14AmyChan: You guys are so patient!
Naruisawesome: And we actually didn't go over this time!
14AmyChan: ehe… ^^;
Naruisawesome: We don't own the Ghost Hunt cannon characters
14AmyChan: But we do own the adorable little children!
Naruisawesome and 14AmyChan: Enjoy!
Naru gave a nod of acknowledgement. "How did he do?" he glanced at Jun briefly.
"He did all right, after all, he got a reaction," Bou-san stated, obviously impressed. Jun looked up at his father and grinned at the praise.
Yuzuki's interest spiked up. "What kind?"
"The clock in the room started turning backwards," Ayako stated, her face completely serious. "Hoshou told Jun how to cleanse first, and as soon as he got the hang of it, the clock wound itself backwards until it hit eight o'clock."
Her revelation was met with curious glances from around the room.
"I wonder why exactly it was eight o'clock." Amaya pondered out loud.
"Well, when the clock stopped, there was some writing on the opposite wall," Bou-san mused aloud, gaining the attention of all the people in the room. Naru, in particular, glared at the man.
"Is there any reason as to why you did not mention this sooner?" the black haired man inquired, his annoyance practically tangible in the air.
Monk laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Dramatic effect...?" he asked hopefully.
What he received was one annoyed glare from his boss and an eyebrow wiggle from Yasu.
"My dear Bou-san, was there any need to increase the tension in here?" he asked as he winked towards the monk. Said monk visibly shuddered as all of the children were left confused as to why Bou-san and Yasu were acting funny.
Naru shifted his son on his lap as he let out an exasperated sigh then pinched the bridge of his nose.
"What did the writing say, Bou-san?" he asked.
"Good children go to bed on time," Ayako stated, answering the question which her husband had not. "It was written in crayon all over the wall, in different colors."
"So it's saying to go to bed at eight o'clock?! No way!" Amaya immediately exclaimed as if that was the stupidest thing she had ever heard.
"It seems that way," Yasu stated, patting his pouting daughter on the head as he grinned. "But don't worry, you're in bed by seven anyways."
The little girl pouted at her father. "I do not!"
"Even if you try to stay up late, you just end up falling asleep," Yasu stated, poking his daughter's nose. Amaya only pouted more at her father's antics. "Well, you can look at it this way, you and Auntie Mai can be napping buddies!"
Mai glared at the man while her husband openly smirked. "Ha-ha, very funny Yasu." she wished she was the one sitting beside him so she could pay him back for that.
Her wishes were somehow answered as Amaya pushed her father's hand off of her face. "Nu-uh!" she cried out. "I don't sleep as much as Auntie Mai!"
Cue the crushing of all Mai's hopes that Amaya would rescue her from the persecution of her father. The brunette glared openly at the Yasuharas while Naru seemed to be enjoying his wife's torment. However, they were getting off-track. He cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention once again.
"Yasuhara, what did you find?" he asked.
"A whole new world, actually," Yasu stated, gathering some files that had been previously unnoticed. Amaya-as well-had files in her tiny hands. "According to lore, this house was the home of the fairy godmother, purified by fairies, watched over by guardian angels, and something else that Amaya found."
The father looked towards his daughter, who seemed quite pleased to be revealing this next piece of information.
Amaya stood up straight and cleared her throat, trying her best to make her cute, little self look and act professional.
"Thank you, Daddy!" she began happily.
Yasu gave her a thumbs up as she continued. Obviously, she was thrilled to be the one to reveal his information.
"This report says the house belonged to Rum-ple-stilts-kin," she announced, stumbling a little bit over the name, and beaming as though she had just revealed something essential to the case, though the rest of the team was left scratching their heads.
And of course Yuzuki had to mention how unlikely the information they found was. "Are you kidding me? That's not even possible!" she said.
"But Yuzuki, listen," Amaya stated gleefully as she made her way to her friend. Clearly she had her father's zeal for research. "The 'past' on this house changed from the last time! But last time, only two people were named clearly!"
Is she talking about Anne Frank and Anastasia? Kazuki asked telepathically. Since he was sitting in his father's lap, his thoughts came through-albeit hazily-into the elder man's head.
It would appear that way. Naru replied to his son. She actually does have a point though.
"Rum-ple-stilts-kin is a story about a goblin wanting to have a baby. Because he couldn't have one, he was going to take one from a woman who owed him, but he told her she could keep the baby if she guessed his name right," Amaya explained, her eyes a glint. If she wore glasses, she would definitely look similar to her father at this point. "Anne Frank and Anastasia both died as kids, and when Jun tried to cleanse the room down the hall-!"
"Wait!" Yuzuki interrupted as she reached a hand out to Amaya as if saying to stop. "Are you saying you think Rumple-stilts-kin," she also stumbled with the word. "...is going to kidnap us kids or something?"
The silence that followed was so deafening, one could hear a pin drop. The adults around the room exchanged glances, silently discussing what was to be done. Souta furrowed his brow and was the first child to put that theory down.
"If kids actually went missing in this building, don't you think more people would remember it?" he asked, crossing his arms. "After all, the first time Uncle Yasu went out to get information, he also went around and asked the neighbors about the house. Did any one of them mention knowing this house for longer than five years?"
Amaya rolled her eyes. "Come on, Souta-chan! Who said it had to be this house? It could've been another house that was torn down years ago! Or it could even be this piece of land!" the little girl tried to convince everyone, sticking up for her theory.
Souta stopped for a moment and considered Yuzuki's theory. He did not want to be the one to put a damper on her theory, but a curse towards children attached to a bit of land would arouse rumors.
"Or someone's playing a joke on us," Jun stated loudly, the oppressive silence finally getting to him again.
Amaya couldn't help but huff in annoyance. Apparently no one was on her side.
"I can go back to the library in the morning," Yasuhara offered, seeing as the sun was beginning to set. "Maybe the 'history' will change again, and give us more to work with."
Naru sighed and agreed that it was too late to go that day.
"Very well. Lin, set the recording for the cameras, and everyone can get to bed. No midnight wandering," Naru instructed, and upon his last statement, every eye lay on one of two people. One of them was, of course, Mai. The other was the next generation of prankster.
"Can I at least make some noise?" Jun asked, attempting to make a situation where half of the eyes were on him funny. His pleading eyes led to the his father ruffling his hair.
"When we get to the room, you can make some noise while getting ready for bed," Bou-san stated with an impish grin. Jun frowned.
"You promise?"
Once again Ayako glared at her husband daring him to promise that. She had a look in her eyes that said he'd definitely regret it if he agreed to that.
"Err...you'll have to ask your mother about that..." Monk answered his son.
"Please mom?" the young guy pleaded, giving her illegally cute eyes and a face she could not possibly refuse.
"Ah...um..." Ayako averted her eyes away from Jun, and when she glanced at him again, she sighed in defeat. "Fine...
"YATTA!" Jun cried out happily as he dragged his parents from base to get ready for bed. The display was chuckled at until a not-so-small yawn rang through the room.
"Alright young lady," Yasu said with a small, knowing smile. "Time to go to bed, I think." he told his daughter.
"But... I'm not..." Amaya's protest was interrupted by yet another yawn. She grumpily fought her tired eyes from closing, but it was a losing battle. "...sleepy..."
"Of course you're not," Yasu said with a knowing grin. He picked his daughter up off the couch and bid good night to the rest of the team. Kazuki waved them off with a smile while most everyone else verbally acknowledged the departure of the researching family.
After a few moments Madoka turned to her son. "Souta-chan...time for you to go too, don't you think?" she asked already knowing he wouldn't want to.
"But mooom," Souta pouted, furrowing his brow. Then, an idea hit him square on the noggin and he smiled hopefully. "Well, can I stay with dad so he can show me how to set the cameras to record?"
Madoka placed her hands on her waist and gave him a stern look.
"Now, Souta..."
"Can I, Dad?" the little boy turned to his father with a pleading look, ignoring his mother altogether.
Lin did not say a word, but rather turned around and pressed a single key on the keyboard, turning on the recording for the night. He then faced his son and gave a slight nod of his head, urging the young boy to comply with his mother's "request".
Souta's shoulders slumped a bit and his head hung down as he walked closer to his mother.
"'Night, Souta!" Yuzuki shouted as the Lin family left the base.
When Yuzuki turned her attention back to her family, she blinked in confusion when she saw her mother and brother staring at her in slight surprise. Then they flicked their gazes to the door for a brief moment before looking back at Yuzuki.
"What?" she asked.
"N-nothing," her mother said swiftly, though her brother's thoughts had already revealed the source of their confusion. Yuzuki narrowed her eyes dangerously and was about to speak when—
"It seems as though Emi-chan needs to be put in her crib," Masako stated, effectively breaking up the soon-to-be disturbance before it even happened and whisking her family from the base at the same time. "We shall see you in the morning."
With that, the only family left in base was the Shibuyas.
"Well..." Mai began staring at her two kids expectantly. Yuzuki stopped glaring at her brother—although reluctant—and shifted her eyes over to Mai at hearing her voice. Then she suddenly understood what her mother wanted.
"Noooo!" the black-haired girl shrieked as she clung onto her father's arm, pouting at Mai.
"I wanna stay here with daddy!" she continued to shout, convinced that her father would stay up late and review what they had on the case, something her mother complained about constantly. She was severely disappointed when Naru stood to lead his children out of base and towards their room.
"This case does not have enough information to warrant the additional categorizing that is usually necessary for a case at this point," Naru stated. Yuzuki let go of her father and dug her heels into the ground, glaring at the man for betraying her. Kazuki chuckled silently at his sister's reactions. This was exactly why his sister was not a morning person.
Come on, Yuzuki. Let's go. Kazuki telepathically told her sister. He followed Naru, going to the base door.
The girl stubbornly refused to move, causing Mai to sigh as she took action to rectify the situation. She moved closer to her daughter and paused a moment, knowing full well that the girl had her father's tenacity about the strangest things.
Without much warning, Mai darted forward in a move-long since perfected-to take out the girl's legs and pick her up. Like always, the girl went down with a lot of huff, a touch of struggle, and a sour attitude.
"Mommy... What was that for?" Yuzuki huffed as she gazed up at her.
"That was to get you out of the base and into our room so you can get some sleep," Mai cheerily explained, following her son and husband out of said room and into the other aforementioned room. Yuzuki was not pleased.
"But I'm not tired." she told her mother.
"But if we let you stay up late, you won't get up in the morning and you'll miss watching the recordings," Mai explained, never-in a million years-having thought she would be having a battle of wits with her daughter over going to sleep. Much less would she have imagined it would turn into the nightly routine it has become.
Yuzuki opened and closed her mouth a few times, debating over what she should do. She did not want to go to sleep...although her mother was right.
"Yuzuki, it's time for you and Kazuki to get ready for bed," Naru instructed as he closed the door behind his wife and daughter. Kazuki already seemed to be in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, meaning that he was somewhere ahead of his sister. While this was a commonplace occurrence, it by no means meant that the stubborn daughter would accept herself being anyplace other than first.
Yuzuki ran into the bathroom to—do what Mai hoped—brush her teeth like her brother.
As their children prepared for bed, Mai and Naru made themselves comfortable, waiting for the twins to return and relishing in an actual quiet moment alone. Mai rested her head atop her husband's shoulder and Naru, in turn, was holding her hand, rubbing his thumb against the familiar crevices of her knuckles.
Their quiet, relaxing moment didn't last long though because they soon heard a one-sided vocal argument coming from the bathroom. Naru sighed while Mai chuckled softly.
"Nu-uh, Kazuki," the small girl's voice could be heard vehemently denying whatever it was her brother had mentally said through her toothpaste.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Mai asked her husband quietly in an amused tone.
"Given the day's events," Naru began as they heard yet another protest from their daughter. "He's probably making some comment on her behavior towards Souta-kun today."
Mai giggled slightly and moved her head a bit to look up at Naru. "So you did notice, ne?"
"She's my daughter, of course I am going to notice whenever she behaves abnormally around a boy," Naru stated stubbornly, his protective nature shining through, even though said children were only five years old. Mai sweat dropped a little bit, worrying for the eventual safety of little Souta Lin.
Both of the twins came running back into the bedroom a second later. They went to their parents and piled on top of them.
"Kazuki says he wants you to read him a story!" Yuzuki declared as she scrambled on top of her father's shoulders. Kazuki, sitting relatively calmly on his mother's lap, rolled his eyes, and Mai could hear some faint disagreement from her son in her head. Mai smiled at her children's antics and looked towards her husband.
"What do you think we should do, Naru?" she asked playfully.
The man glanced at his two kids, who were waiting expectantly for an answer, with a glint in his eyes. He turned back to Mai, sending her a secret, knowing message with his look.
"I think we should give them what they want." he answered.
"Do you want to tell them of how Sally the Spider made friends, or how Jack the Rabbit lost the race again," Mai asked, purposefully picking two of the type of stories Yuzuki loathed listening to. Absolute baby stories. Kazuki never truly cared, but had a certain love for stories that were from England. Given that these were neither, the young boy could probably live without listening to them.
The look of absolute horror on Yuzuki's face made Mai's split into a mother like grin. How she loved to mess with her children.
"No, no, no!" Yuzuki practically shouted, tightening her grip on her father. "Anything but those kind of stories!"
"Then you should probably go to sleep before I start telling them," warned Mai with a sly smile. Naru shook his head with a smile-the one reserved for ONLY his family and NO ONE ELSE EVER got to see it. He never knew how his wife became so devious towards their children. Perhaps it was a mother's thing.
With the intelligence of her father, Yuzuki paused for a moment as realization stuck her at what her mother was trying to do.
"Oh, no, it's not going to-!" Yuzuki began to thwart her mother's plan when she sneakily pulled a bag out of her backpack. In baby blocked handwriting sat the title Sally the Spider Makes Friends. The little girl looked on in horror as her mother flipped to page one, which held an adorable illustration of a tiny black spider sitting on a pretty pink stool.
"Once upon a time, there was a lovely little spider, and her name was Sally..." she began. Naru watched on in humor, Kazuki already having transferred to the man to avoid his sister's explosive and horrific thoughts, mimicked his father's actions.
Yuzuki released Naru and covered her ears with her little hands, determined not to hear the 'baby story' as she called it. She felt a twang of betrayal that her mother would bring such a book when she knew she hated it.
"Noooo! Fine, okay, just stop!"
"Okay," Mai chirped happily as she watched her daughter move slowly towards the bed that she and Kazuki were sharing. No doubt the twins would end up between Naru and Mai yet again, but it was better they started off in their own bed for the beginning of the night. Once the young girl was in bed, Mai led Kazuki to the other side of the bed and shut the book with a very firm snap. She set the book aside before tucking the Shibuya children into bed.
"Good night, love you," Mai smiled as she kissed both of the children on the head.
The twins said their goodnights to her as Naru leaned down and did the same as Mai did.
"'Night, dad," Yuzuki spoke on behalf of both herself and her brother. However, by that point, Kazuki had already passed out and would probably be up with Naru at insane hours of the morning. Yuzuki, on the other hand, would notably toss and turn until finding the perfect position for sleep before crawling out of bed and running stealthily to her parents' bed. Of course, Kazuki would hazily follow only a minute afterwards and fall asleep on Naru and Mai's bed.
But that would all happen later. For now, the two were lying on the bed, going to sleep, leaving their parents to attempt the same thing.
"She's as stubborn as you are sometimes," Mai whispered to her husband, a smile on her face telling him that it was not entirely a bad thing that she had inherited her father's stubborn nature.
"And she's as loud as you are," he returned with a straight face. Mai pouted in return, though made no move to be any louder than the level with which they were carrying their conversation. Any louder, and they would gain the immediate attention of their children.
Mai watched her two babies with a soft smile, not even attempting to move. That is until Naru grabbed her hand and began to drag her to their bed which isn't far away at all. Mai's pout deepened.
"We need to try and get some sleep while we can." Naru replied quietly as he began to slip under the covers. "We both know what they're going to do later on."
"I know," Mai resigned. So, when they were properly situated, she snuggled up close to her husband with a small smile, which she fully directed at him. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Mai. Now go to sleep," Naru stated to the woman he had collected in his arms. With his wife comfortable and happy and with the twins bound to eventually crawl into bed with them, Naru allowed himself a small amount of relaxation. This time, it took Yuzuki an hour before she climbed on her parents' bed and drifted to sleep. Kazuki waddled over only moments later and followed suit.
And thus, the Shibuya family finally fell asleep.
Naruisawesome: awww, Naru and Mai moments!
14AmyChan: Tiny, but they are there~!
Naruisawesome: So what do you guys think of the case?
14AmyChan: What do you think will happen next?
Naruisawesome: Leave your comments
14AmyChan: in the box below! *^_^*
Naruisawesome and 14AmyChan: Please read and review, everybody!
