Ghost Hunt - Fanfic - Story Untold - Finished

Chapter 13

Naru was completely frozen. His eyes were wide.
"What did you say?" He whispered in a low voice. Considering the circumstances, I was surprised by his ability to remain calm. I sighed. I dug this hole. I have no choice but to explain now.
"Since we started this case, Eugene has been appearing to me in my dreams. He kinda does what you used to do... With a less gentle touch." I told him with melancholic eyes. "He... He wants me to protect you... But, I suppose we have different ideas on how to do that."
"What do you mean?" He asked. I rubbed my head remembering the headache his brother gave me this morning.
"He doesn't really take it well when I don't follow his instruction."
"What the hell Gene," Naru muttered to himself, looking away. I felt a sharp stinging sensation attack my mind, Similar to what I felt that morning. I noticeably flinched from the pain, causing Naru's eyes to draw back on me and thinned with a tight jaw.
"Are you alright?" He asked. I nodded with a fake smile.
"Yeah I'm fine" I told him. Naru very gently placed his cold hand on my wrist.
"He's not a fan of you telling me all this, is he?" Naru asked, referring to his brother. I shook my head silently, looking towards the ground. I saw his anger flash through his eyes.
"Don't be angry at him Naru," I told him. "He's just worried about you and is doing the best he can to protect you." He looked back at me, slightly more gently than usual.
"Do you think you could contact him now if you tried?" I sat there seriously considering it.
"I don't really know. I haven't tried before."
"Give it a go Mai, see if he responds." I nodded doubtfully before shutting my tear-stained eyes. Using all the willpower I held, I reached out to Naru's twin, praying for him to come and speak with me. He didn't respond. I didn't want to let Naru down, so I tried again. It was beginning to make me feel dizzy. My shoulders slumped with a mixture of tiredness and defeat.
"He's not going to answer me."
"It's okay," Naru said. He looked away, deep in thought. "Just for tonight, I'll make an exception. Just... Make sure he's there." I was confused for a moment, but after not too much longer, I understood. A smile replaced my despair as I realised, Naru was going to enter my dreams again. I grinned longingly. My smile only widened as I briefly saw the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. He was as happy about it as I was.

It wasn't too long later that Lin returned with the file Naru had requested.
"Here," He said, passing a bundle of documents to Naru.
"What is it?" I asked curiously.
"A file," Naru responded in his usual condescending tone. But unlike usual, his eyes met me with a glint of laughter in them, even though the rest of his face remained like stone.
"Yeah I got that genius," I replied sarcastically. "What's in the file?"
"You think I'm a genius, well I guess your judgement is better than I thought." He replied. I let out an exaggerated huff, figuring that he'd tell me anything I needed to know. Then I thought of something.
"Hey, did we ever work out what caused the Shiki attack yesterday?"
"It would be a reasonable assumption that it was the workings of the same spirit that caused the disappearances," Naru replied. "Mai, tell us the names of the people who went missing and their relationships to us." I nodded while Lin opened his laptop and began typing.
"So," I began counting on my fingers as I recalled our friends. "There's Houshou Takigawa, We normally call him 'Monk,' Cause he is one. He's a friend of ours and often helps with our cases. Then there's Ayako Matsuzaki, she's a MIKO and also one of our friends. Masako Hara is a medium and always on TV. I think you knew her before we first met her though Naru. And then there's John Brown. He's a priest. They are all people we see a lot and who help us." I told him.
"And what about the owners of this house?" Naru asked. Hesitation rushed through me but I continued anyway.
"Dale and Naomi are the couple who called us here. Dale is my father, Naomi's my step-mother. They have two daughters. Rei and Aiko. My sisters." I told him.
"And why are you afraid of them?" Naru asked intently. My eyes met his gaze with a shock.
"I... I'm not...Afraid of them," I tried to reply convincingly. Naru kept my gaze but didn't say anything about it.
"When did they go missing?"
"Not long after we got back from the library. At first, you guys remembered them, it wasn't until the Shiki attack that you forgot."
"Very well, that's all for now," Naru said, but Lin stopped him.
"Miss Taniyama," Lin began. "I would like to know how you became aware of Oliver's identity." I looked to Naru for help, unsure of what to say.
"Can we stay focused on the task at hand?" My boss said accusingly. My thoughts went wild as I wondered if Naru really cared about me enough that he wouldn't even trust Lin with what was happening.
"NARU!"Lin growled at him.
"I have my reasons." He responded, irritatingly calm. Naru looked at me. I thought he'd say something, but he just silently walked past me. Guilt was creeping up on me. He was going against the person he trusted most, just to protect me. I turned to follow my young boss but decided against it. I caught Lin's gaze that was looking directly at me before shaking his head disapprovingly. He shut his laptop and silently left the room. I had only just started building a relationship with him, now he's going to hate me. I didn't want that, but I couldn't see another way. I suppose either way, what's done is done. I can't do anything if he hates me... But I really, really hope he doesn't. I sighed, moving back into the living room, shutting my eyes once I sat down.