Sorry for the late chapter. I might get the next chapter for "Ill Fate Reunion" up today too, but I'm not too sure. I'm headed off to Disney with my orchestra group tomorrow for Spring Break, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get two more chapters up this week. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt
Chapter 4: Tree House
"Onee-chan, Daddy!" Tamaki and Kamin screeched as Suzuka pulled the door open to allow us in. A huge albino German Shepard bolted out after them. The three plowed into Mai and Naru, nearly knocking them off of their feet. They steadied themselves on each other, not realizing that they had their arms wrapped around each other's waists.
"I'm not your fa-" Naru instantly started to correct, but a well-placed elbow to the ribs had him gasping for breath instead.
Mai hooked her finger in his collar next, and jerked him down to her level. "Give them at least this much. Their mother dumped them in an orphanage, and they've never known their father," she hissed angrily in his ear before quickly releasing him and grinning down at the twins. "Hi guys," she said cheerfully.
"We have something to show you!" they cried in union, each latching onto one of her arms in an attempt to drag her off of the porch. The dog slid under them instantly, acting like a seat.
"I'm sorry, but I'm working right now. You'd have to ask Daddy if I can go or not," she said, looking over her shoulder to grin at Naru who gave a huge sigh.
"Please, Daddy, pleeeeeeeease," they pleaded, clinging to each of his pants legs. They gave him puppy dog eyes in hopes of softening him. Though Mai knew Naru would never fall for the eyes –she should know, she'd already tried- she knew he couldn't deal one bit with whining.
"Fine. Fine, I don't care. Mai, give your box to Monk, but you will be on night watch tonight," he told her without looking at her. Instead, his eyes were watching the children still hanging from Mai's arms.
She grimaced as she handed the box over to Monk. "Sure thing, Naru," she said. With that, Tamaki and Kamin squealed in anticipation, dragging her back down the steps and around the side of the house.
She found herself in a large, fenced off portion of the backyard. Cat toys and dog toys lay around the yard like a toy graveyard. In one corner, there towered a huge oak. High in its branches a tree house looked over the fields.
"Wow," she breathed, a childish grin spreading across her face. The dog ran by knocking her on her butt.
"It's our tree house," Kamin supplied, then turned to the dog wagging her tail happily at her, "Rex, don't be mean to Onee-chan. Stay there and be good." The German Shepard cocked her head to the side, like she was confused. "Come on. It's up here." Tamaki and Kamin pulled Mai to her feet and over to the small wooden planks that were screwed into the tree sideways. They led up to a small trapdoor close to the edge of the walkway.
Mounting the makeshift stores after Kamin, Tamaki looked over his shoulder at Mai. "Come on, Onee-chan, it's up here," he called back, scrambling up through the trapdoor.
"Oh! Right," she said quickly, cautiously placing her foot on the first plank. When it didn't break under her weight, she started climbing. She pulled herself up through the trapdoor, swinging her legs up into the room.
Kamin and Tamaki carefully lowered the trapdoor before grinning at her. They scurried over to an old-fashioned steam trunk leaving Mai to observe the small room.
One wall was completely painted with chalkboard paint. Chalk drawings and words littered its surface. Right behind Mai sat two beanbags. Both were navy blue. A bookshelf sat opposite the chalkboard wall filled from top to bottom with books. Stuffed animals and coloring books covered the floor. Origami cranes of all shapes, sizes and colors hung from the ceiling or sat anywhere they could find purchase. There had to be more than two thousand all together.
"Onee-chan! Onee-chan! Look, we found this yesterday after we got home. There's lots of pictures of Mommy and Daddy in here," the twins said excitedly, holding out a thick photo album. It was black with a gold graduation cap on the front. Silver handwriting of all different types almost obscured the black background. Everything was in English efficiently making it impossible for Mai to read.
"What's this?" Mai asked. Even though she knew it had to be a graduation photo album and that it had to be their mother's, she was unsure of whether she truly wanted to risk tearing her heart to shreds.
"It's Mommy's pictures from high school," Kamin supplied with a huge smile.
Mai smiled tentatively, taking the album from the twin's hand. They scurried over to sit on either side of her. She smiled to herself, opening the front cover.
She was met with the stunning photo of the blonde dressed in a golden dress that fell just above her knees and brought out the gold in her hazel eyes. She wore her hair in a loose knot on the top of her head, curls falling free to frame her face. It was held in place by an emerald encrusted clip. A corsage with a red rose was securely attached to her wrist. Beside her stood a Naru in a tux, his vest and pocket kerchief the same golden color as the cheerleader's dress. They stood in front of a lavishly decorated gym.
On the edge of the picture there was that black smear again.
"Your mother is extremely beautiful," Mai complimented, smiling softly at the twin's huge grins. She flipped through the next couple pages only glancing at the pictures. Those were all of the couple and their friends dancing and having fun. In each one, that black smear was present.
With each picture, Mai could feel something inside of her peeling and pulling. It threatened to break, but had enough strength left to stay together. She wondered if she'd really be able to keep at together, if she really had a chance with her crush.
The pictures after that were all of the couple doing various things at school. Sitting at lunch, running on the track, swimming, playing soccer, studying in the library, laughing with teachers… and so they went on. In all of these photos the black smudge at the edge of the picture of in the corner was present.
Its existence stabbed at Mai, demanding to be noticed, tugging on the strings of her memory. Images of Naru flipped through her memory, though why, she had no idea. She pulled the first picture she'd seen of the couple from the picture, comparing it to the one in front of her. It was a far off picture off the couple lying in the grass in the middle of the track field.
Something about that darkness reminded her of Naru. She didn't know why, and she didn't know how she was going to find that out, but she would one way or another.
Something at the back of the photo album caught her attention. She pulled free the picture and held it up to look at it. Her mind slowly processed it. When she finally realized what she was staring at, she let out a loud gasp.
…..
"Shibuya-san, this is the room I have set aside that you requested," Suzuka said, opening the door to a large room.
It sat in a corner of the second floor, overlooking the backyard. The walls making up the corner were almost completely the windows. Two long tables sat against the wall to their left. A large coffee table sat in the middle of the room surrounded by chairs.
Naru set down the box he'd been carrying and wandered over to the window. He stared down into the backyard and orchards. He could see Mai outside the fence of the backyard playing hide and seek in the orchards with the twins and the dog. Though her laughter could not penetrate the window, Naru could clearly hear it in his head.
He watched the three intently. A stray thought filtered into his mind, "They look like a family." He made a face at the foreign thought. The fluttering of the grass around the three drew his attention. It was as if there was a breeze, though Naru was absolutely certain there wasn't one.
"Hey Naru, how do you want us to set up?" Monk asked, dropping the shelves and box he'd been carrying beside Naru's.
When Naru didn't answer, Monk looked up to see what he was doing. He shot Yasu –who had already noticed their preoccupied boss- a conspiratorial grin. They crept towards him, keeping as silent as possible.
"Um, what are you guys doing?" John asked from across the room, watching them approach their boss.
"Shh," they hissed at him, stopping dead in their tracks when Naru shifted his weight. Lin smirked to himself knowing that whatever they were planning, they'd pay for it dearly once it was executed.
When they were right behind Naru they glanced over his shoulder to find Mai lying in the tall grass with the twins and the dog. Their grins widened as they got into position. "Hey, Naru-chan, what cha lookin' at?" they shouted, each shooting out a hand to slap one of his cheeks.
Naru was snapped back to reality with the sudden and immediate jolt of pain. His cheeks stung and his hand throbbed angrily. His eyes narrowed in anger. With a slight slip of his control, the air around him began to crackle with released energy.
"Uh oh!" the pair cried in terror, sprinting away from their boss. They snatched up several cameras and microphones, running out the door with a hurried, "We'll go set up cameras!" thrown over their shoulders.
With a long suffering sigh, Naru let the energy die. He took one last glance out the window at the girl and twins before getting to work.
…..
Mai lay curled up on one of the many chairs around the room. Her breathe came out soft and even signaling to Naru that she'd already fallen into a deep sleep.
The sun had long since fallen behind the mountains. Stars and the moon popped out, upstaging the sun with their brilliance. The sky was a deep, navy blue letting everyone know it was about time for bedtime.
"Hey Naru-chan, who's on night watch?" Monk asked even as Ayako and Masako filed from the room.
"I'll be taking it," Naru answered, closing his book and setting it aside to level a look at Monk.
"Right…" he said, his voice trailing off as both their eyes land on the sleeping Mai.
Before Monk could offer, Naru said, "I'll take her. Go to bed."
Monk gave him a dubious look, but nodded all the same. He left the room followed by Yasu, John, and last but not least, Lin who was giving his young charge a calculating look. "Don't do anything you might regret, Noll," Lin advised before shutting the door.
"You don't think I know that?" he muttered, glaring after Lin. He looked back at Mai, and with a sigh, got up. He looked down at her, watching her shoulders softly rise and fall, her hair fluttering with every breath.
On impulse, he reached out his hand and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Mai shifted in her sleep causing his fingers to freeze against her soft cheek. A smile grew slowly across her face and, and she mumbled, "Naru…"
Naru felt some of the anger and jealousy he'd been spouting that whole day lessen with that simple action. She may have been concentrating on another guy while awake, but he was the one she dreamt of. That made everything better.
Finally satisfied, Naru carefully lifted Mai into his arms. He was surprised by how light she was, how small she felt in his arms. Her arms slid around his neck. She pulled herself up enough to kiss him lightly on the mouth before settling down with her head resting on his chest.
Naru stared wide-eyed down at the girl in his arms for a long moment. Taking it in stride, Naru pulled Mai closer against his body, tightening his arms around her, and set off for her room.
Oh dear, for some reason I've had no idea what to do with John. He's honestly the hardest person for me to write. Any suggestions on how to include him? Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review :D