Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, or any of the characters from the show/manga. If I did, there would be more readily available merchandise. I want Naru, Lin and Mai figurines!! (Let me know if you spot any. Pretty please?)

WARNING Contains Spoilers.

Chapter 5: Shadow of the Raven

Steel blue eyes closed with an almost imperceptible sigh, pale porcelain hands folding neatly behind the dark locks of the listless teen as he lay back against the hotel bed, mind more cluttered than the assortment of highlighted and heavily scribbled road maps abandoned at his side. Though it was late, he had not bothered to climb between the sheets or even change clothes for that matter; unlike Lin, whose tiring drive had long since defeated conscious thought.

Escaping Tokyo’s heavy traffic flow rarely posed an easy feat, adding exponentially to an already time-consuming trip, so it was no great surprise to Naru that his travelling companion had given in to sleep far more easily than he. Perhaps if he hadn’t run out of data to analyse, left to mull over what life beyond Gene’s recovery might hold and struggling to keep a firm grasp on the hope-fuelled adrenaline pumping through his veins, he might not be quite so restless now. Inactive limbs groaned at their prolonged disuse, and while both men had agreed that visiting the lake would be far more productive during the light of day, Naru’s worn patience refused to co-operate with common sense. As few emotions managed to effectively permeate the teen’s stubborn wall of rationality, the ones that did were always the hardest to deal with.

He certainly wished he’d dealt with the concept of love with a little more finesse. Gene would have seen through all the excuses he had fed himself in order to avoid admitting the obvious, and there was no doubt in Naru’s mind that his twin would have found his predicament completely hilarious had he been able to witness it. Oh, Gene would have helped (once he’d managed to stop laughing), but he would never have let his ‘idiot scientist’ of a brother forget it.

A small fist of pain closed around Naru’s heart as flickering old memories danced over the dark youth’s mind, and he closed his eyes in concentration; sending one, simple thought out into the waiting darkness.

Gene…

I will find you.

-x-

The soft, hollow drumming of fingertips roused Lin from slumber; his eyes soon focusing on the somewhat rumpled, but otherwise perfectly made bed on the opposite side of the room.

Had Naru even slept?

From the looks of the boy staring distractedly out of the window, the answer was a great big, resounding ‘no’. It wasn’t surprising, considering how agitated the teen had been during the drive, coupled with being forced to wait even longer once they’d arrived.

No words were exchanged between the two as the Lin picked out a change of clothes and headed for the shower, since none were needed. Both knew why they were here and what had to be done, so when the Chinese man re-emerged from the bathroom, a mere nod of the head sufficiently communicated that it was time to go.

Maps in hand, Naru slid into the passenger seat, distracting himself from the turbulence in his mind by focusing his energy on navigating. Lin hoped for both their sakes that this would be the last time they set out to find Gene – no matter how relentlessly they searched, there was only so much hope and disappointment a heart could take.

Holding his breath as the lake finally rolled into view, Lin stole a quick glance at the youth beside him, noting his clenched hands and widened eyes as he drank in the landscape’s every detail. If their shared anticipation had been tangible, only the sharpest of blades would have even made a dent.

Slowing down and pulling off the quiet road, Lin’s attention was suddenly drawn to what could only be the sound of the passenger door opening.

“Naru -!”

Deaf to the reprimand, his feet were already on the ground, racing for the water’s edge, leaving the still-moving vehicle’s door swinging precariously behind him.

There were of course some changes from what Naru remembered – the boat was no longer there, and the plant-life had both advanced in some areas and been removed from others, but there could be no doubt.

This was Gene’s resting place.

-x-

Normally, if her phone had rung before seven in the morning, Mai would have been tempted to hang up on them or simply pull her head under the covers until the annoying noise went away. Given recent circumstances however, her slender hand quickly shot out, grappling briefly with the bed sheets before clumsily clasping the receiver.

“Mmh…N-naru?”

She was fairly certain it was either him or Lin, and she figured the older of the two would forgive the mistake should she make it.

“We found the lake.”

...Definitely Naru. Wait - what was it he’d said again?

Lake…

“You…You found it…” She groggily repeated, the awe in her voice undisguised as the reality of his words sank in; her thoughts suddenly taking a more sombre turn.

“Are you okay?”

He avoided the question, informing her instead of the divers he and Lin intended to hire once business hours permitted; a moment of silence passing between them as both parties struggled to find the right words to say.

“Is…is there anything else I can do to help?” She finally surrendered meekly, feeling somewhat useless in the situation, unable to even stand by his side in support.

“A cup of tea would be nice.”

Mai blinked, drawing the phone away from her ear and staring at it in surprise.

...That was meant as a joke, right?

She pressed her ear against the receiver once more, wondering if it was possible to hear a smile through the phone line. It might have worked if she had been talking to anyone but Naru.

-x-

It just didn’t make sense.

For someone who claimed to be having trouble with their studies, Haruka had shied away from his offer to tutor her like a startled horse. Okay, Yasuhara reasoned, the girl might simply be shy, but from what he’d heard, she’d fit into S.P.R.’s little group quite nicely. It was easy enough to make friends with the majority of the team, but being comfortable around Lin and Naru? He doubted there were many who could honestly say that.

So, scratch ‘shy’ off the list of possibilities.

He rather liked option number two, because it indicated that she might have felt uncomfortable around him due to attraction; which seemed plausible given the sweet blush that had touched her cheeks at the compliment he had given her. On the other hand, maybe she was just unused to being shown that kind of attention. Either way, he couldn’t help but feel a little pleased with himself, had that been at least a partial cause.

Unfortunately, the observant teen suspected the third intriguing choice; Haruka had lied. Yasuhara had been trying to work out why on and off for most of his class’s last period, glad that being an enigmatic, grade ‘A’ student had its benefits (such as being able to slip beneath the teacher’s ‘who’s not paying attention to me’ radar), and that he was lucky enough to be one of them.

The final bell caused a ripple of relief through the collective student body, each uniformed boy and girl hastily shoving their books into bags as they escaped from the stuffy classrooms, flooding the corridors and trailing from the school grounds like ants from a disturbed nest. Since Mondays held no after school duties for the spectacled teen, Yasuhara found his feet turning towards his usual route to S.P.R.’s office, wondering if a chat with Mai would shed some light on Haruka’s odd behaviour.

-x-

Dark, honeyed eyes focused on the silhouetted initials staring back at her from the square, tinted window in the psychic researcher’s front door. Mai should have started work by now.

…Why do I keep hesitating?

If anyone understood her feelings, it would be Mai, but for some reason Haruka kept losing her nerve.

Maybe I just don’t want to face reality…

Despite no longer feeling guilty for Yamada’s untimely death, something indefinable stubbornly clung to her heart, a deep-seeded ache settling in her lungs whenever the brunette was reminded of what had passed. How was she supposed to deal with grief? The memory of someone you loved, and the knowledge of what you had lost could easily overcome even the strongest of souls.

I know that grieving is important, but I don’t want to wallow in self-pity, either.

Yamada had moved on, and though her memories of him would never be forgotten, she knew it was time she did the same.

-x-

It seemed to Yasuhara that those who got caught up in the world of ghosts either wanted nothing more than to repress the memory, or clung to the revelation like a moth to flame, hoping to ease the boredom brought on by the more mundane aspects of their lives.

His hypothesis probably would have held more weight if it weren’t for people like Mai.

While he was certain she would prefer not to dream about death and the darker side of human nature, the only way she had really tried to repress their reality was to assume (as most would at first) that they were simply nightmares. Despite possessing psychic abilities and being fuelled by an innate desire to help others, her bond seemed stronger with the people who had exposed her to the supernatural, rather than the novelty of the world itself.

Yasuhara wondered if Haruka had been drawn to the curious group in the same way he had, for she now made her way up S.P.R.’s stairs, wavering determination in every step. When he eventually caught up with her, he was surprised to find the chocolate-haired enchantress presumably lost in thought, standing motionless in front of the ghost hunter’s front door.

“If it’s Naru you’re worried about,” He quipped, testing the water, “His bark is probably worse than his bite.”

Her shoulder length hair flared out spectacularly as she spun to face him, clearly startled by his presence.

“Naru doesn’t bother me,” She dismissed, somewhat distractedly, “It’s just that…”

The fine brown lines of her eyebrows creased downwards, indicating that Haruka had just realised who she was talking to, or to be more precise, had just realised what she was about to say to someone she had only met two days ago.

Her abrupt change of subject did not go unnoticed.

“If you’re here, does that mean they have a new case?”

He shook his head, slipping in beside her to open the door.

“I’m just here to say hi.” Yasuhara couldn’t help but smile at the way her cheeks gained a light tinge of pink when he moved within her personal space, eyes the colour of treacle quickly averted as he bowed and motioned for her to pass.

“Ladies first.”

-x-

It wasn’t until reaching for a second cup that Mai realised she’d automatically made tea for three. An image of Naru’s smirking face came to mind, and she imagined a soft chuckle escape his lips as he teased her for the mistake – he would have a field day if he ever found out, not that she planned on telling him. There was a reason she had dubbed him ‘Naru’ after all – his ego could easily engulf a small planet.

Unable to keep the smile off her face at the thought, Mai turned off the answering machine, settling down with a pen and paper as she checked the messages.

The first one was a short silence, followed by the ‘click’ of someone presumably hanging up; the second was a woman whose case had already been turned down at the end of last week (she had claimed her next door neighbour’s cat was possessed by the devil), and the last was the owner of a café who seemed to be suffering from a severe case of bad luck. Mai made a note to phone the man back for a more detailed account, just in case, but thought Naru would attribute the man’s misfortune to bad judgment, rather than any supernatural cause.

She had just stumbled across a note Lin had left, informing her what paperwork held priority, when the front door opened, revealing a flustered Haruka, accompanied by a typically unfazed Yasuhara. Briefly wondering what her jovial friend might have done to ruffle Haruka’s feathers, it occurred to Mai that the two had probably never been introduced.

“Hi guys!” She greeted, glad for company in the uncomfortably empty office, “You’ve come at a good time – I brewed too much tea. Haruka, have you met Yasuhara before? He would have helped us on the case at your school, but was tied up with student council duties.”

“Ah, yes,” The brunette confessed awkwardly, “I was hoping to catch up with you on Saturday, and I ran into him then.”

Mai nodded happily, ducking into the kitchen to fetch the brewed kettle and two extra cups, setting them down before her guests.

“I take it Naru and Lin are on another one of their trips?” Yasuhara observed, adding with a smile when her cinnamon eyes blinked at him in surprise, “You usually serve Naru first, and I doubt he would let your tea go to waste.”

Blushing slightly at the observation, Mai excused herself to collect files to work on as they talked, her spectacled friend eventually taking his leave, but not before leaning over to whisper something in Haruka’s ear.

Though the part-timer hadn’t caught what had been said, the brief look of panic that flashed across the straight-forward girl’s face earned the grinning boy a questioning glance; along with a silent promise of reprimand should it prove necessary.

...It really is impossible to tell what he’s thinking.

“Mai…” Haruka uttered once they were alone, “What do you think of Yasuhara-san?”

Spinning to face the brunette in shock, Mai’s forehead creased as she tried to think of a way to describe the smiling enigma.

“He’s a good person,” She began slowly, “Though it can be hard to tell when he’s joking - he seems to be able to say almost anything with a straight face. Even when there was a high chance he was going to die, the closest he came to losing his composure was telling the arrogant teacher who had triggered the problem what he really thought of him.”

Mai laughed, suddenly remembering what Yasuhara had said when Bou-san had asked him if he’d been nervous about dying.

“He’s confident, but not the type to boast about it.” She concluded, restraining herself from adding, ‘unlike a certain narcissist I know’. A quick glance at Haruka proved that the brunette’s thoughts had also been led down that lane, a wry smile spreading across her face as she quipped, “So, is he as good as he thinks he is?”

“Haruka…!” Mai yelped in protest, cheeks flaming at the innuendo, “I’d expect that kind of question from Ayako, not you!”

“Relax, I didn’t come here to tease you,” The girl grinned in response, all cheer dissipating from her voice as she continued, “Actually, I…”

Sensing the need, Mai reached out and took Haruka’s hand, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance. If there was anything she could do to help, it would be done.

“…I want to visit Yamada-kun’s grave.”

-x-

Kazuo flicked off the lounge room lights and entered the hallway, pausing briefly as he passed Cho’s make-shift bedroom. Would she manage to sleep this time?

…Probably not.

It was obvious that she hadn’t during the day. Her body would most likely force her to get some rest at some point, but the way she was going, Cho would end up making herself sick. Resolving to try and talk to her about it tomorrow, Kazuo set his alarm and slid between the sheets. Maybe he was worrying for nothing, and everything would go back to normal when he woke up…

It didn’t.

A blood-curdling scream split through the early twilight, ripping Kazuo from slumber a good half hour before his clock’s alarm even had a chance to sound; frantic hammering on the front door mimicking the erratic beat of his heart as he peered through a nearby window to see what the commotion was.

“Cho!?”

She was dressed in her night clothes, shaking and close to tears as she beat against the front door with clenched fists. Worry consumed him as he carefully eased open the door, catching a stray hand before it reached though the widening gap and collided with him. The physical contact calmed her almost immediately, and she tried to stammer out an apology as he took in her distraught appearance. Some of the deeper scratches on her wrists had reopened, droplets of blood smeared haphazardly across abnormally pale skin that had grown cold to the touch.

Speechless at the state of her, Kazuo guided his sister into the lounge room, turning the heater on before fetching her doona and the first aid kit.

“Everything’s okay,” She stammered breathlessly, “Really, I just…I didn’t expect to wake up outside and then…”

He noticed her pause, distractedly repeating herself as if struggling to think and verbalise her thoughts simultaneously.

“…And then I tried to get back inside, but the door was locked. I can’t believe I panicked so badly.” She explained, offering up a fragile smile. It fell from her face when he asked what had caused her to scream.

“It was nothing.” Cho dismissed, her features like stone, “…Just a dead raven.”

-x-

Omake:

Normally, if her phone had rung before seven in the morning, Mai would have been tempted to hang up on them or simply pull her head under the covers until the annoying noise went away. Given the circumstances however, her slender hand quickly shot out, grappling briefly with the bed sheets before clumsily clasping the receiver.

“Mmh…N-naru?”

She was fairly certain it was either him or Lin, and she figured the older of the two would forgive the mistake should she make it.

“Mai,” Her boss’s voice confirmed in a brief greeting; getting straight to the point.

“Some kind of…” He paused for a moment, as if struggling to find the right words, “…creature has attacked Lin.”

All traces of sleep gone, the auburn-haired girl practically shot upright. Naru now had her full attention.

“Is he okay?”

“He seems to be in a deep sleep, but there are strange markings on his face…”

A moment of silence passed between them, both wordlessly reaching the same conclusion – Lin wasn’t the type to be easily caught off-guard. Whatever had managed to best the Chinese man had to be strong.

“I’ll phone Yasuhara and see if he can lend a hand searching for similar occurrences,” Mai quickly volunteered, “Do you want me to send the rest of the team up to help you?”

“Not yet,” Naru answered, “Wait until we have some idea of what we’re dea-”

He broke off abruptly, shushing her when she began to ask what was wrong.

“…I think it’s still here.” The dark youth whispered in explanation, Mai holding her breath as she began to hear faint sounds of singing in the background.

…Strange, why do I suddenly feel so…

So tired...?

A soft thump, followed by a disturbing clatter on the other end of the line ripped the auburn-haired girl from her thoughts.

“Naru!” She called out, more than a little panicked, “What’s going on?!”

No response.

“Are you alright?” She tried again, “Can you hear me?!”

It was no use. Hands shaking, Mai pressed the receiver closer, a hauntingly sweet melody filling her ears…

“Jigggilypuuuuuuuuff, Jigg-i-ly…”