And so I began my work. It was not difficult at all, just laborious and boring. Yet all of the items seemed kind of off.

All of the names in these case files were very generic. Surnames like Saito, Inoue, Tanaka and Nakamura. All of which are very popular surnames. It was the same for the clients' first names. If I didn't know better, I would have suspected that someone had copied a list of popular names into a random generator and created these documents as a result.

I tried reading the contents of the case files, but it was all in English. Cursing, I continued working and tried to ignore my rumbling stomach. I really ought to have thought ahead and brought extra food with me.

At around 8pm, Naru ordered me to make him more tea and I complied, stifling a yawn. I wasn't sure if it was just because the work I was doing was dull or just because I hadn't been sleeping well recently, but I was shattered. It didn't help that my stomach was still growling too.

I took the tea to his office and placed the cup on his desk. I tried to sneak a peek at the work he was doing, but it was all in English again. I'd forgotten he had said he was a foreigner considering how good his Japanese was, he sounded almost like a native. Judging by this constant use of English in the office, he had to be from an English speaking country. So that narrowed it down to America, Canada, Britain, New Zealand or Australia really, though I knew there were other countries that had English as its official language. He looked far too pale to be from Australia or New Zealand or the more southern areas of the US. But that didn't really help narrow it down. Then again, lots of other countries prioritised learning English so greatly, he could really be from anywhere. I didn't dare ask him though, I would just have to wait and listen to him speak in English, hopefully his accent would reveal his home country. Not that knowing that would divulge much about the mystery that was Shibuya Kazuya.

"Mai, I have set up your wages, you will received your first payment on Friday, and every Friday after that. I have set your pay at 1000 yen an hour." He said calmly. Suddenly I was very glad I took the job, that rate of pay wasn't bad considering what I was doing! It was a bit above the minimum wage anyway.

I was about to ask how he had managed to do this without my bank details, but then remembered he knew everything about me. What a git. Then a horrific thought struck me, did he know really personal things too? Like my bra size?! I could feel my face burning at the thought.

"Okay." I said in reply, trying to hold in some of what I was thinking.

"Did you not eat before coming here?" He asked before taking a sip of his tea. Was my stomach that loud? I cringed slightly.

"I didn't have time after school." I admitted.

"Idiot." He rolled his eyes and I glared at him. "4:30pm tomorrow, and eat before you get here."

"Thanks." I said grudgingly.

"You may leave."

I saluted him sarcastically before turning on my heel and heading out of the office. I grabbed my heavy school bag and started my long journey home. It was only as I left SPR that I realised I felt a lot safer when I knew exactly where that man was. I felt safer a few metres away from him – even though I knew he had a gun and that he probably knew how to use it well – than I did at home when I was probably miles away from him. Then again, if he did have a sniper, being that far away didn't make me any less of a target.

Taniyama Mai did not know that she had someone's crosshairs fixed on her at that very moment. That she could be seen through a high powered scope as she was changing to get ready for bed.

"Do you think she knows anything?" The woman asked of her companion as they sat in a cold apartment.

"I doubt it." The long haired male replied. "I suspect she's just someone he's using."

"She fits the profile I suppose." The redhead agreed. "Orphan, not many friends…"

"But that profile also describes him, don't you think?"

"They are hardly the same. She doesn't run a suspicious business that just sprung out of nowhere, does she?"

"It's always the ones you don't expect it to be." The man said calmly. "But I reckon we can get away without watching her tonight. She's going to bed."

"You think it's safe?"

"Yeah, we're sending our plant in soon anyway. Besides you need your beauty sleep you old hag."

The redhead punched the man on the arm and stalked off, ignoring his mock cries of pain.

"That hurt!" He complained loudly.

The woman only turned her nose up at him in reply and left, leaving him to pack up their equipment.

"What did you think of her?" The tall black haired man asked from his perch by the window as his female companion came out of the bathroom, towelling her newly dyed black hair.

"She'll do the job he wants her for. She seemed nice enough." The woman replied.

There was a few minutes silence as she wrapped her hair up in the towel and finished dressing. The man occasionally snatched glances of the young woman, but every time he looked away muttering in an inaudible voice to himself, as if reprimanding himself for looking in the first place.

"Where do they think you are now?" He asked finally as the woman removed the towel from her head and began brushing out her newly black hair.

"They tracked my plane to South Korea, but after that they lost me. I had tickets to Australia and Dubai from and I don't think they know which I took. Though we can't ignore the fact that they might've figured I have more than one passport. They not completely stupid." She said calmly. "I should probably cut my hair. What do you think?" She gestured to her hair as she studied her reflection in the mirror.

"I preferred it pink." The man said from the window.

The woman laughed softly. She had spotted his stolen glances, regardless of how subtle he had thought he had been, and had the circumstances been different… Well, they would never know.

"Why do you think he picked her?" She asked after another minute or so of silence.

"She fits the bill; she doesn't stand out too much." The tall man replied. "And she's an orphan."

"Yes, an orphan." The woman agreed with knowing smile. She pulled up a chair and sat down, facing her companion.

"Well it is better that way, isn't it?" The man said, raising an eyebrow as if to make a point. "If something goes wrong… Dealing with those consequences would be a lot of effort."

"I don't think that's the only reason that he picked her." The woman said quietly.

"He knows better than that." The man replied almost aggressively.

"No, not that." The woman laughed. "I think he relates to her, as a fellow orphan. She could genuinely do with the money; I think he's trying to help."

"Really?" The man asked sceptically.

But the woman only shrugged.

So that was how my life went for the rest of the week. Going to school, studying all day, going to the office, filing things, making tea, going home, eating, cramming in some homework and finally sleeping. It was thoroughly exhausting, even if it was going to make my finances a lot easier.

However on Friday, Naru called me into his office at around 7pm.

"Do you want tea?"

"No." He said, looking up from his work. "I will pick you up tomorrow at 10am from outside your apartment. Dress nicely, as if you are going on a date."

"Why?" I asked, completely nonplussed.

"Because I have seen the contents of your wardrobe and know you are capable of looking acceptable. I need you to look acceptable tomorrow." He said in a bored voice. Hang on what?! He had been through my clothes as well? So he did know my bra size?! This guy is such a pervert.

Trying to ignore how violated I felt, I asked another question.

"Where are we going?"

"We are going house hunting."

Author's note: So occasionally, I try and slip in references to other fandoms I am part of, and I just want you all to know, if you ever spot one - or think you have spotted one - please point it out in the review because it makes me very happy! I know I have at least three in this fic so far...

As usual, I would love to hear your thoughts about this! So please review :D