Chapter one – Beginning

It wasn't that Mai particularly disliked working at SPR… In fact, she liked it a whole lot. If you just pretended for a minute that angsty spirits, annoying shrine maidens, possessive psychic medium and half drowned zombies weren't in her job description, it'd be a dream career.

No, it wasn't the job that was the problem…. The problem was… This guy.

Mai fixed her eyes sullenly on the wall behind Naru as she sat a teacup down in front of him, doing her best not to look at the entrancingly handsome face that belonged to that damn narcissist. Backing away with the tea tray clutched to her chest she stared stubbornly out the door, acting as if she could not hear the chink of fine china as Naru lifted the teacup up.

It was silent for a minute – which was perfectly normal when all members of SPR were in their respective foul moods – before Naru spoke.

"Are you sulking?"

Mai looked up sharply and found herself further infuriated when Naru wasn't even looking at her. Dark eyes were scanning over the paper in front of him with far more attention than he was paying to the conversation he ought to be having with Mai.

"I'm not sulking!"

Naru's eyes flickered up for a brief moment to meet Mai's. The pair stared at each other and for a minute she seriously thought he might be about to say something of concern for her.

"If you're going to sulk I don't need you here. Go." He said bluntly and looked back down at his work before taking a small sip of his tea.

Mai's eyebrow twitched uncomfortably at his total show of indifference.

"Are you kidding? At least show a shred of concern!"

She was completely ignored as Naru simply flipped open to another page in his handout and took yet another sip of his tea, as if he'd already forgotten Mai was in the room with him.

It had been this way for a few days now inside the Shibuya Psychic Research headquarters. The atmosphere was tense and heavy, weighing down on all he passed through their door. It was far too silent, that is, compared to the first few days in the week which had been full of vicious yelling and irritating deductive reasoning.

To put it simply, Mai supposed you could say the SPR was having a bit of an internal dispute. An argument, a squabble, a blue…. Whatever you wanted to called it. A rather pointless one too, Mai thought glumly as she took care to stomp as she left Naru alone with his tea.

If that conceiting jerk had just been willing to compromise…

Mai swallowed back her irritation as she set a cup of tea down at Lin's elbow. He glanced up at her but neither thanked nor rebuffed her.

Trying not to allow his dismissive attitude to get to her – especially after his recent faint beginnings of trust – Mai backed out of the room and returned to her paper work shrouded desk nearer to the front of the of the office.

Tension had been high ever since John had requested a favour of SPR and their other spiritualist friends….

– One week ago –

"Noises in the darkness, things moving and guests have been complaining of seeing somebody in their room late at night and feeling like they're being watch," John gave a hapless shrug, "It's been getting worse, too. One girl's in a coma after she and her friend were 'fell' down the stairs and another was dragged all the way outside the hotel before she woke up. She's fine though, except from a scrapped knee."

Ayako leaned forward confidently. "It sounds like an –"

"- Earth bound spirit," monk interrupted in a high pitched voice obviously meant to mimic Ayako. Yeah, yeah. That's your solution to everything." He leaned back and gave the fuming Shrine Maiden a superior smirk.

"Well it does." Ayako said a little defensively and Mai couldn't help the small giggle that slipped out her lips and her friend's haughty attitude. Masako gave her a strange look which she ignored for want of not wishing to start an argument.

"I know it's a lot to ask," John said with a small sigh, "but he's getting pretty desperate. His hotel's going to be run out of business if the paranormal happenings don't stop soon. That's why he got in contact with me."

Naru looked across at John who was sitting on the couch opposite with his full attention. "Did you try exorcising it already?" He asked.

John gave a small smile. "Well, I thought of trying but I don't even know where to begin. There's no place that seems to be more affected than elsewhere and Craig can't even tell me when strange things start happening."

"The situation sounds rather pitiful," Masako sniffed, bringing the dangling sleeve of her kimono over to cover her face as she spoke, "if it's a spirit it's probably confused and doesn't know what's going on."

John shifted uneasily and Naru's eyes narrowed as if honing in on him. "That's not it, is it?" He asked of the Aussie monk. John gave a rather weak smile and a little shake of his head.

"Actually, there is something he mentioned about it…" John looked down at his clasped hands in his lap before glancing back up, this time at Mai, much to her bewilderment. "Most of the strange happenings occur around his younger female guests."

"Oh…" Masako, Ayako and Mai said in unison.

"Does that mean us girls won't be safe then? That we'll be targets?" Ayako said with a faint frown marring the white skin of her face.

"I don't think you qualify as a 'young' female." Monk muttered under his breath and received a sharp whack to his easily bruised noggin for the trouble.

"Ah, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think you'd be safe," John said quickly with a sidelong glance at his younger female friends, "but all the same, maybe it's for the best if you stay behind –."

"- I," Masako said with another disdainful sniff, "will be fine. It takes an ill-suited spirit medium to be afraid of spirits." She raised her head with a sense of dignity and pride before casting Mai a glance. "However, I understand that not all young women can handle it." She finished off her dig with a slight lift of her nose.

Mai bristled at the blatant invitation for an argument. "I'm fine! I can handle it! I want to come –."

"- Mai will be staying here." Naru said bluntly and the room fell into silence.

"Naru…" Lin said from his position behind him but Naru began speaking again with the same cold and distant tone he always used.

"If there's a spirit targeting young woman it's pointless to bring her along. Her powers are barely of use in a situation like this and she'll only be getting in the way if it's after her." His straight forwardness was only offset with the cool tone he used to deliver it as he raised his teacup to take a sip of the by now lukewarm beverage. "Besides, stupid as she is, she can't afford to miss that much school."

"Well…. When he says it like that…" Monk scratched the back of his shaggy hair awkwardly and didn't look at Mai as he said, "perhaps she should stay here. I mean, it'd suck to have in danger for no real reason."

Ayako tossed her hair over her shoulder but also avoided looking at the other woman. "I agree. It doesn't make much sense to drag her all the way to Japan where she'll she just be in danger and risk screwing up the investigation."

Lin looked a little uncomfortable and had a strange expression on his face and he stared at Naru. Mai, however, was stunned speechless. It felt like an outright betrayal! Everyone was to go but her? Why? Because she wasn't as good as them at what they did?

"What? But, Masako's going, so why shouldn't I?"

Naru set his teacup down and looked sharply up at his younger worker who was quite obviously fuming. "This is not open to debate," he said firmly, "Hara-san's skills are essential if we are to know what we're dealing with. I have no need for useless people on an investigation."

Even Mai's protesting that she could speak English decently was blatantly ignored until her frustration peaked.

Perhaps the rest of the guests sensed the murderous aura radiating from the young female psychic for they instantly got to their feet listing many prior engagement they had to attend before rushing each other out the door, John pausing briefly to call quickly, "I'll be in touch shortly."

The room cleared out that left Lin, Naru and Mai alone in the room.

And the shouting began.

– Present time –

Mai let out an irate sigh as she shuffled some paperwork together before sticking it under a stapler which she slammed (hard) with the palm of her hand before tossing the messy stack of paper onto an even messier pile.

Everybody had their tickets for a flight to Australia the next day with Mai being stuck to 'mind the office'. What was she meant to do? Tell everybody that came in to go away? Go solve complex cases on her own? Ha! Don't make her laugh.

I've been so sour lately; she thought glumly, her eyes downcast as she stopped angrily shuffling through papers on the desk. The idea of going on a trip with Naru – even if it was for work – had been so attractive when John offered it, but Naru himself had immediately stomped that idea out.

Maybe I should stop moping over it and just accept that I'm not going…

Bringing down her mood even more she stilled her hands and simply stared at the dark wood of the desk as she tried to work her spirits up again.

I mean with Naru and Lin gone, I'll have the whole office to myself! I can do anything! All the sleeping I want, going through Naru's office! I can even dance naked on his desk! A light blushed tinted her cheeks as she reconsidered. Okay, maybe not that last one.

The sound of the door swinging open pulled her from her thoughts and she jumped guiltily from her seat as she franticly tried to look like she hadn't been thinking strange thoughts.

Expecting to see a customer she was surprised to see John leaning easily through the door. Looking around for a moment his eyes settled on Mai and he offered her a wan smile. "Hey. Is Naru in?"

"Huh? Uh, ah yes." She said softly but before she could utter another word he tossed her another small smile and shot across the room straight for Naru's office, disappearing from sight. Curiously, Mai craned her neck to try and look in but couldn't see much. Voices started up but she couldn't quite hear from where she was.

This has got to be about the case…

Heart pounding, she sneakily edged forward towards Naru's office, intent on hearing the conversation. Footsteps sounded behind her and she leaped back as Lin appeared behind her. He shot her a rough look that clearly told her she wasn't welcome before he stepped into the office.

Feeling isolated and left out, Mai returned to her desk and proceeded to fiddle with a pen while staring at Naru's office as if by doing so she would miraculously know what was going on.

The voices were quiet and urgent. She could make out John's strangely accented voice and hear the soft strands of Naru's, but not the words that were being said.

They didn't talk long; maybe a few minutes before they both emerged, John looking as strange as he had when he entered and Naru looking… Was he annoyed? No… he was angry. Mai was surprised. It was a rare expression indeed.

Alright, so it wasn't totally an 'expression' per se, but she'd spent more than enough time around Naru to be able to recognize the different shadows his eyes cast at different points in time.

Lin stood behind them slightly, his expression strangely dark as if he was puzzling over something he'd rather not.

It'd been silent for long enough now and Mai was beginning to wonder if she was meant to speak. She coughed nervously and opened her mouth, but Naru cut over her, voice like a knife.

"There's been a death at the hotel."

Mai wasn't sure what her reaction to this should be, seeing as how she wasn't allowed to be part of the case. "Oh… That's uh, that's –."

"- You will be coming with us."

"… What?"

Naru's brow creased slightly like he thought she was being deliberately dense.

"You will be coming with us to Australia."