Me: Hi!
Mai: Welcome back! *hugs*
Me: Sorry I was gone for so long. I've been busy and away from a computer or laptop.
Naru: No one cares, just get the stupid chapter done.
Me: Thanks for the pep talk Naru. *rolls eyes*
Gene: Silver doesn't own Ghost Hunt. Please R&R!
Naru's POV:
After the wonderful game of mark-o-polo Gene and I retired to the shore where we watched from the sidelines the team acting like total idiots and playing in the water. Somehow Monk and Yasu had gotten everyone, including Lin, involved and were now playing some strange form of tag mixed with football. It was entertaining to watch, but I couldn't help but sigh and shake my head at the stupidity of my team.
"So, you have to tell me, how did you create all of this?" Gene asked, taking my attention away from the train wreck that was the SPR regulars.
"What's this." I asked, raising a brow at my mirror image.
"You know, the team, SPR."
"It's a long story that happens to involve a certain brunette breaking a camera and spraining Lin's ankle." I said, sighing in memory of that fateful day that literally changed the rest of my life as I knew it. Gene hummed in acceptance of it and then sighed, once again drawing my attention from my own musings of the past.
"So Mai really is a trouble magnet too?"
"You have no idea." I sighed, remembering all the times I or other members of the team has had to save her from either a ghost, person, or herself. Sometimes she was too much to handle even for me.
"Seriously though, how did the team come to be?" he asked, once again retiring to the main question of his in his typical manner of bouncing around only to return to the beginning. Sighing, I decided it to just be best to give in since he could play this game all day, and I did not need the headache that would accompany it if he did.
"On the first case I got in Japan it just so happened to be at Mai's school. The dunce of a principle also hired all of the other idiots that you see here. Originally we were all just parting as one time business partners, but somehow, it all changed and now we have this disorganized, yet somehow functioning, team." I said, once again looking out to my low IQ leveled team that Mai, who is the only reason that all of them had even gotten the chance to even form a team, had created and unexpectedly forced me to work with. Gene playfully punched my arm and I glared at him in response rubbing the now tender spot.
"Oh you like them and you know it!"
"What about you, what have you been doing?" I asked, deciding to pry into his life like he always did mine. He hummed as he thought and shrugged as if he hadn't done anything worth mentioning.
"Well, I've been doing a lot of detective work. I tend to go solo on most of my cases, but I do always have one consistent partner." he said, peaking my interests in what specific cases he had worked in his time here as well as the people.
"Who?" I asked, wondering if it was anyone who I knew since SPR did sometimes run into police and their investigations tended to correspond with ours. He chuckled at my question and rubbed the back f his neck, one of his nervous ticks, and I could already tell that i wouldn't like the answer.
"Kaguya, she actually helps me out a lot with my cases it's not even funny." he said, laughing nervously at the fact that his younger girlfriend always picked up his slack. The name was like nails on a chalk board to me and instantly I felt my mood plummet at the mention of that girl.
"I see, so she's just so great." I asked, flinching at myself for letting my tone go as dark as it did. Gene paused and looked over at me with a confused expression and brow raised.
"Noll?"
"It's just, I don't get it. You've been with tons of girls in England and not one of them have made you act like this. What is so great about her?" I asked again, feeling myself starting to go on a ramble. It was so strange to me, but for some reason I just couldn't stop. What was it about her that had him so interested. Gene was my brother. She was just some girl who came along and bewitched him. It just didn't make any sense for my playboy twin to be this driven by a mere female.
"What do you mean? She's a spiritualist in the sense o the fact she's Wiccan." he explained, making me stop and process what exactly it was that he said.
"She's what?!" I exclaimed, looking at him in disbelief that he would fall for some type of witch.
"Wiccan, you know, nature loving, free spirited, polytheistic."
"Gene, Mother and Father will have a fit!" I shouted, knowing that if I couldn't change his mind about her then our church going catholic parents would. He however rolled his eyes at me and crossed his arms.
"So, it's one thing about her and we're not even that religious Noll. The only reason we even go to church is because there are exorcists there that can help exercise spirits." he depanned, making me mentally face palm at my weak attempt. Stubbornly though, I narrowed my eyes and glared.
"Still they will be against it."
"Well maybe they'll like the fact that she volunteers her time after school for a couple hours at a local hospital to play with the kids there, or that she's super smart and can tell a lot about a person from just meeting them once, or that she's pretty, or the fact that she saved my life and helped me not only get over my fear of water, but concur the element all together. Maybe they'll think that she reminds them of you like she does for me." he explained, making me wince at all the facts and good traits she had as well as how tightly she had him tied around her little finger. the thing that stung the most though was the comparison. How he could compare and think that I was similar to that I had no idea.
"If she was like me the she wouldn't have changed you." I muttered, hoping to keep it to myself, but from the look that came over his face I knew he had heard.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his defensive tone all but gone and instead one that i truly despised, pity.
"Just look at you, you used to be so close to Mother and Father, especially me, but we haven't heard one word from you since you woke up from your accident. You made us think you were dead!" I said, no longer feeling the need to keep my thoughts to myself. He would only find out about it through our connection when I saw the tramp calling herself his girlfriend and that wouldn't be the ideal way to tell him in the slightest.
"I didn't mean to, I just got caught up in life with her." he said innocently, only proving my point and deepening my destine for her more.
"Exactly my point, she kept you away from us whether she knew it or not."
"Noll that wasn't her fault. It was my choice." he said, trying to clear up the misunderstanding, but only fueling my anger further.
"That you made because of her."
"What did you want me to do then?" he asked, frustration lacing his tone as he became guarded to me. His own twin that he tells everything to. No, told would be more accurate. Now he tells everything to that girl and keeps me in the dark.
"Have told them the truth, called home, come home and let your family help you instead of some strangers." I said, wondering why he would do that even if it was his instincts that caused him to do such things.
"I told you my instinct told me to-"
"I know what it said, but still, not even a letter or voicemail saying you were okay?" I asked cutting him off, not understanding why he wasn't even capable of such a simple task. Especially since he was the twin who prided himself on his communication skills.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't even know that you knew about the accident. I didn't want to worry you or Mom and Dad." he said, making me see a bit of logic that he actually possessed about the topic, but it was quickly crushed as the memory of the vision flashed across my mind.
"Yeah, well nice going."
"Okay, seriously, Noll what is wrong with you? You're not acting like yourself."
"I just, I don't know."
"Well then why do you hate Kaguya so much when you haven't even given her a chance?" he asked, touching on the one subject that I was hoping we wouldn't have to have until later. I balled my hands into fists as I struggled to keep my PK under control from lashing out.
"I just do, she rubs me the wrong way." I said, not really going to deep into the topic since it was still a raw wound in my eyes. However, Gene wasn't going to have it and would rub salt right on into it like he always did. I knew, but hoped that he wouldn't.
"How?"
"It's just," I began, running a hand through my hair. "I'm your brother, your twin brother, I'm the one who should know about all these things that happen in your life. Not her."
"Noll, you are my twin. Kaguya is just a girl. Just because she came into the picture doesn't mean anything between us has changed." he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Then prey tell why it seems like I'm replaced by that bimbo?" I snapped, accidentally letting slip of what I truly thought about her loose to him. His expression turned dark, and I knew that I had just crossed the line with him.
"One, she's not a bimbo, she's my girlfriend, and two, you can't be replaced. After all, who else's butt would I save from their own PK, huh?" he asked, changing his tone from one of anger to his usual light hearted manner of speaking.
"Now, you're just making fun of me." I depanned, not like how he was taking this so lightly where it had been plaguing my mind since I had discovered him alive. His smile and chuckle were all that I needed as confirmation to my question, and once again I crossed my arms at him. "Gene."
"Okay, okay, but seriously. You're my brother. Things between me and Kaguya may end someday in the future, and when that happens you'll always still be there. Brothers are forever, girls are whatever." he said, making me sweat drop at how lame it sounded, but it still made me smirk none the less as the weight of the possibility of being replaced dissipated from my mind.
"Stupid medium."
"Idiot scientist, just let me ask one favor." he said, taking me by surprise at the sudden seriousness in his tone and expression. My attention was all his and I gestured for him to continue. He took a deep breath and sent me a pleading look. "Please, just give Kaguya a chance. Mai seems to like her."
"Yes, and Mai could like a cereal killer as well." I depanned, knowing that it was quite possible that Mai could if she didn't know about them or if her instinct didn't go off with a stay-away vibe.
"Noll."
"I will attempt to be cordial towards her." I said, knowing that if she had this much hold on him I had to at least see what she was like without any pretensions. It will be hard, but it was necessary none the less. A genuine smile came across his face in gratitude as he sighed in relief.
"Thank you."
"Naru, let's head back in!" called Monk, bringing us back to the whole reality besides just our own world and worries.
"Yeah, it's getting dark." Ayako added, making me take into consideration that it was already sunset and there had yet to be any new development since that lovely welcome we had when we first got here. Thoughts of that blasted girl tricking me came to mind, but I quickly squashed it down reminding myself that I had to see her for her own abilities like I had promised. Otherwise Gene would just become too annoying to handle.
"Very well." I agreed, getting up from my place. Looking at them they all seemed to have had enjoyed themselves. I wasn't completely heartless and I knew that they needed a break, but now it was over. Knowing them though I would have to make sure that they realized that."Did you all enjoy your day of lazing about?"
"Yeah." Yasu said, accompanied by a chorus of yeses. A smirk came on my face as we continued towards the cottage.
"Good, because it won't be happening again until this case is solved."
"But-but Naru!" Monk complained, voicing the displease that was joined by the other's disheartened expressions. Before anyone could continue and attempt to argue with me on the topic Gene's thoughts and feelings of worry hit me full force.
"Hey, has anyone seen Mai and Kaguya?" he asked, making everyone pause and look around, and true to his question, there wasn't any sign of either girl.
"I thought that they were with John and Masako." Ms. Matsuzaki said, looking at the duo that had spent most of the day walking along the shore and collecting seashells that were now being carried by said priest.
"We thought they were with you three." John said with a worried look. Ms. Hara nodded in agreement also showing an expression of worry to match her escort of the evening.
"Lin?" Gene asked, an undertone of hope in his voice. Lin however only shook his head and crushed that hope in an instant.
"No, I assumed they were with either you two or with Takigawa."
"Damnit!" I cursed, now seeing through the whole trip to the beach. Those two planned on going on their own from the beginning. That girl was going to be trouble and the fact that she got Mai to go along with her only meant more headaches for me.
"Hey, maybe they went back to the cottage. Kaguya does like to start dinner before sunset." Gene said, a new look of hope in his eyes. My anger at the two, mainly Kaguya, slowly started to recede to a slight annoyance.
"Let's hope that they are." John said, trying to reassure my now panicking brother.
"Yeah, I'm kinda hungry." Yasu added, taking the edge off of the stress that was starting to pile up within the group. With a quickened hast we made our way to the cottage and Gene opened up the door to reveal an empty living room. You could see the nervousness on Gene's face as he walked into the room and franticly looked around.
"Girls, are you he-"
"So have you managed to find anything else in the archives, maybe some statements that we could use to help us determine exactly what happened the first time?" Kaguya's voice cut off Gene and we all made our way to the kitchen to see that they had indeed returned as Gene had suspected. On the same page, everyone made their way over to the open kitchen and paused in surprise.
"Nope, so far I really haven't gotten anything that we don't already know." Mai said, looking up at the female cooking from some laptop with tiered eyes. Kaguya hummed in response as she turned off the flame to whatever it was that she was cooking and covered the pot.
"This is getting to be very interesting." she said, leaning back on the counter with a similar think pose that I would take."Looks like we'll just have to wait till the team gets back." Mai sighed and nodded in agreement, before looking up at us with the same tiered eyes. She blinked at us for a moment and then I watched in amusement as her eyes widened at our sudden arrival.
"And the team is back." Mai said, making Kaguya's head snap up and look over at our direction. A small smile was painted on her lips as she gestured to the table for us to take a seat.
"Oh, welcome back. Did you enjoy the beach?" she asked, turning back to her pot and pulling out plates for us.
"Yeah, what are you up to Angel?" Gene asked, crossing his arms as he sat down, quickly followed by myself and the other SPR members as Mai put away the laptop and went to help with the food.
"Well, I had to come back to make dinner, it's stew by the way, and since Mai and I couldn't be alone we went back together. Mai was feeling a bit guilty since we weren't out there help you guys out there." she said, placing a bowl of said stew in front of both Gene and Lin. Mai placed a bowl in front of me and Masako, drawing my attention to the stiffness that was in her posture. She was hiding something, and I was going to find out what.
"So you were doing what exactly?" Gene asked, sweat dropping at her vagueness as she turned and filled more servings.
"Uh, well." she began, fidgeting as she avoided my eyes. She net a look to Kaguya who sighed and shook her head at the short brunette. Kaguya looked at me as she brought out two more bowls and placed them in front of Monk and Ms. Matsuzaki.
"Looking up death records in the archives."
"And where did you get the ability to do that." I asked, eyeing her suspiciously. It took very high leveled officials to be able to access those types of files. Surely this was just a simple college girl, so how in the world would she have been able to get her hands on the key to that.
"My laptop I have some connections since I help him so much." she said, jabbing her thumb at Gene as he chuckled nervously at her accusation. My curiosity in how involved she was in the government increased, but I shoved it down for something to ask at a later date. Focusing back onto the case, I crossed my arms and focused on the two girls that knew more then they were telling.
"I see. Pray tell what you've gathered."
"From what we can see, there have been multiple drownings and most of the scenarios have been the same. For the more recent deaths we called the families and got some details that way, but what we can confirm is that this thing has something to do with promises and them being broken."
"I see, anything else?" I asked, Mai visibly stiffened and validated that she was keeping something secret, but before I could say anything about it Kaguya took over as Mai sat down across from me.
"We bounced around a few random ideas, but there's nothing that has any solid ground."
"Interesting." I said, cursing myself for letting myself play into this woman's hands, but one way or another I would get what I needed from Mai in the end. Glancing over at the laptop that Mai was on I shifted my gaze to Yasu."Yasu after dinner your job will be to validate this and see what else you can find."
"Sure boss." he said, smiling brightly at me as he saluted with his spoon still in his hand. He sent the same smile over to Kaguya and I already knew where this was gonna go. "You think I could use your laptop?"
"Of course." she said, smiling happily and taking her seat next to Mai. The rest of the meal went on as they usually did. Everyone went on with their duties for the team and then retired. Nothing happened that night, but I still had yet to find out what Mai had hidden from me. Not that it mattered, she would tell me in due time. She always did.
Me: Wow…. I feel that I made Naru really OOC…. Please forgive me.
Naru: Stupid woman, can't even get my personality right.
Gene: I don't know, you were like that when we were kids Noll.
Naru: That was then, this is now.
Mai: Please Review!