A/N:- Hello, hello! I am back with the next installment! 10 reviews last time, wonderful! So...
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Okay, let's see, dedication goes to...2takuya, Chrysanthia-Sunshine, PhoenixNimbus.292 and Naruisawesome for their ideas that went into this!
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Naru let out another big yawn as he fell into place behind Mai as she knocked on the door of their clients' house. John and Lin exchanged intrigued looks at this before focussing their attention on the opening front door and the timid looking woman who opened it.
"Ah, good day. We're the people you requested from Shibuya Psychic Research. My name is Kazuya Shibuya and these are my assistants Lin Koujo and Mai Taniyama. We also have Father John Brown with us who is one of our liaisons for such matters." Mai recited perfectly, remembering the usual spiel Naru used when meeting clients outside of the office. The woman nodded silently and stepped out of the way of the door to invite the group in. She led them towards a sitting room where a man they assumed to be her husband was waiting.
"Mr Shibuya I presume." The man announced, getting up and walking over to, shockingly enough, John. John backed away and started stammering.
"Uh…n…no, w…why would you think that?"
The man looked slightly confused as he could've sworn the man he was to meet was English and young and the man he'd addressed looked English and young enough with his blonde hair…
Mai cleared her throat to announce her presence and save John from any further embarrassment as amused as she was by the mistake. Normally when people meet the SPR team they assume people like Monk or Lin are the boss as they are male and older than the rest of the males in the group. Occasionally a client will get the right man or assume their leader is Yasuhara as he matches Naru's description also, but barely anyone picks John which is why it was so amusing to Mai.
"I believe you're looking for me." She declared, stepping forward from their quartet. The man switched from trying to shake John's hand to shaking Mai's warmly.
"Thank you so much Mr Shibuya for coming! Please, everyone, come and sit down." He said, gesturing to the unoccupied chairs and sofas in the room. Naru felt like this was the best suggestion he had heard all day. He wasn't sure how much longer he would've been able to stand with his sudden and ever-increasing tiredness.
Naru flopped onto a sumptuous sofa that the man had indicated to in a most unladylike manner of one leg across the remaining seats of the sofa and the other leg dangling off the sofa and promptly gave into his desire to sleep. Mai joined Naru on his sofa and discreetly rearranged him so that no-one was getting a view they didn't need, placing his head on her shoulder and curling his legs into her side. After everyone else was seated the man looked confusedly at the now peacefully slumbering Naru.
"Don't worry about her, she does this quite often." Mai said knowingly. "It's a part of her psychic abilities. She must have sensed something upon entering this house." She informed. The man nodded in understanding and gestured for his wife to sit next to him.
"Now please tell us all you know of the phenomena occurring in this house." Mai said, settling into the sofa as the man and woman told the three still awake all about the case they were to look into.
With Naru
Naru stared blankly at the darkness surrounding him. He didn't know where he was and he wasn't sure he wanted to either.
Giving in to the fact that he would have to make a move if he was to get anywhere with Mai's powers he carefully started to move forwards. Immediately he noticed a difference and he looked down at himself relieved to find that for now he was back to his normal self. No periods, no random mood swings, no skirts, he was all male. Although just to be sure he lowered a hand to check. 'Yep, definitely male!' He continued forward with a slight spring in his step delighting in every little feeling.
"Someone's happy." A familiar voice sounded from behind him. A voice he'd longed to hear for three years, a voice very like his own only slightly more joyful and mischievous. Naru turned, unprepared for the sight that greeted him. It was his brother, he was sure, but at the same time it wasn't for yet again, instead of a mirror image of himself being seen, the visage was of his female assistant.
"Gene?" The word came out as naturally as it always had, but with the unsureness that came with a.) Addressing someone you believe to be no longer alive and b.) The person you want to see looking as opposite as possible to what you were expecting.
"Hey Brother!" The Mai lookalike in front of him said with Gene's voice. "Long time no see." 'Yeah, that's Gene!'
"You look rather different, care to explain?" Naru asked cocking an eyebrow at his now twirling brother.
"Huh? Oh yeah, it all comes down to how others see you and as you are now not you hence the rather female appearance." Gene explained, starting to bounce on the spot.
"I see. What the heck are you doing?" Naru questioned as he observed Gene now cartwheeling across the floor, space…whatever you want to call it.
"Testing stuff. I've always wondered what it was like to be a girl and now I can find out. Are skirts always this breezy?"
"How should I know, I've only worn one today and trust me there are certain things about being a girl that not even you want to know about." Naru grumbled.
"I have to say they make you feel really free in places, I mean look I can do the splits now!" Gene declared, ignoring what Naru had said and proceeding to lift his skirt a little and do the splits.
"Gene, no-one wants to see that!" Naru exclaimed, realizing his brother had lifted his skirt a little too high and was now showing his underwear to whatever entities were nearby. Gene looked to see why Naru had shouted and quickly dropped his skirt when he realized he was showing off his underwear. He then lifted it again to admire the underwear he was wearing before dropping it yet again.
"Hey Noll, did you pick these out because I have to say you have excellent taste." Gene said, gesturing to his undergarments. Naru stared at Gene as though he'd just told him he was from outer space and he wanted to take him back to his home planet. Gene laughed at Naru's expression.
"Lighten up Noll. Life's too short to be so serious all the time. You may have a doctorate, but you are the thickest person I know. No wonder you and Mai switched bodies if this is how you act with her."
"So you know about that huh?" Naru asked wearily.
"Noll, if you hadn't noticed I look like Mai, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened." Gene informed, patting Naru gently on the shoulder to reassure him it was okay.
"Anyway, I assume you called me here for a reason." Naru said, switching to business mode to hide his discomfort at having Gene see through him as usual. Gene let out a sigh at his brother's obstinate nature.
"I called you here to warn you about the spirit you're dealing with. It likes teenage girls and so far as your clients are young but not teenage it has only been toying with them. You especially need to be careful."
"I don't see why as I'm not female." Naru argued.
"Dude, have you taken a look in the mirror lately? You look distinctly female which is why you must be careful. I also recommend you call in the shrine maiden and the monk for this as you may require their expertise." Gene suggested. Naru snorted at this as he didn't see what exact expertise either of them had. Gene glared at him so he just nodded his agreement.
"And one more thing Noll. This ghost is put off by the presence of a lover or someone that the victim holds significant feelings for. I'm sure you know what that means." Gene said, wiggling his eyebrows slightly. Naru narrowed his eyes at Gene in a gesture that said that he either didn't know or he didn't want to know what Gene was implying. Again Gene sighed.
"Honestly, get your mind out of the gutter, that's not what I was trying to say. I mean for you and Mai to merely share a room during the case. Not only will it keep you safe, it will give you privacy from that miko. And before you try to deny your feelings for dear Mai they're written all over your face right now, especially in the death glare you're currently giving me." Gene stated, smirking a little at the blush now dusting Naru's cheeks. "You should get going before Mai gets worried. It was nice seeing you again Baby Bro." He said as he began to fade. Naru soon felt an insistent tugging at the back of his mind and allowed himself to be dragged, albeit slightly unwillingly, back into Mai's body. He awoke to find himself curled around Mai as the voices of their clients finished explaining what was happening.
"I see. Well, Mr and Mrs Shinjo this sounds quite serious. We will definitely take the case." Mai said. "If you could provide us with three…" She started, noticing Naru had awoken and was now poking her in the ribs and shaking his head. "…Make that four?" Naru nodded. "Four rooms, for our base and sleeping quarters we can get started." She announced. Mrs Shinjo nodded and went to prepare the aforementioned rooms. "Mai, you have been with us long enough, why don't you decide what we're all doing." Mai declared, noticing John's anticipatory glance when she realized it was time to assign tasks. 'Transferring responsibility to Naru, nice!' John thought.
"John and Lin should unload the van. Naru, you should go make tea and I will call Miss…er…that is Ayako and Monk to request their assistance on this case. Then I can fill everyone in on my dream when they get here." Naru said, digging out Mai's phone as the others went to complete the tasks he had assigned to them.
Both the monk and the miko said that they could be there within an hour when Naru called them leaving him to quietly sip his tea with Mai. He was still a little bothered by the fact that Gene had said to share a room with her. It wasn't the sharing that bothered him so much as whether his feelings really were as plain to see as Gene said they were. He shook his head and quietly requested a refill on his tea.
"Is something bothering you Naru? You haven't been this quiet all day." Mai asked, looking at the young man in her body with concern.
"I'm fine Mai, everything's fine." Naru insisted taking a big mouthful of tea without realizing how hot it was and spitting it on his skirt in shock.
"Uh-huh, you were saying?!" Mai said jovially. She shook her head whilst sighing before hauling Naru off the sofa to go find him a clean skirt. They encountered Mrs Shinjo on the upstairs landing and Mai asked which room the women were to be sleeping in after grabbing Naru's bag of clothes from where it had been put in the hallway. She quietly pointed to a room before silently disappearing down the stairs.
"Uh…Mai? I have some news you might not like. Gene said that we must share a room." Naru informed as he was dragged into the indicated room and clothes were flung at him.
"That's fine Naru, now put on this skirt." She said handing him a short denim skirt.
"I'm not wearing that, it's indecent." Naru stated, eyeing the barely there material.
"No it's not Naru, just put it on." Mai said with exasperation.
"Make me. I'm not wearing it, I refuse." Naru declared, crossing his arms.
"Well, it's either that or go around naked, take your pick. Also for your information I'm not above making you wear it even if I have to use force." Mai informed.
Naru decided to root around the bag for himself discovering only short or frilly skirts were packed for him to wear. Scowling, he grabbed the denim one offered by Mai and put it on. They both walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs as Ayako and Monk arrived. Immediately Monk grabbed Naru and pulled him into a big bear hug.
"Mai, don't worry. Monk's here to protect you!" He declared exuberantly whilst still hugging the life out of Naru.
A/N:- So, did you like everyone?
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Also, please, please check out lici910's Is it the end? a fic I'm currently working on with her! It is awesome!