Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

Burnt Desires: Part 1

Day 1. 4:30PM.

The smell of smoke woke her.

Her tired eyes surveyed the room, moving slow at first as she leant forwards with a stretch. She hadn't had much sleep, finding herself too tired to remember why she had woken. She had stayed up until the late hours of the morning cramming as much information as she could into her head in hopes of acing her supplementary classes for the day after; they were finishing soon, and she didn't want to retake them, again. "Damn-" Her mouth widened into a yawn, stretching her arms high above her head to pop the bones in her shoulders. She grinned, satisfied with the tingling feeling beneath her skin until her nose suddenly scrunched up, prodding her senses. "Ugh, who's burning breakfast?" She mumbled to herself, flickering her gaze towards the alarm clock sitting lonesome on her nightstand. 04:23am. "And so early..."

A begrudging expression crossed her face, and she moved her foot out from under the nice, warm covers of her bed, testing the floor temperature with a quick wiggle of her toes. After a short pause she placed her foot down flat, finding it warmer than she had expected. She blinked, slowly lowering her other foot down to settle next to it. It was warm. Too warm.

She rolled out of bed and placed her hands across the panelled floor, feeling the heat rise through the cracks beneath. Did he forget to put out the fireplace? She pondered for a moment, sucking in a deep breath before releasing a sharp and sudden cough, tasting a dense gritty aftertaste in her mouth. "E-Eww!" She coughed forcefully, wiping her sleeve across her mouth. "What is that!?" She stared down at the black substance staining her sleeve, wondering how such a thing had ended up in her mouth. "S-Soot." She forced back a gag, switching her thoughts as she began scanning the room for the source of the black grit, stopping almost abruptly at the sight before her. She took a hesitant step forward, focusing on the visible heat waves emitting from beneath her door and swirling through the cracks, carrying thick clumps of soot along with it and depositing it into her room.

Whatever it was, it was bad. It had to be. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes as she thought back to her previous thoughts. If he hadn't put out the fireplace, then who did? Her mother couldn't have done it, she was still abroad on her two year work trip. "...Did nobody turn it off..?" She said aloud, unable to think of anything else that could emit such a substance- already knowing the outcome. But it was surely an accident.

A voice inside her head told her to stay where she was, not wanting to risk another beating from him. The monster. She winced, not finding herself in the right state of mind to receive another 'scratch' from such a beast. One wrong footing on those creaky stairs would wake him up.

"...I'm sure it's nothing," She said in an attempt to throw her mind elsewhere, but she failed to reassure herself and get rid of the curiosity filling her mind. Please don't be a fire. Before she knew it she was already standing in front of the door, hand hovering around the handle. "J-Just one look..." She edged closer, staring down at it. "...It won't hurt..."

Her hand flexed before closing around the handle.

But she retracted it immediately. "O-Ow- SHIT!" She howled, stumbling back from the shock. "Shit, shit, shit!" She drew back, cradled her burning hand to her chest. The fierce sensation tore through her nerves, eroding her hand from the inside out. It felt as if she had shoved her hand into a bucket of acid, making it too painful to move. "Don't look, " She whispered with tears in her eyes, not wanting to assess the damage. "Don't look!"

But the urge was too strong.

Through peeking eyes she slowly unclenched her fist, stifling her gasp at the pain the slightest of movement had caused her. The puckered skin running along her fingers and palm appeared red and moist with the faint engraving of the door handle marking her skin, leaving tendrils of dead skin around the edges.

It was all wrong.

Why was it hot? It shouldn't have done that! Her eyes drew back towards the door. "It doesn't make sense," She whispered, shock splaying across her face. She was beginning to break inside. The scorching handle had only served as evidence for her thoughts, tempting her to check things out. So she did. Swapping hands she reached for the door again, tugging her baggy sleeve around the handle this time. With a sharp pull she yanked the door towards her, catching a jagged breath in her throat. It hadn't budged. Not one bit. "Oh no," She pulled back, fright so evident in her eyes.

He'd locked the door again.

And the smoke was flowing in at an accelerating rate through the crack underneath.

"W-What the hell!" She stumbled back, taken by surprise at the sudden pace of the smoke. Her mind whirled as the smoke filtered in like a wave, filling the compact space within a matter of seconds –it was too quick for her to do anything, but she finally understand what was gong on. It served her suspicions correct.

The house was on fire.

"Damn you to hell, Dad!" She yelled, wanting the monster to hear this time. "What have you done, you idiot!" She spat venomously, inhaling another chunk of smoke. Feeling her throat constrict she spun around on unstable feet, grabbing her pillow off the bed to waft away the thickening smoke. But despite the effort, the pain in her hand was too unbearable for her to ignore, and in a drastic attempt she dropped the pillow and ran towards the window, feeling her breath shorten with each exhale. "W-Window," She gasped, reaching blindly for the handle as her voice rose into a screech. "Come on! Where's the handle!?"

Her eyes watered uncontrollably, making it almost impossible to see where she was going. Why the fire had started she didn't know, but she wasn't going to die here, not without a fight.

She slowly manoeuvred her way through the bedroom, bumping into unknown objects amongst the smoke until her hands grasped onto something hard and heavy. "Yes!" She cheered, angling herself towards the general direction of the window before charging forward with the object in hand. She raised it high before swinging it around in an arc and smashing it through the window. And the glass should have shattered into pieces of glistening shards, scattering the floor around her feet. But it didn't. Instead, the heavy vase she had thrown had broken in its place, pricking her hands with the remaining pieces. And just like the door, the window was jammed tight, holding no dent nor crack.

"No, no, no!" She cried, feeling her heart sink. Her legs gave out and she slid to the floor, heaving in a desperate breath. The smoke had turned a thick black by this point, taking away her wavering sight and leaving her with the burning smell filling her lungs and the smoke settling in her throat. All that filled her ears was the approaching fire with its crackling, red heat flickering against her door, turning the speckled paint black; leaving embers in its tracks that joined together, flaring even higher and creating multiples fires as it destroyed the house.

All her attempts were futile.

"M-Mom! S-Save me, p-pleeeaaasssee-" She choked out in a last-ditch attempt, tasting the familiar tang of copper. If only she was here.

"BUUUURN!" A hysterical voice chuckled manically, soaking the outside of her door in pungent streams of liquid. "BURN YOU CHARLATAN FOOL! BUUURRRRNNN!"

"D-Dad?" She sobbed, digging her fingernails into the floorboards. "Stop it! You're wrong!" She shook her head, hearing his manic laughter ring in her ears. "STOP LYING!"

She was so scared. This wasn't how she wanted to die. Why was he doing this? What had she done!? "MUM!" She called again, praying she could hear her. At least she was safe overseas.

The flames had already burnt through her door by the time she fixated her glossy eyes on the faint orange glow of the embers in the dark. With the last of her strength she raised her throbbing head and parted her dry lips, yelling at the smoke with her dying breath.

"IT'S NOT FAIR!"

She jolted awake, finding a pale face staring back at her in the mirror with haunting crystal eyes. Why did she look so scared?

"It was just a dream. A nightmare," Her voice trembled, filling her mind with a painful buzz. "N-No, it hurts!" She whimpered, smothering her face into her pillow. Why did it hurt so much? "I-It felt so real-" What was so real? You just woke up. Her mind told her, relaxing the tension in her back. Her eyes flickered for a brief moment, appearing glassy and dull before the iris' resurfaced, bringing her back to reality.

"...What was I just doing?"

Mai opened her eyes with a gasp, almost head-butting the figure before her as she jolted forward, waking from the dream. Her hands shook while she tried to calm her breathing, suddenly meeting the stern yet focused gaze of the indigo eyes hovering before her, widening a fraction at her sudden movement.

"...I've been calling you for a while," The figure said dryly, narrowing his gaze.

Mai stared back at her boss, swallowing a lump in her throat."N-Naru?" she spluttered. "What are you doing here?"

Naru focused on her face for a brief second more before pulling back, hiding the amusement in his eyes. "Hm, this is my office after all, Mai." He said, brushing off his trousers as he stood. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lidless pen, fixing his rigged gaze on her before he spoke. "I want a full report on your dream on my desk once you're more focused." He said with an air of clout, standing from his kneeling position on the floor beside her, and moving to return to his office.

Mai shot him a glare, snatching the pen from his grip before needling her eyes into the back of his head with a pout marring her face.

"Oh, and Mai?"

She sighed, recognising his tone as her glare intensified. Don't even think about it-

"Tea." He smirked to himself and disappeared into his office.

Mai flashed him an angry look, tightening her grip on the pen. "Narcissist," She growled bitterly, staring down at the compressed cushion on the floor, left from where Naru had been kneeling. From her seat on the office couch Mai reached towards it, brushing her fingers along the pattern. She blushed. It's warm. "Was he waiting for me to wake up..?" She pondered to herself, feeling her cheeks flush at the thought. "Mnn." She poked her cheeks, shaking her head with a rough jerk. "I-I'd better go make him his tea," She tucked the pen behind her ear and stood on unsteady legs before making her way towards the kitchen.

Lin walked out from his office carrying a box filled to the brim with paper as he strode towards the second office, prying open Naru's door with a booted foot. Naru was sat hunched over his desk, staring down at an open file with a pen resting in his hand. Lin pushed the door shut behind him, placing the papers on top of a thick stack of files on his desk. Naru looked up at the sound, eyeing the paperwork.

"What are they?"

"The last batch of the completed files from last year." Lin replied with a raised brow, noticing the lack of work on his desk. "...Haven't you started on the previous files yet?"

Naru's eyes fixated on the small, glossy window panelling his office wall at his assistant's words, watching Mai hurry into the kitchen to brew his tea. "I was busy," He said, returning his gaze to the open file sitting on his desk and scribbling a line of English in the top corner. Lin watched him a few more seconds, shook his head, and retreated out the door.

Mai was too busy fulfilling Naru's order in the kitchen to notice Lin's coming and going from Naru's office. Her hands reached for the whistling kettle, pulling it from its perch on the stove to pour into the already prepared cup. Her eyes lingered on the ripples of water as it whirled and dissolved into a murky beige. Mai's mind dove back to her earlier dream as she watched the liquid swirl around the cup, wondering what had provoked it. They hadn't taken on a case in weeks, not after they had found Gene's body. He had dispatched them all at first, talking about disbanding the SPR after finally succeeding in what he came to here to do. However, with a few persuasive prods and talks, Mai and Yasu had managed to get the Narcissist to stay, reminding him of the many other cases they could pick up on in Japan.

And it had been a good enough reason for him to stay.

Mai released a dishevelled sigh. She hadn't truly understood the dream, recalling only remnants of what she had experienced as the subject in the memory. From what she could remember, the subject was female, and a young one in experiencing such a thing. Mai could recollect the heated floors, followed by the billowing smoke that came out of no where, filling the room with a thick curtain of ash and soot. The monster, her father, had locked her bedroom door for reasons unknown, confining her to the intoxicating room. She had ran towards the window as a last resort but had failed to open it and had died from inhaling the chemicals in the smoke.

But what really struck her as odd was what had happened next. She had woken up in the girl's body, finding herself unravelling in the dream as she remembered the piercing crystal eyes in the mirror before being overtaken by a strange sensation and truly waking up back in her own body.

And Gene hadn't even been present.

Mai had never experience such a thing –waking up inside a dream while still watching the memory play. It was unusual. Her thoughts loitered for a moment more until the alluring smell of the cooling tea brought her back to her senses, reminding her of her boss' pending request. "Oh!" She gasped, grabbing the cup from the countertop before hurrying out of the kitchen, trying her best not to spill it as she quickened her pace.

But just to spite her predicament even more –the phone rang.

The assistant quickly placed the cup down on the table in the main room, sloshing the contents across the wooden surface as she raced to answer the phone, bumping into the couch along the way. She grabbed the phone on the last ring and brought it to her ear, glancing at Naru's door before answering. "Hello?" She called, hearing her voice echo through the dialling tone. "Hello? Can you hear me?" She tried again, feeling her brows crease in confusion as static filled the other end. "...Hello?"

Mai waited a bit longer, listening to the crackling noises emitting from the receiver. Her lips stretched into a frown, and she reached for the End Call button, stopping suddenly as the crackling changed to a hiss. A low mumbling echoed through the speaker sounding bleak and hypnotic to the ear. She gripped the phone tighter, wondering whether it was some children playing a prank. "I-It's not funny," Her voice trembled. "...I-I'm going to h-hang up now..." She responded before ending the call, releasing the phone with a startled gasp. Mai stared at it momentarily, hoping it wouldn't ring again. And much to her relief, it didn't, and she released a sigh in return.

Mai turned away from the phone, wanting to forget about the whole ordeal until she caught a figure standing in the corner of her eyes. Her whole body froze, thinking it was the spirit tormenting her from the phone. She quickly whirled around, hands ready to perform the nine cuts until a startled gasp escaped her lips.

"Mai?" The figure called.

Mai's arms faltered at the sight of her boss standing in the doorway of his office, slowly easing the tension from her body with a calming breath. "Naru," She sighed, slumping down on the couch. Her eyes drew back to the phone. "D-Did you hear all of that..?"

Naru moved his head forward with a slight nod, turning away from his office to stand before his confused assistant. "Was it a client?"

Mai shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. "I'm not sure," She mumbled. "There was static at first before a low mumbling began to chant through the phone. It didn't sound right, Naru." She met his narrowed stare, biting her lip. "The noise was almost...hypnotic." She continued. "It felt like someone was trying to talk to me, but I couldn't make it out. It was weird, really weird."

"Are you sure it wasn't a prank call?"

"Mnn, very sure." She nodded, curling her hands into fists. "It didn't sound...human."

Naru paused in thought. He had enough faith in Mai to believe she wasn't lying. Perhaps it was the start to a new case, hopefully something paranormal. At least this will take my mind off Gene. He thought to himself, glancing down at Mai. Sometimes her feelings led them astray on unfinished cases or false inquiries, but he was certain it was different this time.

And that was all he needed to start the case.

"I'll get Lin to trace the call," He stepped towards the table, eyeing the drops of liquid surrounding his forgotten cup of tea.

"Y-You will?" She shivered, tearing her eyes back to her boss as he reached for his chilled cup. "Ah, w-wait!" She choked, watching him with wide eyes as he drew the cup to his mouth. "No, don't drink that Naru, it's cold!" She protested. "I'll make you a fresh cup-"

Naru took a sip of the cold liquid, forcefully swallowing the bitter taste. At least she didn't forget it this time.

Posting Date: 29th October 2014

Symm: Hey! How's it going? I've finally put up a new story; it's been a while. This is my first Ghost Hunt fic so if the characters are a little wrong, I apologize. This was supposed to be updated a little earlier in the event of Halloween, however my original plan hasn't worked. I was hoping to finish this on Halloween but that's basically out the window if you look at how much time I have left. Sigh, I should have planned it earlier! Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next update. I'll see you soon!

Charlatan: a person falsely claiming to be something.