SPR: Is This Normal - CH 10

14AmyChan: okay, new chapter is up and going~! *^_^*

Mai: Amy-san apologizes in advance for the lack of things happening in here

14AmyChan: yeah, sorry!

Naru: Chan-san does not own Ghost Hunt. *flees to the bat cave*

Mai: did you just...?

14AmyChan: yes I did. *^_^*

Ayako awoke uncommonly early the next morning, oddly enough refreshed and ready to take on whatever this spirit—obviously an earth spirit—had in store for them. She looked over to her side to see Mai, still fast asleep. The girl had not woken up since yesterday, and seemed to have slept all through the night. She would need to be fed soon, so the miko went to wake her.

"Mai, wake up," Ayako's voice elicited only one reaction. Mai murmured sleepily, turned over in her bed, and slept on. The motherly figure sighed. She did not want to have to go through something ridiculous to wake her up, but the girl had forced her hand.

"What was that, Masako? I'm sure Naru would love some of your tea," Ayako's well-rehearsed words were cut off by Mai, who instantly shot up in bed, panic evident in her eyes.

"Masako, you wouldn't dare. I thought—" Mai's complaint hung in the air as she stopped for a moment, processing what had just happened. She scowled playfully at the older woman, unable to keep a smile from her face. The miko simply smiled in a not-so-innocent fashion.

"Ayako, that was low," Mai laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. Masako had pretty much given up on Naru when she had learned about Gene, so why would it have mattered? Besides, it really was just tea.

Deep in her heart, she knew that was not true.

"All's fair in love and war," Ayako bragged with a smug smile. Too bad she did not see a pillow come flying at her face. Mai's laughter resounded throughout the entire room, caught up in her childish act of revenge.

"Yup, looks that way," Mai smirked with joy, happy with her slight victory over having been woken up. She did not, however, realize that in throwing the pillow, she had given Ayako ammunition.

"You asked for it!" Ayako laughed when she whacked Mai on the back of the head lightly with the pillow. Mai flung herself off of her sleeping arrangements and onto Ayako's bed, stealing the other woman's pillow to use as a shield.

"You're gonna get it!" Mai pledged as she turned the defensive into the offensive, battering Ayako with her pillow every time she had the chance, and defending the rest of the time. It was a fight for the upper hand. First it was Ayako, then Mai, then Ayako, and she kept the upper hand for a while, then Mai, who eventually landed a good blow to Ayako's lower leg, causing the older woman to fall backwards onto the soft mattress. Mai jumped for joy and Ayako let out a distraught groan, complaining about how her hair now needed extra care and attention. Mai knew it was all for show though, the red haired woman had fun.

"I win!" she shouted happily before a sound interrupted her victory dance. It was the growling of her own stomach. Her face flushed with embarrassment as Ayako finished brushing her hair then shot Mai a knowing look.

"All right, you, time for breakfast," the older woman announced, feeling hungry herself. Nodding in agreement, the two quickly got ready for the day and then proceeded into the kitchen, where Yuuki was already busying herself with the preparations for the meal.

"Hi, Yuuki," Mai said happily. The thirty year old woman seemed startled for a moment, but then smiled when she recognized Mai and Ayako.

"Hello, Mai. Good morning Matzusaki-san," Yuuki addressed sleepily as she kept an eye on the breakfast. There seemed to be a good amount of food being made. "I thought you and your team might be hungry, so I thought I might cook up a little breakfast. I hope no one in your team is allergic to eggs."

"Good morning, Takanashi-san," Ayako returned with a smile. She glanced over the food Yuuki was making with an affirming nod. "The team doesn't have any allergies that I'm aware of, so you're good."

"Would you like any help?" Mai offered. Yuuki seemed to be taken by surprise at the sudden offer, but agreed to let the two women help. By the time that John had woken up, the aromas of freshly grilled fish, rice with fried eggs, and miso soup wafted into his nose.

"Good morning," he greeted kindly when he found the girls in the kitchen, talking and laughing as they made the breakfast. Mai turned around first, a smile—as well as a bit of the food—on her face. John could only assume she had been taste testing as she worked.

"Good morning, John! Would you mind helping Ayako with the table? I'm gonna stay with Yuuki and guard the food," Mai beamed, to which Ayako clicked her tongue and shook her head, a playful frown on her face.

"Mai, if we leave you with the food, it'll be gone before the guys even get down here," Ayako declared as she pointed out a bit of rice on the young girl's face. Mai brushed it away with a blush, hoping that the red haired woman would let it go. Sadly, she did not.

"Why don't you go and get Naru and Lin for breakfast? Those two were probably up all night, seeing as they didn't wake up John or myself…" Ayako suggested. She looked over at Yuuki, who was still stirring the soup. "Takanashi-san, would you like Mai to let your mother know that breakfast is ready as well?"

"My mother is a little tired right now. I think it would be best to let her rest for now," Yuuki said, a flash of worry infiltrating her tone. Mai immediately suspected something amiss. But surely the elder of the two would not have been possessed had she kept Ayako's warding charm, would she?

"Was her hand in the rosebushes again?" Mai asked, to which Yuuki gave a short and curt affirmative. Were Mai not used to dealing with Naru, who was also emotionally stunted, she would have wondered weather this woman cared for her mother. But the young girl could see the tightening in their client's eyes, and how her movements suddenly became stiff and a little jagged. Yuuki was definitely worried, and Mai wanted to comfort her.

"Naru will figure it out," Mai offered as reassurance, patting the elder woman's back before walking out of the room in her quest to recruit said man and his equally silent assistant for breakfast. Yuuki turned to Ayako after the girl had left, curiosity getting the better of her.

"She trusts him a lot, doesn't she?" she inquired. She had not known the team for very long, but she knew that every one of them looked up to the one they called Naru. Especially Mai. Ayako seemed to understand that Yuuki picked up on this and gave a brief nod.

"With her life."

Mai walked out of the kitchen and through the dining room, greeting John along the way. The priest offered to walk with the young girl on her way to the base, but she assured him she could most definitely make it to her destination this time, both conveniently forgetting that she had a rather nasty knack of getting lost in the house in the short amount of time they had been there. So she proceeded on her own. She turned right, left, right, right, straight… Oh dear.

Somehow, she had ended up at the open front door rather than the base. A screen was in place so as to keep the bugs out, yet allow cool morning air inside. Mai turned to face the inside of the house, mentally mapping exactly where she needed to go. It was really quite simple for a house this large, but for some reason, she always ended up in strange places. A hallway, a random bedroom, and now the front door! She had not even been here that long, not even a full twenty four hours!

A rustling of leaves came from behind her, and caught the girl's attention. Rather than a subtle whisper courtesy of the wind, the leaves were crunching. As if weight were being deliberately pressed upon them and then removed just as quickly. Like footsteps.

"Hello…?" Mai called out, feeling a little more at peace when she did so, almost certain that the being would have attacked her by now if that was its intent, whatever it was. She opened the front screen and looked around. She was about to head inside when she heard it again, a little farther away. She hesitantly went towards the sound, sure to shut the screen door behind her.

"Is anyone here…?" she asked, beginning to feel her nerves jumble up inside of her. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to follow noises right outside a haunted house that seemed to lead into the woods. Besides that, she had to let Naru and Lin know that breakfast was ready.

More crunching of leaves. Mai could not help it; her curious nature was taking over. With one foot in front of the other, she slowly made her way into the forest, following the sound of the mysterious footfalls.

14AmyChan: okay, so there's that chapter~! I really wanted to write a pillow fight. XD

Ayako: do you know what pillow fights do to a girl's hair!

14AmyChan: calm down, I had you fix it. *^_^*

Mai: Where am I going? And where's Naru? And why-?

14AmyChan: I'll try and answer those in the next chap, okay? *^_^*

Mai: mou! please read and review to keep us all somewhat sane!