Chapter 2

Case 1: Hoshikawa Manor

Day 1

"Wow…look at this place!" Ayako exclaimed as she gawked at the manor.

"This is a manor? This is more like a mansion on an estate with its own zip code for crying out loud!" Monk exclaimed, in shock, "We'll get lost!"

How were they ever going to get all the equipment setup without getting lost?

Mai was like the others, staring at this place in aw, mouth open wide. 'We are really going to investigate this place…its so big and…' But a cold voice cut her off.

"We don't have all day. Now if you 3 are done gawking at the house we do have work to do. Unless you all really are idiots."

Ayako and Monk shouted at him but Mai, still being furious with him beyond belief, sent him a death glare that Lin swore almost equaled Naru's, not that Naru paid attention to her glare towards him.

"Lets just get in and try to not get lost, set the cameras in the spots with the main activity first. Then the rest of the cameras to the areas surrounding the major areas of activity," Naru told the team while he was walking to meet Nashi at the door. Nashi had stepped out when she heard doors to cars closing.

When Mai saw her, she smiled , to herself and Nashi, because all the time Nashi was in the office she never smiled once. And now Nashi was smiling a true smile at Monk an Ayako's reactions to the manor. And she also say that her smile she held, held relifef for them being there to help her out. And as much as she hated it, Mai realized she was still Naru's assistant and no matter how mad she was at him she still had to go up to the door with him to greet her.

"Ms. Nashi, everyone is here and ready to bring the equipment in, do you have the room for us?"

"Yes I do. Let me show you where it is at, Mr. Shibuya. If you wanna tell your team, it's the 3rd door on the left straight down this hall."

Lin, who was behind Naru now, nodded and went to tell the rest of the team.

"Ok. And you may call me Naru Like the rest of my team if you so desire, or Kazuya."

"Yes. Now if you would follow me to the room." Nashi lead Mai and him straight down the hall and motioned to go into the room that was indeed the 3rd door on the left.

"Now if you need anything else I forgot to get just let me know."

Naru just nodded not looking at Nashi or thanking her for the room, Mai just rolled her eyes. A young girl, about Nashi's age as well, came up to her out of the room just before they were about to enter to talk to her.

"Your not gonna believe this Nash but…Michu cant get one of the tables to hook up."

Nashi gave the girl a weird look, "What? He cant? Oh my…its so simple." Nashi followed the girl in but not before smiling at Mai and Naru and motioned for them to come in. once in they say a guy, Naru and Yasu's age struggling, or wrestling, with a table.

Nashi walked over to where he was at, "Really Michu? Just let me." And Nashi, in a matter of moments, had the table hooked up to the rest like it was supposed to be and just in time for the team to start carrying in the equipment.

'Wow. Both Nashi and this other girl are really pretty, like Ayako and even Masako.'

Nashi looked different than she did yesterday, but it was mostly the cloths. She had her chocolate brown hair up in a ponytail that still reached the top of her lower back. Her matching brown eyes held so many emotions, sadness, fear, happiness, relief and many more. She wore a black jean skirt with a tank that had the top as aqua while the bottom was a purple color and wore brown boots that came up to her mid calf.

'There is also something different with Nashi today than how she was yesterday. I just cant seem to place my finger on it right now but…what could it be?'

"Ok Nashi! Everything in your house hates me! I swear."

Nashi closed her eyes and shook her head as she stood up and mumbled, "No, just the spirits." Only Naru and Mai heard because the girl and boy left the room and the rest of the team was busy setting up.

"Kazuya I hope this is all to your liking."

"Yes it is. Thank you. I will left you know if we need anything."

Mai gave Naru a look that said 'did you know you had to heads?' because he said thank you.

By the time Nashi and Mai were gonna go see if the others needed help, they were already done and inside of the room.

"Now I'll introduce you all. Nashi you already know Mai here, my assistant."

"Mai Taniyama if my full name." She slightly glared at Naru but smiled at Nashi who returned the smile.

"Then we have my other assistant here who will be monitoring things here from base most that time. Lin Koujo"

Lin nodded at Nashi and Mai noticed that Nashi had a slight reaction to his name like she knew it or something.

"We have Ayako Matsuzaki, a shrine maiden."

Ayako waved and smiled, "Hi there."

"Takigawa Hosho, a monk."

"Hey there. Just call me monk like everyone else, but Naru here that is," he laughed after he said that but was really friendly and Nashi smiled still.

"John Brown, a priest at a local church from Australia."

"'Ello there."

"Masako Hara, a spiritual medium."

"I don't mean to sound rude but your also on TV sometime am I right?"

Masako held her kimono up to her mouth and nodded.

"And lastly we have our researcher, Yasuhara Osamu."

Yasu smiled brightly at her and waved as well. "Hi there how are you?"

Nashi smiled, "Ok."

"I am Nashi Kishiharaki, and my family bought this place after the Hoshikawa family all passed," and The boy and girl from earlier walked back into the room just in time to be introduced, "And these are my friends you wanted to interview, Michu Toshoi," she motioned to the boy, "And Kori Mityana," motioning to the girl.

"You just have the 2 friends who have been attacked?"

"No and yes Mai. These are my only 2 friends who have been attacked but they are also my only 2 friends I have."

The room went quiet after that, until Naru started barking out orders.

"Nashi I want you to go around with Mai to set up the cameras in the areas you have seen the most activity at. Lin get everything set up. Takigawa I want you to go and map out the place and Yasuhara help him. Ayako, John and Masako go around and see if you sense any spirits here and outside the house. And Mai also record the temperatures in all rooms for a base line as well. Michu and Kori I would like you 2 to stay so I can interview you on your experiences in this house."

Everyone nodded and Naru handed the clipboard to her but she just stared at him till she yanked the clipboard out of his hands and walked out the door with Nashi, cameras in hand, as everyone else followed suit too.

~With Mai, Nashi~

"Ok…this should be the last one Mai."

Mai bowed her head down, exhausted and so peeved with Naru. "Thank goodness! How do you not get lost in this place?"

"I only go where I need to. No where else so its quiet simple."

When the girls finally arrived back at base, everyone was already back and Michu and Kori were just finishing with their interviews, Naru by Lin now checking all the cameras. Mai could tell the others, mostly Yasu, Ayako and Monk, were completely shocked whle the rest were just holding faces of surprise.

"Ok is there anything else you would like to add?"

Mai leaned over to Nashi and asked, "Did we really take that long to put up all those cameras and readings, Nashi?"

Nashi looked at her with the same confused facial expression Mai wore.

"I don't know, I thought we didn't take that long to set all those up and everything, not as long as it could have taken. But maybe we did."

Mai just shrugged and walked over to Lin and Naru, but not addressing the latter one. "Lin here are all the readings of the temperature in each room. They were all close in temperature so nothing out of the norm."

"Thank you. And all of the cameras are working fine too."

"Good!" Mai walked back over to Nashi, "I really don't want to go back and try to find just the one that wont work in this house."

Nashi laughed at Mai and Mai couldn't help but smile hearing her laugh.

"Mai, tea."

Mia spun around on her heels so fast. "What?" she snapped and everyone exchanged glances between the two, curious.

"I said 'Mai, tea.' Need I say it again?"

Mai was so mad at him again, well she never forgave him yet. "Fine!" she snapped back at him and stormed out the door.

Nashi leaned out the door and seeing as Mai hadn't gone that far down the hall asked, "Mai?"

"Nashi where is the kitchen?"

Nashi chuckled to herself and went with Mai.

Once the girls were out of ear shot Ayako and monk asked, "What did you do to Mai?" And not wanting to reply, Naru just looked back to the monitors.

"Wow and I thought that I've seen some big kitchens…just look at this one!"

"Yeah, its bigger than I wish it was but a kitchen is a kitchen. Has all the necesities a person needs in one."

"And then some."

Nashi bent down into a cabinet by the stove and grabbed a kettle, handing it to Mai. "Here."

"Thanks." Mai walked over to the sink and filled it with the right amount of water and went back to the stove.

"That's what I hate abut it."

Mai looked at Nashi who was looking down slightly, "Huh?"

"It has more than I need and want. Especially for only one person."

Mai nodded and Her and Nashi grabbed a tray and some cups to put the tea in once it was done.

Nashi and Mai stood a slight ways from the stove, just talking but Nashi got this sense that something was wrong, very wrong, Mai picked up on that.

"Nashi? What's wrong?"

"Something's not right Mai."

"What? What do you mean?"

Nashi opened her mouth to answer but was stopped by a high pitched whistling noise that turned in to a loud explosion of flames and metal and flames were soon everywhere on the cabinets by wall.

(A.N. yes see? didn't take me long but that was because it was already typed up. Chp 3 will be up soo I promise. But ooooh a cliffy! ^^ hehehe I wanted to wait to start chapter3 off…hot and explosive ^^ (sry for the pun XD) but yeah hope you like!)