Hey! if you haven't read my stories before, I'm uyay. This is my first posted Ghost Hunt fanfic. My other stories are manly Ouran High School Host club, with one crossover with Fruits Basket. If you have read my stuff before, thank you for reading this aswell. I haven't read the manga, so some of this might be inaccurate, I've mainly based this off of the anime and what stands to be apparently true from other fanfics. Read, review, follow and favorite please! Thanks, uyay
Chapter One
She stood there, watching as the shadow outside the door grew closer and closer. Another followed closely behind it, making her catch her breath. She looked behind her, inside the cabin, where the rest of her family prepared for brother was already laying down in his green pajama pants, while her parents were putting away the cribbage board and water glasses. All three were oblivious to the threat outside. Benji, the family dog, wasn't there. He must be outback.
She walked towards her brother, kneeling beside him and smiling at his tired expression. "Lukas, get up!" She nudged his shoulder. "Lukas, there's something outside." Her brother didn't move, ignoring her. "Lukas!" No response. She moved on to her dad, next, moving to the small section of the room used as a kitchen. "Dad! Please! There's something outside!" She waved her hand in front of his face, but he just continued to put away the cards. "Mom!" She walked up to the lady washing the dishes. "Mom!" she sniffled. Why won't they listen? This isn't funny!
The door swung open, catching everybody's attention. The first man walked in. He was bulky, with crystal blue eyes and rust gold hair. The second man to enter was slightly smaller, with hazel eyes and white hair. Both were middle aged, armed, and clean shaven. The first man, who she assumed to be the boss, turned to the second. "Grab all their money and make sure they don't call for help."
No! She backed up slowly until her back and arms were flat against the cabin wall. "We don't have any money!" her dad yelled, walking from the kitchen into the room in front of the man. The man effortlessly raised his gun till it was aimed at her dad's temple. He fired, and her dad fell lifeless to the ground.
"No," she whimpered, sliding to the ground and shaking. "Please no." A tear fell down her cheek.
"You there!" the man turned to her brother as the smaller man started scavenging for money. "Who were you talking to?"
She closed her eyes, forming her hands in fists so tight she could feel blood drip into her nails. "No one," he denied. She choked, sobbing as she heard another gunshot. She opened her eyes in time to see the smaller man reach for her brother's fallen cell.
Her mother reached out an arm. "No, don't hurt him!" she screamed. Another shot fired.
"No! No." She rocked back and forth. She was the only one left.
~x~o~x~o~
She held back stingy tears as she placed red roses on her family's caskets. Mom, Dad, Lukas…. Her voice wavered and she choked on some of the words of the song she dedicated to her younger brother. He was young, too young to die the death he died. She looked up and met the cold eyes with her grandfather. He's probably mentally scolding me for singing a non christian song. Oh well, the irony of the words matched my mood perfectly, she thought as she said her last goodbyes to her 12 year old brother. "Too young to die." She finished the song.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flash Back~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She shot straight up in bed, body trembling and tears streaming. She clutched at the tangled bed sheets. They were damp with sweat. A dream. It was dream. She reached desperately for her phone that sat on her nightstand, latching onto it and furiously dialing her brother's cell. She had to know he was ok, that they were ok. Maybe I should have told them to stay.
"Hello?" a groggy voice answered the phone on the third ring.
"Oh thank God!" She whispered, thanking the heavens. She relaxed, taking deep breaths and relishing the knowledge that her brother was safe.
"Emmi? Is that you?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry…" she replied sheepishly. See? You were just being silly.
"It's 3 am.. Did you have another dream?" She nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Relax, they're just dreams. I swear, you would think I'm the older sibling."
"Oh shut up! Besides, Lukas, they were killing you, and Mom, and Dad!" Her body racked with sobs as she remembered the events of her dream. Ice blue eyes and hazel eyes flashed in front of her. "It was horrible, seeing them do that to you."
"Emmi… Emmi! Relax. We are fine. Now go back to-" He cut off, and she heard a thud indicating the phone was dropped.
"Grab all the money and make sure they don't call for help." The rough voice she heard come through the phone sounded familiar, and once again she saw ice blue eyes.. No! It was just a dream! This is just a dream, it isn't happening! Wake up, Emily! She mentally slapped herself.
"We don't have any money!" she heard her father yell, followed by a gunshot.
"You there! Who were you talking to?" the voice demanded.
"No one," Lukas denied. She listened, holding her breath and a sob as another gunshot resonated and she heard another thud.
"No, don't hurt her!" she heard her mother cry as footsteps came closer to the phone. She heard one last gun shot before she hung up, praying that the didn't see the caller id. She dialled 911.
"Emmi?" Her grandmother snapped her out of her trance. "You're fifteen for God's sake, tell them not to separate you from your family!"
Emmi looked at her, tears in her eyes. "I've already been separated from my family. I love you and Grandpa, but if protective custody is where I belong, so be it. I don't want anymore deaths." Her family's killers were serial killers/thieves. Their victims were randomly selected, so the rest of the family was unlikely to be targeted. However, the police feared she might if the attackers saw her name on the phone. They wanted to put her, and only her, in protective custody.
"Oh, darling," the older lady sympathised.
"Emily Hampson, if you'll please come with me."
Emmi sent one last look at her family's caskets before turning to the police officer that had spoken. "Yeah." She looked at the back of his heels as he turned and walked off, not bothering to say goodbye.
"You don't seem very sad to leave them," the officer commented, opening the back seat of the police car.
"I feel like I'm a prisoner," she mumbled, staring at the barred screen in front of her.
"I'm not technically allowed to let passengers ride up front, sorry. So what's your story? With the family, I mean."
She sighed, acknowledging that he wouldn't let her change the subject. "My grandparents, on my mom's side, are overprotective. My grandfather's a hypocrite and my grandmother worries too much for her own good. On my dad's side, my grandparents have always been distant. They show up to important events but it's obviously just for show. I don't have any aunts or uncles that I know of, except an uncle on my mom's side who died a few years ago."
He nodded, taking in her words. "And what about friends?"
"I don't do friends. I've tried, believe me, it never worked out."
"No one?"
"The only 'friend' I had was a german shepherd, but he was with my family and ran away during the attack."
"Oh. Sorry."
"It's no big deal."
"Your family's dead. That doesn't sound like 'no big deal' to me."
"I know, that's not what I meant. The dog…. Worse has happened."
"Oh, I understand. So why were you alone, anyways? I'm sure it was in the case study, but I forgot."
"It was my brother's twelfth birthday. He wanted to go camping. I was sick, but I told them to go without me. The neighbors promised to watch me, and with some convincing they left."
"I'm sorry, this must be hard on you."
She closed her eyes and opened them slowly, turning her head so she was staring out the window. "You have no idea," she muttered under her breath. He didn't hear her, and she left his question unanswered. "Where will I be staying?"
"They don't know yet. Where do you want to go?"
Their eyes met in the rearview mirror. "I've always wanted to go to Japan." She was joking when she said it, but the statement was true. She had been looking for summer programs with her mom, but that was before this had happened.
The man chuckled, sad light brown eyes lightening a touch. "Well, we'll keep that in mind." He ran his fingers through his orange brown locks and turned into the police office lot.
"Thank you. What's your name, anyways?"
"The name's Johnson, Lee Johnson."
"Nice to meet you, Lee. I'm Emily Hampson, but you can call me Emmi."
"Nice to meet you, Emmi. I just wish it were on happier of occasions."
"Perhaps, one day."
"Perhaps." He parked and opened his door. He stepped out and made his way to her own door, opening it for her and helping her out.
"Thank you." She took his outstretched hand as he pulled her out of the car, dropping it quickly as she followed him into the building. "What will we be doing here?"
"You'll be talking to some assessors. They will decide where you are to spend the next few… whatevers in protective custody."
"Speaking of time," she walked through the door he held open for her, "do they have any idea how long this will take?"
"No, sorry." He led her down a narrow hallway and around a few corners. They finally stopped at a door with the label 'Conference Room 2'.
There was a small slit window in the door, through which she could see a mass of officers and other uniformed people. The door opened, and she saw they were surrounding a large table. The table was circled by chairs, though none of them were being used. Nonsense chitchat filled the room. Only snippets of conversations were translatable to Emmi as she walked in behind Officer Lee. On the wall in front of them was a large white screen she assumed was used for presentations.
Officer Lee cleared his throat, and the people scurried to their seats. He led her to her own, which was placed to the right of the head of the table, and sat down on her right. The man at the head of the table, the only one in a suit and tie instead of a uniform, raised his hand for their attention.
"Thank you, Officer Lee. Now, why don't you start by introducing yourself?" he asked, looking straight at me.
"Umm…. I'm Emily Hempson, you can call me Emmi?" It came out like a question, and they all nodded in response.
"Good." the man interrupted before anything could be said. "Now, question time. How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
"What's your middle name?"
"Marie."
"What school do you go to?"
"Jena Field High."
"What are your academic interests?"
"Math and English."
"Good. And extracurricular?"
"I don't really have any. Debate, I suppose."
"Favorite color?"
"I don't have one."
"Favorite book? Song?"
"I like too many."
"Your personal motto?"
"I don't see what this has to do with anything."
"Motto?"
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. She stuck her tongue to the side of her mouth, pausing for a moment before answering. "Peoplephobic: stay away from me."
The man gave a short chuckle. "I like it!" He looked at some of the other people, pointing a stubby finger at her. "You hear that? Isn't that great? What a sense of humor."
"Glad you find it so funny," she replied with an annoyed eye roll.
The man cleared his throat. "Ok, have I forgotten anything?"
She waited for a dismissal, for freedom from this dreaded questioning. Unfortunately, it never came. "Who's your favorite person?" It came from a man with black features: black hair, black eyes, and black clothes.
She stood, pushing her chair in and racking her hands through her own raven black hair. "Wouldn't you like to know." She folded her hair into a messy bun and walked out the door, closely followed by Officer Lee.
"What was that?" he hissed as he quickly caught up to her in the hallway.
She froze and looked him dead in the eye. "I don't like being harassed by irrelevant questions right after my family's funeral and burial. Excuse me if that isn't understandable by others."
"I'm sorry, I should have seen that families gone, and that's a pain I will never be able to understand. I'm really sorry." He never met her eyes while speaking, and she met this with bitterness.
"I need to use the restroom."
"Down the hall and to the right, there should be a sign."
She followed his directions and entered the empty women's bathroom. turning to the row of sinks on the left, Emmi turned on the cold water and starred in the mirror. Unruly black hair, sunken face, bags under her eyes, she hadn't slept in days. Her skin was pale, her cheeks were flushed, and she was too skinny to pass as healthy. It all scared her, the mess she had become, but what scared her most was the empty blue green eyes that stared back at her. She looked down quickly, cupping some water in her hands and splashing it on her face. Pull it together, Emily.
She stood up, turned the water off, and dried her face before exciting to find a waiting Officer Lee at the door.
"I was starting to get worried about you." He turned and walked towards the eit, leaving her to follow him.
"Well, I'm fine."
"I see that."
"So now what?"
"Well, I'm starving. I would say we swing by somewhere and get something to eat. We have about half an hour before they decide where you will be staying and with whom-"
She interrupted him before he could finish, "Whom?"
"Yes, there will be an officer dispatched to be with you and protect you."
"A bodyguard. Really?"
The walked outside, but instead of walking her to a police car, he led her to a normal red sports car. At her glance he explained, "What? The job pays good when you add it to my wife's income. Besides, I thought my personal car would be a bit more comfortable than the police vehicle." He opened the passenger seat door for her and went around to the drivers. "And yes, pretty much a bodyguard, but it's for your own good.
"Anyways, from then we have about twenty-four hours before the have the place ready for you with your personal items. Speaking of which, I found it interesting that you only gave them a photo of the family and a stuffed bear."
"They said hygiene and clothes would be included."
"Still, that's awfully light."
"I don't know how long I will be gone. I don't want to be reminded of what used to be, everyday, if I have to pretend it never happened."
"I'm sorry."
"Stop apologising; it's not your fault, and I really just want to work on moving on."
"Got it. So where do you want to go?"
"Huh?"
"For food."
"Oh, I don't care. I'll eat anything."
"Ok."
"Where will I be staying tonight?"
"With me and my family. I hope you don't mind?"
"I look forward to it."
…
"Naru…" The soft, whining voice came through the phone, and a harsh, gruff voice met it.
"I told you not to call me that."
"Fine. Idiot scientist."
"What?"
"We found her."
"The girl Mom and Dad were talking about?"
"Yeah. Lin's pulling some strings now. Speaking of which, how's Madoka?"
He looked through his window at the outline of the pink haired woman. "Since when does she smoke?"
"Naru-"
"I told you not to call me that."
"When we lost Mia, you weren't the only one to suffer. Do you think I don't suffer everyday from guilt knowing that she-"
"I don't have time for this. Get the girl under our custody."
"Roger that."
…
Emmi looked at Officer Lee as he popped another french fry in his mouth. They stopped at some fast food restaurant and were eating cheese burgers and fries while drinking water. Turned out they had the same preference in food. His phone rang, and she observed as he swallowed quickly before popping another fry in his mouth as he listened to the person on the other end. Or maybe it was a machine; she didn't know. He said goodbye and hung up, turning to her.
"That was them, they know where you'll be staying."
"Hell?" she jokingly asked.
"Some call it heaven, others hell, I prefer to call it by it's given name." She raised an eyebrow. "Japan. They heard it on the recording of our ride in the car, and I guess it was an option."
"But why? Why wouldn't I stay in the U.S?"
"We're working on a new treaty with Japan. Having you stay in Japan will help show the peace on both sides."
"So I'm an experiment?"
"Not an experiment, an asset."
"Yeah, you aren't helping."
"Sorry. Anyways, we have an officer, Eugene Davis, that used to live over there and actually still has a house over there."
"So he's my whom?"
"Yep. He'll meet us here in a couple of minutes so he's not a complete stranger." She nodded in understanding. "And Emmi?" She met his gaze, "Be nice."
She rolled her eyes. "Rawr."
"Emmi!"
"What?" she whined.
"I'm serious. You could be spending the next year with this dude, maybe longer. It would be nice if you made a good impression."
"No. He gets to make the impression, I get to not care what he thinks about me."
"Who thinks about who?" They both looked to the side and saw two older gentlemen, one of which Emmi recognised.
"Oh look, it's Mr. Who's-your-favorite-person." Emmi crossed her arms and gave an annoyed sigh. "If didn't know any better, I'd say you were the one who just lost his family. What'd you do, paint yourself black? Learn a different color."
"I see you yourself aren't wearing mourning clothes."
"They wouldn't have wanted to see me dressed like that."
"Right," the other man interjected. "May we sit?" He motioned to some chairs. Officer Lee nodded and they sat.
"I'm Eugene Davis, and this is my close friend Lin Koujo. Lin, this is Emily 'Emmi' Hampson and Officer Lee." The dark man introduced the group. "Emmi, Lin will be going with us to Japan."
Lin had black hair and gray eyes; he was wearing a normal suit without a jacket. Emmi gave a warm smile, surprising the group. "Chinese." She gave a polite bow of the head. "Nǐ hǎo. Wǒ hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ."
Lin returned her smile with one of his own. "Shǐzhōng."
Officer Lee looked between the two of them, confusion written on his face. "What did you just say?"
"I greeted him in Chinese," she explained.
Lin looked back at her, eyes questioning, and asked, "How do you know Chinese so well?"
"I went on a six week summer language study in China a few years back. I was fortunate to be placed with a caring family. They recognised my love for the language and gave me money for language lessons when I got back to the states."
"Well , well. Looks like we got a know-it-all in our midst," Eugene teased. Emmi ducked her head, her smile cracking. "Hey?" He sent a concerned look her way. "I'm sorry, I was joking."
"What?" Her head shot back up and she stared at him. "Oh, it's alright. It just brought back some memories." She gave him a weak smile. "Well, we should go." With that she stood and left.