A/N: Hi! I've been in the Ghost Hunt fandom for a good while now and finally decided to contribute—we gotta keep the fandom alive after all! Occasionally, I may* post fan art that I make for this fic.
*Italics = Mai's thoughts
Chapter 1: Prologue- Her Beginning
Mai hadn't always had "trippy" dreams or inklings of the unexplainable. In fact, her first years of life were uneventful, not that she would have recalled much as a toddler anyway.
At the tender age of four, she began having odd dreams every so often. These usually involved memories that belonged to others. These dreams were so infrequent that young Mai hardly remembered the contents. With her growth, they became recurrent in nature and much clearer. As they appeared to be harmless, her parents didn't pay the dreams much attention.
That is until one specific dream—
A young lady, who vaguely reminded Mai of the nice Obaa-chan next door, had been in tears in this vision. It looked as though she was saying her goodbyes to a handsome gentleman of the same age. He smiled, whispering into the lady's ear as he left a violet floral brooch in her hand. His whispers were too quiet for Mai to hear, but even they deserved a little privacy from the intruding four-year-old. The man kissed the lady softly before leaving, allowing one stray tear to fall.
Mai could sill recall how beautiful the brooch had been when she peeked at it on her tippy-toes. It had flower-shaped silver with violet gems for petals and a small engraving she couldn't make out on the back. At this age, she couldn't quite understand everything the people in her dreams had to say but didn't need to. She understood their body language and expressions.
Having told her mother of this dream, her mother thought it oddly specific but didn't question it much. She assumed Mai had seen a similar storyline during a daytime drama on one of her sick days from school. Thus, she ended up forgetting about the dream. It wasn't until she decided to tell their neighbor over tea and rice crackers, that it occurred to Mai's mother that it wasn't a dream.
Higashi-san, known as "Obaa-chan" to Mai, had frozen mid-tea-serve upon hearing the tale. The older lady then proceeded to divulge to Mai's mother on the backstory of the dream. After Mai had returned home from school that day, Higashi-san paid their home a visit, a small box in hand.
"Mai-chan, is this what you saw in your dream?" The elderly lady dropped to Mai's height and opened the small box she brought. Inside revealed a silver brooch shaped into a flower with gems of amethyst.
Mai stared in awe at the brooch, taken by its beauty in person. "Yeah, and there were words on the back too, but Mai can't read that yet." She took it upon herself to flip the brooch over, much to the horror of her mother who was afraid that her sticky child fingers would ruin the beautiful jewelry. "Hiro-oji-san said he's sorry he couldn't make it back and that he loves you."
Higashi-san smiled cheek to cheek, patting the child's head. "Thank you, Mai-chan."
Following that event, Mai's parents began paying closer attention to her dreams. They still listened with a grain of salt as the dreams were usually about unconnected, or trivial events. It wasn't until her first nightmares that Mai's mother took some advice from a coworker and visited the local shrine. She got a talisman for Mai that warded off negativity in her dreams. It ended up working well enough throughout her childhood.
And then came the untimely death of Mai's father.
On that night, Mai, aged 7, recalled a restless energy she couldn't shake off—the drowning feeling of dread. She was unable to fall asleep at her usual time that night, tossing and turning until she gave up.
Her mother guessed that she had "the jitters" because her father had recently left for a business trip and she missed him. After a cup of tea and a short story, Mai finally managed to fall asleep.
He visited her that night, ruffling her hair as he always had and planting a kiss on her forehead. He hugged her, apologizing for having to leave so soon before pulling the blankets over her shoulders and fading away. She sometimes wondered if she had been dreaming, or if he actually appeared in her room. The following morning, she awoke to the sound of her mother sobbing over the phone.
The next time she experienced intense dread was on one morning when she felt the urge to keep her mother at home. Her mother laughed it off, wondering what her daughter was so worried about. She had said it would be a waste to not go to work and eat the bento Mai had proudly made for her while it was fresh. Mai stopped her insistence, but the voice inside her pushed her to continue.
She should have listened.
Soon, Mai found herself fearing what her abilities would reveal in her dreams. On occasion, she would experience brief snippets of her parents' lives—both the good and the bad.
While apprehensive, Mai still involved herself with the paranormal in some form, albeit not always intentionally. She understood that, at the very least, she was more sensitive to the other side than other people. She didn't care to explore her abilities any further, though. Aside from helping the occasional spirit, whether aware of them being dead or not.
She wouldn't call herself a medium either, like that doll-like girl on the one TV show, Hara Masako, was it? Sometimes, she wished she couldn't tap into the other side at all. Sure, it had its benefits, but also its caveats, like that one time in middle school. She had been with a few friends who wanted to investigate an old property that was the scene of a brutal murder.
They never had the gall to explore the inside, but having walked the perimeter of the yard, Mai had the intense urge to get as far away as possible. She remembered feeling watched from the second-story windows, but never catching anything. Her one friend was pushed into the dead bushes by nothing, cutting up her arms and legs with dull, but plentiful scrapes. That was also the night her night terrors of the horrific events on the property began. Sometimes from an outside view… and sometimes in first person.
That was when she started taking the sleeping pills.
She knew it was a bad habit to start, but she didn't believe the adults in her life would understand her predicament. So, she resorted to her friends for recommendations under the guise of "insomnia."
Despite the avoidance of her dreams, she couldn't completely ignore the paranormal—especially when it found its way to her.
"Um, is this it? Seems like no one's been here for a long time," Mai whispered to her companion as they approached a small worn-down shrine. The structure was surrounded by small round stones embedded into the ground. They had various faces engraved into them, almost like little spirits. Two rabbit statues stood guard at the front of the small stone platform that the shrine stood upon. With the sun drifting lower, casting a shadow over the area, Mai had to remind herself how she even got wrapped up in this situation in the first place.
She had been merely trying to mind her own business after school. She was on her way to the train station when she noticed a miko on the corner attempting to catch the attention of several passer-byers. Everyone seemed to disregard her—or rather, couldn't see her.
The miko adorned the traditional white kimono under a red hakama. Her midnight black hair was in a low ponytail tied with a small white ribbon. What differed from the usual miko attire was the small red crescent moon marking on her forehead.
I've never seen her around here before? Mai debated crossing to the opposite side of the street to avoid this suspiciously ethereal figure and whatever shenanigans she brought with her. Noting the distress of the maiden though, something told her she needed to help her.
That she was meant to help.
Thus, cue her current predicament. The miko, known as Hiroko, had claimed that she was running out of time—for what, Mai could only assume. Hiroko needed to find an ancient artifact that she was supposed to watch over.
Apparently, she had gone into a slumber for the past few decades following the world war and only now did she wake up. She woke beneath a nearby plum blossom tree with no recollection of her general orientation. And so, the duo spent a good hour or two searching different shrines in the area in hopes of finding the artifact. It wasn't until they came across a trail did they find what they were seeking. The trail led into the woods behind a larger shrine. There they found a small abandoned shrine.
Hiroko approached Mai from behind, fixating herself to the left. "Yes! This is indeed the one," said the older female. "Should you lift off the head of the tanuki stone, there will be a key. Please use that to unlock the box in the shrine."
Scrunching her face in doubt, Mai followed her directions. "You sure this is okay? I don't want to get cursed or anything. I got enough on my plate as it is."
"Surely not! This will be a blessing, in fact!"
"If you say so," she mumbled. With reluctance, Mai retrieved the key. She was careful not to drop the stone head lest she anger whatever spirit inhabited the stone. She picked up the small wooden box nesting in the shrine, noting the wear on the corners as well as the fading of the body.
Upon unlocking and lifting the top, the rusted hinge broke off, leaving the lid to clatter against the ground. Inside was a small foldable pocket mirror, preserved well from the elements. The mirror featured an intricate design of red, white, and gold embroidered into the top and bottom pieces. It resembled the ancient Chinese robes she had seen in her history textbooks.
Cloud designs bordered the perimeter followed by a pattern of what looked like white rabbits closer to the middle. Even closer to the center were ancient characters wrapped around that she couldn't quite read. She could only make out the character for "moon." The gold clasp was a full circle, leading her to think it was supposed to represent the full moon?
"Wow, this is beautiful! Looks like it could have belonged to Chinese royalty or something." She stared in awe at the beautiful piece of work as it lay in its box. Considering the circumstances of the whole ordeal, a thought crossed her mind, "I'm not going to open this and find a ghost or something in the reflection, right?" she asked, not daring to pick up the object.
Hiroko rolled her eyes, "You must jest. This is a sacred item believed to have been gifted from the heavens. It has been enshrined here for years, forgotten with the ages." Her face betrayed a wistful smile as she stared from over Mai's shoulder. She glanced back at the larger shrine that they now stood behind, allowing herself to reminisce. "I have protected this treasure for centuries at Tsukiyano shrine. I will surely miss it." Smiling warmly, she dipped her head in a bow, "Thank you, Mai-san. For I wish that you will care for the artifact well in my absence."
Alarmed by her words, Mai spun around only to see the view of the trees and the shrine in the distance. "Wait! I thought you just wanted me to find it? I didn't know I'd have to take responsibility for something so sacred!" she yelled out no one.
The space that Hiroko once stood showed no indication of the miko's presence. The wind blew against the trees, lending the scent of jasmine to her nose.
Well, that was kind of cheap. Way to push your job onto someone else! Mai sighed, cursing herself for being too nice… again.
Remembering the box in her hands, she studied the mirror—conflicted between keeping watch over the item, or finding another shrine, or even a museum, to drop the item off at.
As if to answer her question, the mirror unlatched itself, remaining ajar.
Feeling her breath hitch in her throat, she closed her eyes and attempted to calm herself down. Of course, it has to be haunted!
After what felt like half an hour of debating, she ultimately decided to at least take the object with her. What happened after that, she would just have to figure out later. Given that the box was out of commission, she neatly placed the pieces back into the safety of the shrine. She finally picked up the mirror, carefully shutting it closed before placing it into a pocket in her coat.
Feeling her phone buzz in her other pocket, she pulled it out. Her reminder had gone off about the ground beef sale at the grocery store by the school. I completely forgot! I hope they don't run out. I even have a coupon!
Unfortunately for her, she was in the complete opposite direction and would have to pass by the school again. In normal circumstances, she would have just given up and cursed her memory for sending her this way. She had been planning hamburger steak for lunch all next week though! Beef was a luxury and if she could stretch it as much as she could on a good deal, distance be damned. Humans were created with legs for a reason!
Running off, the speed of her takeoff sent a breeze to flutter some of the nearby fallen leaves. Her presence marked the last sign of life on that vacant plane for a while.
When Mai reached the platform of the larger shrine, she paused and glanced back, only to find that the trail was gone. No evidence was found that the small shrine through the patch of woods even existed. Now that she thought about it, the woods had seemed much denser and more remote when she was back there. Now, the distance she traveled couldn't have been that far.
Goosebumps traveled up from the tips of her extremities all the way to her back. Not wanting to dwell in the area any longer, she made her escape, set on making it to the grocery store before it closed.
By the time the school gates and the old schoolhouse entered her line of vision, the sun had begun to set, casting a yellow-orange film over the buildings and trees. Switching her run to a speed walk after she got tired, she pulled out her phone to check the time. It was already 7 pm and it was getting dark soon. She needed to get on the train soon before the schedule switched to hourly. As she went to put her phone away, she got a text from Michiru asking about ghost stories tomorrow after school. Thursday was their usual day after all, but they almost had to skip this week since Michiru sorta-—almost had a date scheduled.
I guess that didn't work out, huh?
Mid-reply, Mai failed to notice someone standing on the sidewalk observing the old schoolhouse. She promptly collided into their side, nearly knocking them both over and successfully dropping her phone as well as knocking the stranger's folder full of paper onto the sidewalk. "Eeeh, I am so sorry! That was my fault for not paying attention."
The stranger—a handsome black-clad teenager—grunted briefly, "I know it was," he said. "You shouldn't stare at your phone while you're walking."
Feeling embarrassment creep up her cheeks, she redirected her attention to his scattered papers. "Here let me help you," she said, moving to pick up his papers.
"It's fine. I had organized them in a fashion that would be too complicated for you, anyway."
"Excuse me? And what is that supposed to mean?" When her reply received no response, she huffed and picked up her phone, stomping away. "That's what I get for being so nice today," she grumbled to herself.
The said individual paid her no mind as he gathered his dropped reports. That's when he noticed something. Where the girl had been standing not too long ago was a small circular item. It looked to be a valuable-looking pocket mirror, not the usual item carried around by teenage girls. Perhaps a family heirloom of some sort?
By the time he realized he didn't have his handkerchief and had to pick it up bare-handed, she was long gone out of sight.
Sighing, he inspected the mirror, hoping to find a name. Instead, a brief image flashed in his mind—one of the girl as she stood alone among floating orbs in an otherwise black space. A small luminescent white rabbit stood off into the distance as though watching her. What this vision meant to convey, he did not know, but he would have been lying to say he wasn't at least a bit intrigued.
Oliver studied the outside of the mirror once more, identifying Chinese characters. He could ask Lin about them later if he cared enough to know. For now, he had work to do, so he pocketed the item. He would have to return it the next he saw her—she was wearing this school's uniform after all.
A/N: And there is the prologue! I wanted to start off this story differently than just with the usual series of events.
Originally, this story was going feature only some of the actual cases as I wanted to mainly focus on how things occur differently. However, I'm thinking of including at least the big cases with some original cases throughout. However, this might change and could include them all!
Either way, the focus is on Mai's life and how earlier presentation of her abilities can alter her development as a psychic, as well as possibly change the development of her relationship with Naru.
I'm an avid paranormal fan, so I hope to include more elements of real life psychics and paranormal phenomena they don't talk about as much in the series :)
Please let me know what you think!