Authors Notes: Okay so hear is chapter two, and I'm trucking along, thanks for all the reviews they mean a lot to me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, for if I did, I would not be thinking of clever things to put after the disclaimer.
Answer: Episode 21 Case The Blood Stained Labyrinth/The Cursed House. Bonus, The House key to her parents house before they died.
-Flashback-
Lin begin research on everything related to Masono Village and its surroundings, especially the manner and what kind of black arts were practiced there, it could be important." With that, he strolled into his office to begin his own research.
Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part Two
Next Friday Morning
I arose early that morning glad for once; I awoke with my alarm clock. Although that might have been something to do with the fact, I set three of them to make sure I got up on time. The office had been tense since last week. Naru was taking extra precautions when it came to research and equipment leaving no stone unturned.
If there was even a slight probability that we might need something, it was immediately added. The case files folder was already chalk full of information about various forms of dark and arcane rituals that we might run into. I was not looking into sorting it out by the end of the case; we might need a box for all of it.
Naru had poor Lin-san researching as many different types of ceremonies, rituals, and the components needed and how to break them, as could be possible to the case. I was beginning to wonder about all this dark magic ritual stuff and if it was that dangerous. Everyone was told to pack for a week to a week in a half, and to be expected to follow some new procedures.
Stretching I went in to the bathroom, turning on the shower, and letting it run for a few minutes so the water could warm up. Back in the bedroom, I selected my outfit to wear for the day. It was a light blue short-sleeved top. Silver lines swirled around it in an intricate pattern. To go with it was a soft looking pale blue grey skirt and a pair of white pumps. The whole thing had an oceanic fog effect it was quite nice actually, it was not that different from my normal clothes although a bit nicer I suppose since we were meeting with a client today.
Heading into the bathroom, I laid my clothes on top of the toilet seat lid before stripping and hoping into the shower, I had fifteen minutes to shower and another ten to get ready before I had to leave. This means I had just enough time to wash my hair.
Fifteen minutes later, I had my hair wrapped in a towel while I got dressed. That accomplished I shook my hair free from the towel fluffed it out a little bit and ran a brush through it to smooth it out. My short hair did not require that much maintenance, which is why I kept it that way, although it did look cute so it had its bonuses. When I was done with the brush, I added it to the top of my bag along with my face wash and toothbrush and toothpaste, before zipping it up and heading to the door.
At the office, I dropped my bags in the added pile and went about making Naru's morning tea. I had just had gotten done with the tea when Ayako, John, and Bou-san had all arrived. Even Yasuhara was there he had missed the last case due to some type of tests going on at his school.
The only one missing was Masako who claimed when I called her that she was in China doing some type of TV show, which left her out of the picture for at least three weeks. This case should be solved way before then so it looks like she would be sitting this one out.
"Mai Te…" he trailed off as I handed him a cup, I smirked feeling proud of myself I was starting to get in the habit of predicting his tea cravings. Was that a good thing?
"Please and thank you," I reminded him smiling. Figuring I had he trapped and he would have to say it this time.
"Very good Mai you do know the proper words to say, I'm glad you are learning something, but now if your done showing off, come with the others into my office for a debriefing" he finished as he walked away leaving me furious behind him a small smile on his face.
'That egotistical narcissist jerk one day I'll get him…" I muttered under my breath as I headed towards Naru's office the whole time glaring daggers at his back.
Naru's P.O.V
I could not help it I so enjoyed teasing her, and I knew what I said would set her off for several hours. Really though how could I not help it, she practically begged me to say something sarcastic to her every time she opened her mouth up. It was cute the way she would get flustered like she did.
"…."
Wait where cute come from I defiantly did not just think that, I shook my head, and walked into the office.
Setting down behind my desk, I looked at everyone in the room. Mai had entered last still silently fuming as she stood next to Matsuzaki-san who just looked at her as if to say what's gotten in to you.
Hiding a small smirk, I addressed everyone in the room, "Now that you are all here I can go ahead with a quick debriefing before we head out."
"We are going into murky waters, we don't know a lot about the case or what happened before the owner's deaths they were a secretive family." I paused making sure I had everyone's attention.
" The only details we are sure of are that the practice some sort of dark ritual was preformed their regularly, but it is unclear what. Because of this, we have no choice in the matter of going. If they managed to release something…" I trailed off.
"Takigawa-san, Matsuzaki-san, John, I am sure you all are very well aware of what could happen. I am ordering now that under the strictest guidelines that no one is to travel alone, even if it is to the bathroom." I glanced at Mai who always had the habit of getting into trouble.
"Once we make our prescience known on the land near the house, anything might happen or is possible since we are unsure what we are dealing with. Even though we are not staying overnight in the house itself this is just as a precaution." Finished with the speech I gave all of them one last searching look hoping I was not mistaken in taking this case.
"Let's go," I ordered walking out of the office and heading to the cars.
Mai's P.O.V
I hopped in the van in my usual position in the middle seat. Naru got in beside me quietly, going over some papers he had brought along. I began to wonder what Naru meant could happen to us and what could happen if dark arts where practiced in that location. He had not seen it fit to clue me in on the matters, which irked me to no end.
" Naru what could happen if they practiced dark arts there?" I asked at last wanting to know.
"You wouldn't be able to understand it Mai now be quiet I'm reading" he commanded without even looking up at me.
'Grrrrrrrr' I thought aggravated with him, before turning and looking out the windshield.
'Would it kill him to be nicer' and then smiled, 'Yeah it probably would what an interesting death certificate that would be.' I thought laughing silently to myself.
When we reached the Hasano Village, it was around one in the afternoon. We were lead to a small house that was recreantly built for a couple and their daughter who were out of town due to the incidents with the children. They had graciously allowed us access to their house for the duration of our stay. It was well stocked; talk about some trust, small town mentality was different and a little refreshing. We were told to settle in and rest for the day that tomorrow morning someone would show us around town and where the manner was situated. The house was a simple two-story three-bedroom brick house.
Mai's Dream
I was wearing some kind of white kimono and walking down a dark hallway. The stone that made the hallway was smooth however, so I had no fear of tripping. When I opened the single unadorned wooden door at the end, it opened up into a large room of roughly hewn stone and lit by torches. In that room was a huge group of people all of them wearing dark red silk kimonos.
In front of me was some kind of alter I did not get a good look at it because soon I climbed the rickety steps to the top. There was a table in the middle of the alter that I went and lay on just like I had been instructed. Four priests then approached me. They were adorned in dark blue kimonos and had white masks covering their faces. I wondered briefly why, when they moved.
Each priest picked up a length of rope, and went to secure parts of my body. They secured my arms above me to the wall so they were lying over a metal bin; my head also was suspended with rope over the edge of the table. My feet were secured at the other end of the table. The rope bit into my neck and arms when they pulled it tight to stabilize my body, but I knew it would all be over with soon. I would finally be free of this place that held nothing for me.
Day 2: Morning
The next morning I got up and looked around the room I shared with Ayako. The sun was just beginning to rise so I guess it was still early. It was funny, I know I dreamed of something last night but I could not exactly remember what so it must not have been too important.
Still I might want to try to at least remember it. Stretching I got up and headed down to the kitchen, I figured since I was up I could cook breakfast for everyone.
As I cracked a bunch of eggs into a large metal bowl in preparation for French Toast, I focused on trying to remember the dream but kept coming up with a blank. Whisking the eggs, I added some cinnamon, and sugar a little salt and pepper and just a dash of vanilla extract to make them sweet.
"You're up early Mai" I looked over to see Ayako standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
"It's not that often I wake up early, but you get the benefits of it today" I motioned to the table where there was a huge platter of French Toast, and bacon, a full pot of tea, syrup, and powdered sugar. Help yourself I was just about to go and wake everyone else up.
After breakfast, Ayako helped me do dishes complementing me on the French Toast when there was a knock on the door. Looks like our guide was finally here.
Day 2: Mid Morning
"Hi my name is Yoshiro and I will be your guide today," a young man about twenty with brown hair and eyes said, and so our tour of the village started.
He finished up by showing us the manner and each of the five shrines. The headman was right about them being in disarray, although we did not enter them now, I could tell it has been a while that any one did any maintenance. Some windows were cracked or missing pieces of glass. The doors hung slightly sideways on some of the buildings and were completely missing on others, the walls were dingy, and most of the shingles had fallen off.
The whole time I was there, I could not help but feel some kind of evil prescience that had me constantly looking over my shoulder nervously as if something was watching us. This unfortunately had the side effect of me almost walking into several trees and other objects, before someone pulled me out of the way.
After the tour, Naru got directions to the old road that led out to the manner, Lin-san, Ayako Naru, Bou-san and I went with the equipment to the manner, while Yasuhara and John stayed behind to ask questions in the village. Naru had Ayako and I go around to the shrines with a few cameras and mics. We were instructed to set them around outside the building but not to set foot in the actual buildings themselves as of yet. He wanted to do an outer surveillance of the buildings before we risked entering.
Naru and Lin-san were doing the same to the Manner itself, the monitors were hooked up to a generator in the van. John and Yasuhara were to meet us back at the Manner when they were done; Bou-san was to be the one that monitored everyone while he stayed in the van.
"Hey Mai" Ayako asked as we were sitting up the last of the equipment.
"Why were you so jumpy earlier?"
"I'm not sure, I just kept having the feeling we were being watched, I don't feel it now though which is kind of weird maybe it was just my imagination." I said
"Maybe" Ayako agreed, "You need to learn to trust your instincts though, you should tell Naru when we get back," she instructed.
"You never know when something might be important to the case especially with you"
Authors Note Continued:
To Be Continued…
So another chapter is done, what is this mysterious prescience Mai feels? Why doesn't she remember her dream? Well I guess you will have to read and find out. :D
Question: What case does Mai first meet Dream Naru?
Bonus: What case dose her dreams first help on?
-Serena122189