Disclaimer: I still don't own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters.

He felt someone was staring at him. It was not out of the ordinary. Anyone would stare at themselves in the mirror if they looked anywhere as good as he did. He was cocky for all the right reasons. With one look, he could intimidate and woo any woman (a few men) within 2 kilometers of his location. That's more than enough to make other males to be jealous of him and curse him under their breath.

But this stare isn't the same. It wasn't of admiration, lust nor jealousy. It was a scrutinizing gaze like someone is looking into his soul. For the first time in almost 17 years, the great professor, the boy genius, the drop dead gorgeous young man that he is, felt intimidated.

Of course, his face never showed any of that. He had years of practice and knows better than to let his emotions get the better of him. He returned the scrutinizing gaze to the source. His eyes landed on an average school girl. Unlike her friends who were fawning over him, she stood at a distance and sized him up.

Her self-control must be astounding to prevent herself from outwardly showing her interest in me, he thought. No woman has ever resisted his charm even if at first they look apathetic towards him; it changes within minutes of him being in the room.

Time to lose that overrated self-respect of yours, little girl. He smiled at the girl but she just narrowed her eyes. That was a reaction he never got from one of his picture perfect smiles, not that he'd let ever let a camera capture that smile, no matter how fake it was. This girl might be actually different.

He looked a bit more closely. Her caramel doe eyes reflected all her emotions and innocence. She was sensitive, he gathered from just the way her eyes shone and twinkled. Her nose was small and pointed, dare he say, cute. Moving down to her lips, he saw that she was wearing no product, no make-up or anything, but it looked smooth and pink, luscious even, complementing her light skin tone. She was of average height for her age which he deduced was 16 since the other girls called him senpai but she was a little thin. Her hair color was almost as the same as her eyes which made her look warm but overall, there was nothing special about her except for that stare she's giving.

I surveyed all her features in a few seconds before she asked me a question.

"Why are you here?" That's an odd question. Ordinarily, people would just thank the heavens or whatever god they worship that I am in the same room. This girl is rather amusing.

"What's your name?" I asked, not breaking a sweat.

"Taniyama Mai. Why are you here?" She replied casually. Hmm, she's persistent, I see.

"Well, Mai. There are things that I need to take care of." That should throw her off this charade we're playing. My smooth baritone voice echoed through the room. It's enough to cause a stampede. Even the sound of my voice is as gorgeous as I am.

"Then what are you waiting for? Please refrain from calling me by first name as we are not fully acquainted." Her answer caused me to look at her but my face still lacks any emotions. Still nothing?

Her friends slightly scolded her for being rude then offered to help me with my business. I declined, "I'm fine, and I would rather join you next time you tell ghost stories. Will that be okay, Mai?" I put unnecessary stress on her name just to see how she'll react.

Mai looked at her friends to see their pleading faces. She couldn't deny them this or else she'll never hear the end of it. "Fine," she said with an exasperated sigh. "What a narcissistic jerk," she said under her breath thinking no one would hear her. She truly is amusing, I thought which made the muscles at the side my mouth flex.

As her friends squeaked about the details, I observed her at the corner of my eye. She was still deciding whether I could be trusted or not, I presume. As I take my leave, I glanced at her shortly to see that her expression never faltered.

"We're going to have some fun, Taniyama Mai," I whispered to myself while walking in the dark corridors of the school.

As she walked home after separating ways with Michiru and Keiko, she thought about what happened a few moments ago. Not once did that guy's eyes show any emotion. They were as cold as ice but they weren't harsh. They, he just seemed… lost. I shook my head. How can he be lost? Obviously, he knows where he is. Maybe I'm just imagining things; my friends didn't seem to notice anything about him.

She didn't realize that she was in front of her apartment building. She awkwardly laughed at herself for not paying attention while walking. She forgot to buy dinner along the way so she has to settle for what's in her apartment. I really miss mom, at times like these. I miss coming home hearing sizzling frying pans, being drawn to the kitchen by the succulent aroma, finding her smiling at me and asking about my day with love laced with her soothing voice.

She felt something wet run down her cheeks. She snapped out of her reverie and wiped her tears. She closed her eyes. "Gomenasai, okaasan. I just miss you more today but I promise I won't cry," she whispered.

She started to prepare dinner. Fortunately, she had a few ingredients to make a decent meal. After eating, she worked out a budget to last until the end of the month. "If I haven't been fired from that waitress job then my budget wouldn't be this tight," she sighed.

She stood up and shouted at the dark apartment. "Well, it's not my fault some customers are just plain perverts!" A glass of water fell off the table when she got up abruptly. She sighed in defeat, "There's no point in dwelling at it now. I just have to find a new job as soon as possible," talking to herself as she cleaned up the mess she made.

She took a bath, dried her hair then changed into a pair of yellow pajamas. She felt warm just looking at herself, she was her own sun. She slipped under the covers and easily drifted off.

She was giggling but it sounded a few pitches higher indicating she was younger. She was sitting on the floor in between someone's legs which felt warm. She looked up and saw her mother smiling at her as she braided her hair. She continued telling her mother funny stories about what happened to school that day. "It's all done," her mother said. She got up excitedly and looked at the mirror in the other room. She smiled at her reflection when she saw meticulously braided hair adorning her head. "Sugoi! It's beautiful, okaasan!"

She went back to the room that her mother was in to thank her but she saw a different scene. In front of her was her mother's wake. She dropped to her knees and wept. People, mostly neighbors, laid a hand on her shoulder after paying their respects. She was alone. No father, now, no mother, no family. She has no one. Her thoughts reverberated in her head.

"Mai." She looked up upon hearing her name. There was nothing but darkness. She stood up wondering if she was floating or was actually standing on the ground.

"You'll never be alone again," the voice said. It was someone she didn't recognize but for some reason, she trusted it. She smiled and fell into a dreamless sleep.