Ghost Hunt The Spiriting Hour..
By: Heather Millwood
Naru sat at his desk watching Mai run around between his desk and the cabinet in a seeming endless pile of paper. She brought Naru a cup of tea and sat it down on his neat desk, picking up the passed cases that he showed little to no interest in. "You will have to pick at least one sometime you know!" She told him, a sign of annoyance showing in the tones of her voice. Naru barely glanced up from the paperwork. "You have an interesting case? If not go back to your work Mai." Mai shot him a death-glare. "You wouldn't know interesting if it came and shot you in the head!" Naru rolled his eyes placing another packet to the growing stack in her arms. "Go get me more tea Mai." Mai looks at the cup. "You haven't touched that one!" He looks at her. "It's cold, make me a new one." She sighed, balancing the warm cup of tea and the heavy paperwork. 'Freaking Naru!' She walks out the door as Naru gets back to his work he hears a thud then the sound of paper falling and a cup shattering. "Clean that up Mai!" He yells after her, not even taking too much notice. Mai starts to clean up her mess when she cuts her finger. "Ow!" Lin came in after hearing her crash, and looks at the blood on her finger. "I will clean this up, go file something." Naru looks from his paperwork. "Mai, come in here." Mai rushes into his office and closes the door behind her. "Yes?" Naru gestures for her to sit and so she does looking at him rather curiously. Naru speaks, his voice low almost thoughtful. "You handed me one file today, what was it about?" Mai thinks over the numerous files remembering one she had been eager about. "There was a young woman who reported to us that her house by the lake-side was haunted, and that there were reports of several people going missing in the area. Why do you ask?" Naru sips some of his tea. "Why were you fighting so much for it?" He flips a book page thoughtfully. Mai shifts in her chair. "Well I had a feeling that we should check it out.." Naru stood up putting his book on a bookshelf. "Tell Lin to come in here." Mai nods, stands up and leaves the door open.
There was a soft sound of a footstep walking into the room. "Sit down Lin, and close the door." Naru stated his voice rather cold now. Lin shut the door and sat down. "What is this about Oliver?" Naru looked at Lin. "She has a feeling about a case near a lake. Do you think it could be Gene this time? If it was..." Lin glances at Naru whose voice began to sound somewhat shaky. "I think it is worth the look, but do not get too wound up about this Naru you have looked all over Japan there's no guarantee he could be there." Naru glared. "I know that! But, isn't it worth the look?" Lin nods. "Of course it is if Gene was there then it would put an end to your search." Naru runs his fingers through his hair. "Prepare to leave, get everything the thermal cameras, the DVR's, everything." Lin nods, walking out of the door. Naru stops him. "Do not tell Mai about Gene, just tell her that I will accept the request the client has made. Do not call for anyone else but us three." Lin gathers Mai and they begin to set up the van. Naru holds out a picture of Gene from his pocket. "We will find you soon."
With the truck packed, Lin starts to drive with Naru staring out the passenger side window and Mai falling asleep in the back seat as she does on every trip. Naru glances in the mirror seeing his assistant sleeping peacefully. "I wish I could do that now, but I am plagued with what-ifs." Lin gives Naru a look. "Do not worry Oliver you will soon be able to rest."
Mai finds herself in a dream with a blood red lake, orbs shooting everywhere from it a small form of a curled up human body at the bottom of the murky lake. She reaches a hand in and found herself face to face with a sad, smiling Naru. He grabs her hand to stop her, he shakes his head solemnly and shows her a series of bloody human hands reaching from the water. "Do not go forth into the waters of death Mai." Mai draws her hand away with a frown, "Na-?" She looks at him and notices he is drenched head to toe and he is covered in blood. She shrieks at the top of her lungs jerking her hand from his, as she steps back. "Naru..." She steps from the lake seeing hands reach to grab her and pull her under the blood colored waters. She wakes up seeing a rather angry Naru. "How many times must I say not to fall asleep on the job? Help Lin unpack, we're here!" Mai gets up rather angrily. "Stupid Naru!" She unpacks everything and lays it down in a large tent that will serve as it as a command center. Naru glances at the river getting a slight chill looking at it which he rights it off as a chill from the cold. "Mai, go set up cameras by the water." Mai grabs a camera. "Fine." She walks to the edge of the lake and starts to set up a camera when she heard Naru calling for her from the other side of the lake. "Mai, come here!" She sighs and decides the fastest way to get there would be to swim across the dark blue, calm water. "I am hurrying." She says as she swims to the middle of the lake. Naru pokes his head out of command center to notice Mai get dragged under the water suddenly. "That stupid girl!" He growls, as he tugs on Lin. "let's go get her, she's being stupid again." Lin nods and follows Naru to the lake. Naru turns to Lin. "Stay there, in case we need your help." He takes off his black shirt, diving into the water after Mai. Mai panics against the hand wrapped around her ankle, her vision growing dark. She sees at the bottom Naru, with his hands outstretched to her and she takes his hands. He leans forward placing a kiss upon her lips, she gasps her air bubbles rushing toward the surface, her lungs burning. She lets go of his hands and claws at her throat and chest, losing consciousness. She panics, looking for the surface, her vision getting darker and darker, until she completely passes out, the 'Naru' wrapping it's arms around her. The true Naru notices his copy and Mai. 'That cannot be Gene.' He frowns, knocking away the spirit. He grabs Mai and rushes to the surface. He calls out to Lin who drags them both to surface. They notice that Mai wasn't breathing and so Naru started CPR on her. Lin looks at Naru. "Oliver, she's not waking up…" Naru looks at Lin with a glare. "Do you think I cannot see that?!" He picks up Mai, tilting her head forward so the back of her neck shows. He places his lips on the back of her neck and whispers a few words to her. Lin looks at him as Mai begins to breathe. "Kotodama Naru?" Naru lays Mai on the sand, his eyes watching the rise and fall of her breaths. "It's the only thing that could work." Lin watches as Mai's eyes flutter. "She will wake up soon." Naru nods, stepping back just as Mai sits up gasping for air. "Naru!" she opens her eyes coughing. "Lin we have to get Naru! He's at the lake..." Naru coughs. "Do you mean me?" Mai turns and notices that Naru is standing soaking wet at the lake's edge. "I saw a body, it was Naru…" Naru looks at Mai. "You saw a spirit…" Mai shakes her head. "No! I saw it!" Naru growls getting angry with this back and forth. "You saw a spirit Mai! Nothing more than a spirit trying to drown you!" Mai shakes with anger standing up. "No! He was there he was named Gene!" Naru stood shocked. "What did you say?" Mai looks at him seeing the sudden shock on his face. "Gene…he looked just like you Naru!" Lin looks at Naru. "I will go look, you stay here. Explain to her it's time Oliver." Lin walks away towards the lake grabbing a pair of goggles and taking a breath, diving under the water. Oliver turns to Mai. "My name is Oliver Davis, my twin is Eugene Davis and he was killed. Lin and I are trying to find his body for our parents. We had to go by a different name because our fame would attract too much attention. My twin is the one from your dreams not me." Mai looks down. "You will always be Naru to me, but didn't you think you could tell me this earlier? I wouldn't have judged or said anything to anybody Naru!" He looked at her and then looked away. "It wasn't the right time." Mai feels tears drip from her eyes. Lin comes up with a pale face. "Naru, come here." Naru follows Lin to where he was pointing towards the deepest part of the lake. "You found him?" Lin nodded. "I need help, he's heavy." Naru had a sad look on his face as he dove under the water with Lin, dragging up a body similar to Naru's just filled with water. Naru dragged the body to shore, tears appearing in his eyes. Gene showed up for once out of dreams, his arms wrapping around Naru. "Oliver." Naru looked up in shock. "Gene?!" Gene smiled then looked at his body. "Rest in peace brother for I am now free, you owe her for that make her happy dear brother. Do not be stupid and lose her this time." Naru nods, choking back tears. Mai looks on in shock as Naru gives her a smile. "Mai." Mai walks towards Naru trying not to look at the body before her. She closes her eyes as Naru leans in and kisses her. Naru breaks this kiss and looks at Gene. "We must burry him back in London. We shall be back when we can Mai, will you wait for me?" Mai nods. "I can wait."
…..Forever…
