A/N: Hello! Welcome to my Ghost Hunt fan-fic! A lot more things shall be explained at the end of the chapter, so bear with me as this is a rather lengthy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters!

The sound of the grandfather clock striking midnight echoed through the manor, loud yet musical. No lights were on, the candles blown out; it was pitch-black no matter where you looked. That is, until someone opened the front door.

The door slowly opened, letting the moonlight flood into the entrance hall. A thick, bulky shadow was silhouetted on the floor, as its owner moved forward.

It was a man, a large man. The most noticeable part about the man, however, were his eyes. One was silver, whilst the other was gold. At the moment, they were narrowed with hatred, anger and contempt. The man moved forward slowly, as stealthy as an alley-cat. Moving up the stairs, he walked down the lengthy hallway, searching for the right room.

"Bloody hell, I can't see anything with this damned darkness." he muttered with a British accent. Pausing, he scanned the hallway, immediately noticing the candles being held by the candelabras along the walls. Chuckling to himself, he flicked his wrist and watched as the candles lit up, one by one. The strangest part, though, wasn't how he did it; it was the odd, purple-blue hue of the small licks of flame that now burned on the candles.

"Hm, that will have to do." he mused, resuming walking down the now strangely-lit hall. Little did he know, however, someone in the manor was yet to fall asleep. No, the little girl from the family of the manor was still wide awake, suffering from an insomnia attack. And she had saw, from under the crack of her door, the sudden blue light that he created.

Sitting up, the little girl pulled her dog unto her lap and examined the brilliant light. The little girl was smarter than a normal child, and knew more about the world and its reality. It was a question, though, how what she knew didn't destroy her sanity.

"Emiko, what's that scary light?" she whispered, poking her dog with fear. Aroused, the dog turned to look at the door, and whimpered in fright. The little girl clutched her dog closer, before continuing on.

"Do you think it's mommy and daddy?" Suddenly, a loud 'bang!' sounded through the house, causing the little girl to cry out in fear and for the dog to yelp. Mere moments after the noise, screaming erupting through the house, raising and falling like a symphony.

"Mommy! Daddy!" the little girl screamed, pulling her covers up. Her door opened, and in flooded the blue light she had been entranced by. The girl's butler, Frederic, strode in, fully clothed in his usual tux.

"Sweet, mother and father are busy. You must come with me!" he whispered to her urgently, pulling her into his arms. Muttering soothing words, he moved around her room quickly, gathering what he could. As fast as he could, he put together a suitcase full of whatever necessary. Grabbing it with his free hand, he ran out the room.

"Hang in there, love." he whispered, his hold tightened. The girl's crying ceased, turning into dry sobs. Soon enough, he was out the front door and was racing down the stone-cobbled path leading to the great, golden gates that isolated the manor from the world.

"Wh-where are we going, Fre-Fre?" the girl hiccuped, using her fond nickname for the man. Out the gates and down the street they went, bathed in the moonlight.

"Japan, honey. Mommy and daddy"-his voice cracked-"they'll join us there, soon."

Emiko, the dog, whimpered in confusion.

"They will? Fre, don't lie to me please. Are mommy and daddy...gone?" the girl whispered, clutching his tie with her small, delicate hands. A sigh, of misery and pain, escaped his lips, and all he could do was nod.

"T-Thank you for telling me, Fre-Fre." the little girl whispered, her heart broken. The man, still not trusting his voice, could only nod in response. Together, the butler and the beloved child ran into the darkness of night, but also the darkness of confusion.

14 YEARS LATER:

Mai was late for work. Again. Huffing and puffing, she climbed the stairs of SPR's HQ with extreme difficulty, out of breath from running for the last ten minutes.

For two years, Mai worked for SPR, for her boss Naru. In the last two years, she had learned so much about paranormal activity and such that it was sort of scary.

Also in those two years, her appearance changed. Her shoulder-length hair had grown out to the small of her back, rich, thick and beautiful. Her childish face had morphed into an elegant, mature young woman's face. Overall, she was stunningly beautiful.

Her personality, however, hadn't changed a bit. She still had a hate-love relationship with her boss (with more love than hate), she still cried for the loss of others and she still acted immature. Her family, the SPR crew, loved her anyways, and showed it; excluding Naru and Lin, of course.

Soon, she was through the door and tip-toeing towards the kitchen, praying endlessly that her boss wasn't aware of her late arrival. Her prayers were, however, not answered.

"Mai, you're late. Hurry up and make me some tea." Naru's monotone voice cut through the silence of the office, and Mai groaned in defeat.

"Stupid Naru, stupid tea!" she grumbled, walking the rest of the way to the kitchen in hastiness. Pulling out the kettle and the right tea bags, she busied herself with the daily task of making her narcissistic boss his morning cup of tea.

Finishing up a couple cups, she placed them, cautiously, onto a tray and walked into his office. Placing the cup down, she turned to leave.

"Mai, my parents have a case for us and they're coming with the information today. Madoka's tagging along as well, so inform me as soon as they arrive." he stated with a tight, controlled voice. Her spirits and her mood soared; Madoka was always fun!

"Of course, Naru!" she replied happily, before striding out of the office. Elated by the sudden news, she felt a smile grace her lips. Opening Lin's door, she poked her head in and called to him.

"Lin, I have some tea for you!" She gestured to the tray in her hands, whilst walking up to his desk. He nodded his thanks, never taking his eyes off of the computer screen. Placing the cup down, she bounced out of the room and put the tray back in the kitchen.

Done with work for a while, Mai plopped herself down at her desk and pulled out her phone. Flipping it open, she realized she had a few new texts, from her friends from school.

Mai had graduated only about a month ago, but didn't have plans of leaving for college or university. At the moment, she was content with her SPR job; she didn't need anymore.

Suddenly, the sound of an opening door brought her attention back into the real world. Glancing at the entrance, she screamed, elated.

"Madoka!" Jumping up, she ran over to Naru's teacher and hugged her tightly.

"Hi Mai!" Madoka laughed, hugging her back. The two let go of each other, and Mai stepped back. Only then did she notice the two elderly people standing behind her, and her heart started pounding. The professors? These were Naru's parents? Swearing mentally, she did her best to smile.

"And you must be Naru's parents! Give me a second, I'll call him here for you!" she gushed, gesturing with her hands. The elderly pair smiled, and stepped into the room.

"Naru! Lin! Our guests are here!" Mai called in the direction of the offices. Seconds later, the pair walked into the sitting room, wearing identical, wary expressions.

"Mother, father. Madoka." Naru greeted, sitting down. Lin addressed them as well, choosing to sit in a chair. Mai, taking the opportunity, headed into the kitchen and made more tea.

Soon, the tea was done and Mai had found a seat in the room. Intently, she sipped on her tea and listened to the conversation. Then she realized her mistake.

Stupid Mai! Naru, Lin and Madoka don't know you know english! PLAY DUMB!,She mentally scolded herself, immediately putting on a confused, faraway expression.

"Mother, talk in japanese. Mai doesn't understand english and if you're explain a case, it's a good idea if she knows the details." Naru reprimanded sharply. His mother nodded sheepishly, sending an apologetic glance in Mai's direction.

"Yes, sorry my dear. As I was saying, have any of you ever heard of the Raine Manor murder?" she said in japanese, a small smile playing her lips.

With the words 'Raine Manor Murder', Mai's heart stopped.

A/N: Yay! Done the first chapter. Oh, this is going to be fun! Who do you think the little girl is? Why do you think Mai's reacting this why? Put two and two together, people! Anyways, on with some stuff:

In this story, two years have passed. Naru doesn't know Mai knows Gene (will be explained later on as her secrets are revealed), and Mai is 18 (she's a legal adult, able to get married!). R&R please!