Mai didn't even have to look at Naru to know he was annoyed. She was jiggling her leg again, something he hated. She couldn't help it though, she was getting sick of the lady in front of them droning on and on.

Yasu had long since abandoned the two, leaving Mai and Naru to face the hysterical client alone. On the upside Mai got to sit right next to Naru, something she wasn't complaining about. Although, since she was jiggling her leg a lot, Naru probably wasn't as happy with the arrangement as Mai was. The thought made her blush and still her legs.

"Can you help us?" Sora Kabayashi, the middle aged female implored. Naru frowned and leaned forward in his seat, resting his chin on his hands.

"You say that a dog attacked you, but it could be a wild street dog," Naru pointed out. Mai sighed and looked down at her notes.

· Sora Kabayashi, 40, female

· Owner of small apartment complex in Tokyo

· Attacked by dog (large, black, glowing red eyes.)

· Bite marks on thigh, unable to provide evidence of wounds

· Minor incidents for past ten years, flared up recently.

Nothing too bad, which was probably why Naru wasn't overly enthusiastic about taking Kabayashi-san's case.

"In the apartments?" Kabayashi-san responded dubiously.

"It's rare, but entirely possible."

Kabayashi-san flushed at his dismissive words and Mai felt a pang of sympathy for the woman.

"What about the incidents? Things being moved or disappearing? Animals dying in the apartments? Even people peering through my window at night time?" Kabayashi-san asked, her voice taking on a shrill edge. Mai could feel Naru stiffen next to her. He wasn't really an emotions person, that's for sure.

"Those could all very likely be explained away as human, as for the animal problem, animals die all the time." Mai frowned at Naru. Sheesh, does this guy have any delicacy?

"I see. Very well, thank you for your time," Kabayashi-san resigned, wiping away tears. Mai watched the woman leave with a worried expression before turning on Naru, who had remained seated on the couch next to Mai.

"That was so rude Naru, couldn't you have at least been nicer about it?" Naru arched an eyebrow in her direction and turned slightly to face her better.

"But why? There was no reason to give her false hope."

Mai sighed loudly and jumped up before turning on her heel to stare down at Naru, hands on her hips.

"That woman was obviously distressed. The least you could've done was refer her to an exorcist or a medium in the area," she scolded him.

Naru didn't budge from his seat, instead just staring up at her impassively. "If she was really desperate she could find them on her own."

"I can't believe you Naru!"

Lin poked his head out of his office at the commotion making Mai flush even redder and fall silent. He just nodded at the two teenagers and slipped back into his office, not wanting to get involved.

"Look, I know you're concerned for her, but there was no real reason for me to take her case. I have no proof she was actually even bitten, making her entire story even more unbelievable," Naru tried to reason, his voice sharp. Mai huffed.

"Yeah, sure. I just wish you weren't so cold with her," she finally relented. Naru shrugged and stood up, making Mai step back slightly to give him room.

"Be that as it may, I have work to do. Don't forget the files for Monk from his exorcism this morning," Naru reminded her before stalking off to his office. Mai just watched him go sadly. Why did she have the feeling that this wasn't over?

Her instinct proved to be right because later that day she got a call from people in the same apartment building. She booked an appointment with them much to Naru's chagrin and now the two were seated once more together, talking to another client.

Eiji Takahashi looked worn out, and his young son Akio didn't look much better. Mai could faintly see teeth marks on Akio's arm every time the boy moved his arm around.

"I was just coming up the stairs, trying to catch up with Akio when I heard him scream. When I rounded the corner I saw that a dog had somehow gotten into our apartment and was viciously biting and throwing my son around," Takahashi-san explained. With that he rolled up his son's sleeve slightly to show the whole bite mark.

Mai's eyes widened and Naru leaned forward to see it better. The teeth must've been big, and long because the puncture wounds looked deep. They circled most of his whole arm and dragged in some place. This didn't seem like a normal dog bite, clearly whatever bit him intended great harm.

She quickly jotted down the appearance of the bite mark in her notebook and Naru waited until she was done before urging Takahashi-san to continue.

"That is an impressive bite, however it has been proven that dogs, especially larger ones, are capable of such things."

"I thought so too, but our door was closed and locked all day so I have no idea how it would get in. And when I rushed at it to beat it off my son, it turned around and I saw it had glowing red eyes."

Akio shivered and leaned back, closing his eyes. How old was he anyways? Nine perhaps?

"That is very intriguing. Takahashi-kun, would you mind recounting the incident?" Naru mused. Mai almost elbowed him. What was he doing making the boy relive something like that?

"Um, sure. Let's see… we were coming home and I ran ahead. I heard a weird noise, and when I walked in there was a dog in the apartment," Akio recounted, his voice shaky as he went on. His father laid a reassuring hand on his hair, making Akio loosen up slightly. "It bit me but dad beat it off. It also smelled really bad. Like rotten eggs!"

"Has anything else happened other than the dog attack?" Mai couldn't resist pressing. If Naru was annoyed at being interrupted, he didn't show it, instead casting her an unreadable look from under his bangs. Mai struggled to resist staring back into those beautiful blue eyes. Not now Mai, you have a scared little kid in front of you!

"Not to me, no. Although… sometimes I'll hear footsteps when I'm home alone. Things will move around and disappear too," Takahashi-san recounted.

"I saw a man once," Akio piped up.

Naru's eyes narrowed. Kobayashi-san had said the same thing. Perhaps it was merely a man and his dog trying to stir up trouble. So far he wasn't overly impressed.

"Oh, yes, one night when I was tucking Akio in, he suddenly pointed at a man who was supposedly peering through our window. I didn't see him, but I noticed the trees rustle slightly. The thing is that it was a windless night, so the trees shouldn't have moved. Not to mention we're on the second floor," Takahashi-san explained.

"Curious indeed. Is there anything else you'd like to add?" Naru mused. Mai watched him warily. Was he going to turn him down too, just like Kabayashi-san? She hoped not, now she was curious about this weird dog in the apartment building.

"No, not really."

Mai saw Naru's eyes glaze over slightly, a sign of boredom. So he'd lost interest, as quick as that. She gritted her teeth slightly but kept quiet.

"Thank you, I'll take your case into consideration," Naru dismissed them. Takahashi-san stood up and made his way to the door before turning back abruptly.

"Will you call and let us know if you decide to take the case? I'd appreciate it." Naru glanced over at Mai, taking in her hopeful expression, then back over to Takahashi-san, who had spoken.

"Of course."

Takahashi-san let out a sigh of relief and slipped out of the office, Akio trailing behind him.

Naru was just about to get off the couch when he felt hands on his shoulders from behind. It didn't take a genius to realize that it was Yasu.

"So boss, you are going to call them, aren't you?" Yasu said from behind him.

Naru frowned as Mai shrugged helplessly and got up, leaving Naru to deal with the boy's pestering alone. He could hear her head to the kitchen to make tea and was relieved she was nearby in case he needed to make a hasty exit and had to dump Yasu on her.

"No."

Yasu gasped and released Naru, staggering back. Naru used this opportunity to stand up and head to his office but was disrupted when Yasu jumping in front of him stubbornly.

"Come on boss, you heard the man. He needs help!" Yasu declared, trying to stop Naru from going. Lin once more poked his head out of his office at the commotion, but this time Yasu trapped him. "Right Lin? Naru should take this case!"

"I wouldn't know," Lin dismissed him hurriedly and retreated back into his office once more. In the kitchen the water was boiling.

"I said no, Yasuhara. Need I remind you that as boss I have the final say?" Yasu paled as Naru pushed past him but he was quick to jump back in the way.

"Naru-u-chan, that is so unfair. Think of the child!" Yasu pleaded. Naru resisted the temptation to roll his eyes as Mai suddenly emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tray of hot tea.

"Come off it Yasu, we all know you just want to see if there's a pool there," Mai chided him as she handed Naru his tea and started making her way to Lin's office. Naru was pleasantly surprised she stood up for him but kept silent.

"Guilty, but you have to admit, it sounds kind of interesting. Besides, I have a connection to large, aggressive dogs."

"You are one?" Mai teased him before slipping into Lin's office. While Yasu was protesting the insult Naru tried once more to slip around the boy but was stopped yet again. This time he couldn't hide his irritated sigh and Yasu grinned, knowing he was closing in on victory. Naru was getting worn down.

"Come on Naru, please? We haven't had a case in a while, you just keep turning them down. This one isn't too bad so why not?" Yasu tried once more. Mai emerged from Lin's office and breezed past them to deposit the dishes in the sink.

"No is no, Yasuhara," Naru replied irritably.

"I bet you'd take it if Mai was interested," Yasu taunted. The brunette poked her head out of the kitchen at the mention of her name. "Right Mai-chan? You want to take this case, don't you?"

"Oh no Yasu, I'm not getting involved," Mai protested but Yasu didn't let her, instead stomping over and grabbing her arm before dragging her back over to Naru against her will.

"Look at those eyes, they're saying take the case Naru! Take the case Naru!" Yasu mimicked in a falsetto voice. Naru shot the boy an unamused glare and didn't answer.

"Yasu cut it out," said Mai as she removed her arm from Yasu's grip.

"Will you stop pestering me if I take the case," Naru spoke up suddenly. Both teens fell silent and Mai's hopeful gaze gave it away that she had wanted to take the case. Their eager nods were the only answer he needed. With a resigned sigh he nodded and used their mini celebration to slip into the office.

Mai confirmed the case with the client later that day and thus began their latest investigation.

In a surprising twist of events it was Mai, Naru, John and Lin going to the site first. Mai had opted to go with John in the car this time, so when they finally pulled up after stopping for food – They were hungry! – Naru and Lin already had boxes out on the ground around the van.

On the outside it was your typical Japanese apartment building, four stories high with balconies outside each apartment. Inside was the same, if a little out dated. Mai gently elbowed John to get his attention.

"Does this place seem cold to you, and kind of musty?" she whispered. John frowned and nodded. Mai pushed the feeling back and followed Naru and Lin as they headed to the main office to meet with Kabayashi-san. As they were admitted Mai paused outside of the door. She was sure that somewhere in the building she heard wild, maniacal laughter.

"Keep up, Mai," Naru said in warning. Mai obliged hurriedly.

Still, the laughter remained in her head.

It only took a few hours to set up. Mai and John placed microphones and temperature sensors around various locations as well as confirmed suspicious locations as given to them by Kabayashi-san. Naru and Lin were off talking to some tenants that had stories.

This time around their base was in an empty board room. Mai had internally cheered when she saw there was a couch in it, and with all the tables it proved to be perfect for holding all their equipment. Since neither Ayako nor Masako was at the building yet Mai was to spend the night awake with Naru, Lin and John at base. It was unpleasant but they usually spent the first night awake gathering data anyhow so it wasn't a big deal.

Right now she and John were watching the computers, waiting for Naru and Lin to get back.

"Hey, Mai, come see this," John suddenly exclaimed. Mai rushed over to a monitor showing temp readings in the pool room. Mai could immediately see that someone was in the room. What was alarming was the fact that the temperature around them was low and dropping fast.

"Huh. Who is that?"

"I thought you would know."

Mai frowned. "I don't. Do you think we should head down there?"

"What's going on," Naru asked as he and Lin walked in.

"There's a temp drop in the pool room, and the cameras are registering a person in there as well. We were just debating whether or not we should head down there and make sure they're okay," John filled him in. Naru shrugged off his jacket and kicked Mai out of the chair, stealing it so he could see the monitors more clearly.

"It's fairly rare for there to be activity on the first night. They may have just opened a window. Even so, let's go check it out." Naru gestured for Lin to follow, and just like that he was gone again. Mai frowned and crossed her arms.

"Typical. Even though we're the ones that noticed the fluctuation, we're stuck at base," Mai huffed.

"Naru's doing what he thinks is best." John's words reassured her, but only slightly. Instead the two watched as Naru and Lin arrived at the pool and began conversing with whoever was down there. Mai turned up the volume and listened in.

"Naru, she's possessed," Mai caught Lin saying, his voice static-y. Her eyes widened.

"Huh, isn't that something. I guess the ghost is showing itself after all," John said with a whistle.

"You need to leave. Leave now. Please, leave," the person pleaded. Mai was surprised to find it was a woman. The image on screen showed someone a lot bigger, her first guess was a male. She'd have to ask Monk or Naru if that meant anything, or if she was just a larger female.

"Please, just tell us why we need to leave," Lin was asking.

"Because, once you arrive here you can't get out!" With that, the woman collapsed and Lin moved to carry her out. Naru remained briefly, looking at something it seemed, before leaving. After what seemed like forever, Naru arrived back at base, sans Lin.

"Where's Lin-san," John asked.

"He's taking the girl to get examined." John nodded at Naru's words.

"Who was that?" John asked

"Aki Morine, from apartment 243. That's all we needed to know."

"Hey, what happened down there anyways?" Mai asked. Naru sighed and ushered Mai out of his chair once more, pausing to shoot her an irritated look before sitting down. Mai smiled sheepishly but Naru remained impassive.

"She was possessed. We don't know why she was down there but I did notice some suspicious stains around where she was standing."

"Like… blood?" John asked, paling slightly.

"I believe so. However, she didn't have any wounds that Lin nor I could see. It was peculiar."

"Is she alright though?" Mai asked. Naru sighed and turned to the monitors, clearly close to being done talking.

"Yes, Lin thinks so. John, would you mind checking the pool room again. I'd like to know if there's any spiritual residue of sorts. A possession that early into our investigation is unusual. It could be a malicious spirit."

"Hai, boss," John said with a mock salute before grinning at Mai and leaving. Mai waved goodbye before plopping down in the chair next to Naru, watching him type for a few seconds. Finally he turned to her, arching an eyebrow.

"Is there something you needed?" Mai frowned at his condescending tone before straightening.

"Yeah, actually." When Naru didn't move or say anything else, she continued. "On the screen, I didn't think it was a woman at first. Her heat reading seemed a bit bigger, like it was a man standing there or something. Is that weird?"

"Well, what do you think it means?"

Mai's frown returned. Naru was testing her again, probably looking for a way to make her feel stupid. Still though, Ayako was talking about something like this recently. "Ah… doesn't it have something to do when a spirit possessing someone manipulates their aura? I mean, I was told it could happen. She didn't sound like she was a very big person, at the least."

Naru's lips turned up slightly. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was something. Mai internally celebrated, trying and failing to keep the goofy grin off her face. "I think that's about right."

"But… what does that mean Naru?" At her question, Naru's mouth fell again, pressing his lips together.

"It could be a variety of things."

"That's not really answering my question." Mai froze when his eyes met hers again. They seemed serious. Not to mention, impossibly gorgeous. However his next words didn't sound so gorgeous.

"Well, it could mean that we're dealing with a rather powerful spirit."