Usual Disclaimers: Don't own it. Want it very badly.

Please enjoy the story and thank you for reading! - tc

Mai groaned inwardly as she trudged down the hall towards the principal's office. 'Seriously. School lets out in two hours. She grumbled to herself. He couldn't wait until then? She was dreadfully behind in almost all of her classes. SPR took her away for days at a time, leaving Mai with an ever-growing stack of homework and projects to complete before the term ended.

She huffed as she rounded the corner, her destination ahead of her. The only time she is ever summoned to the principal's office is when Naru had a new case. Her availability didn't even register as a factor to consider – as soon as he accepted a case, she was on the clock.

Mai opened the door to the front office, expecting to see the dark specter of her boss sitting quietly in a chair, absorbed in a case file. She stepped in, glancing around. Naru was nowhere to be seen.

The receptionist gave Mai a sympathetic smile as she reached for the phone. "She's here, Shimaka-sama" she quietly murmured into the phone. Mai gave her a puzzled look. What was with the weird smile?

Shimaka Ken walked grimly walked into the reception area. Mai gulped and looked down at the floor. 'Oh boy, it must be really bad. She thought grimly. She took a breath, forced a smile and looked up at him. When Mai finally met his gaze, she was startled to see… compassion.

"This way, Mai." He gestured down the hall towards his office.

'Oh man…am I really that far behind in my studies?Mai panicked, reaching the principal's office. Maybe Naru was in there instead of the reception area where he usually waited for her after summoning her from class. She opened the door, preparing herself. She wasn't sure if she felt disappointment or relief at the site of the empty office.

Shimaka-sama entered the office behind her and closed the door. He smiled nervously at Mai. "Please have a seat."

Mai sat in the chair in front of the desk, her thoughts racing. 'Did I get into trouble? Did someone make a complaint against me? What is going on?

"Mai…" he began, voice faltering. "We received a phone call from…" he hesitated "…Sunagawa Bochi"

Mai immediately sat up straighter. "Sunagawa…" she trailed off for a moment, then hardened her eyes. "What happened?"

Shimaka-sama regarded Mai for a moment. "Last night the cemetery was vandalized. Your parentsgraves were…desecrated."

Mai froze as the words sunk in. "The cemetery…Mom and Dad…desecrated?" the words tumbled from her mouth, refusing to take shape in the form of a coherent sentence.

"I'm so sorry, Mai. Please, take the rest of the week off from school. I'm sure there are arrangements you wish to make."

"…hai…" Mai muttered faintly as she stood. She walked back through the office, aware of a numbness settling into her body with each step. She continued on, ignoring the receptionist and opening the door to the office. She went left and departed the building.

Forty five minutes later, Mai was on the train heading for Tachikawa City. The place where she was born and raised. The place where her father met his untimely death in a when she was 5 years old….where her mother passed away from cancer when she was 10. The place she hoped to never have to return.

Mai took a furtive look at her watch, absently noting she was due to work in less than an hour. She hadn't thought to call anyone as she left town, and belatedly realized she was unable to. Her cell phone was at home still in its charger, forgotten as she rushed out the door this morning. It took a good 15 minutes before the thought crossed her mind that Naru would be pretty pissed off at her for skipping out on work. But somehow, she didn't have enough room in her head to care. She took a deep breath and looked out the window, watching the scenery rush past her as the train swiftly carried her to her destination.