Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt...sadly. IF I did, Mai and Naru would be together already!
Mai's POV-
What in the world was I doing here? Last I remember was falling asleep in my own room on my own bed. I don't quite recall walking into the room Ayako and Masako shared and sleeping on the extra bed in there. Rubbing my eyes a bit, I sat up, the blanket falling onto the the wood floor. Ayako and Masako were sleeping soundly in their beds. I giggled as Ayako snored softly and slipped out of the bed. Padding over to the door, I pulled it open and trudged into my room.
"What do I have today?" I murmured, pulling out my schedule. The entire thing was blank except for, well, making more songs. "But I'm almost done with that!"I whined.
"Done with what?" I turned around and saw Ayako and Masako leaning against the door.
"Uh, nothing. Just something for...work." I chose my words carefully, not ready to tell anyone. I mean, wouldn't you kind of freak out if you find out that a famous singer was one of your friends and you had no clue? Yeah, probably. Masako walked over to me and plucked the schedule out of my hands and I made a futile attempt to grab it back. But since I was just amazingly clumsy, instead of snatching the schedule back, I ended up tripping over my own feet doing a face-plant onto the floor.
"Masako..." I whispered menacingly, looking up from my position on the ground. She ignored me, flipping back through yesterday's and some other appointments I had. Her eyes widened when she scanned over the noting for yesterday's meeting with Amber Fria in Redwood Industries along with my pseudonym that I use in my singing career . "I- um- Masako-"
"Oh, my god..." she muttered, tossing my schedule to Ayako, who had pretty much the same reaction except...well...louder.
"OH MY GOD!" Ayako yelled, jumping up and down. I winced, covering my ears.
"Please tone it down." I whispered, worried that someone might hear and get suspicious. And that was the last thing I needed. Ayako stared at me like I had grown another head.
"You expect me to 'tone it down' when our Mai is actually- hmmmphan!" I quickly put my hand over her mouth.
"Ayako, if you do not stop talking right now, I won't give you one of the extra tickets I have to my concert in a week." I snapped. She immediately shut up and sat down on my bed. Masako followed her example.
"So Mai, tell us." Masako began. "When did you start this career?" I smiled as I recalled my excitement when Brittany wanted to become my manager/agent.
"You both know how Naru left after finding...Gene, right?" I asked. The two nodded slowly. "Well, on the day that he left, I confessed to him." They both gasped. Masako put her hand over her mouth.
"How did he take it?" she murmured.
"Um, not so good." I admitted, my face darkening. "He told me that it was Gene I loved, and not him. That- that he didn't want to be a substitute for his...late brother. Then, he left." Ayako looked as if she would burst with anger as I tried to hold my tears in. 'Come on Mai. He's not worth crying over.' I tried to convince myself.
"Why I 'aught a!" Ayako shrieked, trying to leave my room and murder Naru. Thankfully, Masako calmed her down by giving her a quick reminding her about the concert tickets. Grumbling, Ayako plopped back down on the bed. I cleared my throat.
"As I was saying he left. Obviously, I needed a new job since my last paycheck was barely enough to cover my rent. So I went 'job hunting' and found an open space at a club as a singer. I applied and was hired. I worked there for a month or two when Brittany found me. She liked my singing and wanted to become my manager. She said it would help me financially so I agreed. I quit my job at the club and soon, I was recording songs and doing small concerts around Japan." I explained. "I had a big interview with Amber Fria in England, that's why I came here. I decided to drop by and visit the Davis', because, as you heard before, they are very close friends with me. And I bumped into you guys at the airport, and here we are!" I finished. The two of them stared at me in shock.
"Oh Mai." Ayako murmured. "How did you manage all by yourself?"
"The same way I did before I joined SPR." I smiled. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't question me farther. I yawned slightly, due to the fact that I didn't get much sleep that night. Which reminds me...
"Ayako," I started curiously. "Why was I in your's and Masako's room this morning?" She smirked.
"Well, since you didn't get to talk to us much, we decided to kidnap you and interrogate you this morning."
"Correction, you decided to kidnap Mai and interrogate her this morning." Masako clarified. I laughed nervously.
"So," I interrupted, "since it's already around 8:00am, shouldn't you guys be heading over to the hotel for the case?" I reminded them innocently. Ayako's eyes widened.
"WHAT?" she shrieked. "Why didn't you mention this before?" I shrugged.
"I forgot." Ayako ran out of the room, followed by a chuckling Masako. I sighed and closed the door before taking a quick shower and dressing myself for the chilly weather: a blue, full-sleeved, V-neck shirt and dark boot-cut jeans along with my trusty, black boots. I tied my hair up in a high ponytail and grabbed a jacket, my bag, about a week's worth of clothes, and some work on my way out. Heading downstairs, I managed to catch up with the rest of SPR after grabbing a PowerBar from one of the cupboards. Naru stared at me.
"What are you doing?" I grinned.
"Well, since I'm not that busy anymore, I was wondering if I could-"
"No." I frowned.
"You didn't let me finish my question." I fumed. Naru smirked, clearly amused by my anger.
"It was written all over your face. You wanted to come with us to the case." he replied smoothly. I glared at him before realizing something and smirked back at him, reaching into my bag.
"I'll make your tea." I bribed, holding the tea box out in front of Naru. Almost immediately, he nodded and swiftly turned on his heel, walking out the front door, an amused SPR following him. I silently cheered over my victory and walked to the cars waiting outside. The seating arrangements were as follows:
Car 1: Ayako, Bou-san, Yasu, John, and Masako
Car 2: Lin, Naru, Mai
This was deja-vu for like, the millionth time since I joined SPR. Why I always got stuck with the two most quietest people in the world, I had no idea. At least I managed to snag the window seat so I wouldn't be bored. Naru, as usual, had his nose buried in his black 'folder of mystery' while Lin was silently driving on, with no intention whatsoever to turn the radio on. Sighing, I reached for my bag and pulled out my black I-pod and put the headphones in my ears. Scrolling down my list of songs, I chose one of the ones I had recorded on my own with some cheap equipment. I downloaded it onto my I-pod just incase I needed it. Clicking the 'play' button, I closed my eyes and leaned back, enjoying the soft melody of the piano before the words came in.
Someone pulled out one of the earphones out of my ear, catching me off guard. I sat up quickly and looked to my left. Naru was calmly sitting there with my earphone in his ear. I froze. What is Naru recognized my voice? What would I tell him? But if he rendered the song familiar, he made no comment on it, instead continued reading the notes in his black folder. I leaned back and closed my eyes again. It probably wouldn't hurt if he listened to one of the songs. But before I knew it, I dozed off.
Naru's POV-
Mai reached over me and grabbed her bag, pulling out her I-pod and plugging the headphones into her ears. I took a quick glance from my notes to Mai and saw her sitting with her eyes closed. If I hadn't known better, I would've thought she was asleep. What song was she listening to? Making sure Mai didn't notice, I quickly pulled one of the headphones out of her left ear and put it in mine. She suddenly sat up and looked at me strangely and something that looked like fear in her eyes, but that emotion disappeared quickly as she lay back down. The song was in English, and surprisingly one that I hadn't heard before.
Cry- Rihanna (English) :)
I'm not the type to get my heart broken
I'm not the type to get upset and cry
'cause I never leave my heart open
Never hurts me to say goodbye
Relationships don't get deep to me
Never got the whole in love thing
And someone can say they love me truly
But at the time it didn't mean a thing
[Chorus:]
My mind is gone, I'm spinning round
And deep inside, my tears I'll drown
I'm losing grip, what's happening
I stray from love, this is how I feel
This time was different
Felt like, I was just a victim
And it cut me like a knife
When you walked out of my life
Now I'm, in this condition
And I've, got all the symptoms
Of a girl with a broken heart
But no matter what you'll never see me cry
Did it happen when we first kissed?
'cause it's hurting me to let it go
Maybe 'cause we spent so much time
And I know that it's no more
I should've never let you hold me baby
Maybe why I'm sad to see us apart
I didn't give to you on purpose
Can't figure out how you stole my heart
[Chorus]
How did I get here with you, I'll never know?
I never meant to let it get so, personal
And after all I tried to do, to stay away from loving you
I'm broken heart and I can't let you know
And I won't let it show
You won't see me cry
[x2]
This time was different
Felt like, I was just a victim
And it cut me like a knife
When you walked out of my life
Now I'm, in this condition
And I've, got all the symptoms
Of a girl with a broken heart
But no matter what you'll never see me cry
All my life...
The car slowed down and I looked up only to see and long line of cars in front of us, all stopped. I groaned mentally. We wouldn't get to the place in time now. And one thing I hated was being late. Suddenly, I felt a light weight on my shoulder. Looking to the right, I saw Mai sleeping soundly. I smirked. Of course, Mai wouldn't be Mai if she didn't sleep. But for some reason, I didn't push her off, instead let her sleep there for the next half-an-hour. When the car finally stopped in front of the hotel, I pulled the earphone out of my ear and gently shook Mai.
"Mai." "Mai." "Mai." I repeated her name at least ten times before she sat up and looked around groggily.
"Mhm..." she stretched her arms out in front of her and looked around, putting her I-pod back into her bag. I massaged my numb shoulder and climbed out of the car, Mai following in suit with her bag. The other car pulled in a little bit after we did and once everyone was out, we walked towards the hotel entrance, with me in the lead of course. A young man was waiting outside to greet us. He walked up to me and shook my hand.
"Welcome to the Grosvenor Hotel. You must me Oliver Davis." I nodded.
"We apologize for the delay. We encountered traffic during the ride."
"No no, it's quite alright. What an honor to have you all agree to fix our problem here. Please, come in. My name is David. My wife, Eliza, will show you to your rooms." I nodded stiffly as we followed him into the hotel. Behind me, I could hear the team gasp at the extravagance of this hotel. But I wasn't surprised. This hotel was very famous for it's interior decoration. The king and queen of England stayed in this hotel for a night as well. A woman came up to us and introduced herself as Eliza, the wife of David Seriam. She led us to a conference room with plenty of desks, outlets, two couches, and a coffee table. She also pointed out the small kitchen which was connected to the room.
"Your sleeping quarters are just down the hall. They are room numbers 406 and 408. Here are the keys. Please, do not hesitate to call us if you require anything else." I nodded, taking the keys and surveyed the base as Mai thanked Eliza and led her out of the room. Immediately, I went into business mode.
"Unload the equipment from the cars. I would like Matsuzaki to take Masako around and locate the spirits. Take John with you two as well and see if he can exorcise them at the time. Mai," I said looking at her.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." she waved me off. "Tea." I nodded and turned to Yasuhara.
"You go to the library and find out any information you can about this hotel." I turned back to everyone. "Now go." They all scurried off to do their assigned jobs and Mai headed towards the kitchen to make my tea. I sat down on one of the empty chairs and opened up my black folder, reviewing the notes for this case. All the equipment was brought in and Yasuhara went off to research this hotel. Takigawa plopped down on the sofa and grinned thankfully as Mai placed a cup of tea in front of him. Finally, she came over and handed me my tea. I quickly gulped it down and held the cup out for a refill. Mai glared at me but poured me another cup anyway. I took a sip and sighed with content. It had been forever since I had Mai's tea and I was positive I was suffering from tea deprivation.
Ayako, Masako, and John entered the room, Masako looking as if she was about to pass out. Ayako led her to one of the couches and made her lie down. Mai rushed over and handed Masako a cup of tea which she took gratefully.
"What happened?" I asked, getting straight to the point. Mai glared at me for my bluntness.
"We were walking around the hotel and when we entered the music room. Masako had passed out in that room." Ayako explained. I looked towards John.
"Why didn't you try an exorcism?" I questioned him.
"There weren't any signs of a spirit. The room was shaking as well, so I didn't want to risk trying anything until we knew what we were dealing with." John replied. I nodded and turned to Mai who was fussing over Masako.
"Mai. Go with Takigawa and collect the temperatures of the music room, the stage, and the rooms around that. Check for any other abnormal activities and report back to the base.
"Hai, hai." Mai grabbed a clipboard and a pen, pulling Takigawa out of the room with her, who grumbled about the work overload.
Mai's POV-
I ran towards the elevator with Takigawa in tow, managing to catch it before it closed. I pressed the button for the floor the music room was on: 12. The elevator was quiet except for the small ding that alerted us to the correct floor.
"Come on Bou-san!" I skipped ahead, marveling at the size and interior decorations of the hotel. Finally, we reached a door labelled 'Music Room' and I pushed the door open. Almost immediately, I sank to my knees, overwhelmed by the amount of emotions that hit me.
"Mai?" Bou-san rushed up to me. "What's wrong?" I shook my head and gave him a quick smile.
"I'm fine." Without much support, I managed to make it over to a small table and set the thermometer down, pressing the button to start measuring the temperature. While it was doing so, I looked around, noting the thin layer of dust on the ground. Apparently, no one had been in here for a long time. The timer beeped and I picked it up and gasped, writing down the temperature on my clipboard. Bou-san walked over to me.
"What?" he glanced over my shoulder and read the temperature written down, his eyes widening. "35 degrees?" (Please note that this is in Fahrenheit.) I nodded, rubbing my arms to give myself some warmth.
"We should get out of here." Bou-san agreed and we walked towards the exit but suddenly, the door slammed shut. The temperature dropped rapidly and I could see my breath come out in little wisps of fog. I edged closer to Bou-san who was tensed, ready to shout out any protective spells that were needed. Something was coming closer to us. I squinted, trying to make out the figure in the midst of the fog that had formed. An old man stormed out giving us a glare that chilled me down to the spine.
"You will finish that show! You have no other choice." he yelled at us. "You know what awaits you if you don't." he gave me crazy, evil grin towards me. The man ran through me and I gasped, feeling all cold for a moment, before passing out.
Phew! Done. Well? How did you all like this chapter? Please review and tell me how this started off!