Stood in a barren,
With a lamp in hand,
To light the way to come,
To light the way to home,
A single flame unable to contain
Itself and those in smothering pain.
Going in a frenzy, in and out
Dumped in a murky solitude,
The light flickers and
A singed flame dances."
~Psyche
Chapter 1
Mai.
*Something ringing loudly*
Mai.
"Ten more minutes." Mai mumbled in her sleep.
"Mai!"
"Hai!!"
Mai stood up straight from her desk chair. Naru looked at her disapprovingly.
"Pick up the phone. It's ringing."
"Oh, sorry!! Moshi moshi, Taniyama Mai speaking. This is SPR. How may I help you?"
Listening to the other side.
"Yes, these types of happenings are consulted here. Let me talk with my boss."
Naru raised a brow.
"Ne, Na..shacho, the client is in an emergency situation. He wants to talk with you directly."
Naru took the receiver from her hand and talked with the client for a while.
"My assistant will talk about the basic necessities that'll be required in the investigation," giving the receiver back to Mai.
Mai confirmed with the client and hung up with reassured words.
"Prepare for the investigation with Lin," Naru said, on the way to his office. "Call the irregulars and see if they're available for the case starting tomorrow. Tell them to be here at 8 am sharp. But you'll be here one hour before to help Lin with the equipment."
"Hai."
"Just don't try to fall asleep while you're at it."
Mai cursed in her mind.
"Ha..ii."
Naru raised an eyebrow.
"It won't happen again, I promise", Mai mumbled with an embarrassed smile.
'She deserved it, didn't she? Falling asleep again like that…..' Mai sighed and took a seat to call the irregulars, while Naru halted in his tracks and looked behind.
"And Mai?"
Mai glanced up curiously.
"Ye..ss"
"Try not to stand up so fast like that, or, you'll lose whatever brain cells you're left." Naru remarked with a smirk and turned on the doorknob.
Mai blushed and fumed with rage.
'That infuriating smirk! Who are you calling stupid, You Narcissistic JERK?!'
"I heard that, Mai."
Mai was stunned. Did she just say that aloud?
"Try to keep your thoughts to yourself."
Mai stuck her tongue out at his back.
"Keep doing that and you'll find your pay deducted."
'Eeek'
The door slammed shut.
Mai.
*Sound of a door opening*
"Mai?"
*Beep Beep Beep Beep*
Are you awake?
"Are you awake, dear?"
Mai found it difficult to open her eyes. However, she tried to and could faintly see a middle aged man in a white coat looking at her with a kind smile. There is a nurse beside him.
"Do you remember your name?"
Mai nodded.
"I'm..Taniyama..Mai," Mai said with difficulty.
The doctor nodded.
"How are you feeling, dear?" asked the doctor checking her vitals.
".. I..am a li..ttle tired. Where..am I? What happened?" She croaked
"You're in the hospital, dear. You were in a terrible accident," the doctor said solemnly.
'An accident?'
The doctor and the nurse looked at each other with sombre eyes. The doctor started softly,
"We are sorry, dear. You were riding in a car with your parents and unfortunately your parents have passed away in that car accident."
'My Parents?'
"My…parents died?" Mai croaked with confusion. Her heart still lurched at the thought, tears gathering in her eyes.
"It was a terrible car accident, dear. People found you and your parents in the car. The police confirmed your identities. They were…spot dead. Only you're barely alive when you were brought here."
Her mind was racing.
"Apparently, there was a boy on the road that your parents missed driving until the last moment. Your father turned the car on the spot trying to save the boy."
Something was strange. Something didn't add up. Her parents didn't die at the same time. And, they certainly didn't die in a…
"Bb..ut..sensei, there *taking a breath to keep talking* must be *talking with difficulties* some kind of mistakes."
The doctor looked at her with sorrowful eyes and said, "The police investigated and came to this conclusion after interrogating the boy and other people at the place of the incident."
An accident…A boy… Her parents.
Mai was at a loss. Yet, something seemed strangely familiar about it that she couldn't point out. Suddenly,
"What about the others?" Mai gasped. Some memories came to her mind with bits and pieces. Some weren't familiar.
"Wh..what about Naru?"
"Naru? Is that the injured boy's name?" asked the doctor. The nurse shook her head beside him.
'But where are they now? How are they? Did they really d…?'
She went into hysteria. The doctor called her trying to calm her down. But she was frantic. He told the nurse to prepare a sedative and pushed it into the I.V. After some time, Mai started to calm down with everything going black.
'Na..ru…'
A/N: Whew! It's really difficult to portray the original characters. Respect to the writers. And, I love how you guys are supporting me on my first try. Thank you soooo much. Our immense love for this anime connects us here together, doesn't it? But I may not be able to answer your messages as I'm doing this in the middle of studying and job hunting. This story is a small distraction for myself from my hectic life. Crazy, right? I apologize for my rudeness and again, am veeeryyy grateful for your supports. So, please review as your review will help my writing and will keep me in track. I don't own Ghost Hunt~