A/N: Happy New Year! To start off 2019 I figured it wouldn't hurt to share a new story to a series I have recently found -even though it is a little older. I hope you enjoy this fun piece!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or the characters in the series.
I thought I might get one more chance,
What would you think of me now?
So lucky, so strong, so proud...
I never said thank you for that...
The phone only rang twice before the sigh on the other end was heard; "Takigawa-san, it's been a while since our last conversation."
"It hasn't been that long," Houshou Takigawa muttered into the phone, "we just spoke about two weeks ago, or have you forgotten in your old age?"
There was a familiar unamused sigh, "I haven't forgotten and we're practically the same age. What can I help you with today?"
It was Takigawa's turn to sigh, "It's actually about Mai…" the sandy blonde haired man, sounded exhausted. Probably because he was exhausted. It was deep in the bones, ache in the chest kind of exhaustion. The kind that leaves someone struggling for breath as if they've just completed some kind of sprint. The kind that resonated through the phone lines and across thousands of miles of land and sea.
"And what is going on with Mai that should concern me?" When the mysterious voice on the phone line hadn't received an immediate answer he broke the silence. "I take it this is serious then…"
Houshou Takigawa had wished desperately he hadn't been the one left responsible to relay this kind of information to anyone. He had always suspected it would be him one day, but he didn't think it would be one day soon and of course, the first people he had to reach out to were Lin Koujo and Dr. Oliver fucking Davis. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him, he and Mai themselves had just reconnected after years of silence –on both parts. It was just so incredibly unfair that once everything had started to work out with Mai's reconnection to him and the impending return of the head of SPR that he would have to deliver news like this. Houshou hated bad news.
"I don't have all the answers, in fact, I don't even know what's going on, but I do know that Mai was in an accident and is in pretty bad shape."
He could visualize the information processing to the man that Houshou had once worked alongside. Lin Koujo was a practical man, a stoic man and not much could really and truly startle him. Yet, for all of his callousness and disinterest he had always expressed some kind of reaction to the irregulars of SPR –especially when it came to Mai Takiyama. "What kind of accident?"
"It's a long story and truthfully I'm not sure of all the details. From what I was informed of at the hospital, she was caught up in a fire…"
"Fire?" Lin cut Houshou off, "What in the world was Mai doing around a fire?"
"I don't know, I don't know what happened!" Houshou sounded as unruly as Lin was sure he appeared. "She's not even on the fire brigade…"
"Well if you don't know that, then what do you know?" Lin sighed out with frustration.
"I mean, I know I was called by her supervisor and that somehow she got sent to the general hospital under Ayako's family." Houshou had placed his free hand against his forehead and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on.
"Are there any other details?" Houshou didn't respond right away, but Lin could sense that the former monk had to have at least been given a basic status report. Regardless of Mai's independence if Takigawa-san was listed as her emergency contact then it was only safe to assume that information and updates on her condition would be released to him.
After a long minute, one of the longest in either of the two men existence amongst each other, Takigawa gave Lin the only report he had on Mai's actual physical condition. "She wasn't breathing upon arrival, Ayako said they had lost her heartbeat twice, but almost as quickly as it was gone it was back again. She didn't go into detail on Mai's injuries, but she stressed the possibility of bad news."
"So it is safe to assume that you're making the round of calls." Another lapse of silence, another moment between the men that was strained and heavy. This was not how Lin had imagined the phone conversation going. He had concluded that Takigawa-san was only contacting him –at such an off-putting hour, to update him on the process of the rental space for the new SPR office. He had been under the impression that since Lin and Noll's agreement to return to Japan and reopen SPR in a more official capacity that Takigawa-san was the most reliable to act in their stead until they could arrive. He had not imagined answering the phone and having to balance his personal feelings towards the small brunette pain in the ass and his professional obligations to Takigawa-san and Noll.
In England, Lin had stood with the bridge of his nose pinched between his forefinger and thumb; "I'm assuming you'd like for me to relay this pending information to Oliver."
"I'm just calling to inform you of the situation…" Lin could sense agitation in Takigawa-san's voice, "…I haven't called anyone else yet. I don't even know if I'm going to until I know for sure…"
"Then why call me at this ungodly hour?"
"I just wanted to make sure that you and Nar- you and Oliver were made aware right away because of your impending return to Japan."
"Thank you for the consideration Takigawa-san. I'm sure that Oliver will appreciate the notice and if our plans change I'll notify you immediately." Lin hung up, he didn't give the monk the opportunity to say anything else. He was in shock! He was confused and angered at the lack of information. How in the world was he supposed to mention it to Oliver? He couldn't anticipate the young genius' response and he knew it wouldn't be received well.
He and Oliver had left Japan –and the life that went with it, behind nearly ten years ago. They had accomplished their mission, they had retrieved Eugene's body and therefore they were free to continue their research back in England. It was where they belonged, damn it! It was refreshing being away from Japan, to be back in the countryside of England and studying amongst their scholastic peers. It was invigorating to be able to teach Oliver how to control the powers within him safely. Indeed, it had been a prosperous ten years for Lin and the Davis family (minus one), yet Lin knew, that something was missing.
Oliver had never been a joyful person outright. He had never expressed joy over a beautiful spring day, he didn't participate in spontaneous adventures and he most certainly didn't appreciate abrupt changes in plans. And the plan was to stay in England indefinitely, Lin, however, had noticed that the young genius had started to go stir crazy. He often times appeared overly agitated and disconnected from the world around him. Truthfully, it came as no surprise to Lin when Oliver had one day announced he would be continuing his research in Japan. Oliver had claimed that the research he would find in Japan would help the parapsychology community greatly. On the other hand, it was no surprise to Oliver Davis to find that his faithful assistant Lin had managed to stay in touch with Houshou Takigawa over the years. Seeing that Takigawa-san was relatively intelligent when he had to be, of course, the head of SPR was able to entrust the more tedious duties to the monk.
When Oliver, or Noll as he was so commonly called at home in England, announced their official reopening of SPR upon their return, nobody was truly shocked.
"What did Takigawa-san have to say today?" Noll asked from his seat at his desk, he had been researching some recent headlines on hauntings in the Shibuya area. There was nothing of substance to catch his eye… yet.
"He was simply updating me on the happenings of the Shibuya area."
Noll raised an eyebrow, he was always able to tell when Lin was withholding information and Lin was almost certainly withholding something. "And what is going on in Shibuya that he felt the need to contact you so suddenly? And so late for them too…"
"It is rather later there, but he felt that the news was important."
"Well are you going to enlighten me or do I have to guess?"
Lin paused, he had wanted to inform Noll of the situation in a timely and appropriate manner. He had to do so delicately because, despite all of Noll's grievances with his former tea making assistant, he knew that she was held in high regards to the cold scientist. Oliver always responded in urgency when Mai was involved. "It would appear that Mai has gotten herself into trouble once again."
"Are we shocked? She attracts trouble as easily as lights attract flies." Noll went back to his research, "I'm sure she'll be fine, but I'll be sure to catch up on all the trouble she's been in once we're back and settled in Shibuya in two weeks time."
Noll looked up when Lin hadn't immediately backed out of the office, odd but it appeared that Lin had ignored the dismissal entirely. In fact, he stood there until Oliver had put his paperwork down; "It's a little more complicated than that, it appears that Mai was caught in an accident. The details are hazy and Takigawa-san was only able to release the information he had gathered from her supervisor and Matsuzaki-san to me."
To strangers, it would have appeared that Noll had no distinct reaction to the news as if it hadn't left him feeling on edge. To Lin, there was no way of hiding the sudden change in posture or the quickly indrawn breath. It was quite obvious to the tall gentleman just how shocked Oliver Davis was and he couldn't blame him. "Regardless, we can't just advance our plans, that would be irresponsible to the duties that remain here."
Lin nodded at Noll's wisdom, he was always the responsible one; "You're right, especially given that the situation is still very much unknown." He watched Noll, who had taken it upon himself to discard his research to stare out the window. To some it would seem that Noll was in deep thought, perhaps he was, but Lin knew that he was processing and planning. "I did inform Takigawa-san to keep me posted, he is obviously aware of our plans as they stand."
Noll waved of what Lin was saying, of course, Takigawa-san would keep them updated and of course, he was involved with their plans. The two men were the closest in age, besides Matsuzaki-san of course, but Noll doubted that his assistant and the monk (term used loosely) would confide in the woman. She was respected by the young genius, she held great strength and power, but her ideas and actions didn't line up with those of Takigawa-san and Lin. Noll contemplated silently, his work was essentially finished in the British officer. He had only extended an extra two weeks for the benefit of his mother, but they could always visit. He certainly wasn't considering changing his plans because of Mai's situation, that would be too unpredictable.
"The Shibuya office space, is it readily available or are we required to wait before we utilize it?"
Lin smirked, "I can contact the real estate agent first thing in the morning and find out. Should I let Takigawa-san know that we'll be making slight adjustments to our plans?"
"That won't be necessary, as it appears he's obviously going to be busy handling Mai's mess."
This time Lin accepted the dismissal with a simple; "Understood."
Oliver Davis did not enjoy changing his plans so suddenly. Although to some, it had appeared to be a quick onset for him to up and leave two weeks earlier than scheduled, many hadn't seen him preparing for a more permanent life in Japan. He had been positive at the start of the journey that he'd never want to return was Eugene was laid to rest. He hadn't thought about anyone he associated with often enough to say he "missed" them. Their physical presence was irrelevant to his continued success. Everything he planned was strategic and for his own benefit. His father scoffed at that notion, "You want to return to Japan because that's where your friends are Oliver and that's okay." Mr. Davis had reassured him plenty of times, his mother had done so as well. Since their support was so insistent, he simply didn't see the point in delaying the inevitable.
She hadn't had a street patrol in almost two years, not since her promotion to detective, but a promise was a promise! She had assured her (former) partner Shinji Ito that it wouldn't be a problem for her to pick up a couple of his shifts. Shinji had enough on his plate with his wife giving birth to their first child so early into her term –for health reasons. Detective Mai Taniyama stepped up and kept her word! So naturally, on her first official patrol back on the streets, she would run into trouble. Honestly, when wasn't Mai Taniyama in trouble? She had made peace with her natural attraction to danger long ago and now she often times relied on it, just one of those funny twists of fate.
On that particular day, she hadn't sensed anything was wrong at all, in fact, it was quite by accident that she stumbled across the burning house. Her intuition must have guided her to that point, she was far off of her own patrol route and with no other plausible explanation, she assumed that she was meant to be there for a reason. Perhaps that reason was to call in the fire, seeing as there were no other responders on scene yet. As she was reporting to her dispatcher where she was and what she saw she heard the faint cry for help. It wasn't entirely audible, but it vibrated through her skull. It was so faint that she thought she had imagined it and then she saw the little hand waving out of the window in the back room of the two-story home. She reacted on instinct and nothing else.
Two other officers had pulled up as she was making her way towards the front door of the house and both officers had told her to get back and let the fire brigade handle it. When has Mai ever listened to the voice of reason? She threw her shoulder against the door, two times then a third and after the third (with the door still standing solidly) she went to the closest window. "Taniyama-san! You are not authorized to enter that building!"
The official report by her fellow officers would later say that she hadn't heard their command. Mai simply chose to ignore them as she heaved herself in through the window. The heat upon entry was incredible! The smoke had immediately obscured her sight, she had made it a point to stay close to the ground and against the wall as she made her way deeper into the flame-engulfed home. "Hello! I'm Detective Mai Taniyama! I'm here to help you!"
After each time, she yelled she felt a heavy itch in the back of her through, she had only been able to yell so many times before her voice had gone completely hoarse. Come on kid, where are you? She thought as she pushed her way further into the house, the heat had increased significantly once she passed the main family room and she was afraid that the only way out –that she knew of, was blocked off already. Still, Mai pressed on towards the rear end of the house. Her palms were burned and she could feel herself getting light headed from the smoke, but she knew in her gut that there was a child in that house. Finally, she came to a stop in a room with no door and followed the dim light that broke through the smog around her.
When she had finally made her way to the window she had found him. A little boy, no older than eight or nine, unconscious just at the window frame. Thank goodness. She crawled her way over to the child and positioned him so that she could easily lift and slide him through the window. She heard the sickening cracks of wood through the house and knew her time was running out. She had almost opened the window entirely when the cracking became deafening, this time from above her.
The last thing Mai remembered doing was throwing herself on the child and covering his head as parts of the ceiling came down. Embers landed all around them, thankfully the adrenaline prevented Mai from fully comprehending and feeling the burning particles against the skin of her back. Good going, Mai… but she had the fire brigade and knew they were already in the building. She knew they would find her, she just didn't know when or how. Slowly her vision went black, her arms that cradled the child to her body had loosened and she could feel the restriction around her chest like a hand squeezing the breath out of her with no intention of letting her bring more air in. She accepted that she would not be conscious when found and she had accepted that she could very well die, but she had desperately hoped that the young boy in her arms would be spared.
When the fire brigade had arrived on the scene they found the two additional officers frantic. And while the first attack line was placed at the door the officer in command got the information needed to form a proper plan of action. He had contacted his dispatcher to upgrade the incident and while waiting for reinforcements he had sent a search and rescue team into action. "Interior to command, we have a fire on the second floor. Send the backup line to the second floor."
"Copy that, ladder company to the roof."
"Ladder company to the roof. Secondary search and rescue is a go."
"Copy that…"
The brigade units that had worked the scene had worked with efficiency and had managed to place the fire under control within forty-five minutes. Two victims were removed from the building twenty minutes into the response time, bother were transported to the closest burn center. As far as the chief knew both victims were alive and he was made aware that one of the bodies pulled was a local detective –Mai Taniyama. His report would not mention the condition that Detective Taniyama was found. The responding medical units in charge of her transport to the hospital would report second-degree burns along the back, palms of her hands and knees. Her respiration rates almost non-existent and of the breaths they counted, perhaps half of them were considered good quality. Her heart rate had continued to drop at a consistent pattern. The emergency department would receive both the little boy and Mai and they would have the heads of the hospital themselves treating them. As well as their daughter.
Ayako Matsuzaki had never dreaded her job as a nurse more than when they had brought in sweet little Mai, the same sweet little Mai that was practically lifeless.
"It's been three days, can't you do something to wake her?"
Ayako huffed in annoyance; "It's better to leave her under sedation while her more severe burns heal. Which in case you forgot, is taking place at an alarmingly quick rate. So be patient."
Houshou looked proud of himself for a moment; "Looks like that lesson in regeneration stuck."
The auburn haired woman rolled her eyes and proceeded to check over her patient. Had Houshou Takigawa been less infuriating she would have told him that Mai would be coming off of the ventilator that afternoon and would most likely be awake by tomorrow morning. Unfortunately for him, that hadn't been the case and so Ayako felt no need to share that information. "You taught her regeneration?"
"More like she taught herself, she confided in me some on some of the expansions to her powers, but most –if not everything we discussed, was questionable." Houshou, hadn't left Mai's side once she was moved from an intensive care room to her current room, and he continued to hold onto her lifeless, but warm hand. "I guess there's less doubt there."
"She's incredibly lucky that the window was already partially opened and that the responding crews had already initialized ventilation." Ayako took a moment to rest her hand on Mai's forehead. Her attention was taken away from the girl who had, for a long time, been like a younger sister to her. She felt her mouth fall open when she noticed who was standing in the doorway. "What… what are you doing here? Naru?"
"I think we can discuss the particular details on my presence later, but for now I'd like to ask you some questions."
"Ask me… ask me questions?" Ayako felt the shock wear off and suddenly the anger she could never suppress came forward. "How dare you come in here with that condescending attitude. I'm not answering your questions and neither is Takigawa!"
Houshou hadn't expected the man in the door to actually be there, in person, at that exact moment. He had assumed that since Lin had never mentioned any change in plans when he himself had updated him on Mai that the reunion with Dr. Oliver Davis –for real, would be in another week. He felt a surge of protectiveness –the kind he would swarm Mai with when she was a young girl, flare up. "Oliver, I was under the impression that you wouldn't be returning for another week or so."
"Well, my plans obviously changed." Oliver scanned the room, he noticed the assortment of flowers on the small nightstand to Mai's left. He noticed the tubes and assortment of wires that attached themselves to her petite frame. Finally, he noticed the steady and strong heartbeat on the monitor and suddenly the offensive respirator that covered her face didn't seem as intimidating.
"What do you mean your plans changed? And why do you sound like you know what's going on?" The accusatory tone wasn't new to Houshou, at least not from Ayako. "I demand answers."
"Funny, I do too. How about we trade information?" Oliver made his way to the foot of the bed and looked down at the girl (woman now) that had used to be the bane of his pitiful existence. While Ayako was prepared to deny Naru's request, she had stopped and really looked at the illusive man before her. His eyes weren't as cold as they had been, he looked almost nervous with his hands in his pockets and he was paler than normal. It appeared that the other three familiars in the room noticed too and the silence had stretched to a point of awkwardness that begged to be broken.
"For all that you see, her condition truly isn't as bad as it could have been." Oliver cast his glance up at the redhead, she assumed by his continuous silence that she was meant to continue. "The biggest concern was the airway, because of the heat and toxins of the smoke she had sufficient damage throughout the esophagus and lungs –hence the respirator."
"Was smoke inhalation the only real damage Taniyama-san received?" Lin asked as he made his way further into the room. He glanced over the woman in the bed quickly, she was still small and her face (from what he could see) still had the familiar childlike qualities.
"She has a series of mild second-degree burns; the most damage being on the palms of her hands. She was extremely lucky."
Naru placed his hand along his jaw, Ayako could see the wheels turning as he started to piece together the big picture. "What was she doing in a burning building?"
"Apparently she was saving a child, none of the other responding officers on the scene could actually tell me why she was there, her patrol pattern was almost four blocks in the opposite direction." Takigawa supplied as he relaxed into his seat and let out a deep yawn; "According to her supervisor, she has a lot of explaining to do."
"I'm still unsure on what you're talking about, Takigawa-san what exactly does Mai do for a living that would put her in such a position?"
Takigawa smirked, "Well Mr. Davis, if you must know, Mai is a detective with the National Police Agency of Japan."
Lin shot a glare at the sandy-haired, bright-eyed pain in the ass. "You never mentioned that before."
The monk (former) snorted; "You never asked, besides if she had wanted you to know she would have found a way to contact you." Takigawa kept his eye on Mai, she was still so lifeless. However, the color was coming back to her skin and the warmth that always surrounded her was growing. "You'd be quite impressed with how much Mai has grown."
Ayako took the opportunity to intrude; "Regardless, she took a needless risk and will be dealing with the consequences for the foreseeable future." The three men nodded in silent agreement, "Which brings me back to my original question, what are you doing here Naru?"
The young man responded with the most reasonable approach, "I'm permanently relocating my studies to the Shibuya area. I've intended to reopen the SPR office and had intended to extend the opportunity for our previous team to work together once more."
"It's been ten years, what made you suddenly want to come back?"
"On the contrary Matsuzaki-san, this had been a plan of mine for the last two years. There were projects that needed to be properly finished in England and of course I had my own personal life to attend to as well." He paused for a breath, "Over the last several months, Takigawa-san has been helping Lin and myself work with a real estate agent to establish a new office location and of course to find suitable housing."
Ayako appeared skeptical; "So you anticipate everyone dropping their lives to return back to you?"
"Of course not, I'm perfectly capable of understanding that some –if not most, of my previous employees, have already well-established careers and lives. It was as I said, I had intended to extend the offer." Naru made his way around the hospital bed and placed a hand on Takigawa's' shoulder, "Perhaps you should go home and rest for a while, your yawning is distracting."
"Actually, Takigawa-san I was wondering if we could take a moment to discuss some of the properties you've helped us with?"
"I should really stay here, ya' know, in case they decide to take Mai off of the respirator."
Ayako, who had forgotten that she was actually working, started to gather all of Mai's paperwork; "If the doctor doesn't have any other concerns with the burns on her back she'll be taken off of the respirator sometime this afternoon. That doesn't mean she'll wake up right away, you might as well go and settle your business." In a turnaround of attitude, Ayako was no longer the hot-headed woman Naru and Lin remembered, in an instant, she had become a flawless professional. She gave them all another quick look and brief smile before she disappeared out the door.
Takigawa looked apprehensive, "I really don't know… someone should be here when the doctor comes in."
"Of course someone should be here, I'll sit in while you and Lin handle what needs to be done. Then you can go home and get some real sleep, you won't do Mai any good if you're asleep on your feet." Naru addressed the elder man with authority. Despite the need to tell Naru to shove off, he knew that Naru was also right. It would be assumed that once she was awake it would only take another day or two before she is released home. And whether she likes it or not, there was no way she'd be able to be completely on her own and there was no way he'd be able to prove that to her if he was completely exhausted.
All of which was true, but something still didn't sit right with Takigawa. Even as Lin drug him away from the hospital to a coffee shop. Why would Naru offer to sit with Mai? Wasn't it his business they were establishing? Should he be the one to make the final decisions?
-Page Break-
Her limbs felt heavy, her eyes felt impossible to open and her chest? It was on fire. She couldn't comprehend why everything seemed to ache or sting. She had no idea where she was. She could hear two hushed voices talking about her condition, but she had no way of telling them she was right there and could hear them. She had no way of asking her own questions. She wasn't even fully awake before she was asleep again.
The next time it had been a little easier for her to open her eyes. The room was dim, she could tell by the window it was early evening. Everything still hurt, but this time she was confused and her chest wasn't on fire any longer. That's not right, she thought to herself, her chest had never been on fire. The house was and she had gone inside! She released a painful groan, not necessarily because she was in physical pain, but the mental pain of all the paperwork she'd have to file was enough to make her wince. Then she thought of all the safety debriefings she'd have to attend and released a whimper. So long as that kid is ok, it'll be worth it.
"Mai?"
She turned her head towards the voice, it was so familiar and soft. Then her groggy eyes met his clear blue and she felt a moment of panic. "Naru?"
"Right here," she felt him grasp her hand, "you need to rest, go back to sleep."
She stared at him for just a moment longer before she felt her eyes fall shut. It was cruel of her subconscious to pull a trick like this. "Haven't had a visit from Eugene in forever… how cruel of him… to do this now." She fell asleep before Naru could correct her. Instead, he just sat there in the uncomfortably stiff armchair, which his left hand wrapped around hers and his right hand holding the papers he had been reviewing.
A/N: Let me know what you think! Also, you'll find that each chapter is titled after a particular song -and that song is quoted at the beginning of the chapter as well. If anyone is interested I would be happy to share my username for Spotify and make the playlist public! The songs are just mood setters and keep me on track. Thanks all!