This is a fanfiction of Ghost Hunt set to the tune and plot of the music video for 'Beautiful Liar' by VIXX LR.

The timeline is set sometime before 1997.

(This fiction was revised to better fit canon storyline on 11-24-15)

…

Koujo Lin stood in front of a nondescript office building crammed between two identical structures.

Though Lin was well versed with the history and studies of the SPR, he had never visited its British headquarters. Perhaps he had never really intended to. He considered his training to be quite complete. One could even say his family was well known for producing fine sorcerers.

He had been in England for three months, and it had been a surprise to learn that the professor Lin had attended lectures from was a parapsychologist on the side. The man had invited Lin to visit the SPR. The professor was interesting and had earned Lin's respect. The professor did not shy away like most people.

That was because most people did not know why Lin frightened them. They only knew that sometimes things worked in his favor in a way that was difficult to explain. The professor was well aware of the dark arts and the like that Lin practiced.

These dark arts were the presence of his shiki in the back of his mind, floating in the ether, hollow and ready to be filled with his commands. They held no physical forms, had no voices.

The street was quiet, and Lin could feel the eyes of curious office workers looking through slatted blinds on the other buildings. He was certain that the watchers had seen far stranger visitors to the SPR than this tall man of Chinese descent dressed in a simple black business suit. The only thing that could be remembered as unique was the fringe of sleek black hair that covered one eye.

The door opened to a short balding man in his late forties with a beaming grin.

"Mr. Koujo," the portly man shook his hand vigorously, though he was barely holding on to the tips of Lin's fingers. "I'm Jeffrey Smith, and we are so glad to have you here. Welcome to the Society for Psychical Research."

"It's Lin –"

"Of course, and you can call me Jeffrey. We're all on a first name basis here too. Come in. So you're from China?"

Lin hesitated on the stoop for a moment, a frown directed at the man's back as he went inside, expecting Lin to follow. Lin was used to being referred to from his surname as a level of respect. He had never had someone mistake it as his given name before. "Actually," he said as he entered the building and remembered to answer Jeffrey's question, "Hong Kong."

"Oh, so you're practically British already. You'll fit right in."

Lin had to remind himself that it was self-indulgent to have a shiki wring Jeffrey's neck for such a minor offense.

Jeffrey took Lin's elbow – though he barely came to Lin's shoulder – and started leading him down the hallway. "Let me show you around quickly. Headquarters isn't too big, as you can see. You look so young. I've heard you control shiki already? How many?"

It had been a small hope that a society for psychic research didn't linger on idle talk.

"I control many," Lin said. The lie was thick on his tongue. If there was someone who wanted to cause him trouble, how many shiki he controlled would be a valuable asset, so it was information he didn't give away easily.

And he only had three so far.

"That would be such a stress at any age. You must be very balanced."

Before he could reply to Jeffrey, the older man muttered, "Speaking of young…" He let go of Lin's arm and backed up a few paces where they had passed a stairwell going up.

Two young twin boys sat on the sixth step up. Jeffrey clapped his hands when they didn't acknowledge him. "Boys! Where is your father?"

The twins looked to be barely over the age of twelve, and were of Asian descent.

"He went to get a cup of coffee," one of the boys said. Lin thought he could detect a hint of an American accent, though he wasn't well enough versed to know exactly where. The silent boy wore a mask of indifference, something Lin was well practiced in.

"Then you should be in the office he's using, not out here," Jeffrey said. From the abrupt tone in his voice, Lin had a feeling that Jeffrey was even worse with kids than he was.

"He locked us out," the first boy said, the only one who had spoken so far.

"On purpose?" Jeffrey asked.

"No," said the first boy.

"Yes," said the mirror image of him at the same time.

They looked at each other, then repeated together, "No."

"So if you just unlock the door sir, we'll get out of your hair."

Jeffrey shook his head. "I don't have the key to that office; you'll have to wait on him. Please stay out of trouble."

The quiet boy watched Lin with cold eyes. The boys were Japanese, but he did not know where the thought had surfaced from. He felt a swell of fierce loyalty to his grandmother and horrific stories she had told about the war.

Lin sensed a shiki come to attention without a request from him. The talkative boy looked at Lin, or more specifically, past his shoulder. The boy turned away, the faintest shudder passing through his small body.

The fact that a shiki had materialized enough for the boy to sense it alarmed Lin.

Jeffrey had taken off down the hallway, though with his stature, he had not gotten very far before Lin's long strides met up with him.

"You watch out for those two," Jeffrey said, throwing a glance over his shoulder, presumably to make sure the children were not following them. "Especially the older one. Or is it the younger one? How are you supposed to know that, anyway? Orphan twin boys, could have been mixed up at birth, for all they know."

"They're adopted?" Lin asked.

"Yes, they're Martin's boys. Whatever possessed him and Luella to adopt them is beyond me. They only look like trouble and heartache to me."

…

About the time that Lin was ready to leave – or escape, Martin Davis came in through a side door to the kitchen. Davis was older than one would have expected by the youth of the two boys. Behind Davis was a young woman with dark cherry colored hair. She looked too young to be his wife, so there was a good chance she was adopted too. Lin ignored the smile she tried to give him.

Davis came up short, a cup of take-out coffee in one hand. "Oh, Mr. Lin – I didn't know you were coming today." He transferred the coffee to his left and offered his free hand. Lin took it. It was a firm, confident handshake. "I'm glad you were able to make it. This is my associate Madoka Mori. I trust Jeffrey didn't bore you?"

"No, he was very informative." And he was dropping gossip about you to a complete stranger, you probably should be aware of that.

Davis looked at him, a steady gaze, and proved there were levels of intelligence and strength in any society, big or small. Lin felt the urge to sit down on the steps and tell this man his problems, with Vivian, with moving from his home country, and from his third shiki…

So he thanked Davis, letting him know he would be in touch, and left.