Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt

Sooo again this may be a bit OOC mostly cause I wanted the characters to grow more. Umm I apologize in advance if my french is in correct. I think it's ok though. But my french writing has always been worse than my speaking -_-. If you see mistakes tell me and I'll fix them! Oh Sorry that this is a little late. Finals are coming up and well I have to study. Anyway Read. Review. Enjoy ^^


April 3rd

Day 2

Mai fidgeted in her seat. She didn't particularly like flying or riding in cars. She would much rather walk somewhere than sit in some metal contraption which got her there quicker. However—when you're traversing an ocean you have to make exceptions. She leaned into her seat as she looked out the window. She sighed and looked at the rest of the group. It seemed that everyone had fallen asleep except for the Ice King himself and his right hand man. She huffed as she lifted herself up from her seat and carefully stepped over Masako's legs as she made her way to Naru's row. As she sat down next to him Naru's eyebrow slightly pricked up. He remained looking at his case file.

"Sooo...what's up?" Mai said dumbly. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't know how to say: "I'm sorry for whatever I did. But could we talk about this like rational adults? Instead of this stubborn teenage bullshit?" She watched Naru as his eyes closed in what she thought was annoyance but was actually reluctance.

"I'm reading the case files," he said between clenched teeth. He didn't want to be near her. He could feel his heart ache whenever she was near. He didn't want to feel. He had been numb before she had come along. He was content with numb. He was not with this...with this pressure on his chest.

"Anything new?" she asked as she leaned over him to get a closer look at the files. Just say it, you idiot, say you're sorry she thought.

Naru took a steadying breath which would sound like irritation. He knew he'd been a jerk. He knew he had to apologize but his pride wouldn't let him. He couldn't let her know that he was wrong. "Child possession, violence toward parents, things disappearing, things moving on their own. The usual. I would not have taken this case if my father did not ask me too." His voice was low, unfeeling to the untrained ear. Lin looked over at him. His eyes softened as he saw Naru's face. He was trying to keep his cool to keep his emotions in check but he couldn't. Not anymore. So you figured out you're in love with her? Lin thought as he gazed at the two. Naru's body language saying "Stay the hell away from me," while Mai's was open and inviting.

"Oh..." her voice trailed, "I-I'm sorry." She said without looking at him. "I didn't mean to upset you...I don't actually know what I said that made you angry. So..." her voice trailed again. The brooding boy next to her stared at the pieces of paper in front of him; unmoving. He blinked. How long had he been staring at those pieces of paper he looked up to see Mai gone. She apologized and you said nothing? You were supposed to apologize. Naru's mind flashed back to an earlier case, when he first realized Mai was a threat to thawing him.

"You murderer!" Her voice rang in his head clear as day. Was he? What if this plan failed? Would she ever look at him again? Would she still work for him? His fists clenched as he waited for the curse to be reversed. He got the signal from Lin that everything was done. Smoothly he walked out of the room and found Mai. She looked devastated. Had she really given up on me that easily? Words were spoken and then Mai was flying down the hallway. When it was all over it had worked; the hirogata's had taken on the damage of the curse. As he walked away from the school he heard Mai run up to him. Words tumbling from her mouth...An apology?

"What I said...I now know that—that was really cruel of me."

"It's because you give up on people so easily. It's annoying. You should do something about that." Like put more faith in me. Stop believing I'm heartless. See me for who I am. His mind froze. Isn't that what he was avoiding? People to know who he is? To see him for who he is?

"I apologize and you throw it back in my face! You're always like that with me." Naru blinked. A smile tugged at his lips as he turned away.

Yes, Mai, I suppose I am.

Naru leaned back in his chair. It had been he who had been cruel this time around. Ignoring Mai for his own sake—so that he wouldn't feel...this feeling. He turned in his chair and looked to see if Mai had fallen asleep in her chair. Her head was leaning towards Masako's as they slept. Another smile pulled at his lips and he let it. He would smile for Mai.


They arrived in England just after 3 am. The team was groggy as they piled into 3 cabbies. Naru made sure to be in the one with Mai, so he could apologize, so she would know that he wasn't heartless. But when Mai got in the car she turned her head to look out the window and ignored Naru. She was done with him. Done with the drama of him. I apologize and you ignore me you jerk face. Are my apologies not good for you? Was this one even weaker than the one you threw back in my face when we were at Yasu's school? She thought angrily as she stared out the window. The pitter patter of rain drummed on the pane. Her eyes began to droop as she fell into unconsciousness.

"A dream?" Mai said as she awoke in a garden. She looked to see if Gene was there. When she saw him exit the manor house to her left. She was lying in the grass as he approached her.

"Hey there," he said cheerfully as he plopped down next to her. "He's being a jack ass isn't he?" Mai looked at him and started to laugh. Of course Gene would know that Naru was being unkind to her at the moment.

"Tell me about it," she snorted. She looked to see a little girl with blonde pig tails run to her.

"Mummy! Mummy! The bears are going to eat me! I'm Goldilocks see?" Her hands were clutching a book titled "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."

"It's just a story, Jane. Just a story." Mai said as she sat the girl on her lap and ran her fingers through her hair. In a flash the girl was ripped from her and screaming "The bears! The bears! Mummy it hurts!"Claw marks etched into the girl's skin as Mai watched in terror. Three bears were mauling the little girl. Three bears which appeared and vanished as quickly as they came leaving a maimed little girl in their wake—the three bears that finally caught their Goldilocks.

"NO!"

Mai sprung up from her seat and grabbed on to the closest living thing, this time being Naru who sat next to her in the cab. Her breath came out ragged as she stared into his shirt. Her eyes stung with tears that she willed back into her eyes. I will NOT cry in front of that jerk. But she continued to hold onto him. She felt safe. She felt Naru shift uncomfortably underneath her. She could feel his heart. Was it beating fast? She jumped back red in the face.

"S-s-sorry Naru! It was just a dream!" she said frantically waiving her hands in front of her face. She looked at his eyes. They seemed...different. Like they weren't hollow and cool. Like he was feeling something. Sympathy? Then they turned back to normal. His mouth didn't open but his eyes told her that they would be talking about after everything was set up.

The car stopped and Naru got out of the car and Mai followed suit. She felt the rain on her skin and in her hair. She breathed deeply and sighed. She saw up an umbrella and stand closer to her to shield her from the rain.

"Idiot," he said, "you came to England without an umbrella?" Mai huffed indignantly. Naru took that as a yes. He sighed in exasperation. It gives you an excuse to be closer to her. He thought. Suddenly her forgetfulness became a blessing.

"Yo Naru! Is it always raining like this?" Takigawa shouted.

"It's England what do you think! Idiot!" A purse flew at his head as Ayako emerged from the cabbie with an umbrella. Monk just stood there rubbing his head as he got drenched by the rain.

"Come on," Naru said as he nudged Mai forward, "the staff will get the equipment. Let's get inside." They made their way to the entrance when Mai froze. Naru continued walking until he was inside and shook out the umbrella he looked back to see Mai staring at the house; eyes wide with remembrance. It was the same house in her dream. It was the same garden. It was where the Three Bears mauled Goldilocks.

When Naru had finally ushered Mai in she was soaked to the bone. Monk shook off his jacket and put it over her as she shivered. She stared for a moment longer until she looked up and smiled.

"Everything's fine," she said in a hollow voice. "Let's get started." She said reaching for a box of equipment only to be stopped by Naru.

"Everything is not fine! You just went catatonic for no reason!" Monk shouted from behind her. Naru shot him a glare that said "It's time for you to leave and let the adults take care of this." Monk let out an annoyed breath and followed a house staff member to the room that would be base. The rest of the team filed after him giving Mai fleeting looks.

"Everything's fine," Mai said again. "Just fine."

"You're lying." He said. "You have not been fine for a long time. Since when did you stop crying? Yes, Mai I noticed that you stopped crying." He rolled his eyes as she looked at him wide eyed. Honestly has no one brought it up before?

"What does it matter to you anyway, Oliver," her voice was hard. She wouldn't talk to him if he was going to treat her like this. Like she was only important during a job; not when she was trying to fix their friendship; not when she was sitting in the car gripping his shirt scared half to death; no Naru wasn't getting anything from her.

"Fine," Naru said stiffly, "let's go then." His chest clenched as anger flooded his blood stream. Why are you being so stubborn? Can't you be communicative just once!

When they walked into the room, Naru noticed the couple sitting on the couch shnuddering to each other in a foreign language.

"Mais non, je ne sais pas ce qui se passé. Il a juste volé de ma main…" the woman said.

"Comment a-t-il vole hors de ta main ?" The man pressed.

"Je dis 'JE NE SAIS PAS!'" She yelled. Bloody brilliant they speak French. Naru cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to speak English. I don't understand French." The couple looked at him and blinked.

"We can speak English," the woman said slowly with a heavy accent. Naru doubted their English was that good but he didn't press them. He felt a hand tap him.

"What, Mai?" He said irritably.

"Naru...maybe I should stick around for the interview..." her voice was small. She knew Naru was never going to forgive her now. She just made him angrier at her.

"Go on the walk through with the others, Lin and I have the interview covered." He tried to keep his voice even, but he knew he would snap at her soon if she didn't leave.

"Naru, you don't understand I can sp—"

"I said Lin and I have the interview covered Mai." His words dripped with malice and irritation. He didn't want to be like this. Why couldn't she just talk to him? He was more frustrated with himself then Mai, but Mai just snapped her mouth shut and walked over to Lin.

"Mai...Are you—" he began to say as she cut him off.

"Your computer can record the interview right?"

"Yes," he looked at her puzzled.

"Record it." she said as she turned away and walked out the door. Lin sighed as he opened up the recording software. Naru's in for it now...Lin thought. He didn't know why he was recording the interview, but when Mai asked someone to do something it was for a good reason. Except that one time she asked me to give her the key to Naru's office for "cleaning" he chuckled softly as Naru began the interview.

"Can you tell me what's been happening?"

"Aide-nous! Les contes de fée sont vivants. Mais nous ne pouvons pas les voir ! Monique peut les voir !" The woman spouted "I do not know how to say in English." This is going to be a long and unproductive interview isn't it.

When the team arrived they could feel the irritation in the room. They could see Naru glaring at a wall. The team shivered. This was even worse than when Naru didn't have tea. They watched wide eyed as Mai crossed the threshold to where Lin sat.

"Mai! What are you doing? He's going to kill you." Ayako whispered fiercely. Mai ignored her as she walked up to Lin feeling Naru's eyes narrow on her back.

"It recorded?" Mai asked. Lin nodded.

"What recorded?" Naru asked seething, "The interview? It's useless. Stupid French, not speaking English! It's bloody English. Even a girl as stupid as you can learn English!" Masako and John's heads whipped in the direction of Naru their eyes narrow and unforgiving. Naru ignored them and looked at Mai who was now facing him with an air of confidence and rebellion.

"Désolé, mais cette idiote parle le français."


translation Notes:

"Mais non, je ne sais pas ce qui se passé. Il a juste volé de ma main…"- "No, I don't know what happened. it juste flew out of my hand..."

"Comment a-t-il vole hors de ta main ?"- "How did it fly out of your hand?"

"Je dis 'JE NE SAIS PAS!'"- "I said 'I DON'T KNOW!'"

"Aide-nous! Les contes de fée sont vivants. Mais nous ne pouvons pas les voir ! Monique peut les voir !"- "Help us! The fairy tales are alive! But we can't see them! Monique can see them!"

"Désolé, mais cette idiote parle le français."- "Sorry, but this idiot speaks french."