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7

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She was back in the water, unable to move. The tarp around her was suffocating, just as much as the water was. That flash of lime coloured light happened again and a part of her wondered the significance of it. The tarp constricted one last time and she felt as though she was rapidly sinking. It was as if someone had tossed a rock on top of her, or at least tied it to the tarp itself. She wasn't too sure, she couldn't see. She couldn't confirm it. She slowly blinked and the scenery changed completely. She was back on the cold wet ground from her own death. Her gaze went from the dark grey sky towards the person that had pulled the trigger. She couldn't really make out their face, a strange shadow was cast over it, but they felt so familiar that it hurt. She blinked and once again, the light flashed. She didn't know what that meant. She didn't want to find out.

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Saturday arrived faster than Yuki was expecting, though she felt as though the week had been so slow. She fixed her jacket before gripping Bones's leash with a death grip. Bones never did well on the train, and she wanted her dog to know that she was there for her. She was nervous, and excited, to have a job in the career path that she wanted. Even if it was only part-time, it gave her a foot in the door. She let out a quiet yawn as her train came to a stop and she got off with Bones. They walked through Shibuya, and she looked at the different items for sale. She'd have to stop and window shop in the future. She didn't usually have a reason to be in the area, and it was nice to finally have one. She looked up at the nice building and felt her brow twitch. It was in a nice reputable area, no wonder her principal was confused.

"So, old lady, excited to see Naru again?" She asked.

Bones's tail began to wag, and a smile appeared on Yuki's face before she let it drop. She was starting to think that Bones had a bigger soft spot for Naru than John, it was funny. They headed up the metal stairs and she wondered if she was underdressed for entering such a nice office. Skinny jeans, tan sneakers, a black shirt, and her rebels' jacket was enough to make her feel entirely out of place. She had thought she looked nice before leaving her apartment, but now she wasn't so sure. Well, it wasn't like she could just head back and change. She opened the door to the office, just as Lin was leaving his. His face was expressionless as he hitched a thumb behind him and at a door. She assumed that was Naru's office and gave him a nod of understanding. He went back into his office as she closed the front door behind her. She walked up to the door that Lin motioned to, and she softly knocked on it.

"Come in," Naru's voice called, and Yuki opened the door, "you're early."

"I wasn't aware that you had set a time, but I guess it's one of my better habits," She said as she walked into the office, releasing Bones's leash.

Bones carefully padded around the room, sniffing things before coming to a stop next to Naru. She sat down and he let out a quiet sigh. He wasn't going to pet the dog, not while her owner was standing in front of his desk. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and she was waiting for him to tell her what her job would entail. He looked at the papers in his hand and went back to reading them.

"You are aware that the job you'll be doing is that of a secretary, yes?" Naru questioned and she titled her head to the side in thought.

"I see, is there anything you need?" She asked, and he looked up from his papers.

"Tea."

She gave the barest of smiles before nodding her head and taking her leave. Bones waited a few seconds before bumping her head against his leg and following her owner out of his office. Yuki closed the door behind her and headed towards Lin's office. She gave it a gentle knock, but wasn't invited in. He opened the door and glared at her.

"I was wondering if you would like some tea," She said, and his glare seemed to increase.

He gave her a curt nod and closed his door. Yuki raised her brows slightly. She wasn't expecting niceties from the taller old man, but she'd bring him some tea. It was her job after all. She headed into a small kitchenette and found everything she needed. A kettle, and some tea leaves. She let the water boil before finding an infuser to make the tea. She opened the sparse cupboards before pulling down some cups. She was going to make herself one as well before sitting at the front desk. She pulled out a serving tray from next to the small stove and entertained the idea of referring to Naru as "Mr Wayne" he was starting to remind her of the character. She placed some of the tea leaves into the infuser and poured the boiling water. She never added extras to earl grey, she believed it had a perfect taste all on its own.

She waited until all the tea was finished seeping before taking it to the two men in their offices. Lin's came first seeing as his office would be the first one she came up to. She dropped off his tea, setting it on a coaster on his desk, and got a nod in response. Yuki delivered Naru his tea and he instantly grasped onto the handle. She was reminded of the stereotype of the British and their tea. She couldn't help but feel amused by that as she turned to walk up to her desk and took a seat. She could've brought a book with her to read, but decided against it. She was slightly amused when Bones sat at the bookshelf and wagged her tail side to side as she looked at it. She stood up on her paws and sniffed at one of the books before shaking her body in response. Bones ended up sitting in front of her owner and laying her head on the albino's lap. Yuki brought a hand down and started to scratch her behind the ears.

She slowly made herself depressed as she realized that the dog was the last family she had. If anything happened to her, she didn't know what she would do. She picked up her tea and gave it a sip. Bones nuzzled into her thigh in an attempted to cheer up her owner, getting a fond look out of the teen. Yuki turned her attention towards the phone on her desk and wondered just how many phone calls the office got. Most likely not a lot due to the type of research they did.

"Do you need more tea?" Yuki asked as Naru exited his office, teacup in hand.

"Yes," He confirmed, and she got up from her chair and held her hand out for his empty cup.

He handed it over and she headed back to the kitchenette to brew some more. She didn't know why he was following her, but she didn't care enough to ask. She was more focused on brewing tea to do so. She finished within five minutes and handed Naru his tea. He went back into his office, and she kept the water on the hot plate so it would remain warm and wouldn't take so long to boil again. She sighed, if Naru was Mr Wayne would that make her or Lin "Alfred"? She'd say Lin due to him knowing her boss better, but she was the one making tea. She went back to her desk and sat down, pulling a notepad and pencil towards herself. If the phone rang or someone walked in she was prepared to take notes. She yawned as time slowly passed by.

She thought back to her dream and frowned. If she was reliving someone's death, then who were they? A part of her entertained the idea that it might just be Gene's death. She tapped the tip of the pencil against the desk before putting it down to take a sip of tea. She knew what the second half of it had been, but wondered who the person had been that kill her. She couldn't really think of someone off the top of her head, she may have been cold, but she didn't make enemies. Yes, having no social life was enough to cement her lack of enemies as a good thing. She sipped at her tea some more before putting it back down on the coaster. Her mind turned towards Bones and, for the first time in a long time, her mother. Would the woman be proud of her and what she did? Would she be happy with how her daughter acted? She didn't know. Her mind turned to a topic that she hadn't thought about in an even longer time. Her mother from her previous life. That woman, she didn't truly remember her, having been too young when she died. She jumped when the phone rang, tearing her from her thoughts. She reached forward and picked it up.

"Shibuya Psychic Research, how may I help you?" Yuki quietly asked, she heard some whispering in the background of the call and she rolled her eyes.

Someone was trying to prank call the office. She didn't doubt that it happened often. Parapsychology was considered a fraudulent area of study. Few people genuinely believed in the idea of psychic powers, even fewer believed in spirits. She pinched the bridge of her nose in thought.

"Is your refrigerator running?" A young boy's voice asked her, she didn't even have to contemplate her next move.

"No, but I have Prince Albert in a can," She said before hanging up on them, Bone sent her a look and she gained a sly expression, "what? If someone's going to prank call the office, then I can and will prank them back."

She let out a loud snuff at that before pressing a paw against Yuki's leg. Yuki could tell that the dog was growing tired due to the lack of things to do. She let out a quiet yawn and Bones did the same, letting out a sound of annoyance. Yuki shook her head in amusement.

"Take a nap, old lady," Yuki quietly said, "you're getting cranky."

Bones circled for a few seconds under the desk before laying down and curling up in a ball. Sometimes Yuki believed that her dog had some cat-like tendencies, but found them to be cute personality traits. Gone was the over-energetic puppy, now her dog was a laid-back elder. Ten years was a long time, but she never really thought about it until she saw the effects of it. It was such a strange thing to notice.

"Yuki, tea!" Naru's called caused her to smile before she got up from her desk.

Leave to him to ask for tea in such a demanding way. She retrieved his cup and made her way to the kitchenette. Tea was something she could easily do. She made him another cup before putting it back. She must not have made a bad cup of tea if he was continuously drinking it. She went back to her desk and stared at the door. It was going to be a long time before someone walked in. She took to doodling in the notepad and frowned as she drew the picture of a strange figure. It wasn't placeable and didn't have the same shape as a human. She went to put her pencil against the paper when she really looked at it. Just what did she draw? She had classes with an art major and had learned a few art tricks from them. She liked drawing but found that it was one of those things that she didn't do often. One time she had learned how to create layouts from that same classmate. She had created a garden using their time learning layouts, something she wouldn't really be able to do with the limited amount of land in the city. A part of her entertained saving money up for a house outside of the city limits and fixing up an old-style Japanese home. She could have her garden then. She knew it would be like living in a Studio Ghibli movie, and a bit too good to be true.

Not like it would stop her from dreaming of it.