A Quiet Life (Ghost Hunt)

AUTHOR'S NOTES; Also, y'all, it's been like half a year 😭 I'm sorry!

But! In my defense, I took a little vacation for almost a month and this newest installment of this series takes way longer to write and post because it's very technical! Like, it took me a month and a half to do the first 2 chapters of A Survivor's Will! But I think it will be easier now that I have a good start on how I want to handle the mechanics of it. And now there are 8 parts to this series and I wrote over 45k since you guys last saw me!

Still… I am sorry 💙 you guys are my dear readers so I feel bad for the wait.

Anyway! I know gamer fics aren't for everyone, but it's not a traditional one, so you might enjoy it anyway.

Y'all know how this series works by now, but if you're new, hi! Welcome! Each part of this series can be read independently or in order as part of a soul's journey through the cycle of reincarnation.

Side note, I started school again, so I had to slow down in updates again. So sorry. But I'll be updating all break. And I think I'll be able to update a bit more now that I've gotten into the swing of things.

As always, thank you guys for showing your love for my work. I hope yall enjoy!

Discord!

https://discord.gg/XhqUDAnbsH

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"It hurts," Gene whispers, voice barely more than a breath as I lean above him.

"I know," I murmur sympathetically, carefully maneuvering his limbs through the physical therapy exercises. "I know.'

I had personal experience with how frustrating and painful the long recovery time for an injury could be when one required physical therapy. Hell, I could feel it second hand from his aura. He is doing his best to not bring attention to his struggles from his twin, family, and the others, not wanting to bring them heartache, but Gene knows it is redundant to try and hide his feelings from my empathic abilities, making me the only one he was really being honest with. Still, Gene refuses to complain in front of anyone else, especially Naru, who is still drowning in guilt for Gene's kidnapping, blaming himself for not going with his twin to Japan. There is nothing I can say to make any of it better, but sometimes, just listening helps, and I'm determined to at least do that much for them.

Gene growls quietly, leg trembling as he moves it back and forth. Naru returns, coming to kneel next to us, hovering like a silent cloud over his twin. Gene pastes a strained smile on his face that wouldn't fool anyone let alone the twin he has a telepathic connection with, and I sigh, wishing he wouldn't bother. 

Naru and I help Gene back into his wheelchair and I perch on the couch next to him. After Gene brushes him off and dismisses his fussing, Naru returns to his desk, but not before lightly squeezing my hand. "Thanks for help, Tsukiyo."

I smile, still a bit bewildered by how affectionate my boss has gotten after getting his brother back, but I'm loving it. "Of course! I don't mind at all and this is way better ithen paperwork."

Gene snorts and I wink at him, handing him some water.

Mai bursts in, grinning widely and covered in tinsel. I raise amused eyebrows at her, only raising them higher when Sora follows her in, also covered in sparkly streamers and LED lights, having been allowed to join us at SPR today.

"No," Naru states before Mai can get the first syllable out.

"Wha-" Mai splutters indignantly, stomping over to our boss's desk, Sora getting dragged along because of the Christmas decorations binding them together, his little face adorably serious.

"No," Naru repeats, arms crossing over his chest.

"Come on, Naru! It's Christmas Eve and this office is in dire need of some festive color! Do you have to be such a grinch?!" Mai whines, stomping her foot, and I desperately refrain from looking at Gene because, judging by the faint trembling of his body from suppressed laughter, I know he'll make me lose it. 

Mai and Naru begin to bicker before Masako arrives, complimenting the tree Mai had put up in the main room, something I guess Naru had missed in his haste to return to his twin. Then, Monk pops his head into the office, followed by Ayako, both complimenting the festive atmosphere now permeating the workplace. "What do you say we throw an office party?"

"If you're so desperate to celebrate, find yourself at church. I don't throw parties in my place of work," Naru snarks.

I sigh, rising up to lean on his desk. "Come on, Naru. A little festivity doesn't hurt anyone. And we surely have a lot to celebrate now that we have found Gene and brought him home."

"And not dead, at that," Gene snarks, and I struggle to stifle a laugh at the dark humor.

Naru winces, hesitating, but before he can say anything, Luella bursts in, ugly sweater on and her arms full of ornaments. "Oliver! Christmas is a time for family and friends! I won't have you chasing your wonderful companies off with your rudeness! I did not raise you that way!"

Naru visibly wilts and I screw my face up in an effort to keep my cackle in, resulting in me clutching my side as the strain of suppressed giggles twinges the wound. My stitches had long since been removed, but the slashes along my ribs and wrists still ached from certain movements.

A warm hand on my back has me returning to attention as the rest of SPR excitedly discuss decorating and celebrating, and I tilt my head to the side until I find ocean eyes for a moment before returning to observe the wild group in front of us. "I'm okay, Naru."

He nods, but rather than moving away, he leans on the desk next to me, arm braced behind me as he hovers even closer, nearly caging me in. My breath stutters at the proximity before forcibly reminding myself to relax. What the ever loving fuck?

"Are you sure?" He murmurs, hot breath fanning across the shell of one of my ears. I blink before very slowly turning my head back to look at him once again over my shoulder, his face only a few inches from mine.

I had anticipated that when I turned to face him, it would make him realize how close we are, and he'd move back. But instead, something flickers across Naru's face, and rather than startling back, he holds my gaze, eyes deliberate and measured despite the wild pulse of power beneath his skin. It feels like a question and a challenge all in one and on instinct, I stay perfectly still, inadvertently answering it in a way that even I can't really understand.

Naru smirks ever so lightly, deep satisfaction curling around his aura as he lifts his free hand to rest against my elbow, leaning even closer, but slow enough to give me the opportunity to retreat. My breath hitches and eyes widen because his reaction confirms that there is no fucking way I'm misreading all these signs. Still, even as he's clearly making a move, he's giving me the chance to break the silent tension between us.

The problem is I don't know if I want to take it, though.

A sharp spike of pride and glee has my head whipping around in time to see Gene actually fist pump the air, his grin damn near maniacal. It earns an annoyed, embarrassed, yet smug response from Naru, who when I turn back to him, hasn't moved an inch, eyes still boring into mins. But now, even to my poor sight, there is a slight pink glow to his cheeks despite his steady eyes and hand, his thumb carefully stroking back and forth over my arm as he gasps it softly.

Huh. Holy fucking shit.

Glorious sunshine brushing my senses, catching my attention, and I stand straight, pushing off the desk Naru is nearly pinning me against, the tension between us vanishing. "John! Good to see you!"

The priest appears around the door frame, smiling wide as he's promptly greeted by the rest of SPR who hadn't noticed anything past their decorating frenzy. Hurt and embarrassment tinged with rejection brushes my senses as Naru lets me pull away, addressing John perhaps a touch more sharply then normal. "Let me guess, you've come to join the party?"

I hadn't meant to reject him, merely trying to process, and I wince as I feel him begin to close himself off. Still, I need time to sort my thoughts out so I refrain from reaching out to him, despite the twitching of my fingers and the swooping of my stomach. 

John blinks, waving his hands in denial. "Uh, no, no! Actually, I came by for something else entirely. I was wondering if you'd be interested in a case. It's for my local parish."

"We should go," I insist abruptly, every head swinging in my direction. 

Naru frowns at me from an awkward three feet away, but I shrug, my sixth sense guiding me. Sora, detangling himself from Mai, darts to my side, tugging on my sweater. "Bahji, are you and Mai-neechan going to be gone for Christmas? I'll be alone?"

I shake my head. "You are coming with as long as Naru allows."

"Is that…. Wise, dear?" Lueslla asks hesitantly.

"Yeah, I mean, cases can get pretty dangerous, Tsukiyo-chan," Ayako notes worriedly. "I know you've been raising him well on your own, and I don't mean to step on your toes, but-"

I shake my head, smiling warmly at the priestess who I've grown quite fond of over the months we've known her, long since having dropped her haughty, bitchy demeanor. "No, I get it. I actually really appreciate your concern. But I get the feeling that he'll be perfectly safe. What do you think, John?"

The Catholic priest nods. "Actually, I agree with Tsukiyo. There are a lot of children at the church already, and no harm has ever come to them. If anything, Sora will have some kids to play with while we investigate."

"Naru?" I ask. " I promise that he won't be a bother and I'll concentrate on working, but-"

"It's fine," he dismisses, arms crossed again and gaze not meeting mine. "It's your decision." 

"Excellent. That means it's safe enough for me to go as well," Gene butts in, grinning wickedly as Mai drapes tinsel on his wheel chair.

Luella begins to protest only to be cut off by their father, Martin, smiling softly as he shuffles his way into the overcrowded office, the last of our group. "Well, since this case doesn't seem like it is a particularly dangerous one, I see no reason why not. However, as long as things aren't entirely dire, you should all hurry back so that we can celebrate together."

And with that, we found ourselves on another adventure.

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The church was lovely, plenty of children all over the place, and the atmosphere was bright and festive. I smile, kiss my brother's head and give him my phone to use to call Mai's if he needs anything. Then I shoo him off to play with the kids who are apparently here as part of a day care service run out of the church.

When Lin, Gene, and Naru enter the church with John and the pastor in charge, Father Tojo, they are briefed on the case. Meanwhile, the rest of us end up getting to play with the kiddies for a while. I giggle, watching the various SPR members stumble though their interactions with the hoard of children. Monk is riling them up on the swingset, looking like he is honestly having the time of his life. Masako is a little bit overwhelmed, but her smile is genuine as she interacts with her little fans. Ayako looks entirely out of her depth, which is its own kind of hilarious, and Mai is beaming as she plays ball with some of the little ones, in her element after all the babysitting we've done over the years to earn a little cash.

In the distance, I hear a rhythmic tapping sound that echoes off the trees and despite all the happiness from the playing kids around us, a deep sense of longing settles over me before it vanishes with the sound.

"Did you hear that?" I ask my friends nearby. They all nod, frowning at the odd sound. "It's like, like someone is… hitting something together?"

The sound continues to echo through the trees of the nearby forest, that same longing tugging at my heart strings insistently. When Mai accidentally loses a ball in the forest next to the church, I make sure to follow her into the trees, my senses tingling. 

And there, we find a child.

XXXXXNARUXXXXX

The tale told by Father Tojo is a rather interesting one. Apparently, every couple weeks, a child will be possessed. Then the child will play a game called Stick, a form of hide and seek that uses a wooden stick's tapping to signal when one is ready to be found. The possessions never really cause harm, but no matter how often the spirit is exercised, it always seems to return after some time and possess a new child. However, the possessions have been getting more frequent, causing concern with Father Tojo and the other staff of the church, and John himself since no one seems to be able to figure out why the spirit refuses to rest, hence the case.

As Father Tojo is briefing Gene, Lin, and I on the case, the sound of wood being banged together echoed out from outside. Apparently, the spirit's newest vessel had been in the woods for the entire day. I exchange a glance with Gene, frowning, before I push his wheelchair outside, instructing the others to quickly track the possessed child down.

"What do you think?" I murmur at my brother, carefully pushing his wheelchair across the hall to an indoor playroom where he could wait while the rest of us found the kid.

"I'm not sure," Gene says after a moment. "You know churches always tend to draw spirits regardless, not to mention residual energy of all kinds. There is too much here for me to pinpoint anything specific. I won't be able to make any conclusions until I come into contact with the spirit directly."

I nod, leave Gene with Ayako and Masako before following the sound with John, Lin, and Father Tojo. Soon enough, we find the child, along with Mai and Tsukiyo behind a small side building, "Are you two all right?"

Mai turns and begins to blabber to us about finding the kid in the woods and following him using the sound, but my eyes are drawn to Tsukiyo, as they always seem to be these days. She has one hand resting on the fox mask once more on her hip and her expression is indecipherable as she stares at the child crouched in front of a wall, stick in hand as he taps it repeatedly. For a moment, I don't even think she noticed us arriving, but then she's looking directly at me.

As my breath catches, and I wonder, not for the first time, if her and Lin have such piercing gazes because of their heterochromia, or if it's just who they are that allows them to look at people like they're staring directly past their flesh and bone and into their souls. I frown, remembering the last time she met eyes with me. 

When Gene had pointed out my… affection for her, I realized there was no real reason for me to fight it, once I got over my momentary denial. I can't place when it started. I met her while drowning and suffocating in grief, only the desire to find Gene and Lin at my back getting me up in the mornings. Then, there she was, all casual chaos and devious smirks that sometimes faded into sweet smiles that reminded me of the missing half of my soul. With her came Mai and then the rest of SPR and suddenly I had more friends than I ever did in England, people that genuinely cared for me despite my abrasiveness when I was so used to being the unapproachable twin. She was warmth and soothing calm and blooming smiles that made my stomach flip. She never blinked at my blunt sharpness, never held it against me when I couldn't hold back the grief enough to care about those around me. She became someone to rely on and trust, soothing the jagged edges where my twin was supposed to fit. 

She became my friend.

And then I messed it up by exploding on her and calling her a liar when she told me Gene was alive. Shame and regret fill me every time I think of the calm resignation she wore even as I spit barbed words at her. Even in my rage and hurt and foolish denial, unable to trust her, my stomach sank at the way she distanced herself from me, apologizing for overstepping boundaries and forgetting that I was just her boss. Even though I was the one who created the rift between us, it ate at me, tore me up inside, especially when Gene proved her words right.

By that point, I had already figured out how much of an idiot I had been, but watching her put herself at risk for us, again and again, watching crimson blood spill from her skin and that fucking bastard put his hands on her had confirmed it. No one had ever done anything like that for me outside of my family and best friend and assistant of several years. It has been near impossible to keep my eyes off her since. 

Falling for her had been slow then all at once, just like falling asleep. All the signs were there but I never saw it coming. It felt like soothing breezes and the peace of moonlit nights that my PK rarely gave me the chance to enjoy. I couldn't say I was in love yet, but this wasn't something as simple as attraction or lust or a crush. I wanted her, her soft smiles and gentle hands and even her maniacal laughter when she does something that leaves everyone around her terrified, confused, or both.

After a few weeks of slowly growing closer to her, she finally realized it. I saw it in her eyes in the office, surrounded by bickering friends and family. There's no way an empath like her didn't understand that my actions, however subtle, were deliberate. But after the initial surprise had worn off, there was no mistaking that when John had arrived, she put space between us, leaving me cold without her nearness. 

It could only mean that my feelings weren't reciprocated.

"Daddy, it's you!" A child's voice breaks me out of my thoughts and I stare wide eyed as the child suddenly bolts up right and attaches himself to Lin, who flinches, bewildered. 

"What did he say?" John squeaks.

Soft laughter catches my ears and I turn to see Tsukiyo walking forward, lips curled in amusement. "The child is confused."

The psychic, smiling softly, walks over to Lin and crouches. The spirit shys away, clutching Lin's pants and peeking out from behind my stiff assistant, but Tsukiyo merely grins kindly. "Hello, Little One. I mean you no harm. I'm sorry I look a bit scary to you."

I make a mental note to figure out why exactly spirits have such a strange reaction to her compared to other mediums as the child relaxes hesitantly, and the smile on the Tsukiyo's face is so sweet it has my heart stuttering in my chest. Still, I'm not distracted enough not to notice Lin, wide eyed, and a little entranced as well. Tsukiyo taps the boy's nose playfully. "You must be cold. How about we go play inside?"

The child giggles and carefully offers her a hand, gripping Lin's palm tightly in the other one. Tsukiyo nods at me and takes the hand, leading us back to the church.

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"It appears he has mistaken me for his father. Would you mind telling him the truth?" Lin asks politely, if stiffly.

"The funny thing is you bear an uncanny resemblance to Kenji's father," Father Tojo admits sheepishly. Tsukiyo, the only one the ghost seems to have warmed up to besides Lin, hums, patting the possessed child's head and tickling his side to draw his attention and give a supremely uncomfortable Lin some space. The boy giggles and detaches himself from Lin and sits between the two.

"Who's Kenji?" Mai asks me as we watch, gathered around Gene's chair.

"According to Father Tojo, there used to be a boy here named Kenji. One day he disappeared. Shortly after that, the possessions started occurring," I inform the team, wincing when Lin struggles not to flinch as the child hugs him again.

Lin's past traumas had made physical touch from most people supremely uncomfortable for him. Tsukiyo, brow furrowed, seems aware as she gently redirects the child again and again, but after all these years together, Lin's struggle is clear to see every time the child returns to him, innocently throwing himself at the omnioji. 

Let's hope we can finish this quickly, Gene's voice murmurs in my head. He's not doing so well.

While Father Tojo briefs the team on Kenji's past, Lin and Tsukiyo carefully distract the possessed child. According to the parish and his assistant, this time of year has a special significance for Kenji. The boy had arrived around this time years before, just when the church was moving into this building from a separate location 30 years ago. Kenji's father had brought the boy here, promising to return the following Christmas for him. However, he seemed to disappear without a trace, leaving Kenji, who was mute due to a mental disorder, behind.

Mai, Monk, and Ayako note that Kenji was able to speak when he saw Lin, proving just how desperately the child was waiting for his father, and how overwhelmingly happy he must've been when he mistook Lin for his father. The comment draws some sympathy from me, reminding me of my brother and I, left in the orphanage years ago, of the revelations that I hadn't quite processed yet from our time in Fukumoto Manner. Apparently, our own father had tried to return to us and retrieve us from an orphanage, but had died before he could. I glance at Gene, taking in his pursed features, and know that he also recognizes the parallels.

Despite that, Kenji was still a cheerful child. So much so that the other children often adjusted themselves in order to include him in playtime. Hence, how the game Stick was born, a variation of hide and seek that involved banging a stick, allowing Kenji to participate without having to be able to speak. The child was known to be very fond of Stick and very good at this game. Eventually, Kenji began using a whistle given to him by Father Tojo rather than sticks.

One day, right before construction on the Church was finished, Kenji went missing. It was storming, and scaffolding had fallen, but hours of searching both the grounds and the deep aqueduct behind the property revealed nothing but the whistle abandoned on the ground.

"I wonder if he's out there still beating his stick because he lost his whistle so long ago, as if he's begging to be found…" Mai trails off., and I notice Gene taking her hand in his from the corner of my eye.

"It doesn't sound like there's any danger," Monk remarks.

"But there is the possibility that this could escalate into something bigger," I warn darkly. The hauntings may seem innocent now, but the longer a spirit remains trapped in the land of the living after their death, the more likely they are to be influenced and twisted into something different than they were in life. It was likely that all these years had impacted the innocent spirit of the child and altered it, especially because Kenji has been appearing more often recently, a sign that the possessions were changing him. It's possible that Kenji's spirit was becoming something far darker.

"Let's go see if we can't exercise Kenji," I state."

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AN; Difficult ass chapter to write, not gonna lie. Don't know if I like it, but it will do. As y'all can see them ships are sailing. Tell me how we like a bit of pining Naru and Tsukiyo hilariously not seeing it coming.