Chapter 3

Oliver Davis dropped his suitcase heavily on the floor, his tall frame slightly bent from apparent exhaustion. He ignored Lin as the man slid around him further into the room where two queen size beds sat shrouded mostly in the dark. Lin glanced at his charge, pulling the strap of his travel bag from his shoulder and placing it softly on the bed furthest from the entrance, wordlessly claiming it for the night. He watched as Naru, the name he had continued to call him by even after their return to England, plopped himself on the bed without any of the grace he usually bore.

It had been strange returning home after the extended trip abroad. Somehow, after their return, Lin had found himself feeling less attached to the comforts of home. He had grown used to the small, quiet office he claimed in Japan. It felt lived in and familiar. The office he held in England was twice the size with glaringly empty white walls and a large window that overlooked the busy city. He realized quickly with a stab of surprise that he hadn't missed it at all and he knew that Naru had felt the same way from the shout of "Mai, tea!" that rung through the halls for the fourth time that day, followed by muttered curses and a slamming of the door. It would have been comical if Lin hadn't been inclined to listen for the voice of the petite brunette to respond in kind. Humans were, after all, creatures of habit.

The two of them had adjusted accordingly, struggling more than anything with the sudden change in language. Lin caught Naru more than once muttering to himself in Japanese- and even caught himself inclined to respond offhandedly in the foreign language from time to time. Within a year though, things had returned to normal for the most part. The only major changes his keen eyes noted was that Naru didn't ask anyone to make his tea, preferring to undertake the task himself; Naru also seemed more open, struggling less to form connections with others, but still avoiding the need to make them unless there was no way around it.

Lin had worked to keep the connections they had in Japan open by sending emails on occasion. He knew that his charge had done the opposite- going out of his way to ignore what they sent altogether. He acted as if he wasn't interested in anything but the texts and studies before him. His time in Japan hadn't succeeding in making him more sociable- he was still the focused scientist he had always been. Some things just never change. Six months upon their return, Father John had emailed them from the church. He expressed his worries for Mai, who seemed to have disappeared after their leave.

He wasn't stupid; he knew something had gone down between the scientist and his assistant- but he knew better then to pry by asking Naru about it. In the end though, none of the regulars had shown any sign that they knew anything either.

"I'm worried about her, Lin." The father had typed, "She seemed deeply troubled by something. What if her abilities have expanded?"

It had been a serious question, and as Lin reread the sentence, he realized with a hint of guilt, that it was something he had not even considered. Transporting Gene back home had been at the top of their priorities at the time. His mind had been full of grief, even if he knew it didn't show. He had been working with both Noll and Gene for years, even if Naru had been his focus. It is never easy to find someone you know, in any capacity, in that stage of decomposition. Lin shuddered at the image that rose unbidden at the thought.

Reigning in a sigh, Lin reached over and turned on the light over the desk, which sat, bulky and generic, in the corner near the foot of his bed. The light filled the room, lighting up the bland cream walls and exposing every corner of the dull hotel room in a harsh white light.

"We should grab some dinner." Lin said as an afterthought, glancing out the heavily curtained window as the AC unit below growled to life. It was pitch dark out except for the tall lights that dimly illuminated the parking lot below.

"Order room service." Had been the muffled reply as Naru made his way into the bathroom, grabbing his bag on the way and closing the door with a light click. Seconds later the shower started.

"He certainly doesn't act like he wants to be here." Lin commented quietly to himself as he thumbed through the laminated pages of the menu that sat squarely in the middle of the table before placing the order. It wasn't like he didn't know what Naru liked to eat. Just as he hung up the phone the shower cut off.

Naru wrapped the now damp towel lightly around his narrow hips as he bit back a sigh. Straight off the flight they had awaited a taxi and found the first hotel that didn't scream 'horror movie potential' with a lit Vacancy sign and crashed. The next morning they contacted the owner of their previous SPR location only to find that there had been a serious fire in the kitchens of the café below and that it would be four to six months before the remodel would be complete. After promising to call them back upon its completion he had hung up and Naru had looked over at Lin on what he thought they should do next. They ended up looking through online listings for nearby rentable commercial properties and settled on a monthly contract with a small, but clean office three blocks from their desired location. It was quite a bit smaller, but the monthly rental agreement would allow them to return to the preferred property once it was completed instead of waiting out the period of a year or more.

Naru exited the bathroom clad in black pajama pants, running the towel through his hair thoughtfully. It was strange to be back here again. He had left with the intention of never returning- his wish to cut contact with all of his previous employees had been his way of enforcing that, yet here they were.

About a year ago, Lin had approached him in his office asking if he had received any emails, calls, or letters from his previous assistant. It had been a simple question, but seemed so out of the blue for Lin that Naru had been openly confused. Lin had handed him the letter Father John had sent him and explained his inability to find anything, anywhere, on Mai Taniyama. It was like she was just gone, or just blended in with the general populace. The problem was, though, Mai did not blend in- she stood out like the moon amongst the stars. It wasn't due to anything in particular- she was just someone that people remembered. He had felt slightly worried.

"I'm sure she's fine, Lin. You worry too much." That had been his response as he handed the printed email back to the man before him and turned his back in obvious dismissal. He had listened as Lin had risen without a word and exited the office, closing the door softly and leaving Naru alone with his thoughts.

It had only taken Naru seconds to open his desk following the click of the door and riffle through the case files he stored there, his hands stilling on a manila envelope that looked as if it had been sealed and stored. It looked thin, empty. Naru knew better as he ripped the corner open and shook the feather-light contents onto the desk before him.

It was a piece of ribbon. About eight inches long and dark red, Naru had found it on the floor of the office lobby after one of their cases. Everyone had gone home except for him- even Lin was enjoying some down time with Madoka. He remembered Mai wearing it in her hair, tied in a bow, threaded through her ponytail. He bent down to pick it up and place it on her desk for her to discover the following day, but found himself absorbed in what appeared to be snippets of Mai's recent encounters.

Mai walking to the train station. Mai sleeping in class. Mai talking with one of her annoying friends. Mai-

Naru had dropped the small scrap of fabric in surprise, only to attempt picking it up again only to find it happened again… and again. Normally, his powers worked once on an object if at all- but this was as if the ribbon was tied to Mai. So, naturally, he had kept it. Used it on occasion just to see if it still worked. It always did. Naru assumed the same would happen once he picked it up this time, and he found himself strangely giddy and curious as to what his assistant had been up to without him there to aggravate her constantly.

When he grasped the thin, slightly worn piece of material in his fingers though, he found himself terrified by what he saw. He dropped the ribbon on his desk, his fingers slightly shaking. Hesitantly, he grabbed for it again, a deep intake of breath the only indication of shock before he closed his eyes and gave in to what he saw.

A.N. I know- evil cliffhanger is evil… but I seriously can't help myself! So, I hope this gives the history for the most part- which will make getting into the meat and potatoes of the story easier in the next chapter. As always, don't own, hope you like, please let me know your thoughts! I have loved hearing from those of you who have reviewed! Thank you!