Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

Burnt Desires: Part 4

Day 2. 10:40AM.

"Mom, where are you going?"

The voice echoed throughout the transparent dream world, washing over Mai's fallen form. Her hand twitched as the words played out in her mind, holding a curious tone to them. She rolled onto her side, already forgetting how she got here. From afar she watched a new scene unfold with tired, hazel eyes, finding herself in a white void filled with nothing but the voice as it echoed from within. Is this another dream? She asked herself, trying to clear her head. And where was Gene?

A young girl appeared in the picture appearing in her early teens, following after an older woman holding a suitcase.

"Are you going on another trip?" the teen asked, tugging on the woman's sleeve and needling her with questions. "Does Dad know?"

"O-Of course he does," The woman inwardly flinched, smiling sweetly at the teen and patting her head with a tense hand. "It's...a work related trip." She paused, tightening her grip on the case. "I-I'll be back in a few days, so there's no need to worry." She kissed her forehead before turning away, walking into the white void with her retreating steps. The teen, who Mai presumed to be her daughter, stared after her with outstretched hands, reaching out to her mother's disappearing form.

"B-But Dad doesn't like it when you go on trips!" She cried desperately, stumbling after her. "Mum! D-Dad will be angry again. I don't want that!" She yelled, giving Mai a good view of her face. "I don't like it when Dads angry! Scary." She shivered. "H-He's scary!"

The assistant swallowed her shock, meeting the gaze of the young teen's startling look. Again. It was those crystal eyes from before. "Y-You-You're that girl from my dream," Mai stuttered, standing on shaky legs. "It's the same as the figure in the doorway-"

"You should wake up." The teen said, narrowing her eyes into slits as a few more tears escaped. "You should-"

"-wake up Mai!"

The assistant opened her eyes, blinking away the white spots shrouding her vision. "...Naru?"

Noll stood before her, settling his eyes on her dazed expression as she looked around curiously, struggling to make out his words. "You fainted." He said, sighing in relief when she leant on her elbows and tried to push herself up. He reached over and grabbed her arms, pulling her forward with a stoic expression before releasing his grip on her.

"W-Where am I?" She asked, flickering her gaze around the room.

They were no longer outside.

Mai took the moment to scan the room, catching a brief whiff of burning wood. She looked over to the fireplace expecting to find a roaring fire, but there was none. Strange. She thought, tensing her hands as she contemplated her surroundings, wondering where the smell was coming from. Wiggling her fingers, she ran her hands over the damp material beneath her, finding herself sitting on a muggy couch. "...Are we inside the house?" She sought for her boss' face. "W-Where did the figure-"

"Hi." A foreign face blocked her search, extending their hand at her face. "Sorry about the scare earlier, I'm not used to having visitors."

Mai could only stare wildly at the foreigner, not trusting herself to speak as she zoned in on the figure's crystal eyes. She had mistaken her for a ghost upon the first glimpse, now understanding why at the sight of her pale complexion. Focusing her eyes on the figure's face, she gulped, feeling the stranger stare right back at her, settling on her expression. From her dreams, the glistening blue eyes were a similar factor. Her first dream about the fire was definitely linked, proven by the reoccurring factor of the crystal eyes. But what confused her the most was how her dreams were being provoked by the figure calmly watching her, waiting for a reaction.

The dreams she saw were memories of the dead, either shown to her deliberately or provoked by the strong emotions lingering near the area. But the source of the dreams this time was alive, which confused the young medium even more. Just what was going on?

The figure retracted her hand at Mai's blank stare, reaching up to scratch her head instead. "Um, by the way...Who are you people?"

"The SPR." Naru replied instantly, "We traced an anonymous call to this location."

"A-Anonymous call?"

He nodded, casting a side-glance at Mai. "We got a call from this location last night and decided to track down the individual behind it, believing it to be someone from the other side." He paused, taking a breath. "We came expecting to find an abandoned house reduced to smithereens, yet to my utter surprise, I find a newly furnished house with a single resident living inside," His tone deepened and he narrowed his eyes, oblivious to the panicked look splayed across Mai's face. "It was reported that a fire broke out here around a year ago, burning a great deal of this house and the surrounding area with it. So how, may I ask, are you living in such a newly remodelled house with the only evidence of there ever being a fire residing back in the forest?" He growled out.

"O-Oh...Err, I-I...I think you've got the wrong information!" The woman exclaimed, waving her arms around in a blur. "I-I don't know anything about a fire, but one thing I do know is that I called you."

Mai almost choked on her inhale. "Y-You did!?"

The girl nodded, clasping her hands in her lap. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped, taking a breath instead. Her smile faltered as a troubled look flashed across her eyes, not going unmissed by the team. "Hm...My call wasn't really that anonymous. I tried talking...but I don't think you could hear me," She looked at Mai, feeling the tension build in her shoulders. "Seeming that I live in such a remote area, I guess you could blame it on a bad connection." She sighed.

Mai rested her hands on her knees and leant forward, casting her eyes downward as the client's words sunk in. It was a plausible defence, one she could have believed; yet Mai couldn't fully grasp such a reason. If all that came through was static, then what was making that mumbling noise?

Lin's fumbling drew Mai's attention, and she watched him fish out his laptop from the satchel sitting idly on the table, securing the password with a quick swipe of the keys. "You purposely called us, so I assume you have a ghost problem." He raised his head, causing his fringe to fall over his eyes. "Could you explain your case?"

The girl nodded woodenly, brushing back a loose strand of silver hair. Her eyes glistened with a ounce of emotion, seeming to grow dazed at his question.

"From the beginning then."

Posting Date: 28th November 2014

Symm: Wow, Christmas is approaching quickly! For some reason, most of my friends already have their decorations up and it's not even DECEMBER! It's crazy, right!? Unless some of you already have them up...But there were even Christmas gifts on sale two days before Halloween down at the shops. I can't get over how sudden it is. *sigh* Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this next instalment, and I promise to try and update quicker next time!

Thanks for reviewing liqur, AshesCastle, natnatgibbs!

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