I own nothing! Writing for fun. All rights and privileges go to the creators of the anime.
It had been five years since I found my brother Gene and returned home with him and my long-time teacher/bodyguard Lin.
No more than two months later I found out that my father (Martin Davis) had hired most of the team from the Japanese branch of S.P.R to replace some of the team he had assigned to my brother and I that had quit or that I had fired after their first case working for me.
What bothered me was that Mai wasn't one of them and the four people that I was now working with were the four who had promised the short auburn haired girl that they would always be there for her.
Yes, that's right John Brown, Ayako Matsuzaki, Houshou Takigawa and Osamu Yasuhara moved to England to work for the famous Davis family. Which I have to admit shocked me. I thought that they were angry with me for lying to them and hurting Mai, but I guess money meant more to them than her feelings.
What hurt me was the fact that my own brother had stopped talking to me after he found out what I had said to Mai. I still remember what happened to make him stop talking to me. It was after the others had just arrived at B.S.P.R. and had been shown up to our office.
He glared at each one of them as they sat down which had them all fidgeted in their seats.
"Let me guess not one of you told Mai you were coming here?" They nodded confirming his suspicions. They all started rambling off their excuses for why they left, but Gene would hear none of it. He got up and left the room.
After Madoka took the others to their new homes I found Gene helping some of the young students with their meditation practice. So I asked him mentally what was bothering him. He replayed me a memory instead.
It started in the kitchen of the old office in Japan.
Mai was standing there packing up the tea sets from the cabinet above her as Takigawa chatted to her. "Mai, why don't you let me become your guardian I could take care of you and you'd be allowed to come with my band to all our gigs?" Monk asked her and with a smile, she replied, "Monk I don't need you to go through all that trouble. All I need to know is that all of you will be there for me and that you all know I'll be there for all of you when you need me."
That's when Miss, Matsuzaki chimed in with, "Of course we'll get together at least twice a week and have coffee or dinner and maybe go shopping."
"Now, do you get why I'm angry with them and you for that matter."
"Me what did I have to do with that?" I ask him and he replied with, "You said you'd protect her and that she could trust you! But then the last thing you said to her was 'Me or Gene?' Then you turned your back on her and left her at that the lake by herself in the rain!" With that last statement, he shut our connection effectively blocking me out.
Later that night at dinner I found out that Gene had told our parents that he wanted to study abroad for his final year of high school and then college. They reluctantly agreed to let him go as long as he had two bodyguards with him when he was outside of his school grounds.
For the next two weeks, I tried everything I could to get him to talk to me to no eval and he didn't even tell me goodbye before he left for America with his guards. Then when he had brakes and Luella and Martin would make him come home he would avoid me at all cost.
With my twin ignoring me and no Mai there to hound me about being a workaholic I worked myself till I ended up in the hospital from exhaustion. So my parents made me go on vacation for a month to France in hopes that I would relax and maybe find a girlfriend because they had run out of friend's daughters to set me up with. Needless to say neither of those things happened.
Every girl I met in and out side of work didn't compare to Mai and it took three years for me to realize that I had left my heart behind with that spunky, short tempered, sweet, girl named Mai.
When I had my realization I started to try to track her down, but the only thing I found was that she had graduated top of the class a year before and apparently, her apartment building had collapsed for unknown reasons six months before which had me concerned.
As time passed on Mai's trail got colder and colder to the point that I thought I'd never find her again.
Now I sit here at my desk looking over probable cases and sip on my water because no one's tea ever comes close to Mai's.
Not finding anything real I decide to head home to my apartment. So I pack up My laptop and the book I've been reading in my off time and leave the sanctuary of my office and head to the elevator. But just as I'm after I step in and the doors began to shut my father stops the doors from closing and enter the elevator.
"Noll, B.S.P.R.'s inverters want us to go head to head with three of the leading paranormal groups in the world and I want you and your team to represent us." My father said with his 'You have to do it.' Face.
I sigh and say, "If we must then we'll go. When is this going to take place?" My father gives me a small smile and replies, "I'll send you the email with all the details in it and remember your mother's having a family dinner for your brother's homecoming," I nod that I understand than the elevator dings that I'm on my floor so I exit and then head to the parking lot.
As I'm getting in my car I get this feeling that something big will happen soon. I shrug it off and head for my apartment building.
Once I was inside my place I put my laptop on the coffee table and then head to the kitchen to cook myself some dinner. That's the only thing I miss about living with my parents (Luella's cooking). She still orders me to come for Saturday dinners but besides that, I'm on my own.
The first few months I had just ordered take out till I finally got the hang of cooking my own meals. Which took two years for me to get half of the things I tried to make right.
I look in my fridge to see I still had some rosemary chicken left over from yesterday and I had some salad mix. Shrugging I grab both and place them on my counter. I turned to grab a cutting board and knife from a drawer and then slice up my chicken. Now with my chicken all sliced I grab a plate from the cabinet above and plate my salad mix then add my chicken on top.
Satisfied with my meal I head over to my dining room table and eat. As I eat I think of this competition my father's making my go to. 'Wonder what the stipulations and rules are?' I think as I finish my meal and put my dishes in the dishwasher.
Once finished I head back into my living room to boot up my laptop. After it finished I opened up the email with the information on this challenge.
I skim over the initial greeting from the town mayor who is setting up this challenge. Apparently, this town is crawling with spirits from a mine collapse and is believed to have a portal to hell.
'Hum interesting. Now, what are the rules.'
Rules that each team must follow.
Rule 1: Each team can only have eight members.
Rule 2: Each team will get a chance to look over each building in town independently.
Rule 3: Nothing is permitted to be taken out of any building by any of the team's members.
Rule 4: No team is permitted to demand another team's information. (If a team wishes to share their information with another they may at their own discretion.)
Rule 5: No team is permitted to tamper with or move another team's equipment.
Rule 6: If a team brings cameras, each of them must have labels that say who they belong to.
Rule 7: Please be respectful of other people's privacy.
Rule 8: Everyone must share the common areas.
Which includes as followed- Kitchen, Dining Room, Bathrooms, and the town library.
Rule 9: Sleeping arrangement will be co-ed and will not be based on teams.
Anyone who can not follow these rules should not be brought as part of anyone's team and if anyone is caught breaking these rules their team will be disqualified and asked to leave.
I shrug after reading their rules and look at the clock on my screen. Seeing it shine ten thirty back at me I decided to call it a night. I stripped off my clothes as I headed to my bedroom then tossed them in the hamper next to my dresser and climbed under my bed cover.
With a yawn, I settle into my comfortable mattress and allow myself to relax till I nodded off.