Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt
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Ghosts. These are undead persons or animals that manifest themselves in the living world. No matter where you go, ghosts are in every culture. In Japan, Yūrei, are spirits held from a peaceful afterlife. Ancient Near East and Egypt believe that ghosts are created at time of death that have the memory and personality of the deceased. Medieval Europe has two categories: souls and demons. Souls are dead with a purpose and demons are only here to torment and tempt the living. (1)
There are different types of ghost. Shadow ghosts, as you can tell from the name, are ghosts that appear as a shadow. They are sneaky and evasive and are usually spotted in the corner of your eye or darting through a wall.
Apparitions are transparent human forms that are wearing the clothing of their period. They appear faint and disfigured as if incomplete.
Ghost lights are balls that glow in darkness that are often called will-o'-wisps and jack-o'-lanterns. Will-o'-wisps are known as a death omen and jack-o'-lanterns are said to be the souls that have been shut out of heaven and hell and must roam the earth forever. Others believe that ghost lights are playful beings that lead unexpected travelers into darkness. (2)
Evil spirits, or demons, are largely known for the power to posse people.
Poltergeists are ghosts that responsible for physical disturbance such as load noises and objects being moved or destroyed. (1)
Because of ghosts, SPR is in business. SPR are ghost hunters that go on cases that appeal to the boss, Shibuya Kazuya. Kazuya is a very adept researcher with a library of knowledge of ghosts in his brain. He uses technology, such as cameras and microphones, to capture and study paranormal activity. His assistant Lin and him use reasoning instead of spirituality to find ghosts even though both have powers.
Kazuya is a strong psychometrist (able to discover facts just by touching an object) and has amazing PK (ability to move objects with just thought). He has so much power that it is very dangerous for him to use, so harmful that when he uses them, it can lead to hospitalization. Without his brother, Eugene, to 'bounce' the PK between them, Kazuya barley ever uses his power.
Lin, Kazuya's Chinese assistant, is a strong onmyoji with wide range of skills from exorcisms and summoning spirits. With being the guardian of Kazuya, Lin has one of his shiki, familiars; follow him for protection and a kind of GPS when Kazuya has one of his episodes.
When they have a case, it's not just them two. They have associates.
Takigawa Houshou, Bou-san, is a powerful Buddhist monk from a family owned temple in Mt. Koya. Though he is a monk, his real job is a musician. He plays base in a band.
Matsuzaki Ayako is a Shinto priestess, a miko with a special relationship with trees, who performs exorcisms. Her exorcisms only work with 'living' trees, so most of the time, her exorcisms fail. When she is not 'exorcising', she is a doctor in a general hospital.
Hara Masako, a medium with the gift to see and channel spirits. Naru doesn't think of her as a 'perfect' medium. When posses, she speaks in Japanese, no matter if the spirit is Japanese or not. The only 'perfect' medium Naru knew was Gene. She has a TV show that made her a famous star.
John Brown, an Australian catholic priest that exorcises spirits with holy water and reciting from the Bible. His exorcisms only work on spirits that fear God.
Yasuhara Osamu, though he doesn't have powers, still has a vital spot in SPR. An intelligent student with a knack for research, he is often called upon from Naru to look up history and sometimes disguise himself as Naru on cases when Naru doesn't want to be known. (3)
And, of course, there is Taniyama Mai and this is her story.
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Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that attacks the lungs. The symptoms are fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, coughing up blood, and night sweats. (4) But there is a solution with medicine. Since Mai didn't have money for this medicine, she made do with home remedies that she made from her garden. Most of the time she has the loss of appetite, the coughing of blood, and night sweats, but that can also be because of her dreams.
With having a little of her healing powers, she is able to keep the sickness contained so none of her family can get it. She thanks Kami-sama everyday for that.
Having cleaned up the bathroom, she went back to her desk and got to work. She hated typing up the files. It was so boring and dull. It was quite and all she could hear was typing from Lin's and Naru's office. Naru didn't allow her to have music on to listen to, so when he called for tea she would hear him.
Picking up the first file, she started inputting it in the SPR data system.
This is going to be a long day.
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Around ten is when the clients made their appearance. It was a women and child. The mother looked tired and scared with bags under brown eyes and her black hair a mess. The child had to be around four with innocent brown eyes and short brown hair. He looked around nervously and then looked up to his mother for assurance. The mother looked down at her son and gave him a weak smile and gently ushered him along.
Mai quickly got up and walked in front of her desk and bowed.
"Good morning! I'm Taniyama Mai, how can I help you?" Mai said with a smile, subconsciously easing the mother and son.
The mother closed the door and bowed. "Good morning Taniyama-san. I'm Nakamura Kumiko, and this is my son, Akio. I talked to Shibuya-san on the phone. I believe you're expecting us."
Mai's eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah, yes, right this way." She started walking over to the next room. This room was a calming green with two couches that could fit three people and one that could sit two. In between the couches was a table with a flower vase.
Turning around, Mai gestured for the two to sit down. "If you would please sit down Nakamura-san, I'll go get Shibuya-san for you."
Kumiko nodded, picked up Akio and moved over to the couches and sat down with Akio on her lap. The way Kumiko was holding Akio reminded Mai of someone holding onto a lifeline. Giving them a final look, Mai headed over to Naru's door.
"Naru, the clients are here."
"I heard them Mai, I'm not deaf. Make me tea." Naru said through the door. "I'll be right out."
Mai scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue at the door. Huffing, she mumbled about tea addicts and went to Lin's door.
"Lin-san, we have a client." Without waiting for an answer, Mai walked back to the client and asked if they would like anything.
"Water would be fine Taniyama-san," Kumiko looked to her son," What would you like Akio-chan?"
Akio looked to his mom with his big brown eyes and then to Mai, "Juice?"
Mai held onto a squeal when she heard his cute voice and smiled, "Of course, sweetie, is apple good for you?" The boy blushed and nodded his head.
"Ok, I'll be right back." By the time the tea was ready and all the drinks on the tray, Naru and Lin were sitting on the couches, Lin with his computer and Naru looking impatient.
Mai handed Naru and Lin their tea and walked over to Kumiko and handed her, her water. Bending down, she handed Akio his juice box. "Here you go honey."
Akio took his juice and thanked her, then attacked it with thirst. Giggling to herself, she walked to the couch Naru was sitting on and sat down.
With a click, Naru set his teacup on the table and set his glaze on the women in front of him. "Now, Nakamura-san, state your case." Mai sharply looked at Naru for his rudeness. Naru ignored her like usual.
Kumiko quickly sipped her water and started fidgeting with her hands and held tightly to her son. With tired eyes and shaky breath she started, "It started when we-my husband, Akio, and I- moved into our new house. We would hear noises at night. In the beginning it was small, like knocks on doors and clicking of silverware, but it started to get worse. Loud banging on the walls and the screams-,"she started to panic. "Oh Kami, the screams! So load!"
Kumiko started to cry. Mai quickly got up and went over to her and handed her some tissues. Mai sat down by her and quietly rubbed her back. Akio looked up at his mother and hugged her fiercely. "Is mama ok?"
"I'm ok sweet, mama's ok." She held his face and kissed him on his forehead.
All the while, Lin kept on typing and Naru looked irritated and annoyed. He didn't like crying, it bothered him, plus this case didn't interest him. This was textbook, a beginning case for amateurs. "I recommend, Nakamura-san, that you go somewhere else-"
"Naru!" Mai looked at him with surprise.
"Please! There's more." Kumiko spoke hastily. "There's been blood! Lots of it. So much blood. On the walls and floors. It looks like someone is being dragged. And that's not it. It has been physical with us. We will wake up with scratches and burn marks." She rolls up her sleeve to show a nasty burn and scratches. Mai puts her hands to her mouth and gasps.
"My poor baby has had the worst. Come on Akio, lift up your shirt." Kumiko helped him and turned him around to show Naru Akio's back. She took off one side of the bandages, letting them hang on the other side of his back. Naru narrowed his eyes. On the boy's back were third degree burns and deep gauges.
In the middle of his inspection, Mai started to cough in a tissue and excused herself. Naru glanced in the corner of his eye at her retreating figure. She has been coughing a lot lately and always running out of the room afterwards. He put this in the back of his mind to think about later. Getting back to the client, he made a decision.
"I will need three rooms, one for our base and two sleeping quarters. Expect us tomorrow."
Kumiko brightened and a smile filled her face. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Naru nodded his head and stood up." Mai will take your information down." With that said he walked back to his 'cave'. Seeing that the interview was done, Lin shut his computer, stood up, nodded to the client and left.
Mai came back when Kumiko was putting the bandages back on Akio's back. She marveled at the boy's strength, he didn't cry when the bandage came off, he just played with his mother's shirt.
"If you would follow me to my desk, I can get your info."
Kumiko walked over with Akio and she gave Mai everything. When all was done, Mai gave them a farewell. "Cya guys tomorrow, and here Akio, another juice box for the road cutie." Akio's hands held tightly to the box and quickly kissed Mai's cheek. Pink filled his cheeks and he rapidly looked away. "Cya wata, Mai-chan."
"Thank you again, Taniyama-san-"
"Mai, please."
Kumiko nodded," -Mai-san, thank you for taking it. I can't tell you how much this means to me, to my family."
"Don't worry about it, Naru is the best of the best. You are in good hands." And with that, Kumiko and Akio departed.
Sighing, she went back to the sitting area and started cleaning up. Picking up the used teacups, the water glass, and an empty juice box, she put them on the tray and headed to the kitchen. Throwing away the juice box and cleaning the glassware, she was finally able to get back to her desk.
Thinking about the wounds, she was worried about the boy.
How horrid it must been to wake up to those. I hope we finish this case quickly. I don't want this happening to anyone else.
Mai
Mai
What? Who's calling me?
She was popped out of her thoughts by a poke on her forehead "Mai, I don't pay you for slacking. Call the others and tell them we have a case and here are more files for you to type." Naru was standing in front of her and glaring.
Why do I like him again?
"Geez Naru! Don't scare me like that!"
"If you weren't spacing out in that air-head of yours, you would have heard me." Naru stated on his way back to his office.
Mai glowered, "Whatever." She set her eyes on the phone and picked it up and was about to ring Bou-san when she was interrupted again.
"Oh, and Mai-"
Turning her head, she looked at him. "Yeah?"
"Tea." And the door closed.
Mai just stared at his door and fumed. "Why that son-of-a-bit-"
"Now Mai."
How in the world?
Huffing, she went to the kitchen. She might as well put her desk here. It seems that she resides most of the time here.
What a day and it's not even noon.
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(1)Wikipedia
(2)Ghost Study
(3)Ghost Hunt Wiki
(4)American Lung Association