Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.
Burnt Desires: Part 9
Day 2. 3:01PM.
"That fog is a menace!" A shrill voice exclaimed from down the corridor, surprising the young brunette who'd been busy setting up the monitor shelves at base. A deep chuckle followed after the sound of the front door opening and closing, spiking Mai's curiosity as she sought to finish extending the monitor shelf in hand, straining her ears to listen to the loud click-clacks of a pair of shoes resounding off the walls. The owner of the boots stomped their way down the hall, seeming to be heading straight for base.
Naru sighed in the background and Mai couldn't help but smile at his passive display of enthusiasm, swapping a look with Lin who had paused during the middle of his work to listen to the upcoming commotion.
Mai hurriedly set the last shelf in place just as the door to the base slammed open and Ayako burst in, almost knocking Mai back from the force. The priestess stormed past the frozen assistant with clenched fists and a red face, stirring up a storm of angry words and murmurs.
But before Mai could move to assess the situation, she was immediately swept off her feet and encased in a warm embrace, feeling her ribs cave in from the 'loving' pressure of the owner's strong arms. "Jou-chan! I've missed you!"
"B-Bou...-san," Mai awkwardly patted his back, "it's nice to see you too." She said, allowing him a few more seconds before wiggling out of his hold. Monk chuckled but released her anyway, placing her back down and casually slinging an arm around her shoulders.
"How've you been?" He grinned, giving her shoulders a tight squeeze. "Good? Bad?" He asked before she could answer, narrowing eyes slightly as he lowered his voice and asked, "Has Naru been treating you kindly?"
Mai choked on her intake of breath, spluttering incompetent words at his open statement. She shot a wary glance at said narcissist who seemed completely oblivious to the whole conversation. "B-Bou-san! Don't say those things so casually!" She gushed, brushing off his arm.
Monk chuckled, giving her a firm pat on the back. "Someone has to. Anyway, I need to have a chat with our boss over there," he jabbed a thumb at Naru who seemed preoccupied at the moment, flicking through a hard-covered book with focused eyes. "Naru!" He called, pulling the narcissist from his work.
"Takigawa." Naru nodded, resting his gaze on him. "What took you so long."
"Naru!" Mai yelled. "Don't be so rude!" She stepped forward, but Ayako beat her to it.
In the heat of the moment, Ayako stormed up to him with a scowl set in place and poked him right in the chest, causing her purse to swing wildly around her arm from the force. "We're late because of that stupid fog blocking the way!" She shrieked, flailing her arms around her head while Naru raised a curious brow in return. "Get down off your throne Naru and analyse the situation for a change! We're out in the middle of no where, and there's a giant-ass fog surrounding this whole place! So I'm sorry if we took too long to get here, boss, but that fog was too thick for even the astronauts to navigate through!"
"...Bou-san," Mai covered her mouth with her hand, speaking in a hushed tone. "What did you do?" She half-whispered-half-yelled over the priestess' raving as it became background noise to them.
"M-Me!? I didn't do anything!" He shook his head, denying her accusations.
"You must have!" She whispered harshly, huddling behind him out of fear. "She's so angry that she swore!"
"That, Mai-chan, is the epitome of a crazy woman-"
"Monk!" Ayako whacked him over the head with her purse, transferring her anger onto him. "I can hear you!" She raised her purse to commit a second blow.
"E-Eh, A-Ayako! Wait a minute!" Mai threw herself into the fray, raising her hands towards the furious woman in an attempt to block her attack. "If you hit Bou-san anymore he will...he'll die!" She lied exasperatedly, unsuccessfully trying to diffuse the situation.
"THAT'S WHAT I'M AIMING FOR!" She shrieked, giving him a well-aimed hit across the face. Mai covered her eyes, hearing a loud 'thump' as Bou-san collapsed to the floor in surprise.
"OWWW –M-Matsuzaki-san!" Monk whined with tears in his eyes, nursing his stinging cheek as he stood. "You're so violent to me."
Ayako blushed openly, taking his words out of context in a completely different way. "Y-You wouldn't listen if I asked you nicely," she growled half-heartedly, dusting herself down.
Meanwhile, during the whole commotion Naru had moved back to his work, sitting down with a slight pain in his chest from the miko's unexpected prod. His eyes roamed over to Mai, taking in her tense stance while the 'adults' continued to squabble, and sighed. Why did I ever agree to allow them on the team? But enough was enough. "...Are you two finished with your quarrel?" He asked in a dead tone, tapping his fingers idly.
Ayako stopped mid-strike, having almost achieved another hit on the monk until Naru's voice pulled her out of it. "Hmph! You want to chat now, do you?" She raised an arched brow in return.
"We have matters to attend to, and it would be embarrassing for you if the client walked in on your...play fight." He mused, shuffling around the papers on his make-shift desk.
Ayako's face turned sour at Naru's remark, clutching her purse like a lifeline as an embarrassed flush filled her cheeks. "...Go ahead then."
Naru nodded, seeming pleased with the attention. "Let's begin." He turned his attention to Monk who had retreated to sit down on the couch, rubbing his cheek absentmindedly. "Takigawa. Did you notice anything unusual about the fog?"
Monk cleared his throat, "Ahem. Yes, Naru." He scratched his head, feeling the couch dip down beside him as Mai took a seat. "The fog contained a strange presence, something unusual." He paused, trying to make a clearer understanding of it. "...But one thing I'm certain of is that it's not natural. I'm sure I almost saw hints of purple marks moving amongst it," Monk shook his head. "Very strange indeed. It didn't feel right."
"Hm. I thought so." Naru muttered to himself. There's more to this case than I originally thought. "...I sent Lin to analyse it himself, and he brought back the same results." He replied, taking a moment to collect himself. "However, something is different. The mass of this unnatural fog has grown at a rapid pace, much quicker than I had anticipated." He let his gaze drift towards the window, and sighed. "This can only mean one thing, of course-"
"I've brought your tea!" A voice suddenly announced.
All eyes turned towards the figure who had unintentionally interrupted the narcissist at such a crucial moment, carrying a tray full of tea. Yurei wandered in and gave them a smile, placing the tray down in the centre of the table within reaching distance of the team. Her gaze drifted towards Ayako and Housho, the newcomers, and she bowed.
"Hello, I'm Yurei." She introduced herself, deepening her bow. "I-I just wanted to thank you for coming to help with my case." She spoke quickly, not giving them any time to answer. "A-Also, Mai said you were on your way and suggested that I make everyone some tea, so, eh. E-Enjoy." She gave them a hurried bow before retreating out the door in a flurry of silver hair, closing the door on her exit.
"...That was the client." Mai chirped up when nobody spoke a word, leaving an uncomfortable stagnant in the air.
"Miss Hachimitsu can be very temperamental." Naru added, drawing back their attention. "On first meeting, Mai mistook her for a ghost." He said as a matter of fact, causing the brunette to blush.
"Jeez, Jou-chan. People won't believe you're a real ghost hunter if you carry on like this," Bou-san teased, ruffling her hair with his hand.
Mai bit her tongue, sending the monk an irritated look as she slapped his hand away, causing him to laugh. "Hmph." She grumbled sourly, scooting away from him with a huff.
Ayako eyed the pair quietly, watching intently as the mood appeared to darken around Mai as she bowed her head, casting a troubled look at Ayako. Naru shifted around some papers in the background, passing them off to Lin who helped stack and organise them into a pile next to his laptop. "Mai," the miko crossed her arms, settling her gaze on the assistant with a gentle expression. "Why don't you hand out everyone's tea?" She suggested, receiving a thankful nod in return.
Mai reached for the nearest cups, handing them off to Ayako who then passed them on to Naru and Lin, keeping a cup for herself. "Here you go, Bou-san." Mai handed him his cup before grabbing the last one for herself, cupping her hands around the warmth emitting from the ceramic casing of the mug.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mai witnessed the sudden look of disgust splay across Monk's face as he took a sip of his tea before he instantly spat the contents back into the cup, wiping away the few drips of liquid running down his chin. "Uck! I hate green tea!" He gagged, extending the cup away from himself as far as he could.
Mai giggled against the rim of her cup, remembering her previous conversation with Yurei about her serving green tea. "You know, Monk, it would be very unkind of you to not accept the client's hospitality." She teased, taking a sip of her tea. "The least you could do is drink half of it; that way you'll come across as less disrespectful." She grinned, holding back her laugh.
"But Mai-chan-"
A negative feeling carried over from where Ayako was standing, with Monk being on the receiving end of her devil glare. She raised her purse in warning as her eye twitched with menace. Monk's face whitened out of fear of the miko's threatening pose, finding himself vulnerable to her abusive actions. So he quickly took action, chugging down the scorching liquid in three large gulps before slamming the empty cup down on the tray and picking up a deep sweat along the way.
Mai forced back her own, trying not to snicker at the monk's humorous display. Does he really hate it that much? She mused to herself, gulping down the watery liquid at a much slower pace. Her ears perked up at the sound of rustling in the background, and she turned to investigate, spotting Naru fumbling around with a pile of papers.
The narcissist casually made his way over to the group, waiting for Ayako to seat herself before handing out copies of his notes to everyone but Mai. With his tea in hand, Naru leisurely reclined against his desk, gesturing for them to scan through the notes while he sipped his tea.
Mai stared at him in confusion, not understanding why she hadn't been given a copy. "...Naru-"
"You've already heard all the information about the case, Mai." He interrupted sharpish-ly, giving her a glare. "Go finish the equipment."
Mai openly growled out of aggravation, but stood up nonetheless, releasing a deflated sigh as she set her cup down on the tray. "...'Kay." She moved towards the boxes still full with untouched equipment, dragging her feet along the way. Mai had only managed to set up the monitor shelves by the time the rest of the team had arrived, resulting in her being drawn away from her work. It's more punishment than work. She scoffed to herself, brushing back her hair before she got to work.
She started off with unpacking the monitors, making sure they were set firmly in place while listening intently to Naru's monologue in the background as he brought the team up-to-date.
"The papers in your hands are all the notes I collected from the dreams Mai had which were related to the case..." He began, delving deep into a detailed explanation while the team listened intently, scanning the papers in their possession. "-And as I mentioned earlier, the growing strength of the fog can only mean one thing, of course: it's using an anchor."
Mai paused mid-step, holding a tower of empty boxes in hand. An anchor? She questioned mindlessly, zoning in on Naru's explanation.
"The unnatural qualities of the fog match the traits of a spiritual anchor. But there are two types of anchors: the first is a Possession anchor, which is when a spirit stays connected to this world through a past possession that can be channelled typically through great emotions; however these tend to hold negative qualities. But we are dealing with the second type, known as a Void anchor. This anchor is more dangerous than the first and is harder to dispatch. The anchor here is not an object, but a living vessel. It is not able to possess a living being; instead, it draws the being's power to keep itself sustained and anchored to this world."
"...So it's drawing power from the client?" Ayako suggested lowly.
Naru shook his head. "Not necessarily. The power can be drawn from either a living or spiritual anchor. With the possibility of there being spirits inhabiting this house, the anchor could be one from the other world." He paused to take a sip of his tea. "...And from Lin's investigation, it appears that the spirit can also draw power from us."
"W-What!?" Monk choked, making Mai jump from the velocity of his shout. "It can use us?"
"It appears so." Lin answered, closing the lid of his laptop with a quiet 'thump'. "I tried attacking the fog with my shiki but whatever is controlling it can also use it as a siphon, and it even managed to drain some of their power. Concluding this event, Naru and I believe that the spirit can draw power from any living or spiritual being it touches."
"...This is serious then." Mai heard Ayako say as she broke from her trance, returning to stacking the empty boxes in hand against the wall. She moved towards the box filled with chords and began unravelling the coils of cables, letting their words sink in.
Naru nodded silently, placing down his tea. "Mai has already encountered the spirit-"
"What? We missed it?" Monk whined, receiving a well-earned whack over the head from Ayako's purse.
Mai shot him a glare. "It was a visual interaction, but I sensed him right before he decided to breath on my neck." She shivered, scratching the violated area with a frown.
"In any case, it would be dangerous for Mai to go anywhere alone." Naru continued, ignoring the monk's loud cursing in the back. "We'll have to proceed with caution from now on until the case is solved."
"So what should we do now, boss?" Bou-san asked.
"Our first priority is protection, so Ayako," Naru said, "I need you to get started on protection charms for the client and the rest of the team. These should stop the spirit from drawing any power from us." He explained, straightening his jacket with a swift downwards tug. "The client is top priority, with Takigawa and Mai being second due to them being primary targets for these sorts of things. Lin and I will set up a barrier around base for caution, and Monk and Mai, you are in charge of setting up the cameras and microphones around the first floor once Mai has finished setting up in here. But do not go up to the second floor." He warned, giving Mai a look.
"Yes, sir!" Takigawa fake-saluted, urging Mai to hurry up with a quick hand motion behind his back.
"And Monk," Naru drew back his focus. "If the spirit latches on to either of you while you're without the charms, things could get serious."
Day 2. 4:42PM.
Mai happily dusted off her hands, packing away the last batch of equipment boxes. Punishment, over! She quietly cheered to herself, fist-pumping the air in relief. Yurei had come in during the first part of the hour to let them know that their rooms were ready for them, once again leaving in a hurry to start preparing the evening dinner. Naru and Lin had been busy focusing on setting up a barrier around the base while Ayako was off collecting resources from around the house to get started on the protection charms.
"Mai-chan, are you ready?" Monk asked with a yawn, having taken a nap during the whole thing.
"Yes." She nodded, retrieving the microphone sets from beside the couch. "Can you carry the rest?" She waved at the other sets.
Monk shrugged. "Guess so." He strolled over and grabbed the camera stands, slinging them over his shoulder as he reached for the tray of cameras sitting delicately at his feet. "Alright, let's get going." He grinned, nudging her forward with his elbow.
Mai stumbled for a brief moment, but soon regained her balance in time to shoot him a weak glare before moving on. Monk grinned and slowly trailed behind, sending Naru a loud farewell before kicking the door shut behind them.
The two of them started off by the main entrance, gradually working their way down the main corridor with cameras set in places where the most activity had come from according to the client. They made sure to place one at the bottom of the stairs, but didn't dare to venture any further up them. As they arrived back at base, Mai suggested for Bou-san to set up a camera facing away from them, focusing on the end of the corridor leading towards the entrance of the house. She connected a microphone to the back, making sure everything was balanced before ushering herself and Monk into base.
"Naru, we're done!" Mai informed him, setting down the spare equipment beside the door. Naru cast a brief glance out the window, narrowed his eyes, and focused his gaze on Mai. She shivered. "W-What?"
"Mai, I need you to set up a camera outside-"
"Whoa, wait a minute Naru!" Monk interjected, pulling Mai protectively behind him. "I thought you said the fog was dangerous!" He yelled.
Naru sighed. "...It is, which is why we need a camera focused on it for precaution. You can go with her, Takigawa, but be prompt about it. And don't wander off, Mai."
Bou-san scowled at the narcissist. "Why can't Lin go?"
"Lin is working on the barrier. It should be done by the time you're back, so go now." Naru bit back coldly.
Mai placed a hand on Monk's arm. "Come on then, Bou-san. Let's get it over with," she groaned, retrieving the spare equipment from beside the door. Takigawa stayed for second longer, his form tense and stiff. "Monk." Mai called, tugging on his sleeve. "Bou-san. Come on, we can find Ayako on the way back." She tried to pull him towards her.
"...Alright, then." He gave in after a brief pause, catching the assistant by the wrist and dragging her out the room.
"Mai!" Lin's called, causing them to halt.
"Y-Yes?" She side-stepped around Monk, becoming irritated with his protective stance.
"Whatever you do, don't touch the fog. We don't have any records on it's after-effects if you do."
"...And what if I did?" She countered cautiously, blocking out Naru's warning glare as he moved to stand.
Lin ignored him. "It will sap your power, which is something we can't afford to happen. We still don't have a clear understanding of your power Mai, so it'll be costly for you and us if it does. Just, please, be careful." He furrowed his brows, shooting a worried look at Monk who tugged her back, guiding her down the corridor.
"I will." She smiled, giving him a wave before giving in to Monk's guidance, leaving Lin and Naru no other choice but to wait for them to come back.
Posting Date: 31st May 2015
Symm: Hello! How's everyone been? I apologise for the wait. The whole 'Anchor' theory is something I completely made up. However, the first theory (Possession anchors) might actually be true. I think they use this theory of a spirit inhabiting an object in some horror films –I swear I've heard of it before. And I think this might be the longest chapter I've written so far, so I hope you enjoyed and will stick around for the next instalment. Review if you wish, no pressure! :D
Thanks for the favourite BlueFireMoon, QueenofHearts7378, Akuma no Esu, Curlyfr13s, XVongolaFamigliaX, Anime-Books-Tv123, Alice-okaami!
Thanks for following BlueFireMoon, Meresdreams, QueenofHearts7378, Curlyfr13s, XVongolaFamigliaX, Anime-Books-Tv123, ddurga74, Socat14, Naruisawesome, halfdemonfan, wingfright, Izumi. Takahashi-279, ShannonEsmerelda1!
Thanks for the review Naruisawesome, Socat14, halfdemonfan, RosetheWolfgirl, 909kk, Guest!: Hello, I'm glad you found that part funny. XD