Warning! Violence, blood, graphic gore, a tidbit of OOCness, angst, dark theme, swearing, failed attempts at humor, MaixNaru
Disclaimer! Sadly I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of the characters in it. If I did Mai wouldn't be so naïve and Naru wouldn't be such a narcissist. I also do not own the Lyrics for Kagome, Kagome the rightful owner is the person who first made the game and the other lyrics of Kagome Kagome go to the Vocaloid
Bozu-Kid
Mataku-jeez
Yameru-stop
Yare-Yare-well well
Souka- That's right, I see
Iie-no
Chigou-you're wrong
Demo-but
Ja mata- see you/later
Hai-yes
Oyabun-boss
Bou-Monk
Hōshō- pronounced Ho-u-sho-u
Miko-priestess usually a shrine priestess
Shiki/Shikigami-spirits under an onmyouji command
Daijōbu-in this context it means "it's alright"
Dream
Spirit speak
Flashback
"Blah" character talking
'Blah' character thoughts
Gone But Never Forgotten
Kagome, Kagome: Who Stands behind you?
Mai huffed as she tried to keep a serious face as she walked but the man grinning beside her made that impossible so finally she gave up. Grinning she whirled around, putting her hands on her hips as she looked at Ryuu. "You realize some women might call this stalking."
"It's a good thing we happen to be going the same way then." She could hear the laughter in his voice and she let out an exasperated groan, throwing her hands in the air as she said, "You're so persistent! Mataku! You'd think I was the only girl around!"
"You're special…" She blushed at his nonchalant compliment and tried not to let it faze her. Ryuu had been trying to get her to go on a date with him for the past week or so and it was starting to wear her down. Part of her, the part that was caught by his dangerous edge and disarming grin wanted to but the part of her that had held on to her love for Naru all these years refused to consider it. They'd been going back and forth for days now as she tried to figure out his intentions but each time he was so blunt she could never find a hidden agenda. She sighed at the man before turning around and continuing her walk. She'd decided to take the long way to her job today, she'd woken up with plenty of time to spare and for some reason she'd been in the mood to walk. It hadn't been long before Ryuu had fallen into step with her but she didn't really mind anymore. She was quiet as they walked, bemused by the man's constant chatter but relaxed by it somewhat. Mai was slightly surprised when they came to a part that looked like a hall of cherry blossom trees. Mai couldn't help but get a strange sense of déjà vu.
Something drew her attention away from the cherry blossoms to a shaded area mostly hidden by a group of trees hidden off the path. As she looked at the seemingly abandoned structure something nagged at her from the back of her mind, something she was sure she was missing. She'd been here before, she knew that building. It clicked in that moment, the sound of childish laughter and high pitched voices. Without thinking she rushed up to the structure, surprised to notice that while it looked abandoned there were signs that there was once work being done on it. "What happened here?"
Mai's soft voice echoed softly in the somewhat isolated area before a voice broke through her reverie. "Mai…Taniyama, Mai?"
She looked and saw a slightly older woman with and salt and pepper hair and dark brown eyes coming from around the corner of the building. Something in her told her she knew this woman as well but she couldn't quite place where. The woman smiled warmly as she looked at Mai, stopping before her. "Yare, yare! You've grown Mai-chan. It's Tatsuki-Sensei, Mayura, Tatsuki-Sensei."
Suddenly, it clicked for Mai, it was the daycare teacher who used to watch over her when she was younger. Smiling widely Mai hugged her, earning a soft laugh from the lady before she asked, "Tatsuki-Sensei, What happened to this place?"
The woman seemed to wilt before looking up at the abandoned building sadly, "Ryouji-san had wanted to make the daycare into a school building and work together with the local district schools but…things, unexplainable things began to happen. Things had begun happening earlier on in the daycare so that's why he had decided to do construction but then…it only got worse. People began to get hurt. A man was killed…so we were forced to stop all work. Now it just sits here…almost like it's waiting to die."
Mai felt a chill go through her and an eerie laugh echo in her ears before a voice broke her out of it. "Souka! I remember that report. I hadn't been the reporting officer but my chief had spoken about it. Calling it a strange coincidence."
Mai looked over at Ryuu who gave her an amused look and blushed, she'd totally forgotten about him and he knew it. Mayura looked between them and laughed lightly, "You've picked a good one, Mai-chan. He's so handsome too."
She couldn't help the healthy blush that dusted her cheeks before waving her hands wildly, "Iie! Chigou! We're not dating or anything! I know him from work!"
She stopped abruptly at her words before she took the older woman's hand. "Come with me…to my job! I can have my boss look into this! We're involved with a paranormal agency."
The woman seemed to hesitate before smiling sadly, "Maybe later? I have to get to my part time job."
Mai felt like she'd been struck before she asked softly, "Part…time job?"
"After this place was closed down…We couldn't work here anymore and the parents refused to bring their children…We all had to find temporary work somewhere else."
Mai felt her heart break before steeling herself. One way or another she'd get Naru to take this job, even if she had to beg him.
(OoO)
Mai nervously stood by the door to Naru's office, she was early for once but what she was about to ask of him would be considered a little unprofessional. Ryuu watched her for a moment before brushing past her, making her let out an indignant squawk, and bursting into the room. "Oi! Bozu! What's up?!"
"Ryuu-san! Yameru! That's just rude!"
"As opposed to you standing outside the door looking like a lost kitten?"
"I do not!"
"Oh? Then next time I'll be sure to take a pic-"
"Enough!" Both Ryuu and Mai stopped their bickering to look at Naru who was glaring at them. Mai felt a chill go down her back at the deep dark blue of his eyes, lately all she'd ever seen was that color. "What are you two doing here?"
Mai squirmed for a moment before bowing low to Naru, surprising him thoroughly by the action. Mai rarely if ever, bowed to him let alone such a low one. When she stood back up he could see from her face that what she was going to say was important. "I have a request…as a potential client."
Naru looked at her for a moment, surprise obvious. "Mai…what are you talking about?"
"I have a request for a case…"
(OoO)
Naru looked at the young woman who he'd known since she had been in her first year of high school. They'd worked together, shared secrets together and had mourned together. Now here she was requesting, begging for him to take a case for her. However, something was wrong and he had a bad feeling about it. For the past week or so he'd been trying to dig up anything he could about the Taniyama family line that corresponded with Mai's dreams. However, each time he'd been thwarted, something always seemed to get in the way of it. He couldn't help but think something didn't want him finding anything. Now after another attempt he had Mai of all people asking him to investigate something for her. It just didn't sit right with him.
"Mai, you realize this is a conflict of interest."
"Demo Naru! This is important!"
He could see in her eyes that it was but he was far too reluctant, especially considering her track record for getting into trouble on cases she didn't request. He shook his head and continued flipping through his papers as he said, "Mai, we cant."
"Naru! Someone died there! Tatsuki-Sensei and all the others lost their job! Please!"
"Naru…" Naru looked at Lin when he said the latest addition to his names and saw the determination in them. He wanted to do this…for Mai. A part of him vaguely wondered when the older man had started calling him Naru while the other part cursed them both for being so stubborn. He looked back at Mai and sighed as he spoke, "Fine. However, he is not coming along."
Naru glared at Ryuu who was lounging lazily next to Mai. The slightly older man grinned before putting his hands up in a 'I surrender' gesture. "That's fine. I'll probably be on duty any way." He got up slowly before thinking better of it. With a sly grin he gave Mai a peck on the cheek before strolling out the door. "Ja mata!"
Mai blushed furiously before huffing and rolling her eyes. Naru narrowed his eyes at the action and said coolly, "You two seem to be getting on rather well."
Mai blushed again before glaring at him. "That's none of your business and even if it was nothing is going on."
He arched an eyebrow at her before getting up and walking towards his office door. "Call everyone and see if they're available. If they are let them know we're meeting here today to discuss a case, especially John and Bou."
Mai grinned happily at the reminder that Naru had actually taken her case before saluting, "Hai! Oyabun!"
He glared at her for a moment as she went to her desk to pick up the phone but he stopped her by saying, "Oh and Mai…Tea."
Mai opened her mouth to yell at him but he closed his door leaving Mai spewing curses while Lin just shook his head and packed up to go back to his office.
(OoO)
"So is it one of those memories?" Mai gave Masako a thoughtful look before sighing. Shrugging her shoulders she said, "I don't know honestly. It's like a blur almost. Almost like trying to fade two images together."
She looked towards Naru to see if he had an idea but he was deep in thought, oblivious to the rest of them. As though feeling her gaze he looked up and gave her a considering look. She blushed before Bou cut in and asked, "Tell us what you think you remember."
Mai huffed before closing her eyes and concentrating. "Mama…and papa used to take me there when they went away…I used to hate when they left. I could never understand why…I still can't remember what they used to do when they left. I remember they'd always be gone for a few days and I'd stay there. It was a daycare and an orphanage…sometimes…I always thought that they got adopted because in the morning…sometimes one of the kids would be gone but I don't remember parents coming for them."
Mai bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowing as she concentrated on remembering. "The children…they were always sad when I left but it was weird…like it wasn't actually them saying that they wished I'd stay forever…I remember…one night…a lot of the younger kids climbed into my bed…like they were covering me…I remember them crying and telling me it would be okay…the next morning one of them was gone. My parents didn't take me there again after I told them."
She shuddered as she remembered what she could. She'd always been aware something wasn't right but now more than ever she knew with every fiber of her being that something hadn't been right. "Mai…?"
She blinked as Lin said her name, sensing the concern in it. "That's all I can recall right now."
Naru let out an audible sigh before he got up and said, "We'll start investigations tomorrow."
Mai looked at him but he didn't meet her eye, instead he simply murmured something to Lin and then locked himself in his office. Mai frowned at that, confused by the fact he'd been a little more distant towards her since the Mad Hatter case. "Do you think it could be another demon? Like what happened in the vampire case?"
Mai looked at Bou and shrugged her shoulders. "The adults always looked really nervous the morning after a kid disappeared but they never called the police."
She started collecting empty cups from everyone, lost in her thoughts and trying to figure out what was what. She tuned out everyone's whispers and tried to understand what had been going on these past few days. She hardly noticed when everyone begun to leave one by one, half-heartedly waving from her desk of work.
"So you and Detective Ryuu seem to be getting close." Mai blushed as a flash of green eyes interrupted her thoughts just as Naru walked out of his office. He looked between her and Ayako who had spoken up as she watched Mai space out. Mai stared for a moment before clearing her throat and speaking.
"Ryuu-san has been a good friend to me although sometimes I feel as though he has ulterior motives for trying to get with me."
Naru snorted rudely before putting a few more files on Mai's desk and walking back into his office but not before closing his door a little loudly. Ayako rolled her eyes while Mai scowled at the door. "Well I'm surprised its gone from being totally suspicious to head over heels in nearly a month."
"I have a feeling he's still slightly suspicious…there are moments when he seems to be…studying me almost."
Ayako chuckled lightly, "Maybe it's more than just studying."
Mai blushed at Ayako's suggestion seeing as she wasn't oblivious to what the woman meant. She'd had plenty of relationships in the past before school and work got so demanding. "Ayako-san!"
The older woman got up and patted Mai's head gently before she said softly, "You're a beautiful young woman Mai. Don't be so surprised that someone respectable is showing an interest in you."
She walked out, giving the suddenly quiet girl a sad smile. It was true though, Mai was surprised that someone like Ryuu was showing an interest in her when Naru, the one she'd been pining over for so long had barely ever looked her way. Mai didn't know how to interpret that and so it left her edgy and suspicious.
Maybe though…
(OoO)
She woke to complete darkness around her, a soft growling purr moving through the darkness of her surrounding but there was nothing scary about it. In fact it was a sound that seemed to bring her peace. She simply sat in the middle of the darkness, somewhat dazed like she was in a trance as she looked straight ahead. Slowly that growling purr softened until it faded away completely and another sound filled the darkness. Laughter, children's laughter but it was creepy like it wasn't really children but something far more sinister. She could hear someone calling her name but she couldn't see who it was and it made her nervous. She slowly stood up from where she sat on the ground and looked around her trying to see where she was but she could see nothing but darkness.
"Mai…"
"is she back?"
"She's back!"
"Come play with us…"
"Come play, Mai!"
"We've missed you!"
"Why'd you leave us?!"
"Don't ever go…"
"You'll never leave…"
"Kagome…Kagome…The bird in the cage."
The voices were overlapping each other, faster and faster they all seemed to talk like they knew her. She had the feeling that they did too, that they did know her and she knew them. However, the last voice made her shudder. Something in those few words seemed off and wrong. The voice was older and seemed to have an almost malicious aura even though she couldn't see anything but the children were crying, screaming at her to not leave them. It broke her head but she could feel time running out for her, she needed to go but something wouldn't let her leave. Something kept her stuck in that same spot and she could feel someone screaming at her but she couldn't go. She couldn't leave them…Not again. Suddenly, she was ripped away but not before hearing an eerie chuckling voice say,
"Make a Circle, Make a Circle…What game shall we play…?"
To Be Continued…
