Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

"English speaking"

"Japanese speaking"

'Thinking'

Chapter 6

The legend of the Kuchisake-onna tells of a pale woman with typically long, straight, black hair. She will be covering her face with a mask or other item and carrying some sort of sharp item. Usually a pair of scissors. She will walk up to a potential victim and ask them if they think she is beautiful. If the victim says 'no', she will kill the person with her scissors. If they say 'yes' she will reveal the other half of her face showing a nasty scar. Typically her mouth will be split from ear to ear in a disturbingly gruesome smile. She will then ask again if they think she is beautiful. If they say 'no' she will kill them. If they say 'yes' she will cut their face to look like hers.

"Give us the facts." Oliver said in a calm and businesslike voice.

"Okay. So over the last few weeks three people have met what I think is a Kuchisake-onna. Two of them have been killed and the third is currently in the hospital. I talked with the survivor. Or rather, I talked and he answered by writing on paper, because his mouth had been cut open on both cheeks. He told me that a woman with long black hair woke him up in the middle of the night at the hotel he was staying at. The same as the other two victims. She asked the famous question and, being scared but remembering the legend from when he was a kid, he answered in the only way he could remember so he wouldn't die."

"Smart." Mai said.

"Do you need to know how to get rid of her?" Oliver asked.

"I called my father at Mt. Koya. He said that he has never met one himself, but an entry in my grandfather's old journal describes how to exercise her. He sent me scans of the pages. I've also called in John, he's on his way now and will be here soon. No, what I need from you guys are your brilliant minds. The exorcism takes time to prepare because she is classified as a yokai, bordering on a demonic being. So I need to know, if John or I meet her while getting ready, what should we answer to her question, so we don't end up in the hospital with the other guy? My grandfather's journal doesn't say. Any ideas?"

They both thought for a long moment before Mai spoke. "I think I read somewhere that you can distract her with money. But I'm not exactly sure if it works."

"I read that you have to follow certain steps in order to survive." Oliver explained. "Say no the first time she asks to make her reveal her face and ask again, then describe her as average. Supposedly, she should then walk away from you. But I've also read what Mai said. Distracting her with money is also said to give you a chance to flee."

"Alright, well that at least gives me a few options to try. Thanks so much you guys."

"You're welcome. And please be careful Bou-san. I don't want to come home to a distraught Ayako." Said Mai.

"I'll do my best Jou-chan. I promise. Sorry to interrupt the party."

She smiled at the phone. "That's okay. Call again if you need anything else."

"I will. Thanks again. Bye Jou-chan. Bye Naru."

"Bye." Mai said just before the Monk hung up the phone. She sighed and put her face in her hands.

"Do you think they can do this?" Naru asked her.

She looked up at him. "They've both gotten much stronger spiritually than they were six years ago. And having the details of the exorcism from a person who has supposedly done it successfully helps a lot. I'm sure they can do this. I just…" She sighed again and stared at the table.

"You worry for your family." He finished for her.

"Yeah." She shivered. The wind was cold in the spring evening. "I should have brought my coat with me."

"Do you want to go inside?"

Mai shook her head. "Not just yet."

Naru stood up, walked over to her, pulled off his suit jacket and placed it on her shoulders. She looked up at him a little startled. "Thanks Naru. But, won't you be cold now?"

He returned to his seat across from her. "I'll be fine. You're wearing thinner and less layers than me. But we should go in soon to warm you up properly."

She smiled crookedly.

"What?" He was a little suspicious about her answer. What did that sort of smile mean?

"It's just nice to see some proof of what I already know. That's all."

"And what would that be?"

"That you can be just kind as you can be rude. You've been very kind to me while I've been here. Thank you for that, Oliver."

The use of his proper first name stunned him for a few seconds. She had never called him that before. At least not in front of him. He liked the sound of his name in her voice. It sounded good, albeit a bit strange. The feeling of warmth spreading through his chest was a strange one. New and deeper than he had felt before.

Needing to not look completely disarmed by her comment, he smirked and leaned forward to rest his elbow on the table. "Of course I can be, Mai. I'm not a complete robot."

Smirking back, she retaliated. "Well, it's good to see that you've acquired a lot more manners since the last time we saw each other."

"Then we've both acquired something vital."

"Oh?"

"I've acquired a lot more manners and you've acquired a lot more brains." He said with a raised eyebrow.

Her eyes widened. "You jerk." But she said it with a grin. She could tell that this was actually a compliment, even if it was disguised as an insult. "That's the first time you've ever called me smart."

"Other people have called you smart before."

"True. But you haven't."

"Does that mean something?" He was genuinely curious about that.

She looked at him for a moment, considering. "Yes. I admit it does."

"Why?"

"If Bou-san or any of the others call me smart or clever, half the time it's a joke. And coming from family, one doesn't always know if they mean it or if they're just trying to be nice. But you knew me and I know you. You've called me stupid or slow many times." He felt a bit bad about that now. "So coming from you? Yes, Naru. That actually means a lot."

Her smile was so warm and trusting. He couldn't help but give her a smile back. Her eyes seemed to light up when he did. And so they just sat there, smiling at each other.

After a beat Mai shivered again. The jacket had lost the warmth it had taken from Naru's body.

"We should probably return inside now." She said standing up. "The main course must be over, we've been gone for so long."

Oliver stood and followed her. Just before they reached the door, Mai turned to look at him again. "Thank you for cheering me up, Naru. You're really good at that."

Cue the smirk. "Come on idiot. Let's get you warmed up."

As they were about to reach the table Mai took off the jacket and gave it back to Oliver, thanking him again. He didn't say anything but took it and put it on. As he did, he caught a whiff of her perfume. Sweet and gentle on the senses. 'It fits her well' he decided internally.

They sat down and were welcomed back. Mai had been right, the main course was over, but Luella called a waiter over and told him to bring out two fresh plates.

"Thank you, Mrs. Davis. That'll warm me up nicely." Mai told the kind woman.

"Oh, please dear. Call me Luella. And you must have been freezing out there. I'm surprised you didn't return as an icicle."

"Oh, no it wasn't too bad. Naru lent me his jacket." She thanked the waiter as he came with her food. Wild deer, potatoes and a fresh salad. She was completely oblivious to the stares that she and Naru were given from around the table.

Oliver however held eye contact with his mother. He raised an eyebrow as if asking 'what?'.

She shook her head and smiled, then looked pointedly at his plate. Meaning 'Nothing. Eat your food'. And he did.

Small talk went around the table and dessert arrived a while later. Fresh fruit and a piece of chocolate cake. After dessert it was time to go and mingle. And get sponsors.

Mai opted to go to the bathroom with Luella and Madoka before beginning to talk to anyone and getting sucked into a lengthy conversation. She came back alone, however being finished before the other two, as they had to touch up their makeup, which Mai didn't bother with since she was only wearing a touch of mascara. And it still looked good enough.

Before she got very far into the room though, she was stopped. A woman in a long red dress, neatly styled blonde hair and blue eyes stepped in front of her. Dr. Frida Nielsen. The woman from Norway who wanted to 'study' Mai. Mai had never really known what the woman had meant by that, but she had gotten a bad feeling from it. Even now her stomach twisted from just seeing her face.

"Miss Taniyama. How nice to see you here." Frida greeted her, with what Mai could only assume was false enthusiasm as they had not parted on very nice terms.

"Dr. Nielsen." Mai greeted her back with a neutral face. She had no ambition to pretend like they were friends.

"I was there at your speech. It was a very dramatic exit you made."

"I didn't make it on purpose."

"No, I guess not. Tell me. Are you and Dr. Davis an item?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because he pulled you out of the lecture hall like that, came with you as his date tonight and the two of you were gone on the terrace for quite a long time. And you came back wearing his jacket."

"It was work related." Mai answered placidly.

"Really? So are you shagging the famous man to get into BSPR?" The woman's sickly sweet voice felt like it was covering Mai's whole body in venom.

"Why on earth would you think that? I would never do such a thing." Mai was outraged that someone would think so.

"Dr. Davis has never brought a date to these events before. And here comes this little upstart who thinks she knows something. He may have taken a liking to your skill set, but trust me. Dr. Davis does not do relationships. So if you're getting some action from him, just remember that he is only interested in you for the knowledge you can give him. Not the person behind it."

Mai smiled artificially. "I see."

"Good. Then take my advice sweetheart. Get away from him and let someone more suited take your place. A small fry like you could never fill in the shoes required to stand by his side."

"More suited like you, you mean?"

"Perhaps. He and I do after all both have a PhD. in parapsychology. We are on equal footing." Frida's smile had gone cold. "You on the other hand have nothing to offer him, other than being a silly little plaything for a while."

"Really? Then I assume you have approached him before?" Mai's insides were about to boil. She could feel the hatred for herself mixed with lust for Naru passing from the vile woman.

"A few years ago. But he had just lost his brother in a tragic accident. He was not ready for any commitments then. I've been waiting a long time for him to get over his sorrows. And now it finally seems like he has. If he wants to play with you first, that's fine. He'll just be all the more experienced when I get to him. Did you even know that he had a brother? They were twins, you know."

"Yes, I knew."

"Did you? Then you must also know that Eugene Davis was a perfect medium. Such a rare ability. Too bad he was taken before he could really achieve anything with it. But he was a weird boy, they both were. Quiet and strange. Oliver is exceedingly powerful though. I was there when he demonstrated his PK. It was very impressive."

At the sound of Frida using Naru's real name just like she had only moments ago, Mai lost her temper. "Too bad you don't have anything to offer Naru at all then."

Frida blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You say you are on equal footing with him because you have a PhD.? Think again Dr. Nielsen. Naru is way above your level in every way possible. He received his honorary doctorate when he was 13. You got yours at 25. He's a known genius, master ghost hunter, paranormal researcher and skilled PK user. You? You insult people and do experiments on subjects who are scared to walk into your laboratory because they know that people have died in there. But they do it anyway because they have no other choice and you pay well." Mai said this in a mild voice like a business woman.

"Why you.." But Mai cut her off.

"And furthermore. You think I have nothing to offer? I have worked with Dr. Davis many times before. In actuality, he is the one that taught me more than 70 percent of all I know about paranormal and psychic phenomena. I worked directly under him for over a year. Naru is actually the one responsible for testing me with the lightbulbs. Remember that?" Voice still mild.

Frida's face was red with anger and hatred.

"The highest score on psi-missing in recorded history. I have a success rate on my cases at 98 percent. Yours is a mere 52. That's barely more than half. One would think you didn't know your own area of expertease. I wouldn't be surprised if Naru simply brushed you off because he knew that talking to you would lower his IQ points." Her tone was turning cold now and was dripping acid.

"Why do you call him that? Naru is not even his name."

"It's just my personal nickname for him. I've been calling him that for years. Why? Are you jealous? Jealous that a little 'nobody' can be friends with the great Dr. Oliver Davis but you can't keep a conversation with him going long enough to say more than two words?" Faking curiosity.

Frida looked around them. They had attracted quite a crowd. Mai was making her look like a fool. "You shut up, you little narrow eyed b*tch!" Frida yelled and people around them gasped.

From the corner of her eye, Mai saw Naru moving between people, followed closely by his parents and Lin. But she wanted to get this last hit in before then, and she had had enough from this vulgar being in front of her. She was going for the kill.

"No! You insulted me, Naru and his deceased brother. You can say anything you want about me. I frequently deal with a lot of insults. I don't care."

"Shut up!" Frida screamed.

Mai stepped closer and got right up in her face. "But you will not insult any of my friends. You will NOT insult Dr. Davis or his brother. And you will never come near either of us ever again or so help me kami-sama, I will haunt your dreams and pull your mind apart, piece by disgusting piece."

Frida looked around again, but no one said anything. She looked behind Mai's left shoulder. "Dr. Davis, I.."

"Did you not hear what she said?" Naru's voice came from right behind Mai and it was icy cold. Mai could feel the tension coming from his body. The air was getting cold. His PK was on the edge. He had heard what she said just like she planned. She didn't want to be a tattle tale, but she also thought that Naru should know how this woman spoke of Gene. "You insulted my brother?"

"I… I.."

"She did." Came Yasu's voice from somewhere to their right. Everyone looked over and saw Yasu and Madoka leaning against the wall next to a high table, whereupon sat Yasu's laptop with a webcam pointed directly at the scene. "Always have recording equipment with you, I say."

"You recorded the whole thing?" Mai asked, completely shocked. She hadn't noticed him there. Madoka must have joined him when she came back from the bathroom, and Luella must have gone to fetch the others.

"Yup." Yasu turned the laptop and played back a part of the recording.

"Then you must also know that Eugene Davis was a perfect medium. Such a rare ability. Too bad he was taken before he could really achieve anything with it. But he was a weird boy, they both were. Quiet and strange. Oliver is exceedingly powerful though. I was there when he demonstrated his PK. It was very impressive."

"She also insinuated that Mai is sleeping with you, for shameful purposes." Yasu explained.

The air around Mai felt charged with electricity. She had an overwhelming urge to turn around and hug Naru to keep the power inside. Before she could do anything, however, Luella charged forward and slapped frida. Mai gasped along with many others.

"You will never come near my family again. Do you hear me? Don't you dare come here and insult my children or Mai. Don't you dare come near any of us again, or so help me, I will set Mai on you and make her do what she said. Get out. Get OUT!"

Frida fled.

Martin went over to his wife and so did Mai and Naru.

"Darling, are you alright?" Martin asked her.

"Dearest would you please deal with the situation? I think I need to go home now."

"Of course love."

"Mai. Noll. Come with me please."

They followed after her, grabbing their coats on the way out. "Noll dear, please drive me home. Mai, would you mind coming with us? I would like to talk with you both."

Naru went to get the car, leaving the two women on the curb.

"No, of course. But are you sure that you don't want some peace and quiet? We can always talk tomorrow."

"No. That's sweet dear, but I really need to do this tonight."

"Alright. If you are sure."

"Thank you. And I am."

They drifted off into silence until Naru arrived with the car. Luella pushed Mai to the front seat and got in the back herself. The drive was silent, but for a few sighs from Luella. They arrived at a big manor house about 35 min later. They got out and Naru escorted his mother inside.

Oliver opened the door and held it open for the two women. His mother walked straight towards the kitchen entrance, the other two shared a look and then followed behind her. The two of them stood back and watched as Luella started the kettle and found mugs. She wanted to make tea, they both realised. However when she dropped a cup and the handle broke off, neither could stand still any longer. Mai took Luella's hands to stop her from reaching out for the sharp objects with her shanking form, and Oliver bent down to pick up the pieces.

"Here, let me make the tea." Mai said.

Oliver put the pieces of the broken cup in the bin, and led his mother over to sit at the kitchen table. He sat her at the head and he took the seat to her left.

"I guess I'm a little more affected than I realised." Luella said in a trembling voice.

"Luella. I'm so sorry I ruined the evening." Mai apologised.

"Oh, dear please don't apologise. You did nothing wrong. In fact I'm sure that when Martin arrives home, he will exclaim at the fact that the whole thing was a success."

Mai looked over at her bewildered.

Luella sighed again. "Many of the old crones who come to these events are elderly people with no excitement in their lives. They come to hear some good ghost stories, and get a bit of a thrill. Those are the really big sponsors. This will probably make them very happy. Besides everyone dislikes Frida, so the loss is really not so unbearable. They will be raving for hours, probably months, about how thrilling and dramatic it all was. I just needed to get out of there because I couldn't bear to hear them talk about it. Gene's name coming up in conversation I mean."

Mai brought the cups of now finished tea to the table and sat down at the woman's other side. She gave them each a cup and Luella brought her cup to her nose to take a few relaxing breaths. Then she stopped and looked at Mai with a confused expression.

"What kind of tea is this? It smells lovely, but this is not something I have in the cupboard."

Oliver looked down at his own cup. The scent rising with the steam told him that his mother was right. This was Mai's tea.

"This is my special blend of tea. I've perfected it specifically for calming purposes and always carry some with me in a small plastic bag. I thought you could use it." Mai said with a sympathetic and kind smile.

"Trust me mom. You'll like it." Oliver told her. His expression was soft.

Mai noted that his mother was one of the people where he didn't need to make an effort. The tenderness came naturally here. It was nice to see.

Luella looked at her son for a moment, and then nodded. Bringing the cup up to her lips, she took a small sip. It was wonderful and Luella made a 'mmmh' sound in contentment. "You're right. This is really good."

Both Oliver and Mai also took a small sip of the warm liquid each.

"Mai." Luella said and faced the younger woman. "I want to thank you."

"Thank me? For what? The tea is not that special."

Luella smiled, but her brows knitted together. "No, dear. You defended my family tonight." She took Mai's hand. "I'm grateful because truthfully, not many people would have done so. They would probably have said something small and rude, but they wouldn't have stood up for my children like that. What she said, I think many people have thought about it, and are still thinking something of the like."

"Well, I couldn't just let her stand there and speak so badly of them both. I don't care about the things she said about me, but I will not have her disrespecting people I care about."

"And that's another thing. On the day we heard that you were coming, Noll told us that you have had contact with Gene. I promised myself that I wouldn't ask, but… Can you tell me? Did he…" She took a deep breath. "Did he suffer?"

Mai's eyes widened slightly.

"I mean. Noll told us briefly of how exactly.. The accident happened. Not in great detail, but enough for us to get the picture. It was violent and I'm sure he.." Luella's eyes filled with tears. "It's just that I hear all these stories from Noll and Martin of all these spirits who die violently and they take the pain with them and become vengeful and twisted. Please, Mai. Tell me the truth. Was he affected by what happened? Was he in pain?"

Mai took Luella's hand in both of hers. "No. I don't believe he was in any pain. The first time I ever saw him, he was smiling." Her smile was kind and understanding. She knew that this was hard for Luella. The grieving mother was always hard to console.

"Smiling?"

She nodded. "He didn't take the pain with him. I think he was regretful that he never got to say goodbye, but ultimately he was okay."

"Then why didn't he tell you where he was when you met him?" Oliver asked. "He could have told you to tell me where to look."

Mai looked at him for a moment. "I don't think he knew. When a soul passes from the living plane, they can get very confused about where they are, if it's not a place they have spent a lot of time. I think that when you arrived in Japan, he somehow locked in on you and stayed by your side. But because he hadn't been dead for very long, he didn't have enough strength to contact you himself or know exactly where either of you were. So he just tagged along, waiting to find the information, so he could give it to you."

"Were you friends with him, Mai?" Luella asked.

"Yes. I mean, I didn't actually know that he was real. I thought he was some kind of figment of my imagination. He guided me through my dreams, helped me understand what I was seeing. I thought my mind had made an image of Naru to make it easier for me to accept. But, yes. I believe we were friends."

Luella smiled, the tears running down her face. She reached over and hugged mai. "Thank you. Thank you so much for telling me. I'm really, truly grateful that Noll found you."

Mai hugged her back as tight as she could.

"Speaking of which." Martin stepped into the kitchen. They all three looked over at him, Mai and Luella separating. "How did the two of you meet anyway? I know it was some sort of accident where Lin got hurt, but I've never heard the full story."

He came over and stood by Luella's side, bent down and gave her a kiss. "Dearest how long have you been standing there?"

"Just long enough to hear Mai's explanation. I can't stay for long though, I have to get back. I just wanted to see that you were alright."

"I am now." She told him.

"Good. Now let me hear. How did it happen?"

Mai looked at Naru. He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Well, as you probably know, I was the cause of the accident. But that actually wasn't how Naru and I met. We had met the evening before that."

Luella and Martin both raised their eyebrows in question. "Two friends and I were staying late after school when no one was around to tell ghost stories. Sitting in a dark classroom, we would each tell a story, then turn off the small light we were holding until all the lights were gone. Then we would count to three and if someone said 'four' there was another person in the room. And of course Naru here" She looked at him with an amused, but irritated face. "Decided to scare the living daylights out of us."

His parents laughed.

"Your friend was talking about the case I was investigating, I wanted to see if she knew more. Besides." His eyes glinted a bit. "The temptation was just too great to resist."

They all three laughed. Mai felt a lot better now. The tension of the evening had gone.

Oliver felt quite comfortable in this setting. He had never thought it possible to sit in this kitchen and hear his parents laugh like that again. Not for the first time, did he marvel at how Mai seemed to just lower the barrier of the people she interacted with. No matter how strong those barriers were. And he realised that he too, was grateful to have found Mai.