That morning Mai woke up early for her normal sleep schedule, with an extra half an hour on her hands she started to get ready for school. She decided to go fancy today, wearing a blue tee and a jean mine skirt with a short whit sleeveless jacket. She did her hair crimpy that day, feeling this was a day to look good.
Mai suspected that her homeroom teacher's hair was fake. She had been staring at it for the last thirty minuets with on proof, or notes on his lecture. But how could she write notes when there was a good mystery on her hands? She was a paranormal investigator after all.
Instead
of paying attention to the boring history lecture she stared idly out
the window. Wondering when a case was going to come along. She
actually missed
work! How could that be? Mai just summed it up to being bored.
Mai
was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when her teacher's book came
down hard on her desk. "Miss Taniyama! Are you listening!?" her
chubby homeroom teacher asked, angry at her apparent lack of interest
in history. "I'm sorry, what?" she didn't even try to hide
the fact that she was not listening to his lecture. But he suspected
that most of his students didn't- oh, well their loss. He sighed
and clamed down. "You have a phone call in the office" he said
turning his back to her. She grabbed her bag and hurried out the
door.
"Mai, we have a case I need you to come in" naru
said over the phone
Mai's eyebrow creased angrily "I'm at
school I just can't go" she said as if it was obvious- which it
was. Naru sighed. "I don't particularly care,
besides I already told your principle it was of the utmost importance
that you come in and he has already given you the go-ahead"
mai
was very disappointed that naru already talked to the principle. She
sometimes said that the head of the school had not let her leave to
get out of naru's whims'. But now that was impossible. "Fine,
I'll be there in ten minuets" this
is unfair mai
thought, "oh, and Mai?" naru asked, his voices was just above a
whisper. It gave her Goosebumps. "yes, naru?" naru said in the
same whispery voice "don't forget the tea"
-------------o
When
Mai came in to the office that day all heads turned to her- not
because of her bad mood but because of her outfit. Bou-san whistled
in a playful manner and asked "got a hot date tonight Mai?" Mai
glared at him "no. I. do. Not." her voce was tight and agitated.
Bou-san shut up then not wanting to get the shit beat out of him.
John had the most subtle reaction, a small blush and turned his head.
Masako turned her head and didn't even bother with a remark. Mai
was thankful for that even if it was meant to be rude. Ayako walked
in holding a big shopping bag in her hand, which dropped when she saw
Mai. "What are you wearing?!" Ayako yelled at the top of her
lungs. Mai raised an eyebrow and checked her reflection in the glass
of the window. "I call them clothes?" mai said sarcastically.
Ayako franticly ripped threw the big shopping bag for something. "Ah!
I found it!" she exclaimed happily then threw it over to Mai. She
caught it then inspected the cloth." why would I want a jacket?
It's almost 100 degrees out today?" Ayako gasped. "Your clothes
obviously! I can't be a grandmother yet!" Mai blinked "what?"
then placed her hand on her hip "are you saying I'm a tramp?"
masoko scoffed, "are you saying your not?" mai glared at her "why
you little bitc-" she started to say but was cut off by naru
yelling at her "mai tea!" mai threw one last glare at masako
before heading into the kitchen. She boiled the tea, but the chore
only kept her hands busy, her mind on the other hand was left to
think of ways to touchier masako.
-------------o
When mai came in carrying the tea naru almost groaned. 'She just had to pick today to look so tempting' he was a bit annoyed at her for wearing the assemble she had on to day. Any other day it would have been a treat but today was just bad timing for him. It was clear that the men sitting in front of him found mai attractive and this would just make things harder for him having to work and protect mai from hormonal men. This was just not his day.
"Kugen-san this is my assistant Taniyama, mai" naru said coldly, capturing the men's attention. Lin almost laughed; naru could be such a child. "Mai these are the Kugen brothers matsua-san and renje-san" he introduced them gesturing to the handsome men seated across from him. They looked almost identical except matsua had blue eyes and renje had brown eyes. "Pleased to meet you" she smiled pleasantly. She had not failed to notice that they were both extremely handsome. Naru coughed, ignoring the questioning look he got from mai." Renje-san you were saying?" naru asked a bit annoyed. "Oh, right" renje snapped out of his ogling. "At our home recently there have been some strange happenings…" he trailed off.
"Such as?" naru prompted
"Well, it seems silly really, but my mother and our staff have complained of knocking on walls, windows and things of that natcher. Naru seemed un-interested in the case to mai. She just hoped he would not be in such a bad mood when she asked him for time off from work to go to a camping trip for school.
"Also, my brother and father have seen people walking the hallways but when investigated there was no one there. Naru turned to renje
"What do the figures look like?" naru asked. "Oh, no not me our younger brother kyo, he saw them" naru nodded "aside from that things have gone missing and turned up in the oddest places, my mother for example, she was in her room getting ready for bed but when she took off her pearl necklace and when she turned around they were gone. Naru sighed "are you sure your brother did not take them?" the boys nodded 'he wasn't even in the house when they were took' matsua said sounding a bit insulted by the question. "Is there anything else?" naru's interest was growing thin with this case even if it pays well.
"There is something else but of mother thought it best to keep it under wraps for now" matsua said slowly, hanging his head sadly "one of our maids were found dead in kyo's tub, bleed out the doctors said that the wound was self inflicted but ino was such a bright girl there was no way of her doing that to her self… and just a few days ago her body went missing from the Morag and ever sense then the house ahs been in total chaos the maids leavening and there have been more attacks a few have bee sent to the ICU for care" he finished from his morbid tale then looked at naru "please help us" was all he said before they left.
-------------o
The drive out to the clients house was silent as usual, not on any other day had naru or Lin talked in the car so mai was quite used to it by now. She soon found herself dozing off.
--
Gene smiled when mai opened her eyes
"How are you?" he asked, his eye's narrowing. Mai was caught off grad by his question, like there was more behind it than just being polite. "Good?" she asked in the same uncertain tone. Gene smiled then talked her in a bear hug "ge-gene!" she stuttered surprised by his show of affection. He chuckled, "noll is such a dumb-ass If I was alive he'd have absolutely no chance at this game he seems to be playing" the words were simple enough but the context confused her. She pulled back to read his face but he shock his head. "If I tell you anything noll will kill me" gene joked. Then his face suddenly changed, "but if I hit then it's not cheating" he smiled suddenly "I wonder which one of us will win me or him?" he mused." gene, I don't get what your talking about. What game?" he leaned closer to her, their noses touching. "no, no I can't tell you, you have to guess" his cool breath hitting her burning cheeks he smiled mischievously then faded away.
--
"Mai, mai you have to wake up now" Ayako shock her awake. She sat up quickly, startled by her mother-figure. The dream she just had was slightly disturbing or embarrassing, whichever. She hoped out of the car and stretched trying to shake the sleep from her body. All the while un-known to her, she was being watched by deep blue eyes that glinted with amusement.
--
"Mai, this is Mr. and Mrs. Kugen" naru, gestured to the lovely woman in her early forties and a handsome man with graying hair "It's nice to meet you" mai finished with a charming smile, she found it useful to balance out naru's smart-ass remarks and sadists attitude by harmless flattery it surely got them out of a bunch of law-suites that naru would just blow off, clamming them to be 'not worth his time' and she had been asleep for god-knows how long, she couldn't image the kind of damage he must have done by now. She shuttered just thinking about it. Mr. Kugen raised an eyebrow "are you cold" he asked she shook her head "no, I just thought of something…. Scary" she said lamely, Mrs. Kugen coughed, gaining the attention of the group. "Herio, where's our son?" she said almost rudely "which one?" He retorted. Mai almost laughed but naru's hand on her shoulder warned her to keep her mouth shut. "Kyo, our son kyo where is he?" she gritted out angrily. "I'm here mother" a small child-like voice rang out. Just then a small blond faire-haired boy no older than six came trotting down the grand stair case and stopped at the steps to meet his parents. "Ah, there you are Kyo; this is Taniyama-san and Shibuya-san, their doing the investigation." Kyo merely nodded not seeming to interest in this conversation. "Herio, they have more important things to do than talk to children Kyo-chan run along now and go play" Kyo nodded and went out the front door. Mai suddenly wanted to do nothing more than go find Kyo and console him, although he didn't how it she bet anything he felt bad right now, his mother talked to him like she was dismissing a maid or so annoyance rather than her child. The father seemed loving enough but that could be wrong to. "Now" Mrs. Kugen said clapping her hands together. Pulling mai from her thoughts "who wants a tore of the house?"
