DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ghost Hunt.

One, two, three... One, two, three...

I clamped my mouth shut, forcing my fist against my mouth.

One, two, three... One, two, three...

The girl's steps reverberated across the school's halls, her footsteps a soft thud against the cemented ground. A giggle escaped from her lips as she went further down the corridor, a trail of malevolence licking against the door I was leaning at.

The school bell rang: it was already nine in the evening. It was too late. This was the worst decision I've ever made.

My laboured breaths were loud against my ears, and my heart erratic against my chest. I can't be seen, I can't be seen. I felt her presence slowly disappearing, her eerie counting slowly fading towards the distance.

Then the deafening silence exploded in my ears. My eyes scanned the room with anxiety.

I've plastered myself against the corners of a classroom for an hour already, never once having any intention to move – to breathe, but it's impossible to stop breathing, is it not? But this situation was something I did not deserve. The more I held my breath, the more I longed to breathe. But the moment I even breathe, my anxiety kicks in. What if I exhaled loudly? What if she heard it?

The thought made my knees quiver beneath me, threatening to betray my bearing. I can't take this anymore. I wanted to peek from my hiding place. I wanted to go home.

I silently slid the door of the room, slowly lifting my head and checking if the area was clear. When I saw that no one is around, relief suddenly flooded my system – its warmth spreading everywhere in my body like wildfire.

Four, five, six... One, two, three... Four, five, six...

Her breath was cold against my ear; her chin resting on my shoulders, a firm grip on my head. She was leaning against me, her weight threatening my body to topple over, and her hair swaying against my arms. My knees gave away, and I slowly looked up – the regret palpable on my features as I stare at my reflection in her eyes; her eyes were stained with crimson red, and my reflection was turning into a nightmare.

Four, five, six... Seven, eight, nine...

An eerie, crooked smile forced its way on her features, yet resulted to her jaw dangling from her mouth. It was dangling not too far from my chest, her tongue emitting liquid that slithered towards my clothes. My body shook so hard, but I was able to scramble out from my position. Run, far away! Far away from this place! But it felt so heavy, as if I was dragging my own two feet.

I passed by the school's main hallway, my steps resounding everywhere, my breath loud and haggard. Heavy, heavy...! I passed by the school's trophy cabinet – pictures looking dull and gray, eyes seeming to follow me wherever I go. Then suddenly, I stopped. My will lost to the scene I see before me.

I could not stop the repeated sound of her counting – forever embedded in my mind as my eyes widened with horror when the trophy case's glass showed me the impending doom I was desperately denying. One, two, three... She was sitting on my shoulders, her hands grasping my head like claws, her feet wrapped around my neck like coils. Four, five, six... I tried to shove my shoulders, but it was freezing cold. I was freezing cold. Seven, Eight, nine... I looked up and saw her already leaning towards me, her nose barely a touch against my forehead, her eyes aligned with mine.

Ten.

A scream was heard that night, and it echoed through Mai's mind. Mai, it's time.

A strong force woke Mai from her unintentional slumber as she felt a large hand tightly gripping her arm and shoving her backward.

"What do you think you're doing, young lady?!"

Mai's eyes fluttered open, her face turning red as she gaped at the scene she created. She was pulled inches away from being incinerated by a passing train, just because she suddenly fell asleep while standing and had attempted to lean forward.

The hand gripping her arm loosened and she turned around to see Houshou wiping off the sweat that has covered his features, clearly relieved from the almost-accident. Mai jumped from her position and repeatedly bowed at him, while Houshou waved his hands in an attempt to stop her as people were looking at their direction.

"I'm so, so, so sorry!" Then she looked at him and scratched the back of her head as a sheepish smile crept on her face. Houshou only gave her an exasperated sigh.

The station had been crowded as the train took its stop. The sun had slightly tipped over the horizon, painting the town a dull orange hue. Noticing the darkness that had crept at the far side of the horizon, Houshou shifted his guitar case over his shoulder as he lightly hit Mai's head with his fist. Mai winced at the sudden gesture, but smiled inwardly as Houshou gestured for her to follow.

"Let's go, Mai."

Mai eagerly nodded in response.

"….That's what I've been saying. The school is cursed!"

Mai and Houshou had just arrived at their destination when they could hear a booming voice inside the SPR's office. Looking at one another in confusion, Mai reached for the knob and slowly turned it. She poked her head inside the room and was about to say her usual greetings when she noticed an elderly couple sitting on the couch, sobbing in front of Naru, who was clearly taking their crying indifferently. Immediately, Mai swung the door wide open, surprising everybody with the expression she had on her face.

Naru was almost close to snapping at the clients in front of him, but he kept his emotions in check. The couple had been in hysteria for quite some time now, and his attempts of calming them were futile. The tea he had ordered Lin to make has also gone cold, which irked him more as the couple made no attempts of drinking it. His eyes roamed the room, from the elderly couple to Lin, who was bent over his laptop, until his eyes landed on the wall clock. 5:30 pm. Naru's brows twitched as he thought of a certain someone who was late from work. And as if being summoned, Mai suddenly barged inside the room, an annoyed expression on her face. Houshou emerged from behind her and gave a tiny wave before Mai stomped her way towards Naru.

"Naru! What have you done this time?!"

Naru scowled at her. "And you dare come to work late?"

But Mai was immune to the scowl Naru threw at her. Ignoring his retort, she went towards the elderly couple with a gentle smile on her face. Houshou, on the other hand, silently stood beside Lin as he observed the scene before him.

"Hi, my name is Mai Taniyama. I'm the assistant researcher here. I sincerely apologize for being late. What seems to be the problem?"

Mai's smile seemed to have triggered a distant memory seeing as the elderly woman suddenly began to sob more severely than before. Her husband, who was gently patting his wife's back, sadly smiled at Mai.

"S-she used t-to have a…a… great s-smile like…t-that." The woman sobbed intensely. Mai reached for the tea on top the table, but noticing that it had gone cold, she placed it back with a sigh.

"She?"

The husband looked at Mai with glazed eyes. "Our daughter had been missing since the day before yesterday. And we went here because we wished that you could-"

"It's best that you coordinate with the police. We are not a detective agency, nor are we an office responsible for missing persons." Naru said as a matter of fact. Mai glared at him as the woman sobbed once more.

"With all due respect," the husband began to spoke. "we already contacted with the local police, as well as coordinated with the school admin. However, there-"

"She's been cursed! That school is cursed! I know it! I know it! She wanted to go. I was apprehensive, but I didn't stop her. Now she's…she's…she's gone!"

Everyone in the room fell silent as an eerie feeling crept inside Mai's heart. It was Houshou who broke the silence that seemed to stretch forever.

"How come you are certain that the disappearance of your daughter is related to the…supernatural?"

The husband looked really tired and sad, Mai noted as she noticed the lines under his eyes and the way he stopped his eyes from forming tears.

"My daughter, as part of her bucket list, went to an old public school with a couple of her friends and tried to look for ghosts. Personally, I was against her idea, but graduation was just around the corner and she begged us to let her do it, saying that she had been obedient to our demands. Of course, I reluctantly agreed.

"I don't know what happened to them while they were at that school, but around eight thirty in the evening, some of her friends came running to our home and said that she was missing and that something was wrong. So I went and talked to the police and was accompanied to the old school. I did not know what to feel, but a strange sensation kept tugging my heart, like a dreadful premonition.

"When we arrived there, no one was inside. Yet we saw loads of blood being painted on the walls and the ground, especially on the one of the corridors. But there was no sign of my daughter."

The husband's voice cracked at the end of his sentence, and Mai felt her heart being wrung dry. She glowered at Naru, who was still indifferent about everything yet was listening intently. The wife was not sobbing as intensely as she was earlier, but her eyes were bloodshot.

"I've dreamt of my daughter's voice last night. She was crying and looking for me. Then she suddenly counted, and when I tried to reach out to her, her voice became distant until it faded away." The wife shuddered, her eyes glazing.

"Counted?" Houshou placed a finger around his chin. "Like a countdown?"

The wife shook her head. "She was counting from one to ten."

"One to ten?" Mai pondered. Where had she heard that before? One to ten. One to ten. Mai was staring at the couple, but there were black borders around her vision. The scene before her suddenly went out of focus until the elderly couple faded to black. She was staring at nothing but pure darkness. She can even no longer hear what Houshou was talking, nor could she hear the sound of Lin's typing.

One, two, three…. One, two, three….

Naru was firm on his decision that they seek help from the police, or even local authorities. While listening intently to the husband's story, there was no evidence that something supernatural happened. This was not unusual here in the office; people going in and telling them something that they think is supernatural. But his stupid assistant insists to listen to them anyway, which for him was a total waste of time.

He looked at the wife, who was crying her heart out in his office, and the image of his mother crying over Gene's death suddenly took over his mind. It took a lot of his will to push the image back into his sub-consciousness, him being rational winning over his emotions. It was not the proper time for him to think about that, nor the time for him to be emotional. His eyes went back to his assistant who was frozen on the spot. Naru saw her looking at the old couple intently, but her eyes were unfocused. As if she was looking at them but, at the same time, not.

"Mai, stop staring at the guests like that."

Mai jerked from her position, her mouth agape. "Hana. Oozaki Hana." The couple stared intently at her, shock palpable in their features.

"How did you know our daughter's name?"

But it was not only them who were surprised. Lin stopped whatever he was doing; Naru just stared at her, while Houshou made a huge grin.

"So I guess we are taking the case, huh?" Houshou elbowed Lin, in which the latter made a tired sigh.

Mai stretched her arms as far as she could after their class; her body making clicking noises was a sign of relief after hours of sitting. After a few seconds of stretching and yawning, she immediately gathered her things and stuffed them inside her bag when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Mai! You got a minute?" Michiru, one of Mai's bestfriends, handed her a flyer. Mai, who was in the process of standing up, slumped back into her seat as she took the flyer and read it with her eyes.

"An invitation for a girl's night out: sleep over and group study?" Mai asked. Michiru nodded fervently.

"Isn't it great? Some of the girls in our class felt the need to have a small get together before we graduate a few weeks from now. Are you up for it?"

Mai's face lit up as she reread the flyer over again, but then her face fell when she read the details on the lower half.

"T-tonight?"

"You're not available?" Michiru sounded hurt, and Mai, too, was sorry. Michiru looked like she was about to cry, so Mai patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Remember the case I told you about? We would start investigating it tonight."

"Sheesh," Michiru pouted. "I wish Shibuya would just give you a break! We're also graduating, and you need to study hard for it. You being absent in class too often is just unfortunate, you know?"

Mai gave her friend a sheepish grin. "I know, I know."

"Mai! Michiru! Have you guys heard of the sleep-over?" Keiko, one of Mai's best friends, exclaimed as she lightly bumped into Michiru, who frowned at her.

"Keiko! Where have you been? I was looking all over for you!"

Keiko gave Michiru a sly smile, which earned her a sigh from her friend.

"Never mind that, are you guys coming?"

"I am, but Mai won't be. You know, her job." Michiru gave an emphasis on the word job as she playfully rolled her eyes. Mai pouted at her while Keiko gave a mischievous grin.

"Really, Mai? I never thought of you as a workaholic. Or is there another reason for you to be so fixated with your work?" Keiko snickered, lightly elbowing Michiru who was also grinning.

Mai cocked her head to the side, clearly processing the implication hidden behind her friend's question, when her face turned bright red after realizing what she really meant.

"Wha-wha-what are you talking about?! It's work! I get paid if I work, mind you! Sheesh."

Michiru and Keiko burst into laughing. "Sorry, sorry. We're just teasing you."

"Besides, it's unrequited." Michiru and Keiko paused as they look at their friend. They had a crestfallen expression on their faces, but Mai's expression was calm as she looked towards the scenery just outside their window; the sun casting a glow upon her features, making her look more mature. A soft breeze passed by their room, gently flipping Mai's hair around face as she turned to look at them. "What?"

Mai's best friends looked at her intently before looking at each other, then looked at Mai once more. Simultaneously, they both gave her a relieved smile.

"You've changed." Michiru said softly.

"A bit mature, yes." Keiko huffed.

Mai raised a brow. "Seriously?"

Their laughter was interrupted by Mai's vibrating phone. Mai tried to ignore it, but it just won't stop. In annoyance, Mai picked the phone up as she placed her phone near her ear.

"This is Mai spea-"

"HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO STA-" And the line went dead. Or rather, Mai ended the call briskly, her ears stinging from the sudden burst of sound waves. Her friends looked over her, clearly trying to bite off a laugh that was threatening to come out.

"I guess I need to go then…" Mai said sheepishly.

"I take back what I said, you've clearly not matured. At all." Keiko nodded at Michiru in self-agreement as they saw Mai ran towards the exit with a baffled expression. Michiru just giggled.

"That girl! How dare she put me down when I was still in the middle of talking!" Ayako stuffed her phone inside her pocket as she angrily sat down the couch.

"Now, now, Ayako. Mai's going to arrive here shortly. Let's just review the case, for now." Houshou passed her a folder, which she took indifferently.

It was already 4 pm, and the SPR office has been quite lively the past few hours: Houshou and Lin had been busy carrying the equipment to the van, John was in and out of the convenience store, Naru had been holed inside his room trying to review his notes for the case, and Ayako was busy calling people and telling them she'd be on leave for a few days.

"So we're tackling on a missing person's case, huh?" John said as he took as sip from the tea Lin served them.

After their preparations, the group had decided to hold a short meeting on the case while they waited for Mai to arrive. They were expected to arrive at the scene around 5 pm, so they had at least fifteen minutes more to spare for a quick run through.

"Yeah, but the mother insists that it was caused by something supernatural, and Mai kind of confirmed it." Houshou leaned back against the couch. Naru had just emerged from his room, carrying with him his usual notebook. He sat on the single couch and reached for the tea prepared in front of his seat, still as silent as ever.

"What do you mean, kind of?" Ayako questioned.

"She suddenly spoke their daughter's name."

"So?" Ayako shifted in her seat.

"They didn't mention their daughter's name at all. If Mai was able to tell her name without knowledge about her, then there might be a possibility that it is related to the paranormal."

"But we cannot rule out the possibility that it is but a usual missing person's case – One that we don't have business with." Naru spoke in a condescending tone as he placed his cup back on the table.

"I've already asked Lin to contact the school administrators, and although reluctant, they gave us full permission to use the venue and everything in it."

The room was silent once more, except for John sipping on his tea. The sound of the wall clock was audible enough to make them anxious, and the silence stretched once more.

"Shibuya station, we've arrived at the Shibuya station. Please watch your step."

The afternoon rush hour was as crowded as ever, with people quickly trying to get off or on the train. It takes will and strength to go against the flow, and that was what Mai was trying to show as she bumped with the people going in the opposite direction.

"Shibuya station, we've arrived at Shibuya station. Please watch your step."

The clock on the station just showed that it was already 4:30 pm, and it takes around 15 to 20 minutes for her to reach SPR. Dread flooded her system, but she shook her head in attempts to keep negative vibes out of her mind. She took a deep breath before exhaling it slowly and proceeded to run towards the stairs.

Hugging her bag, she sashayed her way against the crowd while giving an apology to people she unintentionally crashed against or stepped on. As soon as she was out in the open, she tied her hair up and wiped her face against her sleeves. She was about to begin to dash away when someone caught her attention. She turned to look at the cars stopping at the red light, and saw a familiar person riding on a white car. The person turned to look at her, astonished at the coincidence.

He was on his way home when his phone received an incoming text. Nonchalant of its graveness, he was about to ignore it when his phone vibrated the second time around. Curious, he checked his phone and saw that it was from Lin Koujo. After skimming through the text, he locked his screen and waited for an opportunity to turn his car around, stepping on the gas.

Traffic was not so serious since his ride was smooth sailing. When he reached the subway, he slowed to a stop as the light turned red. He checked his phone and read the details of the text again. Off to his peripheral view, a person was bent over, clearly huffing. Probably running and all, he thought. He continued to read the message when he felt someone looking at him. Returning his gaze to the person on his side, he noticed that it was a girl in high school, and she was looking at him in confusion. His eyes widened in recognition as he called her out, his hands on the process of opening the door to the passenger seat.

"Taniyama Mai!"

Mai was staring intently at the person who suddenly exclaimed her name when her face lit up in recognition. "Mr. Hirota!"

Hirota beckoned her to come over, opening his door widely as Mai leaped inside. She immediately shut the door as cars went pass them, implying that the traffic light had gone green. Some of the cars behind Hirota had started to honk at him, so he stepped on the gas pedal and zoomed away. When they took a sharp turn, Mai leaned exhaustedly against her seat, closing her eyes in relief.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Hirota?"

Hirota shifted his gear as he took another left turn, honking at a group of teenagers skateboarding in the middle of the street. "I'm actually heading to your office. It seems like your team needed my help at something. You're heading there, right?"

"Er, yes, I am. Although I'd be running the whole way if I hadn't found you." Mai gave a sheepish grin.

Hirota's brows shot up. "Really?" He gave a small chuckle. "Buckle up. I may need to violate some laws."

Mai's face dropped. But as soon as she tried to reason out with him, Hirota stepped on the gas hard, and his car whizzed past by many confused civilians. Mai held on to the car's frame as her hands attempted to attach the seatbelt to its latch. She looked outside the window, but everything was too blurry for her to make out something.

"Y-you're supposed to be the protector of the law!" Mai screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I'm not violating the law, Mai." He assured her all the while shifting the gear. "Especially Newton's Law of Acceleration."

A/N:

Welcome, welcome! How was it? So far, so good? Gaaah, I'm so nervous. I hope this chapter entertained you as much as it amused me. I welcome all comments, reviews, and 'not so harsh' criticisms.

I tried to portray Mai 3 years after. Although not much has changed, we could see a subtle improvement in her character. But she's still the goofy Mai we learned to love. By the way, to those who are not familiar with Hirato, he's one of the main characters in Akumu no Sumu Ie.

I believe that's all for today! Happy reading!

Believe in not what you see, but what your mind and heart dictates. For reality can be seen not in the eyes but in the way how you view life.