Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.
Burnt Desires: Part 7
Day 2. 12:45AM.
A gentle tap sounded from overhead, waking the sleepy assistant from her quiet nap. Mai blinked a few times, finding it difficult at first to adjust to the darkness encasing her as she rubbed her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision. Unaware of the passing time, Mai was oblivious to how long she had spent curled up in the staircase closet as her mouth formed a wide 'O', shortly followed by a large yawn.
She stretched her arms up high, hearing the bones pop as she rocked her shoulders back and forth to stretch the tired limbs. "Naru's going to kill me," She mumbled to no one in particular, dragging her hands down her face with a sigh. Her butt was numb from sitting on the wooden floor for so long, and she wouldn't be surprised if there was grime sticking to her trousers from collapsing beside the dust bunnies. But at least Naru hadn't found her yet.
"I wonder how long I can last." She pondered quietly to herself, receiving a sudden jolt down her spine. Her brows furrowed as she felt something, someone prod at her senses, making themselves known by seeping their uninvited aura around her core. The assistant jumped at the loud knock that followed, whipping her head upwards in fright at the ceiling.
Mai didn't like the feeling dwelling in her body. Her gut told her to run, but where would she go? Naru was back at the base and she still wasn't ready to face him. Not after those indecent thoughts that had appeared out of no where. Or perhaps she could follow the disturbing aura towards its owner and fry their ass back to hell!
Neither choice seemed fair.
Mai winced as she straightened her legs out as far as she possibly could in such a cramp space, wincing as her knee connect with something hard and cold. "Ow!" She whined, rubbing her abused knee as she attempted to stand. That was probably going to leave a bruise. Creasing her forehead, Mai stood up carefully, being mindful of the low ceiling until she could finally stand, leaning forward with a slight bend. "Stupid ceiling." She stropped, struggling to find her balance as she hopped on one foot, almost hitting her head on the ceiling. "Stupid Naru."
'Tap! Tap!'
Mai looked up at sound of knocking, wondering why the being wanted her attention so badly. An odd feeling washed over her and before she knew it she had placed her hands upon the ceiling, pressing her palms down against the slick, bumpy texture as another knock sounded, rocking through her palms. Her mind whirled at the foreign feeling that attacked her core, coiling around her like tentacles as her breath cut short, hearing another knock sound before she felt it shake through her fingers. Every hit felt like an earthquake to her, jolting through her body like a soul passing through.
Her vision buzzed with white spots as another thump hit above her hands, feeling the coils tighten as her breathing halted and a distant cold seeped into her bones. Her lip trembled with fear, feeling her energy begin to drain into the ceiling as if an Incubus was sucking away her life flow. It hurts-
Mai jumped as a loud knock struck against the wall planted firmly between her hands and the being, breaking out of her reverie as the sound echoed with a ear-shattering boom. Regaining her vision, Mai quickly removed her hands from the roof before it could trance her again, making a quick dash for the door.
Her body hit the surface with a resounding smack and she found herself stumbling back from the collision, seeing only white for a moment before her eyesight cleared, racing towards the door again and reaching for the handle. The knocks rapped in mismatched patterns, sounding at too many random intervals to belong to one person. Each one grew more violent while her fingers fumbled around the lock, not remembering when she had locked the door. The knocks switched dramatically to fierce hammers and Mai fought against the scream clawing up her throat.
At this point in time she no longer cared how angry Naru would be, she just had to get out of this madhouse and escape; and Naru was her best option to run to.
Her eyes glanced frightfully through the dark, finding herself giving up on the lock as she took a step back, tensing her muscle before throwing herself against the door and bracing herself for the impact. But the door hardly budged. So Mai hit it again, and again, throwing her shoulder in for a good measure as her anger and fear fuelled her on. She barely heard the distinctive noise of the lock sliding back over the pounding hits before she burst through the door with a rough stumble, suddenly becoming blinded by the white light pouring in from the windows.
The terrified assistant collapsed on her knees, rubbing her face hastily as cold tears pricked the corners of her eyes. Mai pushed back her tears as her eyes drew towards the top of the stairs, lingering on the area above the closet where the spirit had been. A shiver ran down her back at the overpowering presence as it stayed rooted in its spot. Mai tightened her hands around the fabric of her shirt, stretching the ends mercilessly as the spirit provoked her fear. She settled her alert eyes on the being.
And it stared right back.
Naru checked his watch for the umpteenth time, patiently waiting for Mai to return to base. She had been gone for a good hour, having run off at 12:01AM with the time now being 12:53AM. He had expected her to show up after Yurei's much needed departure -her useless babbling irked him like no other. But Mai had yet to return.
The idiot had probably gotten herself lost somewhere, lying unconscious in a room and trapped within her dream world. It wouldn't surprise him. Mai had proven him wrong many times before with the variety of impossible situations she had gotten herself into over the past year or two, surpassing his beliefs entirely. Speaking of dreams, He thought bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest with a gruff expression. She still hasn't told me about her dream in connection with the telephone call.
Noll released a sigh, biting back the urge to go screaming her name around the corridors in hope of scaring her out. With Lin off patrolling the gardens Naru was left yet again to find the idiot; he had waited for her long enough.
With a flex of his hands Noll exited the room with large strides, leaving behind the box of abused monitors as proof of Mai's careless handling of his equipment, reminding him to think of a suitable punishment for her later. His feet covered a great distance with each stride, so wide in fact that it would take his idiotic assistant three extra steps just to keep up with him. He travelled along the main corridor, his footsteps silent as he moved onward scanning the surrounding area for any scurrying blobs of brown within the vicinity.
A few strides later found Naru heading towards the main entrance after picking up on something unsettling. His pace quickened as his senses picked up on two auras, both lingering around the stairwell where they had first entered in. As he grew closer, the darker aura suddenly greeted his threatening presence, reaching out to him before he could investigate at a closer range. Naru's aura shifted around himself, expanding slightly at the offending spirit as it began to attack his outer shell, picking and tugging at his power for a way in. But what worried him the most was the familiarity of the second aura. It reminded him of-
Mai.
Noll pushed on quicker, flaring his own power in warning at the malcious ghost, batting it away with an effortless swipe of his hand before stalking forward, intent on reaching his assistant. He almost halted at the scene.
Mai sat slumped over her legs, kneeling stiffly on the ground with her hands clenched into fists in her lap, staring fearfully at something far off. Naru slowly moved towards her, taking precautious steps as he felt a sudden spike in her aura. He lowered himself down beside her into a crouch, balancing on the tips of his shoes while his hands reached forward and stopped in front of her face in an attempt to draw her attention.
When her gaze remained the same, Naru sighed deeply before following her line of sight towards the stairs, feeling the familiar prod against his aura. The spirit, a black mass of fading smog stood hovering above the stairs, trying to attach a part of itself onto Naru while the other half held a staring match with his assistant, probably being the cause of the spike in her aura.
The open storage closet beneath the stairs caught his attention with its damaged state, making him wonder how it had obtained such a heavy imprint in the wood. His gaze focused back on his assistant, suddenly noticing the darkening bruises brandishing the skin below her shoulders and across her arms. It only took him a second to connect the dots. By the looks of things, Mai had probably been hiding in the closet, having locked herself in until something either shoved her forwards to force her out, or until she herself had intentionally thrown herself at the door to escape the spirit.
He had to get her back to base.
"Mai." Naru called her name, gently uncurling her fisted hands to break her out from her reverie. And it seemed to work.
"...N-Naru?" Her voice broke with unshed tears, suddenly noticing his presence beside her. Her hands tightened around his, resisting the urge to cling onto him and cry.
With a collective expression Naru faced her surge of tears, ignoring the clamminess of her hands as he pulled her to her feet, allowing her to lean against him for the time being until she regained her balance. "Come on, let's get you back to base." He spoke calmly with his gaze settled on the spirit above the stairs. He released a fraction of his aura, warning the spirit back with a scowl set in place, daring it to make an advance. When Mai made a move to look up at the spirit he growled, moving in front of her to block her view. "Don't look."
The spirit appeared hesitant, lingering above the top step while Naru took the initiative to move away from the being, guiding Mai back towards the base. He knew it would disappear once they were gone and wouldn't follow as long as they weren't looking at it. Mai's hands loosened in his grip as she finally released a tense breath once they were back in the base.
Naru closed the door quietly behind them as to not startle the girl, waiting patiently for her to calm down. Her hands tensed against his and he gave her a pointed look, drawing her back to reality. "Mai?"
The girl flinched at the sound of her name, feeling her lips tremble as she met his gaze. Naru frowned, wondering how he was supposed to comfort the quivering girl. He cocked his brow, bringing forth his aura as he attempted to wrap it around her form, settling the warmth over her like a blanket.
Mai's eyes watered in gratitude as a comforting heat washed over her, calming her pounding heart once she recognised the aura. "T-Thanks." Her voice shook, struggling to meet his gaze. Instead she found herself staring at their joined hands, eyes suddenly going wide at their sudden contact. She withdrew her hands with a short yelp, stumbling out an apology he probably didn't deserve as an embarrassed blush filled her cheeks. Not again! She groaned mentally, feeling his gaze focus on the side of her face.
Naru simply stared, choosing to ignore it. "What happened."
Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. "I-I..." She frowned, feeling the blush die down from her cheeks as her mind focused elsewhere, recalling her thoughts from earlier so she could get straight to the point. "...I was hiding in the closet beneath the stairs. I must have fallen asleep because when I awoke I heard this knocking sound coming from above...I was curious I guess, and pressed my hands to the ceiling to see if it would sound again. It did a-and it was as if something was c-calling me. Before I knew it my hands were stuck to the ceiling as if they had been glued on, and I could feel every knock rock through me, growing more louder and violent with each hit." She paused, staring at her hands. "...I could feel something tugging on my senses; it felt like it was draining me." She shook her head, tensing her hands. "I-I managed to pull my hands away and fought to get out, but I didn't remember locking myself in. I had to barge through with my shoulder to get out, and it somehow worked." She winced, rubbing her shoulder absentmindedly. "And then I felt it. The spirit. He was above the stairs, staring at me."
"He?"
Mai frowned before shaking her head. "It felt evil, so I guess I just assumed it was a male. It typically is." She shrugged.
Naru nodded, trying his best not to feel offended by her innocent statement as he drew his gaze back towards the bruises decorating her arm. "Ayako can look at your bruises once she arrives."
Mai's face lit up. "Y-You called the team?" She grinned happily, showing a sudden shift in her mood. "Is Yasu coming?"
"No, but he's doing some research for me. I called them earlier. They're on their way, but John and Masako won't be with them. They're busy." He replied, perching beside the couch as he tried to get her back on topic. "Did anything else happen?"
Mai went to shake her head but stopped, peering up at him, suddenly feeling like a lost child. "There's something else..." She muttered in a low tone and bowed her head shamefully, hiding the guilt-ridden feeling swirling deep inside. She felt ashamed for not telling him about it earlier, but now she had the chance to. So she took a deep breath before starting.
"The spirit we just met. I-It wasn't my first encounter with him."
"Mai-"
She held up her hand at Naru's interjection, silencing him with a pleading stare. "I-I felt him when I came back inside from the van, just after you had left. Something made me stop before I could pass by the bottom of the stairs, and I could feel something watching me. Staring. I-I felt his breath s-settle on my neck," Mai flinched, rubbing the side of her neck at the memory. "I-It didn't feel right," She shook her head. "It wasn't...natural. Something deep inside me told me to run, so I did. And by the time I had exhausted myself from all the running, I bumped into you. The spirit must have disappeared after that because I couldn't sense it; it was completely gone from my mind." She breathed, slumping back against the arm of the couch onto the cold floor and drawing her knees up to her chest with a defeated sigh.
"Mai, you should have told me earlier." Naru scolded, crossing his arms half-heartedly at the sight of her deflated look. "You're my assistant; it's your job to tell me about anything that's worrying you." He scorned, noticing the pout pursing her lips. His eyes softened ever so slightly before he sighed. "Mai."
"Sorry." She gulped, scratching her head sheepishly. "I-I understand. I'll tell you if it happens again." She bowed her head shyly, puffing out her cheeks and missing the prideful smirk on his face. Her tears were gone.
"Good." He nodded, hovering closer. "Since you've agreed to never withhold any information relating to a case, why not enlighten me on the dreams you've been so reluctant to share?" He quirked a brow at Mai's strangled gasp.
"E-Eh?" She spluttered incredibly. In truth, it had never crossed her mind to inform him about the second dream. Could he read minds now? "Y-You know?"
"I always know."
Posting Date: 24th December 2014
Symm: MERRY CHRISTMAS! I'll see you soon, ne?
Thanks for reviewing Ishval!