Chapter 3

A/N: Yay! Third chapter is finally up! And it's longer, yay! I actually had some fun writing this one so I hope you all enjoy it! So you all are aware, I have recently started college and for now my schedule works in favor of me updating this pretty quickly. That may change when I get a job but I'll let you guys know when the happens so bear with me when it does. For now, enjoy my story! I love getting reviews so keeping them coming! :) Remember, the more reviews I get the quicker I try to update! R&R, please and thank you!


"Man, I can't believe we have to move everything again." complained Monk as he struggled up the stairs backward with one end of the furniture while Lin seemed to have no problems with the other end.

"Oh quit your complaining," replied Ayako from the bottom of the stairs with her own hands full as well.

Monk gave a grunt at the weight of just one end as he slowly climbed the stairs before verbally turning on the priestess. "I have a right to complain, this thing is heavier than that little box of god knows what." he said and gave another grunt as he managed to hoist himself and the front end of the couch up over the stairs.

When it had been clear that Mai wasn't home and neither Monk nor Ayako could remember if she ever got another job or even where she might be, they had gone to the storage unit to retrieve the rest of SPR's belongings. Lin had, of course, called ahead to inform the owner they would be canceling their contract that day. Though it was Christmas and nobody was technically there the old man, who was surprisingly rather fond of Lin, was nice enough to meet them there long enough to sign papers and collect the lock and key from the storage. He also let them borrow a small Uhal which was very help.

It wasn't until half-way back to the office, however, that Monk realized they would have to carry the damn couches and desks up the a flight of stairs. Although Naru was right when he told him to be thankful wasn't anymore than that, Monk still tried to wiggle his way out of it. Unfortunately for him the red headed priestess wasn't letting him get away that easily which was why they got sucked into it just like they did when the two dark haired males were leaving in the first place.

"Both of you quit complaining." came Naru's voice from the far desk before Ayako could even open her mouth to speak again. He hadn't looked up from the piles of old papers and bills as they entered, simply continuing to leaf through the dwindling pile until it was organized in a fashion that either Lin or himself could easily find what was needed.

Huffing as she set the box of kitchen supplies o the counter, Ayako turned on her returned employer. "You know, you could have helped us."

Without missing a beat Naru replied, "You're already done so there would be no point in my helping."

"That's beside the point." she said. "We could have been done a lot quicker if you had actually helped us."

"Then it would have taken longer to organize these into files," he replied right away with his usual smart-ass grin before the returned head of SPR stood from the desk with the neat stack of papers in his hands and walked to his office, Mai's black cat quickly following behind him. To the closed door Ayako indignantly huffed once more before reluctantly setting to work in the kitchen while Monk and Lin went about rearranging the living room with pictures and other old nick-nacks.

It wasn't until about noon, after they had finished re-establishing SPR, that Masako Hara had appeared. She had originally wanted to be there sooner but had gotten stuck with a very eccentric client who was convinced her dead husband was haunting her. Come to find out it was nothing more than the elderly lady's own paranoia of being left alone. Once the young medium was finally able to explain to the client that there was no ghost, she quickly made her way to join the others. To her surprise Mai was nowhere to be found and in her place instead was a very peculiar black cat with the brightest eyes Masako had ever seen on any animal. It was almost like those eye were that of a human which was pretty crazy.

When Naru had reemerged from his office with a vanilla envelope in hand and that cat diligently following next to him, nobody quite knew what to do let alone say. The cat was acting like an obidient dog with Naru as his master. If any of them had to describe it they would almost say it was creepy, or maybe just plain crazy. Regardless, the fact that there was a folder in their boss's hands meant there was potentially a new case already.

"You've got to be kidding," exclaimed Ayako once the three of them were informed. "On Christmas day?! After you've only just gotten back?!"

"The paranormal do not have holidays." Naru replied matter of factly. "And I never said we would be leaving today." At this Ayako seemed to calm down along with the others as Masako spoke next.

"So when do you plan to leave?" she asked.

"Normally I would take two days but this ghost seems rather active and if left alone may become violent."

"So you want to leave tomorrow." added Monk as a statement rather than a question which earned a nod.

"We'll fill Mai in as soon as someone can find her."

"You mean you two didn't know?" Masako asked Monk and the miko to which the two looked at her with puzzlement.

"Know what?" asked Ayako first.

"Mai works at a small cafe about three blocks from here." informed the medium with her same short dark hair cut below her ears and her same kimono sleeve covering her mouth as she spoke though everyone heard her perfectly. "It's actually quite popular now, especially their herbal teas." she added.

"Do you know what time she gets off?" Naru asked in his deep, professional voice.

"Perhaps an hour or so. I'm not really sure."

Naru gave a faint "Hm," of thought before the door to the building opened with a quiet creak and a soft, feminine voice sounded through. "U-um, excuse me but is there a Mr. Shibuya here?" she asked.


"See you later Mai!" called the manager as Mai was leaving. "Enjoy your vacation!"

"Thanks! See you later Yuki!" Mai called back with a wave as she walked out of the cafe a little after noon.

The owner and manager of the cafe, Yuki Matsumoto, was a nice woman in her late twenties with short chocolate hair layered over her shoulders and an open heart. She had a gentle smile that always lit up her green eyes but that smile could also turn dangerous quick.

Luckily Mai had never been on the bad side of that smile. Perhaps it was Mai's own compassionate and touching nature that attracted Yuki and so many others to her. Even when the two first met, after Mai's friend in college told her about the waitress job her cousin was trying to fill at her new cafe, Yuki and Mai immediately got along as if they had always been the closest of friends. Soon enough Little Piece of Heaven became more popular for its tea and coffee thanks to the young college grad.

Between her bruista skills and Yuki's baking they made a great team, plus it gave Mai something extra to keep her busy especially when her other job was slow. So far things were great and Yuki even changed her schedule when she suddenly had a new client.

Speaking of clients, a middle aged woman with blonde hair pulled back in a low bun who just happened to be Mai's recent client had just turned the corner when the two almost ran into each other.

"Ms. Norikawa," smiled Mai as the older lady got a good look at her.

"Oh, Mai!" replied Ms. Norikawa, returning the young woman's smile. "I was just heading to Little Piece of Heaven for you. I hope you don't mind but I just asked someone to come investigate as well."

Suddenly, with just that one sentence, Mai was starting to feel more and more anxious about this case. She didn't work well with other investigators that she didn't know. Often times they just made things worse for her, especially when they couldn't actually sense spirits or anything of the sort. At best they could be good enough for researching the past of their location but nothing much more than that so when Ms. Norikawa said she was on her way to go see her at work Mai was not expecting that it was to tell her she would be working with others on a case that was suppose to be hers, after all she did come to Mai first.

Truthfully the young spiritualist was a little upset that Ms. Norikawa didn't believe in her abilities but as part of the job the client is suppose to be comfortable and as much at ease as possible so Mai reluctantly replied, "No, I have no problem with that," with another smile that seemed to relax the client from her worry. "I'm sure we could work together to solve this."

Obviously not sensing the slight decline in her mood the client cheered happily. "Oh thank you so much! Will you still be arriving today?"

"Yes I will. I was just heading home to finish packing."

"Wonderful since the others won't be arriving until tomorrow."

Others? Mai thought with an inward groan. Great, baby-sitting while solving a case. That's just what I wanted.

"I still have a few things to take care of in town at the moment so please let yourself in." the blonde woman continued, holding out a key for Mai who took it with a smile looked warm on the outside but was truthfully a rather unhappy smile on the inside. "Thank you Ms. Norikawa."

"No, thank you Mai," the client said and continued on her way into town while Mai went home, grumbling under her breath in a displeased manner.

By the time she finished packing and setting out food for her cat who she knew came and went like the clouds, it was already close to four. She would have liked to at least say bye to her small roommate but it was going to take her the next hour and a half to drive to the next town over plus at least another hour, possibly more, to get the equipment set up and hopefully get the temperatures down. With another group coming tomorrow Mai wanted to make sure she got as much data and recordings done as she could and for the next hour and a half, alone in her little 2011 Kia Soul, Mai went over the information Ms. Norikawa provided plus the litle research she managed to do shortly after first hearing about it.

Unlike Naru, who had preferred everything to be dark and plain, Mai liked driving something that was both spacious and nice to look at but wouldn't draw too much attention. Not to mention it was nice when the dealership owner repays you for helping his deceased daughter move on by giving you a discount on the car. It wasn't a huge discount, only because it could cause problems for him later, but it was greatly appreciated all the same.

About twenty minutes into the lonely silence Mai was about to turn on some relaxing music when her phone's ring tone suddenly rang through speaks on her car which startled her a little but she answered with her normally light and cheery voice. "This is Mai." However, the person who called was someone she hadn't really heard much from in a while.


In another state just two hours ahead a dark haired Catholic priest was helping a small group of orphan children get cleaned up and ready for bed when the chiming ring of a phone sounded. Quickly helping the little sandy blonde orphan girl into bed with a promise to read her a story after the call he left for the ringing phone, answering with a heavily accented voice. "Hello, this is Father Edward."

Even through the noise of the other children getting ready for bed the priest recognized the female's gentle voice and smiled into the receiver. "Hello again." he replied then paused to listen to the young woman on the other end.

"I'm afraid you just missed him. He left a moment ago to visit his mother."

Again he waited as she gave him a a message to pass along. "Certainly." he nodded though he knew she couldn't see. "I'll have him give you a call as soon as he gets back."

Priest Edward smiled again as he was thanked and said, "Good-bye," before hanging up and writing a note for the absent priest the returned to the children for their bedtime story which consisted of one for the girls and one for the boys.


Shortly after their client left Naru had told the girls to bring Mai to the office while the rest of them, most like just Monk and Lin, loaded the van in preparation for tomorrow. For once Ayako didn't demand to know why she had been chosen for something without first volunteering. Instead she simply wished Monk fun with loading, which he replied with a "yeah right", and then she and Masako drove off.

The cafe that Masako said Mai worked at was indeed only three blocks away so the drive wasn't long. At first the name Little Piece of Heaven seemed over the top to the older female but once they stepped inside the peaceful atmosphere immediately floated around them, engulfing them. The calming affecting of such a place was another reason the young medium frequented this specific cafe which was easily noticeable as the manger called out to her. "Good evening Ms. Hara! How have you been?" she asked with a smile that seemed contagious.

"Fine, and yourself?" Masako smiled back. Normally Ayako had no problems socializing or requesting to speak with someone but it seemed like the two knew each other pretty well so she decided to let Masako handle things this time.

"Good. Business has been smooth this year. What would you two like to drink?" the happy shop owner asked.

Masako gave Yuki another smile that seemed like an apology. "We're actually looking for Mai today, is she here?"

The two watched as Yuki's smile faltered a bit and changed into an apologetic smile of her own. "I'm sorry," she said. "She left about an hour ago. You could try her house but I doubt she's still there, she said she was going to be out of town for a while."

Both Masako and Ayako looked at Yuki with varying shades of surprise. Mai never told them she was leaving town for any length of time, let alone by herself. "Do you know where she went? Or why?" Ayako asked, speaking for the first time as they scooted over so other customers could get by.

Yuki shook her head. Mai didn't really tell her, or anybody for that matter, about her clients and only told her employer a vague location when she suddenly needed a schedule change. She had mentioned in the beginning what her original job was but she didn't go around bragging about it or disclosing many details but she had a feeling that Mai didn't want anybody following her around so danced around the truth. "She said she had to go meet somebody out of town who needed her help so I gave her a few extra days off." Seeing their looks of disappointment she added, "You could try her cellphone, she usually always answers."

With a soft sigh and the lift of her kimono sleeve to cover her mouth as if slightly embarrassed Masako replied, "Thank you Yuki. Sorry to have caused you trouble."

"Oh no, it was no trouble at all. Sorry I couldn't have been more help."

Thanking her once more Masako and Ayako left, waving back to the nice woman. As they were getting in the car Ayako noted aloud that they should all come back for a cup of tea, preferably while Mai was there. Masako was about to open her to agree only to quickly turn her head back to the cafe with the sense of being watched but when she looked nothing was there. For a moment she could have sworn she felt something dark and sinister lurking behind her as it sent chills down her spine and made the hairs on the back of her neck standing tall. But as soon as she felt the ominous presence it was gone. As if it was never there in first place.

"You okay Masako?" asked the other spiritualist who was oblivious to whatever the medium was sensing.

Masako gave a shake of her head, as if to dispel the moment of fear, before lowering herself in the passenger seat of the car. "I thought I sensed something." she admitted without going into detail. Making a mental note to ask later Ayako drove back to the office, unaware of the lurking presence behind them.


When Ayako told the others about Mai suddenly skipping town for the next few days Monk seemed just as surprised as they had been. Even Lin seemed a little taken aback while Naru, as expected, looked as unfazed and emotionless as ever while on the inside his curiosity was blazing.

Where was she going? Who would she be meeting? He had already admitted to himself a while ago that he cared for her but he hadn't expected to be jealous about something as small as visiting someone out of town. Just because she was an orphan with no aunt or uncles didn't mean she couldn't go visit friends who had probably moved over the past four years. What kind of friend could she be going to see? he thought.

Naru was not accustomed to jealousy so when the thought crossed his mind he immediately pushed all emotions back which only made him seem that much more heartless as he closed himself in his office again for the third time that day. The only difference this time was that Mai's cat had decided to whine to Masako as he twirled around her legs as if he knew what was going on, could tell exactly what was on the mediums mind.

Instead of staying with Naru, like everyone assumed the cat would, he stayed in Masako's arms. As the three, or four, of them were leaving Masako looked to the monk and miko. "Would it be alright if I stayed with you two tonight?" she asked. She couldn't describe it but the splitting second of feeling watched earlier still sent her nervous shaking. For the first time in a long while she was actually afraid to be alone though she didn't seem like it.

"Sure Masako." replied the shrine maiden with a gentle smile while Monk gave his own sort of goofy grin over the car before bending into the driver's seat.

With the cat in tow Masako climbed in the back of the car, thankful that neither of them asked for an explanation. She had a feeling it would come up later but for now she was thankful she wouldn't be alone tonight. Whether it was fortunate or not Masako wouldn't have had to worry tonight anyways because rather than following them the lurking shadow remained hidden within the darkness surrounding the SPR building, unknown to anyone and everyone.