Ghost Hunt: Family Ties
Chapter One: SPR
"Naru had this all planned out…"
Yeah! Long chapter 1! Something to keep you occupied if I vanish again :P
Xoxo, Katrina.Izumi09
---
A lone breeze drifted in through the open window and ruffled the hair of the sleeping employee who gave a small snore to indicate she was definitely in her own little dream world. She didn't even stir as the papers on her desk, the papers she had been filing all day, slid onto the ground with a small plup. The office door labeled 'Kazuya Shibuya: President' opened with a creak. The boy who stepped through the door gave a disgruntled snort to his sleeping employee and walked over to the open window. He stuck his head out into the cool evening air and closed his eyes. He desperately needed a break, but he loved his job so much. Why would he need to get away from doing what he loved to do the most? The snore behind him gave him his answer: he had been overworking his employees for one whole agonizing month. The boy, Kazuya Shibuya, known as Naru by others for his narcissistic behavior, shoved his head back in and slammed the window shut. The snoring employee jumped awake in surprised and resumed to shuffling the invisible papers on her desk.
"Naru, I didn't hear you leave your office," Mai Taniyama said groggily, her eyelids half-closed and a yawn wanting to escape her lips. "I just finished shuffling the papers from the last case-"
"Which are now scattered on the floor-again," Naru answered calmly as Mai glanced at the invisible stack of papers on her desk to the real stack now lying sprawled all over the floor. She slapped her forehead and groaned escaped her lips as she sank back into her seat.
"I spent hours on those!" she exclaimed as she glared at the floor, now fully awake. "I'm sorry boss; I'll have them done for you tonight!"
"Go home," Naru said bluntly as he turned his back on Mai and returned to his office. "Just pick them up and stick them in Lin's box. You're going to help me interview someone tomorrow. I need you to bring a pen and paper in order to take notes. She'll be filling in your spot during summer vacation."
"Wait-what's going on summer vacation-?" Mai demanded. But Naru shut the door in her face. The brunette girl glared at the office door for a few seconds before gathering her things and exiting the office…
"Freedom!"
The high school doors flew open as a mad crowd of students rushed from the school. It was finally the first week of July, which meant three weeks of school vacation due to the expected heat wave moving into Japan. Mai Taniyama was the last student to leave, taking her time to enjoy all the Sakuras that were starting to bud on the trees.
"Are you coming by later, birthday girl?" Michiru asked Mai as she and her other two friends turned to look at her. "I can't believe it; our Mai-chan is finally seventeen years old! We have a big party planned for you!"
"Don't tell her that!" Kiko exclaimed, fuming at Michiru. "It's supposed to be a surprise."
"It's not anymore, is it?" Mai said, smirking. "I can't, guys, sorry. I have work to go to. I'll drop by later though."
"Oh, that Shibuya-san is working you to death!" Mina said, putting a hand on her hip. "At least come by for cake later on, okay?"
Mai smiled and promised them. They walked and gossiped until they reached Mai's bus stop. Things have changed since Mai started working at Shibuya Psychic Research Center two years ago. First they were sophomores in high students telling ghost stories, but now they were slightly older high school students who still love telling ghost stories but were cautious about it. Especially Mai.
Mai, who had just spaced out, blinked as something caught her attention. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to call out, but the city bus came between her and the diversion. The doors slid open, waiting for the short-haired girl to step in. Mai tried to look around the bus, but gave up. After all, it could've only been an illusion.
"Mai-chan! You're late!"
Mai glanced up in surprise as the lights snapped on. Every one of her friends from SPR was crowded into the small room. A large banner labeled "Happy Seventeen Taniyama-San!" hung from the ceiling along with colorful streamers and balloon. A large chocolate cake sat on Mai's worktable with candles already half-burned.
She couldn't admit to her friends she spent half of the afternoon looking for her Diversion. Yes, it had a name now. But, she couldn't tell them yet. If it was just an illusion then Naru would never let her hear the end of it.
"Aw, wow guys! I've never had such a large party!"
"Yeah, yeah," Monk-san said, but his bad temper melted the instant the young woman gave them a grateful hug.
Halfway through the ice cream social, the door to the office opened with a 'cling' as the golden bell jingled happily. Every looked up; Mai almost dropped her pink plastic cup.
"Konichiwa!" the new visitor said, her peach face glowing under her curly indigo hair. "Did I come at a bad time?"
"No, you're fine, come on in, Shino-san," Monk-san said, getting up so Koaimi Shino could take his seat.
"Oh please, call me Koaimi," the teenager said, handing a package to Mai. "And stay in your seat; I can't stay long."
Mai gaped at the young woman; almost a year ago Shibuya Psychic Research Center, also called SPR, had taken on a case about a missing girl. Unfortunately, they realized that a strange phenomenon called the Relic Night allowed spirits to roam the earth for a week. The people in Koaimi's town were all psychics, and celebrated the Night more as a festival. As it turned out, the missing girl, Koaimi's little cousin Reimi, had been hiding in the graveyard to help Koaimi's deceased sister, Kimiko (called Kiko), banished her evil dead boyfriend Nicolas to the afterlife. Mai had learned how to expand her powers and she even exorcized a spirit!
"Mai? Are you still there?" Koaimi said, waving her hands in front of Mai's face. Mai came back from her daydreaming, but felt a weird sensation in her mind, as if someone were sorting through her mind for memories. Mai shook her head to get rid of the feeling, but she realized Koaimi was using telepathy on her. Koaimi, like only 10 percent of the psychic world, possessed both psychokinetic powers (PK) and extra-sensory perception (ESP). Kiko had been another person with both powers.
"I'm still here," Mai said, hoping Koaimi hadn't actually seen what she was spacing out about. "What is it?"
"I said happy birthday," Koaimi giggled. "Well, enjoy your present. I'll see you later!"
The girl waved her way out of the room and gently shut the door behind her.
"Hm, has anyone heard from her before now?" Ayako asked, adjusting the party hat on her head.
"I've been writing to her on and off," Mai said absently as she opened the present Koaimi had given her. "She's doing well."
"I suppose it is difficult for her to come visit us," John Brown spoke up, stuffing a plastic fork with cake in his mouth. "I mean, she practically lives on the other side of Japan."
"Still…" Ayako argued but she trailed off.
"Happy birthday, Mai," Naru said, emerging from his office. He tossed his own neatly-wrapped present in Mai's small pile and returned to his office.
"Don't party too late. I don't need any pitiful excuses tomorrow about why you're late."
Mai glared at Naru, almost crunching Koaimi's presents in her deathly grip.
"What's that, Mai?" Monk-san said, looking at the small knick-knack. "Another charm?"
A year ago after Mai helped to free Koaimi from the possessions of Kiko and Nick, the young girl had given her a charm bracelet with only a couple of charms. However, every month Koaimi always sent a new charm to Mai in order to protect her from "evil spirits."
"Her parents were psychic researchers," John Brown spoke up. "Of course, charm bracelets were originally created to give its wearer good luck."
Mai had thought for a minute that he had read her mind, but his answer was directed towards Ayako, who had probably asked why Mai's already over-crowded bracelet needed another charm.
"Why's this in the shape of a paw print?" Monk-san asked, holding up Mai's charm to the light. Mai glanced at her hand and realized somehow the blonde monk had managed to take it out of her death grip. "A werewolf?"
"Or perhaps a man-eating puppy?" Ayako joked. Lin, who had been busy cleaning up the litter from the small get together, stopped for a moment to observe the small black-and-silver charm.
"Sasquatch."
"Gesundheit," Monk-san said, handing the charm back to the seventeen-year-old.
"No, he means Sasquatch as in Big Foot," John Brown explained.
"Big Foot?" Monk-san replied as if it was the most atrocious and immature thing he'd ever heard of. "That's just a crazy Western legend. There's no such thing as Sas-sa-ku-watch."
"Oh, and fox demons and poltergeists totally don't exist," Ayako said sarcastically. Monk-san opened his mouth to argue but Mai interrupted his supposed-rude comment.
"It's getting late guys, I think I'll go home now."