Hello! This is my first Ghost Hunt fanfic, so tell me what you think. Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I decided to incorporate it into the story. Besides, it fits in well with the whole ghost theme, doesn't it? Enjoy!
"Mai."
"Yes?"
"Tea."
It was a nice, chilly autumn day in late October. The trees had begun their annual changes, turning from emerald green to an assortment of reds, yellows, deep violets, and oranges. A cold breeze continually ruffled through the leaves. The Halloween spirit was evident by the Jack-o-lanterns on the doorsteps, the pictured of witches, ghost, and black cats in the windows, and the Halloween wreaths on the doors.
But of course, SPR was completely…bland. 'Just white walls and black furniture. Absolutely no color,' Mai mussed to herself as she waited for the water to boil. 'But come to think of it, Naru's the same way.'
And that was true to the core. His pale skin could pass as white and he was always garbed in different shades of black. Not to mention, he naturally had black hair and dark eyes. Absolutely colorless. Was it even possible for him to blush?
With a small sigh, Mai picked up the kettle before it started whistling and poured the boiling hot water into a teapot. Lately, everything had been extremely dull. Case after case had been turned down by Naru, and while she couldn't complain since she didn't have to deal with the near death experiences, she was bored. There was nothing to do, other than making tea and entertaining clients for about five minutes before they were turned down.
Humming tunelessly aloud, Mai gathered the tea tray and carried it to Naru's office, her mind far away. Maybe during her lunch break she could pick up a few decorations for the office. Her own apartment was already festively decorated with splashed of orange, black, and violet. Halloween by far was her favorite holiday (well after Christmas that is) and it was ironic in a way since she continuously dealt with ghosts. A few pumpkins here and there wouldn't hurt would they? Throw a bit of color into the office. Maybe she would even wear a costume to work on Halloween, that is, if she decided not to go to school. …though, Naru probably wouldn't be too happy about that. Still, she was free to wear whatever she chose fit, so too bad for His Highness.
"Mai, stop humming."
Startled, she nearly dropped the tray.
"Huh? Wha- when-you-"
"You're in my office Mai," Naru said impatiently, glancing up only to glare at her before returning his attention to the file at hand.
"…oh."
"Now, if you could just place the table, you can leave," he said, dismissing her.
"But of course," she managed to say through gritted teeth, the faint red of her blush turning darker from anger. "I'll just go take my lunch break," she growled, tempted to strangle her boss.
"Oh! And one more thing." Mai turned around, not sure if she wanted to hear what he was going to say. Naru turned a page. "Don't hum. You sound like a tone deaf dinosaur."
SLAM!
The door nearly fell off its hinges.
Mai gently placed a pumpkin on the coffee table. Her anger had dulled since lunch and as she was walking back to the office, she decided to take revenge by decorating the office, adding a splash of into the otherwise dreary and dull room. A Halloween wreath hung on the door of SPR, an image of a smiling skeleton surrounded by orange ribbons welcoming clients. A bowl of candy sat next to the pumpkin. What was Halloween with out candy? On the walls, Mai had hung up a signs saying 'Happy Halloween' and containing an assortment of ghouls and goblins in their near comical pictures.
Finally satisfied with the position of the pumpkin, the brunette stood up and stretched. She had spent about an hour redecorating without Naru knowing, but unfortunately she still a few more hours left of dong nothing. Too bad Takigawa wasn't here. He was somewhere across the world, touring with his band.
Mai sighed and plopped herself on the couch. She really should've gone to school today. Unfortunately, there was still an hour of school left, so she couldn't call Michiru or Keiko. Maybe she could –
"Don't you have anything better to do than defacing my office?" Mai quickly jumped up and spun on her heels to face her boss. Naru surveyed the room with a mild look of distaste annoyance, all the while leaning elegantly against the door frame if his office.
Instantly, Mai felt her face heat up. 'Why, why does he have to so good looking?' If only she knew. Then, maybe she wouldn't end up blushing like an idiot in front of Naru.
"Really," he continued, "if you spent half as much time studying or actually attending school, you wouldn't be so stupid." Her fists tightened instinctively as she answered.
"It's almost Halloween." Mai crossed her arms and kept a neutral expression though she was boiling up inside.
"So what?" Naru retorted. "It's nothing more than a day."
Mai scowled, breaking her neutral mask. "I would've thought you'd have more respect for a holiday that's so closely related to your job."
The narcissist raised a delicate eyebrow before sighing like he was trying to explain something to a little kid. "While it may be true that the veil between the human and paranormal world becomes thinner on All Hallows Eve, it doesn't affect the fact that ghost and paranormal activates will always happen. Thus, the 31st holds no interest for me."
"Why you little narcissistic-"
"Am I interrupting?" Both heads snapped toward the door. In the midst of their argument, (well, Mai was arguing. Naru just acted with cold indifference.) they hadn't notice the chimes ring, signaling the arrival of a potential client.
"No! No!" Mai said quickly, flustered by the fact the woman had walked in on the argument. "Come in! Sit down!" The woman chuckled lightly and took a seat on the leather sofa Mai had been gesturing to. "Would you like some tea?" The woman shook her head and smiled.
She looked no older than twenty with black blue hair and twinkling sky blue eyes. Although she wasn't wearing anything fancy or expensive, she gave off an air of grace and elegance, not unlike Naru. She was petite, not much taller than Mai, and very pretty.
"May I ask who the boss is?" she said softly in a musical voice. She glanced at the two in front of her.
Naru pushed off from the door frame. "That would be me," he said. "Shibuya Kazuya at your service." Mai attempted to stifle a laugh. As if Naru would ever be in anyone's service. He worked for himself and himself only.
Hearing the laugh, Naru shot an annoyed look at the brunette. "Mai, tea." She stopped laughing.
"Yes Naru," Mai muttered, walking to the door of the kitchen before turning around and sticking her tongue out at her boss.
Unseen by the narcissist, he continued. "What can I do to help you?"
The client fiddled with the ring around her finger for a moment before answering. "My name is Yoko Sasaki. And as you can probably guess, I have a problem with spirits."
"Sasaki?" Mai popped her head out of the kitchen. "As in the music industry Sasaki?"
Yoko looked up and smiled wryly. "Something like that," she said. "My brother's the one that owns the company. He inherited it when my father died."
Mai nodded sympathetically. She too, understood the pain of losing a parent. Yoko just shrugged. "It's not like it matters though. I'm pretty well off myself, inheriting half of the family's fortune and all."
Naru impatiently cleared his throat as Mai opened her mouth to ask a question. "May we continue?" he asked, directing the question to Mai, making her feel incredibly stupid. She snapped her mouth shut with a disgruntled frown and disappeared into the kitchen.
Stupid narcissist. Would it really hurt him to be polite to her in front of clients? It was annoying when he did that when they were by themselves or with their friends, but in front of a complete stranger? Really! Maybe he was being cold to avoid getting hurt, or because he just wanted be, but it wouldn't hurt him to be nice to the person who could slip poison into his tea without him suspecting a thing.
But of course, this was Naru. He probably thought he was immune to poisons.
"- arrive at seven tomorrow. We'll probably be staying for a few days, too."
"Eh?!" In her inner mind rant, she had missed Yoko's request, but it looked like things were going to liven up.
"Mai. Where's my tea?"
Well, that's the end of the first chapter! I'll try to update as soon as I can! X P