Yo! Welcome or welcome back to Revenge. This was the first multi-chap fic I ever wrote, and shit did it show. Sixteen year old me had no fucking idea how to write properly, goddamn. Took me four years to write-was finished around 2015 or 2016 I believe, but I know this was in desperate need for fixing. So here we are near the end of the plague ridden year of 2020 and I've finally edited this thing. Well, edited may not be the right word. It's pretty much been rewritten at this point.

Very few plot differences-just got rid of a couple of things that were brought up that I forgot about and ultimately never used, and changed the order of a few things around. Got rid of a lot of make-out scenes too, sorry. They just didn't fit right. A lot of chapters have been left very short because of some of these changes, but the fic flows much better now and isn't filled with a million ellipses anymore!

I never read the light novel, and this was written before the other manga came out which explained more stuff, so don't expect anything revealed in that to be mentioned in this. Timeline is this happens after the Eugene reveal and after Naru returns from England. Also, Mai's backstory is HEAVILY AU! So sorry about the long AN, won't happen again, just needed to explain a few things.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...

"Mai, tea!"

The eighteen year old girl sighed heavily as her boss called out to her for his beloved drink, and she pushed herself to her feet, smoothing her skirt down as she stood.

While she walked into the little kitchenette, Mai found herself (once again) wondering if the guy ever drank anything else. That much tea couldn't possibly be healthy!

Making a mental note to ask Lin about it at some point, Mai filled the kettle with water, set it onto the lit stove, and settled back against the counter to wait for it to heat, the motions precise and practised.

But as she waited, Mai's brow furrowed slightly in irritation. She really just wanted to go home. Mai tugged at the ends of her short, brown hair and fought not to yawn. She hadn't gotten very much sleep the night before, thanks to all the homework she'd had, and with both class and work today, Mai was utterly exhausted.

But there was more to it than just having too much work. Far more than just that. She just didn't like thinking about it.

Fortunately she didn't have to think on it, because the kettle sounded a moment later, and Mai was swift in getting back to work, finishing up her boss' tea, before preparing two cups of coffee-one for herself, and one for Lin, who was currently feeling an odd disdain for tea. But that was sure to pass soon enough. The same happened to her sometimes.

Mai went to him first, knocking on his office door politely before entering. "Lin-san, coffee," she announced, carefully handing him one of the mugs.

He accepted it from her with an expression that could almost pass as grateful, which told the girl he had really been needing the drink. "Arigatou, Mai-san," he said, a barely visible smile on his lips.

He had been making an effort to become warmer to her ever since returning from England, and it was a gesture Mai really appreciated. She was hardly the first person he would go to if he ever needed help, but she wasn't the last either, and surely that counted as something, right?

When Mai didn't smile at him in return however, Lin immediately realized that there was something wrong. "Mai-san? Are you ill? You are behaving...unlike yourself." It was partially a statement, and partially an observation.

Mai blinked, seemingly surprised by the words, but she brushed it off quickly. "It's nothing to worry about," she assured him rather vaguely. "I'm just tired-didn't sleep much last night-lots of homework. I'll be sure to head to bed early tonight."

Lin inclined his head and with his hair hiding half of his face, it was difficult to tell that his expression was one of concern. Mai was lying. He knew it. She had never been particularly skilled at it, and it certainly showed. It wasn't his business to pry, of course, but as he watched her leave the room, shutting the door behind her quietly, he couldn't help but wonder what was causing this strange behaviour…

Mai, meanwhile, went straight to her boss' office and knocked firmly, hoping he wasn't going to bitch at her. Today was just not a good day for that. She really wasn't in the mindset to deal with that sort of thing right now.

"Come in," came a prompt and cool response.

Mai entered the cave...office, and found its occupant seated behind his desk, going over a file, just like always. Was he in the middle of 'Oliver' mode now? Or was he in 'Kazuya' mode? It was always hard to differentiate between the two, even though they weren't identical.

Regardless, he would pretty much always be in 'Naru' mode, in Mai's mind. After all, Oliver or Kazuya, he never did stop being a narcissistic, tea addicted, workaholic jerk...not that that stopped her from liking him or anything.

Smiling inwardly at her thoughts, Mai approached the wooden desk and moved some of the file folders aside to make room for the tea she had brought him, noting the mess and wondering what he was doing. It was rare for him to leave things strewn about like this. Naru was usually pretty meticulous about his stuff.

Deciding it was maybe best not to mention the mess right now, Mai chose to ask something else. "Is there anything you wanted me to do?"

"File those," said Naru, pointing at a large stack of papers sitting at the edge of the desk.

"Sure." Saying nothing more, Mai picked them up, bringing them up to her chest to ensure none of them slipped from her grasp, and left the office, closing the door and walking back over to her own desk in the lounge.

With her back turned, she didn't realize that just like Lin, Naru had been watching her exit as well, fully aware that something was wrong, but unsure of what exactly it was.

Setting the stack of papers down on her desk, Mai stretched languidly and then sat down with a long, drawn out sigh. Just a few more hours, she thought, grabbing the paper at the top of the stack. And then she could forget about it for one more year...

Mai had hardly made a dent in her filing when the little bell above the front door jingled lightly as it was pushed open. Mai looked round and caught sight of a man entering.

He was of an average height, his hair and eyes a nice brown, his face kind, and his clothing casual and neat. She doubted he was any older than forty five, give or take a couple of years.

Then she realized that since she didn't know him, he was probably a client, and quickly hurried to her feet and bowed, pulling up a fake, yet familiar smile. "May I help you?" she asked politely.

"Is this Shibuya Psychic Research?"

"It is, yes." It said so on the door, after all, but Mai wasn't going to be that rude. "Do you have an appointment?" Naru hadn't told her about it if he did, but that was typical of her young boss. And sure enough, the man nodded.

Mai bit back a sigh, had the man sit down, and had only taken a couple of steps towards Naru's door when she realized she had never asked for a name. She turned back and did so. The man smiled at that, and Mai had no idea why, but the sight...unsettled her a little bit.

"No need to apologize. My name is Hideki Kiyoshi."

Mai bowed again. "It's nice to meet you, Hideki-san, I'm Taniyama Mai. Just give me a minute, and I'll get my boss."

"Of course." And as Mai turned away, it was Kiyoshi who was left frowning at her back...

Soon enough, Mai, Naru, and Lin were all seated in the lounge with their client, Lin poised with his laptop, ready to take notes, as he always did. It was easier with him, since he was the fastest at the job and all.

"Good evening, Hideki-san. Shall we get to business?" Naru began without preamble.

Mai glanced at Naru, somewhat surprised at the show of...politeness. Even though he hadn't said much yet at all, it still sounded somewhat odd. Maybe this Kiyoshi guy was rich or something? Mai had no time to ask, for their client then began explaining just what he had been dealing with that had caused him to come to them for help.

"I've been in my house for a number of years now," Kiyoshi said, "and though I live alone, I'll often hear footsteps on the floor above me, or a door opening and then slamming shut on its own, even though there's no way for that to happen. Some of these doors have even locked on their own from the inside or outside, depending on whether I've been in or out of that room. I've also noticed cold spots, many of them, all throughout the house. It doesn't seem to matter how hot or cold it is outside, or whether the heat or air conditioner is on, they'll always be there."

Kiyoshi bit his bottom lip in thought and agitation, then continued. "When I have friends over, they often complain about getting sudden headaches, or even feeling nauseous. They seem to feel as if they're being watched and followed while in my house, and that once they leave the property, they immediately feel better as if none of it had happened."

No one said a word as he spoke, though Lin typed away rapidly. They remained silent even as their client sighed heavily, before going on in his explanation.

"Beyond all that, my dogs were killed."

Now that certainly caught Naru's attention. His eyes widened ever so slightly, and he straightened even further in his seat, the expression on his face sharpening in focus. "Your dogs? What happened to them, exactly?"

"I'm not quite sure," Kiyoshi said in an offhand sort of voice, as if attempting to distance himself from the memories-either that or he truly didn't care about the incident. "I had two older dogs-male and female, and six puppies. Only one of the pups survived, and was taken in by a friend of mine for safety."

"Why was this one the only to survive what happened?" asked Mai curiously.

"She was outside with me, and the house was empty, other than the rest of the dogs. I heard sudden barking and whining, which was odd. When I went in to check, they were all dead. Some looked to have been stabbed or cut, others looked like they had been choked." He shook his head, and ran his fingers through his short hair in agitation.

"Has anything physical happened to you personally?"

"Yes. I've been pushed down the stairs a handful of times-I've managed to catch myself, luckily. I've found strange scratches and bruises on my body, generally on my arms and chest, and I'm positive they aren't being caused by something I'm doing to myself. I've been checked for vitamin deficiencies as well, and there are none." He hesitated, then added, "And there are times when I find myself in a room without having any idea or memory of how I ended up there in the first place."

He went on for a moment more, explaining a few more things, and when he fell silent, it took Naru only a few seconds to come to a decision on whether or not to accept the case.

"We'll need rooms," he said abruptly. "One will be necessary for our equipment. It would be preferable to have one for our team to sleep in as well."

Kiyoshi nodded. "That won't be a problem. It's a fairly large house, so there're plenty of rooms."

Dates and times were discussed and finalized, before their new client finally left SPR. Lin wasted no time in returning to his own office, no doubt to send Naru a copy of his notes. The boss, meanwhile, turned his attention to his younger assistant.

"Call everyone up, Mai. Tell them to be here by eight in the morning." With that, he made his way back to his office, and just before he shut the door behind him, called out a firm, "Tea!"

Mai waited until the door was closed before she released a sigh and got to work. There didn't seem to be anything odd about this case offhand, but even then, Mai couldn't help but feel that something stranger than usual was going to happen. She could only hope she wasn't going to be involved.

Agh, who was she kidding? She was definitely going to be involved. She always was.

That's if for now. Remember, due to the heavy editing, chapter lengths will vary. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!