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8

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Yuki looked at the book in her hands as she tried to ignore the awkward air around her. She was riding in a van with Naru and Lin. They were silent, the radio wasn't even playing as they drove through the countryside. She bit the side of her cheek before rereading the sentence she hadn't really focused on it the first time. She was starting to think she had made a mistake when she decided against riding in the back with Bones. Naru shifting the folder in his hand caught her attention for a few seconds before she looked back to her book.

They had been called to the countryside by Morishita Noriko, who had been having issues with a how she had moved into with her niece and sister-in-law. She tapped a finger against the blue covered book and frowned in thought. What could be bothering the family? She'd think it was a poltergeist just by listening to the phenomena that was happening, but she had a feeling that wasn't right. She took in a quiet breath before wondering when she had started to act on feelings. Then again, they had never really steered her wrong, and typically ended up foretelling certain events. The main one was her death in the rain. She'd have to start paying those feelings a bit more attention and working with them. A bump in the road caused her to tighten her grip on her book for a few seconds. She never had been the biggest fan of driving in a car, an accident in her pervious life when she had been ten was the main cause of that. Breaking multiple bones from a crash would make driving an uncomfortable task.

Naru brought a hand to his mouth in thought as he stared at the information that Yuki had complied about the house. It wasn't as in depth as he would like, but she had done a decent job with such a short amount of time. She turned the page of her book before she cringed and brought a hand to the back of her neck. She turned around and sent Bones a look and got a lick to the face. She turned around with a sigh and brought a sleeve up to clean her face, she wasn't angry, and she'd be hard pressed to be angry at her dog. They came to a stop outside of a large western styled home and Naru was the first one out of the vehicle. Yuki followed before turning to face Bones, flicking her head to the side. Bones jumped out and gave her body a shake before yawning.

"The house is bigger than I thought it would be," Yuki mumbled to herself as she looked up at the imposing building.

Naru rolled his eyes slightly and started to walk up the stone path to the house. Yuki and Bones followed him, and he could hear the dog tags jingling happy as Bones walked. She seemed to be in a good mood, well, for a dog that is. He rang the doorbell and they waited for a few minutes until a woman with shoulder length light-brown hair opened the door. She had a nervous expression on her face as she studied them.

"Are…Are you Kazuya Shibuya?" The woman softly asked.

"Yes," Naru confirmed, and the woman opened the door further and invited them in.

They didn't have to remove their shoes, which was surprising. Yuki looked around and noted the European design of the furniture and décor. It was very strange for Japan, but she supposed that every country's citizens could like a certain aesthetic or culture enough to surround themselves with it. Bones padded around the wood floors and sniffed at them as they were shown to the rest of the family that was residing within the home. A woman with short red hair, it was natural due to the eyebrows being the exact same shade and without any sign of damage due to bleach, and a little girl with shoulder length light-brown hair the same shade as Noriko's but tied back with a bright pink ribbon.

"This is Kana, my sister-in-law, and my eight-year-old niece, Ayami," Noriko introduced them.

Those from Shibuya Psychic Research bowed in greeting and the Morishita family returned it. They all took a seat on the light grey couches in the sitting room and Yuki brought out a small notebook and ballpoint pen. She brought a leg up and crossed it, placing the notebook against it so she had a somewhat solid surface to write against. She put a few small observations in it and realized she had started to write in French. Perhaps a small part of her wanted to make things difficult for Naru. She wasn't too sure.

"My brother is overseas on a business trip and we're the only ones living in the house right now, so I'm concerned," Noriko informed them, the quiet scratching of Yuki's pen being the only noise to follow her words in the silence, "strange things have been happening lately, sometimes our furniture will start shaking or we'll hear someone banging on the walls when there's nobody in the room, or doors will open and close by themselves…it just a very creepy situation."

Yuki finished writing that down and tilted her head at the information. It truly fit the criteria for a poltergeist but the way it started didn't make sense. It was just them, but they didn't seem as though they were bothered by it or stressed judging by how Noriko talked about the things that had first started. Yuki tapped the tip of the pen against the notebook in thought before noticing that the sister-in-law was scrutinizing them. She moved her foot a little and nudged Bones, getting the dog to sit up straighter.

"Who's in charge of your company?" Kana asked, and Naru stood up.

"I am, my name is Kazuya Shibuya, and I'm the president," Naru stated, and Kana's face became one of dubious surprise.

Honestly, Yuki couldn't blame her. Even though she had correctly guessed that Naru was the boss of the company, it didn't mean that it wasn't hard to believe. He was a newly turned seventeen-year-old, so it was outlandish to think that he was the company president. Yuki put her hands on her lap, trapping the pen under them, and studied the redhead. She couldn't figure out what the father did, but was leaning towards a businessman. Most likely someone that was higher up on the managerial chain than she'd think. A CEO perhaps? She wasn't too sure, and she wasn't about to make a guess without knowing everything first.

"Well, that's okay," Kana said with a slight cough as she tried to save her dignity, "do you really think there could be a spirit causing all these disturbances?"

"That's our job to find out," Naru answered.

Noriko stood up from the couch and smoothed the front of her skirt down. She flashed them all a sweet smile. Yuki uncrossed her legs and stood up, and Lin followed suit. Bones took a while, but eventually came to stand on all fours, staring at everyone as her tongue hung out of her mouth.

"Please, follow me," Noriko said to them, "I'll lead you to the room we have set up for you."

They did, and more of the European décor awaited them as they walked down the halls to where their new base room would be. Yuki recognized some of the paintings on the wall. Famous paintings such as the 'Starry Night' hung from the walls. She tilted her head in thought, noting the way the paintings stood out. Fakes, and good ones at that. She supposed it was like mass-produced movie posters. She knew people who would hang up reproductions of the 'Mona Lisa' if they could. She faltered in her steps as a sudden bout of aggression and grief welled up in her out of nowhere. She blinked and it seemed to vanish completely. She couldn't explain what had happened, or what had caused it. She entered the base room right behind Lin and noted Naru looking around. She gathered he was already formulating where he wanted things.

"Lin, Yuki," Naru said getting their attention, "let's begin setting things up."

Yuki nodded and Lin gained an annoyed expression. Yuki removed Bones's leash, and the old dog went to lay on the cream couch in the room. Yuki and Lin headed to the van and the air between them was incredibly tense, and she couldn't take it anymore. She had to say something or else working with him was going to be like pulling teeth. She took a deep breath and gathered her nerves.

"So, any particular reason why you dislike me?" Yuki asked in a nonchalant tone, "Or is there something else that I need to apologise for?"

"I just dislike the Japanese," Lin informed her in a blunt tone.

"As someone who is mixed, I have to agree half the time," She stated, remembering some of the issues she'd had while growing up as someone with mixed heritage in Japan, "but I must ask that you don't hate me because of my nationality, hate me because I did something personal to you. Life's too short to hate someone based on ethnicity."

"Someone once said something very similar to me," Lin admitted as he sighed.

"Well, they had a wonderful point," She nodded as she picked up some of the beams for the collapsible shelf, "if it makes you feel any better, I'm half French, the only thing we've really done is basically lose two world wars and cut the heads off our aristocracy."

Lin let out a sound of slight amusement and the air between them cleared. She brought in all the equipment for the shelves and started to build them as Lin brought in the wiring for their observation equipment. Bones watched from her position under the desk and reached out with a paw to lay on Yuki's foot. She was wearing flats and could feel the warmth from the paw. Yuki peeked under the desk and got a happy look from her sleepy dog. She sent her a fond expression before finishing the shelves. She stepped back as Lin and Naru placed the monitors on the shelves before she was able to get behind it and started hooking them up. It didn't take them long to get everything set up, and soon Lin was typing at a computer and frowning at it. Yuki turned her attention towards her notebook and a frown appeared on her face.

"It fits the poltergeist criteria but…it's unlikely," She muttered as she pressed a finger against her chin.

A hand ruffled her hair and she smacked at it with the notebook in her hand. She spun around to see who it was and saw a grinning Takigawa as he moved his hand back. She sent him a deadpan and his grin increased. He found it fun to mess with her.

"You're starting to sound like you're getting the hang of your job," He commented, and she shook her head in disbelief.

"It's just like a real ghost hunter to make such a big deal out of things," Ayako's voice said, and Yuki moved to look behind Takigawa to see the redhead studying her nails, "it sounds like an earth spirit."

Yuki highly doubted that. She looked at the woman until she had her full attention. Ayako raised a brow. Yuki was going to mess with her, though she worried if it was a bit too rude.

"Maybe if you keep saying that it'll eventually be true," Yuki stated before looking to the side as Ayako took insult.

"Geez, you really pull no stops when it comes to insulting people," Takigawa muttered as he flicked her forehead, getting an annoyed expression out of the teen.

"What do you think it is then?" Ayako questioned her.

"I don't have enough data to say for sure, but as soon as I figure it out, you'll be the first to know," Yuki answered with a sigh before turning to Naru, "I'm going to go have a look around.

Yuki walked out of the base and Bones scrambled to her feet and rushed after her owner. Yuki closed the door as soon as Bones was out and turned to head towards the stairs to investigate the second story. She almost ran over Noriko and blinked in surprise. Bones ran into the back of her legs, and she looked over her shoulder to see a happy dog.

"I'm sorry about that, Noriko-San," Yuki apologised, "I'll make sure to watch where I'm going."

"It's all right, Yuki-Chan," Noriko said with a kind smile, "it's perfect timing, I'm taking Ayami up a snack, would you care to join us?"

"I would," Yuki said with a nod.

It would allow her to see the issues surrounding the girl. She needed information and, if there was a haunting in the building, being around the child would bring some of it forth. Ayami also seemed like a sweet child, so she had no problems with being around her. She just hoped that her lack of expressions wouldn't startle Ayami.

"I'm impressed with all the equipment you brought to investigate the spirits," Noriko said as they began to walk up the stairs, "this is wildly different from what I expected."

"Yes, Naru seems to take a scientific route to finding what is happening instead of jumping to conclusions," Yuki said as she tilted her head, "he's very good at what he does, even I was surprised at how intricate his investigation skills are."

Noriko gained a knowing smile and Yuki mentally floundered about. She needed to change the topic. The back of her neck started to burn, and she mentally focused on Ayami. She would get her information, and move the topic away from her and Naru. There wasn't a relationship there, and there shouldn't be.

"Who does Ayami look more like, her mother or father?" Yuki questioned.

"Her mother," Noriko answered, they stopped in front of a white door, and she gave it a few soft knocks before opening it and walking in, "Ayami, I brought you some tea, and Yuki-Chan's going to join you."

"Nice to meet you, Ayami-Chan," Yuki greeted with a slight bow.

Ayami looked up from her dolls in slight surprise before getting up. She picked one with blonde hair, light skin, and wide green eyes. Yuki felt a shiver go down her spine as it was brought closer to her by the child. She didn't like it; she couldn't explain it other than her disliking porcelain dolls. They had always creeped her out, it didn't help that they could host spirits due to the empty manner of their bodies. She thought back to the doll Annabelle she wasn't about to mess with a potentially haunted doll. If it came after her, she'd punt it across the property. She was brought out of her thoughts by Ayami stopping in front of her and Bones whining slightly. A small porcelain hand was held out.

"Hello," Ayami greeted as Yuki took the dolls hand and gave it a shake.

"Hellos, what's your doll's name?" Yuki questioned.

"Minnie," Ayami answered with a happy smile.

"Ayami, were you reading a book to your dolls?" Noriko asked in a kind tone.

Ayami froze at the question and both women blinked at the sight. Ayami seemed to be terrified and neither woman knew why. Yuki gave the doll a slight frown and wondered if it was haunted. She bit her cheek and narrowed her eyes in thought before gently placing a hand on Ayami's head.

"Hey, would you like some snacks?" Yuki asked as Ayami refused to meet her eyes.

"I…I don't want any," Ayami refused.

Yuki gave a small sigh at that before drawing her hand back with a thoughtful frown on her face. Noriko gently tapped her shoulder, and she gave the older woman her attention. They headed out of the room, leaving the snacks on a small table, and Noriko gained a worried expression.

"Something has her terrified," Yuki commented in a quiet tone, "how long has this behaviour been going on?"

"A few weeks now, Kana has taken it the hardest," Noriko answered as her worried expression deepened, "she believes Ayami dislikes her."

Yuki knew that no one was happy in that situation. Something wet pressed into the palm dog her hand and she wrapped her fingers around Bones's snout in thanks. She noticed that Noriko was heading down a dark path in her thoughts and stood up a bit straighter. She had to say something to alleviate the situation.

"Don't worry, we'll try whatever we have to, to solve this case," Yuki informed the woman in what she hoped was an optimistic tone.

Noriko seemed to relax at that, and Yuki slightly rose her bows before heading back to the base. She brought a hand up to her mouth in and thought and frowned slightly. She walked into the base and noted that Naru and Lin had been speaking. They were staring at her, and she stared back in slight confusion. Her frown deepened and Lin gave Naru a look. Naru then got one from Yuki, which caused him to give her a raised brow. She huffed quietly before moving to sit on the couch. Bones joined her and she scooted forward so the dog could sit behind her. She picked up her notebook and began writing in it again. She needed a laptop, and soon. Perhaps she could get one with a mechanical keyboard and annoyed everyone around her with it. She finished writing down what she learned about Ayami before grabbing her book and opening it. She leaned back and Bones gave a quiet sniff before snuggling closer to her owner.

"Yuki," Naru said, and she looked up from the book, he had the auto-suggestion machine in his arms, "I want you to stay in here during the experiment."

"Sure…no problem," Yuki stated, her confusion leaked into her voice.

It wasn't like she had created poltergeist activity around him. The one she did partake in didn't even take because she had fallen asleep during it. It had been a good nap too. She returned to her book, mentally making a note to ask Naru why he hadn't wanted her to take part in the experiment or even be in the same room. He had to have a good reason. Lin remained in the room with her, and she gave a gentle sigh.

"Would you like some tea?" She quietly asked, he shook his head, and she went back to reading.

At least they were cordial with one another. She leaned more on Bones and soon the dog moved to sit on top of her owner. Yuki slowly grew sleepy as the warmth of her dog seeped into her clothing. She was starting to nod off when a child's giggle caught her attention. Her head snapped up and she looked around with a slight frown. Takigawa came into the base and plopped down on the couch, instantly getting a dog in his lap as Bones moved. He raised a brow before scratching her behind the ears.

"Anything interesting happen yet?" He asked Yuki.

"No, but I suppose that's a good thing," She quietly said as she gave a small yawn.

She was still tired, that sudden alertness was gone. She felt as though she had relaxed too soon as a chill went down her spine and a strange burning sensation appeared between her shoulder blades. She fixed her glasses before shuddering. It got Takigawa's attention.

"You okay?" He asked, "You can't possibly be cold during the summer."

"I'm fine, I just had a random shiver down my spine," She answered, though that burning feeling was growing worse, and she rolled her shoulders to be rid of it.

Bones let out a small growl, knowing that something was bothering her owner. Takigawa looked from the dog to the owner and gathered that Yuki was hiding something. She may be telling him certain things, but he knew it would take her a long time to fully open up. He wasn't like John, where they were close enough in age that a connection was quickly formed. Or Naru, who was able to get information out of her by pushing her buttons. They both did now that he thought about it. Yuki could possibly get information out of Naru, and not even realise it. Or she did, and that thought kind of terrified him. He looked up as the door opened and Naru walked in. Takigawa supposed that English saying of "speak of the devil and he shall appear" had some credence to it.

"Any movement?" Naru questioned Lin.

"Nothing yet," Lin answered as he typed something into his laptop.

Yuki felt her legs beginning to cramp and scooted Bones onto Takigawa's lap before standing up. She stretched slightly as her dog gave a slight whine before burrowing into the older man's stomach. Takigawa let out a grunt as he got sixty pounds of dog on his lap. Footsteps echoed through the hall before the door to the base was wrenched open by a panicked Kana.

"Come quick!" Kana exclaimed.

"What happened?" Naru questioned as everyone turned to face her.

"Just follow me!" Kana stressed, and she hurried back the way she had come.

They shared a look before following. Kana met up with Noriko and was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. Yuki turned her attention towards the room they had been led to and her eyes widened slightly. Everything had been turned upside down, the rugs included. She gazed at a potted fern that had joined the furniture and rugs. Potting soil covered the ground and her shoulders tensed slightly.

"We came upstairs so Ayami-Chan could go to bed and this is what we saw," Kana informed them as she calmed a little.

"I don't know of any living person that could turn everything upside down without making a ton of noise," Yuki muttered as she walked into the room and put a hand on the cream rug trapped under a sofa.

Bones growled at something, and Yuki noticed that Ayami had joined them and was looking around in fear. She didn't want to chance the added stress of a growling dog causing a true poltergeist to appear. She let out a small whistle and Bones calmed down a fraction. Her tail went between her legs and Yuki knew then that the situation wasn't the best. She let out a quiet sigh. She stood up and moved away from the furniture as the males looked around, she knelt in front of Ayami and got the girls attention.

"Ayami-Chan, are you okay?" Yuki softly asked, and Ayami gave a nod.

"What's going on?" Kana questioned the group, "I thought you were here to prevent this type of thing from happening."

"Are you sure Ayami didn't do it?" Ayako questioned as she walked up to the room.

"I don't think an eight-year-old girl could knock over all the furniture and move it before turning the rugs as well," Yuki countered with a shake of her head, "I don't think a fully grown man could do it without making a ton of noise."

"She's got a point," Takigawa nodded his agreement, "I couldn't do this even if I wanted to."

"May I inspect the room?" Naru questioned Kana, stopping the duo of monk and secretary from arguing with the miko.

"Go ahead! We'll be downstairs, let's go, Ayami-Chan," Kana said, her tone turning gentle as she held a hand out for Ayami to take.

Ayami didn't move, her eyes focused on the miko. Bones let out a slight growl as Kana walked up and snatched the little girl's hand. Yuki remembered the time that Misa had snatched her hand like that when a man had gotten her riled up. Bones hadn't liked it back then. She knew that was due to the breed of dog, golden retrievers were a good family dog and usually great with children. Ayami jerked her hand out of Kana's and the woman seemed surprised, her eyes wide in shock.

"I didn't do it," Ayami said as she stepped back from the woman.

"It's okay, Ayami-Chan," Yuki gently said as she held a hand up to calm her down, "we know you didn't."

Ayami brightened up a bit before moving towards Kana and reaching for her hand. They headed down the stairs as Yuki stood up straight and rolled her shoulders. Ayako moved to throw an arm around her shoulder and got a slight frown out of her. Naru sent them a look of annoyance before turning towards the turned over furniture.

"My, my, it seems as though you are filled with surprises," Ayako stated as she gave the teenager a sly smirk, "who knew you could be good with kids."

"I seem to be pretty good with dealing with you, don't I?" Yuki asked without skipping a beat, it took Ayako a few seconds to get it before she started to pinch Yuki's cheek in annoyance.

"What do you think, Naru?" Takigawa asked, with amusement in his voice.

"I would love to meet the person capable of doing this, there's no trace of anything," Naru stated as he crossed his arms across his chest in thought, "it's physically impossible to do this without making noise."

Yuki took in a sharp breath as she felt a sharp pain between her shoulder blades. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and Bones started to bark before she took charge. Yuki's eyes snapped open, and she hurried after her dog. She felt as though running through the house and up and down the stairs she was going to lose weight. She skidded to a stop at a door and looked inside. Bones was growling at something and seemed to be watching something move across the room.

"Naru, the rug is upturned in this room as well," Yuki informed her boss as everyone caught up with her.

Naru was quiet as he looked around the room in thought. Yuki knelt and started to scratch Bones behind the ears, muttering soothing words in French. Takigawa sent her a strange look before shaking his. Ayako huffed at the teenager and got a sharp look out of the monk before looking to the side.

"This is definitely a poltergeist," Takigawa stated, and Yuki tilted her head to the side as she started to feel physically sick.

"That's obvious, the question is who did it, right?" Ayako asked, she simply waved her hand in the air before letting out a slight yawn, "I'm sure it was a land spirit! Don't worry about it, I'll get rid of it tomorrow. Good night."

"Where does she get that confidence?" Takigawa quietly questioned before turning towards Yuki and noted her expression, "What's got you so amused?"

"She just lumbered away like a sasquatch, I'm fairly sure she's aware of her own bail," Yuki said before shaking her head, "it was just a random joke that popped up in my head."

"That's pretty good, I wouldn't let her hear you say that," Takigawa warned her before turning to Naru, missing the rolling of her eyes, "you're thinking about something, notice anything we didn't?"

"Don't you think that the spirit reacted too quickly?" Naru questioned.

"Yes, usually a spirit wouldn't show itself like this, at least…not on the first day," Yuki agreed before gaining a frown, "do you think that the spirit might be angry?"

"Smart kid," Takigawa complimented, Naru closed his eyes as he gave a sigh.

"Yes, this case seems as though it may take some time," Naru stated, "I want everyone to be on their guard. Yuki keep Bones with you at all times, she seems able to see what is here, if she started to give you warnings leave the area and find one of us."

Yuki nodded, a serious expression on her face. It was soon replaced with a tired one as she let out a small yawn. Takigawa snickered to himself as he noted how her emotions had switched so quickly. She stood up and stretched.

"I think I'll turn in as well," She told them before giving them a slight nod, "good night."

"Yeah, sleep well," Takigawa nodded as she moved past them, Bones right on her heel.

Bones jumped up to put her paws on the back of her shoulders and the teen gave a quiet sound of disbelief before bringing a hand back and petting her head. She headed into one of the rooms that Noriko had prepared for them and found her suitcase at the end of the bed. She had packed just in case they were staying longer than they predicted. It was something she knew that Lin and Naru had done as well. She sighed as she opened it, Bones climbing onto the bed and taking a spot on one of the pillows. She pulled out her black pyjamas when her stomach lurched, and she held a hand to her mouth. She hurried to the bathroom and spent a good ten minutes watching as her stomach emptied itself. She made an annoyed face as she took a shower before changing into her pyjamas and brushing her teeth. She paused after rinsing her mouth and moved to see what had been between her shoulder blades.

A bruise in the shape of a hand was between her shoulder blades and she stared at it for a few seconds. The job was getting to be dangerous, and it hadn't really hit her before then. She brought a hand back and placed it against the spot. It was warm to the touch, and when she applied pressure it was incredibly painful. She pulled her hand away and placed her top back down. She headed out of the bathroom and smiled at the sight of Bones peacefully sleeping. She climbed into the bed and curled up to the dog. She got a nose to the face as Bones decided that her face would make a rather nice pillow. Yuki brought up a hand and ran it through her fur. She kept it there as she slowly drifted to sleep.