Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.
Chapter 3
-0O0-
Many Meetings
-0O0-
Naru dimly heard Madoka squeal beside him as Mai and half of the Japanese SPR gang came into view. He found his eyes drawn to Mai, taking in her white hoodie and the razored, more adult-looking version of her usual hairstyle. Her eyes were still bright, her smile still lit up her face… and what was he thinking? Mai looked like Mai, big surprise. How did that qualify as a revelation? And why did he feel an annoying sense of relief at seeing her?
Hmm… maybe it was because he'd been so bored lately. Even Lin had been nagging about Naru's obvious and uncharacteristic apathy toward his work. This development might just be the answer to his ennui. Mai, at least, was never boring. That must be why he was almost… glad to see her.
Satisfied at his logical conclusions, Naru tore his eyes away from his former assistant and studied the other three members of the party. Yasu looked more physically mature, but still sported a decidedly mischievous grin and carried three heavy books in his arms. Naru remembered his father going on about the new students' research, specially noting the skills of the male. Yasu had been quite an excellent Irregular researcher at the Japanese SPR. Naru smirked.
Matsuzaki and Takigawa were behind the two students, arguing. No surprise there. But what was surprising was the diamond ring that Naru could see on the doctor-slash-shrine-maiden's hand (a hand that was currently pointing and waving angrily at Takigawa). Matsuzaki was actually someone's fiancée. Hmm… wait. A few moments ago, Martin had said that Matsuzaki and Takigawa were Mai's adoptive parents. And at some point, Naru had been told that the couple accompanying the students was engaged. So… Matsuzaki was going to marry Takigawa?
To be fair, Naru had always associated their constant bickering with unresolved sexual tension, especially as the two spiritualists became better acquainted. But still… Matsuzaki and Takigawa had actually gotten together, stayed together, and were deliberately heading to the altar? "Madness," Naru said aloud.
Lin apparently agreed with his assessment. "A marriage made in hell, more than likely," he intoned, eyes on the arguing pair. Naru nodded unthinkingly.
And then… "Mai! Yasu! Takigawa! Matsuzaki!" Madoka yelled, waving her arms.
Lin smiled slightly, Luella and Martin stared, and Naru glared.
Lin was sometimes overwhelmed by the eagerness which Madoka applied to almost everything, but he still found pleasure in watching her wave like a fool. Plus, he thought – as he watched three of the awaited party wave back excitedly – this would definitely be a fascinating night. No, he amended, a fascinating couple of years.
Luella and Martin, for their part, had no idea what was going on. Madoka had never intimated that she knew the students or guardians, yet she called to them like they were friends. Then Luella's memory stirred. Taniyama… she did know that name…
Naru sighed, watching his mentor make a fool out of herself. Other people at the gate were staring at her. Mai, Yasu and Takigawa, of course, waved back like idiots.
Madoka took a step towards the group and Mai raced forward to meet her. As Mai neared them, she tripped over nothing and stumbled slightly as she reached for Madoka's waiting arms. Unconsciously, both Naru and Lin reached out to catch her.
The teen psychic's face burned as she crashed ungracefully into Madoka Mori. Fortunately, all of Madoka's hugging and smiling made Mai forget about her klutz attack. (Ayako, however, had her face in her hands, bemoaning that Mai's dramatic entrance was ruined.)
"Mai!" Madoka squeaked happily, crushing her a bit. Mai was used to Bou-san's hugs, though, so she made sure to suck in a breath when Madoka pulled back for a moment to study her. Then more hugging.
"You look so grown up! I love the hair, and I love those shoes!" Mai heard from above.
"Madoka, you're going to smother her," Lin noted.
All of a sudden she was released, and Mai took deep breaths. Then she smiled so wide that she almost split her face. "I missed you, too, Madoka-san!" Mai deliberately spoke English, and spoke it well, which caused a surprised ripple in some of the company. Lin and Naru were both shocked at her fluency.
Feeling awkward all of a sudden, Mai brought up a black-gloved hand and brushed hair out of her face.
"What's with the gloves?" Madoka asked curiously. "It's not that cold here. And we're inside!"
Mai froze. "Oh, ha ha," she trilled nervously, "That's a long story."
"They're her sexalicious paranormal starlet gloves," Yasuhara replied from behind her. "In Japan, celebrities often have signature clothing or accessories," he informed the group with total seriousness. "As Mai-chan's manager, I told her that she needed to get on that bandwagon. Masako-chan wears that kimono for publicity, right? Well, Mai-chan couldn't do that – her recently demonstrated balance problems make kimono a no-no. So Mai-chan wears lovely, silky gloves that tie in bows above the elbow."
Mai whipped around and glared at Yasuhara. "Stop telling people that!" she roared. "I am not a celebrity and I wear these gloves to cover my scars! And STOP CALLING THEM 'SEXALICIOUS' or I will use them to assault you without leaving fingerprints!"
"Ha ha, sexalicious!" laughed Madoka, as Bou-san yanked Mai away from Yasuhara.
"No violence in front of security, children," he cautioned playfully in (much more accented) English.
Naru focused on the most important part of Mai's diatribe and asked, "What scars?"
Mai heard Naru's voice clearly. It seemed to cut through every other noise around her – but then again, it always had.
"Well, hi Naru," Mai said, turning to face him (and unsuccessfully fighting a blush).
He just stared at her.
Mai gritted her teeth, but decided not to start yelling (yet). "I, uh, ran into some trouble on a case. But we can talk about that some other time."
After all, Mai really REALLY did not want to have that discussion right now. She kinda didn't want to have that discussion ever. But she could see Gene's disappointed face in her mind, and knew that she owed it to him to explain to Naru. But not right now.
Naru narrowed his eyes at her. Mai knew that he was curious now and sensed that she was evading him. Naru would not forget about this and would likely attack her with questions when Mai least expected it. It was his way – and unfortunately, it almost always worked.
"Well," said a new voice. Professor Martin Davis slowly ran his eyes over the scene, taking in the completely unexpected reunion. So these people were Noll's former SPR employees. He had met them briefly in Japan, when he and Luella had gone to identify… Gene's body. However, they had been so distracted and grief-stricken at the time that Martin hadn't even remembered their names. He surveyed his own British SPR members. The scheming Madoka looked guilty, Lin looked amused (as amused as Lin ever got, anyway) and his son looked… completely involved. There was no trace of apathy now, although his usual reserve was still in place. Martin turned to the four newcomers.
The young man in glasses, who must be Yasuhara, stepped over to Martin, hand extended. "Professor Davis, I'm sorry. I am Osamu Yasuhara, your humble new student. So pleased to make your acquaintance."
Martin shook Yasuhara's hand, slightly shocked at the brightness of his smile and the light gleaming off his glasses.
"We should have greeted you first," Yasuhara continued blithely, "But we were so surprised to see our former colleagues and friends here, waiting for us!" Still smiling beatifically, he gestured to Madoka, Lin and Naru, all of whom stared back at Yasuhara with a mix of amusement and expectation.
"I could see that," Martin replied, re-fixing his gaze on Madoka. She smiled brightly, trying very hard not to look guilty. "I'm sorry, myself; I was unaware of your relationships to my son and my employees." Martin's gaze shifted to Oliver, whose actions so far had been incredibly… interesting. Noll glared at his father.
"Ah, yes, your son!" Yasuhara replied, his grin getting a little wider. "See, Mai-chan? Naru really does have a father! He wasn't grown in a lab after all!"
Mai giggled despite her struggle to maintain a good face in front of the Professor. Bou-san snorted and even Lin cracked a smile. Madoka, of course, laughed aloud, as did Ayako. Naru's glare switched focus from Martin to Yasuhara, but the teen seemed oddly immune to the laser beams of annoyance shooting from his former boss's eyes.
Martin found this immunity very impressive. "Well, I am of course his adopted father, so I can't really rule out the possibility that Oliver was grown in a lab." Giggles erupted all around him. Noll's eyes were thin slits of irritation.
-0O0-
A little ways away, Luella Davis stood like a statue and studied Mai Taniyama. How could she have failed to recognize that name? She remembered when Lin informed her that Noll had inexplicably hired a Mai Taniyama, normal teenage girl, as an assistant. Oliver hated having more people around than necessary, and Lin had no idea why Noll had decided to employ her – and at a pretty high pay rate.
Eventually, it became obvious that Miss Taniyama had psychic abilities. A few different ones, in fact. She had proven very helpful on several cases, if not always on purpose, and almost always finding some sort of trouble. Lin had also let slip that Noll seemed to greatly enjoy Miss Taniyama's tea and requested it several times a day. More than was usual even for an Englishman. Luella had wondered.
Luella had in fact wondered many, many times about this Miss Taniyama. Especially since the speaking of her name always seemed to cause visible effects in the normally stoic Dr. Oliver Davis. His external agitation was usually slight, but a clear sign to anyone who knew him well. Furthermore, Lin never seemed surprised by Noll's strange behavior – and Madoka seemed downright gleeful every time Oliver's eyes tightened, his tongue sharpened, or his mood darkened (at the mention of Mai). Luella was indeed VERY curious about Mai Taniyama.
And here she was, in the flesh. And Noll was already reacting remarkably. For one, he had been positively shocked at Martin's announcement of her name. His eyes had widened dramatically for a normal person, let alone for Oliver. Then he'd stared unblinkingly at Miss Taniyama from the moment she came into his sight. Luella had watched the play of emotions over his face. Then, when Mai tripped (over what, Luella wasn't sure) and almost fell, her incredibly undemonstrative son instinctively held out his arm to catch her! Luella's mouth had actually dropped open at that point.
And finally, when the yelling had erupted about the gloves, Oliver asked about the scars Miss Taniyama had mentioned. Which meant two things to his mother: one, he was paying attention to a conversation that he would normally ignore; and two, he cared enough to ask about the injury. Mai evaded his questions, but Luella could tell that Noll filed it away for future study. This was interesting, as it suggested that Noll was very interested in the answer.
Luella was presently feeling excited and nervous. On one hand, the idea that her workaholic, indifferent son might have feelings for a woman was fantastic. On the other hand… the girl was only here for school and would eventually return to Japan. Luella watched her son's gaze flick back to Miss Taniyama for the third time in as many minutes and decided to forget her worries. For now, she would enjoy this. She had NEVER seen Oliver so interested in a girl; it warmed her heart and made her like Mai Taniyama immediately.
With an effort, Luella refocused on the conversation. It wouldn't do for her husband to (finally) introduce her only to find her completely inattentive. Ah. Mr. Yasuhara was still talking, and he had somehow sidled up to Miss Taniyama. He slung an arm across her shoulders, overhead light somehow flashing off his teeth and his glasses simultaneously. Was he Miss Taniyama's boyfriend? Luella's body tensed. Oh, no, he wasn't, she realized happily – Mr. Yasuhara looked perfectly comfortable with the closeness, but Miss Taniyama was looking at him as if he had sprouted an extra head.
Mrs. Davis cut her eyes to her son. And grinned. Oliver's gaze was now fixed on Mr. Yasuhara's hand – the hand which held Miss Taniyama close. And he looked annoyed. His hands were even clenched into fists.
This just keeps getting better and better, Luella Davis mused.
-0O0-
Yasuhara totally ignored Naru's glares in his direction, plowing right ahead. He finished his apologies to the professor and decided to introduce the rest of his friends. He saw Mai fidget a bit, which drew Naru's immediate attention. And then Yasu had a brilliant idea.
"Allow me to introduce my companions," Yasuhara began, smiling extra-widely. He positively slinked over to Mai, and threw his arm around her as if he did it every day of his life. Usually, he only hugged Mai when she was very upset (or if she needed him to scare away some guy at the dance club they frequented). She jumped at the intimate contact, but Yasu was hoping that Naru wouldn't notice. He sneaked a glance at the Big Boss and was rewarded. Boy did Naru look pissed.
Yasuhara beamed, towing Mai toward Naru's parents. Naru's body turned with them as they walked, and Yasu wondered if their former boss was aware that his body language gave him away. He noticed that Naru's mother looked amused. Professor Davis opened his mouth, but Yasuhara beat him to it.
"And this lovely young woman is Mai Taniyama." Yasu summoned his most gentlemanly manners. Mai of course ruined it, not seeing the professor's extended hand and instead bowing in greeting.
"I'm so pleased to meet you," Mai said in excellent English – she had spent long, long hours studying English. She, Yasu, Bou-san and Ayako had been constantly speaking it and reading it aloud to one another for months. Mai was determined not to make a fool of herself in front of Na – people at Cambridge. It had taken her forever to pronounce "L" correctly, but after three years of high school and two semesters of Todai English, she was thoroughly fluent and proud.
She rose from her bow and noticed Professor Davis' outstretched hand. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Mai reached out and shook her professor's hand. As she came into contact with his skin (through the small holes in the fingers of her gloves), she became aware of the pleasant feel of his aura. No spiritual powers, but good man. Solid, dependable. His eyes were very intelligent and looked kindly on her. She smiled, happy.
Luella cleared her throat.
Martin spun, as if just remembering that Luella was there. He sent her an apologetic look. He had been distracted by the fuss, after all.
Luella rolled her eyes. She was done with waiting for Martin. "And I'm Luella Davis, Martin's wife and Noll's mother," she said, stepping forward, hand outstretched to Mai.
Mai took it eagerly – she had really wanted to meet Naru's mother (really meet her, as Naru's adopted parents had been understandably preoccupied the only other time they'd all met). Madoka had told her that Luella was very nice, and Mai could see and feel that already. Her presence was so warm and inviting; it reminded her forcibly of Gene. Mai smiled and greeted Luella Davis properly.
Bou-san noticed Naru's shoulders relax infinitesimally. The monk grinned – maybe Naru was anxious about that introduction? He stepped forward, holding Ayako's arm.
"And I'm Takigawa Houshou, Mai's adopted father." He exchanged a strong, manly handshake with Martin Davis – and kissed Luella's hand with celebrity rock-star aplomb. Mai rolled her eyes and Yasu made an annoyed noise.
"I was going to do that, you scene stealer!" Yasuhara pouted.
"You're both idiots," Ayako informed Bou-san and Yasu. She spun on her heel and bowed to Naru's parents. "I am Ayako Matsuzaki, medical doctor and shrine maiden. And Mai will be my official adopted daughter once I've married this fool." She jerked her head toward Takigawa.
Now that the attention was off her, Mai tuned out for a moment. She started to yawn and then remembered herself. Her eyes popped open and she met the raised eyebrow of Professor Davis. Mai blushed, completely embarrassed. She'd yawned in front of her new professor!
But Professor Davis wouldn't even let her apologize. "Come, come," he said, "You must all be exhausted from the flight! You are staying with us this evening, correct?"
As the four Japanese visitors nodded, Naru realized that his previous plan of staying at the SPR office until midnight (ensuring that he would not have to socialize with the guests) was no longer desirable. He actually wanted to be there for dinner and conversation. Now he had to figure out how to tell his parents – without making it sound like he was changing plans because he cared.
As it happened, Madoka solved this problem for him. "Noll, you're going home with us now, right? You wouldn't want to skip dinner with your former colleagues!"
A command in the form of a question, Madoka? Naru's cheek twitched in annoyance. But he would work with it – so he sighed, as if terribly troubled. "Whatever you say; you'll only call me every five minutes, anyway." There, that sounded properly blasé.
Naru's parents felt a little suspicious – Oliver had agreed unusually quickly. Usually he would put up more of a protest. They exchanged knowing glances, but said nothing.
Martin led the way out of Heathrow, looking forward to this extra time with their exciting guests.
-0O0-
AN: Extra love if you guess where I got my chapter name from;) And don't worry, lots of Naru/Mai interaction next chapter… I tried, but I just couldn't ignore everyone else! Yasu's such a freaking scene stealer - luckily, he's going in the other car.