*For the record, this is based off of a plot conflict from the manga Raisetsu no Hana. Since I couldn't find the category for this manga and it's strictly only Ghost Hunt characters it was not published in the cross-overs. And since both series are paranormal investigation, I feel it really doesn't make much of a difference. I doubt anyone will have an issue with this but if you do, or if you know what category Raisetsu is under please contact me and I'll fix it. Until then, I'm leaving it in the 'normal' category.*
Anyway, on a lighter note (if you even read it), thanks for checking in. Please enjoy. :)
For an old school, the building was certainly impressive. Three stories tall, with a high arched tile roof, it sat nestled on far grounds of the campus, nearest the tiny woodland fringing the east side. Mai shivered, staring up at the long windows lining the upper stories. In the evening light they gleamed like predatory eyes, accenting the peeling paint and sagging structure. From her place at the end of the walkway she could see into the depths of the building, where all light seemed to vanish. It was a consuming darkness, a total absence of any light. The hair on her neck and arms raised and she shuddered.
"Creepy isn't it?" She turned to the man beside her and nodded quietly. He rubbed his arms ruefully. "It gives me the willies."
Mai grinned. "The great Takigawa Hosho of Mt. Koiya afraid of a decrepit old building?"
He glared at her in play indignance. "Like you aren't shaking a little too?"
"I'm cold." The girl replied haughtily, unsuccessfully biting back her grin. "The air is chilly."
"You want my jacket?"
Her heart warmed at his sudden transition from fake defensive to genuine concern.
"No thanks, I'm fine." She waved away his attempt to offer her the leather jacket. "I've got one in the car, thanks."
He eyed her levelly. "Alright, then. But Ayako will give me hell if you catch a cold."
"Don't worry, I'm healthy as ever." He was always like that. Watching out for her constantly like an overprotective brother. Due to his fairly youthful twenty-years or so looks he could pass for one too.
It had been little over a year ago when Mai (freshly hired as shrine maiden Matsuzaki's assistant) and Ayako had met Takigawa. Stuck in an especially excruciating case involving a blown glass art gallery and a malevolent, strong-armed poltergeist, the three had grown close over the course of the two week investigation. Mai and Monk (as she affectionately nicknamed him) especially.
Somewhere in his mid-twenties, (he refused to tell her where exactly) Monk was good-looking and tall with scruffy, bleached hair pulled back in a stubby pony-tail. Today he wore the usual casual attire, a logo t-shirt with stone-washed jeans and a leather jacket. A far cry from Ayako's designer outfits.
All Mai knew was that he'd grown up working his parent's shrine on Mt. Koiyo, then left to pursue a career as a professional bassist, doing exorcisms as a Buddhist monk on the side. While she'd never seen him play, he bragged the band was reasonably well known and had a strong fan base. She had seen his exorcist powers though. Frankly it rivaled Ayako's by quite a bit, which explained the shrine maiden's tolerance of him on their recent cases.
"I just spoke to the principal and superintendent." Mai turned curiously to find the source of the voice, a slender, twenty-something woman striding across the lawn. Her long red-brown hair hung well to the waist of her pale rose skirt and matching blouse.
Mai and Monk shared sardonic looks.
"Speak of the devil." Monk dodged a willful kick with a hot pink stiletto.
"I just spoke with the principal and superintendent," She started again, hefting a heavy pamphlet in her right hand. "This is a collection of all the incidents on this property in the last five years."
"Five years?" Mai toke the pamphlet, gasping as the enormous pad of paper nearly dragged her to sidewalk.
Deciding it was safe to rejoin the conversation, Monk peered incredulously over her shoulder as she skimmed through newspaper clippings and police reports. "They're asking for help now?"
Ayako shrugged. "Doesn't really matter as long I'm being paid."
"We're being paid." Monk reminded her darkly. "Forty, forty, twenty, like we discussed."
Mai frowned at the smaller percentage. "That hardly seems fair."
"Apprentices get a smaller cut." The shrine maiden snorted. "What are you complaining about? You get free room and board."
"And free lessons." Monk added as Mai passed him the ten pound pamphlet.
"Which I'm grateful for." The assistant assured them sincerely.
Ayako looked peeved. "Well, let's get this over with before the weekend." She flashed Mai a grin. "You know that cute little boutique in Shibuya is having a sale Saturday through Sunday so we absolutely have to get done by then."
Monk groaned. "Oh please." He cringed as her palm struck him on ear.
Mai tugged at her t-shirt. "Seriously, I'm good with what I have, Ayako, you really don't-"
"No, some cute outfits would do you good." Ayako directed a mournful look at her assistant's scruffy sneakers. "You're adorable but you never put any effort into your appearance."
"Fifty dollar manicures can't fix everything, Miko." Monk instinctively darted back at her glare. "Mai's fine the way she is. Besides," He became grim. "It might attract boys."
"What's the problem with that?" The shrine maiden snapped.
Monk sent Mai a meaningful stare. "Do you have any idea how long those interrogations take?"
Though Mai giggled, Ayako stiffened in fury. "Look! She only has five years to go. By then there may not be enough time." Monk opened his mouth defensively only to be overridden. "We need to get her out there. She needs to be looking into her options, so we can stop it."
"Five years is still a ways off." He growled, brown eyes flashing. "You make it sound as though she doesn't have five minutes."
"Four years from now it won't be so long." She spat.
The assistant jolted as though she'd bee shot, her eyes focusing on her sneakers. A hand instinctively clenched over her chest. "You're right." She murmured softly.
Both adults watched her guiltily.
Ayako winced, reaching out uneasily. "Mai, I didn't-"
"No, it's okay." The girl's stretched smile suggested otherwise. "You two just want to help me."
"You've got time, kiddo." Monk said softly. "Don't worry about it."
Mai rubbed her arms. The painful smile was slipping. "I know."
Clicking her tongue disdainfully, Ayako surveyed the building. "Well for right now, we need to be worrying about this case."
"Exactly." Monk placed a cheerful arm around Mai's hunched shoulders. "Let's get this over with so that we can enjoy the weekend. I have a gig Sunday, and you guys-" He sent Ayako a glare. "Have a shopping spree to attend, so let's get this done right people." Scruffing Mai's mousy brown hair, he steered her toward the building. "Let's get this party started!"
