I don't own Ghost Hunt or its wonderful characters unfortunately. Not that I'd know what to do if I did own them...Anyway Enjoy.
Mai slept soundly until she was woken up by a knock on the door. She groaned and silently willed the person knocking on her door to go away. The knock came again, only louder this time.
"I'm coming!" Mai whined pulling the covers tighter around herself and burying her face in the soft pillow. There were a few seconds of silence and Mai dozed off again, then rather than more knocking whoever was on the other side just decided to walk right in.
"Mai wake up." Came a familiar voice from the doorway. Mai pretended not to hear him and snuggled deeper into her covers. Then she heard a whine from Keisha.
"Mai just go with him! I'm trying to sleep." Her roommate groaned throwing one of her many pink pillows at Mai from the other side of the room. Naru smirked at the scene his assistant was causing.
Mai reluctantly sat up in her bed and looked groggily at her annoyed teacher who was for some reason standing in her bedroom at, she checked the clock, five thirty in the morning. She yawned and stretched her arms out before asking.
"What are you doing here?" She yawned, Naru said nothing expecting her to figure it out on her own. They continued with their little staring contest for several minutes before he sighed.
"Mai we are going on a case today. The last one wasn't paranormal in the least, just creepy. This one has a ghost and since Masako Hara is in Japan, you are my only medium right now." He said in his usual Stop being such a dummy voice.
"Fine I'll be right out." She said laying back down on her pillow. Naru rolled his eyes and snatched the pillow from under her head causing her head to collide with the firm mattress. She sat bolt upright and glared at him. He had to admit while her glares were nowhere as good as his they had improved some.
"You have to get out so I can change. Unless you want me to go in my pajamas." Mai snapped. Naru raised an eyebrow, she was awfully snippy in the mornings. He picked up the pillow and left the room making sure to take her pillow with him, he didn't have anymore strategies to wake her up with unless he wanted to yell in her ear. So he stood outside the door with her pillow in hand.
A few minutes later Mai was outside in the hall with him. She had on a plaid shirt and skinny jeans, her hair was still a mess and she was only half awake but she should still be able to make him tea.
The next stop was Kiwi's room which was on the other side of the building. Mai was tripping on her feet practically the whole way there and she almost ran into a couple walls. Naru made a mental note to wake Mai up an hour before he actually needed her.
Naru knocked on Kiwi's door much the same as he did Mai's. Only Kiwi actually answered on the fourth knock not forcing Naru to barge into his room and force him to wake up. Kiwi looked about as tired as Mai but when he looked from Mai to Naru he understood rather quickly.
"Okay, just a sec. Let me get dressed and all that stuff." He said in a yawn, his silvery hair was sticking up in all directions and his eyes were visible from the lack of glasses taking over his face. He vanished back into his room and reemerged several minutes later.
"Alright I'm ready." He said again more awake than Mai but still not quite himself. Naru then lead them down the corridor until they got to the staff parking lot where the black van was parked and loaded. Lin stood outside of it waiting for his friend, he was leaning against the van with a book in hand.
"Only he would be awake and functioning this early in the morning." Kiwi said as he plunked himself into the backseat of the van. He noticed the pink haired woman who seemed to always be following Lin was passed out in the passenger seat.
Mai slid in beside him and was asleep as soon as her face hit the back of the seat. Naru then tucked in beside her and they were all packed into the cold van at six in the morning.
The whole trip to the hotel the passengers, Naru included, drifted in and out of sleep. When they arrived Naru woke up and checked his appearance so as not to look unprofessional. Everyone always thought he was too young to be who he claimed to be and most hated him for it, he didn't need a disheveled appearance to add to that.
Naru stepped out of the car and into the sun that had only risen about an hour earlier, it was still cool outside and he could see his breath when he breathed or spoke. Kiwi shuffled out of the van as well and yawned as he stood beside Naru. His eyes widened when he saw the title of the hotel they would be working at.
"This hotel is for couples only, isn't it?" He asked awkwardly, Naru nodded not entirely comfortable with the pairs he had come up with. He was just lucky Ayako was in town for some kind of hospital workshop. He would likely die if he had to be paired with one of his female students.
Mai was next out of the car and only because she had to use the washroom, she stood beside Kiwi and Naru and gazed at the tall maroon colored building. She read the sign and cocked her head to the side.
"Naru am reading the sign wrong or something?" She asked. Kiwi smirked and looked at her, he now knew Naru's plan and was thrilled to be taking a case that sounded so exciting.
"Nope. You're reading it right, and they wont let us stay at the building unless we're couples. I am your partner in crime for as long as we're here so smile and act less like a zombie okay?" He joked, Mai was too tired to laugh or respond for that matter.
Lin was still in the van trying to wake up the sleeping pinkette. He shook her shoulder lightly and she swatted him halfheartedly away. He simply watched her as she snuggled into a ball on her seat and used the seat belt as a pillow.
He shook his head slowly and shook her shoulder harder. She protested but then coming out of her sleepy state she opened her eyes and smiled up at him. Then she looked around and noticed that they were the only ones left in the car. She unclicked her seat belt and opened the van door meeting the others who had gathered there followed closely by Lin.
"Noll, you are aware of what this hotel is for right?" Madoka asked looking at the severely annoyed twenty two year old. He pinched the bridge of his nose and checked his watch waiting all too patiently for the red haired priestess.
"Yes Madoka I know fully well where we are and what this place is. Why you all keep asking me that is another mystery. Where is Ayako?" The young man tapped his foot now growing less patient. Mai looked up at him with confusion clearly written on her face.
Finally a black and yellow taxi pulled up to the hotel and out stepped a frustrated red haired woman. She started toward them but the taxi man yelled at her to pay him, she threw her arms up in the air and chucked a ball of crumpled bills at the man who tried to give her change, but she had already set off toward the group.
Mai's eyes lit up upon seeing the woman who had become quite a good friend of hers over the past few years without Naru. Madoka and Lin also seemed excited to see her which was something unusual.
"Mai!" Ayako smiled spreading her arms and catching the smaller dark haired girl in a flying hug. Naru watched them for a moment letting them have their reunion bu then he had to cut it short.
"Ayako, you understand the plan?" He asked in Japanese so she could understand him. Mai let go of her friend and cocked her head to the side curiously. What was the plan and why didn't she know?
Ayako nodded and walked so she was beside Naru, Naru held out his arm and she took it, like that they started toward the building. Madoka to Mai's relief also seemed very confused, she was asking Lin so many questions that it seemed he just tuned her out and lead her inside by the hand.
Inside was a large room with decorations all various shades and tints of red. A dark red velvet couch sat in he middle next to a pinkish tinted fountain and rose petals covered every surface. The woman at the desk smiled in that polite way all secretary's or desk clerks were taught to smile.
Her honey brown hair was wound tightly in a bun and her makeup was applied too heavily giving the impression she was much older than she was. Naru stood still, with Ayako still on his arm, she looked awkward while his face was a mask. Lin and Madoka stepped forward and handled the woman skillfully.
"We are SPR, we were told you believe this place is haunted?" Lin said letting no emotion slip through, the woman studied each person carefully and noticed they all seemed to be paired together except the younger two who stood awkwardly to the side.
"I understand that and I am very glad you came but I'm afraid we can only allow couples to stay in the hotel, we don't want anyone to feel like a third wheel." She smiled with her perfect teeth making Mai and Kiwi look at each other. They knew the woman meant them, that was why everyone linked arms.
As Mai was hit with realization Kiwi improvised and put his arm around her shoulders pulling her closer to him. Mai squeaked a little and became bright red making the woman giggle slightly at her discomfort with being public.
"Alrighty then! If you're all coupled up I don't see why I cant let you stay here." The woman smiled again this time grabbing three keys and leading them toward their rooms which to Mai's surprise they were sharing with their partners.
They all smiled politely until the woman left to go back to her desk, then they all except Lin and Madoka broke away from each other.
"I understand now. I think." Mai furrowed her brow trying to discover why Ayako was suddenly in England and why Naru was partnered with Ayako and not her.
"Careful Mai thinking too hard might hurt you." Naru teased walking down the hall back to the van to get the equipment they needed. Lin followed leaving all three girls and Kiwi to chat.
"So who are you?" Kiwi asked Ayako who didn't understand and looked to Mai or Madoka to translate.
"Ayako, this is Kiwi. He's a friend of mine and a TA for Naru." Mai smiled gesturing to Kiwi, Ayako smiled at him and turned to Mai.
"He's cute. Are you over Naru yet?" She asked making Mai turn red. Ayako laughed at how easy it was to make Mai flustered. Mai breathed deeply and sighed, she gazed after the way Naru had left and Ayako laughed again pulling Mai into a hug.
"Its alright Mai, you'll get over him soon enough. Now I want you to translate what this adorable boy says ok?" She asked holding Mai at arm's length. Mai nodded and looked to Kiwi who had taken to staring at them while they talked.
"She wants me to translate. So I guess anything she says I'll just say to you right after." Mai shrugged, Kiwi smiled and nodded in understanding. Naru and Lin returned carrying boxes of equipment.
"I expect you to help me if you don't want to fail my class. Mai tea! Miss Matsuzaki you and Madoka can take temperatures of every room on this floor. Mr. Delain help set up." Naru gave everyone their orders and other than an eye roll from Mai and some protests in Japanese from Ayako, they were fulfilled.
When Mai returned with Naru's precious tea and a cup for everyone else as well, base was already set up and everyone was doing what they would do on any other case.
Naru and Lin sat at the monitors, Madoka was sifting through a massive stack of research and Kiwi was making a house of cards with Ayako. Mai set the tea down in front of Naru and Lin receiving one thank you from Lin and no response from Naru. Mai frowned at his lack of manners and went to give a cup to her other friends.
Ayako took the cup and sniffed, sighing in happiness afterwards. She sipped the tea draining half the cup. Kiwi watched her with eyebrows raised.
"I missed your tea. We all did. Even Masako seemed to miss you." She said thoughtfully, Kiwi still just watched her and then looked to Mai for an explanation. Mai blushed and drank some of her own tea.
"She says my friends missed me, and my tea. It was unclear if she meant me or the tea they missed." Mai said smiling sheepishly.
"You had friends?" Kiwi asked with fake surprise written all over his face. Mai punched him in the arm and they all three started laughing. Madoka sensing fun, came over and sat with them drinking her tea.
"Yes she has friends but she only won them over because of her tea." Madoka teased making Mai glare at her. Naru watched them from the desk that had monitors all over it. They seemed to so easily communicate with each other. Something Naru always sucked at though he would never admit it. The only friends he ever had growing up were met through someone else. Usually Gene.
"Noll, you should see this." Lin said taking the headphones off his ears and handing them to Naru as he watched the tape. The camera went gray and fuzzy, then when it snapped back there was writing on the wall.
I told you you can't erase a mistake so easily.
Slightly longer chapter, Some people might be OOC and the end may have been boring with me rambling on about Naru's lonely childhood...but hope you enjoyed and REVIEW!