Important Author's Note;; I am really bad at handling scary, though I like to believe otherwise. XD I'll try my best to be as creepy as possible, but it'll probably be amateur work at best. Anyway, have fun reading~ Oh, yes, and I'm basing this off the end of the anime, not the manga. (I've read the manga too, but I like the anime better.~)

;;Thursday, Afternoon;;

"Welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research, how can I help you?"

Things had been pretty slow ever since they'd wrapped up the case for the Yoshimi family. Once Naru had been released from the hospital, things quickly returned to normal. Mai worked part-time, Naru was here practically twenty-four seven, and Lin was…well, Lin. Quiet, absorbed in his work…typical. To tell the truth, Mai was glad someone had come calling. She needed to talk to someone other than her own reflection. (Lin was kind of scary when he got interrupted, even though he didn't do much more than glare, and she could barely stand to be in the same room with Naru half the time.)

"Mai? Mai Taniyama?"

She took a closer look at who was standing in the doorway. He was an upperclassman from her school. She'd seen him around a few times, but couldn't recall his name. He was on the Student Council, but that was about all she knew.

"Yeah, that's me," she replied. "Can I help you?"

"I have something to ask for a friend of mine. She was worried about something, and I remembered that you were into the kind of paranormal stuff she's worried about."

"Oh, in that case, you'll want to talk with Naru. He's back here, come on in." She shut the door behind him and smiled. "I can't promise he'll take the case, but he'll hear you out." She halted in front of the right door and gave two quick knocks. "Naru, there's someone here to see you."

"Come in."

Mai really didn't know why she expected Naru to be doing anything else other than reading. She wasn't surprised when that's what she found him doing, but still felt a twinge of annoyance. Reading was good and all, but he needed something else to do with his spare time. As they entered, he set the book down and turned to meet them eye-to-eye.

"You're Kazuya Shibuya, right?"

If Naru was caught off guard by the use of his full name, he didn't show it. "Yes, that's me. And you are…?"
"Oh, my apologies. My name is Naoto Takahashi, and I was wondering if you would hear me out. I'm a Junior at Mai's school, and some very strange things have been happening."

Mai thought back. She was fairly sure she knew what Naoto was going to say. If so, it would involve a girl from her own year and multiple reports of poltergeist-like activity. She hadn't come into contact with the girl in question yet, but she'd heard from whispers in the hallway and had a vague idea what had been going on.

"You see, there's this Freshman girl that's been recently getting picked on a lot by the older students. Usually in the span of five minutes after she leaves the scene, the bullies report feelings or being watched, breathed on, and even shoved down the hall. Their lockers would jam unexpectedly, and doors would shut on their faces. Some even swear they've been attacked by a cat."

"And what's the girl's name?"

Mai was startled out of her thoughts by Naru's remark. Small individual cases like this weren't usually his style. Shouldn't he be turning Naoto down right about now? His interest was odd…

"Her name's Koto Yamamoto," Naoto answered. If the name meant anything to Naru, he didn't show it, so Naoto went on. "I've hear she isn't the social type, and likes to keep to herself. Before a week ago, actually, not many people knew who she was. After that, she started getting picked on for some reason. I think…she had one friend but…" He looked over to Mai with a sad expression. "You know the story. Three months ago, remember?"

Mai caught her breath. "No way, are you talking about…her?"

Naoto nodded, looking down at the floor. "Rubi Tanaka. She was a Freshman too."

"And what happened to her?"

"She was killed in a car accident about three months ago. The driver who caused it was drunk, and he and Rubi's mother came out with minor injuries. She died on the spot when a piece of the windshield hit her neck." Naoto paused. "I think her father had left when she was little, and her mother moved away not long after Rubi's funeral. Koto hasn't been the same since then." He looked back up, appearing thoughtful. "That's about all the information I have. If you ask any of the students who upset Koto, you'll hear the same basic tale."

Mai didn't dare speak up for fear of breaking Naru's train of thought. He had that look in his eyes that plainly said 'interrupt and die'. Naoto was apparently smart enough to see it was well, because he kept his mouth shut too. The silence persisted until Mai thought she was about to lose her temper and growl at her boss.

"Who asked you to come forward with this?" Naru asked.

"My girlfriend's sister knew Koto from middle school," Naoto replied, apparently relieved to be talking again. "She was afraid for her well-being and asked me if I knew anyone who might be able to help. I remember Mai had taken a part-time job at a paranormal investigation company, so I came here."

Another thick bout of silence fell upon them, but not nearly for as long. Mai used the time to reflect on what Naoto had said. It did add up with what she'd heard from her friends. Just a few weeks ago, she had no idea who Koto Yamamoto was, but now half the school knew her name. And she also remembered…Rubi's story. She hadn't been particularly well-known either, but now that she focused, she and Koto had been close friends. Come to think of it, Mai thought she had at least one class with Koto…

"One last question." Naru's voice brought Mai back to the present situation. "Where can we find Miss Yamamoto?"

Naoto shrugged. "That, I'm afraid, I don't know. I'm not sure where she lives, but I do know she walks home on a route that passes not far from here. If you were to stand at the edge of the crowd, she's very easy to pick out. Look for a tall girl with pale skin, a blue scarf, and a dozen or so silver bells around her neck."

"I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. We'll look into it."

Whoa, we're taking the case? Mai was stunned. Little things like this weren't Naru's thing. He turned them down ninety-nine percent of the time. What's up with the sudden change of heart? Is he possessed or something? I'll ask him once I show Naoto out…

So, once she showed her senior out, she came back to find her boss in the same spot she'd left him. He still appeared to be thinking, but she decided to interrupt anyway.

"What's the deal, Naru? Cases like this aren't your thing. Why'd you take it?"

"Are you complaining?" he asked, giving her 'the look' from the corner of his eye.

Mai frowned. "Well, no, but it's not like you."

He interlaced his fingers, staring past them to the wall. "Let's just say I'm very interested in the events surrounding Miss Yamamoto. Yesterday morning, I got a call from someone claiming to be Rubi Tanaka, the Freshman killed in the accident three months prior. I had Lin trace the number, and it came back as a Miss Koto Yamamoto. Throughout the day, I was also contacted by Ms. Matzuzaki, Miss Hara, Monk, and Father Brown. They all told me the same thing…that they had been visited by a girl possessed by the spirit of Miss Tanaka."

Mai couldn't believe what she was hearing. Masako, Ayako, Mink, and even John all had encounters with the same person? Possessed by the same spirit? One of them would have been strange enough, but all four… This was downright bizarre.

"They all said the same thing," Naru continued. "They said Rubi was asking for help. Naturally, if only one of them had reported it in, I likely would have turned them down, but all four?" His shrewd eyes narrowed slightly. "This was too suspicious to pass up. And I have my own motives for taking the case that I'll keep to myself for the time being. We've arranged to meet up here tomorrow. Don't bother coming, Mai, we'll be heading on over to your school in a short while. If you can, find Miss Yamamoto and keep an eye on her. Don't do anything that could get you out of class, however. We don't need you getting dumber."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she growled, shutting the door behind her with unnecessary force. She was angry that she wasn't allowed to attend the morning meeting, but did realize the gravity of the situation. Koto had been possessed by her best friend who was now a spirit to ask for help from every person in the immediate area. And why did a spirit need help, for that matter? Mai had seen Masako persuade spirits to go into the light before…wasn't it just that easy? See the light and walk into it? Or…was it different for Rubi? She shook her head. It was just so weird… Well, I guess thinking about it won't do much good. Looks like I'll have to go to school tomorrow to find out.

And that's the end of chapter one~ I know, this probably wasn't scary at all… It'll get, uh, worse…or better…I dunno how to say it. *shot* xD Well, I'll try to be scarier soon.