Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt...
Warning: Spoilers ahead for end of manga... read at own risk.
A New Source of Light
Tauria
Oliver Davis had dwelt in the shadows all of his life. He was content there; content to let Gene outshine him. Sure, he wrote books and conducted amazing PK demonstrations. Yes it was he who often found missing people through psychometry. Yes, it was he who had an honorary doctorate and made excellent grades... but anyone who had ever met the twins was inevitably drawn to Gene. Gene was like the sun, exuding light and warmth to everyone around him. And as he was so bright and full of light, inevitably, his twin – ever at his side – was left in the shadows. He held his own there quite well, never bothering to try and step outside of it. For really, even for his being in the shadow, he was still shown respect and he was never forgotten... only avoided.
Oliver was perfectly okay with this; he was a solitary person by nature. He was happier not being surrounded by crowds of people or having people always clamoring for his attention. He found other people stupid on the whole – not even Gene was exempt from these insults, despite being on par with his intelligence. Sometimes – though it was very rare – he was jealous of how popular Gene was. Sometimes, he longed for people (outside of his family) who would flock to him and actually like him for who he was.
But just as quickly, he dismissed those thoughts and went back to work, because really, who needs other people anyway? Certainly not him.
Secretly – very secretly – the jealousy was not so easily dismissed as that. He envied Gene a lot of things. He envied his easily liked personality; envied how Gene could be vain and not come off as a jerk. He envied how Gene did not have to constantly exert control over his powers. He envied how he was always so happy.
Still, Oliver rarely focused on such things, instead choosing to put them out of his mind, because even despite the jealousy, Gene was still the closest person in the world to him. Not even Oliver Davis could resist the light; not even he could last in ever-present darkness.
Which was exactly what his world dissolved into the moment he picked up the shirt. The moment the headlights flashed around the corner, when the cold lake water chilled his skin. The moment green flashed across his eyes – never before had he abhorred a color so much – his light had left the world, and he was shrouded in utter darkness. For the first time, he experienced true shadow, cold and bleak and unforgiving. And he hated it, but embraced it all the same... for what was he now that his twin had left the world?
But then he had met her. She was just as bright and full of warmth as Gene had been – if not more so, and sometimes he felt guilty for the thought. And he couldn't help but keep her around. He justified at first – Mai was an orphan, and she could use the money... and this was truly why he had hired her. It was because he felt sympathy for her plight, and in a rare show of kindness, wanted to help. Later, it was because she made extremely good tea – much better than Lin or himself. After that, it was because she was psychic, and her visions often helped them when they were on cases (when she bothered to tell them about them).
But deep down he knew the actual reason he kept her around for so long... and it definitely wasn't because of her tea or her psychic powers.
It was because of her light; because he truly didn't enjoy the darkened state his life had become. She was full of life, happiness, and empathy. She was bright and warm, and he was drawn to her like a moth to flame. Mai seemed to truly like being around him, despite his abysmal attitude. With her, she brought other people who liked him (or at least didn't seem to mind his presence). Mai had given him another sun – though she would never replace his brother – and another reason to move on. A reason to not bury himself in work or get stuck in a rut.
She was not Gene, and she never would be. They were alike in many ways, but they were different in many others. And she completed him in a way that Gene hadn't, which was a bit confusing. Mai was his new source of light, and he would be damned if he was going to let go so easily. He had lost and regained his light in Japan, which was exactly why he was packing his bags to head back there. Of course what he told everyone was that "there was more spiritual activity in Japan" but everyone knew the truth. The truth was, the emotionally detached Oliver Davis had not only found a new source of light... but he had fallen in love as well.
Tauria: So, this isn't the first Ghost Hunt fanfic that I have written, but it certainly the first that I've published on here. I'm not entirely certain I got Naru's character right, but I figure I'm still learning... ^^; Anyways, I'm not entirely sure what I was hoping to accomplish with this idea, only that I wanted to write some Naru/Mai and this was something that popped into my head (even though I am 90% sure this isn't an original idea...). I hope you enjoyed it, at any rate! Please leave a review? (or just drop a favorite, because that's perfectly fine too!)