Title: Melancholy of the Past

Author: Jhay07

Disclaimer: yeah... yeah... I don't own Ghost Hunt. You don't have to rub it in.

-oOo-

Before you start reading this, I just want to clarify and put emphasis on some things:

First, this fanfic took place after Naru and Lin went to England for Gene's funeral (so basically, Mai now already knows that it's Gene whom she's seeing in her dreams, not Naru) but SPR only have Osamu Yasuhara and Taniyama Mai as their new employee. Chiaki and Yuki aren't here yet.

Second, I won't tell what the pairing would be. You just have to figure it out by yourself. Although, I myself do not know what the pairing will be. I'm still thinking about it.

Third, I don't know much of Gene's personality (and Naru's) when it comes to his twin brother so, I'm assuming that Gene is kinda perkier and livelier than Naru. Also, I assumed that Gene is more of a joker than Naru.

And last but not the least is that I'm just a beginner at writing fics. Apparently, this is the first time that I'll be writing this and this will be my very first fic. Please be kind to the review that you'll write. Flame it, comment it, criticize it, anything would do as long as it has your good and honest opinions to it. But if you liked it, please tell me so by making a review! Arigatou! ^_^

Happy reading!

-oOo-

There was a soft knock on the door. "Naru, I'm coming in," said a rather cheerful woman's voice.

"Aren't you going home yet?" inquired Mai, who stepped into the room and stood in front of Naru's desk.

"No. Not yet. I still have few things to do, unlike you who has nothing to do except slack off and complain all morning," Naru said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mai turned beet red. Grr.. That workaholic baka! He really is getting on my nerves! I will really get back at you someday! Mark my words, baka! Mai thought harshly.

"By the way, before you go, are you done with all the filings that I told you to work on? I don't want to see those papers scattered and lying around your table when I leave the office," he said laconically, not taking his eyes off the laptop.

"Hai, I'm through with all those files. I even asked Lin if there are still files left unfiled so I won't have the trouble of filing them tomorrow and he said 'None'. He even told me to go home already seeing that it's past 9 already and I still have classes tomorrow. I just stopped by here to tell you that I'm going home," Mai explained to Naru.

"What about Yasuhara? Do you know why he didn't come today?" Naru suddenly asked.

"Well, he called me awhile ago and told me that he will not be able to make it today because he still has a thesis to do." Mai explained. "And I already did some of Yasuhara's works so he won't be having lots of things to do when he comes back," Mai continued.

"Well then, off you go and don't be late for tomorrow's work," That's the cue. He's dismissing me. Mai contemplated.

"Hai. Bye then," she bade Naru goodbye.

Mai walked out of Naru's office. Hah! That's all he can say? He didn't even bid me goodbye nor asked me to take care! The nerve! Mai irritatingly thought.

"Mai!" Naru called out from his office. What does he want now?

"Yes, Naru?" she called out from where she was standing. "Before you go, please make me some tea" More like an order ratherthan a request.

"Hai, Naru," she answered.

-oOo-

Nice job, idiot scientist. A rather good thing to do to get closer to the woman you like, a voice softly chuckled in his head.

Won't you just leave me alone? Naru asked irritably.

That's a rather irritated reply from my dear twin brother. Anyway, Mai's really kind, right? She even took some of Yasuhara's work so when he comes back, he won't be having that much work. The voice retorted.

Gene. Naru heaved out a sigh. I told you to go away, didn't I? Naru asked crossly.

What's wrong with you, Naru? Haven't you realized that you're pushing Mai away from you? And correct me if I'm wrong, idiot scientist, but didn't she confess to you before you went to England for my funeral? Why haven't you given her your answer the moment you returned? Why prolong the agony of Mai? Gene said.

That's none of your business, Naru hedged. He closed his eyes.

Well Naru, it's your funeral. Do what you want. Gene snapped back at Naru.

Then, silence followed.

You know what, Naru? You're different now. Gene stated.

What kind of different? I didn't change.

You tend to smile now unlike before. It's because of Mai, isn't it? You like her, right?

I do. Naru finally answered.

Well, what are you doing, idiot scientist? She confessed to you already. You're hurting Mai, you know.

It's not me that she likes. Naru replied.

Then who do you think she likes? Gene asked

Naru's eyes snapped open. "You," came his reply.

What are you talking about, Naru? It's pretty obvious that it's you that she likes. Not me, the dead one. And how come you said that it's me she likes, not you?

Because you're always the one who constantly helped her rightfrom the time she joined SPR. It's you, not me.

What's your basis, then? Gene asked.

Naru thought for a moment. None. He admitted.

See? Even you don't have the proof. Go tell her then. Gene insisted.

I won't.

But why?

I don't know what to say. Naru stated.

It's easy, you know.

How then?

Go look for the answer yourself.

That's a very nice solution, Gene. Naru said, with sarcasm in his voice.

Gene? No reply. He had gone.

"Well Gene, if you're so adamant about that, then tell me what to do," Naru called out but not loud enough for Lin to hear from the other office.

-oOo-

Mai dropped all her things at the sofa and hurriedly headed to the kitchenette of the office. Must do it quickly so I could go home early. Mai thought, putting water in the kettle to boil. Oh, yeah. Lin-san might like some tea too. I better ask him.

Walking across the living room, she passed by the main door of the headquarters, then Naru's office and finally, Lin's office. She heaved a sigh. Wait. Why am I suddenly being nervous? Mai thought to herself. Well, anyway. "Ne, Lin-san, would you like some tea?" Mai asked softly, turning the knob and opening the door to Lin's office. When she entered, she realized how neatly stacked his things were. The books were arranged properly by focus and all the files were in the vertical file. She looked around Lin's office and easily spotted Lin in front of his laptop, rapidly typing, like how Naru's usually doing. Well, those two really are alike after all. Mai concluded.

"Ah, yes please. But a coffee will do," Lin said, his lack of words and emotions still amuses her. It's been over two years since we've met and he still acts and talks the same way since I first met him. Well, I guess that he'll never change then. This is Lin whom I am speaking to, anyway.

"Do itashimashite." Mai replied with a cheerful smile.

"Do you still need something else, Taniyama-san?" Lin inquired to Mai, looking up and wondering why she's still standing at the doorway.

"Ah. No. I mean.. Yes-"Mai broke off, contemplating on what she's going to say next. Why am I stuttering anyway? It's not as if my question's going to kill me. Okay. I can do this. Mai reassured herself, and composed herself again.

"Lin-san, I prefer if you would call me Mai. It's been over two years since we first met, right? And I'm not really used to people calling me by my last name. It's not that I'm complaining though. Even John-san started calling me by my name. But would that be alright with you?" Mai finally said, a little tense and not looking at Lin. Instead, she strolled her eyes and focused at a book on one of Lin's shelf.

Lin considered what Mai said for a moment. Finally, he said, "Sure, Mai-san."

A contented smile crept upon Mai's face. "Arigatou ne, Lin-san," Mai said, giving a bow to Lin.

"You don't have to thank me for it, Mai-san," Lin said.

Mai smiled at Lin. "I'll go and make some coffee and tea then." Mai left the room.

-oOo-

There seemed to be a change within her. She's much more... happy. Lin thought for a moment.

Well that's rather new. Usually, you don't get that easily persuaded by someone, one of his shiki said.

Well, she's a different case. She has become a very important person to us. Ever since I learned that she's already an orphan, I-... Lin broke off and preferred not to continue what he's supposed to say.

I what? You didn't finish what you're going to say.

Nothing. Just get on with your business. He told his shikis.

What is it that really made you change? Honestly, you've become more...

More what?

I don't know... Much more different than usual.

True. I feel that way too. Maybe it's because I'm being affected of how cheerful and happy she always is. She never shows any of the difficulties and predicaments that she encounters. Although we know what kind of trouble she's going through. What more is she's still able to smile like that despite everything that's happened to her and worst is that she pretends that nothing's wrong with her.

Well then, stop with all the arguments; I got to start working. With this, he dismissed the argument and went back to work.

-oOo-

Mai went to the kitchenette and sat at the chair near the coffee table. She pondered upon what just happened inside Lin's office; not in the sense that something really DID happen in there but, on how she was able to convince Lin to call her by her first name. And it felt nice.

It was the hardest time for Mai, feeling that one of his co-workers was not that okay with her. Finding out that it was because of Lin's own personal grudge against the Japanese people, she was able to heave a sigh; practically because it's not really with her that he's mad at but with her line.

Shoot. Because of all those files needed to be filed, I'm starting to feel tired and sleepy. Mai let out a yawn. My eyes are getting heavy. She tried hard to fight the weariness that she felt; but failed. She slumped down at the table and fell asleep.

-oOo-

Mai's dream

Mai woke up in a dark, vast nothingness. The darkness of the place frightened her; CRASH! A loud crash startled Mai and made her turn her head around. The crash seemed to be from two big objects colliding. However, she could not find the source of it. The sound echoed in her head but she was having a hard time determining the cause due to the darkness and this irritated her.

"Damn! It's so dark in here. Normally, my dreams would start in darkness and then pictures start to appear but then why is it that I only hear a loud crash in this one?!"

She somewhat felt the urge to know its source. Mai tried to walk around even though everything ahead of her is nothing.

Step. Step. Step. A few more steps. She let out a curse again when darkness started to fade away and saw herself in a place that somehow felt familiar. She wandered around the place, at first walking slowly, then immediately quickened her pace. I knew this place. I mean, I KNOW this place, Mai thought. From afar, she heard the loud wailing of the ambulance. She ran toward it and then she saw a large crowd having a fuss over something. "Maybe there has been an accident over here. With this large crowd and the ambulance, there must be an accident," she observed. She tried to pryabout the commotion; still having the thought that the scenario seemed to be very familiar to her. "I think I've seen this incident", she mused. Mai had successfully able to go nearer to the accident. "Yes. I was indeed right. There was an accident here." There was a nagging feeling of familiarity in what she was seeing.

"No one's going to get out alive from there." a tall man beside her commented.

"Sure thing. The car seemed to be smashed by a gigantic hammer. Look at the hood of the car, it was shattered." another guy who looked like a punk responded.

"And also the way the windshield was cracked. There seems to be blood splattered across it. I may say that it was the driver's head's impact against the windshield that caused it," the other guy replied.

"Yeah. Whoever was inside it should be dead," the punk guy concluded.

Hearing this, a chill ran down Mai's spine. The two guys had continued their conversation and she realized that their exchange of thoughts was getting a little bit out of hand. She could not take another comment from those two guys so she moved away from them. Well, also to have a better view of the accident.

Mai was almost in the first line of the crowd and from where she stood, she could actually observe what had just occurred in the place. Three people wearing white coats were busy recovering the body from the wrecked car. They're the medical staff, I suppose, she pondered. She could not see the man's face (and now she was sure that the driver was a man) because one of the medical staff was covering it by his body. Nonetheless, she was sure that it was okay because she believed that she could not take it if she would see the man's state, accompanied that she still remembered the conversation of the two guys earlier. Nevertheless, she still stayed to pry. AND, there was still this feeling that she would finally realize where and when she had seen this accident before.

Police were also in the scene, Mai thought. "Of course, they would be here. There has been an accident!" she brood over. The police were gathering information from the witnesses. Being with a large and noisy crowd, she could hardly hear what the witnesses were trying to say. Luckily, Mai was near them so, at least, she could still hear their conversation, only faint.

"Maybe if I concentrate I could hear their dialogue. It's my dream after all." She contemplated.

"I was in our backyard sweeping the floor when I heard this loud crash. I immediately ran to the front gate and saw that car slammed on that post. I was so afraid and I didn't know what to do. But then I realized that I have to ask for help. I was the one who called the hospital", muttered a stout woman holding a broom in her hands.

She is still shaking. She was really that scared. I wonder if the loud crash she was talking about was also the loud crash that I heard before. No. Maybe this was it, Mai thought.

"Do you know who this man is? If you have any idea, could you please inform us?", asked the police officer.

"Yes sir. In fact, he was my former co-worker. He was actually a good friend of mine. I can't remember his age but I think he's about in his late 30s. He has a family and for now, I'm really much concerned about his daughter."

"Why? Does he have no wife?"

"Actually sir, she only had one daughter, perhaps around the age of three. And the mother is currently in the hospital because of illness. It was this friend of mine who acts as both parents to their only child."

Mai was actually getting at some realizations but she just let it slip past her mind. She knew this. She already knew this but she was just not sure. However, someone was talking in her mind making her believe that what she realized was indeed the truth.

"No". This was just the last word she had uttered. The woman and the officer continued to talk but she hardly hear them. Her ears were suddenly shut down from the world. She didn't want to believe what was happening. She wanted to repress her realizations but it just couldn't be done. Same circumstances. Same events. Same incident. And the FACTS. The facts were almost the same with hers. No. It WAS the same indeed. She wanted to run but she couldn't drag her feet. She wanted to get out of there but her feet weren't helping her. She tried to focus and...

"Poor Mr. Taniyama-san!"

...and it finally dawned on her. The name hit her hard. The accident wasn't just familiar. It wasn't just too familiar. Her realizations seemed like it smacked her in the face. This wasn't just the same. It was actually hers. She was standing right at the place where her father had his accident and left her and her mother in such grief. She was too young when the accident happened and hardly remembered how she lost her beloved father.

Mai wanted to forget that incident and she was successful in doing so but this stupid dream of hers just reminded her how she was deprived of a father. She just hoped that the next time she dreamed, it would not be about her mother's death or else she couldn't fathom it anymore.

Mai was so deep in her thoughts that she did not realize that droplets of water started to trickle. Was it rain? Or was it just her tears that kept flowing from her eyes?

"No", she thought. It was both.

Then she heard the whistling of a kettle.

-oOo-

End of Chapter 1

A/n: Uhmmm... was that okay? Was it a little bit OOC? Please let me know by reviewing, everyone! Thanks! A review would be greatly appreciated!