Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ghost Hunt.
Living with both Masako and Yasuhara in the same house, no matter with how many rooms between them, remained an antagonistic experience. Mai had considered writing a letter to her guardian, but she could imagine the curt reply she would get. Lin had looked rather flustered, as she recalled from his visit yesterday and she hardly wanted to bother him with trivial domestic problems. To make matters worse, Yasuhara had taken to experimenting with a badly tuned biwa which he'd found in Lin's study. As note after screechy note sailed into and polluted the entire household, Mai found herself gathering her cloak and some books, prepared to find somewhere to wait out the siege on her ears ended, or until Yasuhara went to bed. As she was about to leave, she remembered the frog. He was leaning against the edge of the enamel basin that they finally found for him to swim around in and observing her patiently. Mai picked up the plate. "Do you want to come along? I'm going up to the observatory."
Naru did not want it to look like he was begging, but the noise was getting unbearable, so he hopped on quietly, hoping that Mai would take his silence to be the gratitude he was actually feeling at being able to go somewhere quiet.
And quiet it was.
The wind whistled around the open air terrace and made Mai's cloak flap violently, but at least it didn't sound like nails on a chalkboard. It was also cold, but the sharp, cool night air was a refreshing change to the floral scents of Mai's room. It helped him think clearer, Naru felt as she set him on the ledge.
Mai on the other hand, had scurried to the side and lit the lantern so that a small comforting globe of light washed over the smooth stone floor. She'd brought with her the flowery copy of Townsend's Guide to Eastern Cultures and had started to read, as Naru noted wryly, on the topic of etiquette in Nihon.
"Do you know a lot about Nihon?" she asked suddenly.
"What do you want to know?"
Mai shrugged. "Mostly if you think Yasuhara's performance would be ending soon. It says in the book that some pieces can be very long."
"I doubt Yasuhara knows what he is playing," Naru replied. He shivered. It really was a cold night. To his surprise, Mai held her hand out to him. "Sorry about everything up till now."
"I don't know what you are apologizing for," Naru stated stiffly. The girl blushed. "I don't think I've treated you nicely as a guest, and well," she smiled a little, "you've been the best behaved so far."
"I'm glad you noticed. Seeing as you are quite unobservant usually, I'll say it is an improvement." The frog crawled cautiously onto her palm as if he was afraid that she'll drop him. Mai tried not to shiver too much. It was cold, and damp like she'd imagine frogs to be, but… not unpleasant, she reflected with some surprise at herself. "Are you scared of frogs?" he asked when she set him down carefully next to where she was sitting with her legs tucked beneath her chin. Mai laughed in embarrassment. "I've a phobia of them since I was little. How'd you guess?"
It's obvious how I guessed, Naru thought, especially since you've refused to touch me since you found me in the woods. Out loud, all he said instead was "My superior intellect, of course."
"Huh," the girl snorted.
They shared a companionable silence, which Mai utilized to admire the starlit sky. "It's beautiful isn't it," she commented.
Naru smirked. Ah. But how could he not?
"The things that you find so aesthetically pleasing are made of different masses of gas that coalesce together in space."
"Well, I like the stories that people tell about the stars too," she said comfortably. "Studying something scientifically takes the mystery away."
"It also teaches you to understand that you don't need mystery for it to be beautiful," Naru said. They both looked up again. A meteor streaked across the dark sky. "Oh! Make a wish!" Mai said and squeezed her eyes shut. Naru, not one to believe in such things, turned aside contemptuously. To his annoyance, Mai poked him from behind.
"Stop that," he said, as a startled croak forced its way out of his mouth and Mai giggled.
"Ne, Naru. Just make one! You never know what might be listening!"
"Humph."
But, as he looked on at the smiling girl leaning against the marble ledge and humming easily to herself, he found himself wishing that he could tell her that she was beautiful.
INTERLUDE II
The masters of the Academy of Magecraft read the parchment again. "Are you certain?" he asked the white haired Master Diviner. "There is no doubt. Malfina is back and the runes prophesize disaster for the crown of Albion. We must recall Master Eugene to the school at once for his own safety." The old man sighed. "I will let Madoka know. I believe he is headed that way to visit his sick brother."
"Ow! Why are you always hitting me?" the Royal Tutor protested hoarsely and earned himself another whack from his fiery caregiver.
"What did you just hide under your pillow?" Ayako demanded.
"I didn't hide anything," he said guiltily.
The countess glared at him suspiciously. "You've been getting ink stains all over your bed sheets these couple of days."
"I'm bored. I was correcting Prince Oliver's Latin homework."
"Liar."
"I'm that bored."
With a practiced hand, Ayako heaved the prone tutor out of the way and whipped out several sheets of paper triumphantly. "Hey, watch that, the ink's not dry yet," Takigawa said as he tried and failed to snatch them back. Her eyebrows raised.
"Music scores?" she inquired. Takigawa sulked.
"I have the right to remain silent until you return them to me," he groused.
"Who has the right to what?" a bright feminine voice asked from the doorway.
"Madoka! Any news...?" The enchantress shook her head.
"Lin is still looking into it."
"Argh! That stupid prince! Why didn't he just stay in one place? If we find him, I'm going to kill him," she grumbled.
Takigawa looked anxious. "It's been what… four days since he disappeared. I hope he isn't dead. But the odds of surviving this long as a frog…" The three of them lapsed back into gloomy silence.
"There might be more than one way of looking for the prince," Madoka said eventually. Ayako glared at her.
"I'm not talking to that old tree. He gives me the creeps." Takigawa looked at them blankly. Talk to a tree? Had he heard wrongly?
"We don't have to ask Old Black yet. Why don't you speak to the ones that you know?" Madoka asked.
"What are you talking about?" Takigawa asked and then wished he hadn't when he saw the gleeful looks the two women were giving each other.
"Why, Aya-chan can show you," the enchantress smiled.
*******
They were in the grove of willow trees that made up part of the extensive grounds of Lady Ayako's ancestral home. Takigawa had been propped up in a wicker chair which some of the servants had brought out for him to rest on. The trees were clearly very old, and draped in moss and fern, which gave them a slightly demented appearance.
"Are you sure this is a good idea…" he started to object when Madoka shushed him.
"Look!" A morose looking lady had floated out of the tree nearest Ayako and Takigawa gaped, slack-jawed. The spirit eyed them with distaste.
"I don't like him," she said in a high, thin voice. "He's staring at me."
"It's alright, Wilhelmina. He can't help that he's an idiot," Ayako said soothingly.
Wilhelmina looked doubtful. "What do you wish to ask of me?"
"Where is the current location of the prince of Albion?" The spirit floated thoughtfully and then pointed at the space beyond Takigawa's head.
"Here," she whispered before fading back into the grey bark of her tree.
"What? Here?" The three of them whip round at the sudden crunch of boots on the dried leaves.
Author's notes: Dun! Dun! Dun! Whose boots are those? And yes, I'm introducing a pretty major OC who will be playing a crucial role in this fic. Sorry I'm so random with updates... I write when I feel like it, you see...