Autor's note :
It seems like the prologue was not so wrong ! I'm glad about it ! I was a bit stressed out that my english wouldn't be good enought !
Thanks a lot for your reviews ! It was such a long time since I received some ! (and a long time since I wrote something, too ! It was on another account, on another manga, a long time ago!) As I go for now, I hope to publish at least once a week. I try to write a bit every day.
I let you on your reading ! See you later !
Usefull information : the story is told on the narrative point of view. If I switch to a character's point of view, I will tell.
* The two places I talked about there really exists. :) I invite you to look at a map if you want to know where the team had go !
Nannaly :
Hi !
Et ma première review est en français ! Haha :D C'est une joie de recevoir ce premier commentaire depuis 5 ans ! Pour ma part c'est ma première fic depuis… 9 ou 10 ans ? :P ravie que tu ais choisi ma fiction pour commenter !
Effectivement les histoires Lin x Mai sont rares ! Et souvent assez hors caractère, même si j'ai croisé quelques très très jolies !
J'espère aussi pouvoir voir ma fiction dans son intégralité :D
Je travail sur les chapitres un peu tous les jours avec l'espoir de publier au moins une fois la semaine :)
A bientôt je l'espère !
Ullet :
Thank you !
I try to generaly have light prologue as it is done as the starting point, he do not need to be heavy. I hope the first chapter will come out good too !
Haha I will try but if a Lin x Mai is too fast, it don't feel right on this pairing… well, it is what I think, I can be wrong too. And if I go too fast… it won't last long ! ;)
But be assured, this fiction, even if it show the life in the office or cases, is really romance oriented, so even if not « as a couple, yet » there will be, I think, quit a lot of Lin x Mai moments :)
I will let you tell me !
Thank you and I hope to read you again !
BlindSaya :
Thank you for your review ! I hope i will do a good job on this story ! I hope to read from you agin ! ^^
Disclaimer : Of course, I don't own anything other thant new characters.
Summary : Is Lin really is disliking Mai?
Pairing : Lin x Mai
Hated or not ?
1
The Cabin's case
Blind
Prefecture of Nagano – Nagano - nine o-clock.
The van's doors opened calmly, letting go of the little group of the SPR team. To check on this case, Lin, Naru and Mai were the only ones required to be present. The weather was great and the sun was here so nobody were going to end up wet while carrying the equipments indoor.
Mai took slowly a look to her surrounding. They were nowhere near civilisation, to put it simply. It was some sort of lost land that where located, if she remembered correctly, somewhere between Shōkaku-in Temple* and the mountain of Fujinotoyama*. On the way there, they where able to see some houses here and there but it was a sure thing that neighbors wern't going to be the cause of haunting. Not even one of these houses were visible from their position.
From the corner of her eyes, Mai saw Lin and Naru walk toward a middle age man and started to do the same. She took advantage of the ride to read the file about the case -and to take a nap- but she didn't want any information to escape her ears as she knew that, if it where to happen, Naru would be the first one to put it on her day-dreaming habit or even on her stupidity, who know. Well, he would be the first one and the last, as Lin still don't talk to her much and so, don't do any comment.
On their talking-habit subject, there had been a before labyrinth case and an after. Before, he was simply hating her. After, there was some sort of respect between the two of them. But now that she was thinking about it, maybe, just « maybe », he only told her he wasn't hating her so that the relationship between co-workers in SPR wouldn't be wrong, low and unproductive. It was a possibility and the simple thought made her sad...
The man who were waiting for them surely was the real estate agent who originaly asked for their help. He was pretty much the sort of person to go invisible in a street. Not bad looking but not handsome, a little small in size for a man, a professional outfit without much originality and a neutral facial expression. He saluted the groupe and started to give the update about the house.
Mai listened partly. It was not really interesting, most about giving keys, that nobody had been there since he asked for help and that he was reachable by phone anytime if they needed. The only thing he added on the « phone » note was that mobils phones, more often than not, didn't work so well and that there wasn't any phone in the house. An other part of her mind, disconnected from reality, remembered what she had learned in the case's file:
- Last owner died ten years ago.
- More of a little cabin than a house.
- Not much land to go with the cabin.
- No incident reported before.
- No heir to take over ownership so the ownership was transfered to the country, who decided to sell it.
- Was practicaly solded once, but some occurrences happened then : knock on the walls, strange writings all over the house (« get out » « mine »…), some things (mirrors, doors…) suddenly brokens when, minutes ago, they where fine… so people ran away.
Soon the agent climbed on his car and disappered, letting them with the feeling to be alone in their silent little world. Sometimes, Mai wished for Bou-san to be here, just so there was someone -calm and not hostile - here to talk and laught with her.
« Mai »
Naru's voice got her out of dreaming time. She turned her head, waiting for the orders who where going to follow soon about, certainly, starting to take the equipment out of the van.
« Start taking the equipment to the house. Also, Lin, Mai, the house is small. There is not much place, we have a room usable to be the base and one free to sleep. »
Before Mai could be able to react to the « one bedroom » information, Naru finished.
« Lin and I will be sleeping in base. »
With that and the tone of finality given to it, it was time to unpack. There wasn't so many equipment in the first place as the cabin were quit little with not much to see outside. Mai took some shelf parts and followed Naru to the cabin. It was really a simple one with nothing more than needed. It was giving an old impression, as if owned by a very old hermit of an hunter.
Rustic. Yes, it was the correct word. Rustic and practical. The little staircases cracked under her feet and when Naru opened the door, she stopped at once. It smelled old too and of the lack of air for quit some time. But more than that, there was this feeling, borned far inside of her, tugging to have her attention, to tell her in bright big letters « BE CAREFULL, RUN AWAY ». It was her « animal instinct » kicking in. She felt goosebrumps go up her backand spreading all the way to every fiber of her body…
To feel it so immensely, so strong and clear, what can possibly could have happened here ?
Mai took a shy step ahead, she were able to see Naru coming back already to fetch another equipment. She should go on. Go Mai, she was telling to herself. It will be ok, like always. And with that, slowly, she shutted down the feeling and get on with her task. She noted, while going, that Naru didn't made any comment while passing by and that she still didn't saw Lin -who was just behind her a second ago - going past her to the base. But this thinking didn't go any further as she started to work.
Lin's POV
It was interesting. There were only the three of us and it was calm. It was almost as we losted the habit to work in a silent atmosphere. The « house » was in an area probably forgotten from the world. Even the phones were having a hard time working correctly. I had already checked that two times. It could be kind of problematic if -and I wish not- there would be the need of help from other SPR workers or even, as it already happened, an ambulance. Maybe we should have bring Matsuzaki-san around. And if the phone was practicaly of no use, they would have no Internet. That was meaning that fishing for informations wouldn't be easy (and there was little to no chances to successfully contacting Yasuhara-san to do the researchs).
Nursing the thought and trying to find a way to solve the problem, I looked at Taniyama-san. She had been quiet in the van for the three hours and all had seems quit normal. Now that I was observing her taking some shelf parts, she seemed a bit down. Not that I am a Taniyama-san's specialist, but we worked at the same place for more than four years and, if I am not talkative, I do am quit observant.
I was just behind her when she stopped abruptly in the entrance of the cabin. It wasn't surprising and, as I took a look to Noll coming back, it didn't seem to be strange for him either, even if he did took a long look at her when passing by. We all learned a long time ago to keep an eye open for this sort of comportment from her. We know for a fact that Mai don't always relate everything she felt on case, not thinking it as « important enought » to tell us right on the spot. But she was wrong and so, we all took the habit of observing her. Naru say it is like observing a wild animal react on situation of danger. It was quit usefull.
I stayed behind her for a long time and started to think that with this reaction, so clear and fast after our arrival, it was a pain not to be able to trust our phones. It seems hard for her to « come back » and this is rare. Having Mai with us to check on case is really great. It is like taking the temperature of the case itself.
I kept following discretly until all the equipment was securely placed in base.
Placing all the equipment at his place and starting all the programs – cameras included – took one hour. There was four cameras. One in the living room/kitchen area, one in the bathroom (that they would shut down while in it), one in Mai's bedroom and to be sure, one outside who were facing the cabin.
Once everything at his place, all the team came back to base. Mai came back with tea and they all took their time to let Naru think about how to go about the investigation. After some time, he looked at Mai.
« Mai, what is your impression of the place? »
The woman paused, thinking about it. Then answered.
« Honestly ? There is this feeling who're not leaving me… as if I should absolutly not been here... When I entered the house earlier, it was impossible to move. I just wanted to fly away.»
Naru took note of it. And then continued.
« We will take it slow. We will live and observe what happen. From what I saw earlier, the writings on the walls were in the living room and kitchen. Mai, take the temperatures of the rooms. »
« Ok ! »
On that note, Mai took the clipboard and her material and started with her task.
The first room she went on was the living room, who were open on a little kitchen. It was really simple. The only effort in decoration was a big carpet on the floor under the table. She took the temperature and the inclination of the floor. Then, as there weren't any bleuprint of the place, she took mesurments of the room. Once all that done, she went on with the bathroom.
The room was tiny. It was really just for the strict necessary. And the mirror were half broken already. It was one of the few objects to be mysteriously broken. The work had been done fast and then, Mai went to the bedroom.
The place were pretty much empty. A futon was in a corner. And it was all. There was no light in this room. Everyone thinked that the previous owner had no need of it there. The view out the window was quit empty too. There was some trees and that was all.
The last room had already been done as it was the base and it was done when there was still no equipment in there. From what Mai were able to see, there was nothing wrong concerning the mesurments of the place, what were meaning, no hiding room. And it was great, because thoses rooms were always creepy.
« Here Naru, the temperatures. The colder room is the living room. The inclination and mesurments don't seems off.»
« ...Good. Go make me some tea»
« On it ! »
Mai appeared on the camera seconds later. Everything was calm in the house and silent in base. Naru was thinking about strategy and Lin was listening and looking at what was happening in the house. He saw Mai come back some minutes later with a plate and two teas. She gived his to Naru and came to him.
« Here Lin, I didn't ask earlier if you wanted some, so I did it »
« ... »
Mai knew that he heard her. She knew too that when he was concentrating on something he didn't always answer her, especially when he didn't ask for tea in the first place. But, with all the thinking the woman recently did on the subject -and the fact that he once had been like that with her when he was hating her-, she just wasn't capable of keeping quiet, even if it wasn't directed directly at him and didn't need an answer.
« Well… maybe you did dislike me after all... »
And without staying longer, got out of the room, stating that she was to put her bag in the bedroom.
« I hope you won't tell me that you are surprised by what she said »
Naru was still reading and thinking and didn't lift his head to see the surprised face of Lin.
« And may I know why it seemed so evident to you ? »
Here, now Naru took his eyes off his reading to look at his assistant with a blank face. He seemed to wonder if an answer were really necessary.
« The fact that we knew her for more than four years and that even I talk a lot more to her than yourself may be an example. And I don't talk about you practicaly ignoring her, as you just did, on regular basis. »
« ... »
« I don't tell you that this is bad. But Mai work on emotions. If she is feeling this like this, it is no wonder that she is saying it. She is pretty blunt after all.»
« ... »
« I just don't want it to be an hindrance to our work. Be carefull. »
Lin's POV
Was Taniyama-san angry ? She didn't seems like it. She was a bit down maybe.
I took back my job to watching and listening the house. Everything was calm and on one of the sceen, Mai was looking at her bag. My eyes stayed on her.
Did she really think that I dislike her ? I did remember our conversation some years ago about that. I am pretty sure that we agreed that I didn't hate her. Well, again, it was some years ago and to be frank, Naru is not wrong when saying that I don't talk much.
And now that I think back on it, I don't really remember the last time I said something to her… and what it was.
She evolved quit well on the work. First, she IS working and a real asset when it come to talk with customers. Second, her latent power is stabilizing quit well and we can trust it. She is emotional but trust more Noll while on cases.
Maybe Noll is right. I should not be surprised. I do look at her work, I look at her accomplishment but I practicaly never say a word to her. How is it that it came to this ? I do am a professor, at least to Noll, so, somewhere, I should not be this… closed off to other. Did this came from my original hate for japanese people ? That I cleared it with her that I don't dislike her but didn't mind keeping my comportment without even thinking about it ? For four years ?…
Somewhere in the middle of his introspection, Lin felt astonished. He did not change the way he interacted with her since the time he « hated » her. He didn't even thinked about it. And Mai put up with it saying nothing for all this time.
Suddenly his eyes saw a drop of temperature.
« Noll ! »
Naru looked at him, on alert.
« There is a drop of temperature in the living room. It droped to 1°C already. »
« Where is Mai ? »
« Still in the bedroom. »
Naru took his talky walky to talk to her.
« Mai ? »
He listened to the static, waiting for a reply.
« Yes Naru ? »
« Stay were you are. The living room is below O°C now »
« Understood »
He was able to see on the screen that Mai were listening to him.
« Tell me if you feel something »
« … more frightened. »
Lin, who listened to Mai's voice, completed.
« It's down to -2°C. But the bedroom temperature didn't change »
Knocks on the wall started just after, as if someone where trying to knock as fast as possible in a little amount of time. And everything stoped as fast as it started, the temperature going up at his normal level.
« So » Started Naru « the spirit -or whatever it is- now know that we are here »
He extended his hand to take the talky walky but Lin arealy had it.
« Taniyama-san, you can come back »
There had been a extended silence where Naru saw Mai on screen watch the device in her hand before answering.
« Ok ! »
And on his notebook, Naru could write :
Nagano – the cabin – Day 1
Mai feeling hight level of fear (highter when activity happen in the cabin).
Drop of temperature in the living room (Down to -2°C).
Knock sound on the living room exclusively.
No harm. No voice. No degradation. Nothing caught on camera.
No information available on the house or the previous owner or general history of the land.