ATTN: I do NOT own Ghost Hunt or the Characters associated with it. If I did well... lets just say the story would have ended differently and Vol 12 would exist in English translation.
Anywho lets get started! NO Beta so sorry for any mistakes but focus on the story and enjoy! :)
IT WAS YOU
****RECAP****"I'll pass on today. I'm exhausted and honestly still sore from my dream. I'll see you later?" She needed a good nap but before that she needed to review her dream. Not even realizing what she said, she was in shock when he smiled at her, really smiled, "See you later, Mai." Then he was out the door. Her cheeks burned. So not fair. That smile should be criminal. She headed towards the bedroom ready to get her dream on paper and take a nap. Hopefully it was a restful one."****RECAP***
"Thank you for coming so far and on such short notice." Mr. Turner graciously shook Naru's hand. "I'd been concerned we would have to weather this for a while longer."
Stepping away from the man and his family, Naru nodded, "It was no problem, my father insisted we finish this case sooner rather than later." Gesturing just behind him he began introductions. "This is Lin Koujo, as I'm sure you're aware, he is from the BSPR office and works with my father and I." He then turned to the other group gathered behind him, "This group resides here in Japan, we have requested their assistance for this case; Takigawa Houshou, a Buddhist Monk, Matsuzaki Ayako, a Shinto priestess, Hara Masako, a Medium, Yasuhara Osamu, the Researcher, John Brown, an Exorcist, and Taniyama Mai, A Medium." Turning back to the client he continued, "I assure you they are a very capable team. I'd like to get the base set up before we do a tour of the home. Were you able to prepare the requested rooms?"
A small framed Japanese woman stepped forward, Mrs. Turner, " Yes, they are located on the first floor. You had requested 3 rooms total, correct?"
"Yes, one with several outlets and tables." Mrs. Turner nodded and gestured to follow after her. Mai took in the beautiful home around her. They had renovated the abandoned home but it honestly looked to be more of a restoration with a western twist. While the dark woods and beautiful furniture made the house look very homey, the atmosphere felt… well it was heavy on her shoulders, weighing her down, making her want to curl up and cry. Her vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears, her throat tightened as a sense of hopelessness blanketed her mind. Her feet followed the group unconsciously, her mind swept away with the overwhelming down-whirl spiral in her thoughts. She felt like she had lost everything again. Mai knew this emotion well. She'd felt it a few times before. When she'd lost her father as a young child and then her mother a few years later. Most recently was when SPR disbanded. She had nearly drowned in it. She had even believed at one point it wasn't worth the pain and emptiness anymore. That crushing feeling of losing everything with no control was isolating. She was alone. No one would care if... NO. She had moved on, she had worked and struggled to find her purpose beyond that. She shouldn't be feeling this way now. She almost forgot that it was the House that brought this emotion out of her. Breathing deeply Mai felt a wetness on her cheeks. She was lost in her mind as her hand wiped at her cheek, confirming she had started crying. A voice broke through her haze, bringing her back to the present.
"Mai." A hand lightly touched her elbow. Turning her head slightly she took in deep blue eyes and dark lashes. They flicked across her face, as if they were searching for something. Brows furrowing Naru called to her again, firmer this time. "Mai." Blinking She took a shaky breath.
"I-I'm alright Naru," Turning her face to the floor, in an attempt to recompose herself, she continued, "This house has a suffocating feeling. It crashed into me and I got lost in it before I could even realize..." Taking a stronger breath this time and blinking to clear her eyes of any lingering tears, she met his gaze. "I felt so lost, but I'm fine now. Thanks." She pulled her arm away, missing his touch already, her eyes drawn to the room she was standing in. It was a study with floor to ceiling shelves. The wall opposite the door was covered in tall windows that had a couch and chairs, set around a low table, in front of it. The dark wood floors gleamed in the light of the window. In the center of the room was a large table with enough chairs for the whole team. On either side of the door were long tables, empty for their use. The home was absolutely stunning.
"Monk, John, and Yasu are unloading the equipment. After we set up base you, Lin, and I will conduct the interviews. I've sent Masako and Ayako to make charms and set up the sleeping quarters." Naru updated her as he continued to stare at her. Why was he staring? "We can discuss what you experienced later." His eyes didn't leave hers. She watched as Naru searched her gaze, they were forced to break away as they heard voices coming down the hall. Pulling away from his gaze, she watched as they came in with equipment.
"I'm telling you Yasu, I may not play much now with work, but I'd still beat you."
"Bou-san, your confidence is astounding, when did you last play? The game cube? Smash Bros has changed my friend. I would destroy you." Yasu grinned at Monk as he placed a box of cameras on a table and moved to help him with setting up the shelves for the monitors. The work coming almost naturally to the pair, like the 5 year hiatus never happened.
"Ah.. but Yasu you forget, I'm a bassist in a band, what do you think we do in our down time? I'm quite the champ." Monk smirked, baiting Yasu.
"Houshou, the last time we played I owned you." Ayako snipped. Making her grand entrance into base, she carried a briefcase in one hand while her other was resting on her propped hip. "I'm not afraid to do it again either." A smirk had worked its way across her face. Mai smiled to herself and shook her head. Their vocal arguments transitioned to competitions in games or activities when they started dating. Even to go so far as to have game nights. That didn't mean the two didn't argue though, there had been times Mai would quietly excuse herself from a family dinner because of it. They always called to apologize later, they often tried to bribe her affection with her favorite bookstore or café. Her smile widening she turned to grab the box John had just brought in, the portable hot plate and kettle was in it along with an assortment of teas and coffee. She moved to a small table in the corner and started setting up.
The team worked diligently putting the base together and prepping for the interviews. An hour and a half later they all sat around the table to discuss their plan of action.
"We have interviews starting at noon. Yasu what were you able to find regarding the property and its owners?" Naru addressed him from the head of the table. This really did feel like old times.
"Well, I didn't find too much. The area was discovered sometime around 1500, during this time it was primarily controlled by a shogunate. During a dispute in the 1620's the control was relinquished to another shogunate. The area was still lived in by the few who refused to vacate. After that there isn't much record of this home in anything I could find on-line. I found the original owners who commissioned the home to be built originally. They were…" Yasu moved the stack of notes in front of him to the middle of the table before pulling out another stack from his bag hanging on his chair. Flipping through the pages to the one he was looking for Yasu, adjusting his glasses, continued, "Kaneko Shin had the home built in 1607 during the Edo period. He and his wife had a son and daughter. The daughter was married off to a wealthy suitor in another prefecture and the son inherited the home when his father passed in 1633. He had married a woman from another well respected family, Hosokame Kiyo. Together they had two sons, Asahi and Akio, they were twins. Born in the spring of 1648 the Kaneko twins were extremely frail as children so not much was seen of them outside the home. When they were still young their mother passed due to illness and their father passed away in 1670. There wasn't anything about the twins I could find after that. I tried to see if anything happened event wise and couldn't find anything either." Setting his notes down he looked to Naru and shrugged, "If they have some type of record or anything from the original house that they found during the renovations that could help but other than that I'm not sure I can find much more."
Naru was leaning back in his chair, his chin propped up by his hand, notebook in front of him. "I appreciate what you have." Marking something down he turned to the group again. "We need to locate the hot spots around the home and get the equipment set up. Monk, John, and Yasu I need you three to go to these locations," Placing a list on the table he continued, "These are spots we are already aware of activity in, I want to get started on set up and we can set up any other places as necessary." As the three stood to go, taking Naru's directions as dismissal, he stopped them, "Also make sure to grab a charm from Mrs. Matsuzaki before you leave base. Assuming you have them done."
"Of course! You brat. I am a professional." He didn't even blink at Ayako's following complaints about Naru's lack of respect and manners, instead he paid her no mind and continued, "Mai, when we conduct the interviews in a few minutes make sure you stick to the list of questions we have made. See if we can get details about events and if they know anything about the Kaneko brothers or the properties history."
Mai rolled her eyes, such a workaholic, "I got it. Stick to the list, get details, no idle chit chat." Sighing, Mai pushed up from her, way to comfortable, chair. She was honestly already exhausted. The emotional whiplash she had experienced earlier had really taken its toll. Between that and the exhausting past few months she was overdue for a vacation. She had been stressed about the conference for months after Masako had told her about it. Then she was there, in England, and was a mess of nerves because of a certain narcissist. Running into him had then resulted in even more stress inducing situations. The dreams had been one, she was used to that stresser in her life at this point, then came the second with telling the gang. The knowing smirks, sarcastic comments, and prying questions had been expected but no less tiring. Suppressing a yawn she moved to start her job. Looking at the list of questions in her hand she stretched out the kinks in her muscles, in an attempt to wake up, then asked, "Who do you want me to take?"
"I've already interviewed Mr. Turner. His wife should be here in a minute. Locate their son and interview him." Naru didn't even look up as he spoke, mind already absorbed in the puzzle. Smiling to herself she shook her head, same old Naru, and walked out of base.
If she recalled correctly his name was Akio. Taking in the grand staircase before her she made her way towards it, she had a feeling that's where he was, smiling to Mrs. Turner as she passed by. Making her way up the stairs Mai could hear Naru greet her in base, through the door perpendicular to the stairs. As she made her way up she glanced around and tried to memorize her surroundings. If she planned on astral walking this place at some point she needed to familiarize herself with it. It's easier to ground herself when astral projecting if she envisions where she wants to be. Plus if she didn't want to get lost she needed to make sure she paid attention and stayed on her toes. As she moved to the top of the stairs she felt a shift in the air. Her nerves spiking, sending a tingling sensation down her arms, she whipped her head around. She couldn't see it but she could feel it, sense it just beyond her. It had an uncanny familiarity to her dreams. Her hair standing on end Mai prepared herself to start a protection chant, hands steepled in the symbol of the immovable one. Then it was gone.
"Are you alright?"
Mai focused in on the voice, her ears pounding from the adrenaline. Standing outside the last door at the end of the hall was a young man, she assumed it was Akio Turner due to the high-collar shirt poorly concealing those marks she had seen not too long ago. He hadn't been there when they arrived. She unconsciously swallowed before rubbing the back of her head and sheepishly responded, "Yeah! I'm fine." Dropping her hand she laughed a little forcefully and barreled on, time to forget that embarrassing moment, "Hello, I'm Mai." Walking toward him she gave a slight bow in greeting, "I'm here with BSPR to help with your problem." Standing up right, not far from him, she realized how close she suddenly was. How did she get down the hall so quick? Did she run down the hall in her haste to forget being caught standing around like a weirdo? She groaned to herself, she wanted nothing more than to just go to bed and try again tomorrow. She, by some miracle, convinced herself to just get this over with. Smiling, she prepped herself to continue and hoped she didn't embarrass herself further. Akio stood as he did before only now instead of concern creasing his brow an amused smile worked its way onto his strikingly handsome face. You could tell he was of mixed heritage. His olive tone skin, dark short styled hair, and eye shape came from his mother, but he had his fathers blue-gray eyes. He was almost as good-looking as Naru. Blushing even more her brain froze, what was she doing again?
"I'm glad you're alright. I'm Akio Turner." His low timbre voice coated in mirth.
"Nice to meet you, Akio." She watched as he looked her up and down before meeting her eyes and smiling, "Can I help you with anything, Mai? Is it alright to call you that or I could use your family name…."
He gave her a questioning look, smile still present. He was a charmer for sure. Waving her hand in dismissal, seriously somebody just put her out of her misery, she said, "Oh no, Mai is fine. I used your given name without asking! I'm sorry that was rude."
Akio laughed, "It's alright with me. We are in a house full of Turners; it would get confusing anyway. Please, Akio is just fine. Especially if I get to use your given name as well. I say it's a fair trade." Winking at her he started down the hall back toward the stairs silently offering for her to follow. So he's a flirt too.
Following him, back the way she'd come, she asked, "I do have a few questions about what's been happening here and how it's affected you, if you don't mind?"
His face fell a bit, his eyes glancing around before he met her gaze again, agreeing with a little less lilt to his voice, "What do you want to know?"
"Well, I was wondering if you happened to know anything about the home from before your family?" Let's start easy with the questions.
"Not really, my Dad wanted to find somewhere in my moms home country to live and eventually retire. My mom has always been fond of the cherry blossom trees in this area, so when my father learned of this place he bought it. He didn't really give it much thought, he hired the contractors to take care of everything since we were still out of the country. I never looked anything up pertaining to it and as far as I know neither did my parents." Akio shrugged, "I know it's old but other than that, I have nothing sorry."
"Oh don't apologize! It's alright we just always ask. It could come in handy and save time from research. Do you know if the contractor found anything during the renovations? Anything that could belong to previous owners?" Mai glanced back down at her list as she double checked her question.
Akio paused for a moment, "My Dad mentioned a well on the property somewhere that is original. Other than that, no." They continued toward the stairs as Mai asked her last question. She was honestly a little nervous to ask. It felt like an invasion of his privacy. She knew it was part of her job but she wouldn't begrudge him if he refused to answer,
"Last question, this one is totally up to you to answer or not but it will help us take care of this easier and potentially faster if you do." She received a reluctant look, as if Akio already knew what she was going to ask, before nodding at her to continue. "Can you tell me about what you have experienced?"
His heavy sigh told her more than words could, "I'm sure you've already heard about it. Things moving and disappearing at first and then being thrown at me. It would attack me with whatever objects it could when I was alone. After that it escalated, I was woken up one night to my blankets being ripped off, for who knows how many times…. I stopped counting, when I got out of bed to pick it up I was tackled by this…" he trailed off, his face becoming ashen at the memory. Mai placed a hand on his arm in reassurance, he gave her a small smile in gratitude continuing, "I know my Dad said he couldn't see her but I could, she was terrifying." He took a deep breath and paused at the top of the stairs, hand resting on the railing and gave Mai an imploring look, practically screaming, believe me. "She was bone-pale, her long knotted black hair covered most of her face during the struggle but... but her eyes were black. Nothing but pure hate was all I could see in her twisted face Mai. She had every intention of killing me, that I have no doubt. She would have too if my dad didn't interrupt. She was crazy strong. These marks have been here ever since," he pulled down the collar of his shirt to give her a glimpse of the still dark bruises, no closer to healing, "They look just as fresh as the night it happened, I honestly don't know why it hasn't gotten any better. After that the water would turn red, it resembled blood honestly, whenever I attempted to shower or bathe. I've resorted to using my grandmothers." He chuckled, it was void of any mirth, as he took a breath, "That's about it." Shrugging he turned to move down the stairs, Mai just behind him.
She went to follow him down the stairs, thinking about what to say. What do you say to someone who has experienced the worst thing in their life? Not only that but he had a daily reminder of it still on his skin. "Thank you for…" Everything tilted sideways. She felt her weight shift as something, or more someone, knocked her off her feet. She hadn't even noticed the temperature drop, she was too busy listening to Akio. She couldn't do anything either to stop her current trajectory. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for the next few moments. Akio turned toward her, only three steps down from her, as he heard her sentence cut off. His questioning glance then turned into one of shock then panic. His eyes widened as she fell towards him, right down the stairs. She put her arms out in a futile attempt to find anything to grab and slow her fall. As she was about to collide with Akio she heard a voice through the pounding in her ears.
"MAI!" Turning towards the voice she took in Naru's concerned face just as she hit Akio and tumbled down the stairs. Akio wrapped his arms around her frame as they went down, tucking her head into his chest as he took the brunt of the fall. He hit a step the wrong way and grunted in pain, that was all it took as his arm loosened around her head and she busted it on the floor as they landed at the bottom. Her vision swam as darkness closed in. There were those beautiful deep blue eyes again, why did they always look so sad. They were the last thing she saw as the darkness overtook her.
He had just finished interviewing Mrs. Turner and had requested she give them a tour of the home. As they headed out of the base the last thing he expected was to see Mai free falling down the staircase towards the client's son. The look of shock on both their faces was all he saw before he called to her, for what reason he had no clue it's not like it helped the poor girl. He will never forget the fear in her eyes as they met his before they were gone the next second and the two were ungracefully tumbling down the majority of the stairs. Akio had turned them sideways, in an attempt to shield their heads, as Oliver rushed to the bottom of the staircase. He heard two distinct and bone-chilling sounds. He practically felt the snap as Akio's body hit the bottom step. He froze as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him, he not only heard but witnessed Mai's head crack against the hardwood of the floor. He rushed over and dropped to his knees next to her. Her eyes were glassy as she looked toward him. Blood was matting the hair on the floor. He tried speaking to her, "Mai, can you hear me?" He didn't receive a response as her eyes slowly went blank and then closed. He felt nauseous, his stomach was in knots as he placed two fingers against her pulse before placing his head on her chest. Bump. BUH-BUMP. Bump. Bump. He pulled away, placing his hands on his knees, and stared down at her. She was still alive. Though her being out of it with the high possibility of a concussion was definitely not ideal. He needed Matsuzaki. Without looking up he called, "Lin."
The man had kneeled next to Akio. His hand on the young man's wrist, checking his pulse. Akio was out of it too. "On it." Standing Lin moved back to base. Taking a breath Oliver started evaluating the situation, in his haste to make sure the two were fine he had allowed himself to become too tightly wound. He could feel thrumming just under his skin. He always thought his PK was a being in and of itself. It was more than ready to be released, it wouldn't even take half a thought. He had trained to tightly chain it down with discipline and technique. He watched as her chest rose and fell. Timing his breathing with hers as he reigned in that deadly power. Once everything was locked back down, where it should be, and he felt collected once more he made his decision. Gently sliding his arms under her limp form he lifted Mai from the floor, intent on getting her to the couch in base. She cradled nicely in his arms. His left was cradling around her shoulders and back, his right tucked neatly into the bend of her knees. She was light as he moved toward the base door, He looked to Lin as he entered.
"Matsuzaki is grabbing her medical bag then heading this way" Lin supplied over a shoulder as he replaced the walkie-talkie on its charger. When Lin turned toward him Oliver swore he saw a hint of a smile on the older man's face as he took in the two of them.
"Good. She'll need to be assessed for a concussion. I watched her head hit the floor. I'll be surprised if the idiot doesn't have one." Oliver sighed as he approached the couch, his back to Lin.
"It was a rather hard fall." Why did Lin sound so amused? The situation was far from amusing. Oliver opened his mouth, ready to ask Lin what was so funny before his brain decided to preoccupy itself with the view in front of him. Mai had snuggled into his chest when he shifted forward to lay her on the couch. The light from the wall of windows highlighted the shape of her face. Streaks of gold caught her hair making it glint in the light. Her lashes kissed her cheeks. Her face was smooth, free of stress lines, she looked so comfortable. She's beautiful. His eyes zeroed in on a rogue piece of hair tickling her cheek with each breath. He froze. His hand was inches from her face. What was he doing? He set her down quickly and stood up. He glanced at her once more. For what? He had no idea. He needed to distance himself. As he turned away to move towards the monitors he noticed her curl up on the couch, wrapping her arms tight. She's cold. He knew there was a blanket folded over the back of the couch. He should just leave her. It was ridiculous to argue with himself, Matsuzaki will be here in a minute. Logically he should be walking towards the monitors, putting whatever this is away and focusing on the case, but instead he found himself at the end of the couch once more, leaning over Mai's sleeping form to pull the blanket down and over her. As his fingers dipped under the soft fabric his attention was captured by a sudden weight gripping his hand, he stalled in surprise and looked down. Mai was holding his hand, his eyes quickly glanced at her face, she was still asleep. He… He… What was happening to him? He softly pulled the blanket down and over her. Gently, with his free hand, he gripped hers and pulled her away. Pulling the blanket up he tucked her arm in, before placing the blanket back down. She snuggled into it and let out a soft sigh. He felt a small smile work its way onto his face. This feeling was foreign to him. He didn't really understand it. It was warm and full. It didn't seem to have any logic to it. It would just randomly overwhelm him at times. Well, it wasn't entirely random he supposed. Every instance shared the same common factor. But he still wasn't ready to work through that theory yet. He needed to focus anyways, they were on a case. He wouldn't let something small like emotions distract him.
Moving away from Mai he began thinking over the details of the case. They had only just arrived on site this morning. Typically activity stopped when they arrived for a night or so. A reaction to their presence so quickly could be an issue. Sitting in his chair in front of the monitors, resting his chin on his propped hand he opened his notebook, ready to sort out the facts. He still needed to know how Mai's interview with the client's son went. Oliver pinched his nose with his free hand. How she manages to already get targeted on the first day is beyond him. He needed to ask her if she took a charm or not. If Ayako's charms weren't strong enough for this spirit it could pose a much bigger problem. Maybe he should ask Lin to prepare extras.
Reviewing what information he had on the home so far and what the family has experienced, Naru had a few ideas of how to move forward. He doesn't like choosing one without all the facts, in his haste to finish he'd be replicating the old school house case mistake. He refused to fail like that again. He was pulled from his self-loathing when Ayako came into the room, a look of determination and concern on her face. She didn't even glance their way as she entered base, bee-lining for the passed out woman on the couch. Oliver observed as she set her bag down and kneeled down next to Mai. The scene was nostalgic in a way. It reminded him of the times before, where the two had been in similar positions, Mai injured and Ayako tending to her. Ayako put her stethoscope away, done checking her vitals before attempting to wake the woman. He listened as she called to Mai in hushed tones, one he had heard Luella use toward him and Gene on occasion, gently rubbing her hair back from her face. It was nice Mai had found someone to be a pseudo-mother in some form. He supposed the Monk took the role of pseudo-father for her as well, it was only logical. He snapped back to focus as he noticed Mai waking up, she let out a groan of pain as Ayako shined a pin light in her eyes, evaluating for a concussion.
Ayako sighed, "I know it is irritating but it's necessary Mai. Do you have a headache?" A slight nod, a grimace scrunching her features. "Anything feel injured or broken? Nauseous?" Ayako questioned, falling into her Doctor role naturally, gently feeling along the back of her head. Mai gingerly shook her head, responding quietly, "No." As if even that whisper of a response was still too loud, she grimaced again. Gently laying her back down on the couch Ayako smiled at Mai, "I'm going to grab some medicine for your head and water. I need you to stay awake for me." Mai gave a slight nod and draped an arm over her face, covering her eyes. Ayako grabbed a pill bottle from her bag, setting it on the coffee table before standing and making her way over to the mini fridge by the designated kitchen corner in base. Grabbing a bottle of water out of it she closed the door and moved back to her position next to Mai, though this time she sat on the edge of the couch. Turning away from the two Oliver finished planning their next step. When everyone came back to base, which he estimated being in the next few minutes due to Lin's distress call to Matsuzaki using the group channel on the walkie-talkies. Monk for sure wouldn't wait to check in on Mai, if he was correct in his assumption of their relationship that is. As if on cue the door to base opened and the worried Mother hen flitted in.
"Is our resident trouble-magnet alright?" At the scathing look Ayako sent as Mai groaned, Monk immediately sobered up. His loud entrance had been laced with concern but upon realizing she wasn't feeling well he quickly got the memo. Quieter this time he asked, "You alright kiddo?" Mai had turned onto her right side and propped herself on her arm. In her left hand was a water bottle as she finished taking the medicine Ayako had given. She glanced at him briefly before taking another drink, then answered him. "Just a headache. I'll be alright though." Taking another swig of water she handed it to Ayako and sat up.
"She has a mild concussion. She'll need rest and some meds but will be good as new in a day or so." Ayako quietly added while shaking her head.
Mai watched as the blanket fell to the floor. Her head felt like it had been through a blender. She was slowly adjusting to her surroundings the more she woke up. She felt a weight beside her as Masako sat down. Ayako grabbed the blanket off the floor and moved to place it back in its original spot. She couldn't really focus on anything for too long before she felt a sting behind her eyes. Closing them she took a deep breath. The pain subsiding she reopened them, scanning the room she made note that everyone had returned to base. After taking account of everyone she asked, "Where's Akio?"
Masako quirked a brow, "Akio? You mean the client's son?" Mai nodded. "He woke up not long after your fall. Ayako helped him into a sling before giving him and his parents orders to go to the nearest hospital. She believes he broke a rib and possibly his collar bone." Mai winced at the injuries. "Well, I hope he's alright. I feel kinda bad. I'm the one who got pushed, he just had the terrible luck of being in front of me."
"So you were pushed?" The question direct but not cold. Naru was watching her from the other side of the room. She remembered seeing him before she passed out earlier. He had looked sad, panicked too when their gaze had met on her way down. Now he looked like the Naru she remembered. Calculating, collected, he was holding her stare as he waited for her answer. Right he had asked her a question.
"Yes. I felt a pressure on my back as I fell." Naru held her gaze a moment longer before breaking it and writing in his handy dandy notebook. She wondered briefly if he, like her, doodled when taking notes. Probably not, he'd see it as a waste of time.
Without looking up he asked, "Are you aware and comfortable enough to tell me how the interview went?" Mai considered his question for a moment. If she didn't know any better she would think he was worried about her.
"Yeah, I might have to think through it a bit as I go. My brain still feels like it's lagging." Mai thought back to her interaction earlier with Akio. She had found him upstairs but he clearly knew that or they wouldn't have fallen down said stairs. She would leave out her awkward social skills too, they weren't pertinent to the case. "I asked him about the house's history, if he knew anything. He said he didn't only thing he mentioned being here from the original home was a well on the property. Akio said something about his father talking about it." Leaning back into the couch she closed her eyes, her head pounding. She really hoped the medicine kicked in soon, "I then asked about the activity he experienced and it was everything we were already told by Dr. Davis." She furrowed her brow, no that wasn't true. She corrected herself, "Actually there was one thing he said. He saw her, the ghost, that night when he was attacked and received those bruises."
"He saw her." Naru's gaze sharpened as he asked for confirmation.
"Yes, he described her too. He said she was bone-pale, with long knotted black hair. He also said she was crazy strong." She watched him look away, eyes unfocused as he took in the information. She only just realized Lin was typing this whole time as she heard the background sound pause, "That removes the possibility of human cause." Lin said, looking at Naru.
"That is true." Naru added.
"There's a possibility it could be a poltergeist." Monk said looking to John who nodded in agreement.
"That's true, there have been lots of physical disturbances with the family. Objects being thrown and the disembodied yelling." John glanced from monk to Naru.
"A possibility, yes but we don't have enough evidence to be sure."
From her position on the arm of the couch, hands in her lap, Ayako confidently stated, "It's clearly the work of an earth bound spirit."
There was a pause in discussion before multiple muffled laughs broke the silence, failing in their attempts to suppress their amusement they group laughed aloud. Mai patted Ayako on her leg as she huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms.
"Thanks for the pick me up babe." Monk's amusement soon turned into grunts of pain as he fended off her attack. She threw the couch pillows at him, Masako and Mai in the line of fire.
"You would think as a doctor she would take extra caution around her injured patient." Masako quipped behind her kimono sleeve. Mai sent Masako an imploring look, must she agitate the woman further. She sometimes wondered if Masako, even Monk and Yasu, had a death wish. Slowly rising from the couch Mai removed herself from the potential smack zone, making her way to an open chair in front of the monitors, she basked in this feeling. Her family was back together after years of separation. She honestly never thought they would be together like this again. Smiling as she sat down, The man next to her glanced her way before looking at the rambunctious group before them. Leaning back in the chair, her muscles finally relaxing as the medicine kicked in. She pulled her eyes from the entertainment in front of her to glance at Naru as he spoke.
"They didn't change over the years I see."
She smiled, happy they hadn't. "No, this is a common occurrence. Honestly I wouldn't have them any other way. Their family, the craziness isn't just something that keeps us entertained and the team morale high during stressful situations we somehow always find ourselves in, it's part of why I love them."
...
The first case has BEGUN!
Let me know what you thank and a big thank you to everyone who is still reading and an even BIGGER one to those who follow it 3
Until next time *two finger salute*