By the time Mai woke up again it was morning and her muscles were aching. Obviously her little fall had taken some toll on her, and she sat up, holding her neck. Looking up she walked to Naru's office and looked in, expecting to see him, but there was no one there. She wouldn't admit she was disappointed but Mai felt her lips frown a little. Naru didn't live with her; he was just using this room for work, so she shouldn't expect him to always be there for her. Still, she checked the sofa in the living room and the bathroom just in case. He wasn't there, he must have gone back to his apartment with Lin to pack, and she guessed she should too, and headed back to her room. Feeling worse for wear she slipped on leggings and a sweater dress, then a cardigan over that. She then started packing, gently putting her clothing into her bag. Naru hadn't said how long they would be here, but by the possessions she guessed this would be a longer case than the last, but she was just guessing.
"Coming" Mai shouted, hearing a knock at the door and went down the hall. Naru had already let himself in and was taking off his shoes. He looked her over before the two could even exchange words and sighed.
"You should have gone to the hospital Mai"
"I know, but I'm too stubborn" She said with a small smile and set to making him some tea. Once he was settled she began to pack again, and getting everything in the bag she lugged it back to the living room where Naru took it and set it by the door. "When are we leaving?" She asked, sitting down by him and took a sip of her own tea, the two watching the morning news.
"Later tonight, it's close to the south tip of Japan so it'll take a while. Lin is sleeping right now so he can drive through the night" Naru said, watching as the news woman talked about the weather and then looked at her as if remembering something. "Why was there so much broken glass in the kitchen?" And she looked away for a second, trying to think.
"I set my bag pack on the counter and it pushed them off" She said, sipping her tea as she tried to cover up her lie. While Naru and her were much closer now she felt like her powers were something her and Naru should never discuss. It was something that reminded him of Gene, and frankly looking back it made her feel sick. He had known from the very beginning that she was in fact an orphan, and once her powers had started up he showed even more interest in her. He had, from the start, viewed her as a replacement for Gene.
"I don't like you lying to me Mai" He grumbled but he didn't ask any more into it, seeing that he would push her past her limit. They finished their teas and Mai went to making a call with Yashura. The day before Naru had called and explained the situation to the other man, but Mai was ready to start on her work again.
"Hello Yashura? Oh yes, I'm alright. Naru just overreacts all the time, you know him" She said, knowing that the man was watching her from the couch. She chattered with Yashura a bit, and after a while the two finished their talk about why they both liked ramen much more than soba. She looked around to see an annoyed Naru sitting on the couch, ignored for the past twenty minutes. "Come on Naru, let's go to the park and walk some" She said and with a pause he agreed, the two headed out. The couple next door wasn't out today but she made sure to quickly walk by their door, afraid they would come out and comment on her being with her boss.
"Did something happen between you and your neighbors?" Naru asked and she shook her head no, looking up at the sky. He watched her but didn't ask anymore as the two walked down the street and ran across to the park. In her old neighborhood the park had been a couple of miles away and she never could go without someone like Bou-san taking her. Now it was only of blocks away and she often went there to think about things, it was a quiet place, people spread out throughout it.
"Are you worried about me on this case because the target is young people?" She asked, breathing out. He looked down at her and while she could he wanted to say no, he couldn't.
"You're too much of a danger magnet to not worry about it" He said and she shrugged, the two walking over the bridge and she paused to throw a rock onto the ice. It didn't break and she went to throwing more and Naru watched, the weight of a larger rock finally breaking the ice and the two set off again. Once on the other side they were at the college Yashura went to. He had picked the college because it was close to her and she was going to do the same.
"You can head back" Mai said to the man and he stood there as if thinking it through, trying to weigh his options
"Alright, I have some work to do. If you get out too late have Yashura walk you home" He said and with farewells she headed to the college, going into the library where Yashura was waiting with two older looking boys. They saw her and waved, she smiled, heading over to the three and pulled off her jacket.
"You don't look very good Mai, Naru wasn't exaggerating was he" Yashura and she laughed at him, sitting down in one of the seats. The two boys seemed to show a disappointed expression, probably thinking that Naru was her boyfriend. While she didn't exactly like lying she didn't want to admit that Naru wasn't her boyfriend in front of the two. They had hungry looks, probably not having a girlfriend for a while.
"Oh I'm fine, you know how pale winter makes you look" She said and worked to move the topic elsewhere. While Yashura didn't seem fazed, he allowed her to change the conversation, the two men oblivious to her abilities. They moved on to how much the school could help with her finances. They knew the owner and if she could get high enough test scores, as well as volunteer hours for the school, she could get a very high scholarship. They also talked about other things, her major, a little about her personal life but her and Yashura made sure to avoid much about her.
"We'll make sure to get in contact with you later" One of the men said as they walked away and once gone she let out a sigh and leaned her head in her hand. She and Yashura glanced at each other, grinning.
"That one guy had the biggest eyebrows I've ever seen" Mai said, covering her mouth as she giggled and he joined in as they exited from the college. "Have you packed for the case yet?"
"Nah, I'm going to wait until Monk is pounding on the door before letting him in and having him pack for me" The man said, and while she laughed she could tell he was quiet serious. Yashura was a year older than her but that didn't mean he was any more mature. In fact, she would compare him to a junior high student, but that was alright. That was why they were friends.
"You shouldn't pick on him, he's getting old you know" She said but he just let out a hum in response as they walked back to the gate. "I'll be going home, see you later Yashura" She said, waving. He seemed like he was about to stop her, the sun was setting after all but she was out of sight before he could offer taking her home. She walked through the park and got home just before the sun set. Unlocking her door she was glad to see that Naru wasn't there, and she carefully walked into her living room, trying not to recreate the events from yesterday. The kitchen was completely cleared of glass, Naru probably cleaning it while she slept. Humming, she made supper for herself and around six Naru came in with Lin behind him, the older man a bit more cautious in her home.
"I'll get the plates" Naru said and headed over to her cabinet then paused and looked at her, the two exchanging a look.
"They are in the left cabinet" She said smoothly, understanding his look. The two knew they needed to make it look like Naru didn't come here often, and him knowing where her dishes would be odd. Lin watched the two, and after a bit sat down at the table seeing that they were handling the situation. "Did you sleep well Lin-san?" Mai asked as she sat down the Donburi in front of the man and he watched as the other two got their food.
"Yes, I'll be able to drive for a long time" He said and she smiled, starting to eat.
"How is your wedding plans going?" The girl asked with a smirk and he let out a sigh
"Madoka is handling it. She won't allow me to get involved with it" He said and the other two exchanged entertained looks. They finished up their dinner with light conversation and Naru washed the dishes, not allowing Mai to join in since she had some math homework to finish. Lin watched the television as she did the questions, the girl every once in a while tapping the pencil against her finger in thought and then continuing on. This went on for about an hour before Naru decided it was time to go and the three packed up, Lin picking up Mai's suitcase for her. They headed out and Mai locked the door before running after the two down the stairs.
"Don't run down the stairs Mai" Naru said as they walked to the van but she just ignored him and hopped into the van, the two men following after her. They turned on the heat, seeing that it was still freezing out, though luckily there wasn't any snow blocking the way this time around. "If you go to sleep now Mai you'll wake up and we'll be there" Naru said, moving to get himself comfortable though she could tell he wasn't going to fall asleep himself.
"Alright" She said and settled into her seat, holding her pillow close and Lin started the drive. At first she just sat there, watching the lights of the city till she at last found her eyes closing.
Then she woke up to the sun shining in her eyes and she looked around. Lin was still driving and glanced at her, and she glanced over to her other side to see Naru asleep, his face against the window. She reached over and carefully placed the pillow under his head, and then sat up, watching the road. It was an hour or so before Naru woke up, a little confused looking with the pillow, then glancing over at her he handed her it and she grinned.
"We're not far from the home now" Naru said, looking at the map
"Can we stop and stretch our legs? Oh look we're in the mountains" Mai said, leaning over Naru to look outside. He stilled and glanced over at Lin before sighing.
"Just for a bit" He said and Lin pulled over at a rest spot, Mai pushing Naru to get him to get out of the van quicker. She stretched, letting out a moan of relief to be out of the car. Lin and Naru sat on the hood of the car as Mai walked around the car, and once she had admired the mountains to her content they got back in. They drove only about an hour longer to the home where the other's car already was. Mai set to getting out of the car before stopping and shivering, she could feel the ghost's presence. This was different from last time. It wasn't human. She needed to leave.
"Are you alright Jou-chan?" She heard someone say and she looked up quickly to see that Monk was in front of her, looking at her with a worried expression. Naru was walking back, almost to the door of the home before noticing that she was still in the car.
"I'm fine, I was just thinking about how pretty the house was" She lied but Monk still helped her out of the car slowly and the two men walked her to the house, the feeling of dread filling her once she walked through the door.
Hello guys! Oh weekend, time that I can write without worrying about homework. I would like to welcome Bri Rose32, Cali Dreamweaver and Mafuyu Mia to the followers! Welcome you three ^^
I never really thanked anyone for favoriting but I guess it really is important so thank every one of you for favoriting my story!
I'm not 100% sure deadlyrose123, I read that article...before the last chapter of ghost hunt came out. Ya. Sorry to hear about her computer! Sounds exciting though, hehe ^^
thearistcrat, oh I wish to hug you. Yes. So much hugs. Don't worry, Mai and Naru will have many stories ahead and maybe even some side stories. So many side stories.
p. ageha, Naru is a workholic, you can't change that. Well, at least they are spending more time together? I mean, now they not only work together, they eat dinner together! So much romance, so much fluff. Oh I like your story ideas, they sound cute, I can't wait to read about them. I probably should upload my own...ghost hunt fanart but you know. I'm lazy. You should know that.
shinigamiinPeru, you make me feel so happy to have you as a subscriber :3 I made to update soon for you
Musical Teardrops, well it does seem that Mai's powers are developing into that. We'll see considering that i haven't decided on the outcome yet. But ya, oh they aren't offically living together. Naru is using one of her rooms as a office and sometimes just stays there all night working. He still lives with Lin though.
Thank you for your support guys, it makes me so happy to check my fanfiction and find all your reviews!