Warning: certain parts of this story will include spoilers for the anime, manga, or novels.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. I am not profiting from this story.
Goddess
Chapter 1: In the Beginning
February
Homework.
Part of it disgusted 17 year old Taniyama Mai, though the better – and probably bigger – part of her knew that it was an utter necessity. Too bad completing it was too, and for someone that had skipped the last week of school because of a part-time job at Shibuya Psychic Research (or SPR for short), Mai had to say that she was utter clueless on what the topic had to bring. She had a thirty question mathematics exercise due in tomorrow, but after the seventeenth question, Mai was just about ready to give up.
A brain wave picked up, just as she eyed the 18th question. If she carried over the value of P to the other side of the formula, while also dividing P from this end, wouldn't that balance out—
"Mai, tea!"
The brain wave vanished. Mai expelled a long, exasperated sigh as she resisted the urge to hurl her homework in the direction of the voice, which had no doubt belonged to Shibuya Kazuya, her two-year-long 18 year old employer, whom she'd nicknamed 'Naru' for short. She supposed it was her fault for trying to study here, though, especially when knowing that her boss had a tendency to spontaneously send her on random jobs.
Sighing, Mai stood up, heading toward the direction of the kitchen. She grabbed the teapot from the cupboard, pulling out the herbal tea and spoon along with it. After pouring the boiling water into the teapot, Mai set it onto a platter to present to her boss. She walked into his office, not even bothering to knock since the door was wide open, and set the teapot and cup onto his desk. Naru wasn't in the office, and Mai turned away, not particularly caring today.
When she got back, she saw a tall, dark figure stand over her desk, holding her exercise book in his pale hands.
"Naru?" Mai called out, walking over to him. "What's wrong?"
Without turning around, Naru replied, "You got question six and seven wrong."
Mai was immediately alert. "Really?"
Mai ran over to snatch the book out of Naru's pale hand, looking down at the question that he had pointed out. She went through the formula in her mind and then groaned, realising that she had used the present value formula instead of the future value formula.
"Not again," she sighed.
"Are you having problems with school?" Naru asked. He didn't sound curious or concerned, and if it had been anyone else, Mai would say that they were asking out of politeness. Since Naru didn't know how to be polite, however…
"I know you're not that bright, but if you need help, Lin could probably tutor you."
So he'd mentioned it just to stick another insult in her face. He didn't have to say it though; Mai knew who to go to if she was having problems. Lin-san was a full-time assistant that also worked at SPR, though he, unlike her, was a rather powerful medium that was an expert Onmyōji.
"I'll do it myself, thanks," Mai said dryly, shoving the book beneath her papers to hide it from Naru's view. Naru looked down at the textbook that she'd laid on the table, and just as he reached out to grab it, the soft jingle of the door opening was heard, and they both turned towards it.
"We have guests!" Mai said quickly, pushing her boss towards the central area. She hastily shoved her textbook and exercise book into her schoolbag – she didn't need Lin-san picking out her mistakes too – and ran to the kitchen to prepare another batch of tea. When she finished, she quickly grabbed her platter again and walked out to the meeting room. Mai could hear Naru's voice saying something from where she stood, and realised that the guest's back was facing her, while Naru sat across from the other person.
"Excuse me," Mai said, quietly announcing her presence.
The other figure almost jumped. "Oh, I didn't realise someone else was here too," the guest said, seemingly startled. Naru looked a little annoyed as the girl interrupted him, half-way through his speech, but the guest didn't seem to sense that – or she chose to ignore it – and instead, turned over towards Mai's direction.
Flowers literally surrounded the girl's face as she turned over to Mai, smiling, and Mai was at awe. Wow…a bishoujo.
The other girl was probably a cross of Japanese and some form of Western culture; her eyes were a bright green that twinkled brightly with the room's light, as her Asian toned skin set her blue-black hair off to perfection. The girl was probably around the same age as Mai or Naru, but at the moment, Mai suddenly felt a lot younger. Never in her life had Mai met a person so attractive before. Well, except for Naru, but Mai didn't really count him.
The girl seemed rather happy at Mai's interruption, because she stood up to walk towards Mai, who noted that the girl was dressed in black boots, black pants, and a knee-length cream coat with buttons that spelt out 'JAG'. She stood next to Mai; the girl was about a few centimetres taller than Mai's own 160cm – probably about 164cm.
"And is this your girlfriend?" the guest drawled slowly, looking back at Naru.
The spell around her shattered, and Mai's face flushed furiously.
"No, no, no; I'm just his assistant," Mai said hastily.
The girl's mouth opened to form a small 'o' before she slowly walked towards the coffee table, sitting down again. Mai followed her, leaning over as she set a cup of tea in front of Naru, and then reached to put one in front of their guest, who quickly disinclined it.
"No, thank you," the other girl smiled. "Tea makes your teeth go yellow; I'll be right without it."
Mai stifled her giggles as the girl's words ceased Naru's movements, just as the tea cup was almost at his lips. Her comment seemed to have turned him off his favourite beverage because he set the cup back onto the coffee table again. Mai sat the pot of tea down, though she sensed that tonight, she was going to be spilling two full pots of tea down the sink.
"Please, stay," the girl smiled, just as Mai turned to leave. Mai looked back at Naru, who nodded. Mai looked towards the chairs again, and opted for the singular chair at the far end, which was between both of them, though the furthest away.
Again, the girl pointedly ignored her boss as she turned over to Mai, just as Mai had sat down. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Domjouji Ayami."
Mai nodded quickly. "Taniyama Mai."
Ayami-san nodded again, almost as though she were absorbing something into her mind, before turning back to Naru again, who seemed to be getting slightly annoyed.
"Now that you've finished acquainting yourself with my assistant, do you mind telling me what your business is today?" he asked icily.
Ayami-san was unabashed by his rudeness. "I heard that you only take cases that interest you, so I'll try to make it worth your time." The girl smiled vibrantly, though Mai could sense the slight wryness in her tone. She was probably one that was used to being sarcastic, judging by her proud gestures and almost mocking tone. Ayami-san reached over and pulled a picture from inside her handbag, holding it out to Naru. Mai caught a slight glimpse of white on the picture, just before Naru took hold of the picture. His eyes then widened a slight fracture.
"This is…" Even Naru seemed lost for words. Mai itched towards the picture, curious as to what had shocked her normally aloof employer.
"This was found in my attic just this morning," Ayami-san finished. Her smile widened. "Shibuya Kazuya, how would you like to send a deity home?"
Exactly Fourteen Hours Earlier...
The darkness had long set across the skies before Domjouji Ayami reached the cemetery.
Many saw graveyards as eerily quiet places; Ayami, however, saw this place for what it truly was. She looked around the area, closing her eyes as she took in the endless screams of the tortured spirits around her. Hundreds of voices cried out in dismay, all of them weeping for their loved ones, the ones that had wronged them, or the ones that had –
The sound of a car's engine screeched beside her ears, and the voices of Other Realm vanished as her concentration broke. The wheels of the car screeched along the wet roads as the driver drove beyond the legal speed limit. Ayami watched the red Toyota skim down the road as the image of a crash – a collision with a tree, to be precise – flashed through her mind.
Perhaps there would be another spirit joining this bunch tonight.
Shrugging, Ayami continued her path, making sure not to step in any water puddles. It had been raining all day and the last thing she wanted was to get her boots wet. She carefully walked through the graveyard, avoiding the headstones and graves of those that had been buried here. After about five minutes, Ayami dumped her backpack on the ground, looking around.
Okay, the coast was definitely clear.
She knelt down towards the ground, reaching into her bag search around for something. After awhile, her fingers grasped onto a cold surface and she pulled a casket from her bag.
"Perfect," Ayami muttered. Carefully, she set the golden casket onto the ground, then grabbed some of the salt inside it, and spread it until it became an even circle around her body. When she was done, Ayami grabbed the silver knife next her and sat down carefully in her circle.
Then, closing her eyes, Ayami imprinted all sounds and senses that she heard and felt at this moment, completely relaxing her body. When she was sure that she had remembered everything she could about her surroundings, Ayami thought back to the spell she'd learnt and recited it.
"I call upon an ancient power
In this troubled sanctioned hour."
The girl pierced her finger with the knife she held, squeezing several droplets of blood onto the salt of the circle.
"Blood to blood, spell to spell
Call to spirits, to help us dwell."
"Witch to witch, ghost to ghost,
Use this blood, to cry a toast."
"Creatures from the other side,
Cross now the great divide."
Ayami paused, her eyes still closed. The incantation was finished, and now, all she could really do was wait. For a moment, nothing happened, and the world was as still as ever. Only the faint sound of water dripping in the background could be heard.
Water.
Ayami's heart skipped a beat and she shot up immediately.
"Seal!" Ayami shouted. A gush of wind circled her instantly, and just as she opened her eyes, she sighted a figure now standing in the salted circle that she had drawn, with her now standing outside it. The creature, whatever it was, took the form of a human woman. The white robes the woman wore fluttered around her as she screeched, her fingers clawing the invisible barrier that sealed her shut.
Then, the woman turned and hissed at her.
"What business have you, human, to summon me to a place like this?" the woman screeched.
Ayami threw her hair back before piercing her forefinger again and throwing the spare blood drops towards the circle. The few droplets of blood circled in the air before solidifying into small balls of marble, just as the Greek woman caught it.
"I search for the one that carries my blood," Ayami answered.
The creature stroked the marble ball, almost as though it were taking in the texture of Ayami's essence. "And you wish for me to find them for you?" the creature smirked. "Do you even know who I am, human? How dare you summon a goddess to do your petty deeds?"
Demi-goddess, actually, Ayami noted. There was no way she could have summoned a full fledged deity to a cemetery.
"Please, just do what I ask and then I'll send you back," Ayami said dryly. "In return for this favour, I'll offer gold and silver to your temple in Athens."
The demi-goddess didn't say anything. Though, she didn't have to. Just as Ayami felt the woman's power stretching beyond this field, Ayami tied her consciousness to the source immediately, travelling with it through the winds. Her vision passed by several mountains before skiing down a long, deserted road. Ayami sighted several unfamiliar streets in the darkened hour of Japan, just as the power halted outside a door in a wealthy commercial neighbourhood. The lights of this business were still on, and Ayami could see at least three figures inside the small building. She looked back towards the door again, trying to make out the words that were printed on the glass, and then blinked in surprise as she recognised English letters.
S.P.R.
The demi-goddess's powers reached out towards the door, about to reach in and find the person Ayami was looking for when a slight sound was made.
There was a rustle behind her, and Ayami's concentration broke, sending her back to the present area. She turned her ear towards the direction slightly. Ayami could hear two or three people, just as a torch shined directly into her face.
"Hey, girl! What are you doing?"
Oh, perfect. The cops just had to enter the scene now. Ayami's eyes turned back to the demi-goddess, just as the two police officers approached her.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm with my friend," Ayami replied, switching back to Japanese.
One of the two officers shined the light towards the ground, eyeing the white salt that sealed the demi-goddess in the circle. He leant down, reaching his hand towards the circle.
"Don't—" Ayami snapped, just as he broke the circle of salt. Immediately, Ayami's gaze turned towards the demi-goddess that she had summoned, just in time to see the deity smirk. Ayami reached into her pocket quickly, searching for her charms. The demi-god in front of her disbanded, just as thousands of white lights shone in hundreds of directions.
The police officers cursed. "What the—"
The lights evaporated in the night and Ayami closed her eyes, not believing the ridiculousness of the event. She'd just released a Greek monster into the Japanese lands because some idiot decided to break her barrier.
Ayami eyed him evilly.
Oh, he was so getting it from her.
It had to be at least 5PM before she was able to leave. After hearing some random story that she'd made up, the police officers insisted on ringing her parents before letting her go home, even after Ayami had told them that she was a visiting student, and that her legal guardian was half-way across the world. Due to their persistency, however, Ayami had finally given up and she ended up ringing Touya back at the main house and asked him to come pick her up.
"And just sign here, Domjouji-san, and you'll be able to leave," the policewoman said brightly.
Ayami, rolling her eyes, quickly took the pen from her and initialised the spot pointed out. She muttered a sarcastic 'thank you' to the police officer and then looked towards the door to see a frail 60 year old Japanese man standing there, holding her backpack. Ayami headed towards him.
"Lady Ayami," Touya greeted, bowing his head.
Touya (Ayami wasn't sure if that was his first name or last name; her Japanese wasn't quite up to scratch) reached into the pocket of his suit, just as Ayami headed out of the room before him. She could see the disapproval on his face, though he chose to keep his mouth shut. He was the housekeeper at the mansion she was staying at, which belonged to her oh-so-loved childhood friend; as such, it wasn't quite his place to tell her what to do.
"Lady Ayami," Touya called out, and Ayami stopped, looking back at him.
"What?" she asked rudely.
Touya held a cell phone out towards her. "It's Raidon-sama."
Ayami sighed, realising what was going on. Oh, that was right. She really needed Raidon to call up and rub it in now.
"Hello?" she called, speaking rather unenthusiastically.
"Arrested just two days into your trip, Ayami?" a sophisticated male voice spoke, his tone in complete contrast to hers – darkly amused, of course – as he heard her joy. "Looks like you chose the wrong cemetery, sweetheart."
"Hey, I didn't know I was going to get arrested for a small thing like that," Ayami said, her tone guarded. "The cops in Japan work too hard."
"Who told you to crack open a vein to commune with the dead at 3AM in the morning?" Raidon's voice asked, forever laughing as Touya held the door open for her as she passed through. "You're lucky they took you to the station and not a psych ward."
"It ain't my fault that the spirits are most sensitive and powerful at that time of night. If you wanna blame someone, blame antichrist. He was probably the one that set up that hour."
"If it was just a spirit, the police wouldn't have been able to see it, would they?"
Ayami froze. He'd hit so close to home, it was eerily creepy. "I'll handle it," she said stiffly.
The amusement in his voice was so evident, Ayami just wanted to stab him. "I'm sure you will," he said. "And until then, keep my manor in one piece, please."
Ayami didn't even bother saying goodbye; she snapped the cell phone shut before tossing it back at Touya, who caught it hastily like the frail old man that he was. He drove her back to the Main House, and Ayami headed into the living room to grab some liquor. Then, she cursed as she realised that Raidon had locked his cabinet. Touya, on the other hand, almost sprinted to Raidon's study room upstairs and emerged about ten minutes later with a few things.
"Lady Ayami." Touya held up a stack of papers. No doubt, they were brochures of the people that had the power to send the spirit back. Even without knowing what it was that she had summoned, he was dutifully prepared to get rid of it. Ayami took the paper from the old man and began going through it.
"I am this close," Touya said, holding his index finger and thumb closely together, as though he were measuring something, "to calling up Hiroko-sama and sending you back to her."
Ayami waved off his worries. "And anger sweet Raidon? Who's scarier to you: my grandmother, or your boss? Calm down," Ayami advised. "If the creature I summoned could still be held in a salted circle, then it's not quite time to panic just yet."
Touya rolled his eyes. "Please don't cause any trouble, my lady," Touya begged. "My heart is frail, and if Raidon-sama—"
"Oh, relax," Ayami said again, rolling her eyes. Of course, god forbid Raidon be troubled about anything. "It'll be coming for me soon, since I was the one that summoned it. We'll just trap her in the attic in case anything goes wrong. With all the charms Raidon chucked around here, it's not like anything can get out."
Now, he appeared even more stricken. "Yes, my lady. It can't get out, but it's not like we have enough power to send it back to where it came from. Trapping it in the house is a disastrous—"
Ayami heard a crash upstairs, just where the attic was, and she quickly murmured a spell to seal off the area.
"Too late," she said brightly, standing up.
Touya's head fell into his hands again and he sighed. "Have you at least found a group to help us get rid of her?" he asked, his tone muffled slightly. It was obvious that he was starting to give up.
Ayami smiled brilliantly, lifting the picture of a door. It was identical to the one that she had seen in her premonition, meaning the person she was searching for was no doubt with these people also. Ayami hadn't betted on them being a ghost hunter, but that would do for her too
S.P.R – Shibuya Psychic Research.
That was obviously where she was heading next.
23.06.2008: Posting of first chapter. I haven't written any Japanese cultured works in a long time, so please tell me if you note any mistakes. And, I haven't ever written a Ghost Hunt fanfiction either. shrugs
Thank you for reading.
Reviews and Criticisms are welcomed.
