GHOST HUNT FANFICTION.
Dear Readers,
I started writing this story on September 12th of last year and ended up leaving the first two chapters to collect dust in my archives. Sometime at the beginning of this month, I reread my 'Mai's The One' series and then reopened the file for this story. I marveled at the differences in writing style as well as my own thought process. It was overwhelming, to say the least, to see that my writing style reflected whatever mindset I was in at the time and how my life was going. Which would explain why the first 'Mai's The One' story looks like it was written by a lovesick sixteen year old and why 'Mai's The One The Sequel' looks like it was written by a girl who has undergone an emotionally transforming occurrence.
While I know that I'm a far cry from the girl I used to be, I'm quite surprised with how apparent it is in this story. If you've stuck with me since my first Ghost Hunt fanfics, I think you'll like the change. That is to say, my writing doesn't sound like I'm grammatically inept. And without further to do, I give you a story that has nothing to do with any prior fanfics I have written. Please enjoy 'CHANGED'.
-SpiritedChild
!In this story, Naru has returned from England and picked SPR back up. Chapter one will explain that it's been only a month since Naru reopened Shibuya Psychic Research.
PLOT: Just as Mai is about to start her Senior year, Naru returned from England and SPR reopens and lands their most exciting case yet. Now the team is off to a little known island off the cost of Japan called Seishin island to rid it of the malicious spirits that haunt it. As complicated as the case continues to get, it's made even more complex by Mai letting her resentment towards Naru cloud her judgment and Naru letting Mai's resentment get to him. When the spirits begin to go after Mai, will Naru be able to keep her safe or will she continue to push him away? And what's this about a sacrifice?!
!Please keep in mind that I have never read the manga and therefore am working with things I have heard second-hand. Sorry for the inconvenience. If you notice that I may write anything that never happened, the bigger chance is that it's just part of how my story is going to go and not me butchering a part of the actual manga storyline.
!Last A/N: Mai started working for the company at fifteen in my story and Naru left for England after she turned sixteen. He returned after she turned seventeen. Naru is nineteen in my story.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GHOST HUNT OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. ENJOY!
Chapter 1
Mai's POV:
To be honest, this is the last place I thought I'd be. Here, sitting at my desk at Shibuya Psychic Research, going through files and waiting for something that used to bug the crap out of me. Naru's calm, commanding voice demanding tea.
Just a month ago, I was wasting my Summer away working at a sushi restaurant near my apartment complex, still bitter over Naru's reaction to my love confession. I mean, seriously! What kind of asshole accuses a girl confessing her feelings of loving, not him, but his deceased twin brother? Moreover, he decides to close his company and leave the country afterward!
I didn't even realize Naru had returned to Japan until I agreed to go out to lunch with Ayako. She explained that she had heard from Masako, who bumped into
her at a department store the other day and couldn't help but brag that she was the first of the old SPR team to see him face to face, that Naru had not only returned from England but would soon be reopening the doors to his psychic research company.
The morning before the company was scheduled to reopen, he called. Hearing his voice for the first time in a year has to be the single most overwhelming experience of my life...
(FLASHBACK)
"Darn cat!" I yelled as my six month old kitten jumped onto the coffee table, directly into my bowl of ice cream. Grabbing a hold of him, I took him to the bathroom and gave him a thorough bath, much to his dismay.
I had decided to get a cat six months after Naru left for England. It seemed like a healthier option to fight the loneliness of losing my first love and having my family-like friends distanced from eachother after SPR closed its doors than to start dating. Not that the doors would remain closed for long. Ayako had told me yesterday at lunch that she bumped into Masako while shopping and learned that Naru is not only back but reopening the company.
The only question that remains is whether or not he plans on reassembling the team. Masako has apparently seen him. Maybe he called and asked her to work as his partner or something. I sighed as I dried the cat off and let him lose in the living room. I'm really not sure what I'd do even if he did ask me to be his assistant again. Probably hang up.
Ring...Ring
Tossing the newly dirtied towel in the laundry basket, I sat my half eaten ice cream in the sink and picked up my ringing cellphone. A fluttering began in my stomach as I read and registered the name in my mind. Naru... Though the thought of ending the call before it started, therefore frustrating the caller, was tempting, I hit the answer button anyway.
"Why are you calling?" I managed to say, though it came out a little less bored sounding than I wanted it to.
"You kept my number in your phone." It wasn't a question and the tone in which he said it told me he was ever so slightly amused. Even with the annoyance threatening to take over, I still paused to revel in the moment. The sound of Kazuya Shibuya's voice has always made me a little crazy. After not hearing it for a year, I'm positive that I'm about to go insane.
"Answer the question." I said with a little more steel in my voice.
"I'm calling to inform you that you have your job back at Shibuya Psychic Research, which will be reopening its doors tomorrow morning at eight. I expect you to be there at seven." He stated, suddenly all business.
"I regret to inform you that you'll need to find another assistant. I'm otherwise employed." I said with all the superiority I could manage to fake.
He was silent for a moment. "Where?"
"Shishu's Sushi Bar." I admitted, somehow losing my cool the longer the conversation went on.
"I'll call your employer personally and inform him you've found a better job offer."
I gave a short, sarcastic laugh and I thought I heard him softly inhale. "What makes you think that it would be in any way better to work for you?"
"Because you'll make almost twice an hour what you make at your current job plus more benefits." He said immediately, somehow knowing my current hourly pay.
"You mean we finally get dental?" I joked and mentally scolded myself for sounding like I'm flirting.
"Mai, I have other calls to make. Will I see you tomorrow morning?"
With absolute glee, I said something that would drive him crazy. I smiled slightly. "Absolutely not."
And then I hung up. I only got to enjoy my moment of victory for a few minutes before my alarm went off, telling me it was time to head to work. Quickly dressing in the uniform kimono Mr. Shishu demands his employees wear, I put my hair that had grown to the middle of my back up into a bun and left for work.
By the time I reached work and clocked in, my bravado wore off and I found myself almost regretting my actions. A big part of me wanted nothing more than to see Naru again and I know that the only way to do so is to accept the job offer. Seeing as that's no longer an option, I'm left to reprogram myself not to think about Naru anymore. I've spent far too many nights crying over him and I refuse to let tonight be another one of those nights.
"You're one minute late." My boss scolded as I pulled a sake set from under the bar counter and a bottle of sake from the rack behind me.
"Sorry, Mr. Shishu. It won't happen again." I told him quickly. After finishing preparing the sake set for serving, I handed it to my co-worker, Rin, to take to a table of men.
"At noon, go in the kitchen and make more sushi." Mr. Shishu ordered before going into the kitchen himself.
"Yes, sir." I muttered, a little distracted with thoughts of Naru. The ding of the bell attached to the door made me look up with that false grin I used on all the customers. "Welcome, please have a seat."
A few hours later, I emerged from the kitchen with a large tray of individual sushi platters, which Rin took and handed out to a couple of tables. The bell rang once again and I looked up. "Welcome, please have a..."
I trailed off. What. The. Heck. Naru himself stepped inside and took a seat at the bar, right in front of me. I didn't miss how Rin eyed him in approval. He looked exactly the same as when he left, maybe a little more attractive, if that's even possible. With a stoic expression on his absurdly handsome face, he sat a brief case on the counter and brought out a folder. Opening it, he only glanced at it before looking up at me.
"I can agree to a ten thousand yen pay raise for your monthly check and medical coverage for up to five hundred thousand yen depending on the circumstances." He told me, probably unaware that my heart was beating fast enough to nearly hurt.
"Plus dental?" I managed to say in a bored yet slightly curious tone.
He frowned a little. "Yes, plus dental, but only half the coverage your medical insurance will give you."
I began to shake my head. He glared. "No, not good enough."
Finally, he rose his voice enough that the people at the tables within a five foot radius of us looked up, including Rin. "Not good enough? I could get another assistant twice as good as you that would work for less money than I paid you when you last worked for me."
I raised an eyebrow. "Then go ahead and do it. Even if you do, they'll quit very quickly. You may not realize this but you're very rude and demanding."
He crossed his arms on the counter and leaned forward just slightly. With his eyes narrowed like that, I knew he was losing patience. "Any other insults you want to sling at me?"
I managed to smile condescendingly. "Many, actually. Now, are you going to order something or do I have to ask you to leave?"
He said nothing as he immediately put away his papers in his briefcase and stood up. Instead of walking out of the restaurant, he walked right up to the door labeled 'office' and walked in. I heard Mr. Shishu yell at him for walking in but heard nothing else after the door shut behind Naru.
They were in there for about five minutes, which I spent filling more drink orders, before both emerged, Naru with a satisfied look on his face and Mr. Shishu with a confused look on his. Approaching me, Mr. Shishu bowed his head.
"I must say, Mai. I'm sorry to see you go. You've worked very hard these past months and I can honestly say I'll be losing a good employee. But your new employer tells me of the benefits of your new job and I'm happy for you. If you have any friends looking for work, point them in my direction, alright?"
As he spoke, I could only stare at him in a dumbfounded manner. Just as he finished speaking, he was called to someone's table, preventing me from replying right then. Shaking myself from my shock, I tried to follow him through the tables to explain what Naru did but Naru stepped in the way.
"Tomorrow at seven." He said simply before walking away.
"Hey, wait a minute!" I called and Rin finally approached me. While she and I weren't what you'd consider friends, she did sometimes spend her breaks at work telling me all about her latest conquests with men or about the newest pair of shoes she found on sale.
"Okay, spill." She grinned. "Who was that and where can I get one?"
I sighed. "Usually England but I was apparently lucky enough to find him here in Japan."
"I'm sensing sarcasm." She responded, the grin fading and turning into a pout. "Come on! I hear Mr. Shishu say you've quit and that you're now working for the hottest guy I've seen in a long time and you're all tight lipped?"
I finally caved, realizing that I have a story for once about a guy and he's one she hasn't managed to get her claws in. "His name is Kazuya Shibuya and he owns his own psychic research company. I worked for him for a year and then he left for England for a year. Now he's back and wants me to be his assistant again."
"Assistant?" She smiled. "Sounds kinky. A guy that young has to want more than just an assistant. Has he banged you yet? Oh, that's right. You're still a virgin, aren't you? It's not hard to tell. You just look so...pure."
I flushed. "Rin! Could we not talk about this around customers?"
"What?" She shrugged. "You're not employed here anymore and it's not like they're listening anyway. My shift is over in ten minutes, if you wait, we could get lunch and talk more about your yummy new boss."
As tempting as it was to just run home and set fire to the diary pages that said anything nice or love related about Naru, I ended up agreeing. When Rin wants something, she can be very convincing. Or pushy. However you wanna view it.
"I guess." I frowned and she cheered before heading back into the kitchen to make some more sushi. Lucky for me, I wore regular clothes under the robe and was able to remove it and immediately return it to Mr. Shishu, along with the wooden sandals. Slipping on a pair of flats I brought in my purse, I went to sit on a bench outside, still wondering how this all could be happening. While Naru made sure that I'm unemployed, there's not much he can do to make me show up to work for him. If that's the case then why am I seriously considering showing up tomorrow?
Rin walking out of Shishu's in a regular change of clothes brought me out of my thoughts. "Where do you wanna eat? I was thinking this western restaurant a block from here that I keep hearing about."
Following Rin, I let her drone on without really listening to much of what she said. When she stopped talking about the guy she was with last night and started talking about Naru, my attention returned to her words.
"Anyway, that Naru guy really is cute. Are you interested in him?"
"Rin, you're not thinking of actually-"
"Relax!" She interrupted. "If you are, I'll behave. So, are you?"
"I'm not." I said quickly, hoping my flushing cheeks didn't give me away.
"Oh, good." She grinned. "I'm sorry but he is just so-"
"You're going to try to seduce him?" I asked quickly, panicked. "You don't know a thing about him. For all you know, he's a psycho killer rapist."
"You worked for him for a year and you're still a virgin. I think I'm safe. And you could tell me a bit about him, couldn't you?"
"Rin." I almost whined. "I'm so annoyed with him right now. Can we talk about anything else?"
"Do you know what kind of girl he likes? Hair color preference?" She began before I even finished my own sentence. Once I did, she sighed loudly. "Alright, I get the picture. You're mad at him about something. We'll stop talking about him."
And she kept her promise through dinner and up until we stopped at my apartment. I smiled. "Thanks for walking with me. It's really creepy to walk alone so close to sunset."
She waved it off. "Don't sweat it. Um...One more thing. What's the company you're employed at now? Just in case I wanna visit you."
I grimaced. "I never said I'm going to show up tomorrow though he thinks I will. It's called Shibuya Psychic Research."
She nodded. "I've heard of it once. It's downtown near the old mall, right?"
"Correct. I don't recommend trying to stop by there tomorrow. I really don't think I'll be there."
"I believe you." She assured me with an almost fake smile. "I gotta head home before the sun sets. See you."
"Be careful!" I called as she walked away. Heading up to my apartment, I opened the door and locked myself inside. My kitten, Macha, was fast asleep on the couch. Sitting beside him, I stared blankly at the wall in front of me and tried to make a decision.
I could just show up at the opening ceremony as a spectator. If I remember the newspaper article correctly, it's open to the public, though the majority of the guests will be stuck outside, celebrating the reopening in the parking lot. A separate party will go on inside for staff and potential clients. Growling at nothing, I noticed that I startled Macha but he quickly went back to sleep.
Why does this have to be so hard? Giving the cat some fresh food and water, I prepared for bed and shut myself up in my room. After nearly an hour of tossing and turning, I finally fell into an almost easy sleep.
By the time I woke the next morning and dressed for the day in a jean skirt and a slightly dressy red baby doll top, I had made a decision. Putting on a pair of small black heels, I grabbed my purse and headed out with a goal in mind. Naru wanted me to show up at seven? Fine. I walked through the doors of SPR at six thirty, ready to confront the pretentious asshole that thinks he can just demand I work for him.
The main office was empty when I arrived. Using my old key, I opened the main door and looked around. Since the sun was not quite up and the lights were off, it almost seemed creepy. But the familiar feeling of being where I should be made me sigh in near contentment. I could vaguely hear typing coming from the door that led to Lin's office but not even the light was on in Naru's office. Sitting my bag on my old desk, I sat on the top of the desk and crossed my ankles, then my arms.
A few minutes after I arrived, Naru finally did. He didn't notice me in the dark room at first. He just walked right on by. As he reached his office door, he turned around and gave me a blank look, though his eyes did seem to linger on my face, then on my hair that draped over my shoulders and then on my legs for so short a time, I wasn't sure if it happened.
"You'll find all the office supplies you need in the bottom drawer of that filing cabinet. The caterers will be arriving at seven thirty so let them in and tell them to set up the barbequed foods outside and the rest in here."
"Naru, I want to talk to you." I said softly, though there was thankfully a firmness in the way I said it.
He raised an eyebrow and opened his office door. With a slight motion of his hand, I realized he was letting me enter his office before him, something he's never done. A little surprised, I moved off the desk and walked into his office. It hasn't changed either. Same desk, same blinds blocking out the sun, same bookshelves taking up the right wall, same bathroom door on the left wall with filing cabinets on either side.
The sound of his office door sliding closed made me tense a little. He turned on the light and walked past me, taking a seat at his desk. Following him a little more slowly than necessary, I sat in the chair available for clients. He folded his arms on his desk and waited for me to begin. I looked down for a moment before looking him directly in the eyes, a very difficult task.
"What makes you think that you can quit my job on my behalf and demand I work for you?" I asked. I didn't yell it. In fact, it sounded quite calm.
He was quick with his response. "Because I knew you would want your old job back. You'll make much more here than you'll make at that restaurant."
"I don't want my old job back." I defended and the fact that I was doing so could be heard clearly in my voice.
"You're here, aren't you?"
I tried not to glare. Damn it...Why does he have to be so good at cornering me? "Because I wanted you to know that you can't treat me like that. I want some respect if you want me to even consider working for you. Contrary to what you may think, respect isn't something you can buy. Not from me, anyway."
He grimaced slightly. "How exactly do I earn it, then?"
"Don't try to make decisions for me." I began. "Don't demand I do something for you that has nothing to do with my job."
He interrupted me on that last one. "Like what? What have I ever demanded you do that has nothing to do with your job?"
"'Mai, tea!'" I mimicked in a low voice. "Making tea has nothing to do with my job. Make your own damn tea."
"Anything else?" He sounded calmer. He's connected the dots and knows I'm going to work for him.
"Don't pull me out of school for a week straight and refuse to write an excuse note for me later. At the rate you went a year ago, I was nearly expelled twice."
He waited for me to continue but I found that I couldn't. I did have one last thing to say. I wanted him to apologize for the pain he put me through this past year. For the accusations he made and for leaving without saying goodbye. But I couldn't ask that. As far as he was concerned, we were never even close to friends. He the employer and I, the employee. Whatever used to exist between us is gone and my heart with it. The dull ache in my chest never goes, though. Sometimes I'm afraid it will never leave.
Standing slowly, I tried to hide the vulnerability in my eyes. The look that flashed across his face told me that I hid it poorly. "I'll be at my desk, Mr. Shibuya."
That hit him, I noticed. His jaw actually dropped a bit. As I turned and left his office, I thought I heard him sigh. I've thought I've seen or heard him do a lot of things since yesterday. Opening the bottom drawer of my old filing cabinet, I took out the office supplies and organized them on the desk. Picking up the golden nameplate, I glared.
Mai Taniyama-Secretary
That bastard knew I'd come back. I know that this nameplate was never on my desk when I last worked for him. Just as I was ready to chuck it across the room, the door opened and a couple familiar faces walked in. I smiled. "Monk! I haven't seen you in six months! Hi, Ayako."
That guitar playing monk pulled me into a nearly bone crushing hug. Pulling back, he held me at arm's length. "Look at you! You're really growing up, Mai."
Ayako grinned. "Isn't she? I love that you're growing your hair out. The short hair really didn't flatter you, to be honest."
John san walked in next. He smiled and gave me a polite hug. "It's great to see you Miss. Mai. A year is too long. I would have called to catch up but I've been back in Australia this past year."
"And you came back just for this?" I asked.
"The church I ministered at requested I come back about a month ago. I was still praying about it when Naru called a couple days ago and I figured this was my sign to come back to Japan. I jumped on a plane that very day."
"It's really great to see you all." I said honestly. "Especially here. It feels almost like old times."
Just as Monk and John san started a conversation, Ayako pulled me aside. "Are you sure that you'll be alright here?"
I had told Ayako about my confrontation with Naru when she found me crying in my apartment the day after Naru left for England. She had really been there for me this past year and for that, I'm forever grateful. She's like my honorary big sister. Or even a mother figure. "I'll be fine. Naru and I talked and I think things will change for the better."
A knock on the door stopped our chat. "Catering!"
Opening the door, I let a few men in, all carrying covered trays. "Good morning. All of the barbequed foods go outside and the rest goes in here."
"Soda bottles?" One asked.
"Probably outside." I told him.
"And the wine bottles?"
"Uh..."
Naru opened his office door then. "Those go in here. There are thirty wine glasses in the cabinet. The sake also goes in here. Organize the food in the kitchenette and the drinks on that table by the door."
An hour later, the opening began and we all followed Naru to the parking lot full of people who probably all showed up at the promise of free food. A ribbon had been tied to the bottom railings of the stairs that led up to the door and Naru stood before it with a pair of those large scissors while Monk, Ayako, John san and myself stood behind him. He made a quick speech that mostly consisted of him explaining what the company does and then cut the ribbon. The crowd cheered and one of the caterers began to serve food to them.
We headed inside after a few minutes of Naru shaking hands. A few men and women in business suits and fancier dresses showed up at the door a few minutes later with invitations in hand. I was tasked with handing out drinks at the door up until the final guest arrived and then Naru asked me to go into the kitchen and find napkins. As I laid several out on the counter, another pair of familiar faces showed up. Yasuhara immediately approached and hugged me, Masako stayed by the door, sipping on a glass of something pink and bubbly.
"You look well, Mai." Yasuhara commented. "Really...different. Not a bad different, though."
I grinned. "You look nice too, Yasu."
"You know, I would've never agreed to work for Naru again if he hadn't told me you were working here. It feels like old times. Though I'm still just a part time assistant for bigger cases. Sometimes I think that I'd like to work here full time. I really enjoy getting to see you."
Out of his whole speech, what caught my attention is his first sentence. "Naru told you that, did he? He wasn't even sure I'd agree to work here again until this morning."
Yasu laughed nervously. "I'm guessing a lot of the old team only agreed to work here again because they knew you'd be here."
A blush formed on his cheeks, making me flush nervously. "You really think so?"
"Mai, Mr. Kiba needs a napkin!" Naru called from the main room. Giving Yasu an apologetic smile, I grabbed a napkin and walked into the main room. Naru was talking quite amiably with a man in a very snazzy business suit near his office. I handed the man a napkin. Naru nodded and I was about to walk away when the man addressed me.
"Young lady, you are Mr. Shibuya's assistant?" He asked and I nodded.
Naru answered on my behalf. "Her name is Mai Taniyama."
"Forgive me for calling you over. I am seriously considering giving your boss my case and wish to meet everyone that will come to my island for it."
I blinked. "Island? You own an island?"
He chuckled. "Yes, young lady. It's called Seishin island. Some just call it spirit island. It's been haunted for the three decades my family has owned it and much longer."
"What's made you decide to seek help now?" I asked, sure that I saw Naru look a little impatient out of the corner of my eye.
The man looked a little worried. "Because the spirits were never harmful before now. They've just recently started to hurt the staff at my home and even some natives that live in a tiny village on the other side of the island. I told them that I would seek help."
"In what way are they harmful?" Naru asked, pushing himself back in to the conversation. Mr. Kiba turned to him.
"One of my maids claimed that a spirit had held her down against her bed one night and began to take liberties with her. She screamed and another maid came in. The ghost left then. A few days later, that same maid said she was cornered by another spirit while fetching a bottle of wine from the cellar
and the spirit actually completed his earlier task. I thought she might have been making it up until I called a doctor to test her. There were obvious signs of forced intimacy."
I gasped.
"Are you sure it wasn't another staff member?" Naru asked.
"I have no male staff members. Only three maids." He said softly. "Poor Tomo...She was so distraught after the experience she hasn't actually spoken since."
"Poor lady." I murmured.
"Mai, poor more drinks for our guests." Naru ordered and I sighed. He may think that I'll let him boss me around but the ordering will stop as soon as this party does.
An hour later, the final guest left and we had twenty different cases to sort through. Some were as simple as a spirit haunting a little farmhouse, one as big as spirits haunting a whole island. Naru hadn't made any sort of decision on which case we would take but I felt positive that the island case would be the one he picked since it was paying extremely well.
Saying goodbye to Monk, Ayako, John san and Yasu, I was organizing copies of the potential case files when Masako emerged from Naru's office with him in tow. She smiled slightly, her eyes alight and her expression very inviting. "I look forward to further discussing this potential merger."
He nodded, a slight strain in his expression. As soon as he showed her to the door, he let out an almost heavy sigh. "Anyone else left?"
I shook my head. "No, none."
"Good. You can go home now." He told me without turning to look at me.
"I haven't seen Lin san at all." I said, stopping him as he approached his office. "Why didn't he make an appearance for the party? He wasn't even at the ribbon cutting."
"Lin isn't feeling well enough to be around people but he insisted that he be allowed to work today." Naru said simply, turning slightly in my direction. He opened his mouth as if he were about to say something but quickly shut it. Walking into the kitchenette, I heard him filling something with water. Standing and going to peek around the kitchenette corner, I was surprised to see him making his own tea.
After the hot water had been poured over the tiny tea leaves and it was time to scoop them out with the little tea strainer, I saw he was having trouble getting them all. As I was about to finally offer my assistance, I heard the ding of the office bell. Naru looked up and finally noticed me and the voice of someone I had just told yesterday that I wouldn't be here filled the room.
"Mai! I knew you'd be here. This job seemed too good to turn down." Rin said from the door way. She was quick to dart up to me and give me a hug. When her purple eyes zeroed in on Naru, I felt a slight tug. "Hi, Mr. Shibuya. I'm a friend of Mai's. We worked together at Shishu's until she quit yesterday."
He only nodded. Finishing his tea preparation, he walked past us both and into his office, not even remotely interested in her flirtatious voice or her ridiculously low cut shirt and skirt barely long enough to cover her assets. Rin pouted and I walked back to my desk.
"He's a little busy, Rin." I told her, hoping she'd take the hint and leave.
"I just wanted to say hi." She whined. "Why do you assume I'm here to see your hunky boss?"
"Because you hinted that you would." I muttered.
"Huh?"
I smiled. "Nothing at all. If you could, I need you to leave. As soon as I finish organizing these papers, I have to leave."
Naru opened the office door then and Rin posed seductively against my desk and flipped her shoulder length blonde hair a little. Naru didn't even look at her. "Mai, I need you to take the case file Mr. Kiba gave us and photocopy it so Lin can have a copy. I'll give it to him myself since he's possibly still contagious."
He immediately shut the door and Rin went right back to pouting. "I guess I'll be going. I might stop by tomorrow."
As soon as she did leave, I sighed in relief I didn't know I had and did as Naru said.
(END FLASHBACK)
And there you have it. It's been a month and I'm still pissed off with Naru and he makes it even worse by acting like his old condescending self. And even though it's always made me angry in the past, the fact that Naru actually hasn't asked for tea once since he re-hired me is driving me insane!
END OF CHAPTER 1. WHAT DO YOU THINK? PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN A REVIEW IF YOU HAVE THE TIME.