No I don't own anything in regards to Ghost Hunt. Thank you very much for the supportive feedback I've received! I'll try to keep the creative juices pumping!

Naru's POV:

Did I just hear correctly?

:Flashback:

I came out of my office to see why it was so quiet only to find Lin trying to wake a sleeping Mai. That blasted girl always seem to be able to sleep anytime and anywhere. It really shouldn't be such a big deal after all this time, but I'm still impressed nonetheless. I really should see about finding a new assistant. However, her uncanny knack for having informative dreams and her motley array of growing powers are just enough of an intrigue for me to keep her around. Well, that and her addicting tea. Yes, that tea that always seem to be perfect no matter how non-perfect the maker is. And on that note, I need that blasted tea! I re-focus to see that Lin almost has her awake.

'ai. Mai. Mai! MAI!' shouted Lin.

Ah. She's awake.

"Mai. Tea." Finally! Now I can finally go back and focus on finding Gene's body. I need something, anything to lead us to a clue soon! Not having closure is killing me. Not to mention that mother and father are getting anxious. If I don't hurry, they'll come make me give up the search and return home. sigh…No. Failure has never been an option in my life, and it definitely cannot be here! So I just need some tea to calm myself and refocus. Wait. Tea. Why hasn't she responded yet?

I turn to find her still lying there, not making a move to get the damn tea I required from her.

'Hey Naru…' she started to say.

You're just trying to worsen my mood on purpose aren't you?

"I don't really care for you to be sleeping on the job and being slow to respond to orders. Now I'll be waiting for my tea in my office." There! That should get her to get moving already. Honestly! Is it that hard to do what I tell her to do? Maybe I should lay off degrading her intelligence, as it seems to really make her dumber as the day goes by. As I move towards my office, I hear her say something that takes every coherent thought out of my head for the next few seconds.

'Lin. Gene wants you to start training me ASAP.'

WHAT IN THE BLAZES DID SHE JUST SAY? I turn to look at Lin to make sure I was just imagining things since I was so tired lately, but no luck. His face is a rather comical and he looked to be quite dumbfounded. I'm sure it must be mirroring mine at the moment. We both turn to look at my assistant in utter shock.

"Wha-"

'Ok. Tea it is!' she chirps out and quickly vanishes off to the kitchenette, which has become her domain of a sort. She left the two males there in a hilarious state. Lin still hadn't recovered and kept a funny-looking face, and Naru for once was humbly silenced, unable to deliver an arrogant retort. (Yay! Finally 1 point to Mai Taniyama!)

:End Flashback:

That girl! There is no way she should know about Gene! Of everyone in the loud and obnoxious bunch that gathers with me to work cases, she was definitely THE last person I ever thought could find out about Gene! Sure, maybe Yasuhara, because as annoyingly a prankster that he is, he's a genius at sniffing out information from seemingly thing air. But, Mai? The same Mai who attracts trouble like a bloody ghost magnet? The same Mai, who gets average grades, can't seem to catch onto obvious things, and sleeps all the bloody damn time? Ugh, I must really need to re-evaluate my assessment of her. That or the world is about to stop spinning and we're all going to cease to exist. She better hurry back with that damn tea, because there will be a tsunami of explanations she'll need to be giving. I could tell she let that comment slip out nonchalantly on purpose. Oh Mai, Mai, Mai, you really can be so utterly adorable when you try to challenge me. I can feel myself smirking quite broadly as I contemplate how I'm going to further rile her in the future. Aside from the nirvana-like tea she makes, my second source of comfort is her quirky, cute, and ooooh so predictable reactions. However, first things first! Consume much needed tea, interrogate her about Gene, and find out why she needs Lin to train her and ASAP at that. Hmm…I haven't had this much pique my interest since Gene used to be around. Hurry Mai, I'm waiting for you…

Lin's POV:

I know that Taniyama is a walking whirlwind, but I just can't understand how she just managed to completely surprise Naru and I like that! How did she find out about Gene? Why am I all of a sudden supposed to train her? I sense some power emitting from her, but it's hardly worth looking further into. …pause…Well I suppose she does keep coming up with new tricks every time we turn around. I turn to see Naru with a rather peculiar expression on his face. There's the smirk I always see when he purposefully sets out to annoy the daylights out of Taniyama, but…Ahhhh …slight chuckle…he's intrigued, very intrigued. Poor Taniyama, I don't believe your Naru's even aware of it, but he's taken quite an interest in you, and it may just be beyond that of drooling after your tea. If you get him too curious, you just might not be able to escape. He'll weave his charm around you until you're just a poor butterfly caught in his scheming web….rumbling chuckle…I think I'll just sit back and watch both of you dance this awkward waltz.

Slight clinking of the teacups in their saucers signals her return to the couches.

I feel my own brand of smirking ghost my face before I wipe it off quickly. Hmm….I can't wait to see all the twists and turns that will now commence!

Mai's POV:

Crap! Crap! Crap! After initially feeling triumph for finally besting that arrogant, tea-addicted narcissist, I realized that he'd be on me like a predator that spotted his dinner. Damn! I just had to go and have his attention fully focused on me. I mean I always wanted him to focus on me. I mean really focus! I wanted him to use those riveting blue eyes to finally see me. But not like this! Not as a bloody new science discovery! Ugh. I'm sooooo in for it now. I made an extra serving of his favorite tea as a peace offering. Maybe he'll go easy on me? As I enter the main lounge area carrying my bribes, I see as expected both Naru and Lin expressionlessly waiting for my return. Expressionless they may be, but I still feel an intimidating aura emitting from them. Damn 'animal instincts' as Naru dubbed them kicking in. Well, let's just get this torture session out of the way shall we?

Mai resolutely marches to the two males and proceeds to pass out the tea. Before she is able to take her own cup and have a seat, Naru was already done with his extra-serving of tea. As Mai is about to take a sip of her own tea, Naru somehow manages to swipe her cup away and down her tea as well. Talk about being tea deprived! Glaring at him, she is about to launch into a tirade, when he just stops her with a look.

'Mai,' Naru begins.

'I believe you have been keeping a few little secrets from me haven't you?'

"Umm. How about you phrase it as I have some information that needs to be divulged?"

'Divulged?' He lifts an arrogant yet elegant eyebrow. 'I'm impressed you understand what that word means, and even more so that you can apply it in a conversation.

"Hai. Hai. I know you assume I'm an idiot of some kind, but lay off the 'I am Lord Naru' attitude or I'm not divulging any information." I replied sarcastically.

'My apologies my genius Mai, now about those little secrets?' Wait 'MY GENIUS MAI'? Please tell me she didn't catch that!

Lin glances at Naru for a brief moment, but swiftly resumes his impartial mask.

"Stop saying 'secrets'! We are not intimate enough to be keeping or sharing secrets with each other!" she exclaims with a high flush staining her cheeks.

'Oh ho? She really does make this too easy doesn't she?'

Lin notices a sudden stillness his young charge's demeanor.

'So if we become more intimate, you'll tell me everything?'

"Wha-? Wha-? N-no! Wait! What? Stop trying to put my brain through a brain teaser!"

'Aaaah, she's getting nicely agitated. Smirk. Really, too easy. I decide to take this opportunity to get as much out of her while her mind's still processing my odd behavior.'

'Mai. How long have you known about Gene? More importantly, how?'

"I've known about him since the nap I just took. As for 'how', apparently since the first case we worked together on at my high school."

'Mai, as per your usual senseless babble, that doesn't make any sense.'

"Well let's just put it this way.All those dreams I had during our cases? He was there showing me things. I always thought it was you. However, you were always so nice and gentle in my dreams I thought it was too odd and out of character so I never mentioned it to you before. I mean how would you react if I told I said, 'Thank you for always helping me in my dreams?' He just recently revealed who is to me. Naru, why didn't you ever tell us about you having a twin?"

I see him pause for a moment and then just completely ignore more last question. Sigh. I really am tired. Naru wants answers, but I haven't even had enough time to gather them from Gene before I had woken up from my nap. I glance at the clock and realize it's already 7:16.

"Naru. I know you must have a lot you want to ask, but honestly I wasn't given the full story yet either. It's already late so I'll just be going home now. Why don't you just rest up tonight and come tomorrow, maybe Gene would have revealed more to me?"

'You say he come to you in your dreams?'

"Yes. Why is that you think?"

…pause…

'Well since he's already dead, I guess he's communicating through you.'

"DE-?"

'Mai. Did he ask you to mention anything to me?'

"Uh. Wha-?"

'Focus, Mai'

sigh…"He just wanted me to say hi to the 'idiot scientist' and that I can fill you in on whatever I see fit."

Naru closes his eyes for a brief moment.

'Idiot scientist. So this really is happening. I finally have a way to get some answers now.'

"Naru. I'll just be heading out now. Since tomorrow is Saturday, I'll be here at 8AM ok?"

'I watch as she moves to fetch her bag from her desk and makes to leave.'

'Sleep with me.'

Silence…..

Lin and Mai both stare at Naru like he had just turned into Madoka and declared that he was joining a circus.

"Uuuuuuh N-Na-Naru?" squeaks a frozen shocked Mai.

'He's reeeeally jumped off the deep-end' thinks a bemused Lin.

'Sleep at Lin's and I's place. This way, if you dream of anything informative, we'll know about it immediately and you won't potentially forget any of it due to waiting to meet with us.' Naru sighs out in exasperation.

Ooooooh. So that's what he meant! Thought both Lin and Mai in relief.

Not waiting for any response from the other two occupants, Naru got up and grabbed his jacket.

'Lin. Let's go. Go bring the car around. Mai, hurry up and lock up.'

Rushing to do his bidding, Mai soon found herself in the backseat of their sleek, black (of course) car.

Oh, god! I'm sleeping over at Naru's? How on earth did this happen?

Soon they arrive at a grey, contemporary looking building. As the car pulls into a private garage, Mai notices that there really aren't that many apartment units. They exit the car and proceed to climb one set of stairs. Soon, Mai is ushered into a spacious 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1-study, 1-library freakin' enormous condo!

Just what do they need with all this space? She wonders…

'Mai. You'll be in the last bedroom down the hall. The bathroom is right across from there. Lin will show you the way.'

As Naru turns to enter his own bedroom…

"Umm, Naru? I don't have any sleep-wear, clothes for tomorrow, toiletries, and etc."

He pauses for a moment and enters his bedroom.

Well! Great! I get ignored now too!

Right then, Naru walks out with something in his hands that looks a lot like men's PJ's.

'You can use a set of my PJ's. I have spare toiletries in the bathroom since we always travel so much for our cases. There isn't anything fancy, but the basics there should do you. We'll figure out your clothes for tomorrow later. Anything else?'

"Uh. No. Thank you?"

Nodding once, he turns and re-enters his bedroom. Mai turns around and notices that Lin is waiting to show her to her room. After being ushered in and informed that Lin will wake her in the morning, Mai changed into Naru's PJ's and lay down on the bed.

Ugh. So much has happened today! Gene. Family secrets. Dangers. Powers. But most importantly…I'M SLEEPING OVER AT NARU'S PLACE AND I'M IN HIS PAJAMAS! They're blue too! They have a nice light blue with a darker blue border.

Mai rolls around on the bed, breathing in Naru's scent and tries to refrain from thinking too much along naughty lines. Soon, she feels sleep tugging at her conscious and falls into a deep dream.

Naru is in his bed reading. Well, trying to at least. He can't help but wonder why on earth he had basically ordered his assistant to sleep over in his own home. He wonders if she's finally drifted off to sleep. Probably since she can sleep anytime, anywhere.

'I bet she looks even softer and more beautiful as she sleeps.' He thinks.

'Wait! Stop! No more of those kinds of thoughts! Bad Naru! Naughty Naru! Grr! Stop thinking and just go to sleep already, me!'

In the last bedroom of the house, Lin's in bed pondering over everything that has happened, may happen, and more importantly…Will he find Naru and Mai in their proper beds the next morning? He would have never thought his overly mature and stoic charge would actually put him in this kind of position! He shrugs and decides to let things play out and go to sleep. He's tired, and any troubles will just have to wait their turn till tomorrow.

That night, Mai had her first sleepover. Not quite the fun girls night she always envisioned. All the occupants were lost in their own fitful thoughts and dreams.

Please RxR! I know it's moving along a little slow, but I really want to build their tension! Thank you so much!