A/N: Here it is!! I was so happy about how many reviews there were that I posted WAAAAAAY earlier than I was going to. So You should learn from that and review more often ;). Anyway, I have two OC's that are introduced in this chapter. One is English and the other Japanese, you'll be able to tell which is wich. But just so you don't get confused, they're my characters, I created them, they are not in any part of the anime/manga. OK?
Alright so I'm bringing in other characters in this chapter. Mai gets funnier here I hope. Gene gets sweeter. Naru gets...more like Naru. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own- (oh wait, I don't have the money to be sued right now) I DON'T own Ghost Hunt.
Chapter 2: A is for Acquaintances
Mai blinked and then her jaw dropped open. She wasn't dreaming or dead or insane.
She really was in England, and she really was in the presence of nearly thirteen potential psychics and Gene who was babbling on in her ear about how exciting the first case is and how great she would do.
"Gene, shut up." she dead-panned.
Sure, 24 hours ago when a hot English guy had offered to bring her to his parents head-quarters and give her ridiculous amounts of money to exorcise ghosts she'd barely batted an eye. Now...she wasn't so sure.
Gene had led her through London to his parents office building (which was huge FYI) and sat her down in a waiting room with others, like herself, who were going to be tested for abilities. With this test SPR would select seven new Investigators to form a new team to handle their most dangerous and exotic cases.
Like a super-ghost hunting squad.
Apparently Gene had spent the last year recruiting for this very purpose.
'Gene, you're an idiot.' Naru thought persuasively.
Gene only laughed, 'Seriously? Why are you-'
'Because, an entire year and the best psychic researchers you could gather are...these people?'
Gene looked around the room.
'They aren't that... Oh wait, never mind. We'll just have to see how this works out.' Gene agreed.
"Hi sweetie? What are you doing here?" a tall and slightly handsome man asked her.
Mai cringed away from him, partly because he looked like a washed out hippie and partly because a very angry-looking Miko was closing in on him fast.
"Takigawa!" the red-haired woman screeched. "Give me back my nail file!"
The man glanced at her belatedly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yes you do!" she yelled, practically choking him before Gene intervened.
"Uh-okay guys, seriously we're all friends here. Calm down. Now, Houshou, did you take Miss Ayako's nail file?" Gene questioned him, expertly avoiding conflict.
Takigawa shrugged. "The old lady started it."
And by that point there was nothing Gene could do to help the situation. Ayako strangled Takigawa, Gene scrambled out of their way, Mai rolled up in her chair, while the other psychics watched in bemusement.
Several minutes later Ayako stood over Takigawa's prone figure, a nail file, triumphantly, in hand. Gene sighed and sat down beside Mai again, but before she could ask him something the door to the waiting room burst open revealing five figures.
An older couple. A tall and dark-looking man. A bubbly woman. But more prominently...Gene, but not Gene.
"That's my twin brother. Oliver Davis." Gene whispered in her ear.
Mai heard him, but for some reason she wasn't listening. Not really listening anyway.
Oliver...Davis.
Oliver Davis.
Mai's jaw fell open.
She'd been rescued from a collapsed building. Plagued by reporters. Flown halfway across the world but nothing could be compared to seeing Oliver Davis for the first time.
Especially since she was almost positive that she knew him from somewhere....she just couldn't remember where.
"Welcome, all of you, to SPR headquarters!" Luella Davis announced, she spoke in Japanese because all of the occupants understood that language if not English. "My husband Martin and I are the proud founders of Shibuya Psychic Research and we've been looking forward to this project for awhile."
Curiously she scanned the room for any further reactions. The group had settled in to the seats along the far wall. Nine of them, if you counted Gene. Luella smiled, Gene was seated rather closely to a pretty young girl.
"Mai Taniyama." Madoka whispered in to Luella's ear, as if she had read her mind.
'Mai Taniyama...' Luella thought. 'That sounds familiar.'
She brushed it off and continued.
"For the next two weeks all eight of you will participate in solving a paranormal case for SPR. You will be assisted by my sons, Oliver and Eugene, as well as two of our own researchers, Lin Koujo and Madoka Mori." Luella conveyed, "You're performance in the case will provide SPR with enough information to keep or drop you from our new research team. If you pass, you pass, if you fail, you fail. There will be no retakes or second chances. Also it will be fair to warn all of you, this isn't a game. Paranormal research is serious and dangerous, any injuries are not SPR's responsibility until you are a member. On that note, good luck!"
As Martin and Luella turned to leave they shut the doors on the waiting room and its occupants.
"Let the trials begin." Martin chuckled as he squeezed Luella's arm.
"Yes." Luella said, "But first, does the name Taniyama sound familiar to you?"
Mai stared after Luella Davis with envy. If only she could leave this chaos behind...
Instead she was faced with the bubbly woman, so named 'Madoka Mori', trying to control the havoc that was Takigawa and Ayako.
"Stop! This instant!" Madoka shrieked.
"He started it." Ayako huffed as Takigawa lunged forward attempting to retrieve his shoe from her hand.
"Give it back you filthy old hag!"
"Stop." one word and there was silence. One word so devastatingly cold that Mai shivered, especially when its owner threw her a casual glance.
"Thank you Oliver, you can take it from here." Madoka resigned, seating herself beside the man named Lin in an attempt to relax.
"If you wish to create chaos I will ask you to leave, otherwise we're conducting business." Oliver said icily. "Can each of you introduce yourselves civilly and explain what it is you can do?"
Ayako nodded, slightly baffled by this boy's commandeering aura. "I am Ayako Matsuzaki, a Miko, I work mostly with tree spirits."
Oliver nodded.
'Oliver.' Mai thought, 'He doesn't look like an Oliver.'
"Houshou Takigawa, a Monk and musician." Takigawa smirked.
'Oliver...Oliver.' Mai thought crisply. 'Nope, he still doesn't seem like an Oliver.'
A slightly baffled young man stepped forward, ruffled blonde hair sitting atop his head. "I'm John Brown, a priest, its nice to meet you all." he smiled.
"Masako Hara." one young girl replied.
Oliver raised his eyebrows at her but she didn't add to her name. He gave her one more slightly unnerving look.
"You should know me, I'm quite famous." she said eventually. Mai felt her insides bristling.
'What a diva!' she thought, and then returned to the subject at hand, 'No, nope, he's still not an Oliver.'
"Yasuhara Osamu!" a bright young man said, stepping forward, "I'm a ghost hunter, I solved a case at my school that got...out of hand. But I'm sure SPR could have handled it better, this place is amazing I-"
Oliver shushed him.
Mai groaned, 'Seriously! What can I call him if not Oliver Davis?'
"Eric Jilson, a latent psychic at your service." Mai looked up and blushed, he'd winked at her.
Just one more girl sat in a corner at the end of the room. One more girl and Mai, herself, had yet to be introduced.
"H-Hanako Haru," the girl spoke up, her young-porcelain face meeting Oliver's, "A m-medium."
Gene elbowed Mai who cursed, ready to retaliate. Instead she found a dozen eyes all boring in to her face. She blushed as Oliver gave her a spectacularly frightening glare.
"Mai Taniyama," she said simply. She wasn't a psychic, she was barely a teenager. She hadn't even blossomed yet!
Naru raised his eyebrows at her but she stared on back, equally persistent.
"She's a latent psychic." Gene spoke up for her. She glared at him, traitor.
"I see, plain and stupid, how boring." Oliver sneered, "Completely out of my league."
Mai's eyes widened. Instead of appearing angry, like Oliver had planned, she appeared relieved.
She practically jumped from her chair a hand pointed straight at Oliver's face. Triumphant she exclaimed, "That's it! From now on you're Naru for Narcissist!"
Oliver/Naru blinked, and there was a long pause where no one said anything at all. Unable to respond.
Then they promptly fell in to fits of laughter.
'Well how do you like that Naru.' Gene thought sardonically.
'Shut up.'
Eric Jilson was tall, toned and unnervingly handsome. Short brown hair, bluish green eyes and a finely chiseled chin. He seemed perfect, god-like. Nothing like Naru, but close.
So Mai couldn't understand why he was talking, let alone, hitting on her.
"We're both latent psychics huh? Well, can you see me in your future?" Eric smiled, practically shoving his perfectly straight white teeth in her face.
Disgusted Mai crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
"No, I'm not psychic, now move please." she bit out politely.
"In denial I see." Eric said, patting after her like a dog.
"No, I'm not psychic, its all a mistake." Mai explained.
Once again Eric shoved his face too close to hers, "Really?"
But this time Takigawa pulled him away by the scruff of the neck.
"Sorry Jilson," he said without an ounce of sympathy. "Hey Mai, why don't you come join the rest of us?"
Mai looked at him and then smiled, "Sure, absolutely."
Without a single hesitation she brushed past Eric and joined the small group by the back corner namely, Takigawa, Ayako, John and Masako.
The four already appeared to be on good terms, at least Takigawa and Ayako weren't at each other's throats at the moment.
"Hello Ms. Taniyama." the priest so-named John greeted her.
"Hi John, its nice to meet you. Oh, and call me Mai, please." she smiled, shaking his hand formally.
"You're the girl Gene brought in personally." Ayako bit out rudely. "What is you can do exactly?"
"P-Personally?" Mai stuttered, ignoring Ayako's question, "Didn't he bring you guys here too?"
Ayako shook her head and pointed a finger at her chest, "No, he traveled around, saw each of us at work, but he talked and brought you here personally. You must be pretty special."
Mai didn't miss the Miko's wry smile as she said this. "Are you....jealous?"
Suddenly Ayako's skin matched her hair, she blushed so fiercely that Mai was certain she was right. The older woman had a crush on the Davis twins most likely. Honestly Mai couldn't blame her, they were handsome...
"Why you little-" Ayako retaliated, but Takigawa pulled Mai in to his chest. He hugged her so tightly that she wasn't sure she could breathe.
"Oh, Mai is the mean old lady scaring you! Don't worry big brother Takigawa is here!" he announced, practically squeezing the life out of her.
"Big brother?" Mai managed to squeak as Takigawa continued to choke her.
Her vision went blurry and the ringing in her ears heightened. She didn't think that Takigawa understood his own strength let alone how fragile she was.
"Let her go."
Mai saw the floor rushing up to meet her, but before it could strong arms lifted her up with as much gentility as a cloud.
"Naru?" she asked, pulling away from his grasp. "What's the matter?"
The boy narrowed his eyes at her, suspiciously wondering what gave her the right to be so informal with him.
She smiled at him innocently "Sorry, this is the first time we've really talked huh? I'm Mai."
He looked down at her hand that she'd held out to him.
Without shaking it he addressed the rest of the group. "We will be leaving SPR in an hour so pack your things and be prepared for our case."
He didn't need to look at Mai to see the shocked expression on her face. He had, of course, just completely ignored her.
"Sorry about that." Takigawa whispered playfully in to her ear, Mai only smiled in return so that he'd know it was alright.
"So Naru where is our first case? A haunted mansion, an exotic resort, an old school house...?" Takigawa led off.
Naru didn't bother answering, instead he began to walk away and was saved the trouble of explaining by Gene who took that moment to jump in.
"Actually its a hotel called Adventure Suites, its not too far from here." he supplied.
"Adventure Suites." Ayako scorned, "It hardly sounds haunted."
To that Gene could only smile. "Oh it is, and its quite old, it just has a specialty that's, shall we say...different?"
Mai looked from Gene to Naru to Takigawa. Only one of whom seemed especially surprised at the moment. In fact Gene and Naru seemed amused if anything.
They were outside of Adventure Suites and...Mai couldn't even begin to explain her confusion.
It didn't look like a hotel. It looked like ten different buildings that were uncomfortably scrunched together. Each building had a sign hung out front.
The ones Mai could see read Firehouse, Blacksmith, Schoolhouse...etc.
And each building looked like its former name.
"This is...." Ayako couldn't finish, she dropped her suitcase on the ground, "Seriously?"
Yasuhara walked up behind Mai, leaning on her shoulder comfortably like they were old friends.
"Wow, an RPG hotel. This should be fun." he said with a smile.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! I pressed the green button and its so much fun! You should to! And review while you're at it :)
-Ciao
