"Mai, status." Naru calls from by the door as he carries in equipment with Lin, Monk, Yasu, Shuto, and John.
"Nothing yet, but Ayako and Masako left a few minutes ago for a walk through. So far they haven't found anything." I call back, only briefly glancing at the men.
"Where's Madoka?" Lin's deep voice is monotone, but I know he's worried.
"Right here." Madoka says, gliding in the room with a tray that she sets down on the table next to me. I gratefully smile and accept the tea cup from her as she passes it to me. She sits in the chair that would originally belong to Lin if he wasn't occupied right now.
"Don't leave the base." He tells her quietly as the rest of the men leave again to go grab more equipment, "We don't know exactly what is going on yet. So for the sake of my sanity, just stay in the base."
Madoka sighs, but gives in to her husband, "Yes." He smiles at her before leaving back out the room. Madoka tosses me a playful eye-roll and I giggle at their lovers debate.
I turn back to the monitors and sip my tea quietly as I remember the state in which the client came in to the office.
On any other day, I'm nearly positive she'd be a very pretty woman, but the bags under her eyes and the horrible state of her make up make it hard to tell. I've seen a lot of distressed people, but this woman makes me cringe.
"Hello. I'm here for an appointment with Shibuya-san." She says, trying her best to smile.
"Um, name?" I ask, forcing myself to maintain an air of business.
"Nitaki Isadia."
I type in the name and watch as her file pops up. Just as I'm clicking on her name, an automated note from Naru pops up. I'd set up the system on a whim. Naru always seemed to have things he didn't put in the file that I should really know about. So I create a program that allows him to put side notes for me so I'll better handle our clients.
Escort her yourself, Mai.
The message is clear. I hit the button under my desk that automatically locks the front doors and stand from my seat with a smile, "Isadia-san, why don't you come with me?" I hold my hand out for her and she gratefully accepts it.
I toss Shuto, who is standing by the door in his security uniform, a look, and he nods. He'll watch the lobby.
Naru looks up with an arked eyebrow as I enter. It's a silent question. His face turns in to a knowing one, however, when Isadia-san walks in behind me. Naru's eyes flicker to the make shift kitchen that he'd had installed and he stands. I easily get the message and move towards it as Lin come out of his office with his lap top.
As I'm fixing the tea, they all sit quietly and Isadia-san seems to be growing more and more anxious as she waits. After what seems like an eternity, the tea is ready and I bring it over to the three persons on the couches.
"Isadia-san, please explain what is going on in your house," Naru says, his tone of voice in what can be considered a 'polite' tone. He clicks his pen, "From the beginning please."
"We-ell," she begins, her voice cracking, "I suppose it started when my grandfather passed a few months ago. My mother never allowed us to go see him, although he visited quite a lot. She always said that his house was cursed but we didn't believe her."
"Who do you mean by 'we?'" Naru says, pausing in writing in his notebook to make eye contact with her.
"I have a younger brother." Isadia-san says, her eyes growing slightly larger, "He's quite sick, so he stayed home today. He's had a weak constitution since he was a child."
"How old is he?" It was Lin to ask this question, he didn't look up at her, however. He just continued to type on his laptop.
"He'll be twenty-two in a few months." She has a confused look on her face. She probably doesn't know why this is important.
"Sometimes," I begin, trying to explain, "A spirit may attach itself to a specific person because of gender, age, or even similar body type." Understanding lights in her eyes and she nods quietly.
"Please continue." Naru says, gruffly.
"I grew up never entering the house. And then my grandfather died, and I learned he left his mansion in my name. My mother has long since passed, and I was trying to pay for Haru's medical bills and go to school at the same time." She's nearly in tears by now, "I just thought we could live there until Haru got better and I was able to graduate high school."
"Haru is your little brother?" I say softly, offering her some tissues, which she accept gratefully.
"Yes." She says, nodding, "We moved in and he was excited. His favorite place is the garden out in the back. It seems to be the only place that this… phenomenon doesn't occur."
"By phenomenon, what do you mean?" Naru says, leaning forward slightly.
Isadia-san sniffles, "At first it was little things. Like my car keys not being where I put them. Or the flowers in a vase rearranged. Then it got slightly worse. Knocking on the walls and then the doors closing behind me. But then Haru began to notice things. His breathing machine would be turned off suddenly or his IV bag will fall off the hook. Next thing I know I'm running in to Haru's room because he screaming. His IV was being yanked out of his arm."
An unintentional gasp leaves me at the thought of that happening to such a young man. It's bad enough that his life has been hell because of his health issues, but then an unknown enemy is trying to rip out a needle. I couldn't imagine the pain.
"Eventually, it got worse. We'll hear screaming all around our home. Scratch marks would be carved in to the walls and words were written in a language that I don't know. However, I'm afraid Haru is quite the intellect, so he took the letters and words and figured out what language it was. I think he said something like Bul-har-e-an?" A confused look flits across her face.
"Bulgarian?" I say, leaning forward in my seat.
"Yes! That's it!" She exclaims, but then confusion is all over her face again, "What is this Bulgarian?"
"Bulgaria is located in Europe." Naru says, sounding annoyed.
I roll my eyes, and direct my words to Isadia-san, "Bulgaria is a culture that contains mainly Slavic heritage, along with Greek, Roman, and Celtic influences. A very old and well known place for those of us with a primitive knowledge of geography." I toss her a smile, "But don't worry, that won't be on your exams."
She laughs while heartedly at my joke, before growing serious again and continuing with her story, "He was able to figure out the language, but he was not able to decode it, I'm afraid. Eventually, Haru began to spend more time out side, but the happens of this… whatever, are still going on. Whatever this thing is is making my and Haru's lives ten times harder and we just want it out." She looks up at Naru imploringly, "Please! Help us!" She bows to him. He watches her for a moment, before his eyes slide to mine.
Is he asking me?
Almost as if it's an instinct, I keep his gaze, before a small, cheesy smile climbs on to my face and he sighs. His lips twitch, and I know he wants to smile at my obviously silly face, but we're in the middle of an appointment. Naru stands and Isadia-san looks up from her bow, "Please give all of your necessary information to my secretary and I'll contact you with our arrival date."
Hope blossoms in her eyes and it shines as I take down all her information. After she leaves, it isn't long before we're closing and I go home. Daisuke is sleeping in my bed and I stumble in to the shower. Five minutes and I'm collapsing on to my bed. The overly fat cat curls up next to me and I run my hands through his long fur until Naru gets there.
"You should stop feeding that thing." Naru grumbles, walking in to my room with an air of annoyance. He climbs in to the bed and swings his arm over my waist. The lights go out and I'm dozing.
"Naru?" My words are slurred because I'm tired, but I have to get this out.
"Yes?" His voice is quiet, but I know he's dozing as well.
"Thank you for taking the case." Instead of answering, his arm just tightens around my waist… and then I'm falling in to oblivion.
"What is it?" Madoka says, breaking me out of the memory.
My face warms and I can't help myself from becoming jumpy, "Nothing! Why would you think something is wrong?"
Madoka eyes narrow and she leans forward, "I'm going to figure it out, you know. You and Noll have been acting normally, but Lin and I notice things that the rest don't. You think we don't notice that the two of you show up at the same time in the morning, and that Noll had that car of his imported, and that he gives you rides to and from school." By now I was sweating and Madoka is pretty close, "And to top it all off, I, as a WOMAN, notice the way you are perfectly comfortable with how he touches you. Lin hasn't noticed, but I noticed it. When we arrived here, for instance, Noll opened the door and he physically picked you up and put you down next to him. His hands were on your hips the entire time, Mai." Her glare is fierce, "What's going on, Mai?"
"What's going on?" Shuto's deep voice says.
My heart skips a beat and relief fills me, "Nothing at all!" I laugh awkwardly, before standing and moving towards the door, "I'll be right back! Ladies room!" I dart out of the room with out a look back, but I know Madoka is glaring holes in to my back.
—
Great, now I'm lost. I think to myself, trying to find my way back to the base. Naru is going to kill me.
"Who are you?" A soft voice says, I turn and my eyes widen at the soft beauty of the man before me. Creamy eyes that are bright and fluffy brown hair that seems to have natural blonde high lights in it. His skin is tan and he's surprisingly short, with a very thin frame. He's in his pajama's, but that doesn't make his soft appearance any less appalling.
"I'm Mai Taniyama," I say, walking forward and offering him my hand. I smile gently at him, "You must be Haru Isadia."
His soft pink lips curl in to an easy smile, and I get the feeling that this man has a very happy personality. He takes my hand gently, and gives it a soft shake, "It's nice to meet you, Taniyama-san."
I can't stop my mouth from smiling, "Call me Mai, Isadia-san."
"Then you have to call me Haru, Mai." His smile is like an infection, and I can't stop the giggle from leaving me. His eyes light up, "You look to be lost. Are you looking for that room that you all call your 'base?'" At my nod, he loops my arm through his, "Let me help you."
I giggle. Such a cutie pie.
When I pull open the door to the base, everyone's heads snaps to me, but Naru is the first to speak up, "Where have you—" His sentence is cut off as Haru steps behind me.
"I'm sorry." His voice is just as gentle and light as before, but it had a different ring to it. He smiles at my team, "I'm afraid I was occupying Mai's time, please don't get angry at her."
"Haru!" Isadia-san says, walking towards her little brother, "You aren't supposed to be out of your room!"
"But I'm feeling better, big sister." Haru says, a smile on his face, "Really. Just let me help."
She sighs, "Fine. But stay out of their way."
"Mai." Naru snaps, when he sees he has my attention, he glares, "Get back to work."
I toss a look in Haru's direction before scurrying over to Madoka and Lin.
—
"Where did you learn to make your tea, Mai?" Haru asks suddenly as I hand him another cup.
I pause for a moment, before handing Lin his cup. I toss him a hesitant smile, "No ones ever asked me that before."
His eyes widen and his eyebrow shoot up, "Really? I'm surprised. Your tea is like…" he pauses for a moment, biting his lip cutely as he thinks. He giggles cutely, "It's like love in a cup."
My eyes sting and I smile at the man. Such a curious one. I walk over to him and gently sit down on the couch next to him, "My mother taught me, but it was my father who had taught her."
—~—
Yasu's Point of View:
Surprise fills my entire being. I never knew that.
I watch as Mai continues to speak to Haru (the subject is different now), but I think we're all moving mechanically.
What kind of a 'family' are we? We don't even know this kind of thing about Mai.
We're all thinking the same thing, however, the only one whose frozen in the same position is the boss. He's staring down at his tea cup, which is beginning to form ice around itself. The top of the tea has a thin layer of ice floating, which means that the bossman is accidentally freezing his tea over.
I don't know if he's angry or upset or whatever, but I do know that look. It's a look that I've seen Lin give Madoka when she's upset and he doesn't know what to do.
Hopelessness.
Almost unintentionally, my hand comes down to clasp the bosses shoulder. He looks up at me and I smile reassuringly. He looks over as Ayako gently takes the cup from him to replace it with a new one. She grins at him encouragingly, as does Monk, John, and Madoka. Masako casts him a soft look, while Lin raises an eyebrow. Shuto's face remains impassive, but I know he cheering on the boss as well.
He turns to look at Mai, who glances over at him and smiles. Sometimes, I'm taken aback by how beautiful Mai's become these pass few years. It seems, however, that she's as oblivious as always.
The bossman turns back to his paper work, but the air seems lighter some how.
I grin to myself.
Mai's Point of View:
The dark of night comes fast and Haru and his sister decide to go to sleep. We've set up cameras in every room, not to mention the hallways and basement. While everyone else is asleep, I'm left alone with my quiet boss.
Something is wrong. My instincts whisper. I look over to him. He's watching the monitors, but he's tense. Almost soundlessly I stand up from the chair and walk towards him. He tenses further when my hands touch his shoulders, but then relaxes slightly as my hands work in the knots on his shoulders.
We're both silent for a moment and Naru relaxes further. Eventually, I deem him perfectly find, and I loosely wrap my arms around his neck. I rest my chin on my arms, and close my eyes in a brief moment of bliss.
Until Naru speaks up.
"Thank you."
I open my eyes and giggle. I peck him on the cheek playfully, "You're welcome."
When I open my eyes the next morning, Naru is standing over me with a hot cup of tea. He smiles at me and I grin up at him. He hands me the cup as I sit up from the couch, and he goes sit back by the monitors.
The EMP meter begins to go off and my instincts come in to play full force. I look up as Naru stands. His eyes are trained on one particular screen and I see that it's Haru's room.
Haru's scream echoes through the speakers and through the halls as I watch his arm being raised by a blackened figure and his IV is ripped from his arm.
"Mai!" Naru calls. I look up at him with tears in my eyes and he grabs my arm, dragging me behind him. Soon enough we're at Haru's room. We arrive at the same time that everyone else does.
"Oh my God…" Masako says, tears of her own filling her eyes. She turns to me, as if to clarify that she isn't the only one feeling the raw ferocity of this spirit. My eyes were still watery, and I open my arms for her to hug me. She walks forward and does so.
While Masako clings to me, Ayako and Isadia-san go to Haru's aid. Naru turns to the rest of us with a forlorn expression, "Shuto, go pick up Isadia-san and bring him to the base. We'll take care of his wounds and interview him there."
—~—
Shuto's Point of View:
After Naru-kun's order, I quietly walk forward and reach for the smaller man. He's unconscious, but even with his face twisted in pain, I can see he's still a very beautiful guy. Even if he's older than me, he's still the cutest damn thing I've seen in a long time.
Next to Mai, of course.
Haru is a surprisingly light person. I know he's sickly, but he should still weigh a little more. I'll have to speak with Mai-chan about maybe having him eat more.
The older man rests in my arms perfectly, and I lead the way to the base with everyone else following us. After fussing over him for an hour and a half, Haru finally wakes up as I'm laying a blanket over him. He blushes adorably when he looks up at me and I can't help the smile that tugs at my lips.
That's the cutest thing in the world.
"Haru!" Mai squeals, running forward to wrap the man in the hug. Her smiling face makes him smile, and he giggles.
I stand corrected.
"Hello, Mai." His voice is just as soft as it was earlier today. It's little twinks like him that remind me that I'm gay. He's just so damn adorable.
That, and the fact that Mai has tried to set me up with several of her different college 'friends' but hey, I'm not complaining. Mai's the only one that knows, although I don't think she really cares enough to think about it constantly. That's what made me like Mai automatically upon meeting her, she's just such a happy person that accepts people for who they are.
I'm sure that's one of the reason's Naru-kun likes her so much.
"Haru, you need to tell us what exactly happened." Mai says, taking his paler hands in to her much tanner ones. Haru smiles at her, before he begins to explain.
—
How did it end up like this?
"I'm sorry about this." Haru says, his head cast down as the other men continue to bring in Haru's medicine supplies. I just continue to stare down a him. He's squeezing his hands behind his back and he's blushing… bad. The tips of his ears are pink and so is his neck. Though, most of his shaggy hair is covering his blush.
Because of the incident, Naru thought it would be a good idea to place Haru in my room for protection against whatever is terrorizing the Isadia siblings. Naturally, I was perfectly okay with it, but Mai had something to say about it being an invasion of both of our privacies. However, being that Haru is unfamiliar with the fighting of those two (which I've decided is actually them flirting), he immediately shot down any upcoming argument by saying he was perfectly fine with it.
Eventually, they finish and Isadia-san comes shower her little brother with kisses, which he giggles good naturedly about. After a quick hug from Mai (for the both of us), we're left with our devices and I run to take a shower.
I wonder if he's gay...?
Fat chance.
Eventually I'm walking out of the bathroom with my basketball shorts on. Haru looks up from his book and blushes several different shades. He covers his eyes, "Shouldn't you put on some clothes?!"
I roll my eyes as a sting of annoyance hits me, but quietly walk over to my brief case and grab a t-shirt.
We're both quiet for a moment before Haru says, "How did you come in to ghost hunting?"
I look up from the basketball magazine that I was skimming through, "I'm not sure I know what you mean." It was the first time he'd heard my voice, and he blushes with an audible gulp. I raise an eyebrow unintentionally.
Interesting.
"Like, how did you come to work at Shibuya-san's research facility?" His entire body is tense, as if he's worried I might lash out at him for asking these personal questions.
I feel my walls beginning to come down as I register just how innocent this man really is. I smile at him, "Do you like stories?"
He looks taken back by my expression, and he blushes further, but he stands and stubbornly makes his way to my bed. He sits on the end of it with one foot folded under him and one foot hanging off, "Yes."
I chuckle, but then I feel my face grow serious as I take a deep breath, and begin, "Well, once upon a time, there was a boy who was slightly different from the other his age. He didn't understand what was wrong with him until he got a crush on his senpai while in junior high…"