As some of you know from early AN in LoM that story has gone to a standstill because I said I had another idea. Here's the beginning of that idea! It is based on the Nancy Drew game of the same time. The main characters do have the same name but I've tweaked relationships a little and definitely the ending. It's a Ghost Hunt fic, how could it be a human instead of a ghost, right? Well, I hope you enjoy and before anyone worries, yes I do intend to finish this. Also, I have done this before with Vacation or a Curse? Nancy Drew games give such good ideas when it comes to hauntings! Please review! It inspires me as an author!
Mai had known it was going to be a long day when Masako had entered the office and not gone straight to Naru's office. The medium had renewed her romantic efforts almost the moment after Naru had returned from England to reopen the office. Mai had been irritated at the fact but had reminded herself Naru seemed to have the emotional capacity of a rock. At any rate, Mai just knew Masako was there for more than flirting when she entered the office and took a seat on the couch.
"Is there something I can get you, Masako?" Mai managed to ask nicely. She could feel a twitch threatening to come out when the other girl looked at her before turning her head away quickly. Mai could also feel her fists clenching tightly at the abrupt dismissal.
"No. Naru knows I've come here to talk to him about a possible case." Masako answered. Mai scowled before letting out a sigh. She knew it Masako brought it to them chances were Naru would take it. She hated how it worked that way but she knew she had to let the man know he had a visitor. Even if she wasn't exactly fond of said visitor.
"I'll go let him know you're here." Mai said she made her way to Naru's office door. She could almost feel Masako's eyes following her. She had to suppress the shiver. Since starting her job she had always got nervous about the feeling of being watched. It had certainly become a pet peeve of hers.
"Thank you, Mai." she froze as she reached for the handle to Naru's office. She turned to look at the medium so see she was smiling at her gently. Mai returned the smile easily.
"You're welcome, Masako. I'll be right back!" she opened the door and disappeared into the recesses of Naru's office. She wasn't surprised to find the only light was coming from the lamp on his desk. That and his computer screen. She really did wonder how he still had such good eyesight when he chose to read in such bad lighting. She had learned to stop questioning about that particular habit when she realized he was never going to answer.
"Yes, Mai?" he asked without even looking up from the book he was reading. She rolled her eyes at him even though she knew he couldn't see. She also knew, however, that even though he didn't see he knew. Their relationship may have not progressed at all but he certainly seemed to know more about her habits than any of the others. She wouldn't mention that to him though because he would only deny it.
"Masako's here. She said she has a case to talk to you about and that you were expecting her." Mai told him. She watched as he finally looked up from his book to meet her eyes. He sighed before standing up as he grabbed his notebook that never seemed to be far from his side. Mai was still sure he drew doodles in it instead of actually taking notes. She hadn't managed to snatch it yet to prove her theory but it was on her list of things to do.
"Very well. Let's hear what she to say then." Naru basically pushed her back out of his office as he followed. Mai knew she couldn't be offended because he had never allowed her to be in his office by herself. Even if it was for a few seconds.
"Good evening, Naru. I'm surprised to see Mai didn't have to drag you out of your office." Masako commented as Naru and Mai took their seats. Mai had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She was surprised that Masako had made such a jab at Naru. Since his return, though, the others seemed to feel more comfortable around. Mai figured it was because they knew he was no longer hiding secrets from them.
"You said that you had a case you thought I would be interested in. You have yet to disappoint me when you bring cases, Miss Hara, so it's only natural I would willingly hear you out. Now, please tell us what has brought you here." Mai watched as Masako's eyes narrowed at the comeback. She also watched as the other girl covered her mouth to hide her expression. Mai was sure she was scowling at the man.
"Well, the client is actually a close friend of mine. She was two years my senior in high school and she would tutor me if I had to miss a lot of classes because of work. The other day she contacted me nearly in tears." Masako started. Mai tilted her head curiously while wondering what was wrong with Masako's friend.
"Her family owns a Ryokan not far from the outer city limits of Kyoto. She told me the family has owned it for many generations even before World War I. At any rate she said some strange things have been happening or so her sister told her. She decided she wanted to see herself if perhaps her sister was just imagining things." Masako whispered. Mai reached out to cover one of the girl's hands that had curled into her kimono. Masako blinked at her.
"I'm guessing that wasn't the answer, was it?" Mai asked. Masako shook her head before letting out a deep breath.
"No. She said over the course of the few days that she stayed there strange things were happening. Footprints appeared out of nowhere, doors were opening and closing by themselves, shadows moved on their own, and the one thing that really unsettled her most was the sound of dripping water every time something happened. The hauntings have also started to scare off their customers. Yumi is afraid they'll lose the Ryokan at this rate." Masako continued. Mai couldn't stop the shiver that went down her spine this time. She hated hearing about ghost stories more than being in the middle of one since she had started her job. Mostly because she knew whatever the story said was going to be much worse once they started investigating.
"Has anything happened that you think could have possibly started this paranormal activity?" Naru asked. Mai looked at him to see he was writing in his notebook.
"Well, yes. Their mother passed away about two years ago. Yumi, my friend, won't talk about what happened. I looked it up myself when I decided to bring the case to you. She drowned in one of the hot springs but the only thing I could find in the newspapers would that the police have declared it accidental. It also said Yumi was the first one to find her mother. It wasn't long after that Yumi moved out of the Ryokan. Now, it's just her sister and grandmother that live there." Masako explained. Mai gasped as her hands went to her mouth.
"How horrible! I can't imagine how she must have felt!" Mai cried. Masako nodded as she let out a soft sigh.
"I'm her friend and I don't even know how she felt. She won't talk about it. She gets mad every time I try to bring her mother up so I've stopped doing so for the sake of our friendship." Masako whispered. Mai let out a small breath before looking at Naru. He was looking at Masako with a curious gleam in her eyes. Mai could tell he was intrigued by the case but was trying to hide it. He didn't want her to know.
"Miss Hara, could it be their mother causing these mysterious happenings?" he asked. The medium looked up from her lap before shrugging her shoulders.
"I've not been there since she passed away. It could be their mother but I don't think she would do anything to scare them. Yumi said her grandmother is terrified even though she's trying to hide it. I'm asking for your help, Naru. I don't know if I have the mental strength to do this by myself." Masako whispered. Mai bit her lip before turning to Naru. She tilted her head when he looked at her.
"Naru, I think we should help this family. I can't imagine what they're going through. If it is their mother…to think she could possibly be trapped in the spirit world…its sad." Mai whispered softly. She watched as Naru closed his eyes before sighing. She could almost see it in his face despite his eyes being closed. He was going to accept the case even if it wasn't a case he would normally take.
"Miss Hara, I will take the case but unfortunately we cannot be there for a few days at least. Lin and I have a conference call with my father in a few days and we must be in the office for it." he informed her. Mai turned back to Masako only to see the girl slightly disheartened at the news.
"Oh, dear. I had hoped we could get started immediately. I don't want them to suffer any longer than they have to. I suppose it's because they're my friends." Masako whispered. Mai looked to Naru hoping for an answer. The man sighed before shaking his head.
"Very well, I'll let Mai accompany you there early. If you could contact the others they may be able to arrive early as well. Yasu will arrive with Lin and myself so he can help us load the equipment we need. You said they owned a Ryokan, will they have enough rooms open for us to use?" he asked. Masako nodded as she and Mai watched the boy stand up from his chair.
"As I said earlier, the Ryokan is losing business. Yumi told me there are currently only three rooms occupied at the moment. She doesn't know how much longer they'll be occupied." Masako replied. Mai bit back a sigh. She couldn't help but feel bad for the family.
"Very well. You may tell your friend we will come help her. I will contact you at a later time, Miss Hara. Good day." Mai blinked as Naru disappeared back into his office. She shook her head before looking back at Masako. The girl was once again looking at floor with a pained look on her face.
"I just…I can't believe it's their mother. She would never do anything to hurt the Ryokan's reputation." she whispered. Mai reached out and placed a gentle hand on Masako's shoulder. The medium looked up at her with wide eyes. Even though they were rivals in love Mai gave her a gentle smile.
"We're going to find out what's going on, Masako. We will help your friend no matter what. You know Naru is good at his job." she told her. Masako smiled before standing up and bowing.
"You're right, Mai. Can you be ready to go tomorrow? I'll buy the train tickets. We won't have to worry about transportation as the Ryokan is right there at the station without being too close to get noise disturbance. It's actually one of its novelties." Masako said. Mai blinked before also standing up as she nodded.
"I'll be ready. Can we meet at the station outside the office? It would be closest for me." Mai told her. Masako nodded in agreement.
"Very well. I will call you with details tomorrow. Good-bye, Mai." the woman then left as quietly as she came.
'For some reason I get the feeling this case won't be as simple as it seems. I wonder what could really be going on. I guess Naru will want me to play detective before he gets there. Great.' Mai thought before scowling as the man called for tea. She rolled her eyes as she disappeared into the kitchen. As much as she cared for him it would be nice to be away from his tea addiction for a little bit.
"Wow, it is absolutely beautiful. Amazing." Mai whispered as they stood in front of the old fashioned inn. It looked as though it belonged in the 1800s. Mai had to wonder what things the structure must have seen during its time.
"We should get inside, Mai. Yumi said her sister, Miwako, was waiting on us because we had such a later start. I'm going to warn you though. Miwako is a very stubborn business woman. She hates that she has to blame some of these problems on a ghost. Miwako is a logical person and ghosts just aren't logical." Masako told her as they began to walk towards the front door of the large building.
"I understand. It's probably even harder to think it could possibly be her mother. I'll tread lightly around her, don't worry." Mai said before opening the door. She walked into the lobby only for her eyes to widen in surprise.
The elevated floor was covered in expensive looking hardwood. The entire lobby was decorated in traditional Japanese décor. There were paintings of Sakura trees on each wall along with a tea table in each corner except for one. A small fire was burning in the other corner with a tea pot hanging over it. Mai felt as though she had just stepped into the past as she slipped her shoes off.
She approached the desk that two women were standing behind. The younger one was dressed in a business suit while the older one was in a kimono. They looked as though they were having a private conversation. Mai tried to keep her distance with Masako until the younger one looked up. She gave them a tight smile.
"Masako, how nice to see you again. You must be Taniyama-san. Welcome to our Ryokan. Give me a minute and I'll get the keys to your rooms." the girl said. Mai realized she had to be Miwako. She looked exhausted and stressed. Mai felt her heart go out to the young woman.
Mai was about to thank the girl for her hospitality before there was a loud knocking on one of the walls. Mai looked around as she attempted to figure out where the noise was coming from. Her eyes were drawn to a painting next to the desk of a young woman dressed very traditionally down to her hair. Her mouth opened slightly as the picture began to shake violently before it fell to the floor. Mai let out a soft gasp as the glass protecting the painting shattered when it hit.
"Mai, are you alright?" Masako asked. Mai looked at the other girl as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She nodded even though she was slightly stunned at the show of paranormal activity so early. She had never seen a reaction so quickly to her presence in a haunted building.
"She does not want them here. Tell them to leave." the older woman said. Mai blinked as Miwako turned to her elder.
"Obaa-san, please." she said quietly. Mai swallowed at the scowl the woman sent Miwako.
"Tell them to leave. Now!" the woman turned and walked away. Mai turned her attention back to Miwako as the girl dropped her head.
"I'm sorry about her. It's hard to believe what is going on here so she doesn't like it when outsiders come in to try and figure it out. I'm at my wits' end which is why I asked Yumi to contact you, Masako. Maybe this was a bad idea. I can give you your rooms for a night but it might be best for you to leave tomorrow and cancel this whole expedition." Miwako said softly under her breath. Mai had to bite back a scowl as she knew she needed to be gentle with the girl.
"Absolutely not." Mai turned to look at Masako in shock. "You're having trouble here, Miwako, that's easy to see. She may not be here but Yumi cares enough about you and Takae to ask for my help. I want to help, Miwako. Please, I know family is a big thing for you but we aren't going to drag any of this through the media, I promise. Let us help."
"M-Masako…al-alright. I guess you're right. I know we can trust you. I just have one favor to ask you and your colleagues." the young woman asked. Mai sent her a gentle smile.
"What is it, Miwako?" she asked.
"If this is mother, I know she doesn't mean it. She would never do anything to hurt the Ryokan. This is her home. If it is her…something has changed. All I ask is that you help her cross over." Miwako whispered. Mai looked at Masako who nodded.
"We have some of the best people coming to help with this case, Miwako. I know, with their help, we will do everything we can to stop this activity and to help your mother if it is her behind this. I give my promise." Masako said. Mai nodded in agreement before looking down at the destroyed picture frame.
'That feeling is back. There is something here that is not as it seems. I just hope we can help their mother…if she's truly the one behind this.'
Please, please, please review! I can't know if you like it or not if you don't review! Also, I hope you enjoyed!