**I want to say that I am beyond humbled. I can't believe this story has gained 100 favorites. Ever since I started writing FanFiction over a decade ago I always hoped to write a story that resonated with so many people and fellow Ghost Hunt fans. If you look at my old examples you can see how far my writing style has matured. I was 17 when I first started writing as Yellowmoon27 but after losing my login information and having a lot of stuff happen in my life, I took it as a sign to wait to write until I was truly ready. Unfortunately, I never completed my last story under that username and I hated letting my fans down so I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't start writing again unless I truly loved what I was writing and finished what I started. It took ten years but here we are! Writing has always been an escape for me and my dream would be to write a published book eventually but it's hard to follow that dream when you're a teacher and a mom. But who knows, maybe one day!
I also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has wished me a speedy recovery. I finally feel much better and I am actually going to be donating plasma in a few weeks to help others going through this virus. Thank you all for your love and support, it means so much.**
Chapter Twelve
Eleven Years Ago
London 8:00 PM
"Gene!"
A pair of deep blue eyes snapped open in panic. Oliver's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. He rubbed the back of his arm across his brow to wipe off the film of sweat and stared into the darkness of his room. He sat up, perched upon the edge of his bed, and fanned himself with his pajamas that had his pajamas that had stuck to him in a cold sweat.
That dream. It was so...real. The sound of the speeding car, the shock on his brother's face. An odd sensation filled the 16 year-old. Was it just a dream or was it reality? He always thought that if his brother were to die he would feel it in his bones. However, all he felt right now was confusion and the slightest bit of nausea.
He turned to look at his clock. 8:00. The glowing green numbers stared back at him. According to the time, it would be five in the morning in Japan where his brother was currently visiting. Wasn't he already done with his case? Maybe he picked up a new one. What would cause him to be in the middle of the road at this time? Thoughts filled Oliver's head, making him feel as though it would burst from the pressure.
Oliver had never been fond of not knowing the answer to something. He quickly pushed back the quilt from his bed and walked into his brother's adjoining room. He was used to seeing visions such as these only if he was touching an object, he never had a vision in the form of a dream before. Oliver cursed at how clean his twin kept his bedroom. He just needed a comb or hat, anything he could use his psychometry on. He began to open his brother's chest of drawers when the mobile rang back in his own bedroom. He hastily made his way back and grabbed the device, flipping it open and bringing it to his ear, subconsciously praying for it to be his brother on the other line.
"Gene?" He called out.
He could feel his heartbeat pounding through his chest as a long pause greeted him.
"Gene?" he repeated, impatient worry laced in his tone.
"Hey Noll..." a quiet voice echoed over the line.
The teenager felt as if he could finally breathe. Gene was alive. He was okay. It was all just a dream.
"Gene, where are you? What happened?"
Another long pause. "I took up another case on my way back to Tokyo, and...well...I'm fine."
"What happened?" Oliver pressed. His brother wasn't one to make phone calls this early in the morning nor was he the quiet type. Hell, he could hardly get his twin to stop talking half the time.
"Nothing. I'm fine, Noll. I just needed to talk to you," Gene replied.
"At this time?" Noll asked skeptically. "Gene, I had a dream you were hit by a car." Even though it was just a dream, he could barely get the words out.
"I'm sorry brother, but please trust me, I'm fine. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be in Itō for a day or two. I was going to tell you yesterday and forgot to mention it. I found a Shinto shrine where they are having some activity and offered me to come observe their exorcisms for my research. I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he finished quietly.
Naru rubbed his forehead and sat at the edge of his bed that sank down under his weight. "Just make sure to keep me in the know from now on. What if something were to have happened to you? How would I know where to find you?"
"...I know, Noll. I'm sorry." Gene whispered softly.
"It's okay. At least we're lucky you haven't actually gone and gotten yourself killed on this 'spiritual journey' you're taking. I mean, if you were to die, who would make me tea?" Oliver stated blandly, trying to hide the smirk forming on his lips.
A soft laugh reached his ears. "Yeah, yeah, I love you too, you idiot scientist. And it's for research, not spiritual enlightenment, tosser."
"Right well, I best be off. Some lunatic woke me up once I'd just gotten to bed."
"You're asleep already?" Gene asked, shocked.
"Early case in the morning," Oliver replied.
"Ah, righto. I'll let Sleeping Beauty get back to her rest. G'night Noll."
"Night Gene."
With that, the line went silent and Oliver closed his mobile and placed it on his nightstand, feeling much calmer than he was just mere minutes ago. He closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, wondering why he had such a dream in the first place before finally laying back down and falling back asleep.
Present Day
Mai stared at the lookalike of her boss in shock. She knew Oliver had a brother but he never said he was a twin, and he definitely never told her they were identical. Same black hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. However, she noted that Eugene appeared to actually wear colour, unlike his monotone brother she had for a boss. He stood there staring at her oddly and she fixed her hair anxiously. Was there something on her face?
She plastered a smile on and stepped around her desk. Walking up to him she held out a hand in greeting. "Hello, Eugene. It's nice to finally meet you."
The man blinked and seemed to snap out of his train of thought before smiling back warmly and shaking her hand vigorously. "Pleasure to meet you. And, please, call me Gene."
Mai noted how his voice wasn't as deep as Oliver's and being this close she could see how natural smiling seemed for Gene. Oliver appeared behind her and she moved out of the way while the two brothers gave each other a quick hug in greeting.
Pulling back, Oliver smirked at his brother. "How was your sp-?"
"Noll, I swear if you call it my 'spiritual journey' one more time I'm going to knock you out good and proper," Gene warned, earning his brother's smirk to grow. "The trip went well. I've learned a lot. Stopped by Tokyo and saw the future missus, too."
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Oh, joy," he said sarcastically.
Gene reached out and smacked the back of his brother's head. "Manners. She thought you were me one time and she was mortified after she grabbed your-"
"So your trip was a success then?" Oliver cut in, changing the topic.
Gene chuckled. "Noll, it's water under the bridge. Nothing to be embarrassed about any more."
Oliver scoffed but stopped when he heard a soft giggle from behind him. He turned with a questioning brow and looked at his assistant. The brunette had one arm wrapped around her stomach and the other hand was softly covering her mouth as she tried to hold back her laughter. Gene had nearly forgotten about the woman and stared at her amused curiosity as well.
Oliver crossed his arms. "Care to enlighten us?"
Mai smiled with laughter still in her hazelnut eyes. "I finally remember what your nickname reminds me of."
"'Noll?'" he asked, confused.
She nodded, trying to hold back a smile, and her hand fell from her lips. "In Japanese it sounds a lot like 'Naru,' or 'Narushishisuto.' It means...," she couldn't form the words as she tried to control her laughter.
Oliver looked at her in disapproval. "'Narcissist?'"
Mai nodded again and Gene let out a laugh. Oliver had to refrain from rolling his eyes again. "Naru the narcissist. Good one, Mai! Noll, I like her. Sorry, sorry. I mean Naru." The twin reached out and clapped his brother on his shoulder.
Oliver pulled away from his brother's hand and shot Mai a displeased look. She bit her lip and looked at him apologetically before the smile broke out again on her.
"Sorry, Naru," she giggled, pushing a stray strand of hair from her face.
Oliver stared at her for a moment, she was always relatively happy but he had never seen her this way before. Clearing his train of thought he closed his eyes and slender fingers reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "How long is this going to go one for then?"
Gene rested an arm around his brother's shoulders and smirked. "Oh it's only just begun, my dear Naru. I wouldn't be surprise if it stuck, which I well intend."
The irritated man brushed his brother's arm off of him and raised a brow. "Is it so bad to think highly of one's self?"
"In your case, yes," Gene stated bluntly.
"No, of course not!" Mai defended, waving her hands in front of her.
"Well either way, I like it," Gene continued and puffed out his chest. "'Hey Naru, old boy, fancy a cuppa?' 'How's it, Naru?' 'Hear what they said in the daily news, Naru?'"
At his brother's irritating display, Oliver shot Mai another look causing her to smile sheepishly. He then turned to glare at his brother. "Now if you don't stop I'll knock you out good and proper."
"Fine, fine. You'd be able to do it too. I rarely ever see you exercise but you're still as strong as an ox. It's a conundrum, really," Gene conceded and made his way over to the settee, making himself comfortable. "I guess you want to hear about my trip then? Australia is by far one of my favourite places. I first spent some time with a group of aboriginal people. Wonderful, the lot of them. Their beliefs are deeply rooted in the land and made me think of Shintoism in the way they deal with the afterlife and spirits. After that, I spent some time shadowing some priests from a church. Actually, I even convinced one of the priests to move to London."
"Recruiting people again, I see?" Noll replied, taking a seat opposite his brother. He crossed his ankle over his knee while an arm draped over the back of the settee casually.
Gene grinned. "I can't help myself. Anyway, Father Brown has been thinking about moving here for some time, and he is quite skilled in the art of exorcisms. He will be a great addition to the team. Here are some notes of exorcisms I observed him perform."
Oliver reached out and took the journal from his brother. He opened it and glanced over the notes.
"He'll be arriving within the week and transferring to a church not far from here. He said he would be more than willing to aid us during cleansings and exorcisms," Gene concluded.
Oliver nodded and closed the journal with a nod. "That would be beneficial." He stood from his seat. "Excuse me for a moment, I need to discuss something with Lin."
During their conversation, Mai had gone to sit back at her desk. She looked up and saw the Davis brother studying her intently as if trying to solve a puzzle.
"Can I help you with something, Gene?" she asked politely
Gene looked down for a moment and gave an embarrassed smile for being caught. "Sorry. Ah, Mum tells me you're from Japan?"
The brunette nodded happily. "I am. I just moved here a little over a month ago."
"Where did you live there?" he asked curiously.
"Shibuya," she replied.
Gene chuckled. "Shibuya, huh? Did you tell my brother that?"
She tilted her head and tented her brows. "I did, why?"
"Oh, nothing. Maybe he'll tell you one day," he trailed off.
"Have you been there before? It seems like you go to Japan often."
The man shook his head. "I've never been there, unfortunately. I've heard wonderful things though."
"Maybe we can all go someday," she suggested. "I don't have any living family nor any friends there but I'd be more than happy to show you and your fiancé around. Who knows maybe even Oliver would join us."
"That would be fun," he agreed. "You know...I swear I've seen you somewhere before. Did you ever travel much while you lived in Japan?"
Mai shook her head gently. "No. I couldn't afford to travel much and I worked a lot so I just stayed in Shibuya. Actually I did work at hotel in Tokyo a few years back. However, they were very strict about no one ever seeing the cleaning staff so I doubt you would have seen me."
Gene nodded slowly with a puzzled look on his face. "Are you enjoying it here so far?" he wondered, looking up at her.
Mai nodded again. "Immensely. I would still be a custodian at Cambridge if it weren't for your brother." She looked down at her desk fondly.
Gene's eyes narrowed suspiciously and a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. "You know...I was quite surprised when I heard my brother hired an assistant. And a woman nonetheless."
Her eyebrows creased, unsure if she should be offended by his words.
Genes eyes widened upon realizing what he said. "Not that there is anything wrong with being a woman! I love women, I mean, women deserve the world of respect. Anyway, what I really mean to say is Noll isn't very...social? He's never been fond of people, really. And he especially doesn't tend to put up with the company of women."
Mai's mouth opened slightly. "Why is that?" she wondered but her eyes widened in realization. "Ohh... is it because they tend to fancy him?"
Gene winked at her. "Bingo," he laughed. "Apparently women love the whole dark and mysterious thing. He hates it. He can get easily irritated so he finds it easiest to keep his distance. In fact, most of his female students only take his class mainly for his looks. If there is one thing Noll doesn't like, it's when someone wastes their time on romance rather than knowledge. He finds it-"
"'Frivolous?'" she supplied, remembering her boss's words.
"Precisely," Gene smirked. "Goodness, you've been here only a few weeks yet you seem to know him pretty well, don't you?"
Mai turned her head, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. It was true. It felt like she had known Oliver for much longer than she had. "Well I have seen a lot of women fawning over him within the short time I've known him, and I've seen how he gets irritated when romantic notions get in the way of work or learning." She let out a soft chuckle. "Actually today, a client even slipped her number into his pocket."
Gene laughed, "No!"
"Truly," Mai nodded and pointed. "Take a look in the bin."
Gene peered over the arm of the settee and saw the crumpled up piece of paper which distinctly had a number scrawled on it. "Well I'll be…"
"Mum's the word," she hushed.
Gene nodded, silently agreeing to keep the secret.
"He actually didn't even seem to be fazed much and just threw it away before he kept reading his notes," the brunette added.
"Sounds about right."
"What about with you? You're identical, and no offense to Oliver, but you are the more approachable one. You must have the same issue," she explained.
Gene raised a dramatic hand to his forehead. "Alas, I am betrothed to be married to a maiden from a far away land." Mai laughed at his theatrics. "But truthfully I am more than happy that Noll is taking the brunt of it all. It's fun to see him get all riled up. It's like women know when a man is single and are attracted to him like a magnet. My fiancé is happy, too. She's the sweetest little thing but boy can she get scary when she's chasing the ladies away."
Mai gasped. "Does it really get that bad?"
Gene smirked "No, not really, I'm just being dramatic. But, it can feel that way every so often especially once they find out we come from money too. Eventually you never really know if a person likes you for your fame, your money, or for who you really are. You know, in all honesty, I'm glad he hired you," he confessed. Mai tilted her head in question, waiting for him to explain. "Noll doesn't take kindly to new people in general. Especially those who don't do exactly what he says or poke fun at him. I mean, he already has Mum, Madoka, Yasuhara, and myself to do that. I just assumed his quota was full. But...I appear to have been mistaken." His blue eyes studied her closely as Mai registered the words he had said. "So!" He began again, catching her attention. "Why the sudden urge to move to England?"
Mai shrugged. "It's just always been where I wanted to live."
"So it wasn't some life changing experience that you went through that made you decide to leaved the only place you've ever known?" he asked curiously, resting his chin on a fist.
Mai quickly looked down at her desk and meticulously straightened the case files that were there. Something his brother often did when he didn't want to answer a question.
"Hm? No. Not particularly." she muttered.
Genes eyes narrowed suspiciously. She was a terrible liar. "Really?"
Mai nodded. "Yes, not to mention there is so much history and beauty here."
"The same could be said for Japan," he pushed.
"That's true..." She paused for a moment before taking her turn at questioning. "So which of you is older?"
Gene laughed softly, letting the poor woman off the hook. "Who do you think?"
A humoured smile pulled at her lips. "I was going to say Oliver, but now I'm starting to feel like it's you."
"And oh how I love to rub it in his face," Gene grinned devilishly. "Judging by your reaction earlier you didn't know Noll had a twin, hm?"
"Well, actually I didn't know much about you at all, aside from what I read in your brother's books. I've been so busy with training that it never really came up in conversation. At least you have more social skills than a tortoise," she joked.
"Reading his books are you? That's definitely bound to gain you points in his favour. And he told you about how I used to call him an antisocial tortoise, did he? Interesting. He usually doesn tend to acknowledge his flaws so openly. Noll...you see, my brother can be a handful, but he means well," the black haired man said softly.
Mai looked down at her lap with a wistful smile. "I know. I can tell he has a very good heart." she said softly.
Gene watched her reaction and his eyes widened slightly and he let out a soft huff of disbelief. "Good for you, Noll," he whispered happily to himself.
The door to Lin's office opened up. Oliver stepped out with a scowl on his face and Mai stood up from her desk.
"Tea?" she asked knowingly and received a nod of approval. "I'll be back shortly. The kitchen is empty so I have to take a quick trip to the shop."
Naru waved a hand in dismissal and she was out the door. The frustrated man turned to look at his brother and paused when he saw the odd smile on his face.
"What?"
Gene shook his head softly and looked up at his brother proudly. "Nothing. Just noticed something, that's all."
Noll rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Gene I have a favor to ask of you."
The man nodded. "Go on."
"I'm sure Madoka has informed you that Mai is in training to become a medium. Madoka has taught her the basics and Lin is going to begin training how to control her post-cognitive dreams."
His twin's eyes shot up in shock. "Impressive. Even I don't have those.
"That's precisely why I'm having Lin teach her; he has more knowledge of that subject. Moving on, she is showing great promise and improving at a fast rate. However, I have a feeling there is more to her abilities than dreams and being able to see spirits. According to father, during her sleep study she revealed that she experiences pain during her dreams from time to time." Oliver's eyes narrowed slightly at the thought of a dream being able to hurt her. "Pains that echo what a spirit is going through."
Gene nodded slowly, understanding what his brother was hinting at. "Damn. You think she is an empath?"
"Correct. And since you are a perfect medium-"
"You want me to train her when Lin is finished?" Gene concluded, following along.
"Even though you aren't an empath yourself, you have done vast research in the field. I think you would be able to control the overwhelming emotions or pain spirits can bring to someone with her capabilities," Noll informed.
"I'm only home for this week before going to Japan for a while. After that I should be back for good. I'll help her," Gene said seriously.
Oliver nodded and started walking back to his office but paused at the doorway.
"Thank you," he said quietly before making his way to his desk
Gene looked in the direction of his brother's office in shock. Those words were rarely heard when it came to his brother. Why the sudden change? Smirking to himself, he stood from his seat and made his way to the office.
He leaned against the door frame and placed his hands in his trouser pockets.
"So you never told me why you had the sudden need for an assistant," he pried.
Oliver rolled his eyes for the upteenth time that day. "She has a lot of potential in her abilities as evident with her help during our last two cases. Also, with Madoka going on maternity leave it will be beneficial to have another member on the team."
"Mhm," Gene nodded, a teasing grin on his face. "She's cute."
"You're engaged," Noll warned.
"I'm not talking about me! Seriously, Noll. I'm a one-woman type of man, you know that," he muttered, offended at his brother's suggestion.
Realizing what his brother meant, Oliver rubbed his temples. "She's my employee. Why are we wasting our time talking about this? Was there something else you wanted to tell me?"
"Fine, fine, I'll say no more," Gene surrendered, holding up his hands. "But yes, I forgot to mention another friend of mine will be in the area. It's an old friend from Japan, a shrine priestess, who's husband is on tour with his band in the UK for the next few weeks. She's also offered to assist in cases."
Oliver raised a brow. "A shrine priestess? What are her abilities?"
"She studies Shintoism and uses the power of trees to help solve cases and cleanse earth spirits. Not to mention she is a well renowned doctor and would be a great asset. Her parents own a hospital that she works at from time to time." He paused before continuing, "I figured after what happened to you last year it may be nice to have a medic on hand. She already knows about your abilities since we have kept in contact this past decade. I know mum and dad would feel more at ease."
Running a hand through his black hair, Oliver sighed. With the school year ending and him about to start working on cases again, it may help keep his parents from pestering him to have a doctor with them. "Very well. I will reach out to her for our next case."
"Thanks, brother," Gene said gratefully. "Actually I think she is already in London. She's just exploring the city and can stop by this week."
Mai held the paper bag close to her chest, narrowly avoiding a herd of pedestrians as she exited the shop. She smiled down at the contents of the bag, proud of herself for finding such a deal on his favourite tea.
"Oh would you stop pouting?" a woman's voice speaking Japanese reached her ears. Something about that voice sounded so familiar. Turning quickly, she saw a man and woman walking by, but she wasn't able to see their faces. The woman had long reddish hair, and the man beside her had his dark blonde hair pulled back into a bun.
Mai couldn't shake the familiar feeling and tried to catch up to them on the crowded sidewalk.
"But hun, we're going to be here for a few weeks, why do we have to go sightseeing today? There's another sight I'd rather see more,"the man said suggestively to the woman, earning him a smack to the back of the head. "Ow."
"Oh suck it up. Just a few places and a bite to eat and then we can head back and have...dessert," she whispered into his ear.
Mai felt blood rush to her face and she stopped in her tracks. Why was she following and eavesdropping on these two strangers? Someone bumped into her after she suddenly stopped and she bowed apologetically to the frustrated person.
"Sorry!" she bowed. When she straightened up she looked in the direction the couple had been walking and sighed when she saw no sign of them.