Chapter 2: Haunted House

"A Greek Goddess?" Bou-san shouted, both his hands slamming onto the coffee table. "This I've got to see."

Matsuzaki Ayako, their resident miko-san, dutifully reached over and hit him across the head, which seemingly calmed the older man down a little bit. Mai giggled softly as Bou-san rubbed the back of his head. Their usual group had gathered today for a meeting, before heading off to yet another case. John-san, their Australian exorcist, hadn't been able to make it today though he did promise to be there for the actual case.

"No one's saying you can't see it," Ayako said, seemingly exasperated. She turned back to Naru. "I'm not sure about dealing with Gods and Goddesses though; remember how the last one ended?" She was no doubt referring to the infamous event with Okobu-sama. During the slight duration of the case, a shrined god of the area had been angered by his abandonment and had therefore caused paranormal events in the area, calling spirits to do his bidding.

Hara Masako, a celebrity medium, nodded thoughtfully, half of her face hidden behind the sleeve of her kimono. "Who is this client, anyway?" she asked softly.

Mai pulled out the file that they'd written up of Ayami-san. Just as she opened her mouth to answer Masako's question, Bou-san interrupted her.

"This street, huh? Its part of a rather prestigious area," he noted, reading a copy of the same file that Mai was holding. "Whoever this client is, she has a lot of money."

"The question I'd like answered," Masako started, "is what a Greek Goddess is doing in Japan? And how did it end up sealed in that attic, anyway?"

Bou-san shrugged as though he really couldn't care. "Well, maybe the previous owners were a little paranoid so they set up wards around the house. During the times of war, a lot of families did that, you know. Especially since this one is located about one hundred kilometres from the cemetery; it practically screams 'haunted'."

An image of Urado appeared in Mai's mind instantly. Before she could help it, Mai shivered. She looked towards Naru, realising that he was speaking.

"Pack your things tonight, okay? We'll head out tomorrow."

Mai blinked. "But this case shouldn't take long, should it?" Mai asked doubtfully. Normally, they took longer to complete a case because they had to find the source of the problem, as well as the mysterious surrounding it. In this case, they'd already found out what the problem was, so all they really needed to do was exorcise the spirit.

Naru cast a frosty glare and Mai swallowed. Perhaps it would have been best for her to keep her mouth shut.

"We don't know anything about this being just yet, so we still need to do a bit of research before we do anything rash," Naru said.

Mai nodded quickly. "Okay."

Naru turned back to the others. "We'll meet back here in two hours. Don't be late."

Day 1

"Amazing," Mai breathed.

Lin-san's van parked right outside Ayami-san's mansion, which seemed to stretched beyond infinity, almost as though it were a castle. Mai craned her neck as she looked up at the top level, still not quite finding the opening at the roof. Naru stood next to her as he also stared up at the castle.

"I can't even see where the mansion ends," Mai said, awed. How large was Ayami-san's home anyway?

"You're just rather short, Mai," Bou-san let out. He was unpacking some of the equipment from the back trunk, though even he seemed at awed by the size of the house.

Mai stuck her tongue out at him, and just as she opened her mouth to reply, the front door of the mansion opened. Ayami pushed open the double doors of the castle, tilting her body forward until both doors opened all the way. She left the doors dangling where they were as she sighted them and headed over to face Naru and Mai.

"Ayami-san," Mai greeted. She noticed an elder behind Ayami who has now busied himself by locking the opened doors to the walls, in order to keep them still.

"I'm glad you could all make it," Ayami smiled. She turned over, and smiled brightly at Mai again, then, she reached out and held both Mai's hands with her gloved ones as though she were greeting an old friend. "Ayami will do," she corrected, and somehow, her smile warmed Mai towards her immediately.

"Ayami," Mai amended, her smile now widening.

The other girl smiled brightly, and she let go of one of Mai's hand and turned over to Naru. "I'll take you all on a tour around the house, first, if you don't mind. It's probably best if you know where everything was before you set anything up. I've organised the rooms that you've requested and made sure that there are of good condition."

Naru nodded. He looked over at Mai, who caught his hint immediately. Raising her voice, she called everyone over so that they could introduce themselves to their client. Ayami's smile turned lighter as she was introduced to Bou-san, Ayako, Masako, John, and Lin-san. She politely nodded towards each person that was being introduced, and Mai looked back at Naru, noticing that he was watching Ayami.

"This is the housekeeper, Touya," Ayami said, gesturing towards the old man, and Mai quickly looked back at the other girl. "If you need anything at all, just call Touya and he'll get it for you."

The old man beside Ayami, probably around 60 or so years old, bowed deeply in greeting. Mai and John-san quickly returned the gesture, though her gaze was still cast curiously around the house. None of the others seem to bother greeting Touya-san, though the older man didn't seem to mind.

Ayami gestured them towards the house and she took several steps ahead of them. Immediately, the group followed, though Lin-san volunteered to stay behind to unpack the equipment. As they walked through the front doors of the mansion, Mai fell into step with Bou-san, awed by the size of the house.

"Wow," she let out, amazed once again. The inside of the house was decorated with prestigious interior basing of the Western culture, partially reminding Mai of an 18th century Shakespearean castle. Just walking through the house made Mai feel as though she were stepping into the past.

She heard Ayami's voice at the front and quickly turned her attention back to the present to hear what the other girl was saying; the last thing Mai needed was to get lost in this place.

"The manor has up to five levels in total, including the basement and the attic. The basement's got several rooms, though it is generally used for storage so I don't personally recommend any of you going down there. Meals are generally served on the first level; I'll show you all to the dining area later on if you like. You'll be staying on the second level; there's enough rooms for you have one each – it's up to you how you'd like to divide your rooms. The third level consists of the general living chambers, the music room, and the library. You're free to use them in anyway you please, though I do ask you to refrain from entering the West Wing of the third floor; it's the personal living chambers, so I'd rather you not step into the area.

"Touya and I are the only people living in this house at the moment; feel free to call either of us if you need help with anything."

Bou-san whistled as he noted the large chandelier floating in the centre of the staircase that twisted around a wide circle until it reached the third level of the house. "You have a humungous home for just two people, though."

"Actually, this is my friend's ancestral home. I'm just staying here for awhile during my vacation," Ayami replied.

Mai could hear an expression of interest from their resident miko-san. "Where do you go to school? Doesn't class start again, already?" Ayako asked.

"I still have another month off because I'm starting university, so I figured I'd come over here during the mean time; I had a four month break," Ayami answered.

"Four month break? Which country are you from?" Mai asked curiously. Ayami-san seemed to follow a different schooling schedule than them. Mai had only started as a senior last September, and Ayami, who was the same age, was ready to go off to university.

"I'm Australian," Ayami answered.

John-san smiled brightly. "Really? I come from Australia too," he said. "Which region do you come from, Ayami-san?"

"Queensland," she replied shortly.

"Ehh…you don't have much of an accent though," Mai pondered.

Ayami's smile brightened. "I was raised as a Japanese, believe me," she laughed. Ayami stopped walking suddenly, stopping right outside a tall open door. "This is the East Wing; you guys will be staying here." She turned towards Naru; Mai could tell that Ayami already knew who was in charge in this group. "If you don't mind, Shibuya-san, I'll leave it to you to divide the rooms.

"My room number is 27; just call me on the intercom if you need me for anything."

Intercom? Mai's eyes widened. Just how big was this house, anyway? Ayami nodded politely at them again before turning back to the staircase. As she went, Mai noticed Touya-san take a step forward towards Ayami, leaning as though he were murmuring something light in her ear. Whatever Touya-san had said turned Ayami's face harden immediately, and Mai stared. She couldn't help but notice how cold Ayami's face had turned; it was almost like she was a different person.

Someone nudged her arm. "Mai, are you listening?"

Mai turned over to Ayako and apologised immediately. "I'm sorry; did you say something?"

"Naru was saying that you can have the room at the far wing." Bou-san frowned. "What's wrong, Mai-chan?"

Mai shook her head, forcing a smile onto her face. Naru assigned their rooms to them, and Mai, by procedure, went there and unpacked her clothing. Afterwards, she went to base where she found Bou-san sitting inside with Naru and Lin-san, who was typing away on his laptop, as per usual. Apparently, Naru had sent Ayako, Masako, Bou-san and John-san out to check on the house. Bou-san, however, had finished quickly and headed back to base before the rest.

"This house is a little strange though, don't you think?" Bou-san asked, looking around. "It's obviously old, and the owner's obviously very rich, but in a house this large, there's only Domjouji Ayami and the butler, Touya-san."

Mai shrugged, still not being able to get Ayami's expression out of her face. Her eyes had turned so cold, completely contrary to how she was when she was talking to them. It had almost been… inhuman.

"Mai-chan, what are you thinking about?"

Mai sent Bou-san an appealing glance. He'd always been like an older brother to her; she knew it would be alright to ask him. "Bou-san, what do you think of Ayami?"

The monk's eyebrows rose, almost as though he were surprised by her question. "Ehh…this must be the first time you don't like someone friendly, Mai."

"No, it's not that," Mai said hastily. "I think Ayami is a good person. It's just…"

There was something about the other girl that made her rather peculiar. Mai wasn't sure what it was. She could sense that Ayami meant no harm, and she'd been nothing but generous so far, but the expression Mai had seen on her face when Touya-san had spoken to her before…

It was as though they'd been two completely different people.

Then, she turned back and realised that Bou-san was still waiting for her to finish.

"Do you think there's something strange about Ayami?" Mai asked.

Bou-san blinked twice, clearly startled by her question. Mai was, after all, generally not one quick to judge. "You're the resident psychic in here," Bou-san pointed out. "Why don't you tell me?"

Mai didn't know how to explain it. It was as though a part of her knew that Ayami was a good person, but what she'd seen that afternoon….maybe she'd just been seeing this; it was probably best if she didn't share the news with anyone just yet.

Mai looked around bleakly. "I don't think it's my powers that are telling me this. It's based more on –" what was the proper word for it? "- woman's intuition?"

Bou-san's eyes widened. "Mai-chan," he said, reaching out to her in a consolidating manner. "You're not a woman just yet."

Her eyes widened and she immediately grabbed the closest file, reaching over to slap Bou-san across the head with it. Instinctively, however, Bou-san had already covered his head so all the files did was collide with the back of his hand.

Then, Mai stopped just as she felt them being watched. She quickly snapped her gaze towards Naru and Lin-san and saw them looking towards the door. Mai turned over to the direction of the door and saw Ayami standing by the door hedge. She looked around the room, almost curiously, before turning back to look at Mai, who was still holding the papers over Bou-san's head.

"I hope everything's alright in here," Ayami said finally.

Mai nodded quickly, lowering the file. How long had she been standing there for? Had she heard what Mai had said about her?

"It's all fine," Mai said hastily. "Is something wrong, Ayami?"

Ayami's smile brightened and she shook her head serenely. "No, Shibuya-san asked me to come here."

Mai's mouth formed a small 'o' as she realised why Ayami had been called here. In the SPR office, they'd been unable to ask Ayami-san about the case because it was quite obvious what the problem was. Now though, it seemed as though Naru wanted to learn a bit more about the case before going any further.

Ayami, smiling, agreed to participate in their interrogation and she led them over towards the library at the end of the corridor. She sat down by a set of formal couches leaning back against them comfortably. Naru sat across her, pulling out his file as Mai settled beside him.

Naru, of course, got straight to the point. "Domjouji-san, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few things about this house."

Ayami, however, was completely at ease with his brusqueness. "Actually, if it's about this house and its owner, I really can't tell you much," Ayami said, smiling apologetically. "I don't live here often myself, so I don't know much about the place. As for the owner…it would be like betraying his privacy if I were to tell you about him here and now while he wasn't here."

Naru blinked. This was the first time he'd hit a blank wall before even starting.

Before Naru could say anything however, Ayami swiftly continued. "I can assure you, however, that the owner will have nothing to do with the demi-goddess in the attic. As for this house, all the files related to it should be stored in the library, which you are more than welcomed to search in personally."

Again, Naru blinked, though he quickly composed his expression once again. Ayami looked over at Mai, her eyes twinkling with amusement before she turned to answer the question Naru had just asked her.

"You're more than welcomed to visit the attic. In fact, you can head up there now if you wish."

Naru accepted her prompted invitation and Ayami smiled as they all got up, heading back to base first. While they walked, Naru stood slightly in the background, seemingly peering around the house. Ayami chatted to Mai casually about school, Japan, and the latest tourist attractions. When they finally got back to base, Masako, Ayako, and John-san were already sitting there with Bou-san and Lin-san. Next to them, Touya-san stood, and he headed over towards Ayami as soon as he saw her.

They didn't tell Naru if they'd found anything, and Mai had a feeling it was because of Ayami's presence. Ayami herself was speaking in very low tones to Touya-san in another language beside them, and Mai didn't quite miss the slightly vague expression on Masako's face as the celebrity medium turned towards their client, her red kimono swishing lightly with her movement.

"There are many cultural pieces in this house, Domjouji-san. These must have all cost your friend a fortune," Masako noted.

Ayami paused in her speech and turned towards Masako. There was a slight coolness to her tone as she eyed the other girl. "Really now?" Ayami smiled. "And which piece were you specifically referring to, Hara-san?"

Talk about getting right to the point.

Masako hid her mouth behind the sleeve of her kimono but Mai still saw the other girl's eyes widen slightly. Clearly, she hadn't thought that Ayami would be so blunt about it.

"None in particular, Domjouji-san," Masako replied, once she'd recovered. "There are just many artefacts in this house; it's uncommon for a Japanese family to sport such varieties of historical pieces."

Ayami smirked, as though knowing that Masako wasn't being truthful and gestured behind her. Immediately, Touya-san seemed to appear from nowhere and he bowed his head respectfully.

"Ayami-sama," the man murmured, his eyes still set on the ground.

"Touya, we're escorting our guests to the attic."

Naru turned to her suddenly. "Mai, go and check on the equipment; there seems to be some left downstairs in the main corridor."

Mai nodded lightly, sensing her dismissal. She noticed Lin-san's eyes slightly widening at the corner of her eyes, though she wasn't quite sure where that came from. Although a part of her was keen to see what was trapped in the attic, she knew better than to argue with her boss. It didn't quite stop her from feeling irritated, however, as she left.

"Touya," Ayami called out, looking back towards the housekeeper. The elder, whom had literally blended into the background, took a step forward, his arm held across his chest as he bowed slightly. "Please escort our guests to the attic."

Mai felt someone tap her shoulder and when she turned around. Ayami's smile greeted her again and she frowned, looking back at Naru and the others. They were being led away by Touya-san. Naru didn't even glance in their direction as he left, and somehow, Mai couldn't help but feel a slight pang of disappointment.

"Your boss doesn't look happy," Ayami noted. Her smile of amusement withheld any concern towards Naru's temperament, though Mai didn't quite know what Ayami meant: Naru had looked fine to her.

"He's always like that," Mai replied. "You don't have to come with me, you know. I can check on the equipment myself." Mai would hate to trouble a client with her problems.

Ayami shrugged. "I figured you might not know your way around the house yet, so I'd take you downstairs."

Mai was incredibly grateful. She'd lost count of how many times she's gotten lost in a client's house. Looking around though, Mai sighted countless paintings hanging on the walls that were from cultures around the world that Mai didn't even recognise. Something about the unknowingness of these art pieces, however, drew Mai towards them even more to the house.

"This is a very beautiful house," Mai breathed.

"If you're dead and in the market for something to haunt," Ayami said dryly. "It's expensive; that's what you mean. And it also sports a variety of artefacts that literally scream 'bad taste'."

Mai couldn't help but smile at her cynicism. "Maybe that's what lured the demi-goddess here," she joked.

Then, Ayami smiled and Mai stared, knowing that there was a lot more to the girl than what she was letting on. "Perhaps. Oh, and Mai, don't wander off on your own in this mansion, okay? Stick to the main hallways," Ayami advised. Mai frowned, not quite getting where the other girl was coming from. "This house doesn't like intruders."

Mai didn't quite understand what Ayami had meant then, though judging by Ayami's tone, she could tell that it wasn't her place to question her further.

The world around Mai was dark, yet the glows in the area seemed to shimmer in the night. The dark auras burnt in an almost magical way as hundreds of wisp-o-wasps floated around a girl who had her back turned to Mai. They were inside a cemetery, by the looks of it. Mai gazed around rather cautiously before taking a wary step towards the other figure.

Then, the girl began muttering something in an unfamiliar language. She murmured what sounded like a chant before pausing. Suddenly, the circle the latter stood in seemingly glowed for a moment, and then, the image of the girl's back shattered unexpectedly.

Mai was suddenly thrown into another world of darkness, only this one was rimmed with the morning fog. Now this was like her usual dreams, which meant…

She snapped her gaze towards the smoky mist and just as she'd predicted, a dark figure slowly emerged from the darkness, heading towards Mai's direction.

Naru's familiar face approached her and as usual, he greeted her with the usual line.

"Mai, what are you doing here?"

"Err…" Well, it wasn't as though she was given a choice about coming here, really. He generally started off the dreams with a line similar to that; Mai had had these dreams countless times over the years while working for SPR. Mai didn't quite understand if this time, he was referring to the dream while she stood outside the mansion or referring to her outer body that was in Ayami's house.

Suddenly, beside them, Ayami materialised. She wore her average, everyday clothing but beside her, there was a boy, probably no older than Naru. He was extraordinarily good looking but there was something almost eerie about his expression. The bishoujo and bishounen gazed at one another; their expression a complete contrast the latter's. The boy was smiling rather brightly at Ayami –who, in turn, appeared flushed with anger – though he fluently spoke to her in a foreign language.

Mai frowned at the foreign basis of the language. She didn't recognise it at all. "What language are they speaking in?"

Mai turned to look towards Naru who in turn, frowned at the pair in front of them. "Their arguing in Ancient Gaelic, I think. I'm not quite sure what they're saying though."

Mai would have given anything to know though. Ayami had never looked so angry before, ever. Her eyes were widened, her face livid. Mai may not have known what they were saying but it was quite obvious that whoever the other boy was, he was getting to Ayami quite easily. Ayami, however, had seemed like such a gentle soul when Mai saw her; Mai didn't understand what it was that would get the other girl so angry.

What she didn't get even more was why Ayami would appear in her dream. Mai rarely dreamt of a live person unless they were related to the case somehow.

Well, except for Naru anyway.

Naru's voice broke Mai out of her reverie and she turned to him as she felt a light hand on her shoulder. "Don't trust Ayami too much," Naru advised, gazing at the other pair still. "She's not quite as safe as you think."

Mai didn't quite understand what Naru meant, but part of her knew it was better not to argue. Suddenly, the boy next to Ayami snapped his head towards Mai's figure; his eyes fixed directly where she was standing. Mai stared, her heart skipping a beat as she realised what was happening.

He could see her.

Naru was clearly startled too, though before he could say anything, he dissolved into a thousand wisp-o-wasps, fading into the glowing night.

That had never happened before…

Mai snapped her gaze towards the other boy, her breathing sharp with fear. What on earth had that been?

Ayami was frowning. "What are you looking at?" the other girl demanded, speaking Japanese at last.

The boy turned back to Ayami, who was eyeing him rather suspiciously. He smiled rather endearingly at Ayami, who in turn looked towards the area Mai was standing at, though she didn't seem to see anything at all.

"There's nothing there," the boy said evenly. He looked towards her again, and Mai found herself staring directly into a set of incredibly violet eyes. "Nothing at all."

Something seemed to hook by the back of her navel, jerking her violently towards another area. Mai felt herself fall backwards and she landed on the bed with a thump, the images from the dream fading from her mind. Immediately, Mai took in a deep and breathe and breathed heavily. Her heartbeat lashed out furiously and she reached towards her upper body, trying as hard as she could to soothe her chest.

Mai felt her pulse lessen and she closed her eyes, grateful that she'd calmed down.

What had that been about though? Mai had never had a dream like that before. Swallowing her confusion, Mai gazed around the room, trying to calm herself down. As her eyes swept pass the mirror on the dressing table in front of her, Mai's eyes widened when she saw what was reflected.

There was someone else sitting next to her on her bed.

30.06.2008: Hey. Another chapter. Thank you to all who have reviewed or read the previous chapter. I left this one at a cliffhanger, so yeah...hopefully, it was a little creepier this time. Well, hopefully the last line was anyway.

Cheers!

curator.