hi guys! for those of you who read my story Let the Games Begin i'm working on chapter ten whenever i have free time, which isn't often since it's getting closer to exam time once again. but this idea popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone until i at least wrote chapter 1. if i get enough calls for this i'll post chapter 2 soon.

disclaimer: seriously guys, i don't own ghost hunt

Master: the owner of a slave or employer of servants to work in their household. Maid: a female servant generally hired to occupy the master. Society rules that a Master may never marry a Maid. Clearly, society has never met Kazuya Shibuya. He's loved his personal maid since she kicked him in the shin when they were barely adolescents, though he'll never admit it out loud. But when he finds out he's engaged to a woman who only wants him as arm candy, he'll do whatever it takes to get rid of her. However, will he do it if it endangers his beloved maid? a short story probably only about five or so chapter long in entirety...

It was dawn, in more precise terms it was five in the morning but she never knew what time it was because she didn't have a clock in her room. All she knew was that when the sun rose, she woke up and got ready for work. When the first rays of light tickled her eyelids they opened to reveal warm, milk-chocolate colored eyes. Eyes that were larger than people of the same ethnicity as her but she didn't mind. People always said she looked cute with them, said they gave her childlike innocence. The eyes stared at the horizontal planks of wood that were stacked on top of each other, going until they met at a point high above her head. Then they glanced out at the sun that shone through the large glass window to the right of her bed.

Stretching, the girl got up and went into the room adjoining to hers. It was a medium sized bathroom with a claw-foot bathtub as well as the other objects you would find in a room like it. She quickly started the warm water and as soon as it was filled, she waded in and quickly cleaned herself up before hopping out and toweling herself dry as the tub drained. Once done, she ran a brush through her short, cinnamon locks before placing a frilly headband in that separated two sections of hair to frame her face while pushing the rest of them back.

Walking out she went to the small armoire near the afore mentioned window that dominated the right wall of her room and pulled out the necessary clothes for today. Putting on her standard white undergarments she then proceeded to layer with a white lacy camisole over her bra, as well as puffy and frilly bloomers over her underwear. Next came a collared white button-down blouse with puffed sleeves that has a single layer of frill around the edge of the sleeves. Then a black scoop-neck button-down dress with medium sized straps that cut her shoulder into three sections including them, it also had a skirt that went to the middle of her thighs. A frilly white waist apron that tied in the back and had pockets for her to store small items she might need later in the day. And finally, her black over the knee socks that left a stripe of skin before the hem of the skirt covered the rest and her brown leather shoes finished her dressing schedule. The girl of fifteen looked out the window, either the sun was moving faster than normal or she had wasted precious time. Now she hurried to exit her room as soundlessly as possible and make her first stop of the day.

Luckily the heavy wooden door had been recently oiled and was easy to shut, and the lushly carpeted hallway silenced her footsteps as they quickly ran the expanse of the extensive hallway. She had learned very early in her job that punctuality was a key requirement in keeping her position, not that it was a position she had any particular affection for but the money was good and she needed money. With confident turns the girl found herself in the massive kitchen the manor possessed. Now you may be wondering why this girl needed money if she lived in a manor? The answer was simple, she was a maid. And not just any maid, she was the personal maid to the young master of the house, a position that was highly coveted by the other maids of the house, though the maid herself didn't see why.

Getting back to her early morning task; preparing the young master's morning tea. Hurriedly she bustled around trying to make as little noise as possible. When they water was boiled properly, the maid took her pot off the burner and set it to the side as she prepared her master's preferred choice of tea; earl grey. Quickly she took out her master's favorite cup and his favorite tray and began to set it with the things she needed to bring to him. Once that was done she hurried off towards her master's wing, the maid had once complained that it was just her luck her master demanded tea in his chambers every morning knowing full well the kitchen was on the other side of the grounds.

Moving quickly but not quick enough to spill the tea the maid set off on the ten minute journey to her master. Normally it would take her five minutes going at this speed but that was usually when she was not carrying a silver tray laden with her master's precious china and even more precious tea. Upon reaching the wing the maid let herself in to the biggest room there; the library of course. Waking in her shoes echoed on the polished hardwood floor. The maid finally stopped at a large cherry wood desk and set the tray down gently. A high backed leather chair swiveled to reveal a handsome man no older than the maid herself.

His ebony locks hung in his face and contrasted immensely with his polished ivory skin. He dressed in all black and he looked up from some papers he'd been looking over to showcase his sapphire eyes. Those eyes were a deep blue, and could have made any girl's heart melt with love had they not been cold as stone left out at wintertime. However, they managed to make plenty of girls, old and young alike, melt into a puddle of lust and desire. As for the young man himself; he, of course, had no interest for those sorts of things. He viewed them to be a waste of precious time and never dealt with the opposite sex of his own accord, save for his mother and his maid.

"You're late Mai." He began in his husky, yet monotonous voice. "I thought we'd been over this countless times by now but I suppose I'll have to remind you again. Punctuality is a requirement of your job. If you fail to meet the requirements your job possesses, you will have to be let go." He said this countless times but never actually followed through on his threat. Mai was grateful for that for the man followed through with any other punishment he threatened were she not to follow an order he'd given.

"I'm sorry." Mai apologized. "It seems my morning bath took a little longer than usual. And it isn't exactly easy to rush here from the other side of the grounds with a five pound tea set weighing you down. But I guess you wouldn't know that since it's the only thing you don't do for yourself." It was the truth. Mai often wondered why her master even needed a personal maid when he preferred to do things himself.

Mai often complained about her job to the other maids but that was to try and make herself seem normal. In actuality, Mai only had three jobs to do for the master; bring him his tea in the morning, noon and night, make his bed every morning, and to simply follow him around all day to assist with menial tasks. Anything he didn't do himself often went to Lin before her. Lin Kojou was the boy's personal body guard, but if you asked Mai he was more of a butler to the teen than anything else.

The death clad teen hadn't yet replied, which Mai took as her cue to start her second chore for the day. She walked behind the desk -not noticing her master following her through his peripheral vision- to a bookshelf located on the back wall. Once there she went to the right end of the structure and located a small bust of Shakespeare on the middle shelf. She grasped the head and turned it, so the head faced left instead of straight like it was supposed to and pushed. The bookcase swung in to reveal a large master bedroom decorated with dark colors. Mai made her way to the large four poster canopy bed and started straightening the black comforter and sheets that had been left in disarray.

When that was done, Mai went and opened the curtains so the room would warm up before walking out the bookcase door and pushing it shut, the head of the bust clicking back into place as she did so. Walking back over to her master Mai quickly poured and prepared his tea, blowing off the steam and setting it before him. He took the cup in hand and drained it quickly. Setting it back on its saucer the boy glanced at the maid.

"How is it that your tea is the only thing you get right consistently?" He asked the girl before him.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about master." She replied sweetly. "Now, is there anything else I may do for you today?"

The boy smirked; he knew she was annoyed and not just because he could read her emotions like an open book. Mai always had a tendency to remember her place only when she was trying to be spiteful and not get fired from her job. Any other time she talked to him she never used the honorfic 'master'

"Why are you upset with me now Mai?" the boy asked in response.

"I'm not mad at you." The maid replied.

"Yes you are." The boy insisted. "You only call me master when you're mad at me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The maid dismissed the accusation and poured the man another cup of tea.

"Very well." The boy conceded, knowing Mai would never yield to that one argument, though she yielded to every other one they had. "Now, when you go get my afternoon tea, tell Ms. Matsuzaki to prepare the files for medicinal expenses this month." Like Mai, he never called anyone else by their first name, only Mai.

"Sure thing Naru." The maid replied brightly as she made her way to one of the sofas in the library and sat down staring out the window. Naru felt a small smile ghost across his lips, her moods changed so often it was amusing. Especially when he teased her and she put on that ridiculously cute pout. Looking back down at the files he realized he needed a specific book to finish the report with the files.

"Mai, get me the book on the family budget records." Naru ordered. He saw her blink and her eyes widen.

"Can't Lin do it?" she asked quickly.

"It's his day off, and besides; you're more than capable of doing something as simple as getting me a book." He replied watching the worry lines in her forehead come out.

"I'm just afraid I'll make a mess of things like usual." She made the excuse quickly, almost as if she was desperate not to do it.

"Mai, I don't pay you to disobey me. I pay you to follow my orders. Now get me the book." Naru was starting to get slightly annoyed. Normally Mai would just do what he asked without trying to get out of it, but she seemed determined to get out of this one. He didn't understand why she didn't want to do something so simple when she did harder tasks without so much as batting an eye. Unless…

Naru shook his head, it couldn't be that. There was no way she'd have survived if she didn't.

"Um, Naru?" Mai asked. "What color is the book?"

"It will have the title 'family records' embossed in gold on the cover." Naru replied. "There's no need to know what color the book is."

"But knowing what the title is doesn't help me." Mai groaned. "I need to know what the color is."

"Why do you need to know the color so badly?" Naru asked calmly.

"Because." Mai paused before looking down at her shoes. "I can't read."

"What?" to say Naru was shocked was an understatement. He honestly couldn't believe that his maid didn't know how to read.

"You heard me." Mai replied. "I can't read."

"How are you not able to read?" Naru asked her. "Even the poorest of people know how to read."

"I'm below the poorest class." Mai answered. "And it appears you've forgotten the day we met."

In truth he did not forget that day, he just didn't like to remember it. It was five years ago when they had first encountered one another. It had been Mai's tenth birthday, and he was close to turning twelve. One day his mother decided to take him into town with her. He had been looking through the window of the carriage they were riding in and he saw a tea shop right next to a bakery. While his mother got the necessary things for the house he wandered to the tea shop to look at the different brands of the leaves. He looked over at the bakery to see a young child looking hungrily through its window. The head baker came out to shoo the child for scaring away customers. The child pouted at him and batted her eyelashes over her large milk-chocolate eyes. The dirt smudged on her face and her rags made her easy to pity. The baker's heart melted, and her went inside for a few moments before coming back out with a loaf of bread that was almost as large as she was. The girl turned to him and held out a piece she'd broken off. He looked down at the bread, and then looked at her like she was an idiot. She shrugged and crammed the bread in her face, eating as though she hadn't in months.

"You're going to get fat if you eat the whole thing at once like that." He remembered telling the girl.

"Yeah, and you'll get skinny if you don't eat something soon." She shot back.

"I have plenty of food back at home I don't need to steal like you do." He replied haughtily.

She then looked at him with a pouty glare. It held for a moment or two before she did the unexpected. She kicked him in the shin and watched as he fell over, not prepared for the blow she'd delivered.

"I don't steal!" she yelled down at him. "When someone gives you something out of the kindness of their heart it's not stealing! And you, you should be grateful you have a warm house and food to go home to! I have nothing! Nothing! But I don't complain about it and you have the nerve to tell me I'll get fat for eating like I haven't in months! I haven't eaten well in months! Compared to what I normally have this is a feast!" She was red in the face by the time she was done.

Kazuya, as he had been known before she met him, was shocked. No one had ever had the gall to speak to him like that before. He was the only son of the Davis's; a prominent family here in japan. He himself was actually Kazuya Shibuya, adopted son of the master Martin Davis and his otherwise barren wife Luella. She had found him on the doorstep of the manor one Christmas morning and had taken it as a miracle from god. His name was on a tag attached to the bundle of blankets he'd been wrapped in. Luella was so happy she spoiled the child rotten. He was smart; thanks to his love of books and when he was five years old he'd requested his mother to move his room to the secret chamber behind the library bookcase. His mother complied without hesitation.

But this, this was something he'd never experienced before, someone was actually putting him in his place. And it was a girl younger than him no less. The girl quickly stuffed her half-eaten loaf in her threadbare coat and took off. Kazuya got to his feet and ran after her. He honestly didn't know why, but being put in his place by a little girl struck a nerve with him, and he refused to let her go after something like that. Luella had seen her precious son tear through the streets going after something, and being the concerned woman she was, followed after him.

Kazuya watched as the girl wove through passersby with ease while he had trouble since he was used to people either making way for him as he passed or empty hallways. There was one instance where she disappeared and he had to stop running because he was out of breath. This was also when Luella caught up with him.

"Honestly Oliver, what were you thinking? Running all the way across town like that." She panted. It was only times like these, when he worried her, that she used the other name she'd given when she'd taken him in as her own; Oliver Davis.

Oliver, however, wasn't paying attention. He was too busy scanning the streets for the little chocolate haired girl that had injured his pride. It was only then he realized he had run clear across town and was now in the ghettos; where everyone without a penny to their name lived. Over to his left there was a flash of brown and he instantly turned to it. He saw the girl enter her 'house'; which could better be described as a shack in his opinion. Briskly he started for the shack, his mother trailing behind.

"Oliver? What are you doing?" Luella asked rather loudly. He put up a hand as a signal for his mother to be quiet and she instantly complied.

The door to the shack was merely a blanket stapled to the top of the doorframe. Pulling it to the side he saw the little girl kneeling in the center of the single room it possessed; her back to him and his mother. They watched as the girl pulled something from her coat, Oliver presumed it was the loaf of bread, and pulled something in front of her.

"Happy birthday Mai." Mother and son heard her say to herself. "Make a wish and blow out the candle." She got up and found a box of matches.

Taking out two, she stuck one in the loaf and struck the side of the box with the other. With the lit one, she set the one in the bread aflame to create a makeshift candle. The girl stared into the flame for a moment, and took a deep breath. Oliver assumed she closed her eyes.

"I wish I could find somewhere I belong." She whispered loudly enough for the other occupants of the room to hear, but softly enough so it could not be heard outside. There was a slight pause, and then the candle was blown out in a single breath.

With the wishing part of the solitary celebration over the girl pulled the match out of the bread and began munching on it ravenously. Oliver slowly and softly made his way to the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned with wide eyes that only grew when she recognized the face. Oliver shot his mother a glance.

Luella smiled. "My dear, you said you wanted a place where you belonged right?" She saw the girl nod. "What's your name?"

"Mai." The girl replied. "Mai Taniyama."

Luella smiled once more. "Well Mai. Let's see if we can't make that wish come true."

And that was how Mai had come to live in the Davis manor, as Oliver's personal maid. Of course in the beginning she had been told to call the young master with the proper title, but his attitude and demeanor quickly got to Mai and she had then and there dubbed him Naru. The young master couldn't find it in him to object to the name, and the adults had all had a good laugh about it. In the days following Mai had been introduced to the staff she would be working with the most. John Brown; the gardener and catholic priest for the family, Takigawa Hoshou or Monk as he liked to be called; the head chef and chauffer, Lin; Naru's personal bodyguard/butler, Madoka; master Davis' head secretary and family friend, and Ayako Matsuzaki; the personal doctor for all the staff and residents of the manor.

They all grew quite close to her, and she considered them to be her second family, though she had never really known her first. All she knew was that she had two parents, a mother and a father, thanks to an old picture she had been found in the poorer parts of town with. Now as the young master's personal maid, Mai had been told that she would have her own room rather than be forced to sleep in the servant's quarters with the numerous other maids the house possessed. Hence the room she had woken up in every day for the past five years.

"Naru?" Mai questioned, effectively breaking him out of his reverie. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Mai." He replied. "It's just surprising to just now find out you don't know how to read. I only assumed so in the first place because you knew how to make the earl grey tea I have without spending hours sorting through the numerous canisters of tea the kitchens possess."

"About that." She began. "Do you remember that tea shop you had been staring at when we first met?"

"Of course I do, but how did you know I was looking at the tea shop?"

"I spared you a glance when you weren't looking." Mai explained. "Well the owner of the tea shop often tried to keep me out of a life of crime by having me help him in his shop. He knew I didn't know how to read and he wasn't the best teacher of the 'libral arts' he used to call them. So every day for hours on end he'd have me smell a canister 'til I couldn't smell anything other than the tea leaves of it. When I couldn't, he'd tell me what the name of the tea was and have me smell it again so it stuck in my mind. For about five years I did that every day. And now I have the smells of over one hundred different teas stored in my brain." She said proudly. "But I really do wish I could read. There's this little thing written that I really want to know what is says."

"Bring the writing to me." Naru replied. "I'll tell you what it says."

"No!" Mai protested. "It's just. I always get this feeling that the words are meant for just me. But could you teach me how to read?" she asked, eyes pleading.

Naru sighed, how could he say no to that expression? Besides, it would help him immensely if she could read for herself it would certainly cut his work in half provided she understood it. Mai was dense, of that much he was sure, but she would try her best to help and for some reason it always ended up cutting someone's workload in half even if she didn't know exactly what she was doing. At any rate, if she could add and subtract then it would make work less taxing for him.

He sighed again. "Alright Mai. We'll begin after lunch."

so yeah, tell me what you guys think. Review!