Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

Burnt Desires: Part 3

The pair stood solid, staring up at the house in confusion. If Lin's research was correct, then there should be practically nothing left of this house. And yet, here it was, standing in all its glory before the paranormal research team without a hint of a fire ever taking place! It made Mai wonder whether it was the right house or not, even though she knew it probably was. The creeping smell of fire and uncomfortable heat were proof of it. But it still couldn't hurt to ask.

"Naru, are you sure this is the right house?" She heard herself say, feeling her palms itch at the silence.

Naru turned on her with a hard glare and stared at her for a brief moment before releasing a deep exhale. "I followed the route on the map Mai, which I'm certain is correct." He said.

The corners of her lips dipped down into a soppy frown, expressing her frustration. "Well...Are you sure it was the right-"

"Mai. Enough-"

"OK, OK, I'm sorry! I won't doubt you again!" She held up her hands, waving them in front of his face. "I-I just wanted to make sure!" She confessed, hurriedly brushing past him in an attempt to escape his glare. She raced towards the van, slipping past Lin and bolting behind the truck.

Naru stared after her, loosely digging the heels of his shoes into the gravelled path. He swapped a look with Lin, running his eyes over Mai's hidden form before looking back at the house, finding no movement from behind the shut curtains of any of the windows. Upon their arrival Naru knew something was up the moment he saw the house. The news report had explained about a fire which desecrated the nearby forest which explained the appearance of the trees with their blackened branches and lack of leaves. But the house itself looked alive in comparison, with its rich wood tones and smooth textures. And he could only think of one rational solution to why the house was still standing.

He had read before that if a spirit was powerful enough, it could create itself an illusion to deter the human mind, producing a make-believe setting from their memory of how a building or place used to look. However, this could only be possible if the spirit held hostile feelings for another based off their past experiences. These memories tend to feed off their negative emotions, mostly the ones that hold deep meanings behind them such as anger, depression, greed, hatred; or the worst of all, abusive.

If this was the case, then whatever they were dealing with was powerful. If only the news report had showed an image of the house after the fire. Perhaps he should get Yasu to do a little more research.

"Naru," Lin called from the boot of the van, gesturing him over with a quick flick of his wrist. The narcissist ambled over, stopping silently beside his assistant.

"What is it?"

"My shiki are playing up." He said, assessing Naru's cold expression. "They seem confused, like there's something hidden inside the house. Whatever it is, it's powerful." He frowned, casting his eyes over the house, trying to pinpoint the source of the power. "They can't seem to locate where the spiritual energy is coming from."

"Hn." Naru nodded, not taking his eyes off his assistant. "We'll sort it out once we've unpacked the equipment. Let's see what's inside first," He took a step back, calling Mai over with a sharp bark of her name. The assistant poked her head out from behind the van, surprised at her boss' brisk tone, shown by her furrowed brows. "We're going inside," He told her once she was close enough, inclining his head at the building.

Mai groaned quietly to herself, following her boss' gaze towards the house. When neither of the men made a move, Mai puffed out her cheeks, shooting the pair a sour look before stomping in the direction of the building. Ladies first, I guess. She joked, approaching the pale green door in a few short steps. Curling her hand into a fist, Mai knocked the surface a good few times, completely missing the door-knocker. Seconds ticked by and no one answered. She looked back at Naru, shrugging her shoulders at the silence. "I guess no one is here-"

The door swung open with a sharpening crack, almost knocking the assistant back with it as a blast of frigid air shot towards them, throwing Mai off her feet with a dizzying push. She felt herself tilt backwards and she struggled to regain her balance, toppling off the high step and landing in a pair of warm arms at the bottom. She gripped the arms encasing her, waiting for the air to pass by them before looking up. Naru stared down at her, silently assessing her for any injuries, and releasing her once he was certain she had caught her breath.

"T-Thanks," She breathed, feeling a blush threaten to cover her cheeks. She quickly swivelled around, hiding her red face from her boss.

"Naru, look." Lin said, pulling their attention to the figure standing in the doorway. Mai looked up with a startled expression, finding herself draw to the very familiar crystal eyes staring back at her. She felt a low buzzing approach from the back of her mind, provoking her memory of the dream she'd seen.

'She jolted awake, finding a pale face staring back at her in the mirror with haunting crystal eyes.'

"You almost hit my assistant with your tempered entrance," Naru growled from someone in the distance as she felt the air grow quiet.

Her lip quivered at the approaching scene, feeling her eyes roll back as the figure's eyes bore into hers. "You-" Her mouth parted but her knees buckled from underneath her before she could finish her sentence.

"Mai!"

Her world faded into black.

Posting Date: 9th November 2014

Symm: Wow, thanks for all the reviews and follows guys, I really appreciate it! Also, if you haven't already noticed, I've finally titled the story. I'm also thinking of making this a long story, maybe...I have a few other case ideas, but if you guys don't want another case after this one then I'll leave it as it is! Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the review RosetheWolfgirl!

Thanks for the follows TheUnquietDead, RosetheWolfgirl, khodijah98 and percabeth8!

Thanks for the favourites jenna110110, RosetheWolfgirl, Nena Snow, TheUnquietDead and book of eternity!