Hello! This is the revision of "The Higurashi Case" After publishing it and then suddenly disappearing, I am back five years later to finish the story.
I hope you all join me until the end. I've had time to think and to upgrade on the horror and romance.
Enjoy
June
Mai's POV:
"Mai, tea."
I sighed, knowing full well that was coming. I closed the front door of the SPR office and headed for the kitchen, dropping my bag off at my desk on the way. Since it was the beginning of summer, I didn't need a coat. And believe me, I was loving it. Despite my narcissistic boss's annoying demand for tea to feed his addiction, I happily hummed while filling the kettle with water.
'Even though Naru is such a jerk sometimes, I still enjoy working for him. It just makes me happy that I get to work with the person I'm in love with everyday.' I blissfully think, a goofy smile etched on my face.
My smile instantly disappeared as I spin around, scoping out the kitchen suspiciously. 'Good, no one is here. Even though I'm thinking in my head, and I know no one can hear me, I don't want to take any risks. Who knows what other powers Naru may have.'
I continue putting the kettle on the stove top and opening the cabinet for the tea and cups. 'I swear, sometimes, it seems like Naru can read my mind or something. Oh well, maybe I just space out too much.'
"Mai, you space out too much. Stop being useless," an unemotional voice said behind me. I jumped, knocking the empty tea cups over onto the counter with my hands. I grasped my heart as I twirled around to see Naru leaning against the doorway with an amused smirk planted on his face. His arms and ankles crossed as he gazed at me. I sighed as I turned and dropped my head on the counter gently, trying to bring my heart rate down.
"Jeez Naru, you scared me half to death! I almost had a heart attack!" I panted as I looked up to see him watching me intently, a certain look dancing in his mysterious blue-grey eyes. I could feel a blush beginning to burn my cheeks as I regained my composure somewhat and turned around to continue the tea making process. I made it a point to ignore him. Or at least act like it.
That is until I could hear the shuffling of papers and glanced over my shoulder, my eyes widen considerably at the scene. A big stack of papers sat on the counter beside Naru as he read a file. I mentally blanched. WH-WHERE THE HELL DID THOSE COME FROM? THOSE WEREN'T THERE BEFORE!
I could feel my eyes widen as I felt the water boil over the top of the tea kettle, in result, burning my hand. I yelped and drew my hand in close to my chest as I examined it. I quickly moved to the sink and rinsed my hand with cold water. I sighed in relief as the burning sensation was assuaged while still holding my hand underneath the running water.
"Idiot, that's why you need to pay attention more. What did I say about spacing out earlier," asked a deep, familiar voice right behind me. Surprised by the proximity of the voice, I stepped back onto a foot as I glanced over my shoulder quick enough to see a pair of lips almost touching my cheek. I pinched my eyes closed as gravity, and a pair of arms wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me down towards the earth. We hit the floor with a groan from each of us. However, while I fell on my back, I didn't meet the linoleum tiles I knew decorated the floor. Instead I landed on a soft, but firm cushion.
I opened my eyes to see the ceiling, and spin around to see Naru on his back. My hands resting on his chest, as our faces were mere inches apart. I felt my cheeks and the tips of my ears burn red as I slowly realized that I was straddling my boss's slim hips.
I gasped as he opened his eyes to glare at me. I saw his eyes glance at something over my shoulder and without a warning he grabbed my shoulders and flipped us so that he was on top of me, his hips still firmly in between my thighs. I mentally cursed myself for wearing another mini skirt, yet again.
A loud crash next to my head drew my attention from my wardrobe as the tea kettle fell onto the ground, spewing hot water everywhere. Small specks of the water sizzling onto my cheek. He protected me... I think as my blush intensifies, my shocked gaze meeting his. I suddenly look over at the hot water quickly moving towards us.
I let out a small scream and flip us again away from the water. Now, I was on top of Naru again. The water had just barely reached the spot that we were just at. I sighed in relief and dropped my head down. Only realizing a second too late that I had dropped my head down onto Naru's chest. I suddenly whip my head up to look at the man I constantly called a narcissist. His eyes were trained on me with a weird look to them. I gasped and shot up. I stumbled standing up, but quickly straightened out my balance as I offered a hand down to Naru.
He looked at my hand then at my face. And to my surprise, he took my hand. I help him up and began my barrage of apologizes.
"I am so sorry Naru! I-I just didn't know you were so close behind me, and you startled me! And then the water, and-" I was stopped by Naru putting his hand up and sighing. Thinking he was mad at me I waited for the scolding, but it never came.
"Just get this mess cleaned up. When you are done, I would like to see you in my office with a fresh cup of tea, and bring these files with you," he said with his usual monotone voice, jabbing a thumb at the stack of files. I nod as he turns around and silently almost gracefully leaves the room. I sigh as I clean up the mess.
'That was too much for my poor heart." I think weakly as I clean and prepare more tea.
A moment later and I was carrying a tray of tea to Lin-san's office. I knock and enter at the sound of a mumbled approval. I smile as I moved towards him and placed the tea cup next to his keyboard. He glanced up at me and silently nodded his thanks. I nodded back and quickly left his office, not wanting to disturb him anymore.
Lin never actually verbally asked for tea or even accepted it. Just one day I had brought him a cup, and he never didn't refuse it. After that I began bringing him a cup, and he would drink the entire cup each time, so I assumed he liked it.
I move to my next stop: the dark, narcissistic, tea-addicted overlord I call my boss. I unconsciously blushed, still thinking about the kitchen accident.
Right before I knocked I remembered he wanted me to bring the files that were on the counter. I quickly ran back to the kitchen, or as fast as you can run with a tray that has tea on it, grabbed the files and ran back to Naru's door. I knocked twice and waited for an approval.
"Come in," Naru voiced from behind the door marked "CEO". I opened the door and felt like a dove in the midnight sky, slightly out of place and completely blind and defenseless. The room was lit by a dim desk light and Naru's computer screen.
I sigh as I quickly move to his desk, set the tray on his desk and the files on the floor in front of his desk. Naru watched me as I walked over to the humongous windows and drew the curtains open with a fast pull of my arms. Once satisfied with the bright light shining in I turned around to see Naru's eyes closed with an annoyed look plastered on his face.
"Oh, you're not a vampire, you'll get over it. You know, it's good to get a little sunshine in your office, Naru. It's a hell of a lot better than being cooped up in a dark cave," I smile as I walk back and sit down in one of the two arm chairs placed in front of his desk.
I silently studied his features as he adjusted his eyesight to the sunlight, glaring down at his desk while shuffling papers. When his eyes landed on me, however, I quickly look away with a blush.
'After what happened in the kitchen I can't stand the way he looks at me. I wonder, what does he think about what happened? I doubt he thought anything of it..' I think dejectedly, trying not to show it on my face.
"While in England, I received a case request," Naru stated. I looked at him with surprise.
'That's right, Naru and Lin went back to England for three months to bury Naru's twin brother Gene. They just got back a month ago.. Sometimes, it seems like they never left. Except for when I think about my botched confession..'
Naru continued now that I was looking at him, "the case is known as 'The Higurashi Case.'" He paused again as he sipped his tea, his captivating eyes watching me over the rim of his teacup. The name sounded all too familiar. I thought about where I have heard it before, until it clicked.
"Oh! I've heard of it before! I remember reading about it in the paper last year! A paranormal team of about eleven or twelve people went to a place called the Higurashi mansion or palace or something like that. Within a few days, the entire team had disappeared without a trace. They couldn't even find anything that could prove that the paranormal team had even been there," I said as I shivered, thinking how it must feel to just disappear from the earth as if you never existed.
Naru nodded and opened the file he had in his hand, turning page after page until he found the one he wanted. He looked back up at me. His dark, ocean-like eyes piercing my light brown eyes. But it wasn't a glare, no it was something different, something that told me that what he was about to say was of the utmost importance.
"'The Higurashi Case' is an infamous case among the paranormal society. Extremely high-profile, it is known throughout the psychic research world as one of the most interesting and dangerous cases of the century. It takes place at the Higurashi Manor. The owner is Higurashi Masahiro. He has a wife named Higurashi Valentine, and two sons, Higurashi Kenta, and Higurashi Shigeru. Shigeru was the youngest of the two sons and was reported missing two days ago. Apparently, he was playing the piano when the family heard the music abruptly stop, when a maid had went to check on him, he was nowhere to be found. It is a rather...peculiar case," Naru said slowly trying to find the right words to describe the case. I tilted my head at him and inquired my mute question.
"Peculiar. How so?" I watched him with an acute stare, now very interested with this case. Naru pushed the file towards me on his desk as he took a moment to sip his tea.
"Every team that has tried to complete this case has failed in someway or another. Whether it be the entire team disappearing without a trace, or being slaughtered somewhere on the grounds of the manor. Most of the time, it's a mixture of the two outcomes. No paranormal team or researcher has ever come out of Higurashi Manor alive. Why the Higurashi family still lives there is a mystery to the world," he stated, I could feel his stare as I grabbed the file.
I looked over the files. On each page in a box next to the names of a researcher or team member, was a stamp. The stamp read on some pages "disappeared" and on other pages, "deceased" Pictures were clipped to each page with the names. The pictures were a mixture of nice professional photos of the group or individual, or several photos of a bloodied mess of mangled body parts.
There was one bloody picture of an older woman. Her mangled body was strung up on the chandelier. Her large and small intestines were draped around the edge, while her heart was swinging by a thin artery. The woman's face was clear in the picture. My stomach turned so much I thought I was going to puke right there. I then gasped in horror as I shakily pointed to the woman's face and looked up at Naru.
"Th-Thats Igarashi-san..." I weakly say to Naru, he simply nodded and closed his eyes. Igarashi-san was one of the paranormal teams we were with during the Urado case. Her partner Suzuki-san was one of the victims that went missing and later was found to be dead. I stared at her familiar face, pure terror was obvious. I noticed my hands shaking so much the picture became blurry. I put the picture down and closed the file, not wanting to look at the gruesome images anymore.
"It seems she visited The Higurashi Manor alone. She just happened to be one of the people to be found dead. There is no pattern however," Naru said as he leaned forward and made a bridge with his hands and rested his chin on them.
"Hm? What do you mean, Naru," I ask weakly, still shaken from the image of Igurashi-san. My hands shaking as I slid the file on the desk towards my boss. Naru turned the file towards him and opened it up, evaluating the information.
"Usually, with a case like this, there would be a pattern to the killings and disappearances. For instance, that case we took at the park. The spirit only poured water onto couples, never single people. Because she was jealous of all those who were in a relationship. In usual cases, the disappearances and killings would congregate around a specific group. Females or males, young or old, brunette or blonde, and so on and so forth. However, with this particular case, the disappearance reports range from a young male to an elderly female. Same goes for the killings. It's almost as if the spirit inside the house is killing more for the body count than for a specific reason," Naru leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, watching me closely with his cold eyes. As I processed the information, he continued.
"However, no matter how many paranormal teams die or disappear, none of the actual residents of The Higurashi Manor have ever been harmed, including permanent staff. That is until two days ago, of course when Higurashi Shigeru disappeared," Naru said as he read through a bloodied journal that read, "Property of Fuyumi Ono."
"Fuyumi Ono. Was that one of the researchers," I ask. Naru's eyes quickly switched to mine. He nodded and continued silently reading through her journal. I thought about what Naru had said.
"Why would none of the residents be harmed? I mean, wouldn't the police suspect the people who are living in the house to be behind all the killings and disappearances? Why haven't the police stepped in," I ask. Naru looked to me once again and lowered the journal. He shifted in his seat, leaning forward.
"When 'The Higurashi Case' file was first opened back in September of 1964 by the Ootori Paranormal Research Team, the owners were brought into questioning, by the police, but had such solid alibis that they couldn't be convicted or even charged for a single crime. Same goes for all the recent cases, with the use of technology, it is hard to pin the disappearances and killings on the family. But that is something that shouldn't be ruled out for safety's sake. However, if this were paranormal, as for why the residents are excluded from the tragedies, that I do not know," Naru admitted, his eyes closed in thought.
"Maybe the house is cursed? Typically, when using a curse, the curser doesn't want to bring harm to their loved ones, right?" I ask. To my surprise Naru, looked up at me with slightly wide eyes. Did I just surprise The Dr. Oliver Davis?
"Yes, true. That's a very good assumption, Mai." I beamed. Naru doesn't compliment often so I have learned to bask in the small victory when I can since he usually does the opposite on a daily basis. My boss's eyebrows knitted together as he once again stared down at the file deep in thought. He pinched his chin between his index finger and thumb as he flipped through the file.
Thinking about this case, we both lapsed into a slightly tensed silence. 'I don't know if we should take this case. I mean, I have a feeling that it will be trouble, but I also have a feeling that we will be okay. I don't know. This case just sounds too dangerous. What if we die? Or disappear? Then what would happen to everyone's families? What about Naru's parents? How would they react to Naru dying or disappearing, just like Gene?'
"Should we take this case," Naru asked, breaking me from my musings. I looked up at him in surprise. He was back to reading Fuyumi Ono's journal. 'Did he just… ask me if we should take this case?'
"Huh," I dumbly asked. Naru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his index finger and his thumb. His eyes closed.
"You're not deaf, listen this time, idiot. I am asking you if we should take this case," he repeated in an annoyed voice. I scowled at him, but none the less answered.
"You always call me an idiot, so why are you asking me? You never asked me for my opinion on a case request before," I huffed out angrily, crossing my arms. Naru finally opened his eyes and stared at me, leaning backwards in his chair he replied.
"Your animalistic instincts are required now, unlike before. I, unfortunately, do not know if this case is too difficult for SPR to handle, but I do know that your abilities could help me with my decision." Those beautiful dark blue-grey eyes bore straight in me. The narcissist waited patiently, crossing his fingers and resting his hands on the desk. I blushed slightly.
'He always seems to be extra patient with me than with other people..' I offhandedly comment somewhere in the back of my mind.
I took a moment to consider everything carefully, feeling Naru's piercing gaze on me. I turned to look out the window, feeling out my own feelings regarding this case.
"I think.. it's a very dangerous case, and I have a really bad feeling about it. Like someone is going to get hurt. Badly. But, for some reason, I get the feeling we'll be okay. I don't know, I just feel like we'll make it out alive and intact," I spoke softly, choosing my words carefully at first, then just letting them flow. I pressed my fingertips together, rotating my hand up and down while gazing at the blue sky outside. Naru studied me silently for a moment before snapping the file closed and leaning back in his chair.
"I want you to call up Bou-san, Yasu, Matsuzaki-san, Hara-san and Father Brown. We will be requiring their assistance on this case. Tell them to meet here tomorrow at 11:00 am for a briefing. After that, anyone who would like to accompany us on this case should pack for a week's stay, we will head to Higurashi Manor at 6:00am sharp in four days from today. Not a minute later," Naru ordered as he turned to his laptop and started typing rapidly.
I lowered my gaze to the other papers on the ground.
"Oh yeah, Naru. What're all these papers you asked me to bring in here," I asked, pointing to the large stack on the ground.
Naru seemed to snap out of his thought and gazed at me, "those are all of the eye witness reports dating back to the first 1964 case file opening. Since there is an immense lack of reports from the other paranormal groups and researchers, we can really only go off of what others have witnessed in the house along with official police reports. I want you to go through all of those and compile an organized list of all the claims. Weed out the useless and unreliable."
I sigh as I pick up my new task and begin to walk out of his office. When I reached the door, I turned around to gaze at my young boss for a moment.
'This case...I'm still very uneasy about it. There's this feeling of dread weighing over me. I can't help, but to think that someone might die.'
…
Mai's POV:
I sat on the couch, my legs crossed as I read through the eye witness testimonies.
I had gotten through about three quarters of the stack when I took a moment to stretch, noticing it had already started to get dark outside.
'Huh, Naru hasn't asked for tea in a while. I should get him some, and make sure he's alive.' I lightly giggle as I walk to the kitchen and begin preparing some tea.
When I finished, I made my usual rounds. First to Lin: gives a nod in 'thanks', returns a nod in 'you're welcome'. Check
Next to Naru, don't even acknowledge my existence, begins yelling about rudeness, insults me, stomps out of his office angrily. Check
I sigh as I took a sip of my own cup of tea and collapse back onto the couch where I had been rooted all day with those witness reports.
I closed my eyes and threw my head back against the back of the couch.
"What if this case is too much for even SPR to handle," I softly ask into the empty office, sadness and doubt evident in my voice.
"What ever happened to being over confident and optimistic?" A smooth voice softly rang out in response to my own question.
I jumped and shot up, my arms instinctively flying above my head. I turned to see Naru leaning on his doorframe, arms crossed as he stared at me. A smirk playing across his face.
"Ah, Naru! You know not to scare me like that," I scolded him, sitting up more properly now.
He just merely walked and gracefully sat down on the armchair closest to me, at the end of the coffee table in front of the window.
"Are you not confident anymore in our abilities and skills, Mai?"
"No! It's just that.. I can't help, but to worry. No other paranormal team or researcher has been able to solve this case, Naru. I get that you have a very important reputation, and that this would just add to that," I pause, Naru and I's eyes collided and we silently stared at each other. Both knowing what I had meant. Although, we never fully disgusted it, we both know I was talking about his true identity as Dr. Oliver Davis.
That was a bit of a taboo topic when it came to Naru. And to be honest, although I was curious, it didn't feel right asking. I had gone this far accepting Naru as just Naru. I wasn't about to change all that and pry into his private life simply because he turned out to be a famous, successful, and not to mention powerful spiritualist and researcher.
And I felt, it was enough pressure on him, just being who he was. He didn't need me making him feel even more uncomfortable. If or when the day ever comes when he wants to share with me those details of his life, I'll be there patiently waiting. But for now, I'm perfectly fine working for Naru the Narcissist.
"I just don't want anyone to get hurt, Naru. I don't think I would be able to bear that," I finished my earlier thought, my voice just barely above a whisper. Dropping my gaze to my hands in my lap, the faces of my 'family' flashing through my mind.
After a moment, feeling Naru's gaze on me, I blinked when I heard his voice.
"I know, Mai"
I ended up rewriting this entire story after five years. Originally published in 2012, now revised in 2017. Obviously I kept the same story and most of the original writing, I just dusted it off and threw on some polish.
Anyone catch my little Easter egg in there?
Please, review! I like to hear your comments, questions, concerns, and of course predictions!
Thank you all so much for your patience and love!
Ciao
-Nekothorn
