Ghost Hunt - One shot - Untitled
Mar. 10th, 2007 10:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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snippetsTitle: Untitled
Fandom: Ghost Hunt
Rating: PG
Genre: General
Wordcount: 996
Pairing(s): Hints at Mai/Naru
Warning: Some spoilers up through the third arc
Summary: Mai's heading to work and reflects on her relationship with Naru and her experiences working with the Shibuya Psychic Research Center.
Author's note: Writen for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lenainverse
Untitled
It was almost habit now, her daily commute from school to the Research Center. How had it become so? Mai bit her lip and scratched her ear in an attempt to remember. It began with school and Naru manipulating her into working part time for him.
That much she knew.
After all, she had destroyed his camera with her clumsy fumbling and caused Lin-san to get injured. Except, the whole thing was a set-up! The camera had been perfectly ok. Well, maybe not ok; it couldn’t be used, but it had been insured so her free labor to cover the costs of repairs and Lin-san’s absence was revenge pure and simple.
She sniffed indignantly as she tugged the strap of her bag closer to her body and shifted her grip on the metal rail of the train. It was crowded, and she didn’t mind the bumping of passengers as they got on or off. She liked being around people, even strangers. The crush of the train let her feel bodily warmth and the chatter of voices was comforting. She could live for days lost in her thoughts with specters and ghosts and a smiling Naru randomly invading her dreams.
She let out a muffled eek of surprise as she violently bit her tongue at the image floating eerily in her head. She hadn’t dreamed of ‘split personality’ Naru in ages. Well, since that awful experience at Ryokuryou High School. Hundreds of students had almost died! What if Naru had truly given up? What if Naru had gone through with his threats? He hadn’t seen the spirit eggs before they hatched and how horrible Sakauichi-kun had cried out at being swallowed whole by a specter the likes he swore he would never be? To allow those spirits to just prey on those ignorant students was, well, horrible.
She cringed again as she fought to stymie the rush of fear and misery and betrayal. She had tried so hard to save them, and she had been useless, causing nothing but worry and fear among her friends. She should have trusted in Naru, but how could she when he always did the unexpected?
Shivering, she sidled closer to the aloof businessman reading his paper next to her. She needed to feel the warmth of human companionship a little bit more than usual today. Gulping, she steered her thoughts clear of spirits and Naru and make-believe Naru from her mind. He could be simultaneously the most helpful and mysterious and obnoxious man she’s ever met.
Stepping off the train as it glided to a shuddering stop, she quickly walked down the street, slipping between people with the ease of youth. It was an old familiar path now, her trip to the Shibuya Psychic Research Center and the stairs were a breeze to run up.
She enjoyed her walks, and she enjoyed that first step inside the office, taking comfort in the steady tapping of Lin-san’s fingers hitting the keyboard in the adjoining room and the immediate demand for tea from Naru. It was welcoming, refreshing, and felt like home to her as she rushed to start the water, not even pausing to throw her bag in the closet.
And she couldn’t help herself. As soon as she walked into the yellow warmth of the center, she had to talk, musing and commenting on everything and nothing. Her day, her friends, the latest tabloid; all of it gushed from her mouth and filled the air with brightness. It reminded her of family and created a dull ache in the bottom of her stomach that she steadfastly ignored. The tea she was preparing would help sooth the pang even if she would have to wait until Naru finished lecturing her before she could drink her own cup of tea.
“Naru!” she brightly said as she rushed with unbalanced gait into the main office. “I have your tea for you!”
He glared at her, but took the tea never the less, forgoing thank-you for habit and ignoring the verbal diarrhea spewed moments earlier. It was almost endearing how he seemed willing to suffer her presence and yet he had been the one to extend a permanent position within his company. He really wasn’t one to acknowledge a good deed.
It just wasn’t in his nature.
But Mai had seen him be kind. Time and time again he was there for her, cheering her up and calming her nerves. He had introduced her to a cute 500 yen coin and gave it a personality. He had kept himself together, hiding his injuries in order to keep her calm. He could have let her drop into the sewer. He could have let her fall and ran to get help. He didn’t have to fall with her.
Thoughts like that brought a smile to her lips and she couldn’t help goofily standing in front of him, watching his thin lips speak firmly to her about lateness and the importance of treating the customers well and keeping quiet while others were around.
Customers were fairly rare, and when customers came, they at least had to be treated cordially even if Naru himself reserved the right to turn them down flat. Logistically, she knew she should wonder how the center stayed open, but she didn’t mind as long as she could watch Naru from afar, watching how many sips he took from his cup so another could be prepared before he was finished.
She enjoyed waiting on him and Lin-san. It gave her meaning, a purpose she had almost forgotten. Sighing happily, she turned her back on Naru, absent mindedly cutting him off mid-sentence as she returned to the kitchen clutching the serving tray to her chest. She had dinner to prepare while they continued working on whatever tasks they so secretly guarded.
What she didn’t know was that Naru willingly let her walk away, and he smiled as he watched her straight back glide across the floor.
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Fandom: Ghost Hunt
Rating: PG
Genre: General
Wordcount: 996
Pairing(s): Hints at Mai/Naru
Warning: Some spoilers up through the third arc
Summary: Mai's heading to work and reflects on her relationship with Naru and her experiences working with the Shibuya Psychic Research Center.
Author's note: Writen for
lenainverseIt was almost habit now, her daily commute from school to the Research Center. How had it become so? Mai bit her lip and scratched her ear in an attempt to remember. It began with school and Naru manipulating her into working part time for him.
That much she knew.
After all, she had destroyed his camera with her clumsy fumbling and caused Lin-san to get injured. Except, the whole thing was a set-up! The camera had been perfectly ok. Well, maybe not ok; it couldn’t be used, but it had been insured so her free labor to cover the costs of repairs and Lin-san’s absence was revenge pure and simple.
She sniffed indignantly as she tugged the strap of her bag closer to her body and shifted her grip on the metal rail of the train. It was crowded, and she didn’t mind the bumping of passengers as they got on or off. She liked being around people, even strangers. The crush of the train let her feel bodily warmth and the chatter of voices was comforting. She could live for days lost in her thoughts with specters and ghosts and a smiling Naru randomly invading her dreams.
She let out a muffled eek of surprise as she violently bit her tongue at the image floating eerily in her head. She hadn’t dreamed of ‘split personality’ Naru in ages. Well, since that awful experience at Ryokuryou High School. Hundreds of students had almost died! What if Naru had truly given up? What if Naru had gone through with his threats? He hadn’t seen the spirit eggs before they hatched and how horrible Sakauichi-kun had cried out at being swallowed whole by a specter the likes he swore he would never be? To allow those spirits to just prey on those ignorant students was, well, horrible.
She cringed again as she fought to stymie the rush of fear and misery and betrayal. She had tried so hard to save them, and she had been useless, causing nothing but worry and fear among her friends. She should have trusted in Naru, but how could she when he always did the unexpected?
Shivering, she sidled closer to the aloof businessman reading his paper next to her. She needed to feel the warmth of human companionship a little bit more than usual today. Gulping, she steered her thoughts clear of spirits and Naru and make-believe Naru from her mind. He could be simultaneously the most helpful and mysterious and obnoxious man she’s ever met.
Stepping off the train as it glided to a shuddering stop, she quickly walked down the street, slipping between people with the ease of youth. It was an old familiar path now, her trip to the Shibuya Psychic Research Center and the stairs were a breeze to run up.
She enjoyed her walks, and she enjoyed that first step inside the office, taking comfort in the steady tapping of Lin-san’s fingers hitting the keyboard in the adjoining room and the immediate demand for tea from Naru. It was welcoming, refreshing, and felt like home to her as she rushed to start the water, not even pausing to throw her bag in the closet.
And she couldn’t help herself. As soon as she walked into the yellow warmth of the center, she had to talk, musing and commenting on everything and nothing. Her day, her friends, the latest tabloid; all of it gushed from her mouth and filled the air with brightness. It reminded her of family and created a dull ache in the bottom of her stomach that she steadfastly ignored. The tea she was preparing would help sooth the pang even if she would have to wait until Naru finished lecturing her before she could drink her own cup of tea.
“Naru!” she brightly said as she rushed with unbalanced gait into the main office. “I have your tea for you!”
He glared at her, but took the tea never the less, forgoing thank-you for habit and ignoring the verbal diarrhea spewed moments earlier. It was almost endearing how he seemed willing to suffer her presence and yet he had been the one to extend a permanent position within his company. He really wasn’t one to acknowledge a good deed.
It just wasn’t in his nature.
But Mai had seen him be kind. Time and time again he was there for her, cheering her up and calming her nerves. He had introduced her to a cute 500 yen coin and gave it a personality. He had kept himself together, hiding his injuries in order to keep her calm. He could have let her drop into the sewer. He could have let her fall and ran to get help. He didn’t have to fall with her.
Thoughts like that brought a smile to her lips and she couldn’t help goofily standing in front of him, watching his thin lips speak firmly to her about lateness and the importance of treating the customers well and keeping quiet while others were around.
Customers were fairly rare, and when customers came, they at least had to be treated cordially even if Naru himself reserved the right to turn them down flat. Logistically, she knew she should wonder how the center stayed open, but she didn’t mind as long as she could watch Naru from afar, watching how many sips he took from his cup so another could be prepared before he was finished.
She enjoyed waiting on him and Lin-san. It gave her meaning, a purpose she had almost forgotten. Sighing happily, she turned her back on Naru, absent mindedly cutting him off mid-sentence as she returned to the kitchen clutching the serving tray to her chest. She had dinner to prepare while they continued working on whatever tasks they so secretly guarded.
What she didn’t know was that Naru willingly let her walk away, and he smiled as he watched her straight back glide across the floor.
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![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-03-17 06:40 pm (UTC)Good job on keeping Mai IC, I enjoyed the pace of the fic and the last sentence was great. You're a wonderful writer!
Good job!
no subject
Date: 2007-03-18 01:29 am (UTC)