Disclaimer: I do not own ghost hunt! I'm only a fan trying to show the extent of my veneration!
Prologue
Sigh.
I rested my chin on my palm and stared at the window. It has been an hour since everyone left the base to do their tasks and I was left to keep an eye on things.
Sigh.
Naru knows how inefficient I am in doing the "stay-in-the-base" duty but he still gives me this task every time he gets an opportunity. I'm pretty sure he gives me this duty just to annoy me.
Sigh.
How many times have I sighed in the past minute?
Sig—'Stop! I will not sigh anymore!' Firming my resolve not to sigh, I straightened my back and watched as the setting sun turned everything outside orange. It was around this time of the day when I was summoned to the school's office because of a phone call three months ago...
3 months ago…
"Taniyama Mai of class 2C." A cackle could be heard in the background as the announcer continued, "please report to the principal's office."
"Ooooh. Interesting." Matsumoto Reika looked at me and gave me a playful smile. "A love call from the office?" She asked, raising her eyebrow suggestively.
"Mai has a boyfriend ~~~" Keiko sang.
I blushed. It was not that I was expecting a love call but the fact that they considered it a love call was making me blush."It's not a love call!" Unfortunately, my indignant statement only fell to deaf ears. Keiko kept on singing, Rei started dancing to Keiko's song and Michiru started laughing.
"Harummmph." I huffed and left the room blushing. As I reached the office, I approached Fujiwara-san, the elderly male staff, and said "Excuse me sir. I'm Taniyama. I was paged to come here."
"You have a phone call." Fujiwara-san smiled kindly at me.
I smiled at the kind man as I took the phone's receiver and placed it against my ear. "Hello? This is Taniyama speaking."
"Mai."
"Naru." My heart beat sped up as my brain identified the owner of the voice. The voice was deep, cool, beautiful…
"Yes, I know who I am."
… and irritatingly arrogant.
I clenched my teeth. No doubt this is Naru. It has been 8 months since I last heard from him and lot has changed in those months. I huffed at the receiver, hoping that my irritation on his arrogance will reach the person on the other line. But my irritation was replaced by happiness as memories of the times when I worked with everyone at SPR came to my mind. "It's been a while since I heard from you. Are you going to visit Japan?"
"I am in Japan." He said it in a very calm, disinterested manner which made the shocking news more shocking. "I am reopening SPR."
I stayed quiet since I have nothing to say. Everything around me seemed to move in slow motion as my brain processed the I-am-in-Japan-and-reopening-SPR news.
"I would like to hire you as a junior investigator."
That statement startled me. "You're hiring me as a junior investigator?"
Naru sighed on the other line and said "You just repeated what I just said, Mai" in a tone that implies that he thinks I'm stupid.
'Why that-' My eyes narrowed in irritation. "We'll sorry for being shocked. I don't hear from you for almost half a year and then you suddenly call my school to hire me. It's sooo not shocking." I replied to him heatedly.
My friends said that my tongue became sharper since I started working at SPR. Apparently, Naru's teasing and rude comments are the reasons behind it.
"Is that a no?"
"NO!" I screamed on the phone. "I'd love to work with the others again. I'll take the job Naru."
"Good. Be at the office at 8 in the morning tomorrow."
"Wait!" I exclaimed before he ends the call unceremoniously.
"What?"
"I can't come at eight. I have classes and I don't want to skip it."
"You finally realized the disadvantages of being stupid."
"You-"
"Fine. Be at the office at 5 in the afternoon." And with that he ended the call.
I glared at the phone's receiver as if it was the one who offended me. It's the first time we talked since he went back to England and the first thing he did was insult me (well he insulted me after he rehired me). Such a warm, likable person.
NOT.
I sighed. How did I mistake Gene for Naru? Gene was kind, understanding and has a good personality; Naru's complete opposite. I really must be as stupid as Naru says.
Ahhhhhh…
Thinking about me being stupid is a depressing thought so I stopped those train of thoughts. I stared at the school yard bathed in orange light and I can't help but smile.
Finally, I'm coming home.
That single phone call led to me sitting alone at our base in this haunted sports complex. I looked at the clock. It has been 1 hour and 30 minutes since everyone left. Everything is silent and it is making me… sleepy.
"I don't pay you to sleep."
My sleepy eyes snapped open and saw a pair of deep blue eyes staring at me condescendingly. I laughed uneasily. "Oops."
He turned his back at me, telling me that I have been dismissed.
Or so I thought.
"Mai-"
"Tea." I said, finishing his sentence. I walked towards make shift kitchen in our base. Seriously, I'm starting to think that Naru has a steel bladder. I mean, drinking a lot of tea means that you are taking in a lot of water. And taking in a lot of water will lead to frequent bathroom breaks which I rarely see Naru do. 'Gene, how out of this world is your brother?'
"You have no idea."
I stopped in my tracks.
This is not good. I'm starting to hear things. I haven't dreamt of Gene (or any paranormal related dreams) ever since his body was found. I think he finally moved on. I miss Gene so much but I think that it would be best I don't dream of him again because it would mean he is finally contented and resting wherever spirits go when they are dead.
I closed my eyes, took a calming breath, and repeated the mantra 'it's just my imagination' in my head. When I opened my eyes, I already convinced myself that everything was just the result of my overactive imagination so I proceeded on making Naru his precious cup of tea…
Suddenly the lights flickered and died.
The temperature inside the room dropped.
'Why does it always happen to me?' One would think that after all the ghost attacks that I experienced in this line of work, I would have become immune to the fright and be bored enough to say "is that all you got? I've seen that before" to the ghost. But no. Somehow each ghost we encounter has their own scare tactics. Different haunting techniques but always the same victim… Me.
I heard scratching sounds on my right. However, the sounds were thinner, more piercing; almost like a shriek.
Eeek.
A pause.
'Is it over?' I wondered.
Eeek.
Eeek.
Each sound is making my heart beat faster. The slow progression of this fright episode is driving me crazy.
Eeek.
I felt a hand on my arm.
"No no no no. please. Don't hurt me" I whimpered. No ghost has ever heard my pleas before but it's always worth a try.
"Relax Mai. It's me."
I let out a shaky breath. If I wasn't so scared, I would have scolded Naru for almost giving me a heart attack.
Eeek. Eeek. Eeek.
'I don't want to die.' I wanted to run but the force on my arm is not allowing me. I'm feeling so much terror. I'm being hunted… Like I'm a prey running from the predator. 'I don't want to die.' Where did that thought come from? The only thing the ghost has done is to make that slow, nerve-wracking shrill sound which is harmless but every fiber of my being is telling me to flee.
Eeek.
Eeek.
Then everything went silent. I stared at the place where the sound came from. I'm not expecting to see anything because it's still dark, but somehow when you are in danger you always look in the place where you feel the threat is coming from.
I felt Naru's grip on my elbow tighten. I was about to ask him something when I saw something.
A flicker of light.
'Run!' my mind screamed. But I stayed glued in my spot.
The light started to take form and then it shot out towards me. I fell back when the object hit my chest. It was hard and kind of heavy.
"Mai are you alright?" I heard Naru ask.
"Yeah. I just fell back. Something was thrown at me." I sat up and the lights came back on.
I screamed.
On my lap, the hollow eyes of a disfigured and decomposed head stared at me. I kept on screaming as I pushed the head off my lap.
"Mai stop screaming." Naru said coolly as he moved the head out from my sight.
I stopped screaming as Naru ordered and started taking deep breaths.
Naru was helping me get on my feet when the others arrived.
"Wha—". Bou-san cursed.
The others gasped.
'Everyone's here. I'm safe now.' I thought trying to calm myself but failing. I would have collapsed on my knees if it wasn't for Naru who was holding me up with his tight grip on my elbow.
"Matsuzaki-san, take Mai." Naru ordered to Ayako.
"Come on. Let's get out of here." Ayako said to me, leading to me the door.
"This is getting more dangerous." I heard Lin say.
"It surely gave us one heck of a warning." Bou-san said, reading the message that was carved on the kitchen wall. "The hunting begins."
And so, the hunting begins.
Author's Note:
For those of you who are confused in the setting of my story... Dormant generally follows the events that occurred in the last Akuryō Series novel I don't mind Evil Spirits! 2. The sequel Ghost Hunt (White Heart?) Series confirmed that Naru returned to Japan to reopen SPR because "Japan has a lot of supernatural activity". (He really is a mad scientist.) In the sequel, Naru returned two months after Gene's funeral. However, I made Naru return after 8 months for my own selfish and personal reasons. Just kidding, I did that to make the flow of my plot more realistic and consistent. Hopefully everything will be less confusing as the Dormant progresses.
This is my first attempt to write and publish a fan fiction. :D I tried to follow Ono Fuyumi sensei's (am I addressing her correctly?) writing style so that my story would give the same feel as the original ghost hunt novels. Since I am not a professional, I am pretty sure that I will commit mistakes and inconsistencies along the way. I will be thankful if you point it out.
Reviews and criticisms are definitely welcome just don't write profanities. But if you really can't help it because not using profanities will lessen the impact of your reviews, just sensor it (e.g. S !t!). Thanks. :)