one of the poses he had taught her only several minutes before.

"That was very good," Lin said, bending to pick up the stone where it had bounced on the carpet to land near his feet. "Intuitively, you used the Forms to channel energy. This is the same basic posture and technique Naru used to fix the door."

"Did you know? That I would do it correctly?" She asked suspiciously, but he shook his head, sliding the red striped stone back into his pocket.

"Sit down, Mai, and steady your breathing with our finishing meditation exercise. I'm going to make some tea." He crossed the room, meeting the gaze of the boy who stood silently in the doorway, leaning against the frame with a pensive look on his face.

...

When Mai got up from where she'd been meditating on the carpet, she was surprised to see Naru and Lin sitting at the kitchen table, drinking tea in silence. A third steaming cup was waiting for her, and she took the teacup but did not sit down, meeting Naru's intense gaze tentatively as she lifted it to her lips.

She could see he was tired. She frowned with concern, knowing he must be truly exhausted to allow it to show on his face. His pale complexion was just slightly too pallid and his eyes did not have the intense gleam that they should. There was a faint, patchy stubble around his jaw—it was the first time in a long time that she'd seen him in the morning before he shaved, and it was evident that at sixteen any facial hair he might have would be uneven compared to the uniform stubble she'd seen on his face in his mid-twenties.

"How do you think I'm progressing?" She finally asked, setting down the empty teacup.

Naru shook his head. "That's a question for Lin, not for me."

"You're doing well, Mai," Lin said, "though I would rather you not worry too much about your progress."

Mai nodded, lowering her gaze, watching Naru's fingertips restless on the smooth wooden table. "I should go," she finally murmured, lifting her chin as her eyes slid toward the clock on the wall. "I don't want your parents to see me like this. I need to shower and change."

"Come back here later?" Naru asked quietly, reaching for her hand and surprising her with the affectionate gesture, something she never thought he would do in another's presence—at least not without a reason like the way he'd taken her hand in front of his parents the night before. There was something in his dark eyes which suddenly seemed vulnerable to her.

"Of course," she said, smiling lightly and squeezing his fingers before she dropped his hand. "Just call me, or text me, whatever."

Naru watched her cross the room and throw her coat over her shoulders, sliding into her shoes and slipping out the door. After Mai left, the door firmly closed behind her, he turned his gaze onto Lin, unspoken questions rising plainly in his eyes.

Lin shook his head. "I don't know, Naru," he said quietly. "Mai's abilities are still very unstable, and her progression is completely unpredictable."

"She channeled psychic energy into your stone without much instruction."

"And less than two weeks ago she made a psychic barrier." Lin turned the object in question over in his fingers, rubbing the polished surface with his thumb. "And yet I very much doubt she could do either of these things again today if she tried. Not yet. Her development has not been linear or constant in even the slightest. Since the first day, today was the first time she's been so focused during our morning sessions."

Naru turned his head when he saw Gene enter the room from the corner of his eye. His older twin passed the table for the kitchen, pouring himself the remainder of the tea into a cup before leaning against the wall, watching his brother and Lin with a bemused look on his face.

"Her abilities are unstable," Lin repeated flatly. "With this morning as an exception, she's been fighting against herself and her own psychic energy. Knowing what we do of the future, it may simply be that they haven't completely emerged yet. If, as you suggested, she is borrowing energy from Gene, we may just have to be patient for his abilities to awaken hers."

"What did Aahil say about her aura?" Gene suddenly asked.

The tall man shook his head. "He described it as seeds being blown by a light breeze. When I asked him about it he said he can see her psychic potential but it's difficult to see what she's actually capable of." He gestured toward Naru. "Using your own spiritual fingerprint in contrast. Aahil said he can see clearly the strength of your PK when he studies your aura."

Naru lowered his gaze as he exhaled, the sound almost a chuckle. "Seeds that could be planted, perhaps, if we want to take the analogy literally." He shook his head, reaching for his tea. "Mai needs a stimulus to activate her abilities," he said, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "The only thing I can say for certain about Mai's capabilities is that she's driven by the instinct to protect herself."

"And those around her," Gene added. "When she really needs her abilities, they've been there for her."

Naru nodded slowly, raising his eyes to meet his brother's. "Perhaps."

"Certainly, as SPR continues to take cases, an exposure to supernatural activity will prompt her abilities to awaken and grow, as it happened in the past," Lin said quietly.

"Yes," Naru conceded, but Gene could see he was not pleased with the fact. He turned his empty cup on the table, gazing at the object. "I hope that the qigong training will be an adequate foundation when her abilities have emerged completely."

Lin retrieved the stone from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of Naru as he rose to his feet. "I'm going to shower before the others awaken." With that, he turned and left the twins alone in the room.

Gene exhaled loudly and sat down at the table, resting his chin on his hand. As he did, his brother rose to his feet and stepped into the kitchen.

"I'm going to make another pot of tea," he said. "Do you want coffee?"

"Yeah," Gene said, gazing at the red onyx stone Lin had left on the table. With his free arm he reached out across the table and picked it up, turning it over in his fingers. "Heat some water up for me and I'll make some in a bit. Martin and Luella are about to join us, as well. We've got a busy day ahead of us." He leaned forward, crossing his arms in front of him and dropping his head to rest upon the limbs. "At least you do. You're going to have some visitors to the office."

"Oh?" Naru raised an eyebrow. "What about you?"

"Me?" Gene smiled, closing his eyes. "No reason for us both to be stuck in the office, is there? I'm going to take Luella and Sarah sightseeing, of course."

...

Naru was sipping tea at the table and Gene was measuring coffee into the cafetière press when their adoptive parents came into the dining room. "Morning, Mum," Gene said with a grin. "Morning, Dad."

"Sleep well, honey?" Luella asked, smoothing Naru's hair with her hand as she passed into the adjoining kitchen and approached Gene, squeezing his shoulder with one hand and cradling his head with the other, leaning forward and rising on her toes to kiss his temple.

"Always," Gene laughed, squirming slightly under her touch.

"Can I get you some tea or coffee, Martin?" Luella asked, and the man nodded gratefully as he sat down at the table next to Naru.

"Tea first, please, though I suppose I'll have some coffee later. I never get used to intercontinental flights, no matter how many I do," Martin said, rubbing at his eyes with his fingers. "Always feel completely knackered the next day."

Luella paused in her perusal of the kitchen cupboards, smiling at her husband sympathetically. "It only gets worse as we get older, dear."

"Shouldn't it get better? We need less sleep than you youngsters." Martin chuckled brightly, smiling his thanks as Gene crossed the room and passed him a cup of tea. "Ta, Gene."

"Yes, but we're less adaptable. More set in our ways." Luella sipped the tea that Gene gave her, smiling at her son. "What usually suits for breakfast around here?"

"Toast, or sometimes oatmeal porridge. Unless Noll or Lin make something," Gene said. "I'm easy in the morning, though."

"You've got flour in the cupboard, do you have milk and eggs? I'll make Scotch pancakes if you want," she offered.

"You've missed Shrove Tuesday by about a week," Martin reminded his wife.

"All the more reason to have pancakes, then," Luella said, not waiting for an answer from the twins as she opened the refrigerator, looking inside. "Or I could scramble up some eggs or make some omelets. What would you like, Noll?"

"I'm fine with just toast and porridge," Naru said. "But help yourself to our kitchen." He glanced at his father. "Martin?"

"Anything's fine, Lu, don't put yourself out."

"Well, nibble on some toast and I'll whip up something. I saw Lin meditating in the living room, and Sarah's still in the bath anyway." Luella brought knives and plates to the table, a pleased-looking twinkle in her eyes. "I'm glad to see you've only whole-meal bread. It's healthier than just white. I had thought maybe all bread in Japan would still be those thick, white slices you always see at the market."

"You can thank Lin for that," Gene said. "He seems to hate plain white bread."

"We just had the most amazing bread last week," Luella continued. "Sarah's parents run a bakery up outside of Leeds and she brought some sourdough for an SPR luncheon. Apparently she finds the time to bake all of her own bread herself, too, and she brings in muffins and biscuits to share at work. Sometimes Martin even brings some home for me to try." She turned her twinkling gaze on her husband.

"I can't help it that her biscuits are popular among the staff," Martin reasoned half-heartedly as he sipped his tea.

"That's an understatement," Luella laughed, retrieving strawberry jam and orange marmalade from the refrigerator. "Keeps me trim, I guess. I suppose I needn't have worried about you eating well, the fridge didn't have nearly as many take-away containers as I feared," she teased her sons.

"Of course not," Gene laughed, rolling his eyes as his brother remained stoic and expressionless. "Let me help you make the pancakes."

"So you want pancakes, then?" Luella laughed musically.

"Not going to say no if you're offering."

She rested her hand on his shoulder gently. "How about you make me some pancakes, Gene, and I'll make you some eggs."

"Deal," Gene grinned.

"Anyone else?" Luella asked, directing her gaze back to where Martin and her other son sat at the table.

"I'll have some eggs if it's not too much trouble," Martin said, sipping his tea, glancing sidelong at his son. "Noll?"

"No thanks," Naru said shortly.

"Nothing with your pancakes, Noll?" Luella asked. "You don't have any sausage or anything in the fridge I can fry up for you?"

"Noll's completely vegetarian now, Mum." Gene said distractedly, retrieving flour from the back of the cupboard.

Martin raised an eyebrow. "Not just for cases, then? Does this stem from Lin's encouragement?"

"I made my own decision," Naru glanced at his brother in annoyance, knowing he wouldn't have been able to hide this from his parents but irritated all the same.

"Nothing wrong with being vegetarian, Martin." Luella said to her husband before turning her gaze back to Noll. "We support you in your decision, Noll. The world eats too much meat, anyway," she said with an approving nod. "Now, Gene, don't just stand there. You're going to need two bowls to mix the pancake batter."

There were two skillets heating on the stove when Lin joined the others in the kitchen, once again in his customary white collared shirt with a black tie and vest. "Good morning," he said, nodding his greeting to Martin and Luella.

"Morning, Lin," Luella said cheerfully as she whisked eggs together in a bowl. "Hope we didn't disrupt your meditation."

Lin smiled. "Of course not," he assured her, folding over his sleeves. "I prefer a little background noise anyway." He checked the kettle before taking it to the sink to fill it.

"Morning, Sarah," Luella called when the young woman appeared in the in the doorway. "Sit down, we'll get you a cuppa."

Gene noticed that Lin had jerked his head around a little too quickly when Luella greeted her, watching the man out of the corner of his eye as he tended the pancakes sizzling on the griddle. The peculiar expression that had crossed his face disappeared only a moment later and the man smiled pleasantly.

"Care for some coffee?" Lin asked her.

"Please," she said, smiling as she turned toward him. Her expression was bright and cheerful even though Gene could see she was nervous to be intruding on what she saw as a family gathering.

The man hesitated, glancing back toward her. She did not notice, as Gene did, Lin's unease to have assumed her preference. "Or perhaps you'd rather tea?"

"Oh, no, coffee's fine." Sarah took the chair between Naru and Martin at the table and sat down. "If it's no trouble."

"No trouble at all."

"I'll have half a cup as well, if you don't mind, Lin," Martin said.

The tall man nodded in response. "Of course."

"Better flip those pancakes," Luella reminded Gene, and the boy turned his attention back to the stove, though his lips were pressed together tightly and his eyes were eyes were narrowed in thought. "What do you think about Tokyo, Sarah?"

"You haven't, erm, been here before?" Lin asked stiffly.

Sarah shook her head. "No, this is my first time to Japan." She smiled, meeting Martin's eyes first, then Luella's. "I'm extremely grateful to have the opportunity to come here."

"We're delighted you could join us," Luella said warmly, laughing as she continued. "As far as I'm concerned, you've already proved how invaluable you are. Surely we would have gotten on the wrong train out of Narita if it weren't for you."

Sarah flushed modestly, averting her eyes to the floor. "Not at all."

"It wasn't," Luella contradicted her playfully, turning toward Lin to elaborate. "The normal trains weren't running due to maintenance on the tracks. Sarah asked a station attendant which was the best train for us to take. To you I'm sure it seems simple, but we would've been lost for hours otherwise..."

The others were still talking but Gene didn't hear their conversation at all. Noll, he suddenly thought toward his brother. Is Lin acting strange or am I imagining things?

It's not your imagination, his brother replied as he sipped his tea. His head was turned toward Martin and Sarah's small talk, for all the world appearing to listen to their conversation though Gene knew otherwise. Lin and Sarah were married. Before.

Gene dropped the spatula but caught it with his other hand, giving his mother a wide, reassuring grin for his foolish behavior when she looked at him with concern. What? He demanded silently.

You didn't know?

I never saw anything like that. Gene bit his lip and transferred the pancakes onto a plate before pouring fresh batter onto the pan. I suppose that explains a lot.

Last night, Naru began, but hesitated and didn't continue.

What? The older twin prompted.

You said you had a feeling Sarah knew.

Gene frowned, unsure. Did I?

You don't feel that way now? Naru queried. This was not the first time his brother had woken him up in the night with his sleepy ramblings, only to forget it the following morning.

I don't know. Gene paused, perplexed. If she and Lin were married and she knew, she would have said something by now.

But his twin was silent and didn't respond.

...

Mai had showered and changed into her nicest clothes before breakfast, a simple meal of leftover rice and miso soup. Now, she waited with a second cup of tea and an assortment of schoolwork and several old volumes of Hana to Yume issues spread out in front of her on the surface of the kotatsu. When she completed her biology review homework she picked up a manga and began paging through the magazine, smiling to herself as she read. She hadn't read many comics while she was in England—occasionally she'd taken trips to the Japanese market with Luella and would pick up something or another—but she hadn't the money nor the time to follow the stories the way she had during her first pass at young adulthood.

She picked up her mobile as it began to ring, buzzing on the table, without bothering to look who the caller was. "Hello?" She answered, turning the page of the comic she was following.

"Good morning, Taniyama-san," a cheerful voice said on the other end of the line. "This is Yasuhara Osamu. How are you today?"

"Y-Y-Yasuhara-san?" Mai managed, eyes growing wide and sitting up straight, the manga completely forgotten.

"You sound surprised," he said, chuckling lightly.

"I am surprised," she retorted.

"Didn't look at your caller ID? Hmm, you must be expecting a call from someone else." He teased, laughing. "I won't keep you long, Taniyama-san. I just wanted to ask you about the psychic research office you work for."

"What about it?" Mai asked uneasily. "Wait—how did you know I work there?"

"Lucky guess." She could practically hear his sly, fox-like smile. "Shibuya-san said they were looking for part-time investigators, correct? I thought I'd pop in the office today and drop off my credentials. Will Shibuya-san be in?"

"Yes, he should be," Mai said slowly, though her mind was beginning to race. What were the chances that Yasuhara would visit the office the same weekend Martin and Luella arrived in Tokyo, and would the office even continue normal operations?

"What about you, Taniyama-san? Do you work weekends?"

"I'll probably be there today," she admitted, wondering how the English couple's arrival would affect the office. "Probably."

"Well, I hope I'll see you later. If not, take care."

"Likewise, Yasuhara-san."

Mai held the phone in her hand, staring at the object incredulously and allowing a smile to creep across her lips. After a moment's hesitation, she keyed in a short text. Guess who just called? You really won't believe who's coming to the office today.

...

It didn't take long for the family to finish their breakfast. They'd rotated around the table as there were only four chairs; at the end of the meal it was Lin and Naru who stood, leaning against the kitchen counters. Lin was making a second round of coffee in the press while Luella continued a cheerful conversation at the table. Naru held his tea in one hand and his mobile phone in the other, reading the text Mai had just sent.

You weren't wrong, Gene, he thought.

Of course I wasn't, I'm never wrong, his brother teased back. About what? But Luella interrupted him before Naru could answer.

"We need to decide what we're going to do today," Luella said, leaning forward to stack some of the empty plates on the table. Sarah took her cue and rose, carrying the dirty dishes to the sink where she began to rinse them.

"Well," Martin said, lifting his arm to look at his watch. "It's just after eight o'clock—is that right?" Gene nodded his head in confirmation and Martin smiled in thanks as Lin poured him a cup of the freshly made coffee. "I suppose we should head down to the office soon. What time do you need to be there?"

"Our standard office hours are from eight on weekdays and nine on weekends." Naru said.

"But we're flexible," Gene added, rising to his feet. He took the last of the dishes from the table to Sarah and then began to fill the dishwasher for her.

Luella frowned, pursing her lips and folding her hands together in her lap. "Do you want to close the office—just for the next couple of days? We thought we'd try to do a little sightseeing as a family while we're all together—and certainly you don't want us breathing down your necks at your office." She glanced at Martin. "I know you want to see the Japanese branch office of SPR for yourself, darling, but you've read Lin's reports and there's no reason for you to spend a whole day there. Especially if you're concerned about keeping Noll and Gene's true identities under wraps. Foreign visitors are only going to draw attention."

"No," Naru said quietly. "We can't close the office. We're going to have at least one visitor to the office today we need to greet." Seeing questioning looks from Martin, Luella and Lin, he sighed as he elaborated. "An investigator I'd like to interview said he'd come by today. I don't want to miss him."

Gene raised an eyebrow at his twin but said nothing.

"But there's no reason you can't sightsee. I'll stay at the office," he continued briskly. "Martin, Luella—why don't you take everyone else out during the day. We can reconvene in the evening."

"What time will he be there?" Luella asked. "There's no reason for you to be there all day if he's only coming in the morning or in the afternoon."

"We didn't make a firm appointment."

"Regardless, let's head down to the office now," Martin said, removing his glasses and polishing the lenses. Replacing them on the bridge of his nose, he stood and stretched his arms. "I've got plenty of work you can help me with while we wait, and I'd like to read your report on the Prime Minister's residence. If your visitor comes in the morning, you can close the office after he leaves and we can go sightseeing as a family," he directed the last bit to Luella, who looked somewhat appeased. He then turned his gaze toward Lin. "Will we all fit in the van?"

"It'll be a bit tight," Lin admitted. "But it's designed to fit six passengers when all the seats are in place."

"I'll call Mai and let her know we'll pick her up in a couple minutes," Gene said brightly, and as if on cue, his brother tossed him his mobile phone. Martin and Luella both looked slightly surprised at this, but recovered quickly. "You said it yourself, we'll see her today at the office," he reminded them. "And if you want to go sightseeing, there's no one better than Mai to show us around."

"Of course," Luella said, smiling before her husband could disagree. "That's a marvellous idea, Gene."

...

Mai was waiting outside with her feet spread slightly apart, leaning backwards as she braced herself against the strong wind pushing against her back. It had picked up again after she returned from her run and though the warm sun and air promised spring, the wind itself was cold. She pulled her scarf up high around her neck and over her ears, though the fabric did little to stop the wind which seemed to come from everywhere all at once. She hadn't thought to take her hat when she left the house and was now wondering if she should run back inside to get it when she saw the van appear at the end of the street.

Anxiety began to grow in her stomach at seeing Martin and Luella again, nervous thoughts tumbling over and over through her mind. Naru told them he wants to marry me. What was he thinking? They probably think I'm just some girl who seduced their son and the sooner they get him away from me the better... She took a deep breath and shook her head to clear it. Thinking that way wouldn't help, she needed to try not to slip into those thoughts. Smoothing her skirt nervously, she tucked her windblown hair behind her ears only for it to be blown loose again. At least she looked presentable and professional—well, besides her hair—not that her appearance would matter if she said anything stupid. A sardonic smile flitted across her lips. I've always been good at coming up with stupid things to say.

They were just walking a different path this time, she reminded herself, thinking of Lin's words from earlier that morning, and there was no reason to think it wouldn't intersect with where they were before. She took another deep breath as the van approached, slowing as it neared her. They may have had a bad start, but she knew Martin had only been surprised to find his teenaged son with a girl, and didn't really mean the things he said. Just think before you speak, she told herself, and you'll be fine.

The vehicle stopped in front of her and she found herself bowing to Martin in the front passenger seat before she could stop herself. The van door slid open and Gene grinned at her, holding out his hand to take her bag from her. "Good morning, Mai!"

"Good morning," Mai said, giving a short half-bow in greeting to Luella and Sarah as she met the women's eyes. "How are you today?" she asked politely. Luella, who sat on the other side of Gene, and Sarah, who sat in the back next to Naru. It was certainly the first time she'd ever seen Naru in the rear seat of the van and would have laughed had the circumstances been a little different. As it was, she simply climbed into the van and sat in the empty seat next to Gene, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Good morning, Mai. Good, thank you. And yourself?"

"Well, thank you." The van began to move again, gliding quietly down the street as she fastened her seatbelt. She was spared having to think of topics to fill the silence as conversation naturally started up again.

"How long of a drive to Shibuya?" Martin asked Lin in the front, though Mai didn't hear his response. Gene began to talk beside her to his mother, pointing out everyday landmarks along the way.

"We're coming up to the canal—we should take a walk sometime while you're here—it's really beautiful, lined with trees—I suppose they must be cherry trees—though it'll be prettier in a couple weeks when spring really arrives. Oh, do you see that up there? There's a small Shinto shrine tucked in-between those two buildings. You might not believe it, being so small and practically hidden behind these shops, but it's actually a very pure, sacred space. Just passing by it makes me feel calm. Oh—we're coming up to my favorite shop, they sell Blue Seal Ice Cream from Okinawa—we should get some while you're here, coconut's one of their main flavors and you can hardly ever find it back home—though I prefer the sweet potato, or maybe the banana. I even got Noll to admit to liking the black sesame—"

Mai couldn't help but smile as she listened to him talk. Gene was like an overflowing, bubbling brook, laughing easily and fluidly as he spoke, pointing out the window as he identified the most mundane details to his mother. She stole a glance backwards toward his brother behind her and saw that both he and Sarah were watching and listening to Gene. The look on Naru's face made her breath hitch in her throat and she turned forward again before either could see her watching. Evident in his expression was profound relief, but there was also tremendous sadness reflected in the depths of his dark eyes. It was this sadness and regret that made Mai's chest swell with sudden, overwhelming emotion and her eyes fill with tears she could not allow to fall.

What are you blaming yourself for, Naru? Why do you still blame yourself for something that never came to pass?

...

Lin parked the van in the remaining vacant spot in front of the building in Dogenzaka and the seven stepped out onto the sidewalk. They waited as Lin locked the doors and then followed Naru across the plaza and toward the set of stairs toward the upstairs office. The three new arrivals looked impressed at the location, Martin murmuring at the unlikelihood of such affordable real estate in the middle of Shibuya and Luella immediately noticing the café beneath and commenting on the convenience.

Walking behind them, Mai's gaze moved between Martin and Luella, studying the backs of their heads. Neither had made any indication yet that they would revisit her embarrassment from the night before, and while that was somewhat of a relief on one hand, it also made her more nervous on the other. What had they said to Naru when they left her apartment last night? She couldn't begin to imagine.

She frowned, nibbling on her lower lip. She knew them—had loved them as she'd loved her own parents, and yet—yet, they didn't know her. Did she know them? She couldn't keep the thought from springing in her mind. She'd known a couple that had learned to live with the grief over the loss of their son. She might have known Martin and Luella, and yet she'd never known Luella as a mother who could laugh at Gene's antics or Martin as a father that could refer to his sons in the present tense, and there was something very different about those two people. The thought itself was unnerving, though at the same time she was tremendously relieved they hadn't had to experience that tragedy.

Her eyes trailed away from the older English couple, her gaze settling on Sarah. Mai knew the woman had never been to Japan before and watched as Sarah looked around, taking in all the details of their surroundings. In the bright morning daylight, as opposed to her dim house after dark, Mai could see that Sarah's outward appearance hadn't changed since she knew her. Her fashion seemed to be quite similar; she was wearing a cute patterned dress over leggings and a pashmina scarf draped around her neck. As to be expected, she wore boots, as Mai had never seen the woman in anything but. Her curly hair was even clipped back the way she usually wore it; parted on one side and pulled away from her face, cascading over her shoulders. In fact, it was startling—almost bizarre—how similar she was to Mai's memory.

"I'll admit we've had lunch there a couple times," Gene said in response to Luella's comments about the café, leading his parents up the stairs. "Probably Lin and Noll more than me since I haven't spent as much time in the office." Seeing Martin's eyebrows rise, he continued before his father could ask. "While we're here we figured we might as well try to find some new resources. I've spent a couple days visiting libraries in the area."

"Oh, yes," Martin nodded. "That's right. Lin and Noll did both mention that. I just hadn't realized quite what was entailed."

"Usually he leaves the office by mid-morning and returns late afternoon," Naru said, lifting an eyebrow at his brother. "You know how he hates to be stuck in one place all day."

"Gene, what are you going to do without Noll?" Luella asked with a smile, hooking her arm around her son's. "You'll have to run the office with Lin, you know."

"Of course," Gene said off-handedly.

"You know we can close this office anytime you'd like," Martin reminded him. "There's no obligation to keep it open."

Gene's eyes hardened slightly, almost imperceptibly so, though Luella at his side saw his jaw tighten. "Nah," he said with a laugh, his expression suddenly so light-hearted again that his mother couldn't help but wonder if she'd imagined it. "I haven't grown bored of it just yet, Martin."

Lagging behind at the back of the group, Mai pressed her lips together, suddenly very nervous again.

...

Naru unlocked the door to the office, stepping inside and switching on the overhead lights. Gene followed his brother across the room and Lin went straight to his office while Martin, Luella and Sarah stood in the entryway, looking around the main room. Mai slipped around them to her desk, placing her bag on the floor next to her chair.

"Very professional," Martin said with a pleased smile on his face.

"It does look very nice, doesn't it?" Luella agreed.

"What do you think?" Gene asked his mother, taking her arm and leading her inside the office. "Not bad, right?"

"Rather," she agreed, beaming pride in her eyes. "I like the pictures you've picked out for the walls."

"That was all me," Gene boasted. "You know how Noll couldn't care less about such a trivial thing as decor. Do we have your approval, Martin?" He asked with a teasing grin, flopping down on one of the sofas while his brother entered their office, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack inside.

"You could say that," Martin chuckled at his joking son, pausing at the reception desk where Mai was checking the voice messages on the answering machine. He glanced at the files that were stacked neatly on the side of the desk, his eyes traveling over the calendar diary she used to schedule appointments. It seemed to catch his attention, lying open on the desk, and he turned the pages back, eyes skimming over the dates. Mai flushed slightly as he looked, knowing he could not read any of the notes she had written in Japanese, but there was a three-day period the previous weekend where she'd drawn an arrow through to indicate the twins' and Lin's absence on their trip to Suwa. That single line with Urado / Yoshimi written beneath it in katakana suddenly looked very incriminating and she wished she hadn't written it at all.

"Now, Martin, don't snoop," Luella chastised, hanging her coat next to her son's. "Where shall we sit, Noll? On the sofas in the lounge?"

"No, come into our office." Naru gestured for them to follow her. "You too, Gene; or if we have any visitors they'll be likely to think you're a client, and I don't want to waste time by trying to explain why our lead investigator is lounging around so unprofessionally."

"I suppose that wouldn't be ideal," Gene agreed congenially, rising to his feet and following his brother into the private office. Luella walked behind Naru's desk to the window, adjusting the blinds so she could look out at the street below.

"Is that your official title?" Martin asked, turning to Gene. "Lead investigator? I thought Lin said you and Noll would share responsibility for the office."

Naru snorted as he sat down behind his desk. "Gene refused to be the manager of the office. As such, technically I'm the president, Gene's lead investigator, and Lin is an assistant investigator."

"It's easier if there's only one person to defer to," Gene reasoned with a smile. "And Noll is loads better at it than I am."

"Not that it will matter after I return to England," Naru frowned at his brother. "You'll be in charge, Gene."

"I know." He laughed then. "The first thing I'll do as president is to ask Lin to assume leadership."

"Now, Eugene, we didn't open this office for Lin—"

"I know, I know," he laughed, holding up his hands in appeasement. "I'm only joking. Though at least Lin looks the part. Noll had trouble before getting people to listen to him simply because he was still only a teenager." He smiled winningly at his parents. "You trust us because you know we're capable, but other adults don't have the same faith in mere children."

"What about Mai?" Martin asked as he sat in the chair closest to Naru's desk that Mai or Lin would usually take while sitting in the twins' office.

"She's not just a receptionist, is she?" Luella asked, coming around Naru's desk to sit in the other chair next to Gene's desk.

"No, she's an assistant, same as Lin," Gene continued. "She assists at the office and during investigations." His face lit up when the girl in question tapped on the open door, carrying a full tea tray with Sarah close behind her.

"I made some tea," she announced politely. "Naru—ah, um—" she flushed, realizing she didn't know how to address him in front of his parents, but Naru was probably the least strange. She certainly couldn't call him Shibuya-san the way she did with the clients and Oliver seemed too formal. "Yasuhara didn't say exactly what time he'd be in today," she continued hurriedly, moving the teacups and the teapot to the side table between the chairs where Martin and Luella sat. "But I had the impression it'd be sometime in the morning. And there were two messages on the machine," she finished, passing him the notepad she'd held under the tray.

"Thank you." Naru said with a curt nod, and Mai felt a smile grow on her lips at his verbal acknowledgement. "Could you ask Lin to prepare the employment forms?" He asked, his voice slightly quieter as he made the request. "No reason not to be ready for Yasuhara when he arrives."

"Certainly," she said, dipping her head quickly. Feeling Luella's gaze on her she felt her ears grow hot and she pressed the empty tray close against her body as if she was trying to hide behind it. "There are some errands to run so I'll step out for a bit. It won't be long. I'll be back before Yasuhara arrives."

"Shall I go with you?" Sarah suddenly asked.

The offer surprised her, but Mai smiled brightly. "Please," she said gratefully. She dipped her head again in response to Naru's dismissive nod, and with a short bow to the adults in the room, she excused herself from the room.

...

"You didn't have to come with me," Mai said to Sarah as she closed the office door behind her, smiling gratefully. "But I'm glad for your company all the same. Thank you."

"Of course," Sarah said, returning the smile as they walked down the short hall and back down the steps they'd climbed shortly before. "It's nice to be able to go out and about. I feel a little out of place at the office," she admitted quietly. "Like a third wheel. When Madoka couldn't come, Dr Davis asked me to accompany them in her stead. But it's not like they need someone who speaks Japanese, since both Oliver and Eugene, not to mention K—Mr Lin, are fluent." Mai caught the slight slip as Sarah was about to call Lin by his first name, but didn't have a chance to dwell on the oddness of it as Sarah smiled at her apologetically. "Not to say I'm not grateful. Sorry if I sound like I'm complaining."

Mai shook her head and waved her hands to reassure her. "No, not at all, Sarah-san." She tried to laugh, but the sound was forced. "I know exactly what you mean. Being on the outside of the family."

Sarah sighed quietly as they approached the light, waiting at the crosswalk, the wind pushing against their backs and blowing Mai's hair around her face. "I'm really sorry to have put you in this situation. And... I'm really sorry about what happened last night."

Mai flushed and looked at her hands. The light changed and they followed the other pedestrians across the street to the encouraging chirping sound of the crosswalk that let them know it was safe. "It's not your fault, Sarah-san."

"No," Sarah agreed, a strange sad smile crossing her lips. "But I'm sorry all the same." The two turned the corner, the sun appearing from between the buildings of Shibuya and lighting their faces with its warmth. "Is it okay if I call you Mai-san?" She asked in Japanese.

"Of course," Mai replied, an infectious grin spreading across her features and onto Sarah's. She pointed to a small office supplies store they were approaching. "This is our first stop," she told her, checking Sarah's features for understanding and relaxing slightly when she saw it.

The bells on the door jingled and Mai entered the store, Sarah following her close behind. Mai hadn't asked her—and to be honest she wasn't entirely sure how it happened—but Sarah held the items for her as she picked them out, freeing her hands to check the supplies as she perused the shelves. It was nothing much: a box of paper clips, highlighters, some folders, a set of tabbed dividers and a ream of paper. The young clerk, usually simply friendly and helpful to Mai on her previous visits to the shop, was slightly more talkative than usual as he boxed up the supplies, smiling and winking at Sarah.

"Come by again soon," he called after them as they left. Mai couldn't help but laugh as the door closed behind her, seeing the embarrassed look on Sarah's face.

"Sorry," Mai giggled, waving her hand slightly. "I'm not laughing at you, just..."

"It's fine," Sarah blushed. "It's just been a long time since a man's flirted with me. I didn't know how to react."

It seemed like a strange thing to say and Mai regarded her curiously, wondering if she'd misunderstood her. "What do you mean?"

"Oh..." Sarah shook her head. "Nothing."

Mai didn't press her, but glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. Thinking she saw a flicker of something behind them, she suddenly turned, stopping in her footsteps and frowning when there was nothing there.

"Mai-san?" Sarah asked.

"No, sorry... it's nothing," Mai said, hurrying slightly to catch up again with the woman.

"What other errands do you need to run?" Sarah asked her as they continued down the street.

"Umm, there's just one more office supplies store I wanted to go to," Mai said, "to get new ink cartridge for the printer." She laughed quietly. "To be honest, we don't even need ink at the office," she admitted. "But I dunno. It seems like now's a good a time as any to pick up a spare."

Sarah considered her for a moment. "Are you hungry?" She began tentatively. "Maybe we could stop for a coffee or something."

Mai found herself relaxing and grinned brightly at the other woman, whose face began to mimic her own. "I'd like that."

The two sat at a tiny table tucked in the back of the small café. Mai had a cup of tea and Sarah ordered coffee and a couple croissants. "This is my first time coming to Japan," Sarah told her, shrugging off her jacket onto the chair behind her and pushing the sleeves of her knit cardigan up slightly before reaching for her coffee, blowing steam off the top of her drink. "My mother grew up on Amami, but even she hasn't gone back since my grandparents passed away."

"Amami Oshima?" Mai asked, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table. "I've always wanted to go there."

"Me, too," Sarah laughed quietly, setting her cup back on the saucer. "The pictures are really beautiful." She shrugged slightly, her gaze suddenly distant. "Someday. Maybe." She picked up a croissant with two fingers and studied its shape before tearing the end off carefully, the outer crust crumbling slightly. "Help yourself," she told Mai. "It's for you, if you want it."

"Thank you," Mai said, taking the other from the plate and biting into it. "Do you travel much?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, I've only been outside of England a handful of times, and a couple of those were just other places in the UK. Scotland and Ireland." She tilted her head side to side as she thought. "This is the furthest I've been from home. I guess the last time I went abroad was China. I went with my friend from university to visit her family. She's from Dali, in Yunnan Province. South central China."

"Oh?" Mai asked. She had a faint recollection that one of Sarah's close friends was Chinese and had been her mahjong partner before she began to play with Lin. She'd probably met her at Lin and Sarah's wedding, but the memory was hazy. She'd met a lot of people that day, the couple's extended family and friends.

"I suppose it was just... last year, that we went, for summer holidays." Sarah smiled as she remembered. "It's a really beautiful area."

"How long were you there?"

"Two months." Sarah's smile brightened as her face relaxed. "I'd go back in a heartbeat, but it wouldn't be the same. We led quite the charmed life. Working at her aunt's hostel a few days at a time and enjoying ourselves for the rest. We'd ride motorbikes around the lake and climb the mountains on our days off, or go fishing with her uncles and play mahjong with her grandparents." She smiled, tapping her fingers against her cup. "It was lovely."

"That sounds amazing," Mai breathed. "I can't help but feel a little jealous."

"I was really lucky, to be able to go." Sarah flushed slightly and took a sip of her coffee. "It seems kind of funny, looking back. Like it's not something I would do. You know what I mean?"

"I do," Mai agreed. She'd felt the same way, sometimes, when she moved to London to be with Naru. "Like it falls outside of who I'd expect myself to be. Who I used to expect myself to be, and now I don't know anymore."

"Exactly!" Sarah giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "That's exactly it."

Mai laughed, weight falling from her shoulders such was her relief to feel such an immediate rapport with the other woman, something only a day before she'd only felt with the twins and Lin. There was something to be said about speaking with another woman, an adult woman, which was slightly beyond the high school conversations she had with her friends at school. She supposed part of the reason they were able to speak so freely together was simply that they were sharing the same discomfiture of intruding on the Davis family circle, though the more they spoke, the more similarities she knew they would uncover between them.

"You play mahjong?" She asked her. "I think Lin-san does, but I've never played. I don't know how."

At this Sarah smiled shyly. "I'm sure he'd be happy to teach you. Perhaps we could convince Oliver or Eugene to play as well."

"I'd like that," Mai said honestly.

"What about you, Mai-san?" Sarah asked, lifting her coffee again and sipping it slowly, the steam still curling off the drink and into the air. "Oliver, yesterday, he said you'd lived in London..." Her voice trailed off slightly as if she didn't know how to continue.

"Oh, um, yes," Mai said, fingering her teacup. She hated lying, but if she said that she'd lived there in the past, in this past, then there was no escaping from it. "For school," she finally said lamely. "For a little while."

"I always wanted to study abroad," Sarah said. The woman seemed to sense that Mai didn't want to talk about it and didn't force the subject. "A lot of my friends did in university." She shrugged again. "I didn't have the savings and I didn't want to ask my parents to send me. They run their own business and cash is always a bit tight."

"What kind of business?" Mai asked, even though she already knew the answer to this question.

"A bakery," Sarah admitted as she picked apart the rest of her croissant. "My parents are both bakers."

"I wondered why it seemed like you were judging that croissant," Mai teased.

Sarah laughed. "It's a bad habit, sorry." She smiled ruefully, wiping her fingertips on the paper napkin and picking up her coffee cup. "I've been baking with my parents ever since I was young, and I really love it. Although I can't imagine ever baking the way they do, for anyone other than myself or my family."

"Did your parents want you to bake with them? I mean, in the bakery, professionally?"

"Oh, yes." Sarah laughed lightly. "My father was devastated, at first, that I wasn't going to follow in his footsteps and keep the bakery going. But then my younger brother said he would." She laughed again. "He's a much better baker than I am, anyway. He'd rather make the perfect baguette while I'd rather just make a batch of sweet biscuits."

Mai giggled. "Do you have any other brothers or sisters?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, just me and my brother." She pursed her lips together slightly, looking at Mai with a very open look on her face. "What about you, Mai-san? What did.. your parents do, before they passed away?"

Mai looked at her tea, her fingertips caressing the porcelain gently. It had been a long time since she'd talked about her parents. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her parents' professions, and yet she was very self-conscious about it. Neither had gone to university as she had, or as she would. Knowing that Sarah's parents were also from the working class made it easier to talk about. "My father worked at the shipyard. My mom worked at a restaurant. She was a cook."

"You must be a good cook, too."

Mai laughed, her voice tinged with bitterness. "You'd think so, right? But the funny thing is, I never learned any of that from my mom at all." She picked up the teacup, gazing at the remaining liquid. "She never asked me to learn, and I was an air-headed child and never thought I'd have to fend for myself. Even after my father died." She shook her head to herself.

"We're all like that," Sarah said quietly.

"Yeah." Mai sighed and drank the last of her tea, setting the teacup back down on the saucer and pushing it slightly away from her, toward the center of the table. "I suppose so."

"I'm sorry I asked. I didn't mean..."

"No, it's okay." Mai shook her head, smiling genuinely. "I'm glad you did. It was a long time ago, you know, since my parents passed away. I don't mind talking about them. It's nice, actually, to remember." Seeing that Sarah was still nervous about having offended her, she grinned and reached across the table, patting her hand with her own. "Really, Sarah-san." She flushed slightly after she did this, pulling her hand away again, but if Sarah thought the action was strange she didn't show it.

"I suppose the last time I talked about my parents was when Gene asked me about them a few weeks ago. Naru asked me, too," she added quickly, afraid of sounding as if she'd talked more with Gene about them than with her boyfriend. "And if I saw their spirits after they died. Which I didn't," she added. "I only started seeing spirits after I started working for SPR. But he was afraid of making me feel like I was under his scientific observation and tried not to ask about it too much. And I think he was worried about making me upset."

Sarah smiled warmly. "He's much kinder than people give him credit for."

Mai blushed suddenly, embarrassed and worried she'd revealed too much. "I'm talking too much, sorry."

"Not at all," Sarah reassured her, smiling. She glanced at her watch. "I suppose we should go back to the office, huh?" She said, laughing lightly. "Dr Davis gave me a whole stack of work to complete on this trip anyway, so I'd better not put it off too long."

"What? Work on your vacation?" Mai laughed.

"It's not a vacation for me," Sarah reminded her. "Though I'm hoping Luella will let me tag along on any sightseeing trips they might want to take."

Mai nodded in agreement, and as they stepped out of the shop and onto the busy Shibuya street, her lips curled in a mischievous grin. "One more place to go to, actually," she said, gesturing for Sarah to follow her down the street. "I don't know, you might end up going here with Martin and Luella anyway, but we're so close, and it's such a classic Tokyo icon." Seeing Sarah's quizzical look she grinned. "The statue of Hachiko outside Shibuya Station. It's just around the block." She laughed. "Besides, I just realized we should get some more milk for the office. That's how the English drink their tea, right?"

After visiting the Hachiko statue, Mai took Sarah on a detour back to the office, stopping at a tiny grocer on a back alleyway for milk and then passing through some of the major urban shopping areas of Shibuya. As they walked, once again, there were a couple times Mai thought she saw something behind them out of the corner of her eye, but every time she looked it had completely disappeared.

...

Mai and Sarah were laughing together when they returned to the office. "—my brother always has the most uncanny timing," Sarah giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'll call him and he'll pick up the phone before it rings, swearing he was about to call me. Just once or twice would be a coincidence, but it happens a lot. With my parents, too. I was visiting him last weekend and he picked up the phone and started dialing before he realized he was already connected to our Mum—she'd called him only seconds before."

Mai laughed aloud as she set the shopping bag on her desk. "No! Really? He doesn't have some sort of ESP?"

Sarah shrugged, passing her the ream of printer paper she'd been carrying. "I couldn't believe it."

"Oh, you're back," Gene said, looking up from where he lounged on the sofa, snapping his book shut as he straightened. Mai glanced at the two closed doors to the private offices and Gene answered her unspoken question, gesturing first toward Lin's office door. "Lin's calling the two that had left messages on the machine and Martin and Luella are looking over the Urado report." He grinned. "Well, Martin's reading it and Luella's trying to decide which top tourist destination we should go to first this afternoon. I'm sure when he's done he'll have lots of questions for Lin and Noll."

That explained why Gene was out in the visitor's lounge rather than in the office, Mai thought, setting the ream of paper neatly by the printer, as the twins were probably wary of contradictory statements regarding the incident and Gene had simply opted not to be present. More likely, she thought, a small grin twitching on her lips, Naru had told his brother to steer clear lest he give something away.

"They should be busy for a while. In the meantime, would you mind running to the library for me?"

"Now?" Mai asked dubiously, arranging the miscellaneous office supplies in the cabinet and nodding her thanks as Sarah took the milk to the kitchenette.

"Yeah, I thought we'd show Martin just what we've been up to." Gene grinned at her as he hopped to his feet, holding out a piece of paper for her to see. "We've put together a list. These should all be at the Shibuya Central Library, I think."

Mai reached forward and plucked it from his fingers, frowning as she considered it. "Gene, you've already done these," she protested. "Haven't you?" She tapped the paper with her fingertips. "This one by Nakamura Shunji. I know I remember this title."

"Precisely," he supplied. "To show Martin exactly what we've done. Noll's presentation, you know, must be adequately thorough."

Mai sighed. "Fine," she agreed. "But I wish you'd told me before I ran the errands. We went right by the library, you know."

Sarah had been watching the exchange and sat down on the sofa across from where Gene had been sitting, giving Mai a sympathetic look.

"Now," Gene said quietly in Japanese, a small smirk lifting his lips. "I thought you'd be glad for an excuse to get out of the office, away from my parents' prying eyes. And you'll be glad to hear that they were both quite impressed with your translation of those messages from the machine this morning. Luella said you could be a translator and even Martin was impressed by how professional it was."

"Should I be?" Mai muttered, sticking out her lips in a pout as she snatched up her bag again.

"It's a compliment, Mai, okay? I'm just saying—" Gene continued.

"Okay, Gene, okay," Mai retorted, once again speaking in English in case any of the aforementioned adults were listening. "I'm going, all right?"

"Take this too," he said, passing her another bunch of papers, folded together.

Mai gawked. "Wait, there's more? How many books do you want me to get?" She frowned at him, folding her arms across her chest. "I can't carry the entire library, you know."

"Oh, no," Gene said offhandedly. "This is just some notes on where to find the books. If I remember right from last time. Which I probably don't." He shrugged nonchalantly but he was giving her a meaningful look. "Just take a look at it when you get there, it'll help."

Mai raised an eyebrow at him and tucked it in her pocket. "Fine. I'll be back in a bit." She raised her hand in parting to Sarah. "Bye, Sarah."

"See you later," Sarah called to Mai as she left, giving her an empathetic smile and Mai waved at them as she closed the door behind her.

After Mai left, Sarah picked up her satchel and retrieved some files before setting it back on the floor by her feet. Gene plopped down on the sofa across from her, watching her as she set to work.

"So, what do you do at BSPR, Sarah?" Gene asked, breaking the silence.

Sarah looked up from the papers she was reading, smiling slightly when she met his gaze. "My job description puts me in for background research and initial case planning, though I'll admit it's been more of the former since I've started." Her smile turned almost apologetic. "I've only been assigned to a few cases since I started a couple months ago. Lately I've been helping out in Terrance Ephraim's lab. Do you know him—Dr Terry?"

Gene pressed his lips together and nodded. He didn't know the personnel or the workings of BSPR as well as his brother, but he knew Dr Terry, as he was affectionately called by the entirety of the staff. Dr Terry and his father had been friends for a long time, since long before he and his brother had been adopted by the Davis couple. Like his father, Dr Terry was fascinated by the science of the supernatural and obtaining irrefutable evidence to validate their studies, and ran one of the largest research divisions at BSPR. He also knew Dr Terry didn't have any mediums or clairvoyants in his lab, as his work was the most rooted in the scientific process and not all of BSPR's employees with preternatural abilities were qualified to work within it. Dr Terry and his lab were often considered the foundation of BSPR's science behind the study of the supernatural, but mostly Gene just knew the man as his father's best mate.

"What was your focus in school? You must have a science degree."

"Yes. Organic chemistry, molecular biology and statistical analysis."

He didn't need to pretend to be impressed. "So in other words, you're smart, huh."

"Not especially." She chuckled softly, lowering her gaze humbly.

"Who do you work under? For cases?"

She tilted her head, gesturing vaguely toward the other room. "I'm with your father's team. So far I've been included on only Stevens' cases. "

Gene nodded. Ulrich Stevens, a lead investigator. He remembered the name as another one of his father's associates, but didn't have much of an impression of the man other than the fact that he was a bit noisy at social gatherings and liked to boast about his successful cases. "You haven't worked on any cases with Madoka yet?" He asked instead.

Sarah smiled. "No, not yet. I'm looking forward to it. She has a remarkable reputation."

Gene couldn't help but grin, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "That's a delicate way of putting it."

She laughed but didn't say any more on the topic. Gene had the impression there was something more she wanted to say and he waited, but she did not continue.

"Most investigators start their careers at BSPR as researchers," he began again, speaking slowly. "Is that something you'd like to do? Eventually?"

She shook her head without hesitation, her dark curls bouncing slightly with the movement. "I enjoy the research side of it," she said honestly. "I don't feel like I'm any less a part of the investigative team, even when I'm by myself off-site checking records at the library. It may seem strange, but I really enjoy it."

"It can get boring, after a while," Gene warned her, making a severe face that was hard for her to discern if he was joking or being serious. "You've only been at it for a couple of months. Trust me. It gets old."

She laughed again, leaning back into the sofa. "Maybe. But I don't think I'll get tired of it." Her smile seemed wistful, suddenly, and Gene narrowed his eyes when he caught the movement. "Maybe I'm being overly optimistic."

He frowned, wondering. "Do you have any psychic abilities?" He finally asked bluntly.

Sarah hesitated, looking back down at the papers in her hand. "I do," she admitted slowly, "but I don't use it. Not if I can help it."

Gene gazed at her, perplexed. "Not if you can help it?" He echoed quietly.

She smiled slightly, lifting her face again toward his. "You didn't know?" He shook his head and she tilted hers, meeting his eyes. "You can't tell?"

"Your eyes," he finally said after some consideration, frowning. "You're like Lin. One of your eyes is different from the other. It's much harder to tell, though. They're both the same colour." He focusing his eyes on each of hers individually. "But there's something different about your left eye. Your psychic ability must be related to your eyes, then." When Sarah hesitated again he dropped his gaze. "I'm being nosy. Sorry."

She smiled again. "No, I don't mind." She lifted her hand to her face and covered her left eye with her fingers. "I'm blind in this eye. It's probably harder to see when we sit here, face to face, looking at each other straight-on."

"But it's not that simple, is it?"

She nodded, dropping her hand again to the sofa, her thumb rubbing against the base of her fingers above her palm. Gene narrowed his eyes again as he caught the gesture. He'd seen her do this at breakfast but hadn't paid it any mind until he saw it repeated. Nervous habit? He wondered. He would have pegged her for twisting her hair around her finger, the way he'd seen other girls with long hair do—but besides this one motion of her left hand, she sat very still without fidgeting—completely the opposite of Mai, who would be moving even when she appeared otherwise. While sitting at her desk Mai would be wiggling her toes in her shoes or bouncing her legs on the balls of her feet, and while standing she had a tendency to sway side to side on her hips, even when her feet were still.

"Right," Sarah continued, unaware that Gene had been scrutinizing her restless hand. "I'm blind in my left eye, except that's half a lie. I can't see anything from it when my right eye is open. If I close my seeing eye, though, I see something else entirely." She shrugged slightly and the movement of her hand stopped. "It's usually more trouble than it's worth, though, and not very reliable. So I never do it."

"You don't see spirits like me, do you?" If she did she'd notice Lin's shiki watching her from the corners of the room if she closed her eye, he thought.

Sarah smiled and shook her head. "No, not at all. It's a bit hard to describe, but I like to refer to it as the Probability of Intent, but even that's not quite right."

"What does that mean?" Gene laughed, intrigued.

"Well... It's sort of like a snapshot of a person's true nature," she said, relaxing back into the sofa and crossing her ankles. "You know how in those samurai movies they say they can sense murderous intent? It's kind of like that, except it's only visual. I don't actually feel anything, but what I see informs me of a person's feelings and nature."

"So if a murderous samurai came in here and you looked at him with your eye—your left eye only—you'd see some sort of vision of him pulling out his sword or whatever?"

"Something like that," she laughed lightly. "But people are unpredictable and act against their nature all the time. That samurai might want to kill the shogun but knows if he does he'll be killed himself. Social pressures often override true nature, which is why I call it a probability. It's not really useful at all, actually, and honestly is probably more of a hindrance than anything else."

"Hmm," Gene couldn't help but muse aloud. "Is that right?"

She shrugged again and looked back down at her hands clasped in her lap. The slight movement of her hand began again. "Like I said. Now that I don't have to, I don't look anymore."

"You learned how to control it?"

"No," she shook her head slowly. "When I was a kid I always saw it. Over time, I went blind in this eye. Now I only see if I close my right eye but keep the left open."

"That must have been difficult," Gene pondered. "To be able to see that as a kid."

"I don't remember very much of it," Sarah admitted. "But my mother has told me it was hard for me to be around adults when I was very young. It was hard to reconcile what adults thought and what they actually did, while children my age never acted against their true nature. But I was completely blind in this eye before I was a teenager, and I quickly learned not to look at people with it."

"Why are you telling me this?" Gene asked her.

She lifted her shoulders again in a shrug. "Seems like you should know, that's all."

"Does Noll?"

She paused, tapping her fingers against the papers in her lap. "I don't know," she confessed. "Probably." She turned her head when the door to Lin's office opened, the tall man emerging silently. He stopped short in his step when he saw her watching him and gave her a barely perceptible nod, hesitating before continuing on his way toward the other office where Martin, Luella, and Noll were.

"I guess it's hard to imagine Noll not knowing anything," Gene muttered, and Sarah giggled.

"Yes," she agreed. "It certainly seems that way. Oliver knows everything, doesn't he?"

Gene laughed loudly. "At least that's what he'd like people to believe."

Across the room, Lin tensed, watching the two out of the corner of his eye. Lips tightening, he raised his hand to knock on the door.

Gene waited until Lin had disappeared into the other room and closed the door behind him before he spoke again. "What about Mai? Does she know?"

Sarah looked genuinely surprised. "Mai? I don't think so. Why should she?"

He frowned. "You didn't tell her?"

"No, I didn't."

"Will you look at me?" Gene asked softly. "And tell me what you see?"

Sarah exhaled and her lips pursed together slightly. When she spoke, however, it was even and without hesitation. "No, Eugene," she refused quietly. "I don't want to do that."

He considered her. "When do you use it, if you won't look at people when they ask you to?"

She looked at her hands, fingering the corners of the papers now. They were beginning to curl and she stopped abruptly, raising her gaze to meet his again. She smiled suddenly, what seemed to Gene a rather sweet but firm smile, an apologetic smile he'd seen Luella use when she refused him something before. "I don't want to accidentally get a glimpse of something I shouldn't know. If you're hiding something from your parents, as Luella suspects, I don't want to get caught up in the middle. I'm sure you understand I wouldn't be comfortable lying to them."

He faltered. "They think we're hiding something?"

"Well.." her voice trailed off slightly. "I just overheard Luella say she had some suspicions."

Gene sighed and slouched forward on the chair, his elbows propped on his knees and his chin in his hands. "Thanks," he suddenly muttered, grateful that Sarah hadn't pressed the question whether or not they were actually hiding something. "I do understand."

She knows.

He frowned. Was this what his intuition was telling him? Just that Sarah knew they were hiding something? He glanced back up at her, but she had turned her face back down toward the papers in her lap and he didn't know what to say to continue the conversation.

...

Stepping outside, Mai breathed in the brisk morning air, shaking her head sardonically to herself. She was a little ashamed of herself for her shortness with Gene. She had no reason to be annoyed, no right to show displeasure—not to Gene and not to anyone. She was anxious to interact with Martin and Luella again—granted, she also had a nervous bundle of butterflies, twisting in her stomach—but she wanted to set herself right again in their eyes, and she was impatient to prove herself to them. She wanted to see what they were thinking, wanted to be there to see their expressions and not to hear second-hand that Martin had been impressed with her professionalism or that Luella thought her English was decent.

She wasn't even sure herself why or what prompted her, but as she walked away from the building she turned to look back up at the office. In his window, Naru looked down at her, half hidden by the blinds. He held her gaze, motionless, for several moments before raising his hand slightly toward her.

"Naru," she whispered, but he had turned away and disappeared back into the room.

She sighed and let the wind push her down the street, paying no mind to her surroundings as she retraced her footsteps from less than an hour previous, mulling over what Gene had said.

Mai wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Luella's innocuous comment about her translation skills. She wouldn't consider herself a natural English speaker by any means; she was still confused by technical terms, not to mention idioms and colloquialisms—though quite honestly she'd learned more from Gene of the latter in the past few weeks than she'd picked up in several years living in London among native speakers. Luella especially often used what seemed to her completely nonsensical sayings, splitting whistles and dividing eggs between baskets, but Mai had gotten used to this and took it in stride. Idioms didn't often translate well, she knew, and a rueful smile crossed her lips as she remembered the woman laughing when Mai had tried to explain neko no te mo karitai—'to borrow even a cat's paw.'

Naru, on the other hand, had a tendency to speak plainly and succinctly and hardly ever used slang or euphemisms. If she didn't understand something he said—usually a scientific or a technical term—he was quick to explain it to her in Japanese. Martin seemed to forget that she was, first of all, not a native speaker and second, not a scientist like his son. The smile on her lips twitched as she recalled him once mentioning the Maillard reaction at morning tea, which, when Mai had asked tentatively for him to clarify had resulted in a long explanation of nonenzymatic browning. Naru had only laughed, enjoying himself, a lightness in his eyes that promised to explain later as he watched her from across the table. Martin, his wife had chastised, pouring more tea for the three. You're only confusing her more.

But, she had to admit to herself, even if she had a long way to go to be completely fluent, she was only fifteen again, and had eight years of English classes in Japan behind her plus everything she'd learned abroad. If she applied herself, surely, she could eventually be fluent, even within a few years.

If I don't end up going to London for university and working at BSPR, I suppose I could always aim to be a Japanese-English translator, Mai thought, and shook her head again to herself, stopping at a street corner. What am I thinking? If I don't end up working at BSPR. There's no reason to think...

She felt Aahil's presence before she saw him and turned, meeting the spirit's gaze as he approached her.

"Taniyama-san," he nodded to her politely and fell into step beside her.

"Good morning," she began cautiously, surprised to see him.

He smiled broadly at her, sensing the source of her unease. "Not to worry, I'm visible to the people around you and you won't appear to be talking to mid-air."

"I haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been here and there," he shrugged ambiguously. "Around."

She frowned suddenly, remembering what Lin had said the evening before. Somehow, though only yesterday, it seemed like ages and ages ago. "Lin-san said you felt something in the spiritual plane?"

The spirit visibly hesitated and his image seemed to flicker with his indecision. "Yes," he said quietly. "Something I can't identify."

Mai pursed her lips. "Another spirit?"

He shook his head to indicate he didn't know.

"Hmm," she exhaled and crossed her arms across her chest as a particularly strong gust of wind blew her forward, her hair stinging her cheeks. She glanced sideways, studying the spirit familiar. Every time she'd seen him before Aahil had been smartly dressed and while today was no exception, there was something dimmer about him. It seemed strange to think that the spirit could be tired, but that was all she could imagine to attribute the change in his appearance. Something about him seemed weary.

"Is it okay for Lin-san to send you off to be with me? I mean..." Her voice trailed off. "I feel like you should be there with him. With Sarah," she finished lamely, suddenly embarrassed that she was implying Sarah couldn't look after herself. "I mean..."

He shrugged again, though his eyes brightened somewhat. "No, you're quite right, though you can imagine that he feels rather protective of her." His lips stretched into a wide smile. "But I am not the only one of my Master's loyal servants who can watch over her."

Mai slipped her hands together, watching her own fingers intertwine. "That must be what it was," she mused aloud. Aahil didn't prompt her to continue and she nibbled on her lower lip as she spoke her thoughts aloud. "There was that other time, too, at Kaori's school," she continued. "And today..." she shook her head as if to clear it. "That must have been it."

Again, the spirit familiar did not ask her to elaborate her thoughts, but simply continued by her side in silence as she approached the library.

Mai spoke again when they reached the immense glass facade of the Shibuya Central Library building, halting several steps away from the entrance. "Aahil," she began slowly. "How come I can see you but I can't really see Lin-san's other shiki?"

The spirit paused before answering. "I am not quite like them," he finally said. "I can only imagine that's part of the reason why."

"Are the others..." her voice trailed off as she thought of how to articulate her question. "Are they aware, like you are, of Naru's reversal in time?"

He shook his head. "Not quite in the same way, no."

"Like they don't have memories of that other time?"

"Something along those lines, yes."

She frowned again as she began to walk again. "What makes us remember, anyway?" She mumbled to herself, passing a hand over her eyes and rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. "Naru, Lin-san and I all remembered immediately, but Lin-san said it was because he was there when Naru... when Naru did what he did. But all of Lin's shiki would have been there too, not only Aahil. And if there was anyone nearby, wouldn't they remember too?" Dropping her arm to her side, she looked up again but the shiki was gone.

...

Once inside the library, Mai took the second set of papers Gene had given her and unfolded it, slipping into a quiet corner between some bookshelves to read it. Inside was a hand-written letter, the script messy as if written quickly, scrawling haphazardly across the page.

Sorry to send you out on this fool's errand. We thought this would be the best way to corroborate our stories, to speak freely without Martin or Luella looking over our shoulders. I think Noll's annoyed that we have to even do this, but he's pretty anxious for Martin and Luella to like you. He wants them to accept you again. I mean, obviously, I do too. You're the most important person to me, besides Noll. I told them last night that I met you first, that I introduced you to him. Noll slipped up yesterday, too, didn't he? Telling them you'd lived in London before. It'd be easiest to say it was when you were very young so that they can't press for too many details. If Martin wanted to know what primary school you'd attended or if Luella asked what neighborhood you lived in, it's believable that you wouldn't remember.

I know Noll won't even want to talk about how you two started dating, but Luella's bound to keep pressing. When she doesn't get answers from him she'll ask me (and hopefully she'll ask you too.) If/When she does I'll tell her it was just a love-at-first-sight situation. (Don't laugh, I'm being serious.) We both know how dense Noll is, but it's only been one month since you've supposedly met.

I've relayed this to Lin as well. We have a feeling Martin will question him for details, maybe about you, maybe not. Should Martin ask, Lin said he'll stick to this story and that he won't deviate from the truth of this time. Lin can pretend not to know too much about you outside the office, too.

I'm not comfortable with Martin knowing about your abilities and told Lin not to say anything about your qigong training. I don't even know why. But if we're mum or downplay anything you do, that's why. Don't take offense.

- E.

Mai looked at the letter again, and her eyes drifted over where Gene had written the most important person to me. A pang passed through her body and she bit her lip, crumpling the paper in her hand.

...

She let her mind wander aimlessly as she found the books from Gene's list, looking them up first in the call system on the ground floor and then taking the stairs up to the quieter third, where all the books were located. Apparently Naru and Gene had extraordinary memory of the books on the list, as not only were they all located within the same two shelves, but the seven titles they'd selected were also all slim and lightweight volumes, and would all fit easily within her school bag.

Standing in the checkout line, she tried not to think about what Gene had written. She'd ripped the paper into quarters and thrown it away after she'd read it as if to forget, but the words were burned into her mind anyway. It wasn't that she was worried Gene might have more-than-platonic feelings for her or that his affection would affect her relationship with his brother, but she did feel uneasy about being the one to monopolize his friendship. She leaned her head back and rolled her neck on her shoulders, studying the plain ceiling above. She couldn't articulate exactly how she felt, but somehow she felt very selfish. As if she was in the way, simply by being close to him. Didn't he say, she thought slowly, when we went to Omachi, that he didn't care anymore about finding out about his grandmother? Because of Naru and I, because of our future together? He changed his mind because of something he saw. His vision; his vision of the future.

People change their minds, a small voice told her.

I know, she argued with herself. It's just, it's just that...

"Next, please," the librarian called, and Mai lowered her head quickly and hurried forward with the books.

...

Gene and Naru had traded places since Mai left for the library, the younger twin reading on the sofa in the lounge across from Sarah while the older had returned to their private office, looking through the Tokyo guidebook with Luella.

"Where do you want to go today? A temple or a shrine? Maybe some gardens? I'm sure Dad would like to go to a museum or something."

"Martin and I are up for anything. We'll just try not to overlap with anything you've already done, Gene," Luella said, but he shook his head quickly.

"That doesn't matter, besides, Noll and I only went to Tokyo Tower together." Gene turned his head when he heard the office door open and close. "That'll be Mai," he said, and Martin looked up from the file he'd been reading. "We should ask her; I'm sure she'll know the best spots to visit."

Luella followed Gene into the main room, pausing when she saw Mai with her other son. He had a very relaxed look on his face, nodding and even smiling slightly as the girl spoke, holding out a stack of books for him to take. "—the only book they didn't have was this one by Iwai, it was checked out by someone else," Mai told Naru, pointing to one of the titles on the list.

"That's fine," Naru said, thumbing through the first book on top of the stack. "This will be sufficient."

"Mai," Luella said, clearing her throat. It was about time, she thought, that she began to get acquainted with the girl who had obviously taken the heart of her son. "Eugene and I were looking at some sightseeing destinations, and wondered if we could ask you for your opinions."

Mai had initially looked startled to be addressed by Luella, but her face quickly relaxed into a bright smile. "I'd love to," she said honestly.

"I'll be in my office," Naru said, retreating with the books, "going over my translations with Martin." He closed the door behind him, unable to keep the small satisfied smirk from creeping over his face.

...

"What sort of sightseeing are you going to do?" Mai asked, sitting down carefully next to Sarah, suddenly nervous again as Luella sat down across from her and Gene plopped himself down on the sofa next to his mother. "There's a lot to see in Tokyo but I'm sure in four days you can see most of the top spots. Tokyo Tower might be the most famous—that's what people think of when they think of Tokyo, maybe, the same way people think of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace when they think of London. Maybe just some of the famous districts, too; Shibuya or Shinjuku or Ginza. And of course there's lots of famous shrines and temples, and all the things you find in a city; museums, restaurants, shopping..." Her voice trailed off abruptly, embarrassed of her own rambling.

"Oh," Luella said, shrugging nonchalantly, passing the guidebook to Mai across the table. "I brought this, though it's a bit dated. We bought it for our last trip over here. I don't feel too particular: I'd just like to visit a shrine or temple or two, and maybe a garden." She laughed. "Martin was excited to take the boys to some of the museums here. I made a list on the flight..." She pulled out a small piece of paper, stuck between the pages in the back of the book. "Here. Sensoji Temple makes the top of the list," she said, smiling as she passed the paper to Mai. "I know Gene's just been there a few weeks ago but he said he wouldn't mind going back."

"Asakusa Shrine and Sensoji Temple are definite must-sees," Mai agreed. "And Meiji Shrine, as well," she continued, glancing over Luella's list.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure we went to that shrine the last time we were here," Luella said. "Though it was many years ago, now."

"I love Ueno Park," Mai continued, eyes still on the list. "My friends and I go there together every once in a while."

"Mai took me there together when we first met," Gene said with an easy smile.

"Is that right?"

Mai nodded. "Yeah, there's a lot there. We went to the zoo." She smiled wistfully. "It might be a bit early still but I'd recommend the Hamarikyu Gardens or Happoen Gardens, and the National Garden in Shinjuku." She handed the list back to Luella. "The cherry blossoms are just about to open, but the budding and blossoming branches are really quite lovely."

...

Close to an hour had passed since Naru closed himself in his office, going over the translations with his father. Martin seemed extremely pleased with what his son had completed, pride evident in his bright, hazel eyes. "I'm astounded in what you've managed, Noll, truly. I know you and Gene both have had difficulty reading complex Japanese, and the sheer quantity of what you've tackled clearly illustrates your dedication to this project. These references will be a valuable addition to our resources at BSPR. Several of these texts pertain to what may be strictly Japanese cultural phenomena, granted, and may be quite rare in Britain—but it seems to me all the more reason to have this information available. It will be a great learning tool for my students." He chuckled lightly, eyes twinkling. "I'm already thinking about how to incorporate this into next term's coursework. Perhaps I can ask you to lead several discussions on what you've experienced here."

Naru shrugged nonchalantly. He'd done just that, years ago, at his father's request, though his presentation would be bland in comparison if Martin wanted him to do it again now, after only being in Japan for less than a month. "It was only one case," he said shortly.

"Well, maybe so. Perhaps Gene would agree to letting you present any future cases he takes on here. I know he'd rather not do it himself." Martin said. He shifted in his seat and waved his hand slightly. "But that's neither here nor there. We don't need to make any specific plans right now."

Naru nodded tersely, wondering how long Gene would have to run the satellite office of SPR in his stead. He hadn't mentioned to Martin or Luella yet that he intended to return to Japan immediately after the completion of his university schoolwork, and he didn't imagine it would go over very well. No doubt Martin and Luella were waiting for Gene's "phase" of being abroad to run its course so he could return home as well. They may support them wholeheartedly, but it was obvious Luella missed them dearly, not to mention Martin surely also had new anxieties concerning his sons and the opposite sex he'd never considered before.

"To be quite honest, I was a little surprised, Noll," Martin continued. "I don't think I would have even considered or recommended such an ambitious project." He smiled warmly. "You always surprise me, though. I shouldn't be, as you demonstrate your capabilities again and again."

Watching his father, seeing the way his eyes lit up with excitement and pride, Naru felt a twinge of what might be considered nostalgia. His father had aged a lot after Gene's death, most noticeably in his lined face and salt and pepper hair, and to see him now—younger, his brown hair with only the slightest of grays and his face light without the burdens of what had happened before—filled him with relief that was difficult to explain.

Martin hesitated slightly, signalling that he was about to change the subject. "I... overreacted yesterday. I hope you'll accept my apology."

"You don't need to apologize to me," Naru said shortly, caught slightly off-guard. "I understand you were surprised to see me engaged in such behavior."

"Yes," Martin admitted, and laughed quietly, folding his hands in his lap. "I do trust you, Noll, but it'd be too much to ask for me to turn a blind eye to all this. I hope I can make you understand. Being with someone... isn't something to take lightly. You may think that your current feelings will never change, and maybe they won't, but you don't need to rush.. rush into anything. If Mai feels the same way about you as you feel about her, certainly she'll.. she'll be patient. And she'll respect your patience as well."

Naru's face hardened into an expressionless mask. He did not want to have this conversation—he was thirty-three years old and did not need to have a cautionary father-to-son discussion with Martin—but it was evident that it would be important to his parents for this to occur, so he nodded shortly to indicate he was listening.

"I don't want to sound as if I'm... diminishing your feelings for her. Any person in a relationship would hope for the ultimate commitment from each other." Martin continued somewhat awkwardly. "To acknowledge otherwise would be counter-productive. I can't imagine many of us would end up happily married if we went into any relationship with the expectation that it would end badly. But you're both rather young to consider it seriously, and there's a lot to be taken into account. A lot can change at your age, even in a year. You both have your separate futures to consider before you can consider a future together. Mai is still in high school and you've nearly completed your second degree." He paused, gazing at his son openly. "To be quite frank, to promise marriage to each other at this point is a little premature. I'm not saying you and Mai won't stay together, and I'm not saying you won't get married eventually. But you're only sixteen and there's no need to rush your relationship. Not physically and not in any other way. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I understand. However, all I ask is that you try to get to know her," Naru muttered, avoiding his father's gaze. He knew this was only an unintended consequence of telling his parents of his commitment—but he'd hoped the quantifier of many years away would have lessened the shock. Evidently he'd been wrong about that, though he still believed his decision to tell them had been correct and would ultimately make things easier between them. "You'll like her if you get to know her."

"It's not... that I'm opposed to liking her," Martin faltered somewhat. "I just never thought we'd come to Japan and find you'd met a girl. That there'd be a girl who could catch your interest. You never seemed interested in any girls back in England—"

"Mai's being Japanese has nothing to do with it," Naru said bitingly.

"I know," Martin said, looking down at his hands. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice tinged with regret. "I was a bit tired yesterday, and I think I... said some things I shouldn't have. I overreacted."

Naru shrugged, averting his gaze again. "I understand," he repeated quietly. "But I would appreciate it if you repeated that sentiment to Mai."

Martin nodded and patted his son on the back. "Of course. Certainly. I... I couldn't agree more." He leaned back in his chair and nodded, crossing a leg against his knee. "After your visitor this morning, I'm looking forward to spending some leisure time together with you and your brother, and Mai of course." He smiled at him fondly. "I'm sure Gene and your mum have come up with some interesting plans for us today."

Naru hesitated, remembering what Gene had said. A busy day at the office. Was it only Yasuhara's visit that Gene predicted? "I'd still rather not close the office today. Tomorrow I'll join you, but I wouldn't feel right to close the office without advance notice today. Saturdays tend to be busy days for us." This time around, of course, Kaori had been their only Saturday visitor.

Martin nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose it's the same at BSPR," he admitted. "Very well." Closing the folder file of his son's translations, Martin rose to his feet. "I'll stay with you, Noll, but I think we'd better send Gene and Luella out. Those two will go stir-crazy if we keep them in the office all day." His lips quirked into a grin. "Let's go see what they've got planned."

...

Gene, Luella, Mai and Sarah were all sitting on the sofas as Martin and Naru emerged from his office. Gene and Luella sat on one sofa while Mai and Sarah on the other, the guidebook open on the table between them. It was clear all four were included in the discussion to some degree, as Sarah had evidently given up on all attempts to complete her work, the papers set aside as she listened.

"You must think us awfully unprepared," Luella laughed, rubbing her temple with an index finger. "I have to confess, I didn't put too much thought into what we'd do once we arrived, just hoping Gene and Noll could guide us around. I've been so busy at school and Martin just completed an arduous case, and we really just decided to come here out of the blue."

"Mn-nm," Mai disagreed, shaking her head and standing. "Not at all," she said. Sarah also rose and followed her, crossing the room and standing by Mai's desk as the younger girl sat, retrieving a notebook from the drawer. "Here, I'll draw a map..." she said quietly to Sarah, who nodded.

"That's what we're here for, anyway," Gene said with a grin, hopping to his feet and motioning for his father to sit down next to his wife.

Luella frowned slightly. "Well, I say it was out of the blue, but we'd been talking about scheduling a trip sometime soon." She shook her head, glancing at her husband as he sat down. "Martin was very curious to know why we received a thank-you gift from the Japanese Prime Minister. I suppose that was when he decided we should come as soon as possible."

Mai paled slightly, quickly looking up to meet Naru's eyes, relaxing slightly when he gave a short nod. They know, the nod said. We told them.

"I didn't realize he actually sent a gift," Gene said, knocking on Lin's partially-closed door with two knuckles. "Anything good?"

"I can't imagine you'd be too interested in a flower arrangement," Martin said blandly. "I don't have much taste for those sorts of things, but Lu seemed to like it."

"It was lovely," Luella said, an eyebrow arching slightly at her husband's comment.

"Yes," he agreed quickly. "It was rather lovely. Quite right."

"Too bad we missed it," Gene said as Lin emerged from his office, who gave him a questioning look.

"What have you determined to be the destination for today?" Their father continued smoothly.

"Sensoji Temple," Gene said. " We'll see how much time we have after we get there."

Martin looked at his watch, lips lowering in a slight frown. "It's almost eleven. The potential investigator still hasn't come by.."

"I trust him to keep his word that he'd come by today," Naru said calmly, looking to Mai for verification, who bobbed her head in a quick nod.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Gene added.

"Perhaps after he comes you can close the office, Noll?" Luella asked, unaware that he and Martin had already decided to the contrary, and Naru shook his head.

"I'd be happy to keep the office open after Yasuhara comes by, Naru," Lin said quietly. "You and Gene are free to go—"

Gene shook his head quickly, cutting off the tall man's voice with the movement. "I really think Noll should be here as well. No offense, Lin."

"Yasuhara isn't the only one who's going to come by," Mai said softly, tracing her index finger in circles around a knot in the wood of her desk.

Everything in the room seemed to stop at Mai's innocuous statement. The only one who did not turn to face the girl was Luella, but Lin, who was facing her, could see the woman's eyebrows twitch in a quizzical look. Martin's eyes swung to Mai quickly, and Naru could feel Gene's panic as if his brother had cursed aloud. "How about I take you sightseeing," the older twin said to his parents quickly, "and Noll and Lin will stay at the office."

"I'm agreeable to us splitting up," Martin said slowly. "Though I think I'll stay in the office with Noll."

Naru leaned against the wall at Lin's doorway, watching his parents. Gene obviously wanted Martin out of the office, though once decided it was unlikely their father would change his mind.

Gene turned back toward his father. "Are you sure we can't convince you otherwise? It's been years since you've been in Tokyo and you'll be bored just sitting around here."

"Gene has a point, Martin," Luella added.

"No, I have some more work to catch up on, so I'll stay here." Martin reiterated. "Actually," he paused, glancing between Naru and back to where Mai sat, saying something quietly to Sarah and showing her something on a piece of paper, "perhaps Mai could stay with us at the office today as well."

Mai stopped mid-sentence when she heard her name, surprised.

Luella frowned, displeased, but did not say anything to contradict her husband. "Very well," she said after some pause. "Lin, Sarah, Gene and I will go out today." Lin looked slightly surprised to be included in the sightseeing group. "But you'll finish your work so you can join us tomorrow, Martin. You too, Noll, I want you and Mai to both accompany us tomorrow."

Naru did not show any emotion at this decision but simply nodded his silent acquiescence, while Mai felt a happy blush warm her cheeks to be included in Luella's plans.

"I'll keep the office open tomorrow." Lin said to Naru quietly, passing him the papers he'd been holding and slipping on his suit jacket.

"Excellent." Luella beamed at him. "Gene, you need your coat?" He nodded and went to retrieve both his own as well as his mother's, and Luella turned back to Martin. "I imagine we'll be out for lunch and most of the afternoon," she said, taking her coat from Gene and slipping it over her shoulders. "We'll ring to let you know the exact time, but I suppose we'll plan on being back here before dinnertime."

Martin nodded his agreement. "I'll have Oliver find a suitable restaurant that can accommodate us all."

Naru exhaled quietly. "Very well."

Lin crossed the room, taking Sarah's jacket from the coat rack near the door as he passed and brought it to the woman where she stood next to Mai at her desk.

"Oh," Sarah flushed and took the article, smiling at him gratefully. "Thank you."

Mai felt a knot tighten in her stomach and averted her gaze, wondering what Lin must be thinking to see the woman who was once his wife smile so radiantly at him without knowing what he did.

Lin looked down at what Mai was drawing on a sheet of paper. It seemed to be a map and he frowned slightly. "You weren't planning on coming today, were you?" He asked her quietly.

"Um," Mai blushed and hesitated, glancing up at him before turning back to the paper in front of her. "I had a feeling it might not work out. I just thought it'd be better if you had some frame of reference, just to make sure you didn't get lost. Though if both Gene and Lin-san are going, it should be okay," she added. "Gene's been to Sensoji before and I can't imagine Lin-san ever getting lost."

"It happens," Lin said wryly, and Sarah giggled into her hand.

Mai tapped the paper with the blunt end of her pencil. "This main intersection, right?" She said, directing her voice at Sarah, and turning the pencil around, drew a line across the page. "A few blocks up—on that street that's parallel to the river—is that restaurant Luella was interested in. So if you decide to go there, it's just three, maybe four blocks away." She drew several additional cross streets. "The main arcade of shops is around here, but it's perpendicular to those side-streets."

"Thanks," Sarah said, smiling easily. "Seems pretty straightforward."

"Yeah, it's a little out of the way, but the book said without a doubt the best lunch spot in Asakusa." She smiled. "Of course, there's plenty of other spots nearby, and I'm sure they're all fine." She tapped her lip thoughtfully with her index finger. "Actually, I think there's a really good conveyer belt sushi place around there somewhere, too... Gene might want to go there. He was saying the other day how he's never gone to one before."

"Me neither," Sarah confessed.

"Really? Maybe you should go there instead," Mai laughed. "Kaitenzushi. It's kind of fun."

...

After Gene, Lin, Luella and Sarah had left, the office drifted again into heavy silence. Mai tidied first the lounge and then the rest of the main office, then dried and put away the teacups that had been washed earlier in the kitchen. Returning to the main office, she flopped down in her chair and pulled herself toward her desk. Opening the calendar, she gazed at the empty page blankly. Until Yasuhara came for his appointment she didn't have anything to do. She'd finished the notes and filing Naru had asked her to complete the day prior, though honestly there hadn't even been that much to keep her occupied yesterday, either. Naru clearly wanted her to concentrate on her studies and was hesitant to give her too much work, though at a time like this Mai wished she had something, anything she could plough through to keep her hands busy. She couldn't even quell her idleness with organizing the files or bookshelves as she once might have, as the office didn't see enough use yet to become disorganized. That left her to either her schoolwork, which she didn't feel comfortable doing when Martin could come out of Naru's office at any moment and see her not working, or she could make something up to do.

Mai blew her bangs away from her face and twiddled her fingers, turning her gaze to the bookshelf. Naru had told her he'd like her to work her way through several of what he'd deemed useful references, but she hadn't thought she'd be starting so soon, nor did she especially want to. Seriously, where is Yasuhara? she wondered.

Mai frowned and glanced toward the clock on the wall, watching the minute hand tick slowly past the four and toward the five. When it approached the eight she realized she'd been staring, completely spaced out. She shook herself and hopped to her feet. Time to make some tea.

...

Martin looked up from his papers when Mai knocked gently at the door. "Dr Davis, I'm going to make some tea, would you care for some?"

"Thank you, that would be lovely," he said. Mai smiled at him and disappeared behind the door again. He glanced at his son, noticing that the young man had neither acknowledged Mai's intrusion nor had the girl asked him if he'd care for any, but several minutes later she reappeared in the door, rapping on the wood once to announce her presence before entering as she had the first time she'd entered the office that morning, a tray of steaming teacups balanced on one hand.

"Thank you," Martin said as he accepted the tea and watched carefully as Mai took the second cup to Naru at his desk. He looked up from his reading as Mai placed the cup at his hand, his eyes meeting hers purposefully, but he remained silent.

Mai retreated from the room, closing the door behind her. Martin lifted the cup to his lips, inhaling the steam before taking a sip. "This is quite good," he remarked, watching his son surreptitiously out of the corner of his gaze.

"Yes," Naru agreed simply, reaching for his own cup. "It is."

...

Mai had just taken her teacup to her desk from the kitchenette when the door opened and a cheerful Yasuhara appeared. "Good morning, Taniyama-san," he said brightly. "Nice to see you. You know I'm here to see Shibuya-san, but I don't suppose I could ask you a few questions first?"

"By all means," Mai said, wondering what the boy had in mind. She gestured toward the sofa. "Please sit down. Would you like a cup of tea?"

His smile widened. "Thank you, that would be most appreciated."

It seemed fortuitous that she'd just made the tea and Mai poured a second cup, tilting her head slightly as she allowed herself to ponder the lucky coincidence. She watched as Yasuhara sat down at the sofa, studying the interior of the office. His eyes seemed to be held by one of the prints Gene had framed on the wall in particular, and he gazed at the image as Mai brought the two cups of tea to the sofa, passing him one and sitting down across from him.

"What can I do for you, Yasuhara-san?"

Yasuhara turned his head as he focused his attention upon her. "Ah, well, I suppose I should first thank you for providing me with Murata Kaori's phone number—it certainly wasn't something you had to help me with, but I'm glad that you did." He smiled as he pushed his sliding glasses up his nose. "Even if she did, in the end, turn me down."

Mai looked at him quizzically, picking up her teacup. "What do you mean?"

"She accepted my offer for a couple dates, but yesterday told me she'd be too busy with her studies to meet again for a while." He sighed dramatically. "She broke my heart very easily, Murata Kaori."

Mai couldn't decide whether to be surprised or relieved. Yasuhara laughed when he saw her conflicted expression. "Why didn't you want me to see her?" He suddenly pressed, leaning forward and gazing at her seriously over the top of his thin glasses. "She must have a terrible secret. Related to the dead sister you were investigating?"

"W-what? No!" Mai sat up very straight against the sofa cushions, distancing herself from the boy and his prying eyes as much as possible. "Why do you think we were investigating her sister?" She protested, flustered.

Yasuhara shrugged, setting the teacup back on the table and folding his hands together in his lap. "I did a little research. The school administration granted special permission for two visiting students, and yet the staff and students seemed to think they were regular transfers. Imagine their surprise when you left after only two days. Some kind of mix-up, I suppose, in administration." He watched her carefully. "Not to mention you only spoke to Kaori while you were there, and there were rumors about her sister's ghost." He gestured around them vaguely. "Psychic research office. It's not that hard to connect the dots."

Mai looked away, feeling an embarrassed flush creep up her cheeks to have been so easily found out. "It wasn't her sister," she muttered, feeling annoyed.

"Not bad," Naru said, appearing in the doorway. He smirked as he crossed the room, folding his arms across his chest as he regarded Yasuhara evenly. "You made Mai blush after only three minutes."

"Naru," Mai hissed, her blush intensifying.

"Shibuya-san, it's nice to see you." Yasuhara smiled as he stood, producing a sheet of paper and passing it to the other boy. "I'm here to inquire about work. You mentioned your office is looking for part-time investigators and I'd like to offer my credentials for your review."

"Why should I hire you?" Naru asked as he looked over the paper, sitting down on the sofa next to Mai. She wondered if his nonchalance was seen as boredom by Yasuhara, but she knew, under that mask of composure, that Naru was eager to engage with the other boy. After all, he'd come out of his office to greet him.

"Because I'm very good at what I do." Yasuhara smiled and adjusted his glasses as he returned to his seat. "For instance..." he looked between them, eyes narrowing slightly. "It wasn't tremendously difficult to uncover the fact that you are using an assumed name."

Mai paled at this second revelation, but Naru simply smirked. "What makes you think that?"

Yasuhara shrugged, watching Mai out of the corner of his eye. "For starters, it was a Shibuya Ichirou who enrolled at Murata-san's school in Arakawa, and yet you introduced yourself to me as Shibuya Kazuya."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"No," Yasuhara agreed. "Though you fit the description of Ichirou perfectly, so unless you have an identical twin..."

Naru's expression changed ever so slightly, his smirk widening. Mai suddenly had the feeling he was trying not to laugh. "Go on. I'm sure there's more on which you've based this assumption."

"A business in Shibuya run by a Shibuya caught my attention," Yasuhara continued, nodding. "Though to be honest I may not have thought twice of it if I wasn't already wondering which was your real name, Kazuya or Ichirou. My uncle actually works at the Shibuya Ward Taxation Department, so I asked him if he would look up your business, but there wasn't one in the database of registered businesses. Not Shibuya Psychic Research and not SPR." He raised an eyebrow at Naru. "Imagine my surprise when my uncle told me he finally found it listed as BSPR, an affiliation of some company from overseas."

Naru nodded slightly. "Yet the fact that our parent company is not a Japanese company has nothing to do with my name."

"Perhaps not," Yasuhara conceded. "Though after a couple phone calls it seemed as though no one by the name of Shibuya had ever worked at BSPR, the British Society for Psychic Research, and it seemed rather strange that the affiliated office would be run by someone unassociated with the parent company."

"Interesting," Naru mused.

Yasuhara smiled and lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. "Of course, you never know. Shibuya isn't a terribly common family name. On a whim, I searched for any records in the Public Archives concerning a Shibuya Kazuya or a Shibuya Ichirou. I'll admit that the fact that nothing came up isn't too surprising, as I have no reason to assume you were born in Tokyo. From there it was only natural to look in the Tokyo phone book for any number listed for the name Shibuya." He leaned back against the sofa, propping a hand against his head. "I only needed to make a few calls to determine that it doesn't seem you're related to anyone in the area."

"True," Naru admitted. "Though that still wouldn't suggest that this isn't my true name."

"No," Yasuhara agreed. "It doesn't. That in itself is innocuous, but combined with what I'd already determined, made it seem even more likely that you were from England and that Shibuya was not your true name." He shrugged again. "It makes sense, in a way. You're likely to arouse suspicion if a new business opens—especially one in such a peculiar line of work—and is run by a foreigner." He laughed lightly when he saw Naru's stoic expression, taking him to be unconvinced. "I thought I'd take a gamble and make the assumption." He grinned slyly, glancing at Mai. "Your assistant gives you away, Shibuya-san."

Naru's smirk widened. "Consider yourself hired, Yasuhara-san."

...

"Is it okay?" Mai asked Naru softly, still speaking in Japanese. After filling out some paperwork, Yasuhara had left several minutes ago and Naru had yet to return to his private office. "If he knows you're not using your real name and already suspects you're British, he'll eventually figure out everything else all over again." She bit her lip. "When Yasuhara meets Gene and realizes you're twins, surely..."

Naru shrugged, leaning against her desk. "They will all eventually know I am Oliver Davis. I don't intend to keep it a secret." His lips curled in a wry smile. "Just don't tell my father that yet. He very much does not want anyone in this country to know the truth." Seeing that the man in question was coming out of his office, his smile relaxed and he took her hand purposefully. Mai blushed fiercely, realizing Martin had witnessed the action, but as suddenly as he'd taken her hand he released it again. He straightened and turned, meeting his father's gaze who was watching him intently.

"Did the interview go well with the potential investigator?" Martin inquired.

"Yes," Naru's lips curved upwards in a slight smirk. "Very well, in fact."

Martin looked at his watch, eyes widening in surprise as he saw the time. "Goodness, it's already noon. I suppose it's time for lunch? Shall we go down to the café downstairs?" He turned toward Mai, smiling kindly. "Unless there's somewhere you'd rather go, Mai."

"O-oh," Mai stammered, surprised. She was undoubtedly nervous around Martin and that he'd seen his son take her hand in what seemed a very intimate gesture made her even more so and her behavior unnatural. "No, the café is quite all right by me."

"Noll?" Martin turned his head back to his son, who nodded to show his agreement. Martin's smile widened. "I'll get my jacket."

...

The main advantage, Gene thought, of having Lin come along on their sightseeing trip was probably so that they could drive, rather than taking the train or a cab, and he wondered if this was why Luella had invited the man when clearly it made more sense for him to stay at the office with his brother and Martin. On top of the difficulties of finding parking near such a major tourist attraction, the clearest disadvantage was having to watch Lin interact—or purposefully not interact—with the woman to whom he was once married. Luella had asked Sarah to sit in front and Lin was silent and unnaturally rigid, which Gene might have missed if it weren't for the onmyouji's shiki. Lin hid his unease well, but his shiki were clearly aware of his true feelings as they were just as tense. The anxious spirits, hovering around the group, made Gene nervous enough that he felt a little queasy, and the close confines of the vehicle wasn't helping.

"Carsick?" Luella asked, noticing he was quiet and reaching toward him to touch his shoulder gently. From the front, Sarah turned her head, looking at Gene sympathetically.

"Something like that," he mumbled. "I just need a little fresh air."

"How far from here?" Luella asked Lin, leaning toward the driver.

"I'll park the van here," Lin said, pulling the vehicle over to the side of the street and setting the gears to park. "I doubt we'll find a closer spot, though we're still several blocks away from Sensoji."

"This is fine," Gene said, sliding the door open and stumbling slightly as he hurried outside. Now that the vehicle had stopped, the restless shiki retreated somewhat further away, and Gene took a deep breath, inhaling the cool spring air and clearing his mind.

"Are you okay?" Luella asked, and he nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, sorry." He gestured vaguely in the direction down the street. "This way," he said, and they began to walk.

They came to the main street and followed the signs toward the temple, Luella and Sarah walking together and Gene and Lin following close behind. "Which way?" Luella asked as they came to an intersection, and both Gene and Lin were content to remain silent as Sarah led the woman toward their destination.

"It was my shiki, wasn't it?" Lin asked Gene lowly, so quiet that they didn't have to worry about the two women overhearing.

"Um," Gene said, slightly distractedly. "Not.. not exactly."

Lin pursed his lips and was about to respond when Luella turned, grinning at the men with a wide smile. "We're here!"

...

Lunch together with Martin and Mai was not as awkward as Naru had assumed it would be. Mai was undoubtedly nervous at first, and even more so when Martin apologized to her if he'd come across as rather rude the day before. At his apology she flushed and stammered and looked at her hands, but they'd soon settled into an easy conversation in which both were comfortable. Mai asked questions about Martin's work, and of course he was more than happy to talk about his research.

Listening to Martin go over some bland detail of the inner workings of BSPR, Naru was relieved that his father was no longer suspicious of her, but he had conflicting emotions regarding the fact that his father wasn't asking Mai questions about herself. If he didn't ask questions then Mai didn't have to lie and he didn't have to relay back to Gene what their story was. But on the other hand, that also meant Martin wasn't engaging with Mai the way he had before—the way he should.

Naru frowned into his tea, remembering how Martin and Luella had treated Mai very differently the first time they'd met her. How they'd asked her too many questions when her English was still a bit rough around the edges, bombarded her with conversation as they'd tried to learn everything about their new house guest. How Luella had only cooked foods for their dinners she was certain Mai would enjoy for a month until Naru patiently reminded her that yes Mai ate bread and potatoes and rump roast just like everyone else, and certainly she'd be more than happy to try new English foods she'd never had before. (And how Luella made Beef Wellington and Yorkshire pudding the following evening, much to Mai's delight.) Martin clearly enjoyed asking Mai about the cases she'd taken with SPR, and as Mai recounted case after case, she'd grown confident with her vocabulary of their field. His parents both took very different routes to welcome her into their home, but ultimately they'd both done everything in their power to make Mai comfortable and happy.

What could they do to return to that stage, Naru mused to himself, or would it be a foolish endeavor to even try? He shook his head to himself, and Mai, catching the movement, gave him a quizzical look. Nothing, he mouthed, but she didn't look entirely convinced.

...

They'd walked around the temple grounds for well over an hour before they finally made it to the recommended conveyer belt sushi restaurant. It was a lively and popular spot, the staff calling out Welcome! and Thank you very much! as the customers came and went. The four sat at the counter, watching the different colored plates move slowly around the conveyer belt and the two chefs who worked quickly and efficiently inside, replenishing the plates as they were removed by the customers.

"Tu as une faim de loup," Luella laughed, teasing, as Gene took two plates right away. "Mon petit chou."

Gene felt the tips of his ears warm at the affectionate nickname. "You haven't called me that in ages," he remarked, fishing a set of chopsticks out of the container on the countertop.

"Haven't I? Hmm," she sighed and squeezed his shoulder. "Maybe not." She turned to Sarah, who sat on the other side of her. "Help yourself, dear, please."

Gene glanced to the side, watching as Sarah asked Lin a question—presumably about the plate she was about to take—and how Lin responded, answering her question and lips twitching in a smile. It was a relief to see Lin acting less nervous around Sarah. Walking around Sensoji together had been just the thing to set the man at ease. He shook his head to himself slightly as he lifted the lid on the pickled ginger and took a generous portion with his chopsticks. What am I, playing matchmaker? He scoffed at himself. Though seeing the two of them together felt comfortable; it felt right somehow.

"Must be something I remember from before," he murmured to himself.

"What's that, Gene?" Luella asked, and he shook his head again.

"Nothing." He grinned at his mother, reaching forward and taking a third plate, passing it to her. "Try this one, you'll like it." Knowing Luella was curious as to what he'd just handed to her, he elaborated. "It looks like unagi," Gene told her. "Eel."

"Looks delicious," she said, snapping apart her chopsticks and smiling. "Eat up, Gene."

He'd taken two additional plates before Luella turned to Sarah and Lin, and as soon as his mother's attention was diverted Gene set down his chopsticks and glanced back at the spirit who was watching them closely. There hadn't been a good opportunity, but he'd wanted to speak to it ever since he'd seen it watching Sarah that morning.

He gazed at the hovering shape, his mind slipping out of his body so that he could speak to the spirit familiar on the astral plane without being overheard. "Hello, what's your name? I don't believe we've met."

"Kit-wai," the spirit responded simply. "No, we haven't."

He couldn't help the smile from forming on his lips. "I really should just ask Lin to introduce me to all of you sometime."

"As you like."

"Why's he having you watch over Sarah, anyway?"

"Do you really need to ask that question?"

He laughed, watching with detached interest as his body reached for another sushi plate off the conveyer belt. "No, I suppose not. Did he give you instructions to interfere?"

"Only if her life is in danger."

"She'll be fine, you know."

"Maybe," the spirit agreed. "But my Master is cautious."

"That's for sure." Gene muttered, his physical body mimicking his mental state as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands in apparent deep thought. "This would all be much easier if he'd just tell her he liked her and we could go from there." He glanced back toward the spirit. "Does she remember or doesn't she? Do you know?"

The spirit cocked its head. "I don't understand what you're asking."

Gene remained silent, suddenly understanding something he hadn't realized before. Aahil knows, but Aahil isn't like Lin's other shiki. Does this mean none of the other shiki know what happened?

"Gene," his mother called, her voice from far away, and he shook himself slightly, falling back into his body to answer her call. "Are you full? You're just staring at your plate."

"No," Gene said, picking up the piece of sushi and dipping it gently into the saucer of soy sauce. "Still hungry," he informed her and ate the piece with one bite. Glancing again to his left, he saw that Lin was regarding him curiously. Shrugging at the onmyouji in response, he reached for another plate.

...

Satisfied after their lunch at the café, Naru, Mai and Martin returned upstairs. Martin sat down on the sofa in the main area of the office and opened a book as Mai returned to her desk and Naru perused the bookshelf.

"Mai," Naru began, eyes scanning the titles. "I have something for you to look over this afternoon, if you've finished your other work. In the meantime, make another pot of tea, would you?"

"Certainly," Mai said, springing to her feet and hurrying to the kitchenette. As soon as she had left her desk her mobile began to ring a cheerful sound, and Naru frowned as he crossed the room and dug it out of her coat pocket.

"Hey," Mai whispered, hurrying back to her desk.

"Your friend Yuriko is calling you," he told her flatly, passing the object toward her.

Mai frowned, puzzled, as she took the phone. "My friends all know I had to work, why's she calling me?" She flipped it open and held it to her ear. "Moshi-moshi, Yuriko-chan?"

Naru watched her, his lips pursing together as he saw some of the color drain from her cheeks. "What exactly happened? Is she okay?" She said, agitated. Noticing that Martin had looked up from his reading on the sofa, she turned away, her voice hushed. "Um, yeah, I'm at work, but I'll... I'll check. I might be able to get away for a little while." Mai dropped the phone from her ear, covering the receiver with her hand. "Naru," she began tentatively, her eyebrows furrowing together.

"What is it?" Naru asked her, speaking in English so his father could understand if he was listening. "Is one of your friends in trouble?"

"Yeah," Mai bit her lip. "It's my friend Keiko. She's really upset. It's not... I mean, it doesn't sound like it's really serious, but do you mind if I—just for a little bit—?"

He nodded and waved his hand, gesturing for her to go. Her correction and choice of words were not lost on him. This must have happened before, and if Mai thought it was necessary to be there for her friend he wouldn't stop her. "Go," he said. "It's fine. Take as long as you need."

"Thank you," she said gratefully, and raised the phone back to her ear. "Yuriko-chan? It's fine, I'll be there in.. probably twenty minutes or so. Yeah. See you." She closed the phone and picked up her jacket again, returning it to her pocket. "Thank you," she told Naru again. "I'm sorry to leave like this—"

"It's fine," he shook his head, returning to the bookshelf as he searched for the particular volume he had in mind. "I imagine it'll be a quiet afternoon here anyway."

"Y-yeah," Mai said slowly, though she didn't seem completely sure. "I'll make your tea before I go—"

"Don't bother," he shrugged and pulled a book from the shelf, smirking slightly as he held it up for her to see. "Some reading for your bus ride?"

...

"Everything all right?" Martin inquired.

Naru nodded. "Apparently one of Mai's friends needs some moral support," he said. "Just some emotional distress." Even though Mai hadn't clarified, it seemed the most likely. "She wasn't originally scheduled to work today anyway," he lied, "so it doesn't seem fair to keep her here."

Martin nodded slowly, considering his son. A grin finally broke over his lips and he smiled widely. "Respecting your employees' private lives and providing flexibility is an important skill for any manager to learn, Noll." He chuckled and returned his gaze to his book. "As long as you're not providing preferential treatment because you're dating her."

Naru's expression soured slightly as he turned to go into his office. "No. That wouldn't be very professional," he muttered.

Martin smiled and turned the page. "Bring your work out here, Noll. I have some questions for you about these case notes."

Naru had just disappeared into his office when the office door opened. Martin looked up, expecting to see Mai, thinking perhaps she'd returned or that she'd forgotten something, but it was a very different person indeed. A tall, lanky man peered cautiously inside, sunglasses propped on his head, his light brown hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and a guitar case slung over his back.

"Yo," he said, a friendly smile spreading across his features when he saw Martin. "You must be the man who opened Shibuya Psychic Research. I saw the advertisement in the paper of a new psychic research firm opening. My name's Takigawa Houshou and I was in Dogenzaka for a gig tonight so I wanted to come by and introduce myself—" he stopped himself abruptly, noticing the look of thinly veiled incomprehension on the man's face at the onslaught of his rapid Japanese.

"Konnichi wa," Martin said politely, rising to his feet and tipping his head. "Martin Davis de-su. Yoroshi-ku o-negaishima-su." His Japanese pronunciation was careful but unnatural. He looked somewhat embarrassed, and turned gratefully when his adopted son appeared in the doorway. "Noll, I'm afraid I've already exhausted my limited knowledge of Japanese greetings. You'll have to apologize for me."

If anything, Takigawa seemed even more pleased to be in the presence of a foreigner, a wide grin lifting his lips. "Harro," he said, taking Martin's hand with his own and pumping it energetically. "Nais tu miichuu, Marchen-san. Mai neemu es Takigawa Houshou." He looked toward Naru in the door. "An yu?"

"I'm Shibuya Kazuya," Naru continued smoothly in Japanese. If his brother had been there, he knew, he would have laughed outright at the monk's pronunciation. "Please come in, Takigawa-san. You'll have to forgive our foreign visitor. He does not speak very much Japanese."

Takigawa looked surprised before turning dubious eyes between the two. "You're Shibuya?" He asked. "Pardon me, but you run this office?"

"Only temporarily," Naru said, a wry smirk crossing his features. "I have to return to my studies. My elder brother will resume operations in a few days."

"I see." Takigawa nodded, exhaling a chuckle. "Sorry, I just thought you seemed a little young."

Naru's lip curled, genuinely annoyed. "My age has nothing to do with my capabilities, I assure you."

Takigawa laughed loudly. "No," he agreed, "I suppose it doesn't." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, sitting down on the sofa next to where Martin had been sitting.

"Noll," Martin said, gesturing toward his office slightly. "I'll just be in your office to be out of the way."

"Of course." Naru gave a short nod as his father left the room. He turned back to Takigawa and sat down on the other sofa, regarding the monk carefully. "I take it you must be in a similar line of business, Takigawa-san, unless you came here purely out of curiosity, which I admit seems unlikely."

"Quite right," Takigawa nodded congenially. "It may surprise you that you have a monk from Mt. Koya at your service."

Naru raised an eyebrow at the man. "Then I suppose neither of us look the part. I didn't know they allowed monks at Koya to have long hair."

Takigawa laughed. "I'm a bit of a maverick," he said. "I came down from the mountain a few years ago. Actually, my career is in music, but I offer my services as a monk when needed."

"How very interesting." Naru leaned back in the sofa, resting his ankle against his knee. "I didn't expect the advertisement in the newspaper to generate so much attention. We received a visit from the staff of Minami Psychic Research two weeks ago, for a similar reason that you're here today. Minami-san had seen the notice and was curious and all too eager to offer advice to a competing research firm."

"Minami Psychic Research?" Takigawa repeated dubiously, scratching his cheek. "Never heard of them. They must be second-rate."

Naru's lips curled in amusement, remembering that the monk had once said something very similar about himself. "While I wouldn't normally discount someone based on their popularity—in this specific instance, having met the man in question, I would agree."

"You haven't been open very long, have you?" Takigawa continued. "I'm sure I would have heard about you before now if that were the case. How many clients have you taken on, anyway?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss confidential matters."

"Fair enough," the monk agreed.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions of my own?" Naru queried.

"By all means," Takigawa grinned.

"You say your career is in music, and yet you also offer the services of a Shingon Buddhist monk. I assume you must continue to practice the rites and obligations of your sect to some degree."

"That's right," the monk supplied, laughing easily. "I suppose I'm a bit like an independent contractor. Though in this field, who isn't?"

Naru smirked. "That may be true," he agreed.

Takigawa gestured toward him slightly. "A psychic research office such as this is not terribly common."

"No," Naru agreed. "It certainly does not seem to be the norm." He folded his hands in his lap, watching the monk curiously. "Would you be interested in occasionally working on my team? We might find it quite beneficial to have a Buddhist monk on an investigation."

"Your team?" Takigawa repeated, an eyebrow lifting slightly in amusement. "Don't you mean your elder brother's team?"

"Yes," Naru corrected himself, looking annoyed. "I'm sure my brother will look forward to meeting you very much."

"Sure," Takigawa said good-naturedly. If the monk had thought anything strange of Naru's behavior, he'd already dismissed it. "I'll leave my contact information with you, if you don't mind passing it along."

"Not at all," Naru said dryly, accepting the business card with a nod as Takigawa handed it to him. "He said he has a client coming in later this week. No doubt he'll contact you in regards to that case."

"Much obliged. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Shibuya-san," Takigawa said, rising to his feet and picking up the guitar case he'd leaned carefully against the sofa. "I'd better be on my way. Later!"

With that, the monk strode out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Naru remained motionless on the sofa, resting his fingertips together as he considered the monk's appearance. He did not turn as he heard Martin open the side office door, nor as the man resumed his earlier seat on the sofa.

"Who was that?" Martin asked curiously.

"A Buddhist monk," Naru said in a flat tone. "An exorcist. It seems he'd be interested in working with this office on future cases. Should there ever be a need."

"Is that so?" Martin's eyes brightened in interest and curiosity. "I'd like to see that very much."

...

Mai sighed as she trudged up the stairs for the fifth time that day, thighs aching. Evidently none of the exercises she did with Lin did anything for those straining leg muscles, and she wondered distractedly if she should start taking the stairs to Naru and Gene's apartment instead of the lift.

Keiko would be okay, she knew. The girl had been in distress but with her friends there with her, she'd bounce back. Mai bit her lip, hoping she wouldn't come to regret her decision of leaving after only half an hour with the other girls. Keiko had told her to go back to work but she still felt guilty all the same. The first time this had happened, she, Yuriko, and Michiru had been with Keiko all day to comfort her after their classmate said those mean things to her. Even Michiru, whose grandparents were visiting her family from Hokkaido, had snuck out of the house to be with their friend.

Mai frowned as she reached the office door, struck by the sudden feeling that probably there'd been a visitor that afternoon. Who was it? A client? She turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, catching her breath when she saw Naru and Martin on the sofas. Martin, reading, looked up when he saw her, smiling slightly and lifting a finger to his lips. Naru, on the other sofa, was reclining with a book in his hands and very much asleep.

Mai smiled and closed the door silently behind her, shrugging off her jacket and folding it over the back of her chair. Martin rose and crossed the room, following her into the kitchenette.

"Would you care for some tea, Dr Davis?" Mai asked, keeping her voice low to make sure she didn't disturb Naru in the other room.

"Thank you, yes, please. That would be lovely," Martin said, standing awkwardly as she filled the kettle. "Anything I can do to help?" He asked.

"Oh, um," Mai thought for a moment and pointed to the upper cupboard. "Actually, there's some biscuits on the top shelf. I can't reach without a chair. Would you mind..?"

"Not at all," Martin chuckled, opening the cupboard and extending his arm to reach the shelf easily, shuffling between several boxes to get a better look. "Shortbread or crèmes?"

"Oh, shortbread, please," she smiled, measuring the tea into the mesh tea strainer. "And if you could take out the cups—there's only seven, so we'll use all of them."

He raised an eyebrow at her but complied, taking the cups first and then the saucers from the cupboard, stacking them neatly on the counter. "You think Gene and the others will be back in time for tea?"

"Mn, probably," Mai said vaguely and lifted her hand to look at the watch on her wrist. "They should be back soon."

Martin considered the cups before him, tapping his chin. "Seven cups, hm?" He said suddenly. "That seems like a strange number."

Mai gave a half-smile to the steaming kettle. "One broke, actually. There should be eight."

Martin nodded thoughtfully. "The Murata case," he suddenly said, and she dipped her head in wordless affirmation. "I see."

The kettle began to boil and Mai counted to ten to let it boil vigorously before switching off the power. Waiting for it to cool slightly, she opened the package of shortbread and arranged the biscuits on a plate before turning her attention back to the hot water and pouring it into the teapot.

"Mai," Martin began quietly, a thoughtful expression on his features.

She looked at him questioningly as she set the timer. "Yes, Dr Davis?"

He chuckled. "Please, just call me Martin." He gazed at her with an openly curious expression on his face. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but how is it exactly that you came to work here, for my sons?" He held up his hands gently, seeing her flush nervously and avert her gaze. "I... I understand that you and Noll care very much for one another. That Gene considers you a very close friend as well. It just seems unnecessary for them to drag you into our line of work unless you were predisposed." His lips twitched in a small smile. "Certainly Noll wants to spend time with you, but there's no reason why they couldn't simply close the office on weekends so you could be together. We didn't set any requirements for the opening of this office—at least not time constraints such as being open on the weekends."

Mai felt her flush intensify. "You know... how seriously he takes his work, Dr Davis," she said, her voice half-mumbled.

He clicked his tongue softly and continued. "Being open seven days a week is rather ambitious. Certainly you have homework you need to focus on, and wish to spend your free time with your friends as well," he gestured toward her vaguely. "I do hope your friend is feeling better, by the way."

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Mai said. The timer dinged and she removed the mesh strainer from the teapot, tapping it gently to shake off the excess tea in the leaves before setting it on a small plate. "Just some normal teenager stuff that'll blow over in a few days."

He tilted his head slightly as he considered her, the light shining over his glasses with the movement and Mai was suddenly reminded of Yasuhara. "You aren't afraid of encountering spirits?" He asked, and motioned for the teacups on the counter. "You saw one of these cups break because of a spirit, and that was only the beginning of the danger of that case. It had its sights set on killing that girl, after all."

"It's not.. that I'm not afraid of ghosts, or anything like that," Mai said quietly, pouring a cup of tea and passing it to Martin. "But I do find it very interesting. And I think it's very important to have a business like this," she said, pouring a second cup for herself. "People might say they believe in ghosts and spirits and the supernatural, but when someone comes to them with a problem, they suddenly believe the opposite. Oh, there's no way that can be real, or You're making all of it up." She smiled wanly, watching the steam float from her teacup. "There are so many people who are faced with difficulties that others refuse to believe exist. And if there's anything I can do to help ease their burden, I'm happy to do it."

Martin smiled as he lifted the teacup to his lips, watching her. "You're very mature for your age, Mai."

Mai flushed suddenly and looked at her hands. "N-no, not especially, Dr Davis."

"I suppose it makes sense that Noll, he..." Martin's voice trailed off into silence. Mai stared at the floor, aware of what his thoughts must be. The two sipped the tea in the kitchenette for several moments before Martin spoke again. "I.. I'd like to apologize, again, Mai, for yesterday." He cleared his throat slightly and the blush that had nearly disappeared from her cheeks flared up once more. "I do hope you'll forgive me. We got off on the wrong foot, but I'd like to make amends."

Mai stared at the cup in her hands, her cheeks feeling as hot as her fingers. "It's understandable, Dr Davis," she said quietly. "You weren't.. expecting to find one of your sons spending time with a girl." She closed her eyes briefly, suddenly dizzy with relief that the Davises hadn't shown up ten or fifteen minutes later. Naru's lust for her body was clearly more than what it had been as an adult—vaguely she wondered if teenaged hormones had anything to do with it, or if simply the circumstances had lowered his inhibitions—and in fifteen minutes they might have been half naked. Martin and Luella's reactions had been tame compared to what that catastrophe would have been. Possibly they'd have taken their son and put him on a plane out of the country already. "I suppose you must think us terribly childish and irresponsible. I understand that you must.." she took a breath, still unable to look Martin in the eyes. "You must feel a little relieved that Naru's returning to England with you, Dr Davis."

"Please, Mai, call me Martin. No need for such formalities." He said again, smiling wanly. "I'll admit I feel.. a little conflicted. I'm rather protective of Gene and Noll, but I know that you're very important to them. For that I'm grateful." His mouth twitched slightly in a sudden smile. "I don't think Noll's ever let himself become friends with anyone. Gene's had friends, though he's kept his distance from them to stay close to his brother." He gestured toward her slightly. "I should be thanking you, Mai, so I'd like to be able to put our first meeting behind us and start fresh."

Mai nodded, meeting his warm gaze timidly. "Of course, Doct—Martin," she corrected herself, blushing slightly when his smile widened across his face. She'd always loved Martin's smile, with his bright twinkling eyes and the pronounced dimples on his cheeks. Apart from John and Michiru, Mai had never met anyone else with dimples, and both John and Michiru only had one.

Both Martin and Mai turned their heads as they heard the office door open. "We're back!" Gene called in a sing-song voice. "Oy, Noll, wake up!"

Martin chuckled and Mai smiled, imagining the grumpy look Naru undoubtedly had, first to have been woken and then to realize his father had let him sleep. She picked up the tea tray and followed the man out of the kitchenette. Gene was hanging up their coats, Luella and Sarah were making their way over to the sofas and Lin had already disappeared into his office.

"Afternoon tea?" Gene asked when he saw Mai, a grin lighting up his face and he crossed the room to sit down next to his brother.

"How was your day?" Martin asked Luella and Sarah, setting his teacup down on the coffee table before sitting down next to his wife. "Good timing, Mai's just made us some tea."

Mai met Naru's gaze tentatively as she set down the tray. He looked noticeably better after his rest and his lips twitched in a smile at the promise of tea. Gene nudged him with his elbow, grinning, to which Naru gave a resigned sigh and leaned forward, picking up the teapot. Naru poured the tea into the cups and Gene passed them around, first to Sarah and then to their mother.

"Lin," Luella called over her shoulder. "Won't you join us for afternoon tea?" She turned back to Martin, smiling her thanks as her son handed her the cup of tea. "It's too bad you couldn't come with us, Martin, Sensoji was really amazing. Not just the temple itself but all the structures around it. The Thunder Gate at the entrance must be the most famous besides the temple itself. What did it say, Sarah, do you remember? The one there today was built in the sixties but the original gate stood for over three hundred years—"

"Yes, that it'd been rebuilt several times," Sarah affirmed, smiling and dipping her head gratefully as Gene offered the plate of shortbread toward her.

"Lin," Gene called loudly. "There's one cup of tea left with your name on it."

Lin emerged from his office, looking slightly annoyed. "Coming." Gene held the cup of tea toward him and he hesitated, seeing the only vacant spot in the sitting area was next to Sarah, but accepted the tea and sat down stiffly.

Naru caught the mental exasperation from his brother. What is it? He asked silently.

Just wishing Lin would man up about this, Gene snorted silently.

Naru frowned. I don't think you're being very fair about this, Gene. Lin's in a difficult position.

If Mai didn't remember you would you just sit quietly waiting?

Naru exhaled. He'll sort it, Gene. Just let Lin do it his own way. Besides, if you're any more obvious about it, Luella will catch on, and the last thing we need is for Luella to get it in her mind that she needs to set the two of them up. When Gene didn't respond he continued. Think about it. If Luella gets a hint that Lin is interested in Sarah, she'll start trying to push the two of them together. You know how she is.

Not as bad as Madoka, Gene retorted, and his brother smirked in response.

No, he agreed. Not as bad as Madoka, I suppose.

Their mental conversation was cut short as both twins turned their heads simultaneously, watching as Mai hopped to her feet and hurried to her desk as the phone began to ring.

The group on the sofas quieted as she took the call, Luella continuing her anecdotes of the day in a hushed tone. "After lunch we went to Hamarikyu Garden but stopped first at the Kiyosumi Gardens, which was absolutely lovely. It was Lin who recommended the latter," she smiled brightly at the man in gratitude. "We walked around for a while before Gene suggested we come back here and pick you up and we could go to Meiji Shrine. It's not too far from here—"

"Yeah, we can walk if you want," Gene said. "It closes at sunset, so we have a couple hours still."

"What time does the sun go down?" Martin asked.

"Between five and five-thirty," Lin responded.

"We can go out to eat and walk around Yoyogi Park, too, if you'd like," Gene said, glancing at his brother. "Shouldn't be too hard to find somewhere around here decent to get some dinner."

Naru shrugged slightly, watching Mai as she finished the phone call and returned the phone to its cradle. "Potential client?" He asked as she returned to the sofas.

"Maybe," she began dubiously. "It was hard to tell. He made an appointment to come in next week."

"He's just got an old, creaky house," Gene muttered. "Just blaming it on the fact that his father-in-law just died."

Naru raised an eyebrow at his twin but said nothing.

"You can discount his claims after you've heard them yourself," Martin admonished his son. He drank the last of his tea and returned the empty teacup to the saucer. "Shall we go? We've only got about an hour until sunset."

"I'm feeling very much refreshed, thank you," Luella beamed at Mai as collected her teacup and carried it to the kitchenette. "Shall we just save these dirty dishes for tomorrow so we can go now?"

"Oh," Mai waved her hands. "It's okay. It'll only take a minute. If you want to go now that's fine, I'll lock up."

"Let me help you," Sarah offered, stacking the plates on the table to bring them to the kitchenette and Mai nodded gratefully.

"Sure, if you don't mind. Thanks."

"There's no reason we can't wait five minutes—" Naru began but Mai smiled brightly at him, shaking her head.

"It's no problem, really. There's only an hour until the shrine closes, after all. I'll be right behind you and I'll meet you there."

Lin pressed his lips together as he buttoned up his suit jacket, his eyebrows lowering slightly as if he was about to protest, but Luella spoke before the man could open his mouth to speak. "All right," she said reluctantly. "We'll leave you to it. Thank you."

"It's no problem," Mai said cheerfully, wrapping the uneaten shortbread in plastic and returning it to the package. Sarah placed the stack of plates on the counter and began to fill the sink with water, bending to find the detergent and a sponge in the cupboard below the sink. Naru slipped into the kitchen behind her, holding his empty teacup in one hand and his coat slung over his arm.

"I appreciate you cleaning up," he said softly and leaned forward, whispering in Mai's ear so only she could hear. "Takigawa came to the office earlier. While you were out. I wanted to let you know."

"What?" She whispered, her eyes widening and she stared at him in disbelief. "But why? Does that mean—"

"Yes," he said quietly, glancing first at Sarah, who was turned away and made no indication she could hear them, and then toward his parents, who seemed distracted enough. "I'll tell about it later." He set the teacup down next to the sink, looking back toward his parents. Luella was laughing with Gene but Martin was watching him, waiting for him to join them, and he strode back into the office, slinging his jacket around his shoulders.

"Ready, Noll?" Gene asked. His voice trailed off and he frowned, pulling his mobile out of his pocket, the object buzzing persistently in his hand. "Who's this now?" He murmured and lifted the phone to his ear. "Moshi-moshi," he answered in Japanese, his eyes trained on the opposite wall somewhere between his brother's and his mother's forms. "Yes, this is Shibuya Ichirou. How can I help you? Oh, Hara-san?! I admit I wasn't expecting to hear back from you.."

Hara-san? In the kitchen, Mai pressed her fingers to her temples, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed. First Yasuhara, then Takigawa, and now Masako. She half expected Ayako to waltz through the door in her favorite purple leopard-print vest.

"Yes, certainly, I'm available. I'd love to meet with you. Thank you for returning my call yourself, I understand you must be very busy..." Gene's head bobbed as he spoke. "Yes, yes, quite right. The very same." His lips twitched in a smile. "Unfortunately I'm leaving the office right this very moment. Is there any chance..." He nodded again. "Yes, certainly. Tomorrow or Monday would be fine. If we could schedule something now, I have some appointments during the day and may not be available..."

Mai glanced at Naru, trying to read his expression, but if he was surprised—which she assumed he must be at least a little surprised—he hid it startlingly well. She then noticed out of the corner of her eye that Sarah had turned off the water and was watching her.

"Great, that sounds perfect. I'll see you then, Hara-san." Gene lowered the phone, raising an eyebrow in the direction of his brother and Mai.

"Who was that, darling?" Luella asked.

"Hara Masako," Gene said flatly. "The famous medium, the one with the show on the telly? I'm pretty sure I told you about her."

"Oh, yes," Martin nodded. "Yes, I recall. You contacted her earlier on your trip, but that was weeks ago. She finally got back to you?"

"Yeah," Gene affirmed. "Apparently she didn't get the message from her manager until a couple days ago." His lips curled in a strange smile and Mai had the feeling that the brothers had suddenly traded places as she couldn't remember seeing Gene smirk quite like that before. Something about it seemed too much like Naru, and even that seemed like a strange notion. "She wanted to meet me," Gene finished, waving his hand nonchalantly, and the strange feeling vanished.

"Today?" Naru asked quietly, eyes narrowing slightly.

Gene shrugged. "She said she was in Shibuya right now, but I told her we were leaving, so she said she could come by the office Monday afternoon, after school."

"That's excellent, I'd love to meet her," Martin said enthusiastically, glancing toward his other son. "What do you think, Noll? It's not every day you get an interview with one of the most well-known mediums in the world. She's certainly the most famous in Japan, and though she's a bit of a television celebrity she's surely one of the more talented of our times." He beamed toward Gene again. "I can't wait to hear how her psychic abilities differ from yours, Gene. I'd better make a list of questions.."

"I'm sure she's hardly expecting an interview, Martin," Naru interrupted dryly. He gave a sidelong glance toward Mai, but she'd turned back to the task of tidying the kitchen, her face strangely blank as she worked beside Sarah. Sarah washed the dishes in the soapy water on one half of the sink before passing them to Mai, who then rinsed the cups and saucers before stacking them neatly in the drying rack.

"Noll's right, dear," Luella cautioned. "You have a tendency to come on a little strong. It won't do if you scare her away with your questions and prodding right off the bat."

"No, of course not," Martin looked between his sons, abashed, and laughed. "Perhaps I can ask you to introduce me, Gene," he teased.

"Dad," Gene warned. "You had better not embarrass us. This could be a really good thing for the office, you know, to have the support of the famous Hara Masako."

Martin chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Of course not, Gene. All the same, it'll be invigorating to have a discussion with her anyway I'm sure."

Naru exhaled, glancing at the clock on the wall. "It's getting dark," he reminded his family. "We're wasting time. Let's go," he said, and falling into step beside his twin, he led the others out of the office. Lin followed the brothers reluctantly and Luella and Martin were close behind.

"Thanks again," Luella called to the young women. "We'll see you in a few, okay?"

"Y-yeah, see you there," Mai called after them, stammering slightly.

Sarah glanced at her as she finished rinsing the last of the dishes, setting them in the drying rack as Mai pulled a clean towel out of a drawer and began to dry. "Are you all right, Mai?" She asked quietly. "All of a sudden..."

Mai forced herself to smile brightly, though there was a lump in her throat and her heart was thudding nervously in her chest. "Yeah," she assured her. "Sorry. I was just thinking.." her voice trailed off and she didn't know how to continue. It seemed like ages since she'd seen Takigawa and Masako. Takigawa, the man she'd come to think of affectionately as her older brother, and Masako, who had become one of her closest friends. When she saw either of them again, however, they wouldn't remember her, and she couldn't stop herself from feeling despondent at the thought. "I just haven't been to Meiji Shrine in a while," she lied, quickly picking up another teacup to dry when she realized her hands were trembling, hoping Sarah wouldn't notice the slight movement. "I was trying to remember what it's like."

...

When they reached the street, Naru led the way, striding forward quickly so as to put a few paces between himself and his parents, and Gene had to skip slightly to catch up with him. Lin, of course, walked normally with his long, even strides.

"I really don't think anything else can surprise me today," Naru muttered to his brother. "I have to admit, I really didn't think Hara-san would call you back."

"It is a tad surprising, isn't it," Gene agreed. "What else caught you off-guard today, brother-dearest?"

Naru made an aggravated face at his brother but didn't complain. "Yasuhara was suspicious," he told the two of them quietly, his voice low so that Martin or Luella could not overhear their conversation. "Only a few days and he's already got it in his head that I'm using an assumed name."

Lin frowned but remained silent. "How did he know?" Gene asked, puzzled. "Certainly he can't have any inclination of who we actually are—"

Naru's lips twitched in a sardonic smirk. "No. And he doesn't even know about your existence, Gene. It was an educated guess, but still a guess. It's been a long time since I've worked with Yasuhara. I'd nearly forgotten that not only is he a skilled researcher who knows how to utilize the resources he has available, but he's very good at reading the people around him as well."

Gene laughed. "You mean Mai gave us away?"

"Something like that."

Lin's eyebrows furrowed, mimicking his frown as he remembered how good Yasuhara was at figuring out things that were supposed to stay hidden, whether for their benefit or detriment alike. "He went to the Shibuya Ward Taxation Office, didn't he?" He exhaled quietly, shaking his head. "Then he knows about the connection between SPR and BSPR, no doubt."

"Yes," Naru admitted. "I'm not terribly concerned about them discovering the truth, but we shouldn't do anything for a while that might give us away. I think we'll have to wait for Yasuhara to meet Takigawa to become suspicious enough to figure out our true identities." He smirked at his brother. "Neither of whom know we're twins. I told Takigawa I was looking after the office in lieu of my older brother. How much older, of course, remained unspoken. You're welcome to pretend to be me the next time he comes to the office. I'm sure we can come up with a believable story—"

"Takigawa also came to the office today?" Lin repeated, incredulous.

"Indeed."

Lin pursed his lips. "Then Mai was right. That Yasuhara wouldn't be the only visitor."

"Hm," Gene mused. "She knew but she didn't know. This is a habit of hers, isn't it." He tapped his cheek thoughtfully. "I guess I understand why you get so aggravated with her, Noll."

Naru arched an eyebrow defensively. "Whoever said I was aggravated?"

"Must've remembered wrong," Gene said quickly, and Lin coughed into his hand to hide his smile.

...

Mai and Sarah caught up with the others not long after they arrived at Meiji Shrine, and the group meandered the forest that surrounded the temple complex. They stopped at any buildings that were open to the public, tossing coins in the offering boxes although Mai was the only one to pray. Martin and Luella walked side-by-side down the tree-lined walkway and Lin followed at a respectable distance behind them, though in actuality he was constantly glancing at Sarah out of the corner of his eye, even stopping to wait for her as she bought a good-luck charm from a smiling shrine attendant.

Passing by a small structure with rows of wooden cubbies, Gene tugged on Mai's elbow, pointing with his other hand toward it. "What's that?" He asked. "There was one of those at Sensoji too."

"Hm? Oh, omikuji. You draw your fortune for a hundred yen," Mai said, smiling. "Want to try?"

"Why not." He looked over his shoulder, seeking out his brother. Naru had stopped to gaze pensively at a huge tree encircled by a sacred rope, holding his elbow in one hand and the other resting against his cheek in contemplation. "Noll," Gene called. "You want to get your fortune?"

"I'll pass," Naru said distractedly, gazing at the tree.

Gene shrugged and led Mai down the path toward the structure. Slipping the coins into the box, they took turns shaking the wooden rods out of the metal cylinder and then taking the corresponding paper from the cubbies.

"Eighty-eight," Gene laughed, holding up his paper for her to see. "Great fortune! What did you draw, Mai?"

"Ninety-nine," Mai said, trying to ignore the shiver that ran down her spine as she saw the paper. "Great curse." She folded it in half, forcing herself to laugh weakly. "Bad fortune. In fact it's the worst."

"Well, I'll just give you mine, then," Gene said with a grin, passing her his paper and plucking hers from her fingers. "You will succeed in your new venture. Now is a good time to take a risk. Your investments will bear fruit. And now is a good time to get married." He winked at her, and Mai couldn't help but laugh, pushing his shoulder away.

"Be quiet, Gene," she whispered, giggling.

"I'm serious, Mai. Martin and Luella need to understand how important you are to us," Gene whispered back and the silly grin slipped from Mai's face. "I'm this close to telling them everything if they don't take you seriously."

Mai raised her hands to cover her face, rubbing her nose with her fingertips. "It's fine, Gene," she mumbled. "Martin and Luella have been really nice to me today. And you can't... you can't expect them to act the way they did before if you tell them what happened. It's not fair to them to think that. It'll never be real to them the way it is for us."

He gazed at her silently for several moments and Mai squirmed under his level gaze. "What is it?" She finally asked. Gene suddenly grinned, reaching toward her and snapping his fingers next to her ear. Mai jumped at the sound. "What was that for?" She demanded, covering her ears with her fingers.

"You sound too much like Noll," he said. "Just trying to break the spell."

"What?" Mai protested, dropping her hands and putting them on her hips.

"You know," he laughed, lifting his hands in an ambiguous gesture. "The magic spell will end with the snap of my fingers—"

"That's hypnotism, Gene," Mai corrected him crossly.

"Same difference," he rolled his eyes. "And this is the thanks I get for giving you my great fortune."

"I never asked you to give me your fortune!" Mai laughed, pulling it out and waving it in front of his face. "Here, take it back."

"No way," Gene laughed, stepping backwards away from her. "Besides, it worked, didn't it? You're not acting like Noll anymore—"

"What's that supposed to mean, anyway?" She called after him. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, eyes widening as she caught sight of a familiar figure. Back at the covered structure they'd only just left, where they'd just drawn their fortunes—a petite girl in an indigo-colored kimono was shaking out a wooden rod to do the same.

"No way," she whispered.

Gene's lips widened into a grin. "What a coincidence," he murmured in Japanese, and strode toward her. "Wow, you didn't tell me she was so cute."

"W-w-w-wait!" Mai stuttered. "What are you doing?" She hissed, running to catch up to him, grabbing his arm as if to pull him back.

"I'm going to introduce myself, what else?" he pulled his arm out of her grasp and gave her a devious smirk. "Careful, Mai, if she sees that she'll get the wrong idea. You wouldn't want her to think it wasn't Noll, would you?"

Mai's cheeks reddened and she mumbled something under her breath as she followed him.

"Hara Masako, I presume?" Gene asked as he approached her, stopping a polite distance away.

Masako turned at his voice, holding a paper fortune in both hands. "Yes?" She began hesitantly, eyes narrowing slightly as she considered them.

"I'm sorry to bother you," he said, bowing politely. "I recognized you when I saw you and it just seemed too much of a coincidence. I am Shibuya Ichirou—we just spoke on the phone half an hour ago."

Masako's face visibly relaxed to hear who he was. "A coincidence, indeed. It's very nice to meet you, Shibuya-san." Her gaze moved to Mai and she gave her a small smile. "And.."

"Taniyama Mai. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mai introduced herself quickly, bowing slightly, exhaling in relief when Masako returned the polite greeting. "We won't keep you," Mai said, giving Gene a meaningful look. "Ichirou-kun just wanted to introduce himself to you when he saw you—"

"Lucky coincidence, isn't it?" Gene interrupted with a laugh.

Masako smiled demurely. "Indeed. I do hope you'll accept my sincere apology for not getting back to you earlier. I just saw a note in my manager's calendar that a visiting psychic from England had called. She certainly never mentioned it to me before," she sniffed.

"I'm just glad we were able to connect in the end," Gene said pleasantly.

"But you've opened an office, now?" Masako looked puzzled. "How long are you staying in Japan?"

"Oh, you know," Gene shrugged his shoulders and lifted his hands vaguely. "For a while. It's not yet determined exactly how long." He glanced at Mai. "Perhaps a year or two."

"I see." Masako considered him, tapping her fingers against the paper in her hands. "I hope this doesn't sound forward, but have we met before?"

"Definitely not," Gene said, without hesitation. "I would have remembered meeting someone so beautiful before."

Mai tried to stifle her laugh, but failed and a giggle escaped her lips. Surely, Masako must have said the same thing to Naru when she'd met him—she couldn't remember exactly, but certainly Naru hadn't responded anything like this.

At his statement Masako turned her nose up slightly at the boy. "I'm flattered. But I can already tell you're not my type."

Mai's mouth dropped open. That was perhaps the last thing she would have expected Masako to say.

Gene didn't seem to mind the instant rejection. If anything, his grin widened. "And brutally honest to boot!" He laughed.

Mai covered her lips as she began to laugh. Masako glared at her and Mai held up her hands. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'm not laughing at you, not at all. You're really pretty, truly. It's just," Masako visibly softened to be complimented and Mai turned her gaze to Gene, "such a lame thing to say."

Gene feigned being hurt. "It's true. I would remember."

"Yeah, but it's so cheesy!" Mai laughed. "Who says that? Come on, you should know better."

"I'm only a sixteen year-old boy," Gene muttered, genuinely annoyed. "In case you've forgotten, Mai."

Masako exhaled a quiet hmph, rolling her eyes but Mai could see that the girl was glad to have someone on her side. "Honestly."

Mai turned when she saw two figures approaching them from the path. "Ah, we'd better go," she said quickly, hoping Masako wouldn't see Naru, but it was too late. "We shouldn't intrude on your afternoon any longer..."

"Your brother, I presume?" Masako asked Gene lightly, an eyebrow delicately arching on her brow.

"The one and only."

Sarah seemed to recognize Masako as well, Mai thought, judging by the way the woman's eyes widened when she saw the girl. Naru, on the other hand, ignored Masako completely. "Aniki, it's getting late. We'd better reconvene with the others. They're waiting for us at the main gate." Only then did he turn to Masako, giving a short bow that was barely more than a nod of his head. "Shibuya Kazuya," he introduced himself. "I see you've met my brother. I hope we haven't bothered you too much."

"Not at all," Masako said smoothly, bowing as she introduced herself. Mai tried to quell the sudden jealousy that flared up in her stomach when she saw the look Masako gave Naru. It was a very different look from the one she'd given Gene when she met him, a look that was somehow both coquettish and demure and much too calculating for Mai's liking. Looking between the twins, Masako's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I'm certain we've met before," she said slowly.

Why, Mai wondered bitterly to herself, why must Masako always be attracted to Naru? Why not Gene this time? They'd actually make a really cute couple— Mai's thoughts came to a sudden stop when Naru took her hand in his own, squeezing it gently.

"It seems unlikely," Naru replied. "Although I'll admit it's not entirely impossible."

"If you're headed back to the main gate as well, shall we walk together?" Gene offered to Masako.

"Very well," Masako agreed slowly, her eyes moving between the members of the group.

Naru tugged on Mai's hand, leading her back toward the main path, and Mai felt a happy blush spread across her cheeks for him to hold her hand in public.

They hadn't walked very far when Masako cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she asked Sarah. "May I... may I have a word with you?"

...

Mai, Gene, and Naru watched as Masako led Sarah down a side path, walking behind a tall hedge for privacy. Gene motioned the two forward and they crept closer to the other side of the hedge, where they could just make out the beginning of a conversation between the two women.

I hate eavesdropping, Naru told his brother silently, his voice in his thoughts flat and unamused. Why are we listening?

"I'm sorry to call you away from the others," Masako started, her voice much more nervous and unsure than just moments before. "I see spirits, you know. And it's just that... I saw a spirit following you. Watching you."

"Me?" Sarah asked, sounding surprised. "What kind of spirit?"

Masako hesitated. "It's not.. hostile," she said carefully. "It really just seems to be... watching."

Mai held her breath, looking at Naru questioningly before glancing at Gene, but their gazes were trained steadfast on the leaves of the hedgerow as if they could see the two figures standing behind it.

"Thank you for telling me," Sarah said honestly. "I'm glad... to know."

"It disappeared," Masako finally said, after a long pause. The three listening in could imagine the small frown, tugging at her features. "I think it must have seen me watching it as well."

It's Lin's shiki, Gene explained to his brother.

So I figured, Noll remarked dryly. Once again, why are we listening to this? It's none of our business.

Well I was hoping, Gene stuck his lower lip out in a pout, that it might illuminate whether or not Sarah remembers.

Neither here nor there, Naru thought, sounding disinterested. He glanced toward Mai, smiling slightly when she met his gaze and nodding with his head for her to follow him, and the two retreated back to the path, Mai looking hesitantly behind her at Gene.

"Is it okay?" She asked Naru quietly, once they were far enough away that she wasn't worried about Masako or Sarah overhearing her. "Gene must have seen it as well, right?"

Naru gazed at her calmly, nodding slowly. "What about you?" He finally asked. "Did you see it?"

Mai bit her lip and looked at her shoes. She sighed and smiled sadly, looking back up at him to meet his gaze. "I might've," she admitted ruefully. "But I didn't even know what I was seeing, Naru."

He squeezed her hand tightly. "Be patient, Mai."

She bit her lip again and lifted her gaze to the trees, watching the gentle swaying of the pine in the evening light. The sun had dipped low in the sky and only the tops of the trees were bathed in golden light. "What if I never have abilities like I did before, Naru?" She suddenly asked. "Everything I ever did was pretty much by accident, and if it was because Gene was there in my dreams, lending me his psychic energy..."

"Then you don't have them," he replied simply. "Your psychic abilities don't define you, Mai." He smiled wryly. "Though, don't forget you made that psychic barrier. And this morning you channelled energy into Lin's stone."

"Yeah, maybe," Mai said dubiously. "But I don't think I could do it again if I tried."

"Maybe not," he agreed, and the smile widened ever so slightly. "But then again, maybe you could." He turned his gaze back toward his brother, his eyebrows rising slightly in amusement when Gene trotted back to them quickly. "I don't know why he stood there for so long," he muttered. "He could've eavesdropped just as well from here."

"What do you mean?" Mai asked, and Naru gave her a quizzical look.

"You don't know?"

She shook her head but he didn't answer her as Masako and Sarah appeared from behind the hedge shortly thereafter. Rejoining the group, Masako murmured quiet apologies for the disruption and they continued down the path until they reached a fork in the road.

"I'm heading this way, actually," Masako said, gesturing with her head toward the right side when she saw that they were veering toward the left. "It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, take care," Naru and Gene said, and the group exchanged pleasantries and polite bows. "Have a nice evening."

"Likewise," Masako dipped her head politely. "I look forward to meeting you at your office on Monday." Her gaze lingered on Naru's for slightly longer than was necessary and she turned, heading down the path and disappeared from sight.

Naru released a breath after the girl left, squeezing Mai's hand a little tighter before releasing it.

"Naru?" Mai asked him questioningly.

He shook his head. "Nothing." He exhaled again, gesturing forward to the path. "Martin and Luella were already talking about dinner before I left to find you. They'll be ready to go by the time we get there."

"What's for dinner?" Gene asked, lips quirking in a curious grin. "Japanese food?" He laughed and stretched his arms above his head. "I sure could go for some tempura or teppanyaki. I'm starving!"

...

They met up with Martin and Luella outside the forest near the main shrine gate and Lin picked them up with the van only minutes later. Naru directed Lin to a restaurant he was familiar with, one Mai had an inkling he'd visited on his previous stay in Tokyo. It was obviously an upscale establishment, judging by the floral arrangements and a bubbling fountain in the lobby. A young man took their coats and the elegant hostess, a poised woman in a dark kimono, smiled warmly at her guests and led them down a hall to a private dining room. Lin led the way, taking off his shoes and leaving them beside the sliding door before stepping up onto the tatami. Martin and Luella followed with their sons close behind. Mai and Sarah were the last into the room and the hostess slid the door closed behind them.

"The decor is like nothing I've ever seen," Sarah murmured quietly to Mai as they sat down on the embroidered cushions, who nodded her agreement. "It's beautiful."

"Me neither," she whispered, trying to ignore the niggling feeling that told her she didn't belong in such a high-end restaurant. She'd always known Martin and Luella were somewhat well off, though the couple lived rather modestly and did not flaunt their wealth. They'd gone out to fancy restaurants in England, for birthdays and other special occasions, but to be included in this gathering when she'd only truly known them—or rather, they'd known her—for less than a day seemed wrong, somehow.

"I think Noll chose this restaurant because they have an English menu," Gene told the two dryly. Mai cracked a grin and Sarah giggled softly into her hand.

Lin, Luella and Martin sat at one side of the table, and facing them, Mai almost felt like she was being interviewed by the Board of Directors at BSPR all over again. Martin was on the Board and had requested Lin to be present at that time, though of course Luella was not. It had been at a Western-style table, of course, rather than cushions on tatami and the low Japanese-style table, but something about facing the three exacerbated her nervousness. The feeling disappeared, however, as soon as their waitress came with tea and sake and two bowls of freshly-steamed edamame soybeans.

"Too bad I'm underage," Mai murmured ruefully to Sarah as she sipped her tea, watching Martin and Luella out of the corner of her eye. She didn't want them to overhear, but they were both preoccupied. Martin was asking Naru about the meal he'd arranged for them, and Luella and Gene were laughing together over some joke she couldn't understand. "I probably won't get a chance to drink such expensive sake ever again in my entire life."

Sarah laughed lightly. "I'm sure there'll be another opportunity."

Lin smiled wryly at Mai as he sipped the drink. "I'd let you taste it, Mai, but I really don't think Luella would approve."

"No," Mai held up her hands quickly. "I don't want them to think I'm some sort of alcohol-crazed teenager," and Lin chuckled out loud at her comment.

"What was your favorite part of today?" Mai asked Sarah, changing the subject when she saw that Martin and Naru were finishing their conversation about the upcoming meal. "Did you get any souvenirs at the markets around Sensoji?"

"Just a couple," Sarah admitted. "Some chopsticks for my mother and a lucky cat statue for my friend. She loves cats."

Mai grinned. "A cat-person, right?" Her grin widened slightly as Sarah nodded. "What about you? Do you prefer cats or dogs?"

"Guilty cat-person," Sarah confessed with a laugh. "We always had a cat at the bakery to chase mice away, but never at home. I think I get it from my mother. She grew up with lots of cats, but my father and brother have always raised rabbits." She smiled at Mai. "And you?"

Mai grinned. "I never had pets at home until..." her voice trailed off and she thought about Umeboshi, the kitten Naru had given her for her last birthday. Unlike the people she'd met and friends she'd made in the past, there was no reason to think she'd ever see that cat again. She cleared her throat and forced a smile. "I love cats but I love dogs too. I've always wanted both, I think. A cat to snuggle up with on a cold night but a dog to play with in the park."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I like dogs too. As long as they're not too noisy, maybe," Sarah laughed, though Mai thought she saw something sad and wistful in Sarah's eyes. "It seems like my neighbors have always had dogs that bark a lot, though that's mostly the fault of the human, not the dogs."

"What about you, Lin-san?" Mai asked, turning toward the man. "Did you have pets growing up?"

Lin raised an eyebrow at the question. "Not at my family home in Kwai Chung, no. But I spent most of my childhood in Liu To village with my grandmother, and she's always had dogs and birds, but never cats."

"Birds, hm?" Mai repeated, and tried to imagine Lin as a child or even a teenager but couldn't. "I suppose you wouldn't want cats if you had birds."

"No," Lin agreed with a slight smile. "At least not the kinds of birds she had, small songbirds. Maybe larger birds would be different." He shrugged his shoulders. "I admit I haven't thought much lately about getting a pet."

"Hmm," Mai thought aloud, and turned her gaze back to Sarah, reverting to the earlier topic. "Were those the only souvenirs you bought? Did you get anything for yourself?"

Sarah averted her gaze and Mai was surprised to see the young woman blushing. "Just a good-luck charm at Meiji Shrine," she said, looking embarrassed. "I don't really believe in that sort of thing, but..." She glanced at Lin, her blush darkening slightly and she looked away. "I know it's silly."

"Not at all," Mai said vehemently.

"Depending on who made the charm," Lin said softly, the small smile twitching at his lips. "If the crafter had any skill, it might bring you good luck after all."

"What about Mai's fortune, then?" Gene suddenly asked, leaning around his brother as he reached for more edamame. "Mai drew the worst fortune."

"Well what about your?" Mai laughed. "You traded with me, the bad fortune's yours now."

"Pure chance," Naru scoffed. "Drawing a number and taking a fortune is on the same line as reading your horoscope in a newspaper."

"Perhaps," Lin agreed, glancing between Mai and Gene. "Though spiritualists in China have used similar fortune telling techniques that have proved quite accurate. Unfortunately, simply trading the pieces of papers wouldn't change the fortune. If the fortune actually meant anything," he added, seeing Mai's stricken look.

"Does your family use this technique?" Martin asked Lin, his interest piqued.

"On my mother's side, yes," Lin admitted. "I have never practiced it myself. It was not part of my training."

"I'll have to ask you more about that later," Martin said, smiling as the waitress slid open the door. "Looks like the main course is here."

...

Dinner with the Davis family seemed to ease all the nervousness Mai had felt earlier in the evening. She was comfortable, listening to Martin, Lin and Naru discuss the fortune-telling techniques of Lin's family. Martin and Naru asked thoughtful questions, though Mai had the feeling Naru was only interjecting his own so that Martin would not monopolize the conversation.

"The practice is rooted in shamanistic rituals and folk religion from my mother's ancestors," Lin explained. "Certainly, it varies from region to region, family to family."

"Are Chinese folk religious practices similar to Mongolian shamanism?" Martin asked thoughtfully.

"I believe so, though I admit to know very little about Mongolian shamanism," Lin said. "Due to the proximity of my mother's ancestral home to Inner Mongolia, it wouldn't surprise me if my family's spiritual traditions were more similar to certain Mongol practices as compared to the folk religions one might find in Guangdong, the province just north of Hong Kong. I have read that the folk religions in Sichuan and Yunnan, for example, are closely connected to Tibetan Buddhism."

"Certainly, traditions will mingle over centuries of propinquity," Martin agreed, nodding thoughtfully.

Mai gave Naru a questioning glance and he smirked, understanding her confusion. Closeness, he mouthed.

"Lin, where is your mother's family from, again?" Luella asked.

"Part of Manchuria, wasn't it?" Martin asked.

Lin nodded curtly. "Liaoning Province." He gave a slight, apologetic smile at Mai. "It was part of the Japanese Manchukuo occupation, though my family emigrated before the Civil War, before my mother was born."

Under the table, Naru placed his hand on Mai's, leaning closer toward her. "Aren't you glad it's Lin to go through the inquisition, rather than yourself?" He whispered, his voice so soft that she had to strain to hear him over the conversation.

"Yeah," she breathed back, biting her lip as she smiled. "But I'm sure it'll happen eventually." She grinned mischievously. "If we're getting Lin to talk about his past, any chance of getting him to tell us about Tib.. Tib-whatsit, Aahil's previous master?"

"Thibault Bertin," Naru corrected her.

"Okay, Thibault Bertin?" Mai repeated.

"None whatsoever," he whispered back flatly. "Martin knows some of the circumstances, and neither he nor Lin would ever mention it in Luella's presence. Or ours, for that matter."

"How come you know about it and Gene didn't?" Mai asked.

He shrugged. "Lin only told me in detail about the incident several years ago, but only because of direct relevance to a case we were working."

Mai looked at him quizzically. "It was that bad?" She finally whispered. She glanced at Lin out of the corner of her eye, who was holding up his hands in a strange position to illustrate a point. Martin looked fascinated, and even Luella, who Mai knew was less interested in these sorts of things, seemed rather curious. When Naru didn't answer her she looked back at him. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

Naru lifted his shoulders slightly. "It's not my story to tell, and even I don't know exactly how Aahil plays into it." He gestured back toward the others with a slight tip of his head. "They're bound to notice if we keep whispering like this." His lips curved upwards in a slight smirk. "Gene's already pestering me, asking what we're talking about."

"Sorry," Mai whispered, somewhat abashed, and turned her face forward again, Naru squeezing her fingers once more under the table before releasing her hand.

...

After dinner Mai found herself alone with Luella in the lobby of the restaurant. The man at the coat-check had brought Martin and Lin's coats first, and the two had left to get the car and bring it around to the front so that the others wouldn't have to walk in the cool night air. Mai wouldn't have minded, and Naru and Gene certainly hadn't, as they'd stepped outside as soon as they retrieved their coats. Sarah had followed, and now Mai and Luella waited for their coats alone.

"The crab was delicious, wasn't it?" Luella hummed. "I don't suppose we usually eat very much seafood. Just the odd fish and chips."

"Yes, truly. Thank you for dinner, it was wonderful," Mai said gratefully. The attendant brought their coats and she took them from the man, thanking him politely.

"My pleasure, my dear," Luella smiled at her warmly, dipping her head as Mai passed her coat to her. She watched Mai as she slid her coat on over her shoulders, catching the glint of metal reflecting the office lights. "Oh, what's this?" She asked, leaning forward to get a closer look, eyes widening slightly as she saw the brooch pinned beneath Mai's collar. "How beautiful," she marvelled. "The tree of life, isn't it?"

"Oh, um," Mai said, startled. "Yes, maybe? I guess so."

"What a beautifully crafted piece."

Mai touched the pin lightly with her fingertips, smiling softly. "Thank you."

"It must be very important to you," Luella said softly.

"Yes," Mai murmured, averting her gaze. "Actually, it was Noll who gave it to me," she admitted, purposefully using his English nickname. The pronunciation felt strange on her tongue.

"Oh?" Luella smiled, shaking her head slightly from side to side. "I don't suppose I should be surprised, by anything he does." She patted Mai on the shoulder and the two made their way out of the lobby into the night. "And yet..." she shook her head, her words trailing off. She cleared her throat. "You lived in London when you were young, is that right?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Um, yes," Mai nodded, though hidden in her coat pockets, her hands were clenched tightly into fists. She hated lying. "Only for a little while." There was absolutely no plausible reason why she should have lived in London as a child. She forced herself to laugh weakly. "I really don't remember much about it at all."

"Hmm," Luella sighed slightly as they made their way to where Gene, Naru and Sarah were waiting. "I suppose you'll have to visit us," she said, smiling apologetically. "Perhaps over the summer, for school holidays?"

Mai felt a tightness in her chest and blinked away the happy tears that had formed in her eyes at the overwhelming emotion at Luella's simple statement. "I'd love to," she managed, trying to keep her voice even. "Really."

"After all," Luella reasoned as they approached the others, touching Gene's shoulder as she came up to stand beside him. "Gene will have to come home eventually, won't he?"

...

It began to rain shortly after they left the restaurant, the faint drizzle soon turning into a light, persistent rain. In the darkness of the car, the soft pitter-patter of rain on the roof and the rhythmic swaying of the windshield wipers, Mai realized how tired she was as her eyelids grew heavy and nearly impossible to keep open. Martin and Lin, once again in the front seats, carried a quiet conversation while the rest of the occupants in the vehicle were silent. Both Luella and Sarah seemed just as tired as she, Mai thought, vaguely attributing some of their exhaustion to jet-lag. The twins, on the other hand, seemed alert, though Gene was quiet in the rear seat, making no effort for conversation as he had in the morning. It was no surprise that Naru was quiet beside her, though he leaned comfortably toward her, his arm resting against hers.

She must have dozed during the ride, as she found herself blinking, slightly disoriented as Lin slowed the car on a dimly-lit street. It took her several moments to realize he'd stopped in front of her apartment.

"Thank you, again, for everything," she said, unclipping her seatbelt. "Dinner was lovely."

"Perhaps you can come for breakfast tomorrow morning?" Luella asked.

"I'd love to, thank you." Mai said honestly. She smiled as she slid open the door and stepped out of the van, bowing to the family. "Good night, everyone. Thank you again."

"Goodnight, Mai," Luella and Gene said, nearly in unison.

"You're getting wet," Naru said flatly, and Mai flushed.

"See you tomorrow," she said, half-embarrassed and half-amused. She waved as she turned and hurried through the light rain toward the door, grateful for the short awning as she dug her keys from her pocket.

The van pulled away from the street after she'd closed the door behind her, the stillness of her house enveloping her. She turned on the light and slipped off her damp jacket, unravelling her scarf from her neck and removing her shoes.

She'd thought she would have a cup of tea and read, but her exhaustion returned in full force and she abandoned the idea. Shrugging off her sweater, Mai tumbled onto her futon, asleep only moments after her head hit the pillow.

...

The two small boys are laughing, shrieking bundles of joy as they tumble on the floor, and Mai can't help but laugh, too, as she watches them from her perch on the sofa. Lin is doing push-ups and the boys are giggling with delight as they sit and fall over his back, but the man is undeterred. He laughs aloud and pretends to struggle and they enjoy it even more.

"Fourteen," the boys chant together, in near perfect unison, the words hiccupped with giggles. "Fifteen! Sixteen!"

Somehow she knows they're in his living room—Lin and Sarah's, that is; that they've invited them over for dinner and Sarah is probably pulling her famous homemade pizza from the oven even as the rest of them cause a noisy commotion in here. Her child and theirs, playing together on the carpet, rough-housing with Lin. Her son.

Wait, Mai thought suddenly, almost frantically. Didn't Gene—didn't Gene tell me we had a daughter?

His words seem to echo in her mind and she can't help but close her eyes, straining to remember. She was a really beautiful girl. And brilliant, of course, Gene's voice tells her. As if heaven had taken all the best parts of you and Noll and put them together in a tidy package.

She frowns, shaking herself to clear her mind, and opening her eyes, she forgets again. The smaller of the two children tumbles from the man's shoulders and rolls across the floor to her feet. She scoops him up in her arms, laughing and nuzzling his soft face. Sometimes it strikes her as unbelievable, magical, wonderful—how much love she has for this child. She loves him so much, sometimes she thinks her heart will overflow. "Oliver," she coos. "Can you do as many push-ups as Uncle Lin?"

"Twenty three!" Lin's son laughs, as if it's the most hilarious thing that has ever happened. "Twenty... four!"

"No," Oliver says solemnly. "I can't."

She laughs and brushes his ebony hair away from his eyes, dark and serious. When she gazes into this child's eyes she thinks she can see the universe reflected in him. "So serious," she teases.

"I'm only telling the truth," he insists.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," she agrees, kissing his cheek. "Not yet." Someday, she knows, he will lie to her, but that day is still far away. Someday, too—he will not let her kiss him, least of all in front of his best friend—but today he does not squirm in her arms. Not today. He simply wipes the skin where her lips had wet him with his sleeve but does not leave the comforting hold of her embrace. Instead, he rests his head against her shoulder, his forehead nestled into her neck. She feels the gentle touch of his nose and his breath against her skin, and can't help but smile. "You know how I love you, Oliver," she murmurs. You know how I cherish you.

"I know," the child affirms quietly, suddenly sleepy despite the commotion in the room.

"Dinner's ready," Gene announces behind her, and she realizes he's been watching them from the door all this time. "You'll have to continue torturing your father later, Wei."

Wei laughs as his father collapses beneath him, feigning exhaustion, before rolling over and springing lightly to his feet, pulling his son up and swinging him up into the air. The boy shrieks with laughter and delight. "Again, Daddy, again! Pretty-please?"

"Wei Alexander," his mother calls his full name fondly, and Mai can hear the smile on Sarah's lips without even having to see it. "Come help me set the table, please?"

"Yes Mummy," Wei agrees, and Lin sets the child back on the solid floor, who scampers toward his mother. "But only if you throw me up in the air again after dinner, Daddy!"

"Promise," Lin laughs quietly as he follows the child, ruffling his silky black hair with his hand. His one visible eye is shining with happiness and mirth.

Mai turns as she stands, watching him go, her son still in her arms propped against her hip, his head against her shoulder. Wei takes after his father and is tall for his age, a good head taller than Oliver who is his younger by only less than a month.

Lin and Sarah have retreated into the kitchen, their son helping his father set the dinner table as Sarah brings the food. Gene leans in the door frame, watching Mai with an unreadable expression on his face. His arms are crossed over his chest and his head is tilted almost pensively as he gazes at the child in her arms.

He blinks slowly and raises his dark eyes to meet hers, and she suddenly knows. This is a dream. Gene knows it too. Gene's in this dream with me.

"Gene—" she begins, but the words die in her throat.

As if knowing is enough to shatter the spell, the house crumbles around her and she is running, chest heaving as she struggles forward despite the burning in her throat and the stitch in her side. "Naru!" She cries in panic, knowing with a troubling certainty she must go to him; his life depends on it. "Where are you?"

She runs in two places at once. She can see the London street, feel the pavement beneath the thin soles of her shoes and smell the rain that has left the concrete damp. She recognizes it easily as the street that would take her from Martin and Luella's house to a nearby park. Yet the image is thin and translucent and she also sees a barren, rocky wasteland, devoid of color as the light from the sun is dimmed by blowing dust that clogs the air. It is this second image that she finds herself falling into, and she coughs as the dust fills her nostrils and chokes her lungs, covering her face in the crook of her arm.

Her legs refuse to take her any further, her struggling suddenly useless even though she strives to run. Finally she collapses to the ground, stinging tears falling from her cheeks that she did not realize she had shed. Above her she can hear the cacophonous sound of an enormous flock of birds, can feel the beating of their wings against the air just above her back. The birds scream to each other above her and she cringes away from the sound, shielding her head with her arms and covering her ears to block the noise.

As quickly as the birds have appeared they disappear again and all is silent. She lifts her head and she sees a figure in front of her. It is a man, kneeling on the ground, his hands covering his face. She assumes he is crying and she crawls toward him. "Are you all right?" She asks, wincing as her bare knees are cut on the sharp, angular rocks beneath them. "Mister? Are you—"

When his hands fall and he turns to face her, she begins to scream.

...

Naru awoke with a start when his brother shook him roughly. "Noll," Gene whispered urgently. "Noll!"

"What is it?" He managed, blinking blearily and trying to force himself awake and alert.

"It's Mai." Naru could just barely see his brother's outline in the dim room and he could see that he was trembling. "She had a nightmare."

"What—"

Gene shook his head fiercely, his hair falling over his eyes. "I couldn't stop it, Noll—I knew it was coming but I couldn't stop it. You need to go to her. She needs you now."

Naru was on his feet in an instant, stumbling slightly as he pulled on a sweater. "Will—"

"Just go," Gene insisted, and his brother didn't have to be told a second time. Alone in the room, Gene slumped forward onto his brother's bed, wrapping his arms around himself and squeezing his eyes shut, trying to quell the uneasiness in his heart, trying to forget the sound of Mai's terrified screams.

...

He all but ran down the street, the wind blowing against the umbrella that sheltered him and pelting his exposed legs with raindrops. In his haste he'd forgotten the spare key to Mai's apartment that lived on a hook above the refrigerator, but he knew Mai had hidden one near her front door. Slipping through the gate he approached the house and groped around in the darkness, feeling with his fingers along the painted drain pipe that ran parallel to the roof. When his fingers finally touched something small and metal and he retrieved the key and unlocked the door. Pulling his umbrella closed, he slipped inside.

He could hear her muffled crying and he all but ran to her room. He slid open the door and went quickly to her side, his socks silent against the tatami. "Mai," he whispered as he knelt by her futon, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Naru—?" she began, allowing him to pull her into his arms. "Why are you—?"

It surprised him that she spoke in Japanese, rather than English, but he responded in kind. "Gene told me you had a nightmare," he said quietly in her tongue, holding her tightly.

"I'm scared, Naru," she choked, gripping him tightly. Her body shuddered as she tried to hold in her sobs. "I'm so scared."

"It's all right now," he murmured, stroking her hair. She began to shiver and he pulled the comforter up over both of them. "It's all right, Mai."

"I don't even remember the dream," she finally whispered, closing her eyes tightly. "I don't even know why I'm so frightened."

"You don't need to remember," he told her, stroking her head gently. "It's all right. You don't need to remember."

---

a few notes:

**A note for my American (English) readers: a little bit of the Queen's English has made its way into these last two chapters due to Martin and Luella's arrival. If you're not familiar, biscuits are not biscuits as you imagine (those are scones, sort of, but not exactly.) In these mentions, all biscuits are sweet biscuits, therefore, cookies. They've also said Ta a couple times, which if it is not evident, is a casual thank you. I think that's it... but if there's anything else you have questions about, please ask.

**Notes for those in the Commonwealth: I am not a native British English speaker and I would never pretend to understand all its subtleties, also the lines between British English and Australian English are quite fuzzy to me; if you think I've made any errors in any dialogue please feel free to tell me so I can correct them.

**This "Tu as une faim de loup, mon petit chou" Luella says is translated simply as "hungry as a wolf, my darling." The meaning itself is not exactly pertinent.

Eternal gratitude and thanks always to Meepyonnee, for helping me get my words straight, to furiouskittenn, for offering unlimited assistance with the French dialogue, and Ferb O. Oche's lovely and marvelous drawings, which often make me cry a little bit, in a good way.

As always, (and I feel a bit self-conscious for saying this, but,) I love you for your reviews, comments, and feedback. It encourages me beyond belief and more often than not, you help shape the story going forward. I appreciate hearing your thoughts, corrections, speculations, everything, thank you a million thanks.

I probably (definitely) won't update in December so stay safe and comfortable, whether hot or cold, hell or highwaters and we'll meet again in the New Year! Best wishes and good tidings and all of those things.

-abbq