~Sweet Dreams~

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, or any of the characters from the show/manga. The only insanity I am responsible for is…well…you don't want to know about that.

WARNING Contains Spoilers.

Chapter 1: Spills and Spooks

February

He stared at the footpath.

It was cracked, worn by time and the shuffling feet of students walking to and from the nearby school.

She had walked here. Just like she'd walked over him.

He was no more important to her than the slabs of concrete that made up the sidewalk.

Great. Just great.

He'd known that she wouldn't say yes, he wasn't stupid. Being right didn't make him feel any better, though. She could've been a little nicer about it at least – but that wasn't her style.

This, he also knew.

It still didn't make him feel better.

He'd been doomed from the start, the very first day of semester. He'd arrived early that day, expecting to be met with silence as he walked into the classroom. He was, but She was there. Simply sitting at her desk, looking out over the school grounds as if he didn't exist. Maybe he didn't.

She never said a word, never so much as glanced in his direction, but there was something about her that he just couldn't ignore.

Maybe I just want things I can't have. Like a girlfriend, like ANY friend…like…a life.

He didn't see the bus.

-x-

Day 1

It was a typical day at Shibuya Psychic Research, better known as S.P.R. Ghosts, weird occurrences, curses, you name it, they'd seen it. As long as the boss thought it was interesting enough to take on the case. Hence, the reason she was sitting here with a stack of paperwork the size of a small mountain. It was enough to make her question the sanity of her decision to work here. Just in case the life threatening situations weren't enough. Not to mention her boss.

Oh yes, the boss.

He was pissing her off at the moment, but then again, he usually did. He seemed to enjoy torturing her, and no matter what she did, he always seemed to get the upper hand. This morning had been no exception. The teenage girl glared at the pile of papers she had yet to go through. They just sat there ignoring her. Just like her boss.

That narcissistic jerk!

"Mai! Tea!"

Speak of the devil.

Why did she have such warped taste in guys? WHY?! She thought she'd managed to grow up pretty normal, with the exception of her ESP abilities. Okay, she was an orphan, but she'd lived a pretty decent life. So WHY?!!!!

Oh, yes. She, Mai Taniyama, was in love with her narcissistic boss.

Okay, it wasn't like he didn't have a reason to be that way – he was a 17 year old with an I.Q. of who-knows-what, running a fully fledged business that dealt with things most normal people would rather wet their pants than have to deal with on a regular basis. Not to mention he was seriously hot…And practically the king of mystery. If only she could fix his personality!

…Although, he did have this nice little habit of saving her life…

"Mai!"

Why did she love a jerk like that?

-x-

The client was a principal from a local high school. He had stormed in and rudely demanded to see 'the man in charge'.

Why did they always have to assume it was a man? It would have served him right if it was a female in charge. Mai suddenly got a mental image of Naru with long dark hair, wearing a dress and make up.

Clutching her stomach and covering her snort of laughter, she strained to hear what was going on in the office. As humorous as a Naru in drag might be, she was more interested in the potential case. Regardless of the danger that their cases usually entailed, she loved them. There was something about having everyone all together like that, even if they didn't always agree with each other; that made it feel like…like family.

Besides, if she got caught eaves dropping, Naru would definitely make her regret it.

Listening to the one-sided bursts of conversation erupting from behind the closed door, it seemed that the principal was under a lot of pressure from the P.T.A. and Student Council to have some disturbances investigated…something to do with a haunted bus?

Mai strained closer to hear. And heard footsteps.

Oh, shit.

She tried to make it look as if she'd been doing something useful. Well, technically, she had – she'd been 'gathering information on a potential case'. Although, she somehow doubted Naru would see it that way. Luckily, this time she'd come prepared.

Now was as good a time as any to bring in the tea…she hadn't brought it in straight away because she had a feeling Naru would tell her to go back to work instead of being able to listen in.

He probably thought I'd react badly to the guy's attitude…I guess he's right about that, though. If I was in there, I probably would've told him where to stick it several times by now…that's not how you ask someone for help.

…Naru would love to know that I just admitted he's right.

The door flew open with a burst of indignation, followed by an equally indignant principal. Unfortunately, this was also the moment Mai had decided to bring the tea in. Luckily for both of them, the tea was not as scalding hot as it once was, but that didn't stop the hot liquid from splashing over the two of them. It did not improve the man's mood.

"Watch where you're going! Look at my suit! Who's going to be responsible for cleaning up this mess? I didn't come here to be insulted -"

Mai tried to reason with him, attempting to soak up the tea with a serviette -

"Then maybe you shouldn't have come here insulting others."

Naru!

The principal looked taken aback. "Well, I never -"

Naru didn't give him a chance to continue. "We are sorry for the accident and will pay for your jacket to be dry-cleaned if you wish, but I would ask that you leave now, and not cause any more trouble for my staff."

The man looked as if he was going to explode. Well, at least Mai knew she wasn't the only one Naru had that effect on. In any other circumstance, she might have chuckled, but this really was her fault, even if the old man was being rude. Everyone had bad days.

"I'm sorry for spilling the tea on you – can I take your jacket and get it cleaned for you?"

Slightly embarrassed by his actions and the fact that he'd just been given a lesson in manners by a couple of teenage kids, one of whom was closer to acting 27 than 17, the disgruntled man was unsure of how to respond. After taking a quick look at the younger man's piercing stare once more, he found the young girl's heartfelt apology much more preferable.

"I – I would appreciate that. Forgive me for not introducing myself properly. I am Niramitsu Kibishii, the principal of Hokoru High School. I hope you were not burnt by the hot water?"

Mai smiled in response.

I knew he couldn't be all bad. He must be under a lot of pressure to solve the problem…maybe he had just reacted badly to the notion of things like ghosts being real. I wouldn't blame him if he felt scared, and someone with his pride would not want to admit it easily…now I think about it, he reminds me a little of someone else I know…

Mai glanced over at Naru, smiling in spite of herself. It looked as if she was going to get a good scolding after Niramitsu left.

I should've known he'd notice I was eavesdropping…

He noticed everything. If you believed his ego, anyway.

"Thank you for your concern, but I should be fine as soon as I change my clothes. I can return the jacket to your school if you like?"

Niramitsu handed her his coat, thanking Mai for her trouble before hurriedly scuttling himself back out into the hallway.

Mai prepared herself for a lecture on the reasons why she shouldn't have been listening through his door, but none came. Naru appeared to have said all he intended to.

"If you have nothing better to do than gawk at me, then I suggest you get started on this paperwork."

"I wasn't gawking! You arrogant…" Mai grumbled before trailing off in thought.

Had he really not noticed? Was he mad at her?

"If you're wondering why I haven't told you off for slacking off and eavesdropping, it's because I believe you already regret your actions. Am I wrong?"

Mai stared at him.

He couldn't REALLY read minds, could he?

"…No."

"Good. Then go back to work."

As he went to pass her something caught his eye. Mai clearly hadn't noticed, and the tea had soaked into her clothes, clinging to her skin, making part of her bra clearly visible. He decided to add a new order.

"…After you get changed."

Looking down, Mai turned beet red, realizing what Naru had seen. Why, oh why, had she decided to wear white this morning?!

-x-

Kazuya chuckled to himself as he returned to his office. His name wasn't really Naru. That was a nickname bestowed upon him by Mai and many others over the years. 'Naru' being short for 'Narcissistic'.

Without any prior knowledge of the nickname, Mai had stumbled across it shortly after meeting him. He was unsure if this was an early warning of Mai's ESP abilities, or if the name was simply a logical thought progression, brought about by meeting him.

He preferred the first option.

It was a new concept for him, as he rarely cared about what others thought.

Maybe that was why he had hired her.

He could tell that many of the people around him, including Mai, had at least wondered about it, but never asked. Maybe, just as he had thought at the time, they had temporarily eased their curiosity by deciding that 'his reason was his reason', and left it at that.

Still, it was something that had been on his mind lately. Maybe Mai had this effect on everyone? She was usually the first person to have a client warm up to them, and her sense of justice, selflessness and honesty coupled with her sensitivity to spirits, made her a constant target for trouble.

It was only natural for him to desire to protect her, wasn't it?

Then why had he invited her to work in such a potentially dangerous job?

True, she was useful, but he hadn't known of her true abilities until later. As far as he was aware at the time, she was just an ordinary person. He could have picked any one to help as an extra hand. So why did he decide to (according to Mai) 'black mail' her into being his assistant, when there were others who would have been more willing?

Maybe it was simply that he thought being around someone more strong willed was preferable to a person who would fawn over being asked to complete a simple task. Maybe he'd contacted her because of the way she'd defended him when he'd 'disappeared' during the investigation at her school. He'd heard from the others about her loyalty to him.

…But that still didn't explain…

"Naru!" Mai sung out, interrupting his thoughts. Naru felt relieved for some reason, and was unsure as to why. Usually he didn't like to be interrupted.

"I'm going to take these clothes to be cleaned – I should be back shortly. Lucky for me I've kept a change of clothes here since that incident at the park…" Mai's voice dwindled out as she tugged on her coat, poking her head inside his door.

"Are you sure you won't take the case? I know he was rude before, but he didn't seem all bad."

"No one is all bad, Mai."

This seemed to be taken as a positive reaction, judging by the grin that spread across the young girl's face as she left him alone with his thoughts. He listened for the thud of the door as it closed behind her, announcing her absence.

Maybe he was easier to read than he thought.

He had dodged her question, but then he hadn't told Mai he wasn't considering it, either. She was planning something. That much was obvious. Most likely, she planned on finding out more about the incident when she returned the jacket to Niramitsu.

Kazuya leaned back in his chair, tapping his finger against the wood of his desk as he came to a conclusion he had already recognised.

I suppose this means I'll have to find a way to keep her out of trouble…

Maybe this case might be worth investigating after all.

-x-

Omake:

He probably thought I'd react badly to the guy's attitude…I guess he's right about that, though. If I was in there, I probably would've told him where to stick it several times by now…that's not how you ask someone for help.

…Naru would love to know that I just admitted he's right.

"Which is exactly why you should bring the tea in, and go back to work."

Mai looked up, and instantly regretted it. How could she have not noticed the door open? Naru was standing right in front of her, and to say he looked put out would be a gross understatement. He was pissed. Although, for some reason, she almost thought he looked pleased with himself for a moment.

Hang on…unless he's secretly telepathic…oh, no. I'll never hear the end of this…

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Naru just looked at her.

That's a yes.