Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt.
"So we're going to treat this like the usual, huh?"
Houshou stretched from his seat while giving a huge, audible sigh. Cracking his neck from side to side, he looked over the documents again – an action he had done for the past twenty minutes. He took a quick glance at the wall clock before reaching out to his tea. He raised the cup towards his lips and was about to tip the contents into his mouth when he realized it was already empty.
"Ah, my tea's now all gone."
He placed the cup back noiselessly as he heard Ayako scoffed.
"You've been sipping tea for the last fifteen minutes. Of course it would be empty."
Ayako was restlessly tapping her fingers to the rhythm of the clock, her impatience growing by the second. She stared at John, who was seated in front of her. He was looking at the documents with his usual calm demeanor. Clicking her tongue, her eyes shifted to their boss, who was nonchalantly seated on his single couch and reading some sort of book, then to Lin, who was busy walking around and carrying their equipments, to Houshou, who was seated beside her and looking aimlessly at nothing.
Ayako shifted in her seat, her brows twitching once in a while as her thoughts ran back to a certain high school student who ended her call while she was in the middle of talking. Ayako's brows furrowed even more as she thought of all the effort she did to help pack that stupid high school student's things when that stupid high school student was busy studying for their finals.
John was greatly aware of Ayako's impatience, her aura filling the room with malicious intent. He flipped another page and tried to re-read the contents of their case when he suddenly felt Ayako glaring at him. He made a sideward glance to his other comrades who seemed oblivious of Ayako's impatience – or maybe, they pretended not to know. Gulping hard, John tried to peek from his document, a single sweat rolling at the side of his face. He saw that Ayako was not entirely glaring at him; she was just staring at the empty space in front of her, and he just happen to sit parallel to where she's sitting. John sighed in relief.
Ayako was about to complain for the 10th time that day when they all heard a loud screech just outside the office, followed by a faint smell of burning rubber. Everyone inside the SPR office looked at one another when Ayako sprung up from her seat, her hands clenched at her sides. They could hear hurried footsteps approaching the office's door, but Ayako was quick on her feet as she was already at the entryway – her hands reaching out towards the knob.
"Mr. Hirota, hurry up or else that person's going to kill me! I'm really late!"
Hirota's brows shot up as he shoved the car keys in his pocket. Mai, who was meters away from him, beckoned him to hasten his pace. Checking his car one last time, he cupped his hands while quickening his pace as he called out to Mai, whose back was facing him as she sped towards the SPR office.
"Oliver Davis is going to kill you?"
"No, Ayako will."
Giving a sigh, Hirota jogged towards Mai, who was already at the SPR's door, clearly doubting whether or not she should open it widely or just peek inside and give them a sheepish laugh. As soon as Hirota arrived beside Mai, they both looked at each other before silently agreeing to open the door together. But the door suddenly opened even before one of them could reach out towards the knob, revealing a very furious Ayako.
"MAI! HOW DARE YOU HANG UP ON ME LIKE THAT-!"
As Ayako yanked the door open, she immediately gave Mai the nag of her life. But eventually, she noticed she was glaring, and somehow yelling, at a rather broad chest. Ayako tried to blink twice before she slowly lifted her head, her face in utter confusion.
"Uh, good evening…?"
Houshou leapt from his seat, recognition palpable on his features as his face formed a huge smile.
"Seigi! What a surprise!"
Hirota glanced around the room before giving all of them a faint smile, including the fazed Shinto priestess.
"Takigawa, Lin, Davis, and John, long time no see. And you too, Ayako."
Houshou walked towards Hirota and clasped his back, Naru gave him a really, really, really faint smile, Lin gave Hirota a slight bow, and John waved his hand. Meanwhile, Ayako just gave him a tight smile before her eyes lingered on the shadow behind his back. Sensing that Ayako has known her whereabouts, Mai emerged from behind Hirota, an apologetic smile displayed on her face.
"I'm late…again. I'm really sorry!"
Ayako grabbed both Mai's cheeks and harshly pulled them far apart before releasing them instantly, the cheeks swollen red from the pinch. Mai made a face as she opened her mouth in retort, but before she could say something, Ayako had released her hold on Mai's face and was giving her a piercing glare. Bringing both her palms to her cheeks, Mai looked at Ayako in shock.
"Why did you do that?!"
Ayako shrugged, crossing her arms across her chest. "You need to compensate me for leaving me hanging in our conversation earlier."
Mai looked at her incredulously as she racked her brain, clearly failing to recall about the incident earlier. When she remembered what happened, her eyes and mouth were as round as saucers – a clear indication of recognition.
"But-!"
"You will carry both our bags to our rooms. All four of them: 2 trolleys and 2 handbags. Clear?"
"Wait, but-!"
"Good girl." Ayako patted Mai's head before flipping her hair to the side and marched down the stairs, her head held high and imposing. Mai groaned.
"I was just about to leave work when Lin notified me of a case."
The sky had eventually been swallowed by the night: a few stars on the left, and a waning moon on the right. Streetlights were turned on, casting a lonely glow on the pavement. In front of Hirota was the white van Lin was maneuvering. With him were Shibuya and John, plus the scientific gadgets they needed for their investigation. Hirota's eyes glanced sideways and saw Mai's head bobbing up and down as she stared sleepily at the scenery outside the window.
"Yeah, we're not really sure on this one. The parents seemed convinced that this is paranormal in nature, but we can't rule out the probability of this as kidnapping." Houshou let out a large yawn and stretched sideways, which earned him a whack from Ayako, who was clearly trying to fix her make-up. Giving Ayako a sullied look, Houshou turned to Mai, who was still staring at the windows listlessly. "What do you think, Mai?"
Mai gave a yawn, raising her hands to her eyes as she wiped the tears accompanying her yawn.
"I am not sure. But I'm certain that there's at least one spirit we need to find."
Hirota took a sharp turn, his car giving a screech before shifting his gear. Up ahead was a long, wide road, bedecked with huge trees on both its sides. Hirota felt a strange sensation on the pit of his stomach but decided to ignore it, clearly not wanting to frighten himself before the investigation.
"Exactly how certain are you, Mai?" Houshou asked, sitting upright his seat as he leaned towards the brown-haired girl.
Mai gave a yawn again as she nestled against her seat, her head already leaning on the window, her hands listless on her lap.
"The dream. I saw her being tackled by that spirit. I'm not sure what the situation is, so I cannot make any subjective interpretations, but I'm certain that ghost had tried to reach out to Hana."
"Hana? You mean the missing girl?"
Mai wanted to nod back, but her eyes were getting heavier. She tried to force them open, but it took all her energy away. Despite trying to push them back, her eyes were still not getting any lighter. She tried to shake her head, but her eyelids were a few millimeters from closing, her vision turning dimmer by the second. She heard Hirota and Houshou's voices, but it sounded muffled and very far away. Tired of fighting the urge to doze off, Mai released all her energy as she was lulled into a deep sleep.
Mai found herself in a very familiar setting: a dark surrounding, floating orb-like lights, and a silhouette of a person just beyond her. Narrowing her eyes, she walked towards the silhouette figure and found herself facing the back of a person she loved dearly.
"Gene?"
Mai smiled as Eugene turned around, greeting her with a silent nod before his eyes wandered across the place.
"Mai, you should be careful."
"I know. How dangerous is it, Gene? I am really worried about the girl."
Eugene approached Mai slowly. Despite the darkness slowly swallowing everything, both he and Mai were emitting a strange other-worldly glow – not that he was not already other-worldly, of course. They were standing in front of the school, their eyes scanning each room and corridor. The school, itself, was transparent, except for the white lines that make up both its interior and exterior. Mai shuddered.
"I can't seem to shake off this weird feeling."
Gene gently smiled at her – a smile that seemed to wring her heart dry. In attempts to stop the sadness she felt, Mai averted her gaze and stared at a white van and a white car slowing to a stop in the school's parking lot.
"Oh, that must be us." Mai faintly chuckled, noticing Eugene staring at the vehicles as well.
Eugene's smile faltered a little as he saw Naru went out the van, scanning the perimeter with vigilant eyes. Eugene gave a small gasp as both their eyes met, but Naru's gaze just pass him by with no acknowledgement. Eugene made a bitter smile as he looked back at Mai, who was staring at him despondently.
Mai felt crushed at Eugene's expression. The moment Eugene turned to look at her and their eyes were locked, she immediately felt the sorrow that was fully displayed in his eyes, despite his face betraying what his eyes were showing. Worried, she subconsciously lifted her hand and was about to cup Eugene's cheek when she stopped herself, her face turning crimson red in realization.
"Th-th-this isn't what it looks like!"
Mai immediately pulled her hand away, but Eugene caught it before she was able to hide it behind her back. Then he gave her a teasing smile, making Mai's face redder than it was earlier. But before Mai could even react or yank her hand, Eugene brought her hand against his cheek as he closed his eyes and felt the warmth emitting from her palm.
"Thank you."
They were frozen in their spot for a couple of seconds before Mai slowly withdrew her hand, her eyes casted on the ground.
"You're not making this easy for me, Gene."
Gene suddenly drifting away with a solemn smile against his features, mist emerging out of nowhere and encircling them both. Mai saw his mouth moved as his form was gradually melting away against the mist, but she could not hear his voice.
"Gene?"
Mai felt her throat had gone dry as panic began to settle in her mind. Amidst the mist that was forming, she saw Gene's face once more, but out of all the things he said, all Mai could make out from reading his lips were the words, "Time to wake up."
"I said wake up!"
When Mai made no signs of waking up, Ayako's brows furrowed even more. Houshou was about to comment about her looking older with her brows furrowed when John reached out and clamped Houshou's mouth with his hands, yanking him backward.
Ayako tried to stretch Mai's cheeks again, but Mai just swatted Ayako's hands and reclined her head to the other side, a small smile forming her face. Irked, Ayako grabbed Mai's shoulders and shook her so hard that Mai suddenly jerked up. But the moment she attempted to stand up, she slammed back against her seat and crouched really low as her head collided with the car's ceiling.
"What was that for?!" Mai felt her eyes stinging with tears, but she had no urge to cry – the tears just formed due to the pain of her head colliding with something hard. She looked at her other side and saw Ayako standing a few meters outside the car, her arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapping impatiently. Houshou was bent over behind Ayako, trying his best not to giggle as he stared at the priestess's expression.
Mai's mouth formed into a pout, glowering at Ayako with all her might, when her vision was suddenly half filled with a dark figure. Mai jolted from her seat, her hand suddenly clutching the frame of the door and her other hand roughly gripping her seat's headrest. She then sighed in relief when she realized it was John who suddenly popped out in her view.
"Mai, are you alright?"
John peeked at her from the door as Mai gave him a forced chuckle. He opened the door widely for her, reaching out his hand for Mai to hold.
"I-I'm okay, I guess. Thanks."
Taking John's hand, Mai scooted over until she was seated at the gutter of her seat, twisted her body, and then stretched her legs outside the door. After that, she got out of Hirota's car, cracking her head from side to side and rolling her shoulders – while her hand was still on top of her head– as she glanced at their surroundings in awe.
The school was definitely old-looking, especially at night, but it was not emitting anything scary or frightening. In fact, the school was warm and lovely – a place really conducive for learning and studying, despite the fact that Mai can't clearly see its outline. Mai's eyes shifted from the school's framework to the its surroundings and noted that the place was not surrounded with trees; it was bare and open – a field to the farther left, tennis courts and swimming pools on the farther right side. Turning around, Mai squinted her eyes and found out that the school was near a local mall and market, with houses lined a few blocks from the school gate. Although the neighbourhood was a bit silent, as what Mai surveyed, it didn't emit anything bad – or was what her intuition is trying to say.
Her gaze went back to Ayako, who was in a deep conversation with Houshou and John, a grim expression on their faces. Mai turned to look at Lin's van, but there was no sign of Lin, Naru, and even Hirota. Cocking her head to the side, she walked towards the circle of her other colleagues.
"…Ayako, you go with John and check the back side of the school, as well as the field. Naru wanted me to exorcise some of the hallways and rooms later. Oh, and don't forget what we've discussed earlier."
"Yeah, yeah, we know." Ayako grumbled as her face frowned, clearly in deep thought. Meanwhile, John nodded slowly. Mai paused as she observed her friends' expressions. Something was wrong. The mere thought of something ominous about to happen clearly sent a shiver down Mai's spine. Slowly approaching them, Mai lightly tapped John shoulders, seeing that John had glanced to his left.
"Is it really that serious?" Mai whispered against John's ear as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Naru told us to be extra vigilant tonight. He is being precautious since we don't know the real nature of this case."
Mai sighed. If only Masako and Yasuhara were here. They were both excited for this case; however, they have previous commitments to finish: Masako was in Okinawa, doing a shoot on a supposedly haunted shrine. Meanwhile, Yasuhara has been busy with college lately, taking up a degree on pre-law on some prestigious university.
Exhaling sharply, Mai stared at the school in front of them when she unexpectedly saw a minute movement on one of the windows on the third floor. Clutching John's sleeve, she pointed at it as John followed her finger with his gaze.
"Is that where our base is? Are Naru, Lin, and Hirota already inside?"
John shook his head.
"Naru and Lin are with the school administrators. I heard the office is located on the ground floor, while Hirota went out the school grounds, trying to do his own investigation by asking a few people around." Mai nodded thoughtfully as John explained everything to her.
The night breeze was cold and calm, lightly whipping Mai's hair back and forth. John stared at the length of Mai's hair as he pondered.
"This is the first time I've seen you tied your hair up." John commented. Mai placed a hand at the back of her head, trying to feel her hair tie. She then reached out to her pony-tailed hair and brought it near her face where she could easily see it with both her eyes.
"Oh, this? You see, when I went out the subway, the atmosphere was way too hot, and I planned to run from the subway to the office, so I thought of tying my hair up in a pony tail – so it won't get messy and all. Good thing Mr. Hirota arrived and offered me a ride." Mai toyed with her hair a little as she gazed at the empty space in front of her.
John nodded, noting that the meaning of a pony tail is when the hair is tied up in a single bund. His eyes then shifted to two silhouettes coming out from the school's entrance. As the silhouettes came into view, Naru and Lin paused from their discussion and looked at their comrades who were waiting for news at the parking area.
"We're staying at the third floor. Takigawa and John, help Lin gather the instruments up the third floor to the right. The others will put their personal belongings on the room beside the base. Mai, after they assemble the gadgets, please set the cameras and recorders up in the places we've agreed upon."
Everybody was nodding at Naru as they tried to re-imagine their tasks. Frowning, Mai looked at Ayako, who gave her a wink and a hair toss. Mai groaned once more, her eyes settling on the amount of baggage Ayako prepared for the both of them – the baggage already removed from Hirato's car and are now situated further beside the vehicle.
Dragging her feet, Mai picked up one handbag and placed it on top of her shoulder, secretly glad that it was not as heavy as she thought it would be. Grabbing the other handbag and placing it on her other shoulder, Mai gave a low groan, followed by a grunt, when the second bag felt as heavy as lead on her shoulder. Mai almost tripped from her spot when she tried to grab one of the suitcases. Fortunately, a firm hand grabbed her shoulders and prevented her from smashing her brain into pieces.
"I see, so this is your punishment for being late?"
Mai turned to look at Hirota, who had a cigar poking from his mouth – a tired look on his expression. He stuffed the small notebook he carried around at the back of his jeans as he yawned while stretching up towards the sky.
"Yes, but-"
Before Mai could say anything, Hirota easily yanked one of the luggages from her hand and carried it with him, taking also with him the other suitcase.
"I guess this is the third floor." Mai murmured under her breath, her footsteps echoing the empty hallways. Mai looked back from where she came from, a hopeful expression on her face. But minutes passed by and her face fell into discomfort, seeing that Hirota has yet to come. Mai bit her lower lip. Both she and Hirota were about to go up the stairs when Hirota was approached by Lin. Sensing the seriousness of their expressions, Mai went up the stairs ahead, leaving the two in their discussion.
The hallway was brightly lit with florescent lights lining up in two columns on the roof. Mai noticed that the stairs were located at the center of the hallway as her eyes swept from side to side, wondering which way was the location of the agreed rooms. Mai readjusted the handbags on her shoulder as she turned right, the hallways seemingly longer than what she thought. She could only hear her footsteps echoing against the tiled floor and the silent whoosh of the wind, the hairs on the nape of her neck standing, but she kept on walking, and walking, and walking. And suddenly, the end part of the hallway seemed too far for Mai to reach. Confused, Mai quickened her pace, but the hallway stretched even further, to the point that it seemed to twist sideways. Sweat dotted Mai's face as she ran towards the end of corridor, her feet pattering against the ground. But no matter how hard she ran, she couldn't catch up to the end of the hallway – or rather, she was stuck on the same spot, as if she's running on a treadmill.
"Lin, Hirota."
"Ah, Naru. Just in time. I was just about to tell Lin of the information I got."
Naru had been staring at the blueprint of the school, calculating different plans to operate during their stay for the weekend. He then nodded in a silent agreement as he rolled the paper up and shut his notebook, walking towards the school's entry when he saw Lin and Hirota talking in hushed tones. As he went nearer, Lin noticed Naru's presence as his head turned to Naru's direction – with Hirota following his line of sight as well, his mouth opening wide.
"After doing a minor investigation, I think that the case is a bit complicated than it seems. I'll call the local police and ask some of them to come over. I suggest you guys don't go far away from the vicinity."
Naru scanned the area when his eyes landed on the luggages beside Hirota. His brows furrowed as he looked up at the stairs, his mind cogs working profoundly.
"Where's Mai?"
Hirota brought a palm to his face as realization hit him. He was supposed to accompany Mai upstairs, but he completely forgot it because of his conversation with Lin. Naru sighed tiredly, grabbing both the luggages from Hirota's side.
"I didn't take this case just to carry lugagges. If you're done talking already, do what you need to do. Before you forget. We'll continue this conversation after we've set up everything. Or do I still need to set everything up?"
Hirota created a tight smile as Naru's cold stare froze him in his spot. Lin just shrugged his shoulders as he tapped Hirota's back, turning his heel around and proceeded to walk away from the entryway.
Mai looked behind her, wanting to see if any of her comrades had come up. But shock came to her features as she saw that the stairway was still closer to where she was; she had been running for a while now, so she should have been at the middle of the hallway. Mai slowed to a stop as she tried to catch her breath, reaching out to the nearest wall to lean over. The hallway has gone humid the past minute, and the force of the handbag over her shoulders was aggravating her situation. Mai looked back once more but what she saw was someone running towards her – a tall, slender figure. He was running in a similar pace as her, but he was silent – no footsteps, no exhale of breath, no physical body. Mai immediately faced forward and started to run, maybe even faster than she ever did earlier. Her eyes caught his shadow on the wall: his arms were swinging at his side and his head was moving like jelly – nodding here and there with no concrete direction. He looked like he was hunched over, like a drunken man off to a chase. But Mai's breathing became heavier as the man's head suddenly bent backward, a sickening crack resonating in the hallway. His head, then, rolled on his side, then snapped back to its original position as his arms suddenly moved like a whip, swinging his arms in front of him, as if he was trying to grab her.
"Naru! Lin! Monk! Ayako! Anyone?!" Mai screamed as the shadow went nearer and nearer, a few inches from grabbing her hair. She closed her eyes and screamed once more, feeling the ominous entity closing in on her. "Anyone! Please!" Anyone! Naru! Gene!
"Mai."
Naru laid a hand on Mai's shoulder as he felt her shoulders jolted from his touch. Mai immediately spun around, terror plastered on her face: terrified eyes, furrowed brows; her face covered with sweat. But her eyes were unfocused as it glanced left and right, up and down. Naru took hold of both her shoulders and shook her gently, his voice covered with urgency.
"Mai, what's wrong? Mai!"
Mai took a sharp breath before her eyes fluttered furiously, her focus gradually increasing as she realized she was staring at Naru's eyes. From all the quivering she made, her knees gave in beneath her as she dropped to the ground – Naru still holding her shoulders as he knelt in front of her. She was breathing hard and fast, her body limp from fear.
"Mai, try to breathe slowly and evenly." Naru urged.
Mai nodded as she took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then exhaled slowly. She repeated it for a couple of times until she could feel her pulse calming down.
Naru had been observing her for quite some time, noticing how tired and clumsy she had been the past few days. Of course, Mai was clumsy at times, and he does not tolerate Mai's constant tardiness as part of work ethics, but he did stop himself from giving her a lecture from time to time. But this time, Mai was shaken. What could've she experienced? Naru pondered. He wanted to know, he wanted to ask, but now was not the best time. When Mai's face became calmer, she gave Naru a smile as she forced herself to stand up.
"Thank you, Naru. I was really experiencing something really bad. I thought I was not going to make it, so I kept calling everybody's name. But I feared that no matter how much I screamed, no one could hear me."
Mai's voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes. But before her tears can even slide down the side of her face, she immediately rubbed her eyes in an attempt to vanish the tears away. Taking a deep breath, Mai beamed at Naru as she shifted the bags on her shoulders.
"Let's go? We're already minutes behind schedule."
Naru was silent as Mai took a step forward, but his hands slid against hers as he held her wrists firmly, tugging her. Mai halted as her brows shot upward, a surprised expression on her face. Naru had been frowning the whole time – not that he was not frowning most of the time already – but he had always known when Mai wanted to hid her feelings as not to worry others. But he, too, was not expressive of his own worries and frustrations, so instead of giving her words of comfort, all he could do was hold her wrist.
"Mai, the base is this way. Watch your step and don't trip over in the dark. The tiled-floors are flat, so there's no excuse for you to trip over. Do you understand?"
Mai lowered her head as she nodded. Naru was still clutching her wrist as he grabbed the heavy handbag Mai was carrying and reached out to grab one of the duffel bags. Seeing that Naru's other hand was occupied, Mai grabbed the other luggage while the other handbag was still hung over her shoulder. Mai gave a faint smile as she looked at Naru's hands on her wrist, a warm feeling fluttering over her chest. They were walking in silence, but Mai's ears were filled with the beating of her heart – loud and fast. Mai closed her eyes and told her heart to stop pounding loudly in her ears as a sad smile crawled on her face. It will always be unrequited. But despite Naru being unable to express his emotions easily, she knew he was worried. Holding her wrist like this, reprimanding her from tripping over – these things are Naru's way of showing his emotions. And such moments like this were what Mai treasures the most.
"Oi, Seigi?" Houshou called.
Hirota clutched his phone as he ended the call he had with the local police. Gripping the phone hard, he gulped as sweat slid down the sides of his face. His brows were furrowed even more as his eyes were moving left and right, trying to calculate the situation they were in. Meanwhile Houshou approached Hirota apprehensively, noticing his displeasure and discomfort.
"Houshou… before Hana, were you aware of another case?"
Houshou frowned. "I'm afraid not. Was there a case that Hana was involved with, before?"
"No, it's not it. Near the vicinity, there was a murder case – around 9 years ago."
"What does that have to do with our case now?"
"The case was about the murder of a graduating high school student. She was missing for three days before her body was found near where the school is situated."
Houshou groaned. "Gaaah, so we might have found the identity of the spirit Mai was talking about. So, does that spirit have to do with Hana's disappearance?"
Hirota shook his head.
"No, it does not."
"Huh? I'm not sure I'm getting it."
Hirota's face darkened just as a cloud passed in front the moon, casting a temporary shadow on the surroundings. The wind was howling loud that moment, but Hirota's voice was as clear as day when he went in and dropped a bomb that's going to complicate their case even more.
"The victim's name. Her name was Hana. Oozaki Hana. She died 9 years ago."
A/N:
I'm sorry it took long to update! But this is a bit long, so I hope it had compensated for updating late. Hahaha. My sembreak will almost end, and class will start around November 7. Still, I hope that I'm able to continue the story up until the end.
Oh, and please do visit my profile if you want to know details about me, so that you would know why I would update a bit late, or why is my writing style like this, or why is my plot a bit weird or what. Hahahaha.
I await your reviews since it's the only thing keeping the fire in my heart burning. Boom.
Until next time!
Believe in what not you see but in what your mind and heart dictates. For reality can be seen not in the eyes but in the way how you view life.
