DISCLAMER; I DO NOT OWN GHOST HUNT!
Without further ado this is…
Chapter 6 of; 'Uneven Odds'
Furtive
He opened the office door to the scent of earl gray and lavender.
Whilst he had anticipated the first the latter was something he had (against his better judgement) grown accustom to.
Something he had slowly began to love.
Something he had slowly grown to crave uncontrollably.
Shaking his head, Naru reached into the mail box pulling out a handful of letters before pushing the door closed with the side of his foot. Flicking on the lights he wound his way into his office disposing of his things on the rather large oak desk.
Sliding into the leather chair behind the furniture he allowed himself to slump into its bitter warmth.
He had left home earlier than usual, something in him just need to take a step back.
A moments rest.
A minute to think.
To clear his head.
It would take exactly 4 hours and 15 minutes for Mai to arrive to SPR after her doctor's appointment.
The first two hours being the ever-so-exciting wait and stack of paper work she was forced to fill out every time she arrived.
The third hour being the actual checkup.
And the last hour belonged to the tears he wasn't supposed to hear.
To the tears he could bare.
Each second dragged on stained with the sounds of muffled cries and bitter tears.
Each minute spent pondering what to do about her.
His office was directly above the public bathroom on the first floor. When he first arrived to Japan he was rather disgusted by the kinds of things a public bathroom was used for.
Any actual excretion being on the bottom of the LONG list.
It was safe to say that he had heard enough sex to last a life time.
She hadn't realized the fact that he could hear almost everything that happened.
She hadn't realized the panic that set in his chest when he though he heard her the first time several weeks ago.
She was supposed to be at home resting not at the office. When she had come upstairs into the SPR office she said she wanted to surprise him with the test results.
She was healthy.
Almost clear.
Almost.
Half of him wanted to go down and make sure she was okay but the more rational side of him realized that she needed a minute to let it all out.
So he grew accustom to listening to her cries every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
It broke him.
That had been their lives as of late.
Doctor appointment after appointment. Checkups, psychologist consultations, Hospital visits, blood draws, shots, tests, etc.
And while it wasn't something the scientist was entirely proud of he'd rather have a stack of medical bills to pay then the feeling of loss dragging his chest down into an ocean of unbearable sorrow. And that was something everyone around him agreed to.
That was a place he didn't want to return to. Not now. Not ever.
He sighed aloud pulling the string to his lamp before settling down pulling the screen of his laptop up.
Picking up the scatter of letters he scanned the names for anything that nagged at his memory as familiar.
Bill.
Bill.
Bill.
Junk.
Case.
Case.
Junk.
…
Nothing.
Throwing them to the side of his desk for Lin to take later, he returned to his screen typing his password before sorting through emails.
That was his life.
A miss match of letters that made up phrases.
Monosyllabic phrases that made of demands.
Demands sent his way.
Not once did anyone call asking him about his health, or maybe how he was doing.
He was 20 a full grown man… and not stupid by any means. He knew enough to know that empathy was not a part of human nature.
Unless of course there was a reason.
Ulterior motives were, in his opinion, a good enough reason to kill.
He sighed breathing in lavender. The pleasant and subtle aroma settling him instantaneously.
Today. He'd ask her about it today.
Pushing the list of requests aside he pulled open the familiar document getting to work on finishing his most recent thesis.
…
Mai walked in to the scent of earl gray and spice.
While she had expected the first the latter was something she recently realized she couldn't bear to live without.
The scent intoxicating.
The lights were on at 9 in the morning. She had chastised him about it plenty of times. She had told him that he was running the electricity bill up the wall and that natural light was so much more beneficial.
But in the end the argument was fruitless and it'd turn out he was asleep or just ignoring her completely.
She set her bag down on her desk before walking into the kitchenette quickly placing the kettle on the stove and unwrapping a few of the pastries she had bought from the nearby bakery. A quaint little shop owned by the sweetest old woman, it was called, Bakery Farm (IF YOU KNOW THIS YOU ARE AWESOME HUMAN BEING! LEAVE A COMMENT IF YOU DO!). And much like the name suggested it was a bakery that held a vast array of all natural and freshly baked goods.
Running the back of her hand against the skin beneath her eyes making sure there wasn't any evidence.
Plating the scones along with the tea she headed in the direction of his office welcomed by the soft clicking of keys on a keyboard.
"You're late."
She smile lightly placing the tray beside him, "I stopped by the Bakery Farm."
He nodded continuing to stare at the bright screen, "Just don't make it a habit."
"Too late for that."
She watched at the corner of his mouth twitched upward slightly. The closest thing she'd get to a smile in the workplace at least.
It was strange. He was so different at home. At work he was a slave driver that drove her to her whit's end with requests and insults. And at home he was kind and generous. He laughed with her and slept beside her if she wasn't feeling well. He'd always offer a helping hand and never belittle her.
It was like day and night.
A case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
"Take these letters and hand them to Lin. Please."
Please… now that's a new one.
Nodding silently she picked up the stack, "Anything else?"
He hesitated.
"No. Not for now." Turning the brunette pulled the door open exiting the cold office silently. Quickly wondering over to Lin's office she wordlessly handed the older man the letters and his cup of oolong tea.
Something she had come to realize after working for the two of them was the fact that she needed to learn to understand what wasn't being said. To read in between the lines per say.
They were secretive about themselves to say the least. Whether it was on purposes or just a complex she wasn't sure.
But after years' worth of analysis she prided herself on being able to read them quite well.
Naru ordered her to do the things he liked on a continuous loop. While as if he hated something he'd flat out tell her not sparing a moment to think about her feelings.
Naru hated anything cold. Something she found both ironic and rather humorous. Even if the weather outside was 104° degrees he's still take a hot cup of earl gray over anything else.
He hated anything spicy.
He hated anything that made him uneasy or made him doubt himself.
He hated being wrong or mistrusted.
And those were the kinds of things she'd grown to love about him.
He'd never say it but he loved her tea.
He loved the pastries she bought him.
He loved the dishes she made for him at home.
Lin was much the same in that sense.
In the beginning he refused to drink Naru's earl gray tea but when offered coffee he was silent. She took that as an okay and began bringing him a cup every time Naru demanded a cup. In the end she was pleased to see that he finished every cup, and even offered a thank you every time she brought him a new cup.
When she discovered he was Chinese she started to purchase things that she knew he'd appreciate. Various kinds of green, red, and oolong teas.
After a visit to a local Chinese bakery she began serving him Mahua a twisted Chinese dough dessert that was deep fried in peanut oil and served alongside most beverages.
After leaning to make them herself she started experimenting with the flavors smothering them with things she knew the omnojie loved.
Cinnamon being his personal favorite.
Lin hated the Japanese, that much was clear but she could tell that he had made a special place for her in his heart.
Lin hated speaking. But he loved being spoken to.
He loved it when the brunette told him stories about her childhood and she enjoyed telling them to him. Something about him put others off but her… she felt inclined to open up to him. To tell him what was on her mind.
She felt safe with him.
He was a father figure right beside the Monk.
He offered her rides when the weather wasn't its best, offered her his jacket during the winter. He complemented her, even though the times were few in number, she still cherished them.
…
She settled down on her desk sifting through case files and filling out reports awaiting the next tea call.
That had been her life as of late.
Toggling between office hours, doctor appointments, and monosyllabic requests.
They hadn't touched a case in weeks, and she didn't expect him to. Not until she was better. More stable.
For now he was blaming it on his thesis and maybe that was the reason he refused them.
Was she really arrogant enough to think that Naru would refuse a case according to her health?
No.
Of course not.
She shifted though the files sorting them into piles based on their severity. Once finished she walked to Lin's office door knocking twice before entering.
"Lin. I've got the files that you asked for."
He nodded waving her in and only then did she notice the telephone pressed to his ear. Pointing at the chair beside him she settled down watching the smooth interaction between him and the person on the other end.
"I'll come visit soon… I promise." A pause than a smile that she knew only one person could conjure.
Modoka.
"I love you..."
She smiled softly, this was a part of Lin she had yet to witness. And it was moments like this that she wanted to treasure.
Putting down the receiver he looked at the girl, "I'm sorry. Modoka…"
She smiled waving him off with a hand, "Don't be. When Modoka comes to visit she tells me about just how amazing you are, they make great stories… and to be honest I didn't understand but I can see it now."
His eyes widened a fraction, "Does she now…"
Mai chuckled, "Here are the documents you asked for. These are the serious ones… I'm going to call the others and tell them what to do."
He took a hold of the documents quickly scanning over them, "And the others were… not good enough?"
"Predictable. Run of mill ghost hauntings, pranksters, the usual."
He nodded, "Thank you. Now which of these do you think would be most wise to accept?"
She leaned back in her chair slightly, "Hmm… the Takashi's."
"And why is that?"
"It sounds like his wife is holding some sort of grudge… if I have my facts right I'd say that she died from depression after Aikara Takahi left with the children and threatened her. I think that maybe before the divorce a spirit might have actually attached itself to her and drove the family apart. Because she died before the spirit was exorcised its grasp on her soul got stronger and it imprisoned her, almost like a slave. The spirit is obviously full of malice and is out for blood… I think if we exorcise her spirit both the spirit possessing her and the wife will be able to rest and the family will be okay… or at least that's just what I think."
"Is this your intuition talking?"
She stood up picking up the glass tray, "Ignore that…. It was a ridicules assumption."
"No… you're exactly right."
Both Lin and Mai turned to the door watching Naru stare at the two, "Naru…?"
He mentioned to his office, "Lin call the Takashi's and tell them that we've accepted the case. We'll be there within the next few days. Mai, my office now."
She nodded her head at Lin before following Naru to his office. The two oblivious to the look Lin was sending their way.
This was something he needed to tell Modoka…. But first…
…
"Since when were bathrooms a place for tears?"
Her mouth dropped eyes wide, "How did you…? So what you're stalking me now? You don't trust me to go to a doctor's appointment safely?!"
He shook his head leaning against the desk facing her, "On the contrary… I thought if anything you could do that considering just how many times you've been there."
She shook her head hands drawn into tight fists at her sides, "You're unbelievable."
He smirked, "Thank you."
"It wasn't a complement."
"Then you should say what you mean."
She breathed out in frustration, "… Why? How…?"
"I can hear everything that happens in the bathroom downstairs…"
She looked up eyes wide, "So…that's how…?"
He shrugged, "You couldn't tell me?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I need to have something that I can call my own."
"Mai, furtively was never your color."
She glared at him, "Arrogance was always yours."
He sighed encircling his hands around her slim arms, "Mai… you can talk to me."
She snorted, "Oh yeah sure… I'll talk to you the day you talk to me."
"But I do."
"Name once."
"Now… I'm… worried."
She shook her head, "Don't be…I'm fine. Hey Naru?"
"Yes?"
"You hear everything that happens in the bathroom…?"
"…Why…?"
"So you've heard it too?"
"Heard what…"
"The… eloping of Tokyo's citizens." she stammered looking down.
"Yes… yes I have." He chuckled.
…
Maybe he wasn't so fortuitous…
…
Thanks for reading the sixth chapter of 'Uneven Odds'
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you guys soon for the next edition.
PLEASE IF THERE ARE ANY MISTAKES DON'T HESITATE TO LET ME KNOW!
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See you soon!
-Lucy