AHHHHHHHHGGGGGG!
I FINALLY UPDATED!
NOW YOU WON'T KILL ME!
Hehe. Actually, I have several reasons why this is so damn late.
Let's make a list!
-Exams
-Corrupted Files
-ANOTHER corrupted file
-Teacher drama llamas
-Oh lookey here, a corrupted file!
-A computer doctor appointment (and all that jazz)
-Exams are coming up fast…
-So is my history project that I haven't even started yet
-And of course, to top it all off, me having a little, er, 'rage fit' as I am going to put it, and running off to some of my other fandoms for a while to just chill out and stuff. And now, I keep thinking about crossovers, even though I already have two stories on here and who knows how many on my computer…. I just needed an… animavacation.
But now I'm back, hopefully swinging, I guess, and so, here.
I don't own Ghost Hunt. What gave you that idea?
OH YEAH! Before I forget, part of the reason I got to writing again was because of tumblr! So now I have one… yeah… so basically I'm informing you of my newest website craze… But anyway, I considered for about… three seconds about making a tumblr for SabastianScott. I laughed it off, but then I lost (another) bet and now I have to tell you guys about it. AND, if enough people would actually be interested in that, I have to make it. So… if for some reason you are… PM me or leave me a comment. (I feel so weird about this-I usually don't like telling people about things like this. But like I said, I lost a bet, and I'll admit, I'd probably have fun with it…)
Well whatever.
I'm going to apologize ahead of time-I have a lot of stars (*) on here (yes, I know they aren't called stars. I also know that I don't care). That's because I'm using the book right now, and since I don't wanna get sued, I have to use them.
Enjoy!
BLIND
November
Sunday
I come here to the office and do paperwork. I've organized the old issues of a Psychic Research Magazine by date. I'm always assembling things, registering things, transcribing table of contents, and ordering books. In other words, I do manual work. I guess the level of my job will only be this high. And now, we're not doing any ghost hunting. Because now things are moving slowly, and there's no other way to go about doing this. But every day, I continue to do who knows how much meaningless work.*1
Even when it's slow, though, we still have clients.
She came to see us on a Sunday in November…
I set down the tea in front of our client. "Here you go," I said to the skittish girl. Making tea had become one of my office tasks, and so I started making some for the clients if they seemed nervous.
"Thanks a lot," she said after giving a slight jump.
"So you're saying," Naru turned our attention back to him, "your friend has been acting strangely ever since using an Ouija board at school." He was a bit grumpy. He had been pouring over a map all day, again. That always makes him grumpy without fail.
"Yeah," she said shyly, her hands fisted nervously in her lap. "She'd jump up onto her desk in the middle of class, and in gym she was eating sand from the sandbox." I thought about how bad the sand must be at my school, and gave a slight 'ick' sound. "I know it sounds crazy, but I really think she might be possessed by a fox. Can you help her?"
Naru sat there for a second before replying. He set down his notebook and said, "You should take your friend to the hospital," he stood up from his seat, "Your friend needs a doctor."
"But, Naru, wait!" I said as he left the room in favor of his office.
And naturally, he ignored me. If he so deems it, he won't listen to a word I say. Especially with the face he pulled as he left the room. He makes that face, and my words fall upon deaf ears.
I tried to explain how SPR works to the distraught girl WITHOUT making Naru sound like a completely horrible person-which wasn't an easy task after he brushed her off like that-, and I ended up writing a report to go into filing. It wasn't the ONLY report I had to write recently, either. In fact, I had three on my desk. One was for an exorcism, one was a poltergeist, and the last was the one for the fox spirit. This wouldn't be so bad if they weren't for the same exact place.
Yuasa High School. An all-girl private school. A friend from junior high goes there, and she told me that it's supposed to be a strict school. It wasn't the best academic girls' school around, as it was quite lenient with grades, though. Huh. My school isn't lenient in the least! Well, it's also co-ed….
Sometime later, though, my wonderful director came back out of his office and into the sitting room. I guessed he was taking a break from his maps.
Break or not, I'm giving him hell.
I slammed my hand on the table. "Why did you treat her like that?" I questioned.
"All I said was that it sounded like her friend needed a doctor's care," Naru brushed it off. This stupid narcissist bastard…!
"You could've at least been nice and referred her to someone else!"
"Knock knock!" I was interrupted by a man with short-ish hair coming in through the door. And he was…. A cowboy? With glasses… Holding… a guitar case? Or was it a bass? "Hey Naru, what's up!" he said informally. So Naru knows this weirdo? Well, it's Naru-I shouldn't really be surprised.
"Uh… who are you?" I asked, and based on Naru's face and posture, he didn't know either. Actually, Naru seemed to be caught between tensing up and being confused.
Ignoring me, the man went right in and sat down on the couch, relaxing instantly. "Man, let me tell you, coming to Shibuya on a Sunday is crazy!" he said as he took off his hat. "Mai, be a sweetheart and get me an iced coffee."
Wait a second, the only person I know that would take an iced coffee would be… "Uh, no way! Is that Monk in there?" Well, he's still a weirdo that Naru knows, but at least it isn't a RANDOM weirdo. Naru relaxed a bit at this revelation. He had cut his hair, and he wore glasses of some kind. Between that and the clothes, I didn't really recognize him. Huh. I should've recognized his voice at least… Maybe I'm just a little bit out of it today.
"What, the outfit?" Monk said as he took his glasses off. Well, I'm blind you idiot. I can't tell who you are when you switch things up on me! Even Naru was surprised! "I had a live show today. I gotta admit, I love being in front of a crowd. Playing in basement studios isn't nearly as exciting."
Ah. Wait, what? This explains his speak patterns. Huh. Never noticed. "Hey!" I said as I leaned in closer, "Does that mean you used to be in a rock band or something?!"
"Well, I didn't 'used to be' in a rock band, Mai. It's my main gig!" he laughed at my (admittedly slow) reply. "I play bass!" he grabbed his instrument strap for emphasis. Ah, so it's a bass. Even so, Naru seems to be a bit surprised too.
"But, how can you work at Mount Kouya and be in a band? Are you just a monk on the side?" I tried to reason out loud.
"Kinda," Monk said vaguely. "The temple belongs to my family and my dad really wanted me to be a monk, but when I couldn't bring CDs and stuff up there I had to make a choice," Monk explained.
… Of course. That totally makes sense. I could sense that Naru was pulling a sour face again. Careful not to get stuck that way.
"Ya know, I see a lot of curses in rock-and-roll. More than you'd imagine. So whenever something happens and an exorcism is needed, they call me since I'm already in the biz," said Monk. "See?"
"Uh huh," I nodded, "I get it." I sighed. Wow. I guess you never really know about people. Although in Monk's case it was actually harder to believe he was a monk than a rocker.
Naru then sighed and said, "How about you fill us in on what business you have here today."
"Oh. Yeah, right," Monk seemed to have forgotten that Naru was here. "There really was a point for my coming here, promise. I was hoping you'd let me pick your brain a little." Then Monk started explaining as I went to get his iced coffee he asked for. "There's a local high school girl who follows our band. After our last gig she struck up a conversation with me. She asked me, 'Is it true that you do exorcisms?' to break the ice."
I set down Monk's beverage as I listened to him talk then sat down next to him. He continued on as if nothing happened. "So after some initial fan-girl chatting, she started telling me about a certain desk at her school. It's apparently cursed. Every single person who's sat there in the last three months has been involved in an accident, and not just that, but the same type of accident. They've all gotten their arms caught in the door of a train, and then been dragged by it." I gasped at that. I didn't take the train (for obvious reasons-I can't sense what the signs say, and it's so busy my senses get confused), but Keiko and Michiru do from time to time, and they told me about things like that. It couldn't be good.
Monk continued on from there. "A total of four people have sat in that seat since September, and all of them have fallen victim. One had only minor injuries, but the rest were seriously hurt.
"The teacher of that class was also affected. He went on and on about seeing ghosts, and then ended up in the hospital. He keeps coughing up blood but they can't figure out what's wrong." That poor man! "There's all sorts of stories about strange incidents happening at that school. I've even heard they think someone there is possessed."
"Wait, possessed?" I interrupted. That sounds like that case girl was telling us about earlier! "Hey Monk, do you happen to remember if the school she was talking about was Yuasa High School?" I said, rattling off the name of the all-girls school the girl told us before.
"That's right," Monk looked at me incredulously. "How'd you know?"
"So far we already have three case reports for Yuasa High School," I told him. "Naru rejected them, but I took down their information in case you or John might be interested."
Then, the door opened, revealing another client, a man in a suit. "Hello," he said as he stepped in, "I hope I'm not intruding."
I stepped up to greet him. "Hi, um, what can we do for you?" I asked the man.
"Well you see," he said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a card, extending it towards me. "I'm hoping you can help me." I took the card from his hands and read it.
Noboru Mikami, Principal. Yuasa Private High School.
"Yuasa High School?" I said incredulously. Monk and Naru looked over when I spoke. Well, I have an odd feeling of how this is going to go…
BLIND
Monday
Monk and I watched as Lin and Naru drove up to the front of the school. Yuasa High School, to be exact. That's right. We took the case.
"We're grateful for your time," the principal told us as we sat in his office. "Mr. Yoshino is our guidance counselor. He'll give you a full tour of the school." The principal gestured to a man standing next to him. He seemed… I don't know… nervous? I don't think he's had any sleep lately. I could tell he had bags under his eyes, and that's coming from a blind girl.
"Hi there. It's nice to meet you," the man, Mr. Yoshino, greeted. *2
"As you requested, a conference room has been cleared out for you to set up in," the principal told us. "We announced that anyone who wants to speak with you should go there." Well, that certainly makes getting our reports a heck of a lot easier.
We left the principal's office and walked into the conference room. "So, this is home base, huh?"
"We should get the equipment set up right away," Naru ordered. "Lin?"
"Right," Lin answered, the little blobs floating around him excitedly. I have no idea what they are, but they seem happy to be on a case.
"Um, excuse me," Mr. Yoshino said to Monk, "are you the one who's in charge here?"
"No sir, you want him," Monk pointed to Naru. Mr. Yoshino looked over to Naru with a slight bit of surprise.
Let's see, the three things that throw people off about Naru.
His apparent looks (according to my friends).
His personality and ego (the reason why he's Naru the Narcissist).
And, drum roll please, the fact that, at seventeen, he own his own business (the reason for Mr. Yoshino's reaction) and probably already graduated high school. That damn brat.
So basically, we're used to these reactions.
Naru looked over his shoulder before fully facing Mr. Yoshino. "What's wrong?" he asked in his typical cynical voice.
"Well, I…" Mr. Yoshino seemed even more nervous, if possible. "Before the students come in, I'd like to tell you about something." Monk and I shared a look (well, technically a look and a sense). Already someone has a report? And it's a teacher?
"Yes, of course," Naru said after a slight pause. "Have a seat please." He walked over to the table with Lin trailing close behind. Lin set up his laptop to type the report during the interview.
"You see, um," Mr. Yoshino began, "at night, I've been hearing this… knocking sound. It wouldn't stop, so finally I got up and went to open the curtain. All that was there was a thin, white, feminine hand, knocking on the window." I took a sharp breath. I live alone, so I briefly thought of what I'd do if it were me.
I doubt my neighbors would enjoy my screaming.
"Since then, I've barely gotten a wink of sleep," Mr. Yoshino concluded.
"Has anyone else in your house heard the knocking?" inquired Naru.
"Yes, but it doesn't seem to bother them as it does me."
"… I see."
Shortly after, Mr. Yoshino left.
BLIND
As three o'clock rolled around, students started to come in.*3
"Your name was Kiyomi, Kiyomi Ito?" Naru asked.
"Yes," the girl looked up from her lap. It was the same girl who came to us about her friend.
"When you came to see us, I believe you said you thought your friend was possessed by a fox. Is she here?"
"No sir, she's at home."
"And you also said that she was jumping up on desks and eating sand?"
"There's other stuff, too. One time she dove into the pool with her uniform on. It was like, 40 degrees that day," Kiyomi reported. That had to have been cold! Even if she was possessed, why would she do these things?
"Has your friend ever hurt anybody?"
"Oh no sir."
"When she started acting strangely, why did you believe she might be possessed by a fox? Why didn't you think she just might be sick?"
"Because… she actually said 'I am the white fox of the harvest god'. It all happened after that darn Ouija board. When everyone was leaving, she told us she thought she was possessed. I told her there was no way, but she said she felt really weird and that her shoulders felt heavy. And then the next day she started acting differently."
I sent my senses to Monk. His face is so serious. What does he think about all this?
After a small pause, Naru inquired, "Where were you using the Ouija board?"
"I classroom one dash three," Kiyomi responded.
"You used paper, and what else? A glass, or a goblet? Anything like that?"
"No, we wrote down the characters on the paper with a pencil. Nothing went wrong as far as we could tell. The spirit didn't stay and we didn't make fun of it or anything…"*4
Kiyomi left after that and was replaced by another girl who wore the school's track suit instead of her uniform.
"Look, the track team's locker room is really creepy. The lockers just fall over by themselves and our equipment will move around. At first we thought someone was just playing a joke so some of us hid to try and catch them in the act. No one knows how it happened exactly but suddenly the shot putt balls we put in a box were lined up in the middle of the floor."
The track team girl left and was replaced by another girl in her uniform with shaggy hair.
"Last month some friends and I did a test of courage in the storage room in the gym and I've been seeing a bunch of these weird shadows ever since. It's a rope on the wall, and it's shaped like a noose... One of the other girls even swears she's seen ghosts coming out of her desk, so…"
"During class?" Naru asked.
"Yeah. Um, she said it was like she all of a sudden couldn't move, and it felt like someone was touching her stomach. And when she looked down to see, a hand would be stretched out, massaging her stomach." I gasped. That sorta thing… it's too creepy! "She said it happens all the time, and her stomach just wouldn't stop hurting. She ended up having to go to the hospital."
After about, oh say all of the school had come in with a report, someone knocked on the door. "Is anybody in here?" a girl said, peeking her head inside. She spotted Monk and stepped right in. "Norio! Oh my gosh you really came!"
"Hey," Monk greeted. "Meet my friends. That handsome devil is Mr. Shibuya, the director of Shibuya Psychic Research, and his assistant, Miss Taniyama."
"HI! My name is Yuuko Takahashi. Nice to meet you," the girl greeted.
"Oh, same here," I said, more or less for both Naru and I, since Naru obviously wasn't saying anything. I turned to Monk. "Uh, Norio? What's that?"
"That's what they decided to call me in the band. See, my real name is Houshou, right? So we thought-"
"Getting back to the point," Naru interrupted, "I'm guessing that your one of victims. Were you involved in an accident after sitting at a certain desk?"
"Uh, yes," said the girl who had followed Yuuko into the room. She had a crutch, her arm was in a sling, and her legs were bandaged up. All in all, she didn't seem to be in the best of shape. "I was the second one it happened to. The train arrived at my stop, and when the doors opened I stepped out and started to walk away like normal. And it was like someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back and I got caught. I wasn't dragged very far but my shoulder was dislocated and my legs looked pretty bad. I only got my cast off last week, actually."
"Was there anyone standing near the door?" asked Naru.
"Mm-mm, no one. In fact I remember the train was pretty much empty. Just a few people were there."
"Do you have any idea of what the connection is between that desk and these accidents?"
"I don't do you?" she said as she looked at Yuuko.
"No," Yuuko replied.
"I'd really like to see this desk," Naru requested. Well, ordered, but if he started saying please I'd get worried despite my misgivings.
"Oh sure, I can take you to it," Yuuko raised her hand, then led us away to room 2-5. Surprisingly, his little blob didn't follow, and though it seemed to want to come along, the blob that actually liked me-versus indifference or dislike (cough Naru's blob cough)- stayed in base with Lin and Monk.
"It's back there," she pointed as she led us in to the corner desk in the back of the room, next to the windows. It seemed normal enough.
We walked over and Naru put his hand on the desk. There was a brief flash of yellow light, outlining what I assumed to be Naru's hand. It quickly died out, and Naru's eyebrows furrowed. "Does anyone sit here now?"
"No one wants to, and the girl that was sitting here got hurt so badly she's still in the hospital," Yuuko informed him.
"And the desk has always been in this position?"
"Uh huh. Just like that."
Suddenly, I got this odd feeling we were being watched. It went away quickly, so I brushed it off. Still, it was creepy.
"I heard that something strange happened to your teacher, correct?" Naru asked after a moment.
"Ah, yeah, he kept saying he was seeing ghosts in the classroom. Even with him in the hospital he claims they're in his room. It's like he has neurosis," Yuuko paused for a moment. "The really weird thing was that he really didn't believe in that stuff before."
"Huh," I ended up huffing out. Seriously, this school is just too strange!
BLIND
Naru and I walked in to find a bunch of girls fawning over Monk as Lin sat there typing furiously, probably to block out the sound of all the girls, but otherwise acting like nothing was happening.
"Oh, hey, what's up?" Monk shot up from his seat nervously. I smiled. Of course Monk would end up like this the moment we left. Then again, it IS an all-girls' school… they're probably just excited.
Later that evening, we had all the reports from all the girls in this school plus all the teachers filled out.
"What the heck is going on at this school? I can't believe all the craziness happening here. Who's going to exorcise it all? There's no way I can do it alone," Monk grumbled, his head resting in his folded arms. "Hey Naru, do you have any one-time solutions for this?"
"Blow up the school and all the people involved," Naru grumbled from his spot beside the window.*5
"Ah, that does work. But then we'd have to make this area off-limits for a while."
… Hey you…
I set his iced coffee down in front of him. "Sorry Monk, wish I could help but it's out of my league," I said in what I hoped to be a cheerful way.
"Something's not right here," Naru turned serious again as he stared through the window. Monk straightened up to look at him. "Individually, these cases are not a big deal, but all together they're abnormal." Is he staring though that window, or at his reflection? I get the feeling there's more to it than that, though… "Of course, that is assuming that they're all true." Naru looked away from the window and back to Monk and me. "But with all these similarities, there's got to be something here causing it."
He's right. This goes way beyond coincidence.
"Are we calling in reinforcements, then?" Monk said. Then, almost teasingly, he said, "What about Masako?"
In an instant, Naru's expression became incomprehensible. It's the kind of face you'd make when you put something in your mouth, thinking it'll be sweet, yet it turns out to be sour. That kind of face.*6
Ah, right, during our last case he wasn't exactly thrilled to have Masako come up. Does he dislike her? Why? I mean, she keeps flirting with you relentlessly, but that's no reason to hate her. Any girl with working eyes probably does the same.
Is she, perhaps, using a weakness of his against him? Either way, Monk has a tendency to tease Naru about his dislike of Masako.
*"Depending on the situation, it might be good to get advice, y'know?" Monk said, a huge grin spread across his face.
"I can't see myself living a life off of other people's advice, can you?" Naru retorted.
Monk's expression became bitter.
"That was bad," Monk grumbled.
"Don't mention it," Naru added.*7
BLIND
Tuesday
What exactly is happening at this school?
We ended up calling in the others-John Brown, a priest, Ayako Matsuzaki, a shrine maiden, and Masako Hara, psychic medium-to help on the case.
"With this many occurrences, I think we need to move quickly," Naru said as he gathered us up in the now-teched-up base. We hadn't been able to get much equipment in for a while because of all the reports we had to make, but rest assured, we got every single damn piece of His Royal Ego's equipment up and running. "I propose we exorcise anything we come across.*8 If that doesn't work, we'll come back together and try something else."
Monk sighed and looked at our misfit team of exorcists. I can probably guess what he's thinking. 'I have to work with these guys again? John's probably the only one who'll be any help…' Or something like that.
"I'd like Miss Hara to take a look around the school," Naru continued when he didn't hear any rejections to his plan. "You should start with the desk, and then when you're done head over to the track team's locker room."
Masako giggled, bringing her kimono sleeve up to her mouth. "Please, I'd be more comfortable if you'd just call me Masako."
HUH?! Is she flirting with him? Screw it, now I think I know why Naru doesn't like her!
"Join her, Ms. Matsuzaki," Naru ignored Masako, "Exorcise anything you see fit."
"Hold on," said Ayako. "Are you sure there's nothing else you'd like to say to Masako? I ask because it seems to me that lately you've been extra courteous to our celebrity friend."
"We can stand around all day chit-chatting about things that don't matter, but I'd much prefer to see you in action," Naru replied instantly, a small, terse-and-fake smile appearing. Not a good sign. He only used that face to insult people-particularly ME. Then he looked her dead-on. "Wouldn't you rather get to work and impress us than waste everyone else's time?"
Poor Ayako. You didn't stand a chance. She sulked where she stood in silent defeat, growling under her breath.
Then Naru became serious again, his face stoic once more. "Due to the number of cases we don't have enough equipment to send with you, so you'll have to rely on your own instinct. Monk and John, same goes for you."
"Got it," Monk voiced.
"Sure thing, no worries," John replied happily.
"Lin and I will continue the investigation. Mai, wait here for everyone to report back," Naru ordered me.
"Sure," I complied.
"Alright, let's begin."
And with that, they were off.
Masako and Ayako immediately went to room 2-5.
Monk and John went to the track team's room.
Naru and Lin went to a storage room, reporting back that the temperature there was about the same temperature outside before continuing to investigate.
And what did I do? I went straight to sitting down at the table.
Once again, I'm the one left behind. I sighed and held my face in my hands. What do I expect? I can't do exorcisms like the others. Man if I could I'm sure Naru would-
I was ripped from my thoughts by the base door opening.
HOLY S- Oh, it's Yuuko.
"Holy cow you scared the crap out of me," I sighed in relief as Yuuko walked over to the table.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she apologized sheepishly. "I just thought Norio might be in here." Yuuko went and sat down in the chair in front of me. "So, what're you doing? Are you busy?"
"Nah, not really. Just kinda holding down the fort," I replied.
"Ah, so, Taniyama, right?"
"Just call me Mai. I don't feel old enough to be going by my last name," I groaned.
"Then call me Taka!" she replied cheerfully.
"Oh… okay," I sighed. "Everyone's ran off so I'm all alone here."
"Oh, I see," Taka nodded. "So, how's the exorcism going?"
"Well we've only really gotten started," I said earnestly, leaning my cheek against my slightly-fisted hand, "but I don't think it's going to be that easy. There's just so many cases here."
"Yeah, I know! It really makes you wonder what's going on at this school. Curses and ghosts and supernatural powers? I'm like, where's the UFO, ya know?"
Wait, backtrack a second there…
"Hold on a second," I said abruptly, standing up from my seat. "Supernatural powers?"
Taka blinked up at me in surprise.
Soon enough, I had Naru and Lin back at base to follow this up.
"Did you say, 'Kasai Panic'?" Naru questioned.
"Yeah, there's this third-year girl named Chiaki Kasai who could bend a spoon with just the power of her mind," Taka confirmed. "It was just after summer vacation. Suddenly everyone at school knew her name, and bending spoons and other supernatural stuff became a really big deal. The school was divided over the whole thing. Some people believe in it while others didn't.
"Then one day, Kasai was called up in front of everyone during morning assembly. 'If you really have powers, prove it by bending this right here and now. You can't, can you?' or something like that was said. Kasai snatched the key right up and…. Well…."
"Woah, she bent it?" I finished for Taka.
Taka nodded. "After that, things got really bad. A group of teachers started to attack her creditability. They said something along the lines of, 'This is obviously a trick! You're just making fools of us!' I guess that sent Kasai over the edge, because then she yelled back at them, "I'll curse you to death!'. And after that, all of these crazy things started happening around the school, like with the desk and the track locker room.
"People started getting frightened. They were saying it had to be because of Kasai's curse. I'm pretty sure that's why she hasn't been coming to class lately. When she's in school she usually hiding out in the biology prep room. I don't blame her…"
Soon enough, Naru and I were off the biology prep room to see Chiaki Kasai. Naru gave Taka a crude instruction on how to use the equipment so Lin could type up the report. As to why Naru is dragging me along for this versus Lin, I'm not sure, but regardless, here I am. And once again, the blobs stayed with Lin.
Naru knocked on the door. "Yes?" a feminine voice answered.
Naru took that as a cue to open the door. "Excuse me," he said as he entered, "we're looking for a Miss Chiaki Kasai."
As we entered, a girl with long hair turned away from us in her seat. "May I ask what this is regarding?" a woman, presumably a teacher, answered. I recognized her as the one who spoke when Naru knocked.
"I'm here investigating with Shibuya Psychic Research, and I would very much like to speak with Miss Kasai," Naru said politely. Huh. So now you can be polite. Since when?
The older woman, the teacher, stood up to greet Naru. "Oh, right, um. What was your name?"
"My name is Kazuya Shibuya," Naru answered her.
"Ah, yes, the principal said there was going to be some people coming to investigate all the strange things happening around the school. It's so good to meet you both. Please, come in, my name is Kei Ubusuna and I teach biology here," the teacher smiled kindly. Still, I got a weird vibe from her.
"Ubusuna? That's quite an unusual name you have," Naru commented.
Ms. Ubusuna cocked her head to the side with a giggle as a reply before speaking again. "So you're looking for Kasai? I'm guessing you'd like to ask her about the incident this past September?"
"Leave me alone! I have nothing to say," the girl in the chair yelled. Even so, it almost sounded like she was about to cry.
"Kasai, I think you should clear up any confusion and tell these people exactly what happened," Ms. Ubusuna said as she walked up to the girl. So… this is Kasai then?
"Why should I? So they can call me a liar too?" Kasai said back with a bitter tone.
"But they investigate psychic phenomenon all the time. So they're not going to immediately reject or laugh at the things you say," the patient teacher reassured Kasai. Okay, I think I know why Naru dragged me here instead of Lin. Not because Lin had to do the case report, but because Lin would probably scare the teenage girl more than anything else. Or maybe he didn't want Lin watching him in case he was rude or something. Naru would do that, wouldn't he?
After a moment, Kasai turned back over and faced us. "Okay. So, what do you wanna know?" I'm not sure why, but… I could almost feel her frustration and sadness over the whole ordeal. She must be going through a lot right now.
"I've heard some very interesting stories about you. Stories that connect you to these events, that you have powers. The kind of powers that bend spoons and keys at will," Naru began his questioning.
"Those aren't just stories, they're the truth. I can bend them, but I don't expect you to believe me," Kasai said nonchalantly.
"Why wouldn't I? You're not the only one who can bend a spoon, you know," Naru replied*9
"What?" I ask hurriedly. Wait, is he saying…. Can Naru bend spoons too?
"Can you?" Kasai asked him.
"I can," Naru confirmed, "but even if I couldn't, any psychic researcher would believe in PK." Right, PK-psychokinesis. This would be… PK-ST, the power to move stationary objects, right?
Kasai looked at him in awe for a second. Is this the first time she's met another PK user? Well, then again, I didn't know either. Kasai quickly grabbed a spoon from a cup full of them-I guess from when she was really popular for bending them and supposedly to practice (surely it takes practice!)-and held it out to Naru.
Scoffing, she stood and said, "Then show me."
".. I guess I have no choice," Naru said, taking the spoon and twiddling it so the head faced up. He brought it up to his face and stared at it a few seconds. I noticed the way he held it. He rested the handle between the parts of his palm that folded against itself from how he held his fingers. After a moment, he brought his other hand up, put his finger against the head, and bent it. I looked up at it closer.
Even if he cheated, it's still bent. Then, so quickly I'm not so sure I didn't imagine it, a flash of yellow came out of nowhere in my dark sight and cut against the spoon's neck.
The head of the spoon hit the ground with a click.
That SO wasn't a trick. So… Naru really does have PK?
Kasai took a few steps closer, looking straight at the handle of the headless spoon. Then she picked up the spoon's head and took the handle from Naru. She held the broken ends to each other. I thought I saw a glow, but I could be wrong.
Then, when she put her hands away, the spoon was back together. Bent, but together. *10
That… was impressive.
BLIND
"Over summer vacation I was watching one of those late-night shows, ya know? This one was about spoon bending," Kasai explained to us. "So I got a spoon and started trying it myself, and eventually I learned to do it. I can't break them like you, though." That sounds sorta like something I read before… Gellerini phenomenon, right? Something about a TV broadcast, and some kids who showed psychic powers. Some of the powers quickly waned, so they faked and then were caught.
"That was it the summer? But you can still do it, right?" Naru asked. Maybe he's thinking the same thing? And then I suddenly though of Kuroda from our first case. That's right… her powers were only there during emotion duress. The only time she bent a spoon without throwing it against something was when she got really upset from not being able to do it. She hasn't done it since. Trust me; she's tried during the times we hung out. She had to buy me a new silverware set.
Kasai, as expected from Naru's comment, got upset. "Of course!" she said before violently grabbing another spoon out of the cup. I gasped-how would this turn out? She ALREADY put a broken spoon back together. Though, I suppose bending it is a bit different.
Kasai held her spoon very differently than how Naru did. She pinched two fingers at the neck and lightly held it at the bottom with her other hand. She stared at it, her fingers pinching harder at the neck, her eyes squinting. Then, she started to bend over.
… What?
She then completely bended over in her seat, her head at her knees. She was panting. Something was wrong, what was wrong?
"Stop! Right now!" Naru commanded, grabbing her shoulder. Kasai sat straight up, startled. "You were about to bend the spoon using the edge of the chair, weren't you? You do realize that if anyone caught you doing that trick they'd never believe you again."
"You're lying. I really can bend a spoon!" Kasai yelled. Oh dear, she was getting frustrated.
Naru was quick to respond with, "Any researcher knows that psychic abilities can be affected by outside sources and are therefore unstable. When you can't do something, it's okay to admit defeat," as he sat back down. Wow. That was almost… nice. Almost. "The people who will call you a fake never believed in you anyway, so don't worry about what they think."
"That's easy for you to say, but you don't have to deal with how mean people can be if you can't do it. Ms. Kei was treated horribly by the other teachers just because she had the nerve to defend me," Kasai said. She looked like she was about to cry. Even so… has Naru had to deal with that?
Ms. Ubusuna went over to the poor girl and held her shoulders. "Oh, don't worry about me. Please." Then she turned to look at us. "It's been incredibly difficult to watch. I felt so bad for how they were acting towards her."
"Then everyone in the biology club quit, saying we must be doing something crazy or evil. I don't understand why this is happening to me," Kasai sobbed into her hands. She wasn't actually crying as far as I could tell, but she might as well have been.
"Is that why you 'cursed' them?" Naru asked.
Right. Kasai had allegedly said, 'I'll curse you to death!' to her tormentors.
Kasai brought her face out of her hands in surprise, staring straight at Naru. "Well, yeah, I said that but come on! It's not like I could really do it, could I?" She looked over her shoulder at Ms. Ubusuna. "Right?"
Naru gave no response.
BLIND
Naru and I walked back to base shortly after that, leaving Kasai and Ms. Ubusuna in the biology prep room.
"You know I actually feel kinda sorry for Kasai. All this fear and hatred over something small like bending spoons," I said as we came closer to base.
Naru gave no response. I didn't really expect him to. I was more or less just thinking out loud, I guess.
We reached the door and Naru reached out to the grab the handle. "Mai," he said as he gripped the handle. "I need to ask a favor of you."
Did he say favor?! I was surprised and… truthfully, I was excited!
"I'd appreciate it if you'd keep the spoon-bending thing a secret from the others. Especially Lin," Naru said. I couldn't figure out his face. He was hiding it, and even my senses couldn't get a clear clue since he was turned away from me and right up against the door.
Oh this is gonna kill me! I really REALLY wish I could ask him why!
I shook it off and answered cheerfully, "Sure, no prob. I won't tell. I promise."
"… Thank you," Naru said. Now he's saying THANK YOU!? Then he turned his face slightly towards me as he opened the door, and I could sense it. He almost looked like he was… worried? It was almost… childish, hiding things from the adults, especially with that face…
That face…
I turned away with a small squeal. Sometimes, I really impress myself with how much of a schoolgirl I really am. Oh my gosh, this is Naru and I's first private secret! I've never sensed that face before! And I guess… this is the first time I've really noticed that he is only seventeen… Geez, I'm blind and getting all girlish because my boss made a strange face. Why am I suddenly-
*11 "But that can't be true!" I heard Monk yell from the now slightly-open base door. Right, Naru's walking in, I should follow. Good assistant. Naru's face had also gone back to stoic and serious versus the expression that showed his real age.
"Well, it is. I'm telling you there are no spirits here. I've looked all over and if there were, I would know by now," Masako's calm voice responded as I walked in and closed the door. What, no spirits? Say WHAT NOW?
"Come on, there at least has to be something in that desk. And don't forget about the four accidents in a row!" Monk got in Masako's face.
"There is some kind of deception going on at this school," Masako retorted, her voice calm as always.
"Oh, and I guess all of the students and teachers are in on it! You gotta be kidding me!" Monk yelled.
"Relax mate," John said, coming up behind a huffing Monk. I guess he's just frustrated. We all are.
"You know, Masako's theory may not be accurate," Ayako piped in.
"Well, I'm certain it's more accurate than yours, Ms. Matsuzaki," Masako said, her sleeve up to her mouth again.
I sighed, my head tilting to the side as Ayako gasped, offended. Geez, these people and their fighting! I guess Taka left when everyone came back. Wise decision.
"In fact, Ms. Matsuzaki, I wonder if anything you've said has ever been accurate," Masako said.
"Well you may be able to see 'em but can you exorcise them?" Ayako responded.
From the other side of the room, Naru sighed as he looked at the window. Or more like… his reflection. He did that earlier too. And didn't he also do that at my school during the suggestion? Then he said so quietly that I only could tell what he said by reading his lips, "If only there was a psychic here we could rely on." He borderline sad, but also borderline irritated.
He walked over to Lin, his face normal again. "Lin, let's get back to work," Naru said in a purposely loud voice.
"Of course," the tall man answered after a pause. Did Lin catch what Naru said?
John smiled. "Hey, whaddya say we go take another look around?" Monk asked him.
"I'm right behind ya," John said with his funny dialect.
Ayako and Masako huffed as they looked at each other, knowing exactly how this was going. "You may want to look closely this time," Ayako snuffed at Masako.
"It won't matter. I'll still be right," Masako retorted. Ayako simply huffed before violently dragging Masako out of the room. Everyone else soon found themselves heading out.
And where did I end up? Alone at base. "I'm having deja-vu," I sighed out loud as I sat at the table again.
I sighed and picked up one of the reports that were laid out of the table. So Masako doesn't think there are any spirits… if that's true then why are all these things happening?
I put the paper down and yawned. Geez, why was I so tired?
Ouh, snap out of it. Naru will freak if he catches me sleeping in here.
I tried to keep my eyes open. I really did.
Next thing I know, I was out like a light.
BLIND
I was in a mirror maze. I knew this maze. My mother used to take me here when I was younger. I don't remember it much. When I tried to think about it, I got a haze. It was just like a lot of my memories before I became blind. Hazy, and unclear. Hiding something.
But I did remember one thing about this maze-that the younger me cried a lot in this maze. I'd look at myself in the distorted mirrors and cry. But now…. it didn't scare me at all. I turned to look at myself.
… I'll have to talk to my neighbor about letting me out in weird colors again… Strangely, this was the one mirror that wasn't distorted. I saw my (rather weird) outfit, my short brown hair, and my brown eyes. It was weird that whenever I dream of a mirror and can see myself, I can't see the scratches or the blue-tinted film over my eyes like my friends do. They always tell me it's there. I wouldn't know, but I'll take their word for it.
Well, maze or not, I better get out. I started walking when suddenly, everything flashed away.*12
I came to a dark void filled with floating lights. I came here again? Then that means…
I couldn't sense things when I was in this place, so I had to look around. It was weird.
After a moment of looking around at the wisps I saw him.
The boy in black that has Naru's voice.
You again?
He looked at me for a moment before looking away and pointing somewhere. He wasn't smiling like usual. What was wrong?
I followed his gaze and saw… the school? It was sketched in the black place with white lines, and though it took me a moment, I recognized it as the school we were investigating.
There were little blue globes in the school at seemingly random places. What on earth…?
"Foxfires," the boy said with his echo voice, looking straight at the school.
Foxfires?!
This… this was bad. Really bad.
BLIND
Not sure if I already told you or not, but I noticed something in the (5-course-meal-long) intro. And I just… can't. Gah! It made me sad and happy for various reasons. I feel conflicted on telling you about it, as it might ruin your day a little, but also, I think I'm the only one who noticed, so naturally I feel I should tell… BAH! DECISIONS!
So anyway, a lot of you may have noticed that there were things from the manga I didn't star, and maybe a few even noted the ones from the translated book if you read it. I didn't want to put every little thing in so sorry boos, if you want to know where I got a certain part from, just message me somehow, 'kay? I have enough star things as is.
*1 This is directly from the translated book, and more or less word-for word. I need to credit it, so… not my work. Not my translation. If I have more of these, I'll star them then say 'first star'. Okay? So no suing.
*2 This isn't a translation note, actually. I just wanted to point out that, at this time, if you pause (the time is about 6:30, give or take) you see them sitting, except for Mai, who stands because she would be completely backwards in her seat, plus she's probably being polite. However, if you focus on Naru, I can't help but notice that he's sitting in his seat like he's in a throne chair… so I laughed and laughed and laughed. Because, duh, it's Naru, of freaking COURSE he would sit like that. Just thought I'd share.
*3 Okay, so I say the students come in at around three o'clock, right? That has nothing to do with my knowledge of when Japanese schools ended. The clock says three o'clock right on the screen. Heck, my local high school doesn't get out until three fifteen.
*4 (DAMN THERE ARE A LOT OF THESE) Anyway, in both the manga and the translation, it's called a Kokkuri-san. The friend also said 'I am Oinari-san's servant, the white fox', but anyway. They both say that it went on peacefully. Naru even asked if they had fun, but I was too weirded out/laughing to put THAT part in.
*5 -sighs- yes, in the book, Monk asks Naru for a one-time solution. The conversation basically went as it did in the chapter up until Mai gave him the iced coffee. So yes, Naru did say to just blow up the school and everyone in it. He can get THAT frustrated.
*6 first star. Word-for-word from the book. No joke.
*7 the whole thing between those two stars are quoted from the book. Ah, gotta love Naru. The part before it wasn't word for word, so I had to use two star thingies (grumbles)
*8 You're probably tired of these. So am I. BUT has anyone ever typed 'I propose'? Simple enough until it's NARU saying it. It's just… I had to share.
*9 Dang it, Naru. Okay, here IS a translation note. Naru says 'ya know' instead of 'you know' but, because it's Naru I have to be all English-Teacher on him. Don't worry, Todd (voice actor), you're still awesome. Naru is just too proper in my mind. Oh, and although I didn't make a note for it… Kei Ubusuna also has a weird way of saying 'phenomenon'. Or maybe I just say it weird. I just don't know anymore guys.
*10 This happened it the manga. I almost overlooked it, but decided, hey, why not?
*11 Strange place for a star, but well… in the book, it's different. Ayako and Monk start out with a lover's quarrel (yes, it was called that). Ayako apparently got herself and Masako stuck in a poltergeist room and Monk (and I guess John) had to save them. It's sorta implied, so I could be wrong. Also, John and Monk got a spear thrown at them as they left a building. A spear for throwing and piercing things and junk. John got cut. I wasn't sure if I should add it it-and truthfully I may edit this later and add it in. They also talk about hysteria being the cause of the so-called possession and Naru mentions that he can't think of any other way to solve everything other than an explosion. Hmph. Naru. Who knew? Anyway, he thinks that 'If I were a neurologist, I would think that a fit of hysteria has broken out in this school'. When Mai acts surprised (or something, it wasn't exactly clear), Naru (I think) says, 'Ah, Mai didn't know? Even though things may appear this way, as a parapsychologist this is my conviction'. So whatever. Big chunk left out from the manga.
*12 Last one I swear, and if you're still reading these, good for you. Anyway, so Mai first dreamed herself in this amusement park her mother used to take her to. I literally took that one out of the book, so… first star. She actually hung out there for a while longer before following a constant shadow to try and get out. That shadow belonged to Gene. Actually, she fell asleep in the middle of a meeting. Naru and her got in a bit of an argument (ended in a draw, I think, for those who keep score). The creepy thing about it was that she fell asleep with her eyes open. In other news, that creepy bit gave me a nice idea… hehe… There. Done.
IMPORTANT!
To whoever decided to copy Blind,
Look, I don't mind the initial use of the episode structure and then editing it to your personal use. It follows the episode pretty well, if I do say so myself, so I can understand. HOWEVER, either edit out my own parts (like the vase scene or whatever you people call it-I usually say 'The Tea Scene') or I WILL report you. Besides, it's a lot more useful for you just to go through the episode yourself. That way YOUR interpretation is on there, not mine. I get being lazy (as all the people who have followed this story since its beginning would know-sorry about that), but honestly, at least make it LOOK like you're not plagiarizing. It's not cool, dude. Personally, I like your story idea, I really do. But I'm not afraid to shut your ass down just because I like your story ideas. (BTW-I did go through your other stories. I can report you for other stories too, I'm sure).
So, seriously, just do the work yourself. It's much more rewarding than just copying. Also, if you decide to be a lazy bum and continue editing from my original structure (once more, that part is not the part I really mind, although it does make me a bit upset), at least make the transition of my original parts to your added in/edited parts. Such as capitals and periods and quotations and junk. And don't forget that Mai is BLIND here-but not in your story. I have to pay particular attention to not describe things in color or specific detail and her dialog can be a bit off from the anime.
Oh dear Lord I just gave advice to a plagiarizer.
Anyway, Hugs and Love (and all that good nonsense),
SabastianScott.
(PS- I know you know who you are.)
That announcement over, thank you to my dear informant (I won't say names as the copier may get upset at you, and I don't want you to get hated on for reporting things) who told me that, and to the person/people who reviewed on said story about this problem. I appreciate it, thanks a whole lot. Seriously, if I could hug you, I would. And then get you a cake or something. I know who the person is, so I plan to keep an eye on their account. If you know who they are, don't send hate mail. Just watch them for me, okay? I also have other things and I'm not all-knowing, so I can't watch their every move, nor do I want to. This is probably bad enough for them as is, no need to make it worse.
Passing on from that, HERE'S SOME FANFIC SUGGESTIONS!
Little Gems, Little Moments by pinchfield
Nomenclature by The Jenx
Juvenile Techniques by Mystic 777
Like always, if you have fanfic suggestions, please PM or message me.
TO THE PERSON I PROMISED TO EDIT FOR:
I did do it, promise. But like I said, corrupted files are evil. SO I HAVE TO REDO THE WHOLE DAMN THING. But that's not exactly what this is about. I need to know how to send it to you once I'm done (again). I don't mind email, but I don't have your address, and the email name will be a bit weird since it's the only email I have that doesn't have my initials in it. It's actually for my second DA account (I have two-one for Ghost Hunt and the other for my other fandoms and comics, if I ever get them up).
Please tell me your answer soon so I can start editing (again) and then send it to you!
SabastianScott
Sorry about all the letters and stuff. A lot happened, okay? And if you're still reading this, congrats!
If you have any suggestions or questions for this story, don't be shy! Leave a message! I love hearing feedback from you! It really helps in the process, and I'm impressed about how intuitive you guys can be about future turns in the story (well, as far as the anime goes and the little hints I drop-I'm glad you pick up on them!).
One last thing, I swear. And this is probably the longest author's note ever, so sorry about that. Anyway, so my friends couldn't really care that much about all my reviews (even though they are happy that I'm so excited over feedback-I have a stupid dance and everything). They do find it hilarious, however, when I get an email at, oh say, three in the morning, for example. Why? Because the very next day I'll come up to them and say 'My readers don't effin SLEEP!' while showing my email app thingy to them. Then I realized-I don't sleep either. So carry on with reviewing in the middle of the night. That's all.