Masquerade Chapter Four
May Thursday
Day 2 1200
That was not what Naru was expecting. It honestly wasn't. But he would never admit that.
And from the looks on everyone else's faces, include Mr. and Mrs Dena, no one was expecting that from Mai either.
"I am the great great granddaughter of Madelyna Stowe and Kaito Akiyama. My great great grandmother, Madelyna was English, hence my most unusual looks. And my great great grandfather was a Samurai Lord. From what I was told, it was love at first sight, and the actual real life fairytale kind of love. But I don't know much from that." Mai sighed, continuing, "Now the Phantom, that is a complete different kind of story. And you two," She pointed to the owners, "You two pretty much covered most of it."
The SPR irregulars stared at their friend. They had thought that they knew her. The time when they learned that she was an orphan was a shock as well, but this probably trumped it.
Ayoka leaned forward onto her knees, placing her chin in her hands.
"That was… unexpected.." she said.
Saying that everyone looked mildly shocked, would honestly be an understatement.
"Happy now, Naru? You know something more about me, and it's something that could honestly throw this case, in anyway, more than me living my great great grandmother's life through dreams."
Everyone was quiet. The afternoon just kept getting better.
"Then to not 'throw the case' as you put it, I am sending you home." Naru said, his thoughts the opposite of what he voiced.
At that, Mai shot up from the couch, "WHAT?! NO YOU CANNOT SEND ME HOME!"
The rest of SPR, and the clients were quiet, still.
"Naru, you CANNOT send me home on this case! I know more than you all about this place, and you need me here!"
"You are right,' (Wait, what? Everyone thought), "But you are also wrong." Naru countered, "Yes you know the history, that we are so much trouble finding out, but there is something called a phone, that you will be using to give us the information that we need. From the office, or your home. Ms. Matsuzaki, please make a charm for her to wear out of the theater and Yasu, if you don't mind, please gather her stuff, and take Mai home. Right now, it seems that she is in enough danger as it is, that we do not need to wait any longer." With that, the black clad teenager turned, and refocused his attention to the computers.
Everyone was quiet, still digesting all of the information that the last hour gave.
Ok, so all this information definitely trumped just about everything else the the SPR team went through in the past. Finding out that Mai was an orphan, then months later finding out that Naru had a twin brother that was murdered, that he was the REAL Oliver Davis, he and Lin moving back to England, then to come back. It was probably all too much for them to learn that Mai had secrets also.
"Mai, I do not hear you moving. Go pack your bag, and leave. You are dismissed from this case. I will deduct your pay if you do not move in the next 30 seconds." His cold voice carried from where he stood next to the cameras.
Glaring daggers at the young man, the girl huffed, and stormed off. The other teenage boy followed her once again.
"That's really harsh, Naru," Takigawa said, folding his arms across his chest. The rest of the crew nodded.
"That was information that needed to be shared before we came here, she should not have held it back. If she did tell us, we wouldn't be in this predicament." A logical excuse.
"Still," Ayako started to say, but was hushed by the young priest beside her.
The remaining irregulars looked disheartedly at each other.
This will be a long case.
May Friday
Day 3 1600
Mai was sitting glaring at the phone in front of her. She was at the SPR office, waiting for news from the group still at the theater. Ayako and Bou-san said that they would call with any news from the front, so to speak. But it has been a full day plus 4 hours since the stupid tea loving jerk of a narcissist sent her home.
And from the look from that her babysitter was giving her from the other desk in the front office, she was not fuming quietly.
"Mai, they said that they would call with anything. Maybe they are just finishing everything up, and there is nothing to share." Yasu tried to be helpful. He shuffled the same papers on his desk for the fifth time since they got in. Just to pass off the look of being busy to t young girl, even though he was only just watching her.
Mai made no move to acknowledge him. She was still mad. Well, beyond mad. And there might not be any bouncing back as Naru has gladly observed and explained to her. This was beyond a doubt the maddest that she has been at her boss.
She did not move from the chair; she did not remove her eyes from the phone, barely blinking.
The office became quiet, the environment stagnant to any outsider, if any would come in.
This continued for the next half hour.
Then a phone rang. Making both teens jump.
It was not the office phone. Nor was it Mai's cell, sitting next to the base of the corded phone.
It was Yasu's.
"Hello?" He picked it up after the third ring. "Oh hey Na-... Yeah... Ok... Yeah... Understood... I'll get it to you when I am done... Ok, bye."
Mai now changed the receiver of the 'Mai death glare'.
"That was Naru wasn't it?" She asked, her tone cold.
Yasu tried to look innocent.
"That bastard." Mai stood up and started to gather her items off the desk. She shoved them unceremoniously into her bag.
"Whoa! Whoa! What are you doing?!" Yasu exclaimed, standing up fast, shoving his chair into the wall behind him.
"I am leaving, what does it look like I am doing." Mai snapped back. She grabbed her phone off the top, and stalked to the door.
"But where are you going?" Yasu was confused.
"Home. Since I am not needed here, I have homework to catch up on, and school not to miss." And with that she walked out the door, and actually succeed on not slamming it even though she really wanted to.. there were other businesses in the complex.
Yasu just stared at the door. Fumbling around his desktop, he grabbed his phone and hit redial.
"Hey it's Yasu... No I havent started with what you asked... Well, I just wanted to tell you that Mai just walked out of the office. Well maybe walk is too soft... She just packed up her stuff and left. Saying that she is going home and then to school… Ok. Ok. I'll call Keiko and Michiru. What do I tell them?.. Something?.. Really Boss, that's all you can come up with?... OK, ok. I'll call them. Bye."
And with that, the young man called the two friends that could possibly cheer up the angry assistant.
:-:-:
A block away, the girl of question walked, shoulders down. A frown mared her face. Since Naru sent her home, she felt like she was not useful. This was her history.. Why couldn't she help with this case? It could solve a lot of her unanswered questions about her past, and give her truth about the stories that her mother had told her. Too many questions and not enough answers.
Too bad her mom wasn't around to help. Oh what she wished for her mom to still be around.
She continued to walk home. All around her the streets were bustling with life, and she did have to smile about that. Even with dealing with the "after death" stuff, Mai had to appreciate life. Because if she did that, she wouldn't have to worry about having some ghost hunter to send an exorcist after her.
But that's why she had to keep smiling, so she could spread the little bit of happiness around, and then maybe even if she doesn't know it, she could make, and possibly change, someone's day.
That's probably the easiest answer to the fast rebound of emotions she goes through. Even Naru noticed them long ago. And as much as she was mad at her boss, her hopefully, supposed, friend, she honestly could not take it out on strangers, or even continuously out on Yasu, as he was her unofficially deemed babysitter. So in that moment Mai decided that she would not be mad at the situation at others, just the narcissist boss.
Her whole body brighter with this. Smiling, she continued home.
:-:-:
Darkness covered the floor when the young girl got home. Shutting the door, and flipping on the light switches, Mai dropped her school bags and went to the kitchen. Grabbing her kettle and Green tea leaves, she started up the prep for a small dinner. Humming, she worked happily, dicing up some veggies and fillets. There was a knock at her door, jarring get her from her daydreams. Confused, Mai went over to the door and looked through her peephole. It looked like a delivery man. And he had a package in his hands.
Opening the door, Mai smiled brightly, "Hello, can I help you?"
"Taniyama Mai?" he asked, looking at a name on the parcel.
"Yes?"
"sign here please." The man shoved a clipboard towards her. Signing quickly, Mai was handed the package.
"Have a great day." The man turned away.
"Thanks?" Mai was left even more confused than she was when she first saw him at her door.
Closing her door, the girl returned to the kitchen. Placing the package on the table, she went back to cooking dinner, knowing that if she didn't get the food cooking in a reasonable time, nothing will be ready at the same time. The parcel could wait.
Pausing as she moved through the kitchen, Mai wondered how the delivery man knew she was home. Most of the time no one even left packages at the neighbors if the resident wasn't home. So how did he know she was here? With a start, Mai realized that he never looked at her when he was here.
Panicking a bit, she ran for her cell phone to call Yasu.
Punching in the numbers, she started to shake, staring at the innocent looking package on her table.
"Yasu, I need you to come over… I just received a package… no I haven't opened it… it's just unexpected and all.. it's too late for deliveries and I'm uncomfortable.. yes, ok… I'll see you soon. Bye."
She hung up her phone, and went back to distract herself with cooking, adding one more serving to the dish. Might as well feed Yasu while he is here. And apologize for the mood she was in earlier.
Not even a half hour later, the food was done, and Mai was opening her front door to allow her friend in.
"Mmh! Smells good in here, Mai! Whatcha cooking?" Yasu said, following his nose to the kitchen.
"Dinner," Mai laughed, "Come sit and eat with me, before we check out that package. I dont want to loose my appetite after I cooked all this food for us."
Yasu nodded, and followed Mai to the table where she had set two plates up for the pair.
Dinner passed smoothly, with Mai apologizing about her attitude, and Yasu accepting it. They giggled, and made fun of the rest of the irregulars and the other two stoic men of the group. They finished dinner in light spirits and once all the dishes were washed, and drying next to the sink, the two teens looked towards the package now sitting on the coffee table.
"Well, we ready to check this out?" Yasu said, sitting down next to his friend on the couch.
"As much as we should be I guess." Mai was nervous, and it showed. "Let's just get this over with."
Mai reached over the space on the table and picked the parcel up. It was small, flat, and it was lightweight. Wrapped in just plain brown paper, it was very simple. Nothing to scream danger. What set Mai off when she called Yasu, was the name it was addressed to: Madelyna Taniyama.
Gently, the girl ripped the tape off the paper, and unwrapped the box. The box itself was simply brown just as the paper. Setting it delicately on the table, Mai was stopped by a sudden jolt of apprehension about it.
"I don't know if I want to open it.." Mai murmured. She pulled her hands back, and pushed herself to the back of the couch. Looking over to where Yasu was sitting, Mai shook her head. "I can't open it."
Yasu nodded, "It's okay. You don't have to. I'll open it. If that's ok?"
Mai nodded.
Yasu reached for the box, and carefully lifted the folded lid.
The interior of the box was nothing like the exterior. Where the outside was bare, plain, brown… the inside was covered in red velvet. Plush by the looks of it.
And sitting right on top was a half white mask. Below it was a single half stemmed red rose, with a black ribbon tying a diamond ring to it. The ring looked vintage, but polished with a halo of smaller diamonds surrounding a larger one, possibly 4 carat diamond.
It was at least the largest one Mai and Yasu had seen outside any jewelry shop.
The last thing the pair saw in the box was a letter. The parchment was faded, the wax seal on it looked fresh, only dusted with, well, dust. Mai reached over the space between the couch and box, and just barely touched the letter before collapsing onto her friend.
"MAI!"
Author Note:
Sorry about the short and SLOW chapter... do you all know how it is, when you have an idea of WHERE you want your story to go, and the how to get there is eluding you? Yeah, well that is me currently. I know EXACTLY where I want to take this, I know, more or less the plot points, and the turn arounds, and the cliffies, and the characters, and everything... minus HOW to get to some without being choppy and lame..
Well, do have to apologize for the filler chapter... ugh! But anyways, it has also been a month since my last update... I can try to be better, but I honestly cannot promise you all that. I wish I could but I can't. I am being honest here.
Thank you all for the new reviews, favorites and follows! I still hope that I am still up to your exceptions, and that you will stick with me as I grow with this story!
I am using the 24 hour clock system here, seems more fitting for me honestly, so to figure out the time, if i have anything past 1200 (noon) just subtract but 12 and you will get the time. :)
Word Count (Without Author Note): 2.386
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GHOST HUNT NOR THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, I AM JUST THE PERSON WHO DECIDED TO COMBINE THE TWO FOR AN INTERESTING TWIST OF FATE
XOXO, L0V3SICKF00L
P.S. I SAW THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA LIVE THEATER EARLIER THIS MONTH AT MY LOCAL PLAY HOUSE, AND OHMYGOD! I DIED... *squueeee*