"Your age doesn't define your MATURITY. Your grades don't define your INTELLECT. Rumors don't define who YOU ARE."
-UNKNOWN
"Meh" – Mai Singing
"Bah" – Angel Singing
"Bleh" – Mai and Angel singing together
Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt or the Songs listed in each chapter
Feather 2
It has been a few years since Mai started working for her boss Angel, who she learned was actually spirituality sensitive. Mai had found that evil spirits target her almost as quickly as they would with herself. Only she had a strong sense of spiritual power to protect her against anything that would life threatening, so she noticed that the evil spirits would target her mind instead since her power didn't protect her against whatever she did to herself. Somehow Angel became an older sister to Mai, instead of a boss, if a mother figure. They helped each other out whenever they notice a spirit attacking them. Now it was Angel's 23rd birthday and Mai was planning to sing one of Angel's favorite songs just for her, since they both loved to sing together and Mai knew she would almost jump to sing it with her.
Working the bar, Angel was sitting enjoying a glass of soda, since she hated alcohol and such with a passion, while waiting for Mai to finish prepping the stage with a second microphone. People were already filling in, towards their regular seats. The looks on their faces when the saw the second microphone was enough for everyone to be eager for it to start; many had already ordered their drinks. Since the place was known for not serving alcohol, drugs or allowing smoking, many teens and even adults came since the place was a trendy and cool place with high morals. No parent could find something wrong with the place when they investigated it.
Tapping the microphone once or twice got the crowds attention. "Hello and welcome. Normally we would start off with myself singing and such right? But today is very special. Our lovely club owner is having her 23rd birthday today!" many people shouted at Angel with birthday wishes who was looking stunned at Mai who was smiling at her in return. "So, will our Bossy Angel come up here with me!" Mai laughed as she used the nickname she gave her boss.
Angel moved from the bar and on the stage while picking up the microphone. "Alright Mai, what's the idea you got inside your head?" Angel spoke in the mic since Mai had handed it to her.
"Well…it's such a special day! You know the time when you could get married and all that icky stuff?" Mai smiled innocently, which lead to her boss blush and glare at the same time. The crowd laughed at their conversation. "So! I wanted to sing something with you!"
"H-huh?! Mai, what are you-" Angel stated stunned. But the music started, cutting off the owner.
"When I was just a little girl my mama used to tuck me into bed and she read me a story. It was always about a princess in distress and how a guy would save her and end up with the glory." Mai started out, while Angel had a look of pure joy.
"I'd lie in bed and think about the person I wanted to be, and then one day I realized. The fairytale life wasn't for me." She continued joining in. The crowd laughed a bit at how child like the owner could be some times.
"I don't wanna be like Cinderella, sitting in a dark cold dusty cellar. Waiting for somebody, to come and set me free. I don't wanna be like someone waiting for a handsome prince to come and save me. Oh I will survive. Unless somebody's on my side, don't wanna depend on no one else. I'd rather rescue myself."
"Some day I'm going to find someone that want my body soul heart and mind…whose not afraid to show that he loves me. Some body who will understand I'm happy just the way I am. Don't need any body taking care of me…"
"I will be there for him, just as long as he will be there for me. When I give myself, it has got to be an equal thing! I don't wanna be like Cinderella, sitting in a dark cold dusty cellar. Waiting for somebody, to come and set me free. I don't wanna be like someone waiting for a handsome prince to come and save me. Oh I will survive, unless somebody's on my side, don't wanna depend on no one else. I'd rather rescue myself."
"I can slay my own dragons. I can dream my own dreams. My knight in shining armor is me. So I'm going to set me free! I don't wanna be life Cinderella, sitting in a dark cold dusty cellar. Waiting for somebody, to come and set me free. I don't wanna be like someone waiting for a handsome prince to come and save. Oh I will survive. Unless somebody's on my side, I don't wanna be like Cinderella, sitting in a dark cold dusty cellar. Waiting for somebody, to come and set me free. I don't wanna be like someone waiting for a handsome prince to come and save. Oh I will survive. Unless somebody's on my side, don't wanna depend on no one else. I'd rather rescue myself." Once the song ended the crowd was laughing at the performance since it was one of the rare times the owner sang with Mai and acted so carefree.
"Happy birthday Bossy Angel!" Mai stated loudly.
"Thanks MIA Angel." Angel shot back with her tongue stuck out at her employee. Making Mai and the crowd laugh. "Alright, now then Mai go sing your heart out, I have to maintain the bar."
The crowds made a some kind of whine like sound; making Angel raise her brows at them. The crowd which had teens to adults in it was whining like children. Mai smile victoriously, she had been counting on the crowd loving her and her boss performing together. "Well, Bossy Angel, the crowd likes our singing…how about another song?" Mai stated as she looked to the crowd, which the teens all yelled in agreement. Angel sighed; somehow she knew Mai planed it.
"Fine…one more song and then you will get back to work." She stated to her employee playfully.
"But boss…I am working." She laughed while her boss, older sister like, best friend and mother face palmed at the irony. Members in the crowd laughed as well.
"We were strangers, starting out on a journey. Never dreaming what would have to go thru. Now here we are, I'm suddenly standing at the beginning with you." Mai smiled at the song as Angel sighed before joining without missing the beat with a smile.
"No told me, that I was going to find you. Unexpected what you did to my heart…" Angel spoke carefully from the heart since it reminded her of a time that nether wanted to remember.
"When I lost hope you were there to remind me, this is the start! And life is a road that I wanna keep going. Love is a river that I wanna keep flowing. Life is road now and forever, what a wonderful journey… I'll be there when the world stops turning. I'll be there when the storm is thru. In the end I wanna be standing at the beginning with you." In the back on the wall was a video play that Mai had made for her boss, it was of their time together. From all the crazy times to the family bonding since Angel had actually adopted Mai as a daughter/sister. It had caught not only Angel by surprise but the crowd as well. Mai was smiling at her mother figure as she continued.
"We were strangers on a crazy adventure" the screen showed how they first met to how they interacted with each other for the first few days.
"Never dreaming, how our dreams would come true" It jumped to an embarrassing moment of when Mai was filming Angel in the kitchen cooking a family meal while dancing to when she when she notice and was blushing at the camera before she broke out laughing.
"Now here we stand on the brink of the future, at the beginning with you. And life is a road now and forever that I wanna keep going. Love is a river that I wanna keep flowing. Life is a road now and forever, what a wonderful journey. I'll be there with the world stops turning. I'll be there when the storm is thru. In the end I wanna be standing at the beginning with you." The video showed small things like pranks wars to helping with school work. The crowd laughed at the tally mark on the far wall of the prank wars winners after each battle, with the words saying 'You may have won the battle but you have not won the war!' above each mark.
"You know there is somebody somewhere." For a second the video showed a moment when Angel and Mai were laughing at was a popular teen drama, before seemly like talking about something serious before they laughed again while still sitting on the couch. "Like there is love in the dark, now we know that the dreams will move on. We've been waiting so long, nothing is going to tear us apart." The video showed a rare moment when one of them had a break down and the other being there to help in comfort.
"And life is a road that I wanna keep going. Love is a river I wanna keep flowing. Life is a road now and forever, what a wonderful journey. We'll be there when the world stops turning. We'll be there when the storm is thru. And in the end we wanna be standing in the beginning with you. Life is a road and I wanna keep going. Love is a river and I that keep flowing." The video showed holidays and extend weekends, birthdays to a surprise party called 'Just cause you need it' in big letters.
"Starting out on a journey" it showed a moment when Mai and Angel was hiking which then showed how it started raining mid-hike and showed Angel was upset that their hike was over, which lead that Mai had stated that they could hike home and try to find the 'terrible pillow destroyer beast that lies with the confines of the living room'…which led to Angel laughing and poking at Mai as it showed her pout back. Both laughing as they ran in the rain trying to get home; almost acting like children.
"Life is a road that I wanna keep going. Love is a river that I wanna keep flowing. In the end I wanna be standing at the beginning with you." The video ended with Angel almost cracking at the ending as she saw the family photo she and Mai took after the adoption was finalized with words saying 'Happy Birthday Mom, I love you. Your daughter Mai'.
After the song ended and the video was done. Angel was fighting tears and losing. "Mai…thank you…" Angel smiled as she hugged her almost the same age daughter. "Now…" she cleared her throat and looked at the crowd who was applauding, few of the mothers in the crowd had tears in their eyes as well. "Now that my employee and daughter have had me made a fool of myself, let's get today's show going. And since it's a special day the drinks are half off the normal price and snacks are 25 off." She stated as she almost rushed off the stage.
Mai was smiling at the crowd. "Alright! Let's get this started!"
-o0o-o0o-o0o-
After Angel was closing up the club which was at 9pm since Mai had her college test exams coming up, she was sitting at the table closest to the bar. "Mai, just so you know, you won that battle but not the war. I'll get you back for that performance." Angel smiled as she went back to the bar. Mai smiled at her best friend. "I look forward it." A few laughs were heard before there was a knock on the door.
Both stopped and looked to the door. "Mai, come behind the bar and stay there." Angel stated. Mai nodded, since Angel was very protective of her just like a real mother was and since the club was in closing hours no one should be knocking at the club door. If it was a neighbor then they would use the main household door which was up the stairs to the side and only accessible if you knew about it. And Angel was able to hold her own against even the most strong males with her bare hands even more so with a sword.
As Angel move closer to the door silently picking up a sword on the wall, which most had thought was decoration, though was actually real, all where but she had them all well protected and everyone away from them whenever the club was under way. Opening the door a bit she saw two men. "Can I help you?"
"We're with Shibuya Psychic Research. I'm the owner Kazuya Shibuya and this is my assistant Lin Kouji. We had received information and were hired to check out this club for spiritual activities." The barely adult teen had stated. Angel narrowed her eyes at him, when she remember something about Mai stating how she used to work for that company he mentioned before everyone in the company ditched her for themselves, while knowing she was an orphan and at the time without a job. Her suspension was complete when she saw Mai hide further away from the door in a different way than whenever they would get unwanted company.
"My apologies, Mr. Shibuya, but any spiritual activities you must have heard are false or have been misled. But none the less, there isn't any here." Angel stated slightly coldly.
"We were hired to check out this place, so we must, do we need to call for our client?"
Angel almost glared at the teen; Mai could feel Angel getting pissed at Naru. 'Any moment she could snap and hurt him on accident…I should stop her…' Mai thought but the idea of SPR being back was stopping her from coming out of her hiding place. After getting her life back together and an actual family with Angel. With her safe environment with the supernatural and job class, she didn't want to even meet up with the ones she had once called her family. After all, it was as she thought. They never came back, never looked for her, never spared her a single thought unless it was for them selves.
Angel could see Mai wanting to come out and help, yet not wanting to see her old employer. She sighed as she turned to the two who were standing at her club door. "Look Mr. Shibuya, you could come back later, tomorrow even."
"I would think the opposite…" the young boss started, interrupting her.
"As I said, you can come back tomorrow. Its almost 10 at night, my daughter has test tomorrow and we both know that coming at this time of night and wishing to enter my property is very unacceptable. Now either you leave my property and come back for your investigation at a more professional time or I will call have you forcefully removed with the police and my own security measures…have a good night Mr. Shibuya…" Angel stated harshly as she closed the door, locking it.
-o0o-NARU & LIN-o0o-
"Noll, you deserved that…" Lin stated at his charge, which was even more pissed. Firstly because none of his employees had any contact with Mai and he couldn't seem to find her at her old school where as she should have been graduating this year, he had even checked 1st years in colleges for her, yet none of them seemed to bare any fruit. And now, the one that was the owner of the place they had to investigate was refusing to allow them to enter. True they showed up at a late time, though it was only to look at the main room and ask a few questions to the owner and her employees that would have been present…
-0o0-MAI & ANGEL-0o0-
Angel stayed by the door and listened for them to leave and drive away. Once they did she moved away from the door to where her daughter was hiding behind the bar. She saw how she was flushed in the face and had tears fogging up her eyes as tears were slowly but quickly making their way down her cheeks. "That was him wasn't it?" Angel asked softly while getting down on her daughters level. Mai nodded while holding her mouth and head to try to stop her frantic crying and panic attack. Angel held out her arms and Mai jumped into her mothers' embrace, to hide her tears from the world as Angel petted her hair in a soothing manner. "Do you have a full day tomorrow?" Angel asked.
"No…in fact, my exams aren't until next week. I was just getting my reading done so I could enjoy the full weekend and holiday with you…" she stated. Angel sighed as she hugged her emotionally traumatized daughter.
"You don't have to be home tomorrow, or you could hide yourself away until you think you could handle being around your old boss and company." Angel said as she rocked slightly. Mai shook her head. "N-no…I'll stay home…after all its two danger magnets that live here. They would want the whole family household and employees to be there for interviews…I'll just stay next to you…is that okay?"
"Sure…if they start to get to be too much let me know alright? We've been taking care of things here just fine, and I'm not sure how they got wind of our activity since we take care of anything dangerous immediately and anything else gets ascended when we perform together in our song and dance…plus there's nothing here at the moment."
"You don't think it could have been the old guard?" Mai asked, while calming down. Angel wiped a stray tear with a soft smile. They both knew the older guards of the club knew of their abilities, and didn't care as long as they didn't get harm and were paid for their own jobs. But one lone guard was not so convince on the matter…
"Could be…come on, it's late. And we still need to eat that cake in the fridge." Angel stated as she and her daughter moved up the side stairs to the main household of where they actually lived. "We'll deal with it as they come at us, alright?" Mai nodded to Angel as they closed down the club on the first floor.
-0o0-o0o-0o0-
Song used for this chapter: Cinderella by the Cheetah Girls – First movie / At The Beginning by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis – Anastasia
Song used from the Previous Chapter: Don't Say Goodbye by Skillet
