Greetings and salutations all! First of all I wish to thank profusely all who took the time to click on my fic and read it. This is actually the first fic I've ever had the time/energy to write on my own. As such, constructive criticism is much appreciated. Actually, any reviews are appreciated. Even flames, as they can be given to Yasuhara, to do with as he pleases. Although I'm really not sure if I want a closet pyro like him running around with fire.

Anyhow, please enjoy this brief prologue to my fic. If you have any questions, ask—they may or may not be answered, depending on whether they'll give away the plot. Tallyho!

Disclaimer: If I owned Ghost Hunt, I'd never sleep out of fear of experiencing all the crap Mai goes through in my dreams. The plot and characters are mine though.

Kazuya Shibuya opened his eyes to darkness. After taking a moment to absorb this information, he blinked.

'I don't recall falling asleep,' he mused, 'or it being any later than noon.' In fact, he hadn't even had his afternoon tea yet. Not that it was any loss anymore.

Raising his head off of his dark wood desk, he brushed his hair out of his eyes and massaged the back of his neck. Surprisingly it wasn't actually sore, as he'd have expected from falling asleep at his desk. The no-longer-quite-so-young boss didn't waste energy pondering this as he waited for his eyes to adjust before departed, when beside him a voice that was decidedly not Lin's spoke,

"It's been such a long time, Naru," the man spun in his chair at the use of a nickname now only used by a certain group of people, "a very long time." The owner of the voice, who was sitting on the corner of the desk facing the window, turned her gaze from the suddenly present full moon to look "Naru" in the face and smile gently. Naru was in near-shock, unable to believe what he was seeing, after so many years. For along moment, he said nothing, unable to grasp words appropriate for this situation, having never been in it before. Then, almost of their own accord, his lips moved,

"M-Mai…?" He was sure it was her, and yet, she was so different. And yet the same! The brown hair looked longer, and darker in some places, although that may have been due to the light. She looked about the right height, but had managed to gain enough weight that Naru knew he wouldn't have to worry about her diet anymore (not that he ever had, mind you). The eyes still carried kindness and mirth, but seemed to hold exhaustion and grief deep inside them as well now. Even her smile had changed slightly—it still displayed encouragement, happiness, and some other, unrecognized emotion, and at the same time seemed very tired.

The figure didn't really respond, though Naru new she heard him. She simply closed her eyes and turned back to the full moon. Without opening those eyes, she tilted her face up, so the moonlight shown on it. Her skin was luminescent. Then, after a pause, she opened her mouth again.

"It's a beautiful moon," the Mai-figure said, slowly lifting her eyelids, "don't you think, Naru?" In that exact moment, when her eyes had reopened fully and she'd glanced in his direction again, she changed. Without warning a gash, oozing blood down into her eye, appeared on her forehead. The same dark liquid began spreading through her clothes from some unseen wound on her torso. Mai brought her hands to her mouth as she began to cough harshly, and then pulled her hands back to reveal—

"Naru!" Kazuya Shibuya, or as you now know, Naru, opened his eyes to the angry glare of sunlight off his polished, dark wood desk. As well as Lin shaking his shoulder, somewhat panicked. Naru sat up in his chair, rubbing his actually sore neck.

"Yes, Lin?" he asked, with a tone that plainly demonstrated how he did not wish to discuss the event, period. After briefly displaying a concerned expression for his employer, Lin cleared his throat and gestured towards the door.

"Takigawa-san, Matsuzaki-san, Brown-san, and Hara-san are in the conference room,waiting for you, apparently. They're also expecting Yasuhara-san as well."

Naru rubbed his temples—this was not a good time for such frivolities—and responded, "Fine, tell them I'm coming. And kindly remind them my office is not a café."

"Of course," the tall gentleman left without another word, allowing his boss to gather his thoughts. Said boss remained seated and quite for a long while afterwards. Or perhaps it was only a few seconds, Naru didn't know. He just wished it really were night, so he wouldn't have to deal with that incessant band of psychics. When he was sure he could no longer put it off, he rose from his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The only thoughts Naru had as he turned the knob and opened his door were, 'Why don't I ever just have them arrested for loitering?' and 'Why, after ten years, am I having a dream like that now?'

Psst—see the pretty button in the corner? Press it…you know you want to…come on, it's calling you--pretending to be the button Press me! Press me!

- Um, does anyone have a better idea as to what to call that room where their always chatting? I was going to say waiting room, but Naru interviews his clients in there too…