Chibi-Kari: Here's the last part of Part 1! Leave me a little message and thanks for all the feedback and ideas of what to do with my life... lol! I really like firefighter... impossible for me, but still my favorite! I still don't own Ghost Hunt. Now that I've edited this, I've finally removed some of the unnecessary adverbs! As Stephen King says, "The road to hell is paved with adverbs." Seriously, how did I even use the word 'slightly' so many times?!
Chapter 7
Noll automatically held his arm out to Gene. The air buzzed and took on a heavy feeling as they started to toss his energy back and forth between them. The rocks that were suspended in midair started to soar towards them and Gene made a shout of protest as Noll threw his power before it was ready. With a thump, he fell to one knee, his hands on the other to support himself.
"Don't be so rash, Oliver!" Gene glared slightly at his brother. He may be furious at him, but the last thing he wanted to see was him hurt or dead.
"Did you want to get hit? I didn't." Noll shrugged slightly at his brother before attempting to gather energy again.
Gene prepared himself, but couldn't wipe the slightly alarmed look from his face. This was too much power too fast. He mentally took note that they would have to find a more efficient way to do this. While impressive in the academic world, this method wasn't exactly practical in real life situations.
"What a waste. You're boring. Way too easy to beat. I was even taking time to give you a chance. How much more of a handicap do you need?" The little girl sneered slightly.
The twisted dark look on her face unsettled John more than having rocks come at him. He had the sudden urge to take the small girl in his arms; she obviously had suffered greatly. "Why are you doing this, little one?" John's soft voice drew the small girl's eyes to his.
"Because not everyone is as good as you." Her voice broke slightly and the objects in the air wavered for a moment before they snapped back to attention. "There are rules and you can't break them. You can't find her. It's not fair!"
She sent the second round of rocks hurling towards the group. Noll froze in shock, only watching as the rocks sped their way towards his team. He didn't have enough time to channel any energy and that little girl wouldn't miss this time. Her control was absolutely perfect. For a split second, he couldn't stop the scientist in him from recognizing and appreciating her abilities.
Just as quickly as the rocks were originally pulled into the air, they feel straight to the ground shaking everyone from their silent concentration.
The little girl's eyes narrowed and without taking her eyes from the group she shouted, "Why are you interfering?!"
"Tsuki." Lung's voice boomed through the graveyard and Ayako jumped slightly looking around to find the terrifying source.
The man appeared in a blink next to Lin as if he had been there the entire time. She could tell that even Lin was shocked- his visible eye was slightly wider than normal and he had stiffened slightly.
"You are breaking the rules." His voice was strong and imposing as he stared the little girl down.
The little girl shrunk back momentarily before stepping forward. "That skill of yours will not work on me. You know that." She sneered.
"It may not work, but I can stop you. You know the rules and you are breaking them. They would have found her if you had not interfered. You are not to interfere. That is the rule. Haven't I taught you better than to disobey rules?"
Tsuki stomped her foot, kicking up a little dirt, "It's not fair. They are taking her from me!" She crossed her arms and glared at the gathering in front of her.
"Life is not fair, Tsuki and you know that. You've known that for some time now. You made the choice you did and you cannot punish anyone else for that."
"Why can't I ever get what I want? Why does Mai get people to find her, yet no one will find me?" The little girl sulked.
"Go back to the commune, Tsuki." Lung instructed wearily- a look of exasperation and fondness crossing his features. "Go now before I get the council."
The girl scrunched up her face in distaste before nodding, "This isn't fair."
"Nothing in life is." He replied simply.
Noll shook his head slightly. One moment the little girl was standing there pouting and the next it was like she had never been there at all. He didn't fail to note that it was the same skill that Lung had shown them twice now.
They were all silent for a moment before John turned to the mysterious man. "She's like Mai? She sacrificed herself for someone else?"
Lung stared at the spot in front of him for a moment before nodding, "Her parents' happiness over her own. Only in their case they both remember her and have not tried to find her. Not every contract is the same." He sighed softly. "Some people don't deserve the kindness that is bestowed upon them."
John nodded slightly before looking back at the spot she had recently vacated, "Can we help her?"
Lung studied John closely for a moment before speaking, "I wish you could, but it is only her parents that can remove her from the contract. Just as it is only your team who can remove Mai from hers." He turned back to look at the rest of the group, "The next time you won't find any resistance. You will be able to take her and break the contract." He looked between Gene and Oliver for a moment, "Make sure it's truly worth it. She is safe where she is."
"She's worth it." Gene's voice was firm as he took a step towards Lung.
The man stared at Gene for a moment before nodding, "I see." He turned to look over the group again before settling his gaze on John again, "Tsuki is right. Not everyone is as good as you." With that statement he left them standing alone in the open graveyard.
"Where do we go from here?" Bou-san's voice broke through the silence that always seemed to accompany the departure of Lung.
"That guy still gives me the heeby jeebies." Ayako shook herself slightly. "I guess we find the Mai girl."
Lin clenched his eyes closed tightly before turning his head to meet Masako's eyes.
It seemed that she came to the same conclusion as he did because she voiced the very words he had been thinking, "Her parents' old house."
Yasuhara nodded slightly before pulling her file out of his bag. He felt a smug satisfaction that he had thought to grab it before they ran out the door. "Her childhood house is only blocks away from here." He smiled slightly and his glasses gleamed in the dying light, "This is almost over."
Noll nodded before gesturing, "Lead the way, Yasuhara."
"Right-o, boss." Yasuhara marched out of the graveyard and on to the busy street.
Lin watched closely as Gene sidled up next to his brother, eyeing the other boy wearily. There was something going on and Lin couldn't quite figure out what was going on between the two of them. The one thing he was certain of was that Gene had a plan that no one else was in on.
The walk was silent and they approached the small house before they truly comprehended that they were standing in front of it.
Mirroring Noll's previous comment, Gene allowed his brother to enter the house first. "Lead the way, Noll."
This was Lin's first clue something was off, but he couldn't focus on it as the scene of the small house changed before them. One moment they were walking towards the red front door and the next, they were suddenly standing in the middle of a seemingly endless white space. The difference in lighting was momentarily blinding. There were two men and a woman sitting behind a long table in the area in front of them. Tsuki was standing off to the side with Lung next to her, his hand resting gently on her shoulder.
"You found her quicker than I thought." Lung's voice seemed to echo through the light air and off the non-existent walls.
"Oliver Davis?" The man on the far right called out to the group.
"Me." Noll stepped forward.
"Fate was rearranged for your sake. You do realize that, right? This is not something done on a whim and now you have found the one that made this decision." The woman's intense gaze was leveled directly at him.
Noll forced down the impulse to step backwards. She was staring at him as if she was reading his very soul.
"What will you say to her?" The man on the far left questioned him suddenly.
Noll stood dumb for a moment. He knew what he would hypothetically say to her but now it seemed more real. He was on the cusp of meeting her and now he would actually have to talk to her. Everything he imagined would come to pass...or at least a version of it. "I'll ask her why."
The woman smiled slightly, "You don't know?" Her voice was kind but slightly mocking.
Noll glowered. It seemed that everyone knew the answer but him. How could he not see it? It was really starting to frustrate him.
"I see you don't." The man on the right spoke again. The same amusement that laced the woman's voice was present in his. "We shall allow you to find out on your own then."
"You will take her into your care and nurture her powers now?" The woman questioned again.
This time Lin stepped forward, "We will."
The woman leveled him with the same stare before nodding, "Then you may go."
The light seemed to grow brighter, blinding them again before fading to dark. For a moment Lin thought he went blind before he reached for his mobile phone. "It's 1AM." Lin was genuinely astonished. The whole thing felt like it took moments and yet it had been a good five hours.
"How is that possible?" Noll questioned before he looked around at the group carefully. "Where's Gene?"
Masako stepped forward, "He wasn't with us in that room." Her voice was soft as she waited for Noll to think the worst. It was exactly what she was thinking. What if now that they found Mai, Gene was taken from them?
"Don't worry. He texted me." Lin held his phone out so that Noll could see. "He's gone ahead and taken Mai back to England with him. He said they got the last flight out before the ash cloud blocked airspace again and that he'll see us as soon as we can get back in." Lin shook his head as he looked at the other twin. This was what Gene was planning. He was fighting dirty.
End of Part 1
