A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews left on the last chapter! It really means a lot. I sadly don't own Ghost Hunt. I hope you enjoy this next chapter of "No Petals Fall."
Chapter 1: The Lone Blossom
Tramping on the frosty roads for a near three hours made Mai almost want to turn straight back and never hear the name 'Shibuya' again. Her feet were swollen in the small boots and felt like ice cubes attached to her legs. Groaning out loud for what seemed to be the tenth time that hour, Mai wondered whether it was really worth walking to the manors just to be stuck there for the rest of her life. She knew she had to pay off the debts and she knew there was nothing left for her if she decided to turn around…
…but something still seemed missing. The wind whistled in her ears and blew her short, choppy hair around her face, the wintry air biting her cheeks and stinging her nose. She sighed heavily, crossing her arms across her chest to muster warmth.
Only an hour more… I hope.
A dash of color among the now-dead hills caught her eye. A single pink flower fluttered in the strong breeze, its stem twisting every which way, threatening to rip from the ground. However the tiny flower stood strong and stayed rooted into the frosty soil. As Mai looked closer at this supposedly insignificant miracle, she noticed hundreds of dead flowers surrounded it, all taken out by the early winter season.
At the top of the small hill the flowers were on was a crop of weeds, snaking their way downwards. Dark, tangled, and sure to cause any standing flower death, the weeds thrived even in the light of the weather.
Mai moved on, thinking to herself, 'What am I doing, standing here, staring at a bunch of dead flowers?'
She trudged forward, but could not help but look back to the lone blossom in the wind. It thrashed around but did not let itself be torn down. Mai smiled slightly, feeling a warm rush come over her.
The overcast sky glared down on her. The clouds in the distance nearly blocked out the gloomy mansion she was headed for. Mai figured that when it had been first built it had been glorious standing behind the forest and winding, wide, frozen river where it had been so precariously placed. But as time had crept on, the manor seemed to have lost its luster and radiance.
Didn't Shibuya care about his house at all? If he showed with much care for the outside, Mai was even less eager to find out how she'd be treated. Shibuya was a heartless jerk; she could just feel it in her gut. Stomping her feet harder into the firmly packed dirt, she took out her anger on the ground below her.
The forest came upon her quickly. The trees dark green branches towered over her, threatening to drip icy water down her back from their limbs. The sky grew harder and harder to see as the cover of the trees grew denser. A chill skittered down Mai's spine, making her snap her head around anxiously.
The leaves rustled in the wind and a hissing voice echoed all around her.
Once upon a time, in a faraway land
A young man lived in a gorgeous manor
Along with his family, friends, and servants
This man was wealthy, but cold and arrogant
Mai snapped out of her trance, shaking the voice out of her consciousness. What had that been? That voice like a squeal of helium and the paralyzing feeling that came with it. She sped up her steps, briskly making her way through the thick forest. But before she knew it, she had stopped in her tracks again, hearing the voice continue on.
…taken out of his element
The young man was enraged
And his anger grew when…
Slightly confused, Mai felt she had missed something. Questions sprinted through her mind and she didn't have the time to catch up and make sense of them all. But now… now she wanted to hear more. She looked around the forest. No one. Mai gripped her bag with two hands, holding it in front of her stomach and listened hard.
…for how could he ever learn to love
When all had been taken away?
Yeah, that made perfect sense, Mai thought sarcastically. Either she had missed all of it, or it was never supposed to make any sense in the first place. Mai exhaled sharply, finding the dirt path that finally led out of the forest. She pushed the creepy voice and supposed epic poem to the back of her mind. She had bigger things to worry about right now.
The dirt path led the way to what seemed to be a freshly laid grey brick path. Only looking at her feet and her mud-caked boots as she walked on, she didn't notice the manor grow ever closer. Mai didn't notice until she slammed headfirst into rusted gate. She placed a hand on the icy steel, shaking the gates. The tarnished lock and chain slid off within seconds.
Goosebumps rippled across her arms and the back of her neck. Mai made her way inside, greeted by a thicker fog and even more foreboding feelings. The front courtyard itself was enough to turn anyone away at once single glance.
The grass was overgrown, statues laying pieces, and everything was just a mess. The cobblestone walkway was missing pieces in every step Mai took. She looked up at the dismal mansion, her future matching its bleakness. Slowly, she made her way across the courtyard and up to the large wooden doors, ornately carved with patterns she stared at with a slack jaw.
Mai shook herself out of her daydreams and forced her mind back into reality.
She pressed her carpetbag to her stomach with one arm and slowly she raised another to knock on the door three times. Surprised when her voice barely came out above a mumble, she said, "Hello? My name is Mai Taniyama… I'm here in the place of my father. I'm here to work to repay the debts."
The door creaked open slightly and Mai could have sworn she heard someone say, "No kidding! It's a girl… his age! Do you really think—?"
The voice was muffled and another voice spoke out loud. This voice she could clearly hear and it said, "Come inside, Taniyama, don't stand out in the cold like an idiot."
Scowling slightly, Mai stomped inside and looked around for the location of the voices – the two people, a man and a woman, she had heard. Her breath caught in her throat when she looked around the giant entryway and saw one very simple thing.
No one was there.
A/N: I again apologize for the shortness of this chapter. But please review if you all would be so kind. Constructive criticism and compliments are both welcome. Thank you for reading!