SPR: Is This Normal CH - 61

14AmyChan: Okay, as school is in full swing, we're probably going to be very lucky if I'm able to update once every two weeks. I'm taking a class that is difficult for me and two more that aren't difficult, but require a lot of time.

Naru: Are you going to be giving this story up?

14AmyChan: Aw, heck no! It's my baby, and the last time I left a story to be adopted out, I was not pleased. So, I'm going to stubbornly stick by this one till the end! *has on battle armor*

Mai: We appreciate you guys and your patience with Amy-chan. She's not exactly the most scheduled person on the planet.

14AmyChan: I resent that!

Naru: She also does not own Ghost Hunt.

14AmyChan: ;_; that hurts...

Naru exhaled slowly, finally having the base to himself. Well, himself and Lin, but Lin was never a problem. Lin was not the cause of the stress he was undergoing. Heck, it was not even Mai, Bou-san, Matsuzaki-san, Madoka, Yasuhara-san, Brown-san, or Hara-san. No, this was the doing of two well-meaning parents.

His parents.

The boy continued his research on the strange occurrences, free from their silent observance. He had already ruled out land subsidence and a number of other causes for the effects in this building, yet he was not through yet. There were a few more scientific possibilities to rule out before he could start working on what exactly it was that the girls saw in the kitchen.

"None of them are aware of your parents' purpose here?" Lin inquired. It had been agreed upon that this time the study was to be done as covertly as possible. This decision had been made as soon as the team landed in Japan. Last time, the entire team had not worked as efficiently as possible, and it was something Oliver hoped to avoid in this go around. He shook his head.

"I would have guessed that Taniyama-san would have at least picked it up," the older man continued. Oliver's eyes narrowed as he continued his research.

"Awfully chatty today, aren't you?" Naru quipped. "I presume it's safe to say that Madoka's gotten to you."

Not another word was said between the two as they continued their work, both knowing they were at an impasse for now.

"So, right now, you have a jungle cat guarding your astral plane?" Ayako asked as she, Mai, Bou-san, John, and Masako walked up to the counter to order. Martin and Luella had told the team to run ahead, and that they had not gotten much sightseeing done before coming to SPR. Mai nodded in response to Ayako's query as Bou-san spoke with the cashier.

"It's weird, though, this hasn't happened before…" she mused aloud, wondering what it was about that animal that seemed so intelligent and familiar. Almost as though it were a human… "But it can't be a human, can it?"

"Some people believe in animal familiars," Bou-san supplied, having finished ordering all of the food. "It's more of a Wiccan belief, but the gist is that a human can have a psychic link with an animal. It was thought that these animals were given to witches and stuff."

"But this was on my astral plane," Mai argued, feeling very confused and frustrated with the lack of solid answers. "Real animals can't be on my astral plane, and the panther actually seemed more human than that…"

"I spoke with a Shaman once while filming in America," Masako stated with a pointed air. Everyone looked at her with confusion as she continued. "She told me that my animal familiar was a white cat. When I told her that I had no white cat, she simply laughed at me and told me that animal familiars were thought forms or spiritual entities that serve as a form of protection."

"Well, a white cat suits you," Ayako smirked. "All prim and proper and refusing to lift a finger."

Almost everyone at the table chuckled at that. Masako turned her nose away while John attempted to sustain the peace before it was broken.

"So, do you think is that this panther is Mai-san's animal familiar?" the priest inquired.

Everyone stopped for a moment and observed the young girl, who tired of the scrutiny fairly quickly. She huffed and folded her arms, an annoyed tick over her left eyebrow. Bou-san was the first to state his thoughts.

"Well, usually she's more like a playful otter, but right now she looks more like a bear cub," the man grinned as he ruffled her hair. She tried to swat his hand away, but was met with empty air as he left swiftly to grab the food as their order number had just been called.

"I'd say you're more of a monkey," Ayako announced at the girl. She had been in the middle of sticking her tongue out at the older monk. "You play around a lot and you're clumsy."

"Hey!" Mai huffed in mock anger as the woman laughed. She turned on Masako and John. "Am I more like a monkey or an otter?"

"Well, you are currently screeching like a monkey," Masako stated mildly, causing Mai to fume at her. Some friend! She turned to John, her eyes hopeful. The priest raised his hands in slight defense.

"I'd say Mai-san is whatever she wants to be," he stated diplomatically, and while Mai was grateful to have not been called a monkey again, she was slightly frustrated with his answer.

"So if I wanted to be a panther?" she challenged. The priest knew he had been cornered and offered a slight smile as an apology, but refused to give her a definitive answer on otter versus monkey.

"Mai, you're not serious enough to be a panther," the monk stated as he placed a bag of food on top of the young girl's head. She felt herself twitch in response to both the jab and the added weight on her head. "Now grab a bag. We're going to have to pick up the Davises on the way back to base."

"Did they get lost?" Ayako asked, her eyebrow raised. Bou-san shook his head.

"More like they got carried away sightseeing. They ended up taking a train to the other side of the city," he explained as he handed the bags of food off to Mai and John, the only two who seemed willing enough to take it.

"Huh," Mai thought aloud as she entered the car, many different things roaming through her mind. She thought about why the Davises were really there. It was something that she remembered Naru telling her right after she had confessed again. She had been worried about being separated from him again. She let herself remember for a moment.

"But your parents—" she protested, only to be cut off by Naru.

"Will be fine," he stated firmly. He held her gaze for a moment longer. "They will travel first to England for packing and then to Japan to make a more detailed report on the Japanese branch of SPR, seeing as how they did not see all the members in action here in America. The decision was made two hours ago."

The memory flashed in her mind and she vaguely wondered why the raven haired boy had not told the team that they were under surveillance once again.

"Are you thinking about the animal familiar thing?" Ayako asked, using a loud voice from the front seat when it became apparent that the girl was obviously deep in thought. For a moment, the girl wondered if she should tell the team, but something prevented her from doing so.

Her intuition talking again.

"Sorta," she lied, chuckling nervously. Ayako tisked and turned her head to the front.

"Well, obviously, you're not doing it, so someone else probably sent it to protect you and your astral plane," the priestess stated. "Do you know any powerful shamans, Mai?"

"The only person I know who deals with magics is Lin-san," she admitted. The rest of the team dealt with any sort of religion or belief and preformed exorcisms and cleansings according to those beliefs. "But he's an Onmyouji, and I don't think Shamanism is a part of Chinese culture... Plus, that panther didn't seem like Lin-san at all."

"Masako, what did you say your friend defined an animal familiar was?" John asked, turning to the medium. While the medium was obviously flustered at the drop in honorifics in front of others, she did not correct the kind priest. Mai and Ayako shared a knowing look of smug smiles behind the scene.

"She told me that animal familiars were thought forms or spiritual entities that serve as a form of protection," she repeated from behind a kimono sleeve. The conversation would have continued were it not for Bou-san's sudden interruption.

"Keep an eye out for the Davises, all right?" Bou-san said. Ayako began searching around from her place in the passenger seat. Those in the rear of the van did the same.

"Look, there's Luella! She's waving us down!" Mai exclaimed, seeing the elderly woman with a grin on her face. Her husband was looking at something in particular, and had not seen the van as of yet. While Masako and John moved around to make way for the Davises, Mai was left in the middle row on the opposite side, so she did not have to move. Instead, she chose to follow the professor's gaze.

"Got a little carried away, didn't you?" Ayako asked as Luella and Martin climbed into the van. The couple buckled up as Bou-san began to drive them back to the base.

"It seems that way," Luella laughed for a moment. It was not long before Luella, Ayako, and even Masako were in happy conversation. Bou-san decided to pick the professor's brain to see if he knew anything about animal familiars. It turned out that the man had a good amount of information and the two engaged in a jovial battle of wits. John managed to relax in peace, so that left Mai to her thoughts, her questions, and possible answers.

"Mori-san was right," Yasuhara announced as they entered the nearly empty base. Naru raised an eyebrow at the abrupt arrival, but chose not to comment on the boy's method of entry. "There's not a single crack in any of the merchandise."

"I see," the Big Boss stated. As he had ruled out most commonly used explanations of paranormal activity, he had now turned his attention to the supernatural justifications. Whatever was at fault was either directly targeting the construction workers, or protecting the merchandise or something else that was hidden along with it. The question was: had the construction team dug up anything that might be of importance to the case?

"Perhaps there are some personal artifacts that were buried around here. They might have been dug up during the expansion," Madoka threw out there nonchalantly. Naru considered the possibility.

"Yasuhara, in the morning, contact the persons that Kappuri-san bought the property from. Ask them if they had encountered anything strange while residing here," he ordered. The young gave a mock salute, grateful that the Big Boss had not asked it to be done tonight. He had been working on one thing or another since arrival and was actually getting fairly tired.

"You got it, Big Boss," the young man grinned.

"Madoka, you and Lin will be on first watch tonight. Keep an eye especially on monitors seven and five," he ordered, causing Madoka to raise an eyebrow. Noll was not taking first shift? She wondered why—

"We bring food!" a monk announced as he led the rest of the procession into the base. The aroma of takeout distracted both Madoka and Yasuhara. Lin acknowledged the arrival of sustenance, and Naru noted dismally that the level of noise increased tenfold.

"I'll take this to Lin," Madoka offered as she took two of the six plates that Mai carried, one for herself and one for her man. Mai smiled gratefully at the woman for taking part of the burden before passing two of the remaining four plates to Yasu and Ayako. Both expressed their thanks before Mai took hers and Naru's plates over to the monitors where her boyfriend sat, staring at the monitors. She placed his meal in front of him and then chose to eat beside him. Naru's eyes flicked over to her for a moment and she offered a small smile.

"Ne, have you guys noticed that Mai isn't giving Naru the death glares anymore?" Ayako questioned as she ate her food. Bou-san had just finished handing out the remainder of the meal when he heard the priestess' comment. He discreetly looked at the oblivious couple.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with what they were talking about when they went to get Sora-san…" he wondered aloud. The priestess's ears perked.

"They actually talked? Like civil people?" the woman wondered aloud in a quiet voice. It was a conspiring tone if ever there was one. Masako's eyes tightened. Perhaps the monk and priestess were getting a touch too close to the truth…

"I believe in human society, normal people do have a tendency to converse," Masako defended slightly. "Unlike childish adults who simply make far too much noise to actually complete anything of value."

"You cheeky brat!" Ayako seethed, her wrath now focused on the medium.

Mai, you had better appreciate this, the medium thought ruefully as she prepared to receive an earful from the priestess.

"Yasuhara-san, what is that you have with you?" John inquired, hoping at once to disrupt the fight and divert the attention to something else. He was very much aware of the fact that Naru and Mai wanted to keep their relationship a secret, and he would aid his friends until they were ready to come out with it to the rest of the team. Also, it seemed as though Masako were going to need saving from the very angry woman beside her.

"It was something extra that wasn't listed in the stock," the boy announced, holding up his new prized item with a grin. "I'm going to call it mini-Big Boss!"

Everyone who heard the statement—Bou-san, Ayako, Masako, John, Martin, and Luella—sweat dropped at the choice of name. The tiny statuette was a cat with its left paw high in the air. Aside from the gold dot atop its head, the entire thing was coated in an extremely faded black substance that looked as though it were a primitive form of paint. One could tell that it was of wooden composition.

"Isn't that supposed to be a Maneki-Neko?" Bou-san asked, confusion showing as he reached for the doll. Yasu passed it over without a fuss for the monk to inspect.

"What is a Maneki-Neko?" John asked, not quite familiar with the term. It was Ayako who chose to answer him. Fortunately, the change in topic had caused her to calm down somewhat.

"It's a statue of a cat, meant to bring good fortune. The type of fortune it brings is determined by which paw is in the air and the color of its fur," the woman explained. She knew of a patient in the hospital her parents worked at that made these. As a part of thanking them for their services, he had given their family a Maneki-Neko that looked almost identical to this one, only made with more modern materials, such as acrylic paint and clay.

John nodded in understanding before diverting his attention back to the figurine in Bou-san's hand. His brows furrowed. What—

"This type of Maneki-Neko in particular is meant to bring in visitors and avoid sickness, as well as bring in a small amount of money," Masako answered the priest's unasked question. The blonde gave her a smile in appreciation, which she returned.

Behind her kimono sleeve of course.

"In a shop filled with glass ornaments, why is a wooden doll here and not on the stock list?" Bou-san questioned, looking around the room.

"Is it cursed?" Yasu asked as though he had meant to ask this question all along. Perhaps someone had brought it in and cursed the home for some unknown reason. The monk dispelled this thought by shaking his head.

"Not that I can tell. As far as I can see, it's a pretty normal Maneki-Neko. Well, an old Maneki-Neko," he said. He passed the doll back to Yasuhara, who returned the Maneki-Neko to his side with his normal amount of flair and returned to his meal.

"Maybe the old hag played with it as a kid," the monk continued nonchalantly. No one was surprised when a purse found itself hitting the back of the man's head.

"What did you call me?!" the woman gritted out of her teeth, purse of doom still fisted.

"Ow! What do you carry in that purse? It should be too heavy for an old lady to handle!" Bou-san complained. His ignorance was rewarded with two more whacks to the head.

"I'm not old!"

"Ow!"

14AmyChan: Okay, just a recap on who knows and who doesn't. Mai, Naru, John, and Masako all know. John and Masako don't know that the other knows, and everyone else is in the dark.

John: Perhaps you should progress the case in the next chapter?

14AmyChan: I should, shouldn't I?

Mai: Why do you make cases so slow anyways?

14AmyChan: Partially because I'm paranoid. I don't want people to solve it too fast, but I feel like every hint I give away will unravel the whole thing.

Mai: Also, side note! Vote on Amy's page to see if I'm an otter or a monkey!

Bou-san: You're an otter.

Ayako: Monkey

14AmyChan: I vote otter!

Naru: Simply read, expel your thoughts and opinions in the review box, go to Chan-san's page and vote, and await the next chapter.

14AmyChan: Pretty please~! *^_^* And thank you~! *^_^*