I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

This story was inspired by my "It may be time." It was just a random fic that popped into my head, and I wrote it. Another idea shortly followed, and here it is!

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The morning was cool, winter slowly ebbing and spring warming its way into the city and breathing new life into the very air. I watched the sky lighten from its watery grey color to a glossy pink, sending rays of sunlight through the rooftops that obscured my view of the park that was a block away from my apartment. In a few weeks, the sound of children from the church would be heard. I was glad that winter was well on its way to be over.

I had never experienced snow before, having grown up in Australia. It had a haunting beauty to it, a deadly calm. When it first began getting cold, I found myself bundling in heavy clothing before the snow even began falling. I wasn't use to the cold, and quickly realized it wasn't something I was going to like. But as the months dragged on, I became accustomed to it, though I still needed gloves for the short walk to the church in the mornings.

I smiled as I remembered the first time I tried driving in the snow:

Monk was sitting up front with me in the passenger seat, his instrument placed on the floorboards in the back of my jeep. I had just bought a plastic cover for the top, and not a day too soon because a heavy snow came blowing down during his concert. Already, there was at least a foot of the stuff. I cranked the heat up.

"Thanks for the lift, John." He buckled into the seat as I started the car. "I can't believe my car died at the gig."

"No problem, mate. I heard that kind of things happen when it snows like this." I smiled, slowly pulling out of the parking lot. I could feel the car tire crunching the snow, could feel them slip a little when I pulled to a stop at a red light. That had me worried - after all, I didn't know much about snow and didn't want to be the cause of a wreck.

"Uh, John?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not wearing your seat belt."

I glanced down, and the light turned green. I slowly picked up speed, staying a mile or so under the speed limit. I hadn't wanted to tell him why, but we both knew it was dangerous, especially when it was practically a white out. "Yeah, I know."

"Okay. Just checking." He turned to face forward, but I could feel him give me a sidelong look. I felt my grip tighten on the wheel, and he must've seen it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him open his mouth.

And then, we hit black ice.

I've been in plenty of accidents growing up. I was driving and hit a pot hole, blew a tire and slammed into a telephone pole. I was dirt biking with a few friends, hit a rocky incline and went over the handlebars. I tumbled down a ravine and woke up in the hospital. I drove through floodwaters, skidded and hit the edge of the bridge, shaking the rusted cables.

But spinning out on this icy, deserted road was one of the worst accidents yet.

When we skidded to a stop, halfway on the other side of the road, we looked at each other. I had started laughing, partly from relief and partly because if I didn't, I was going to start shaking and wouldn't be able to keep driving - that night, and for the rest of the winter. He stared at me wide eyed and mute. I threw the car in drive, and we continued in silence.

My alarm buzzed by my bed, where it sat on the nightstand. I jumped when it had started, and felt a sharp stab of irritation as I slapped it on. I hated, hated, hated that noise. Why I never bothered to replace it was beyond me. I looked back at the dawn before shuffling to my closet. Today, at SPR we were meeting with a potential client. Some older woman from a private school that was about two hours away from the city. Naru had left everything else under wraps.

I quickly packed my clothing and materials into a black duffle bag. I knew that if Naru wanted to get up and move, that he'd want us to do so quickly, and I figured it'd be a waste to just turn around and come back. I ran through my mental check list, and zipped the bag closed. It had a little weight to it, but nothing like Naru's machines. After that, I grabbed a black tank top, grey jeans and a dark green button down shirt. I got showered and dressed quickly.

I was out the door no more than fifteen minutes later, wearing a black coat. I was on the top floor of an apartment complex with no elevator. It was hell at three in the morning, with no lights and a heavy bag after a long and draining case - but it was quiet and close to the church. It was only a ten minute drive to work, a good thirty minute walk in the summer. If it weren't so cold, I would be walking to work everyday.

The fresh morning air had a slap of cold in its bite as I stepped out. I held the door out for my neighbor. She gave me a kind, tired smile. She worked nights at the hospital, and would ask me to keep her patients in mind during my prayers. She took a look at my coat and gloves, and slipped inside with a soft chuckle. "Its suppose to warm up a little today, Father John."

I smiled, "I hope so. The winter is beautiful, but I'd be more comfortable with the heat."

We said good bye, and I made a bee line for my jeep. Growing up, all I needed were all terrain tires, extra parts on supply, a two way radio, a few bottles of water and a first aid kit. Here, I needed a change of snow tires, warm blankets, a spare battery, a first aid kit, a lighter and a lot of other things, in case I was in an accident and wasn't able to contact another person. It was totally bizarre.

My deep green jeep, complete with black roofing, sat in its usual spot.

-X-

As I drove, I saw a familiar pink jacket and pulled over. I threw open the door, "G'day Mia. Need a lift?"

"Thanks! I was running late." She hopped in, slammed the door and we took off down the street. She too buckled in, unzipping her jacket. "Its so warm in here."

"Sorry," I chuckled. I turned down the heater. "I'm still not use ta the cold."

"Oh, its not a problem!" She beamed. Her face turned thoughtful. "Hey, Australia is, like, really hot all the time right?"

"Not really hot," I mused as a stop sign came up. "Its just a bit warmer than the northern countries. And its not all the time. Sometimes we get temperatures as low as sixty degrees."

"Oh." She said, clearly still thinking, if her voice was anything to go by. "What's it like living there?"

I hit the brakes a little harder than necessary, and she made a soft noise. No one had ever asked me that - not when I started working with the church, helping with the hospital, working with Mai and the others. I looked around and pushed the vehicle forward. the light outside was growing stronger, and suddenly, I wanted to be at work and pretend this conversation wasn't happening. I could feel the frown on my face, my face almost tight and eyes focused on the road. "Well...it's like living anywhere, I guess. It has its own culture, its own traditions and meanings that outsiders wouldn't automatically understand."

She gave a light laugh as we pulled into the parking lot, "That's not really an answer, John. What was it like? Summer all year long, deserts and snakes and who knows what else! Come on, I wanna know."

I put the jeep in park, but didn't look at her. I looked at my hands, which were in my lap. Something about my tone was off, no matter how hard I tried to keep it steady and disinterested. "It was hot, and it would rain for days. There were dirt bike competitions and racing, hikers and dangerous animals - like dingos. Those things were nasty creatures. Poisonous spiders whose venom could eat away flesh. It was dangerous, and beautiful and home. Its hard to explain, and I'd rather not try."

I looked up to see her eyes intently staring at me, an unspoken question hanging in the air - though, I hadn't the slightest clue as to what she wanted to ask. I opened the door, and she took the hint to follow me. We made it inside, to find Monk, Ayako, Lin, Naru and Masako in the reception area.

Mai opened her mouth, eyes still on me, when Naru interrupted her, "Mai, tea."

"Naru!" She snapped, but walked over to the kitchen area. "I'm talking with John. Did you know that, in Australia, there are spiders' whose venom can eat your flesh away?"

All the eyes in the room landed on me and I thought, Regurgitation at its finest.

Instead, I said, with a shrug, "It's true."