AN: I just posted an AU story but for some reason I couldn't get this out of my mind, so I resign myself and post this to get it out of my system. Hope you like it. As usual, my English is not that good even if I do my best to correct it. I don't own Ghost Hunt, otherwise Mai and Naru will be long marry. This story take place after the anime.

Blazing Soul

Chapter One: Struggles And Premonitions

Night had already fallen by the time Kazuya Shibuya, head investigator of the Shibuya Psychic Research Company, finally got home so tired that he planned to go to bed after a warm shower. Three days had passed since he was released from the hospital, but his body was still recovering from the huge amount of energy he lost on the last case that almost killed him.

He gave a deep sigh and let the warm water run over his naked body. With his eyes closed he thought of the events that make him end up in a hasty trip to the nearest hospital half death. It was more than obvious that many things went wrong during the last case and most of them were entirely his fault. He had been on the ghost hunting business for a long time and even if he only was seventeen years old, he was not a beginner in any way. That's why there were no real reasons for him to have made so many mistakes at the same time. He had let himself be possessed by a violent spirit when he should have avoided it at all cost and by doing so, he let the rest of his team on a tight situation.

Two people die back then while he was unconscious and he couldn't help himself thinking that maybe if he wasn't possessed during most of the investigation, things might have turned out differently. If he had spent more time solving the case, he could have solved it without casualties. By the time he was in control over his body again, his team was already injured and tired, but he was so angry and frustrated with himself that he didn't see how far he was pushing them to what could have cost them their lives. Maybe that's why Mai's words during their latest fight hurt him so badly. She had told him things he didn't want to hear, all the things he feared the most and didn't want to see. She had wounded his pride. Because of that, he ended up losing control over himself and his unnatural powers, which almost kill him on the spot.

"Mai Taniyama…" He whispers to himself while letting his hands resting on the wall, the rest of his body still under the warm water. There was something about her that he can't explain. Something that was deeply rooted within him that he couldn't fully understand. She had provoked him many times since he knew her for the first time eight months ago. By that time, he and Lin Koujo (his personal assistant and right hand man) were working on a case on her high school. On their second day on that site, she manages to hurt Lin on an accident, for which he had more or less forced her to replace him during the rest of his investigation.

At first, he only took advantage of her. He needed the help and she was naive enough to believe in the lie that he used, to make her work for him. Later, she proved to have her own talent, not only because she had good instincts, but she also had latent psychic powers that helped him solve other cases. Right at that point, his relationship with her was far more complex that he intended. There was no point in denying to himself that her words can reach his emotions all the way down to his very core and it wasn't the first time it had happened.

Looking back, he had some troubles before trying to stop her from doing something foolish or letting her feelings interfere with his work. He let himself be open to her. He let her penetrate far too deep on his own emotions for his own good. Now she has become a kind of unexpected weakness for him and he had no idea what to do about it. After all, he was only temporarily working in Japan under the S.P.R. name. Once he fulfills his wish and find out what he was looking for, he had no reason to stay in Japan anymore. At least there would be not a valid reason other than more interesting cases that could satisfy the scientific curiosity his father had, over his fear of losing yet another son far away from home.

"Damn Mai... what did you do with me?" He asked to himself in frustration, letting the water run through his body for a couple of minutes more until he turned off the shower and got out of the bathroom after drying himself and change his clothes.

He gave a deep sigh before throwing himself over his bed. Even though everything seems to have returned to normal on the surface, he knew that things between them have simply escalated from complex to troublesome. Their discussions and their link were both getting stronger each day and he feared of how much bigger it would get. Of course that Masako Hara's jealousy didn't help it either.

Masako was a renowned spiritualist medium, who did work for him now and then. She was probably one of the best in her field, so that's why he keeps asking her for help when he need it. However, the true was that even if he didn't ask for her help when he was working on a case, circumstances tie her to him liked it or not. After all, she knew his deepest secret, the thing he was trying to avoid at all cost to be known. So he needed to be careful not to push Masako far enough to cause a rupture between them that could end up on a bigger disaster for him.

In any case, he still respects her and values her abilities as a medium. Whatever she turned out been annoying at times and frustratingly demanding at others wasn't necessarily important. There were times when he needed her talent regardless of his feelings, even when he had to swallow his pride. As for Mai, while her talent was beginning to been impressive, she was still inexperience and so, unstable. The fact that she got so close to him after less than a year of knowing her was both unexpected and new to him. The problem was that everyone else was becoming aware of that fact, including Masako, who was already showing signs of displeasure about it.

"Stop it Noll, you can't overload yourself with unnecessary feelings. Keep your focus on the reason you came to Japan." He said to himself in trying to diverge his line of thinking, which was going on a dangerous way. He turned off the light and got under the covers trying to fall asleep, but after fifteen minutes of moving around on his bed, he admitted defeat.

"Damn it, that's why feelings are so bothersome. It's even steal your sleep." He whispered to himself and got out of the bed. Maybe a cup of hot tea may help to calm his troubled mind. He got out of his dark room and was going to make the tea he so desperately needed, when saw that Lin was already preparing some.

"So you can't sleep as well? That is strange for you, Lin. When there is no case, you can rival Mai habit and sleep like no tomorrow." Naru said sitting on the chair in the kitchen island while Lin finish preparing the two cups of tea.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Mai have no rival in that department. What about you? Can't get her out of your mind? I saw you looking at her differently during your stay in the hospital. I have no doubt that you seem more attached to her than the rest of the team, which annoys you to no end, right?" Naru sigh for a moment, knowing that he couldn't hide things from Lin. He simply knew him too well for far too long.

"It's not attachment. In a way, I'm responsible for her, since she works for me and has no one else to take care of her. If something happened to her while working on a case, it would be considered my fault, my responsibility and that's all. I admit that she makes me lose my temper more times than I wish for, but I can't help it. She is just far too reckless and single-minded. Seriously, it's troublesome, annoying and dangerous." To Naru's annoyance, Lin simply laughed. It seems that Noll does have some sense of humor after all.

"That was funny. You, the arrogant Oliver Davis, it's only taking responsibility for a co-worker? I'm your personal guard that knows you ever since you were a brat and your teacher in many ways, but you have never taken the liberties with me. You certainly do not comfort me when I have nightmares, nor bring me tea to feel better afterward. You don't get provoked to the point of throw your life away by anything I said no matter how I said it. Apologies are definitely out of the question even when you know you are wrong…"

"That's enough. You make your point clear enough." Naru reply angry with himself for giving Lin a perfect way to throw everything back at him.

"I think this time around you will have to admit your feelings for her. She will always be special to you no matter how things turn out in the future. After all, your mind is ahead of your years by far, but your body will always react as it should for any 17 years old teen. Fall in love with girls it's a natural process not even you can change."

"Even if it is a natural process as you said, I am a rational man who can control his emotions. I can perfectly well skip or denied myself all unnecessary feelings, so those rules don't particularly apply to me. Falling in love is not necessary to keep myself alive, but the contrary. Be in love with someone else involved in the paranormal business with a high level of danger as hers, could probably end up been the one thing that could kill me faster." He had already proved that when he let himself be provoked by her words and lose control of his emotions.

"So you are admitting you love her? How bold of you, Noll. I was expecting denial all the way to the end." He said smirking.

"I never said I was in love of her. To be honest, the thought never crossed my mind." And it was true in some way. He knew Mai had an effect of him, but he never really give it a name.

"But you at least like her, right? You can try to fool yourself all you want, but it's obvious to me and provably to the rest of the team that you fancy her one way or another. Although I agree that in your case, falling in love with a far too emotional girl like Mai it's definitely dangerous for you. Then again, remaining in solitude it's not a good thing either. There are a lot of things worse than death."

"It doesn't matter anyways. I didn't come all the way from England to date a Japanese girl and when I find what I desperately seek, I will go back to England as planned." He said with less confidence that it sounds.

"Are you sure? Won't you regret it later? It's been a while since you have this kind of connection with someone else outside your circle. To be honest, she makes you more… human, less cold."

"Been cold keeps me alive and under control. The two things I need the most for now."

"I guessed that much. Keeping feelings suppressed while on dangerous cases is hard to do, but love is not an easy feeling that anyone can throw away as you please either. If it was, you would have fired Mai a long time ago, before, you would never allowed anyone to defy you as much as she does. Actually, you wouldn't have hired her in the first place. To be honest, I was beyond surprised when you told me you hired the girl I try to stop from touching the camera and got injured for that. You are usually very selective with those who works for you and they most have an extensive knowledge on the field. What was your reason again? That she reminds you when you were an orphan? That she has her usefulness as a go between us and clients since Madoka wasn't here? Was that really the reason?" He asked looking at him with genuine curiosity. He always wonders if Noll was struck by love at first sight or he gradually came to like her for who she was and the way she freely throws at him whatever was on her mind.

"Enough of this Lin. I already have a lot on my mind as it is. I don't have time to deal with something that will never happened. Mai and I, there is no future there, regardless of feelings. I wish things would have been…different. It's not only about me losing control of myself when I shouldn't, but my way of life on itself. I'm not the romantic type, nor the kind one. I have the tendency to keep people in the dark about many things, I'm pretty much lying to her at this point. I can't express feelings freely and I'm not good with people in general. I'm arrogant, damn right rude and even cruel at times. You see Lin, there is no way in hell someone like me could ever make her or anyone else happy. Gene was the one with all the good qualities, I only got the bad ones."

"Well, I guess time will tell us for sure. Wasn't she going out with Takigawa tonight? Something about a welcoming party you crashed right away and end up in a consolation dinner?" Naru sigh a little tired at this point.

"It's none of my business what she does on her free time. Despite of what you already think, I'm not madly in love with Mai to get jealous or upset for whatever she decides to go out with in her free time. She could as well have the best dinner of her lifetime for that matter."

"You sure are cold. Last night dinner with Hara put you in this bad humor? Should I have rescue you midway? Find some excuse to get you out?" Lin asked laughing.

"It's not funny at all. Next time I will definitely include you and be done with it. Then, you can do better than me." He sighs taking another sip of his warm tea. He wonders then, why only Mai's tea seems to truly satisfy him.

"Sure, she will like me the best after I tell her a few embarrassing stories of you…" Lin said glad to have this little chat with him. Ever since he got out of the hospital, he was a little more reserved than usual, especially with Mai.

"That can work both ways, I'm not the only one with embarrassing stories here. You do have your share of them. Now, can you tell me why Mai's coat is on the couch?" He asked after finishing his tea. For some unknown reason, the brown coat that lies on one arm of the nearby black couch was distracting him since he sat there. He got an odd feeling just by looking at it.

"She left it on the Van when I ride her home in the afternoon. It was you the one who requested to give her a ride because of the heavy rain, remember?" He asked not really knowing why he seems so bother about it. He looked a little anxious too.

Noll, however moved to take the coat to hang it somewhere else, but the moment he touched the coat it slipped from his hand and fall to the floor. When he bent down to take it again, something go out of one pocket. An old key. If he remembers well, that was the key Mai used as a good luck charm. Why did she carelessly leave something with a great deal of attachment on a coat pocket was beyond him. Still, he took the key on his hand and was going to put it back when suddenly, a flow of images from past memories begin to replay on his mind. They stream into him like a river and he paled when he realizes that a few of them were not simply memories, but visions.

"Noll, are you OK?" Asked Lin when he saw Noll go pale suddenly. He looked as if his mind was far away in a distance, a look he usually got when using clairvoyance or psychometry. When he notices Noll was holding something to the point of making his hand even whiter he guessed, whatever thing he was holding was triggering his psychometry.

"You idiot, this is not the time to use your powers. You just got out of the hospital." He said while shaking the young men out of his daydream state. Noll gasped for air a little and passed one hand over his still wet hair.

"Lin... I think something is going to happen to Mai..." He said reaching for the Van's key, hoping to be mistaking. However, he already knew that what he saw on the vision was already set in motion. Mai was being target by the tortured soul of someone from her past and for some unknown reason she wanted her gone, for good.

AN: Please review when done reading and let me know what you think. I will love an honest opinion. I don't know how often I will update this story, but I assure you it will be completed at some point.